Avignon, France home to 9 Popes....oops... haven't posted in a while. here was one of my little voyages in France.

So this was one of my last voyages in France before coming home. Nicki and I had planned to go to Marseilles for the weekend but there was another transportation strike, which made it harder to get to and from places and there was also another strike going on specifically in Marseilles which happened to be a garbage strike. So i didn't want to go there if it was going to be disgustingly dirty so Nicki said that she would go with me to Avignon, France instead which actually wasn't far from Marseilles. It was sooo much fun and we laughed for the entire day. So we went to Avignon, this tiny but really beautiful city which is home to the Palais de Papes, which translates as the Popes Palace. I didn't know this before but Popes from the catholic church didn't always live in Italy. There was a period in time where there were 2 Popes for the Catholic church at the same time. One was in France and another was in Italy. A At the time the people were confused and didn't know which pope they should follow. Since then there were 8 other popes who lived in Avignon, France. Nicki and I even learned that at a time the Palace was overrun and was full of soldiers. Crazy huh?? 

Palais de Papes...  the Pope's Palace

this was soo random and was right in front of the Popes palace. I had fun doing a hand stand in front of everyone

there were some beautiful pieces of art in the palace

Look how artistic I am

This room was awesome but we weren't permitted to take pics inside the room since there is still the original painting done of the walls.

this was my one of my fav rooms. It was enormous and if i remember correctly this is where they would hold their festivities.

this is called the "Crowning of the Virgin" If you can't tell there is an angel on each side of the Virgin holding a crown  

Nicki decided to start climbing up this rock wall that we passed

This is Nicki dancing on le Pont d'Avignon "the Avignon bridge" there is a song about dancing on this bridge and so she started dancing. it was hilarious

these last pics are in a really cool museum in Avignon

Life is crazy!!!! Families are amazing

due to a family emergency I will be coming home. Have you ever had an experience that literally feels like a rug has just been pulled out from under your feet? Well I just did and am not quit sure what to do. It's very interesting to me how quickly ones perspective changes and what becomes really important when something serious happens in life, especially when this something has to do with family. For anyone that has any discord in their family or with a close friend it's not worth it! Don't worry about who was or still is at fault just go and fix it. You'll be surprised especially if you aren't the one at fault (or think you aren't when normally everyone is at fault to a certain degree) to see how quickly the anger and hurt go away. I have aways found it interesting to see that when someone is hurt and chooses not to forgive how it ends up making them them as unhappy or even more unhappy then the person that offended them. There is nothing good that comes out of being unforgiving.

A few pics of some people i LOVE!!!!

little voyage to Valence

So since i hadn't done really anything during my first vacation break at school i decided to go to a neighboring city called Valence. It's where is go to church every week but still i hadn't really seen the city. I would have gone some where further but with the strikes going on for a few months now transportation has been really hairy so i didn't want to go anywhere too far since i didn't know if i'd be able to get back if i was even able to find a way to get there in the first place.

this is the front of the Catholic church in Valence. It is really beautiful

I was just walking around in the old part of Valence and saw this beautiful building

inside the church

loved this image. This is from the back of the church

I really thought this image of Christ was touching

These cookie things are called "suisse" which translates as Swiss

even though i posted about the amazing boulangerie Paul and their Tarte au Citron i think that this one that i ate at a boulangerie in Valence beat it, which i thought was impossible

I love the little streets like this that are all over France.

Zucchini Recipes: Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Bread and Muffins

Zucchini Recipes: Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Bread and Muffins

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but i think it looks promising.

Quote from one of the best films I have ever seen...Amazing Grace

"When people speak of great men, they think of men like Napoleon - men of violence. Rarely do they think of peaceful men. But contrast the reception they will receive when they return home from their battles. Napoleon will arrive in pomp and in power, a man who's achieved the very summit of earthly ambition. And yet his dreams will be haunted by the oppressions of war. William Wilberforce, however, will return to his family, lay his head on his pillow and remember: the slave trade is no more."

— Lord Charles Fox (from the  film Amazing Grace)

cool quote from a conference talk

So since I have a lot of time I have been trying to be really good and listen to or read all of the conference talks from this past General conference. A few nights ago I was reading a talk titled, "Stay on the Path", by Rosemary M. Wixom. This talk was given for parents, but as most talks can be applied to all I applied it to me. There was one paragraph that I loved which talked about the example parents (or adults) have on children here it is... 

"Our example is magnified in their eyes. They will follow our cadence when they feel secure in our actions. We do not need to be perfect—just honest and sincere."

I applied this talk to me as a teacher here is France and in general with any interaction i have with children. As i have seen in only a few weeks children really do absorb everything. I already knew this before coming here, but to see them literally absorb everything i am teaching them in English has been really fascinating and then reading this talk made me think more about it. Especially to parents and those that are with children often we have to think constantly of the influence that we have on them. Our example really will show show in their eyes. Pretty intense huh? Here is the link for the talk if you want to read it which I know you do
http://new.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/stay-on-the-path?lang=eng

"My New Life".. just in case any of you haven't seen this amazing video yet!!

Also the song in the background is by one of my favorite LDS singers, Mindy Gledhill called, "It's all about your heart"

the weather outside is frightening..no seriously it is

So the wind today is crazy. I was going to go to Montelimar to visit another friend and on the way to the train station i almost fell off my bike like 5 times by the wind. There was a few minutes where i do not think that i was moving at all. I just went to one of the little grocery stores right by my apartment and they said that there is an actual "Orange" warning because of the wind and how strong it is. Things have been falling on people and she said seriously that they are saying to not go out too much because it is dangerous. So here is a pic of me coming back from being outside for a few minutes. My hair looks pretty huh? I figured it was nature giving me some volume.

my new cardigan that i bought in the boys section!!!

yeh so i might be mal a droite (a klutz)

So the other day i was cutting carrots to put in a soup i was making and cut my finger. It's not serious, but deep enough to not stop bleeding for a while. So then the next night I was cleaning my window seal and hit my finger the wrong way and got little pieces of wood and paint inside my nail. Yeh really nice. I didn't have a needle so i did that best I could with my eyebrow plucker and the next morning i went to got a needle that i used to get the wood and paint out from under my nail. ouchhhh..... it hurt so bad but I knew i had to get it all out.  Try not to use either of your pinkies for a day or two annoying, but now i am really grateful for them so it really is a blessing. Here is a picture showing my injuries and the pain of it all.

that yoga workout below is crazy amazing and hard. try it!!!!

Yoga Fitness Fusion

really easy Taboulé sooo yummy. i haven;t seen it in the States soo here you go.

This is the Taboule that i made last night and have been eating all day.

here is the recipe:
500 grams (a little more than 2 cups) of semolina or couscous medium size
500 grams (a little more than 2 cups) of cut up tomatoes (cut up really small)
1 cucumber (cut up really small)
1-2 onions (cut up really small)
2-3 branches of fresh mint and parsley
juice from 5 lemons with the same amount of olive oil
salt and pepper

mix all ingredients together and put in fridge to eat the next day. mmmm.. its so yummy

finally got a picture of my cute old French neighbor

So do you remember when i talked about my cute little French neighbor that talks to me every time i leave or come to my apartment? Well anyways i asked her about a week ago if i could take a picture of the both of us and she said no. So i was sneaky and every time i left or came back to my apartment i was ready with my camera, but it was only today that I finally succeeded and she had no idea that i was taking a picture. She is sooooo cute huh?

new makeup yippeeeeee!!

I got some new eyeliner and eye shadow from MAC and today my eyelashes did exactly what I wanted them to do, I love when that happens. Did you notice that I have a piece of lint in my eyebrow? hahaha awkward.

Parachute - Ingrid Michaelson's new song. Sooo good

Hilarious. Nicki and I during a late night hike after the lightning started

This really was a little bit crazy. We decided to hike Mount Timp and after about 3 hours the weather got a little sketchy and then it got really crazy. We were literally running down the mountain with lightning right above us. For me this was an adventure, but for Nicki it wasn't since she actually realized and cared about the danger we were in. We took a photo right when the weather got a little crazy. As you can see I actually do look like I am really crazy it's in my eyes. When the lightning was too close we got as low to the ground as we could it was fun and really wet. Ok it was only fun until I got soaking wet. I mean dripping wet. The only thing that I was prepared with was a nice rain jacket but other than I was drenched. hahahaha it's all fun and games until someone gets completely soaked huh???? so we ended up not being able to get high enough up to camp out and finish the hike the next morning. We went back to nick's apartment and I grabbed all my stuff and drove home in the middle of the night. I had the hardest time staying awake on the way home. ughhhh... I love adventures.

this was when it was still light and towards the beginning of the hike. no lightning and thunder yet.....

yeh I sort of in love with this song.... i've listened to it about 100 times

My favorite thing this morning

So I mentioned that I LOVE the yogurt here in general and also the flavors of yogurt that they have in France. this morning This morning I had the amazing experience of eating this....

little miracle....love it!!!!!

So last Saturday I was getting everything ready for church the next morning. So I got up early Sunday morning and realized that I was going to miss the first train so I texted my friend letting her know so she wouldn't wonder why I wasn't at church. She then replied, "they aren't any trains today." I texted back asking if she was serious or joking. She said that she was serious so....... apparently there was yet ANOTHER strike and there were no trains on Saturday night and on Sunday. I do not need to take the train daily and so I had no idea that there was a strike. I did know that there was another strike last week which made it so I had to ride my bike more than an hour away to get some paperwork for my job. Oh and just to mention that it was an incline almost the entire way ouchhh.... needless to say i got a great workout. So back to the story I then  hurried and got ready and went to the bus station in hope that there was a bus that I could take to church and.... there wasn't. So i started walking back to my apartment seeing no one on the streets. All of the stores are closed on Sunday and everyone is still at home especially in the morning, but after a few minutes of walking a saw a couple leaving their apartment building and so I asked them if they knew anything about a strike today, since I still hadn't gone to the train station. They said that they knew nothing of a strike and I mentioned that my friend had told me there were no trains and that I needed to get to my church in Valence. They then said,  "We're going to Valence right now want a ride"? I said, "YES" and that I could give them some money, which they refused. So they asked me why I was going so far when there is a catholic church in every town. I told them that I was Christian, but wasn't a member of the catholic church. They asked what church I was a part of and I told them that I was Mormon. Just a side note, if you tell a French person that you are LDS that have no idea what you are talking about. The husband than asked the difference between the Mormon church and the Catholic. So I talked about the prophet and the apostles and a few other things. He asked me how many members there were every Sunday and also if they were all American. I told him that they were french and that my friend and I were the only Americans. He was shocked that there were actual French people that were Mormons. It was hilarious. We also talked about the Pope. He asked me if I thought anything about the Pope and I told him that I think that the Popes of the Catholic church are amazing people and also that the Prophets of the LDS church usually have contact with them and consider them friends. I then mentioned a talk that the prophet of the LDS church Thomas S Monson had just given in general conference where he quoted Mother Theresa, who was on the most amazing and influential people ever." If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Amazing huh!!!  I havr this quote taped on my wall in my apartment. Here is the link to his talk, which was really inspired and was given to the women of the church. http://new.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/charity-never-faileth?lang=eng

sad.... first cake baking "experiment" in France

so I have this one cake that I make all the time the the States called. Chicago chocolate buttermilk cinnamon cake that is soooooo yummy. so I thought, I have made this a thousand times and of course it should be just as yummy in France, but of course not. The one ingredient that I needed but cannot find is baking soda. Do you think that baking soda exists here??? Apparently not for cooking. I have been told that I have to go to a pharmacy to buy some and am still not quite sure that it would be the same so I decided to use baking powder instead and even though the photo makes the cakes look yummy the consistency was all wrong. So I am going to have to go to the pharmacy and see if it is on fact the same baking soda that we have in the States. It just seem like a funny thing to have to go to the pharmacy for don't you think? "Yeh I am making a cake and was told that I could buy some baking soda my last ingredient here".... weird. I'll keep you updated since you are all on the edge of your seats. Oh and just a reminder I do not have an oven and my angelic neighbors really they are the nicest let me use their oven tonight for a cake that I'm not sure they are even going to enjoy, but I did give them some. Embarrassing!

Did i mention that I LOVE my students all 240 of them

So teaching has been a little bit of an adventure.... without any training and no material but.... I LOVE my students. Out of all the 240 there is only one who doesn't want to participate. Pretty good huh?? I am shocked that all of them are having so much fun and really do participate and try to learn whatever vocab/ and or subject we are covering that day. I am as mentioned in 3 elementary schools in France with students from 6-11 years old. They are of course adorable and i want to eat them up but thought that would probably not be allowed so I guess i'll just teach them. It's interesting to watch them learn English so quickly even though they are all native French speakers and are still learning how to speak their native tongue. As studies have and are still showing 7 is the best age for children to start learning another language and as I'm seeing that it really is true.
        One thing in this program that is a lot different than I thought is that I'm having to use a lot more French than I thought I would. There have been soo many times when the students and the professors do not understand me at all and so I have to translate and then repeat it again in English. Sadly the region that I am in doesn't have teachers that speak English. Out of all the teachers I am working with I think there is about 18 professors only ONE speaks English. This causes many problems not only for the assistants like me that come as assistants and end up doing the teaching, but also for the children's sake. I think it has been about 10 years that English has become mandatory in the French public schools and is supposed to be taught for about an hours and a half every week, but apparently in most of the classes when there isn't an assistant the teachers skip English. So for the students it is very hard to learn English when the lessons aren't taught consistently and when they are expected to be at a certain level. There is even an English exam that they have to take to get into middle school. I think that there are many instances where they have been lenient since the children have not had the proper teaching and/ or hours of English.

Ok enough about the boring stuff now on to some of the reasons that i LOVE my students....................
1- Every time i come to school they get excited and say "Hello" in English about 1,000 times.
2- They also say "My name is..." every time they see me it's hilarious
3- since I am in such a small town I see them often at  stores, the local outdoor market...etc I always hear them say to their parents," That's the English professor" and then they yell my name and wave at me.
4- Last week this happened I saw one the students at the grocery store with her father and she was really excited about it. She came up to me in class the next day and told me how cool she thought it was that she saw me out of class and hoped that it would happen again. Luckily for both of us I saw her and her parents the next day at the hardware store on the other side of town where she came up to me and said how crazy it was that we had seen each other 2 days in a row outside of class. She is sooo adorable.
5- One of the students said In English, "Oh how I love you," and when I translated for him in French, since I knew he didn't know what he said we all laughed and still talk about it. It was really funny
6- Last week at the end of one of my classes one of the boys came up to me and said that he had made this flower for me.. here is a photo of it.. sooo cute..

7- This is one of my favorites. Today at the end of class with the 6-7 year olds one of the girls in the class came and gave me this drawing that she had her father draw for me. Awesome huh???

Pretty sweet huh! I told her that I loved it and was going to color it and hang it up in my apartment.

8- The fact that they are so kind and accepting to me even though I have no idea what I am doing and am learning along with them. They are all rockstars.