Flying Bells and Other Easter Shenanigans

I often get asked by friends and family what holidays the French celebrate and most people are shocked to learn that they celebrate most of the same holidays that we do: New Years, Christmas, Easter, Labor Day, a National Holiday in July- even typically "American" holidays such as Halloween and Valentine's Day are starting to trickle their way into French culture.  One of my favorite parts about living in France is being able to celebrate these holidays and compare and contrast typical French traditions with typical American traditions.  This year marks my second time celebrating Easter in France and here are 5 fun facts that I have learned about French Easter:

Asian Adventures

I don't know how or when it happened, but for about the past ten years I have been consumed by wanderlust.  The desire, or rather the need, to travel courses through my veins and keeps me awake at night dreaming of my next adventure.  There is something about traveling the world, experiencing new cultures, and hearing new languages that excites me.  Maybe it's my inner "world language teacher" talking, but I truly believe that each travel experience allows me to better understand the world in which I live.  Therefore, when my dad invited me on a two week whirlwind trip to Asia I jumped at the idea.  Apart from a month long stint teaching English in India in 2011, I had never been to Asia.  Asia had always remained for me a continent that I knew little about.  The idea of traveling there and experiencing the various cultures was exhilarating, therefore I packed my bags, kissed my husband goodbye, and boarded a plane to Tokyo.