Le Livre de Jungle

So, turns out Disney is really awful in French. Kendra and I were watching the Jungle Book tonight because it is one of my favorites and it was featured in one of our lesson plans today... Oy! No thanks.

I had my first day of "work" today. Les francais really know how to do it. We all met at 9 for coffee and sweets and then went about the work of talking with each other about the parameters of our jobs as teachers. Then it was time for lunch--and I know what you're wondering, the answer is yes it DOES take 2 hours to have a proper midday meal--le plat du jour was an enormous pork chop with mashed potatoes, "puree de la maison," and gravy, with apricot mousse and cafe for dessert.

We spent the entire afternoon attempting to sort through all of our schedules, and our training for the next few weeks. I have four different schools I will be working in, but never work on Wednesdays (the kids only go to school MTThF here!), and only once per month on Fridays. Uffdah, ya!

We ate dinner at chez Evelyne, she made quiche, with fresh eggs from the farm nextdoor, which was delicious. I got to taste "gateau creusois," which is a moist buttery cake made with hazlenuts, egg whites and flour. Yum.

I've started noticing the regional specialties and this is what I have sofar: the aforementioned cake, baguette a la gueretoise which I have yet to see or taste, and pate aux pomme de terres which looks like an enormous baked brie with a crown, golden buttery crust and thinly sliced potatoes and cream on the inside. Looks amazing and Evelyne's mother apparently has a recipe that I might someday get my hands on!

Kendra and I are planning our vacation at the end of October which starts on the 24th and goes until the 6th of November. We will most likely go to Paris and visit Mady, meet Tomas (the older brother of an exchange student of my grandparents...), go with him to a soccer game in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and then from there fly to Prague to visit a friend of Kendra's, fly to Montpellier to stay with family friends of Kendra's, and train back to Limoges when it is time to go back to work.

Sounds like a lot, but with people we know, Ryanair flying free from Frankfurt to Prague (and only 15 euro to Montpellier), and our "Cartes 12-25" from SNCF (cutting our train fares in half), it is entirely possible to do it on the cheap. How can you not love Europe at this age?!

We'll see where our travel ambitions lead us.