A Welcomed Visitor

My mom enjoying the hail/snow

My Mom is here visiting and I couldn't be more excited.

She is such a champ- came in, no jet lag, slept through the first night and got up with me to take on the Farmers Market the next morning...unbelievable.
We went out to weather the storm of rain, hail, snow and sun! The weather can never make up its mind here.
More adventures to come!

Christmas Spirit

Christmas spirit has come upon me... has it hit you yet?

Today, excited to be done with the long work week Gina and I hit the town shopping, visiting cafes and experiencing Christmas-time in Rennes. What a long (and chilly...in the 30's), fun-filled day!
It put me in the most splendid holiday mood ever and I am absolutely relishing in it.

It helps that my friend Gabe gave me a link to download free Christmas music so Gina and I could fill our flat with lovely Christmas tunes. It's only good before December 17th so get it while you can! It's at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=344104720&v0=ITS-NAUS-HOLIDAYSAMPLER121009DB-P0007377-156842&Email_PageName=-PBE-US-FINAL&Email_OID=d57b4e1e6a42adb934256d9fc5a9dc82&sr=em&s=143441&s=143441

Here are a few pictures of Rennes with its best face on.

a man selling roasted chestnuts...oh France

Saturday Farmers Market

It's huge, wrapping around streets and taking up two large buildings filled with cheese, meat, prepared foods and bread vendors.
The streets have table after table of the freshest produce and the brightest, most beautiful flowers.

After trying dozens of these delicious jams I chose Fraises-Framboises (strawberry-raspberry) Yum!

The only thing that surprised me was how much of the same ingredients I saw over and over. How do the residents of Rennes choose where to buy their eggplant, apples, pumpkins or mache when literally every 100+ vendors sells close to the same thing?
I was overwhelmed with options.

Charles de Gaulle Airport

I'm back in France. Yes, crazy.

My Dad and I talked it out and now that he's stable (God is good) and is onto a future of recovery and clinical trials at UCSF, Jared and I are back in school/externship and for me that means hitting the ground running again at La Fontaine aux Perles in Rennes, France.

To get back I went SFO to Dallas, Dallas to Charles de Gaulle (Paris), bus to train station (over 1 hr.) and then a 2 hr. train ride to Rennes. Forgetting everything else, I'd like to fill you in on Charles de Gaulle.

The airport is HORRIBLE. I would say avoid it at all costs if you have the choice, especially if you're traveling alone since there won't be anyone to share the misery with. After experiencing the airport a few times now I think of it as a massive concrete structure full of confusing signs, construction, taxis/buses/cars and a number of different languages being spoken at once.
A few months ago my Dad and his work buddy came to France on business and I received this email from him speaking of Charles de Gaulle:

"This airport has been solely designed to make you appreciate everywhere but here. Someone could use it as a case study for mass confusion...Amir is walking as though someone put a bag over his head and spun him around...and that's every 10th step. You can't find the restrooms, let alone the gates...oh, you thought you were in the correct TERMINAL!?...yeah, get on a bus and go to the next city! I asked 2 people who WORK HERE for directions...forget it...one shook his head and the other looked as though she were about to cry."



I couldn't have said it better myself.

The good news is I'm sitting in the apartment right now that Gina found while I was away (what a trooper) safe and sound listening to the rain patter on the roof. Back to the grind....stories from the kitchen soon to come.

Je T'aime BREST....

PSYCHE!!!!

Alright, I'm going to be real with you on this post...my confession today is this...I haven't been honest with you about where I've been and how I'm doing over here in France...at all. So, here it goes:

Brest is terrible. It is actually known as the "armpit of France." When we told our friends in Paris about where we were going they all gave us strange looks and questioned why we would go to such a place..."really? oh...you do know there are NO Americans in Brest and you know, it's the armpit of France...?"
Well, we thought that was just a dramatization by Parisians so we came here not expecting the armpit, rather maybe an elbow or a knee or something.
Turns out the Parisians were right. It IS the armpit. Fully and completely. I would equate it to a Modesto or a Bakersfield...but WORSE (no offense to anyone from those towns). Seriously...there is construction everywhere, people are still depressed from the war (WWII) and there is close to no history since it was all destroyed from the war. Sad but true. So sad actually.

From the beginning I've been "disappointed in humanity." I know that sounds dramatic but it's true. I've been sad about the people here. I feel like superficiality is taking over me and I'm drowning in a pool of it. The people at La Fleur de Sel were pretty challenging and unwilling to accept that women can be key players in the kitchen...and from what we experienced, their attitude towards externs in general didn't get better with time. But enough about that.

I'M EXCITED.

You want to know why? Remember my post a few days ago about Rennes? Well, I'm moving there!!!! Yep...to the beautiful town of Rennes. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. God is so amazing...He has orchestrated the entire thing. I am so grateful.

Gina and I are starting work a week from today in a Michelin Star restaurant called Le Fontaine aux Perles. We're beginning our entire 18 week externship over but you know what, it's WORTH it, SOOOO worth it.

Whirlwind

Yesterday I went to Rennes....again.

Just for the day, Gina, Jon and I headed out in the morning after scrambling our things together and running, literally running, to the train station to catch it before it left. (France prides themselves on their amazing train system..they're ALWAYS on time)

I can't actually say what we did there EXACTLY since...I'd have to kill you, but I will reveal it sometime soon when all is settled.

A few things we did do: road around in Carlos' royal blue mini coup, squished beyond belief in the backseat feeling like we were in The Italian Job, saw Rennes in a new light being as we "brought the stormy weather from Brest," puddled through Carlos' old stomping grounds where he first lived and ate one of the best almond croissants of my life...and became perplexed at the croissant he consumed across from me filled with chocolate AND almond filling (over the top?), and lastly, learned that my brain can only handle so much and that I need to give myself time to breathe and time to be alone and time to pray.

The rest of the details will be spilled later...and no, I did not meet my husband.

These two were invaluable yesterday...without them Gina and I would be lost beyond belief. Thanks to Carlos for learning French the 10 months he's been here and thanks to Jon's mother, Linda Brandt, for forcing 13 years of French lessons on the young lad.

Spectacular Rennes

I headed out to a town called Rennes this past weekend with Gina and Jon and seriously had my life changed.
I thought we were just going on a humble trip to watch their friend play in a small soccer game and it turns out we were in the presence of a real celebrity throughout our entire stay, not to mention in the cutest town ever. Gina and I are in love with the place. I didn't think Carlos was that well known until we went to the crepe restaurant in town and saw "Le Carlos" on the menu. We went there to eat and three our of the four of us ordered it...props to Carlos, it was a delicious combination of ingredients.

Our picnic lunch on the train, which, unfortunately, was cut short when two old ladies came over and booted us out of our seats claiming them as their own. Who knew people were such sticklers here about assigned seating?

Gina and I got pretty into this soccer game-- Saint-Etienne vs. Stade Rennais (we rooted for these guys)
The crowd was CRAZY.. People actually got out flares!

posing with the cool cat on the empty field

This is the view from the room Gina and I stayed in at Carlos' flat...so beautiful!