My friend left on the night train to Paris last night. We’ll meet up again on Saturday—assuming that I’ve packed, closed accounts and make it on the train safely on the train with all my baggage Friday night. Right now, this seems like it will be tight, but it’s probably doable. I only have to do a last load of laundry, write thank you notes, return keys to each school, cancel my internet/electricity/bank account, send boxes through the post, and the general cleaning that moving entails. Woof. But let’s talk about something else…

I’ve had an adventurous week.

Friday : I arrived in Toulouse to meet up with my friend from UChicago. We ate at a great vegetarian restaurant, went out and the following day, we wandered around until we grabbed a train to Rodez.

Saturday night : We went over to the “Goodbye Liz” apèro at my friend’s apartment and then out to a Surf Rock concert.

Sunday : We hung around Rodez and had a normal relaxing day of making soup and grabbing some coffee.

Monday : We took a train to Albi and were impressed by its beautiful cathedral and Toulous-Lautrec museum. Fortunately, our sprint allowed us to be 10 minutes early for our train back to Rodez. If we had missed it, we would have also missed our wine-tasting and meeting Jean-Luc.

Tuesday : This was labor day, so we went to Rodez’s manifestation, which involved representing your union and (for this year’s election) your political ties—vote Hollande over Sarkozy! We then wandered Rodez to the bottom of its hill and back again before heading off to the Roquefort caves. After filling ourselves with cheese, we stopped in Millau for a beverage or two and then back to Rodez.

Wednesday : We visited the last market I’ll be able to attend in Rodez (so so sad), found a new running path and enjoyed a traditional dinner at La Taverne.

So maybe it wasn’t technically a full week…but we sure managed to do enough.

I’ve been riding the roller coaster for a little while, steadily realizing how excited I am to be back in the USA, but then hitting a curve and falling into shock over how soon I am actually going to leave Rodez. Let me relate to you the real correlation between my life and this roller coaster metaphor. The past week, I’ve been meeting up with friends for meals at restaurants I haven’t visited before. Other than the food being fantastic at each new place, the company has been just as marvelous. Only recently has the stress of cleaning, packing and shipping boxes transferred into a panic of mindless munching and procrastination (WHY did I succumb to Pinterest!?).

I’m going to let myself blame the rain, wind and cold weather on some of my unproductive week. I can’t take a cardboard box of my belongings out in a storm!!! That would be crazy. Taking laundry out would just be undoing what I’m paying up to 10 Euros a visit to achieve! And both of those undone chores are just taking up far too much of my living space to sweep or really clean… This coaster is spiraling out of control. I just feel like I’m running out of time, even though I’m really doing nothing with the time I do have. On top of that, my friend from university is coming to visit from Friday until we both leave for Paris a week after then. So really, this is about it for my alone time with my European hometown of seven months.

I’m really excited for my friend to get here and take him on my last adventures around Aveyron. I just hope the weather clears up! I’d still really like to go to Albi, see the Roquefort caves, maybe go to Millau and definitely find my way to a winery in Marcillac. PLUS, visit more restaurants Rodez has to offer. Even if I don’t get to everything I’d like to do, as long as I DO pack, clean and do laundry, it can just serve as an excuse to come back and visit. I mean, I still haven’t been to Nice or Bordeaux. What kind of American living in France am I?

Well, it’s about 15h30. Time to go out and do my laundry and de-stress.

The past week has been delightful. My birthday was spent with friends, champagne and regional cakes. My weekend had a lot of one-on-one time with my Californian friend, Cristella. In fact, over the weekend, we drank wine, watched Elf, went to a punk concert followed by a private sing-a-long at her apartment, and finally a nice three-hour long café frappe chat session sitting outside in front of the cathedral. All of this was successfully organized without my phone—it turns out that I left my charger in Toulouse without means of getting it back. Whoops.

Because I was without a working phone, I actually made a greater effort to find something to do with my time and connecting with people. It also made me realize how time is running out to spend with people I have met in Rodez; however, socializing will have to wait 10 more days. This upcoming weekend is another vacation (I know, right?). I’m heading to Berlin on Saturday to visit a beloved college roommate. Then, I’m spending a few days in Paris before visiting my “life little” in Athens, where she is currently studying. This will actually be my last international trip out of France before returning back to the States, leaving only a few weeks to squeeze the last out of my experience in France.

I have definitely been lucky with all of the international travel I’ve been able to do the past year. Last year’s trip aside, I have been able to visit Sweden, Italy, (and soon to be) Germany and Greece, not to mention all of the cities in France I would never have visited had I not been living in the South. The traveling won’t even calm down then. A friend from the States will be around during all of my goodbye parties and last minute Averyon travel before we both travel to Paris and fly back. It’s funny that teaching is definitely secondary to the travel at this end of my stay : of the last weeks here, only two are work weeks. It’s almost over. I cannot wait to not be the teacher in a classroom anymore.

Overall, my emotions have normalized since my last post—actually, the sleep and running were incredibly effective. I still haven’t heard news from Columbia, but cross your fingers for news by the end of the week!

It’s easy to guess that my weekend was incredible but perhaps in more ways than are obvious at first thought.

First of all, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, where I was able to mingle with Caldecott winners, publishing house executives and my former coworkers from Albert Whitman & Company. Good thing I am living in France this year, otherwise this opportunity would have passed me by. More than one person reminded me that once I enter the industry, it’ll be about ten years until I may be able to attend the fair again. Woah. Being surrounded by children’s books from around the world was magical. My belief that this is what I must do is reinforced and my being is, once again, infused with motivation to achieve this end. Inspiring, isn’t it? But this is an adventure for after France.

This weekend was also St. Patrick’s day weekend. While I did not celebrate in the slightest, it marked a year since I reunited with Erin in Ireland. Ireland was the last stop on my backpacking adventure last year. In fact, I was heading home about this time last year. How quickly a year flies by…even though that trip seemed to last forever. Oddly enough, that seven-week trip ended this time last year, when I now have about seven weeks left in Europe. Hi Universe, are you trying to tell me something?

It’s funny to see how much I’ve changed since that trip. Nowadays, I dread staying at a hostel or traveling alone. I cannot even imagine doing anything like spending seven weeks alone again. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to imagine I’ve already done that. In the past year, I realized how important having close friends and other like-minded people around really is. I have been so fortunate to find great friends in Rodez this year to keep me sane amid the rural countryside. Even so, I still miss my friends and family in the States.

So now I have seven weeks left in France, and some of my friends here are already leaving! In a few days, I am visiting Toulouse (for one last time) to say TTFN to Sarah. She’s flying back to New York on Monday evening, the day after I say goodbye. Crazy. I am actually the first assistant in Rodez to be flying back home. I leave in early May, and the others are staying at least until June. I know once I get back I will be missing Rodez, the fresh markets and the friends I’ve made like mad, but at the same time, I’m ready to start the next adventure—especially after having another taste at the book fair this past weekend.

My return home will happen eventually. There is no point counting down the days or hoping time will pass more quickly. May will get here soon enough…and then there’s June. Before we know it, it will be another year and we’ll be looking back on what is happening now.

You all are so excited for this list, I can just tell. Now is the time where I have to begin planning on how to pack away all of the stuff I brought to France, but also all of the things family and friends have sent to me. But before I do that, check out my crazy travel schedule!

March 16-20 Bologna, Italy

March 23-25 Toulouse

March 30-April 1 Nice

April 13-16 Athens, Greece

April 27-29 Berlin, Germany

May 1-8 Wandering around France

May 8 Depart for Chicago, sweet home, Chicago

(But it doesn’t stop there.)

May 18-24 Washington D.C. (with a stop in Philly)

May 25-27 Way up north in Wisconsin

June 10-ish Moving to NYC

(Stops to breathe)

I may also add a trip to Paris before Greece. It depends on how I’m feeling. Phew. I’m just tired from typing out all of those trips. I can’t wait to take them. And see you all so soon!

Check out another take on my weekend! This is Emily’s blog. It may be lazy of me to just reuse her post…tant pis.

emengland:

I’ve just returned from Rodez, France, where I spent my birthday weekend with my friend from home who’s teaching English there. Rodez reminded me of all the things I dislike about London. The crowds, the traffic, the people who aren’t all that polite. Rodez is a small town in the Aveyron region…

Yup. That’s right. I’m on vacation for the third time since I’ve been in France. If you’ve been following my experience in France, you would agree with me when I say that I have been traveling a lot. It’s easy to do since the transportation is relatively inexpensive and there are so many great places to go. However, it’s very easy to forget how absolutely miserable the act of traveling is, especially when you have the chance to reminisce through photos and rose-colored memories while in the comfort of your own home.

Obviously, I am still a huge fan of traveling—I have a long list of places to visit that I am determined to finish before moving back to the States—but I have definitely grown weary of the traveling process. Then again, in the past year, I’ve only been in the United States for about 6 months total, in-between my two visits to Europe. That is a lot of travel. For this reason, I am very content with my decision to travel only half of this vacation; I am resting in Rodez until Friday, and then will depart to visit Venice and Florence. The best part of this vacation is how I am reuniting with so many UChicago friends. First, a volleyball teammate is meeting up with me in Rodez on Wednesday, then we will travel to see four others. I’ll see a fifth in Florence. 

Another reason I am excited to be in Rodez this week is because it is a chance to regroup. This weekend, it finally occurred to me that I have been slipping into a sort of discontentment and was very confused why I was this way. True, I usually am affected by the change in season into the cold and icy misery of winter, but this felt different. I haven’t been as outgoing as I usually am, and haven’t been doing other things that usually make me happy (sorry for the lack of blog posts the past few weeks, for example).

Thank goodness that I have good friends in France to help me pull myself together. I had some long talks yesterday about why I am just not the same: the short answer we all came up with is that there is no way that I could be the same. I am living in France. Beyond just the language barrier, there is a cultural and social barrier that even years in France cannot truly conquer. Am I being too loud right now? Is this where I have to go for this? Why are people not sweating profusely in this cardio room? Never truly having a comfort zone is tiring. 

Now that I realize what has really been bothering me, I can now make sure the last few months in Rodez are taken advantage of. I’m making more and more tea meet-ups and plans to go to the piscine to work out. I am going to spend more time reading at the cafés instead of watching seven seasons of “How I Met Your Mother.” Since I do have all the time in the world, at least for a few more months, I would be crazy not to take advantage of being able to do whatever I want, and that can’t just be watching TV all the time. Or at least I hope not. Even if it is the case, at least I have my faux-Ruthenois friends to force me over to their apartments and eat quiche and try local beer. :) 

A week ago, I spent the day at another teacher’s house for a midi meal and a visit to another small town, which I hadn’t been to before. I had been looking forward to this outing because Nadine has been one of my favorite English teachers since the beginning of this year. I was finally going to meet her lover and indulge in the delicious food I just knew she eats. Eva, comme toujours, was able to join me in this adventure—she was just as excited to go because I had obviously told her all about Nadine since the Fall. After it was all over, we both agreed the day was even better than we had anticipated.

Rodez has been cold recently, which is why Nadine suggested going to Figeac instead of taking the two hour walk around the countryside, which she had originally suggested. It was also pretty cold while Evan and I were waiting for Nadine and Jean-Luc to pick us up outside of the MJC on Saturday morning. The wait was worth it, as we were able to see new views of the paysage français on the way to their home about 30 minutes outside of Rodez. We were greeted by a warm house, heated by a fire and an apero of ronds de charcuterie, du pain, et du vin de noix that they actually make themselves! Eva and I are now after this walnut wine recipe AND we are determined to master it before leaving Rodez. Lunch was as follows: salad with Rochefort and half an avacado, red wine, a type of fowl with an onion, prune and apricot sauce, assorted vegetables, cider and chocolate fondue and banana crepes, with café to finish. 

After the meal, we got back into the car and drove another half hour or so to Figeac. This town is a little smaller than Rodez, a showing sign of this was that most shops were closed even though it was a Saturday. However, a really cool thing about Figeac is that is has a museum on hieroglyphics—we didn’t actually visit the museum, but we saw the square that features a monument to the Rosetta Stone. We wondered around some more, but the took shelter in an open café for some tea before hitting the road again. 

I had a really fun time and am once again grateful for the hospitality of the English teachers I work with. Nadine and Jean-Luc are amazing to be around. Jean-Luc loves puns and played with words the entire time. “C’est très étoit” (That is narrow, referring to an alley) was turned into “C’est treize et trois” (This is 13 and 3), or really “C’est seize” (This is 16). And “Ça va, Liz?” (How’s it going, Liz) became “Ça valise” (That, suitcase). Yes, he punned my name. However, my favorite wordplay of the day was a multilingual one. Eva is German, and Jean-Luc and Nadine spoke some German throughout the day, as well. While we were eating our apero, Jean-Luc turned to Eva and said, “C’est un gut goût” (This is a good tasting). Three cheers for wordplay and speaking fr-angl-and…français, anglais et allemand! 

Just a few pictures of some more graffiti I found in Paris, a view out of Musée D’Orsay and some scenery from the Layoule walk in Rodez. Enjoy!

Since Friday, life in general has been pretty fantastic. Friday I taught a double class in the afternoon since I won’t have to teach Friday afternoons until after break. After that, I (actually) cleaned and organized my apartment, and then took the night train to Paris. This was quickly followed with a Breakfast in America misadventure to reunite with a high school best friend who came to visit. Once she and her brother finally got there, the weekend really got underway. Well, it really began after we found Katherine’s friend who also decided to join us in Paris and Rodez.

Of course, Paris wouldn’t be complete without grabbing some beers with my cousin or seeing other friends we both have in Paris. This time, I visited Musée D’Orsay—Mmmm Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, Neo-Impressionists and Toulouse-Lautrec. I am so disappointed that I hadn’t been there before! Even after so many trips north, I still have so much to see. This sentiment has really stuck with me after visiting Paris this time around, especially after my cousin asked me when I would be back. I was heading to my night train and didn’t have an immediate answer. Maybe once more? When I’m heading back to the States? By the way, he may not even be in Paris in May. The end is nearer than I thought.  

Despite the groggy beginnings to our trip to Rodez, I think the three of us had fun. We walked through Layoule, ate soup, watched Bridesmaids while sipping our Kusmi tea and ate at my friends’ restaurant. And lest I forget, my friends also agreed to go to the restaurant, Goûts & Couleurs, with me. Yes, I finally made it to the Michelin-starred restaurant that I’ve been living above for about 4 months now. Even though this excursion led to a missed night train back to Paris, I’d say it was worth it. My favorite part was the faux filet de boeuf and DELICIOUS cake with granny smith sorbet. The only questionable course was the cheese plate—mine was bland, and the only other option was a whipped Rochefort. Imagine a very strong blue cheese whipped to the consistency of whipped cream… Weird, and not too intriguing. 

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we decided to splurge for a fixed menu and a bottle of wine to share. Katherine and I have a history of taking ourselves out to fine restaurants whenever we have the chance to see each other and just go all out. The first was for cocktails and cheese at Violet Hour (Chicago) before Katherine left after Christmas; another was Green Zebra (Chicago) before Katherine departed for Hong Kong. Now we have Goûts & Couleurs (Rodez), and will soon have another restaurant (Hong Kong) in April.

Katherine and I both agreed to meet each other at our apartments in Hong Kong and Rodez this year. Even though Hong Kong and Rodez aren’t really within easy travel of one another, we are determined to make it work. This was her visit to me. As an added bonus, a friend of hers came along too, which is really impressive since she came from NYC and didn’t seem too daunted by a trek to Rodez. She got a lot of cheese, bread, Nutella and Speculoos spread though, so it must have been worth it.