Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was another event that really brought us together. It started as a way to make up for all the North Americans missing Thanksgiving at home and ended up being also a chance to come together and share traditions.

After Halloween (and because I was willing), I became the de facto organizer. Luckily, I had lots of help. It was a potluck affair, but we still provided the turkey and helped those who wanted to bring “traditional foods”. People made trips to markets and butchers, worked in the kitchen and my adopted mother cooked the turkey for me! And let me tell you, finding a turkey in November in France is not easy. Most butchers don’t stock turkey or geese until Christmas time and if you can get them, they are expensive. Cranberries were nowhere to be found. In the end we found a smallish turkey for the traditional bird and used pre-cut turkey meat as filler. Cranberries and airelles made a delicious sauce and we even found yams/sweet potatoes (I don’t remember which).

So, as organizer I started the party off with a little toast. I even managed to give most of it in French. I wanted to share just a bit about the tradition and meaning behind Thanksgiving (hint- It is not just America’s love of food). I said something about an opportunity to stop and be thankful for everything we have. Someone in the crowd said “But we’re poor” and I answered that in family, friends, and experiences we are all rich. And everyone cheered and the party began. I remember freezing that moment as I spoke French standing in front of a room filled with people from all over (France, England, Trinidad, Russia, Spain, Canada, Germany, Australia, Mexico, America, Reunion Island...). It is a toast and an evening I will never forget.

[Prepping the Cranberry Sauce]

[Stir it up]

[The Beautiful Bird]

Bike Trips

Biking in France is another thing I had planned ahead for. I even brought my helmet and when it seemed there would be no place for it in my very full and very heavy luggage, my Dad and I discussed the possibility of me wearing it for the entire trip to Paris. Despite all that effort, I haven’t done as much biking as I would’ve liked. First it was not having access to a bike, afterwards it was not having or taking the time to use it. But the biking I have done has been great.

Haunted Castle- The week before Halloween I went on my first biking excursion. It was 20 km each way to visit a little castle in Meung-sur-Loire. The pace was perfect- we kept a good speed but also stopped to enjoy the countryside around us. When we got to Meung-sur-Loire we went directly to the castle. The man selling tickets warned that the castle was “haunted” for the season and that there would be scary music, decorations and maybe people jumping out. He asked if that would be ok. Ok!? He had just made my day. I hate scary movies, but I love a good haunted house or forest. And to visit a “haunted castle”… it may not really be haunted, but it is a real castle. My Halloween was perfect.

The decorations were okay, the music and noises well-planned to give it a scary touch. I will admit disappointment at the fact that not once did anyone jump out at me, but the suspense was enough to make it exciting. Most rooms had motion-sensor lights that turned on as you entered. One room was delayed so it remained dark. I saw something moving in the darkness…only to find out it was my own reflection in the mirror when the lights finally came on. Also, the castle had dungeons so, in a word…Sweet.

The day after Halloween, Younousse and I went out biking again. What started as a simple ballad ended as a rain-soaked ride through the forest. At one point on the way back the wind and rain were so strong that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. We can back completely soaked and very happy.

Blois- When I was living in Rouen, I had done 66 km in a long idyllic day. So some of us in Orléans organized a 60 km to Blois. No big deal. Ha.

I thought I was going to die.

When I do bike trips, I like to make them long, well-paced affairs where you stop to take pictures and ride slowly to enjoy the countryside. The group of boys I was with was all about the speed, so I showed my lack of biking endurance rather quickly. In addition, we happened to be riding against very strong winds the whole way. I wanted to stop at Beaugency (maybe halfway) and take the train. I felt a little bit better when getting close to Blois and even the trail blazers were feeling the fatigue. They were a very sweet group of guys, I didn’t hear them complain once about my speed (or lack thereof), they waited for me and stretched toilet paper across the path for a race ribbon, and at one point I was literally pushed up a hill. I hated feeling like a baby and a wuss, but I appreciated their support and patience.

[Tired but content bike warriors]

Halloween Party

This is the fête that got things started. October was spent getting used to the country, the language, the culture and our jobs. A lot of time was spent attempting to navigate the administrative labyrinth. We were slowly getting to know the city and each other. Halloween was one of the first big activities and allowed us to get to know each other a bit more.

I knew before I left for France that I would do something for Halloween. I even packed a peasant skirt and belly dancing coin belt with a Halloween costume in mind. For me, it is an important holiday. It has nothing to do with the origins or current traditions of lots of candy. For me it is connected with Autumn-the falling leaves and the crisp feeling in the air when you can almost smell autumn the moment you walk outside. And basically, I love any excuse to dress up or put on a costume.

In France, Halloween was popular about 5 years ago. But it was seen as too commercial and as it has no cultural roots it quickly went out of fashion. In a class of 25 students, maybe two celebrated Halloween.

Getting together a costume in the USA is easy. There are ready-made options and rows of accessories in the supermarkets; costumes or inspiration in 2^nd-hand shops; fabric and craft stores; and even entire stores dedicated to costumes. Not to mention the benefit of having parents nearby with a house full of random objects just waiting to be put to creative use. In France, it is much harder. Supermarkets dedicate only a tiny place to costumes, all of which are sized to 6 year-olds. Craft stores are hard to find, 2^nd-hand shops almost non-existent. We did manage to find out about the one party store in the area and make the trek there (nearby we also found a fabric store and a craft/art center). This little foray (combined with shopping around town and some creative thinking) provided us with what we needed to decorate and create several costumes (“French man”, doll, Spanish dancer, gypsy, phantom, Zorro, French maid…).

The party was a great chance for the assistants to get together, but just as important, it allowed us to get to know the other residents of the foyer. It was a group of English, American, Spanish, French, German, Trinidadian, Canadian, and Australian. We danced, we laughed and it was great to see those for whom it wasn’t their culture still get into fun of things.

[The elusive Party Store]

[Our resident "Frenchman"]

[Some of the gang]