my year(s) teaching English in France
One of the things I've most enjoyed over my year in Cannes has been gradually building up a blog readership. I sat down one day full of ideas and wrote about how speaking a second language opened my eyes to the greater absurdities of life itself. Many of you seemed to relate, sharing humorous stories …
Dieting is not an especially French activity. Nor does it feel particularly patriotic to live down the street from a small market and ignore the siren song of its milky white goat cheeses and fresh baguettes. But that's what I did (or tried to) for a whole month. All in the name of health, I …
Continue reading the proof is in the profiteroles: on “dieting” in france
The best thing about waking up in the morning–or returning to my petit chez moi at any time of day–is the view from my balcony: the brilliant bay outlined by mountains. I come from the part of Missouri that's just barely not-Kansas. Deprived of elevation for so long, any hint of it makes me giddy. Mountains comfort …
Continue reading attention abeilles: hiking the massif de l’esterel
One thing that makes the experience of short-term teaching in France complicated is the simple fact that it's short-term. And the French are not. As an American, I'm accustomed to a sense of easy, immediate friendship. When I look back at my college years, sometimes I ache for the simplicity. How easy it was, the …
When making a questionable decision, it is always reassuring to have an innocent friend to drag along with you. After several days of glumly searching On Va Sortir (a French website for platonic meet-ups), I decided it was time to act. Over dinner one evening, I showed the website to my friend Rémi. Like me, he …
Continue reading group date on the DL: adventures in digital friendship, pt ii
On Va Sortir. When I moved to Cannes, the website was recommended to me several times. You're new in town. Just try OVS! This site de rencontre, the title of which means let's go out!, apparently had a lively presence in town. Cannes is flanked by mountains and the sea, so I pictured the city's …
Continue reading the land of oz: adventures in digital friendship, pt i
I am a woman conflicted. Part of me frets to be fashionable. I like the way I look, but sometimes it isn't enough. Je me critique. I need to try harder, spend more money, spend more time. Then I remember–all I can afford right now is a stream of espresso. The espresso buys me something …
Continue reading no more material girl: on prioritizing passion
