You Win Some, You Lose Some

Week 8: 11/03-11/10

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

First, I would like to plug my newly developed pages of Media and Pictures and Travel Tips. I have opened Google albums for the best of my pictures, separated by month, and you should be able to open them without a Google account. You can even comment and like the pictures as well.

Here is the link for Media and Pictures: click here

In my Travel Tips section, there is links to places I have been so far that breaks down everything about my trip, and what I think is worth visiting while you're there. I've also just added a basic Packing List guidelines, depending on the length of your trip as well.

Previous Trips page: click here

Packing List page: click here

Thanks! Now onto the rest of the week.

Friday and Saturday were extremely uneventful, since it was still the break from school. Saturday morning I went to the Noyon market and bought fresh veggies, and even some chicken filets from a vendor. It was a total success! Other than that, I continued my school break routine by eating more Pringles and watching more Netflix…

Sunday, all the roomies came back to Noyon! It was so great to have a full house again.

On Sunday, I tried my hand at baking some bread, my personal favorite of braided challah bread that I have had great success with, however… it did not turn out AT ALL. I think this is caused by a couple of factors. One, I did not use the challah bread recipe I typically use, I actually used a very simplified “sweet bread” recipe. It included sugar water, yeast, flour, and an egg. All the conversions are different as well (mL to cups, etc.), so this may have lent a hand as well. Second, I thought I bought yeast at the store, however it turned out to be baking soda! There was only one word difference on the packets, and the main word was still “levure”, but apparently “levure” means both baking soda and yeast. So, I did a quick fix and used baking soda and lemon juice, as this can cause the same reaction and allows the bread to rise. Third, I do not understand the ovens here. There’s all different settings for top element/bottom element/both elements/eco elements in the oven, and I wasn’t sure which one to use! Finally, I allowed the dough ball to rise, which it maybe only rose about 10%, and then I braided it. It was supposed to cook to 30-35 minutes, but after this time, the outside was finally becoming golden but the inside was still the taste of raw bread dough! I let it cook for almost double the time and the end product was a beautiful golden brown braid, with a *cooked* inside, but still a dough like taste. I was not pleased at all, however, my roommates loved it! They ate it all.

If you have any baking advice on the complete fail, please leave it in the comments so I can bake some proper bread!

Also on Sunday was my turn to cook family dinner. I chose to cook “Pollo con Crema”, my forever favorite from when I lived in Mexico. I have tried many recipes over the years, and none come even close to the Casa de Esperanza pollo con crema! …However, this recipe I made was EXTRAORDINARY. It was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a bit, and the best pollo con crema recipe I’ve made so far! It was soooo goooood, and I am still reaping the benefits of leftovers tonight… I’ll leave the recipe here.

Other than my kitchen fail and success, school started up again this week. I finally worked at collège Paul Eluard, and the kids were amazing! They were all super nice, and loved to ask all the questions. “Are you married, do you have a boyfriend, do you have children, who is your favorite football (soccer) player, Ronaldo or Messi, Man City or Man U, etc, etc.” While some questions are a little more challenging, considering the only things I know about soccer are those I’ve learnt from past boyfriends, it is very fun to see the students become excited about the U.S. and my life as well. All the teachers have been so welcoming, and I am feeling very lucky to be at this school.

There is no school tomorrow for Armistice Day, so I have a three-day weekend! I won’t be doing much, but I think I will be going dancing tomorrow night with some teachers and the roomies at a bar lounge in Noyon, I’ll go to the market on Saturday morning, and maybe even hit the Noyon Museum. I’ve been crocheting away, and working on my TEFL class still, as well as planning some upcoming trips for Thanksgiving and possibly Winter Break as well.

TL:DR

High: Making an amazing pollo con crema for the family dinner on Sunday (recipe attached above).

High #2: Loving my Paul Eluard school and colleagues.

Low: Totally failing at a bread recipe that I’ve made successfully for years.

Low #2: Feeling extra homesick this week.

New French Word:

Levure chimique – baking powder

Levure de boulanger – fresh yeast

Lesson(s) Learned:

1. The difference between “levures”.

2. I actually enjoy eating well-cooked chopped onions and garlic… and they make things taste really good.

3. Setting an “anchor” can help with homesickness. For now, my anchor is morning yoga!

4. I need to learn some more about soccer.

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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: the pollo con crema I made for Sunday night dinner