"Folle" en France

Most of the time I am quite content with my life in France.  I have a loving husband, a wonderful family-in-law, amazing new girlfriends, and a city that never ceases to amaze me with its beauty.  In fact, the transition to France has been so much easier than I ever thought it would be, and I am so grateful for that.  However, there are some days that living in France drives me folle- crazy!  There are so many things that I love about this country, but there are also so many things that I just don't understand.  Although I promised myself shortly after moving here that I would stop comparing France to the United States, I also realized that sometimes it's just downright therapeutic to share my frustrations.  So, without further ado, here is my list of 5 things about living in France that drive me crazy:

Que Syrah, Syrah!

About 45 minutes east of Bordeaux, nestled between miles of lush green fields and rolling vineyards is the fairytale-esque town of Saint-Emilion.  Saint-Emilion has everything a French village should: cobblestone streets, narrow back alleys, tiny cafes, and Romanesque churches.  The town looks like something straight out of a child's fairy tale book.  In addition to being one of my favorite French villages, Saint-Emilion also holds a very special place in my heart because in some ways it was Saint-Emilion that brought me to Florian.

Liebster Award + Interview

It's funny how life works.  I have now been blogging for six months and just when I was starting to feel discouraged I received word from a fellow blogger that I had been nominated for a Liebster Award.  A Liebster Award is essentially an award given by other bloggers to honor new and upcoming blogs.  Although it's not much I was really touched by this nomination.  It's never easy to start a blog and put yourself "out there" not knowing what you will get in return.  This award was the reminder that I needed to keep going and not give up.

Mauritius Memories

When I was younger I thought I had my life all planned out: I was going to marry a nice guy from the midwest, settle in the Twin Cities, and honeymoon in the Caribbean after our wedding.  This only seemed logical for a girl from Minnesota, so when I ended up marrying a French guy, settling in Bordeaux, and honeymooning in French speaking Africa you can only imagine my surprise.  They say if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans.  If there is anything that I have learned over these past five years it's that you cannot plan your life.  My life has turned out so differently than I ever imagined, but I have to say that I love every minute of this new chaotic, beautiful, life.  Being with Florian has not only pushed me outside my comfort zone, but has also opened me up to places of the world I never knew existed.

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: