This is Part 2 of a series about my 4 week stay in Paris, with my sister, while we attend a French language immersion class at Alliance Française. In case you missed the first instalment, you can catch up here. After the elation we felt after our first day of class, a few realities hit us hard over the next few days. Cycling back to the very most basic beginning, despite the fact that she had been taking French online…
After playing ostrich for over a year, I’m back at the blog! Starting the New Year off with a grand adventure, this month will be a chronicle of a stay in Paris to take a French language immersion class at Alliance Française. Once a week or so I’ll update you on the progress in class for both my sister, Patti, and I, and then add a little Paris color, letting you know how we are adapting to our life in…
The week before Thanksgiving, and the day before I teach a Zoom Thanksgiving Favorites cooking class, I go searching for fresh cranberries to make my Cranberry Chutney, a staple at Thanksgiving for the past 30+ years, and an essential layer to my day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. To an American, this might seem ridiculous- cranberries are everywhere at this time of the year in US markets. But, the French don’t really know about fresh cranberries. They eat them dried (les canneberges séchée),…
One of my friends here in Nérac, Colin Usher, had the idea of collecting stories from people who had made small decisions that led to big changes in their lives. If you would like to read more inspirational stories from people who have opened up life possibilities by responding to a Wave in their direction, check out the site Somebody Might Wave Back. And, here is my contribution to that site: The year 2011 was a big one for…
I’ve been knee deep in red tape this past week, following up or initiating a number of “official” responsibilities. While this was nothing like what I was faced with when I first moved here, it seems that so much needs to be dealt with all at one time: renewal of my titre de sejoure (my visa), renewal of my California Drivers License, checking my voter registration for the 4th time (can’t be too sure!) and renewal of my US passport….