The bags are packed and the swiss chocolate and french goodies have been carefully placed into the carry-on. We're going home for Christmas! And we leave this week. I am excited and I'm looking forward to some family, friends, and good ol' America! We are of course most excited about spending time with the people we love but some other things we are really ready for are as such:
-driving "smokey" and "gray baybay" our cars back home [and not relying on public transport]
-stores staying open 7 days a week (in France, stores are closed on Sundays and some on Mondays too and they are closed from 12:30-2:30 for lunch and they generally close pretty early at night)
-a washing machine
-hearing people say "yall" and "cha" on a regular basis (although, our international friends are pickin' up on the southern twang, yall!)
-not paying $8 for a SMALL latte
-momma's homecooking
-taking a bath
-going to the gym
-playing with Leeroy, my brother's yellow lab
-cooking with proper cooking utensils
-free refills, ice, and SONIC drinks
-people not asking me where I'm from and what I'm doing here
I'm sure there are other things we're looking forward to but those are just a few that come to mind. Of course we will miss some aspects of European living while we are home, but we are looking so forward to the joys of being home and well, a little instant gratification neva hurt nobody right?!
This past week has been really great and has flown by. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we took advantage quite well of the sunshine and blue skies. On Tuesday, I had my English/American club at the high school and I insisted that we all sit outside and play games. Every Monday and Tuesday Chris, the English assistant and I do an English/American club where we basically play games or just hang out with the high school students that come. It's a good opportunity for students to have fun practicing their English. I always look forward to club days and last week was particularly fun hanging out with the students outside in the sunshine.
Apart from school, Lauren and I have visited some really great Christmas markets. There is the international market in Geneva which isn't that huge but has booths from all over the world selling goodies. There is also a nice market in Carouge, my favorite genevois neighborhood.
My favorite thing about shopping at the markets is talking to the vendors. They are always so passionate about what they are selling and they usually are full of good stories and jokes. I always try and strike up a conversation with the vendors selling the most interesting items. That's what makes a market special.
In addition to discovering the marches de noel, Lauren and I discovered a real jewel in Geneva: the Manor department store. Normally, I'm not a fan of department stores but this place is amazing! It's 4 stories high and on the top floor is a Whole Foods style restaurant with a view overlooking all of Geneva. We spent hours there, and can't wait to go back.
This weekend was also full of holiday shopping and exploring. My roommate Raquel and I spent Friday in a town called La Roche-sur-Foron and in beautiful Annecy. La Roche-sur-Foron is a medieval town surrounded by white capped mountains, about 30 minutes from here. Its a great town to stroll on your way to Annecy. We wanted to go to Annecy to see it all lit up and to check out the Christmas market. We drank some mulled wine, shared roasted chestnuts with some locals we had met, and talked to all the vendors that would talk back to us.
On Saturday, some of our friends rented a bright orange Panda Fiat car and we drove around Lake Geneva in search of the world renowned Montreux Christmas Market. We got some funny looks as we zoomed through mideval villages and lakefront towns in the mandarin Panda, but we eventually made it to Montreux with smiles on our faces. The market there was incredible and the scenery couldn't have been more picturesque (imagine little wooden christmas booths lined up along the shore of Lake Geneva with the Alps serving as the backdrop, all the while your nose being entertained by the smell of mulled wine, fresh sausages, melted cheese, and swiss chocolate). It was truly a pleasure to the senses- we listen to the sounds of people speaking many different languages, vendors shouting , and live christmas music blaring from afar; the hair on our bodies stood as we shivered in the cold and tried to keep warm; and finally, our bellies were full from all the samples of various spice cakes, macaroons, meringues, chesnuts, chocolates, and vin chaud. (that probably wins the world's longest run-on sentence contest) It was truly a memorable celebration of Christmastime in the Alps and good times with friends in the mandarin Panda.
Today was the Fete de L'Escalade! For those who are not familiar with this great Geneva tradition, on December 11, 1602 - the longest night of the year, the forces of the Duke of Savoy launched an attack on Geneva. The Geneva citizens defeated the men by preventing them from scaling the wall ("escalade"means climb).
According to tradition, the wife of Pierre Royaume, ("Mère Royaume"), a mother of 14 children, seized a large cauldron of hot soup and poured it on the attackers. The Genevois populace fought alongside their soldiers, and the duke's 2000+ mercenaries were beaten to a Savoyard pulp. This was an important turning point in the survival of the fragile Reformation... and the Genevois have long memories of this event and they celebrate it every year with parades, cannons, music, and other festivities in the Old Town. Even though we were freezing our bums off, it was a fun geneva experience.
Oh and I musn't forget to mention that it snowed for the first time in St. Julien this morning! St. Juju looks so pretty and white!
