The Local Market

One of my favorite things to do these days is to go to the market on the weekend.  I call Sunday, Chicken Sunday, since I love to buy a roasted chicken and some vegetables to make a salad for lunch.  The market is only two small blocks away and even though they have it on other days of the week, it's best to go on the weekend since ALL of the vendors show up.  Typically on a Sunday morning, I'll get up, get ready, grab my market bag, and head out the door. They close the street that leads up to the plaza where the market is set up and you can walk down the middle which somehow still feels a bit strange.  All of the shops, cafes, bakeries, and restaurants are open during the morning on Sundays which isn't typical but they get a lot of business since there are tons of people that come to the market.

I have a routine that I've adopted when going to the market. I start out at the farthest section which is the flea market where you can find antiques, old postcards, and used books.  I then move through the swap meet part of it that has newer items and clothing stands.  I end up in the food section where I'll buy some vegetables, bread, cheese, a roasted chicken, or some Moroccan style couscous or Spanish paella. Lastly, I'll buy a bouquet of flowers for my apartment that will usually last till the following Sunday.

All in all, it's a leisurely Sunday stroll where I can take in all of the sights and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the market. I've bought a few books, some vases, old postcards, and even a cute pair of earrings in the past couple of months, not to mention the yummy roasted chicken. Hurray for Chicken Sunday!!

Say What?!

So, I'm walking down the hall at the University of Rouen when this poster for the Student Union catches my eye.

 

Basically, it says: President Sarkozy, it's 15 billion to the richest, and for students?

Wish we could make one of these with Arnold Schwarzenegger on it!

Take it to the Streets!

So,Wednesday evening I had dinner plans with a bunch of girlfriends and had planned to meet them at a Crêperie at 9pm.  As I was getting ready, I heard the sounds of horns honking on the street which isn't always very unusual given that my two windows face onto a main street.  Only thing is, the honking continued and I thought it was a bit excessive but promptly forgot about it and continued to get dressed.  Once I left my apartment though, it quickly became clear that there were some rowdy people drving around honking their horns.  I briefly wondered what was going on but again, I didn't think much about it. I walked down to the metro and waited a surprising amount of time for the next metro bus. That's when I began to wonder in earnest about what in the world was going on.  When I got on the bus, I put on my headphones, as I usually do, to deter any unwanted conversations. As we rolled down the street I began to hear a noise that I knew wasn't coming from my headphones. "What is that?", I wondered. I took out my headphones and was instantly assaulted with the deafening noise of honking horns and shouting voices. Uh oh. What's going on?! I had a moment of panic and looked out the window since the bus was now at a complete standstill at the intersection of a busy street. I saw a two lines of cars going in both directions and they were all stopped. People were hanging out of their car windows and more people were dancing and cheering on the street.  Many of them were waving flags in the air as well as chanting and singing. I recognized the flag as the Algerian flag. Okay. Really. What the HELL is going on? I was reassured by the fact that no one on the bus seemed to be in the least bit worried. Some people were actually looking out of the window and smiling. Once my bus reached my stop, I got off and walked down the main street in the center of town. Same thing here: cars were slowly cruising down the street with people hanging out of the windows, cheering, and waving the Algerian flag in the air. Hmmmm. Soccer. It HAS to be about soccer. At this point I'm no longer worried. As a matter of fact, I'm thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. I even have goose bumps as I take in the joy and excitement of the crowds. The police officers were calmly directly traffic and telling the people hanging out of their car windows to get back inside.  I thought it was interesting that they weren't doing anything to stop the celebration. They were just ensuring no one got hurt in the process. All in all, a very interesting experience and a nice lesson in cultural habits. Oh and by the way, I later learned Algeria had qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 23 years. Damn good reason for a celebration!!

PS. Dinner was amazing! There were seven of us and it was nice to indulge in a bit of "girl talk". Plus, the crêpes were REALLY delicious.

Mosaic Art Class

One of my goals during my year abroad was to do more creative/personal enrichment activities. I wanted to take a cooking class and a mosaic art class, for example. Well, a few weeks ago I finally got around to looking for a mosaic art class here in Rouen and I came across a very talented local artist on the internet, Onurb Ohn. I called Onurb and got a really good vibe from him and decided to take his class.  Plus, I talked my friend, Ray, into taking them with me. We have class every Friday for two hours and I've really enjoyed working on my first project. Since I'm a perfectionist, this class has helped me let go of the need to have things be perfect.  As my mosaic art teacher says, "Imperfection equals perfection!".  This is sort of the motto of the class and I keep repeating it over and over.  Believe me, it helps, especially when you feel like your project looks like what a fifth grader would do in art class!!

Here are some pictures of my project.  I'm working on this for my sister, by the way. Hope you like it, Aracelly!

Week One was an introduction to the course and the preparing of the base with cement and tulle. 

Week Two:

Week Three:

Week Four:

I'm baaaaaack!

I can't believe it's been more than a month since last I wrote on here. My first month in my apartment has been a whirlwind.  In the past month, I've settled into my little apartment, started teaching at the University of Rouen, made some great friends, and have become better acquainted with the beautiful city of Rouen. Unfortunately not all has been a bed of roses. The cold humid weather of the Normandy region finally caught up with me and knocked me on my butt for more than a week. The good news? My bout with the flu has not turned me off to living in Rouen. I've been very happy and excited to be here and that continues to be the case, no matter how sick I've been! Many of you have requested more blog posts and pictures and I finally feel up to the task, so here you go!

Latest Crochet Project

 

 

I now have a lot more free time on my hands and can now do all of those things I didn't have time to do these past few years: read, crochet, cook, watch movies, etc., etc. I've even started taking a mosaic art class.  I wanted to crochet a doily to put under my little TV only once it was done, it turned out too small so I decided to show it off under my new vase from the flea market.  I'm now in the process of making another one for the TV.

My latest attempt in the kitchen: Une Quiche Lorraine

One thing I wanted to do more of while living in France was to cook.  I was even more inspired to take up this habit when I read My Life in France by Julia Child.  I've yet to sign up for a cooking class but I've bought a few recipe magazines and have tried a few dishes in the past few weeks, most notably, a pasta gratin (a baked pasta dish with bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and cheese).  I had bought the ingredients to make a Quiche Lorraine a while ago and yesterday I finally made it.  I have to say even though the recipe was surprisingly easy, I am still very impressed with myself! My little oven isn't the greatest and I have a very limited kitchen but it still came out great.  Plus, my friend, Perry, came over for dinner so I didn't have to eat it alone! 

 

Mmmm. Bon Appetit, indeed!

My little apartment

One thing that is hard to explain to most people back home is the living conditions in France when one is a student or a lowly "lecteur". There's also the fact that you are only living in this space for a year. If you are lucky enough to find a furnished apartment, as I did, the comfort level is a bit higher.  Although I didn't have to buy any furniture, I DID make two "big" purchases: a new box spring for the bed and a small sofa bed.  The box spring I bought because the old one didn't really fit the bed and it was much too old.  The bed sank in and it was wreaking havoc on my back.  The sofa I bought simply because my apartment didn't feel like "home" to me without a sofa.  There was really nowhere to sit and relax and I figured it was worth the price. 

I believe I posted a description of my apartment on here before so I'll just post some pictures now. 

 

The Entry Way

 

The main room that is separated into a bedroom and a living area.

 

 The tiny bathroom.

 

The separate kitchen.

 

My landlord brought me all of these dishes!

These pictures allow you to see what I see from my windows.

All in all, I'm very happy with my little apartment. It's cozy and very well situated.  There are four bakeries on my street, a grocery store, two pharmacies, a cheese shop, fish shop, and best of all, the market in the plaza at the end of the street.

Sunday Brunch and Limericks

At the beginning of the month, I was invited to a potluck brunch at Matt and Ruth's place.  Matt is one of my co-workers and Ruth is his wife. I actually know Matt from Long Beach since he's from California and we met in the MA program at CSULB and were co-workers there as well. We had been told to bring a limerick to share and I have to admit I was a bit lost having never written a limerick in my life! The only limerick I'd ever heard was one recited by Hugh Grant in Bridget Jone's Diary and it had been a vulgar one at that. I looked up some examples online and then just did the best I could.  Brunch turned out to be a blast. We ate tons and then played a hilarious game of charades and then a game of Scrabble.  Here are some pictures from that day, as well as some of the limericks:

 

Colleen and Ray, two of my co-workers and now friends. Very lovely girls!

  

A lot of yummy food!

  

A limerick written by Ruth for me. If you can't read it, it says:

"Dear Rose", said the city of Rouen,

"I welcome you with open arms.

Your colleagues are good,

mostly do what they should,

and look forward to more of your charms."

Here's one of the limericks I wrote:

There once was a girl in Rouen

who wanted her language skills proven.

So she got on a plane,

without a sou to her name,

and hopes it won't end in financial ruin!