I'm so excited to announce that I just got a big girl job! This whole time that I've been working and living in France, I've also been putting out resumes and doing interviews for teaching positions in the U.S. And I snagged one! I'll be teaching French at a boarding school up in Maryland come … Continue reading Life update →

Laissez le bon temps rouler! Happy Mardi Gras, everybody. Despite being a French import to the States, the traditions and culture of Mardi Gras are completely alien to the people of France today. For starters, the two girls I tutor showed me how to make one of their favorite Mardi Gras treats. You take a … Continue reading Mardi gras in France →

WHEW. A million and one things happened since I last posted, some of it great, some of it horrible. THE BAD: In world news, Britain's economy is in a freefall as the consequences of Brexit finally catch up. The poorest class of people in Britain are now worse off than the poorest people in Eastern … Continue reading This past week →

At this point, I have traveled across seven countries and two continents. I've taken trains, planes and automobiles. I've been caught on the wrong side of police barricades during riots. I've gotten lost, turned around, and set back by hours or days. I've gone down empty alleyways in strange cities and up dark gravel paths … Continue reading A girl walks home alone at night →

I've noticed that it's a trend on social media to make lists of things that would shock or perturb someone from a different country -- mostly I'm seeing French things sending Americans into comas and vice versa. And since my opinion is the only one that matters, and since people are overlooking so many good … Continue reading American things that would ACTUALLY send a French person into a coma →

Guys, I'm so excited. I upgraded my blog! I did this so I can post videos and better quality photos. So here are some: This is the second time I have found legs sticking out of a high wall in this city. Art installation? Extremely lost guy? Some other secret third thing? This charcuterie board … Continue reading Blog upgrade! →

Today as we were packing up, one of my students asked me if I was coming to work tomorrow. Yes, of course, I replied, why wouldn't I? He said that a lot of teachers and other workers aren't going to their jobs tomorrow, because there's going to be a mass protest. He told me that … Continue reading Another protest →

This teaching gig doesn't pay the best, so I've been supplementing my income by tutoring. (Don't tell the French government -- it's technically illegal for me to have multiple streams of revenue). On Thursdays I work with two teenage siblings. The girl, 14, is grumbling through simplified Shakespeare, and the boy, 19, is starting English-immersion … Continue reading Tutoring →

I'm in a bit of a pickle again concerning French perceptions of American history and culture.Some of my students emailed me to ask for help with their upcoming play. I didn't even know that there was going to be a school play, so I was thrilled to lend a hand. The students said that part … Continue reading 9/11, for some reason →

Hello everyone, apologies for the pause in posting. It was the holidays! I think we all needed a break. My family invited me home to Tennessee for the Christmas holidays. The train from Lyon to Paris was fine, no problems there, and I spent the night at the Charles de Gaulle airport hotel. The next … Continue reading Home for the holidays →