Apparently France Doesn't Sell Enchilada Sauce?

Week 26: 03/09 – 03/16

Welcome to /miel/, a written account of my life and what my days hold here in France. Thank you for coming to read today.

While I am posting late, I am only sharing from Thursday 03/09 to Thursday 03/16. Then I will share the rest this coming Thursday, to try and get back on track.

It was a great week! On Saturday, Nicole, Linda, and I went to Compiegne for the day. We met up with another good assistant friend of mine, Eleanor, who lives just outside of Paris. We tried a new café, had some delicious salad bowls, good coffee, and meh pastries. It was such a fun day though, and we were so happy to finally have been able to meet up. The strikes have been out in full force, especially the last two weeks (which I will cover more later), so it has disrupted our public transport capabilities.

After coffee with Eleanor, us three (Nicole, Linda and myself) went back to the Chateau de Compiegne yet again to walk the same steps Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon III walked. It was Linda’s first time, Nicole’s second time, and my fifth time. You might be tired of hearing it by now, but I LOVE this chateau. It takes my breath away every time, I always find something new, and I learn something different every single time. Linda loved it and we even were able to see some parts that are rarely open!

We had to burn time for another hour and a half, as we waited for the one train back to Noyon at 7 pm. We happened upon a local artist exhibit inside an old church, and it was so pretty! It was primarily pottery and painting, very modern, down by two artists that live in northern France. It was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon.

We were walking home, it was about 7:30 and we were all exhausted. As we turn onto the final street, we see a restaurant that is usually never open when we walk by it, and we all were in quick agreement that we wanted to get a pizza for dinner. It was delicious! As always, it probably tasted extra delicious because we were tired and hungry.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Work was work, it was fine. We did host some of my colleagues for dinner on Tuesday night, the colleagues that Nicole and I go out with in Compiegne most of the time. I had wanted to host them for a while, and finally had the time to do so! I made my mother’s enchiladas and they were a HUGE HIT. The whole pan was eaten up, and even though I had to improvise a little bit (because apparently enchilada sauce doesn’t exist here), it was a wonderfully delightful evening.

I love hosting, I love welcoming people into my home, I love sitting around the table and listening to stories, laughing, pulling hot things out of the oven, hoping nothing goes awry, but it’s okay if it does. It’s definitely one of my love languages, and I was happy to share this with my friends and colleagues.

Wednesday afternoon, I spent with another colleague/friend, Sihame, who taught me how to make brick, a Moroccan food that is wrapped in a thing egg white tortilla, with mashed potatoes, cheese, cilantro, and other things too like chicken and almonds (dealer’s choice). It was so cool to get the opportunity to learn how to make this dish from someone who celebrates Moroccan culture. I will definitely be making this back home, and what’s not to like between mashed potatoes, cheese, and fried crispy dough?

Thursday, I went on my way to my big weekend with Nicole and Maru! We met up in Paris around 8 pm, so we could take our overnight bus to the south of France, to Toulouse. It was a 10 hour bus ride, with us arriving at 8 am in the morning in the south. Quite a long ways, but totally worth it.

But more to come on our trip on Thursday.

As for the striking, riots, etc. There has been a bill in circulation that has been trying to increase the pension retirement age to 64 from 62. Macron’s government says this is because the pension is in danger of not having enough eventually, and it creates a large deficit every year. On Thursday, using executive power, the bill was passed. This immediately triggered two parties to issue a vote of no confidence. This is being voted on today, and if successful, it would put Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne’s job and Macron’s government in jeopardy, as well as overturning the passed bill. If these votes of no confidence are unsuccessful, the bill stays passed.

Yes the strikes are disruptive, as that is the point of them. As for the riots, I don’t know a whole lot. They are happening everywhere, especially in Paris of course. On Friday, the Place de la Concorde was evacuated due to riot activity. I am staying safe. That is all I will say, and if you would like more information, you are welcome to search it up and view the mass of articles and reports that are out there.

I am in the process of planning my mass of trips starting April 14, and it makes me nervous! I am done working in four weeks. I am done living in Noyon in four weeks. I am returning to Montana sooner than I can imagine, and there’s a lot of feelings there, still unprocessed for the time being.

I’m going to miss it here – a lot. I am already missing my friends that I’ve made, my connections I have, the comfortability of these towns that took so long to create, and of course I am going to miss the fresh bread, delicious cheese and good wine.

TL:DR

High: Hosting a fun and yummy night for friends and colleagues.

High #2: Continually seeing the Chateau de Compiegne through new eyes.

Low: Getting sad about leaving, but trying to not let it overpower the excitement.

Low #2: Being really impacted by the strike with our public transport.

New French Word:

étroit – narrow

Lesson(s) Learned:

1. Travel planning is hard and takes a lot of time.

2. You can have a fantastic time on a budget!

3. I am going to miss it here, but I am ready for the Bozeman summer.

4. I miss working full time.

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Until next week, I wish you all well. I miss you all incredibly much. Please send me a message, an email, some snail mail, whatever suits you best.

All the love,

Abigail

Below: (L to R), Nicole, Linda, me, Eleanor. Enjoying a coffee and pastry in Compiegne!