Bro and Sis in Hyeres

Dear Mom and Dad,

With love from the offspring.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I wanted to write you a letter showing you what your favorite son and daughter were up to in January immediately following our Epic Pulliam Family Vaca Christmas 2009 A Christmas To Remember. And so, here it is.

Mark and I had a great time together when he came to visit in January. We didn't even fight or argue. I guess you could say we've come a long way since high school. It's a shame you two had to fly back home to Seattle because Mark and I had some fabulous adventures without you. We even had some sunshine in the south, unlike when you both visited (unfortunately).

Here's Mark, having a lovely time on our adventure down to Tour Fondue. It's a quick bus-ride away from where I live, still in my city, but down on the peninsula sort-of-bit. In fact, all of the photos I've included are from that afternoon when we explored the walking trails along the coastline.

Here's a shot I took of one of the many little beaches we explored. Doesn't it look nice?

Here's Mark, demonstrating his super powers and flying through the air in order to save me from the evil seaweed monster.

And, of course, this is me, smiling because I am so thankful the evil seaweed monster didn't get me due to my big brother's heroic efforts.

And here's a photo showing you the beautiful water and the rusty peg where the ancient inhabitants would tie up their boats after their monthly Moon Harvest Celebration.

We took a slight detour to the planet Mars, where we found red clay dirt substances and no air to breathe. After we put the freshly-made flower pots and roofing tiles into our Planet Mars Mysterious Baking Oven, we decided it would be better to return to France where there is plenty of air, and continue our journey.

We discovered several more quaint little beach-cove-areas and thought about how delightful it will be for me to return in the springtime when the weather is even nicer.

And here we are, The Bro-and-Sis Dream Team, celebrating our victories of the afternoon together as siblings in the French Riviera.

I hope all is well at home. I assume Mark returned safely, and now you are both reaping the benefits of his superhero powers which he displayed while he was in Hyeres with me. I am feeling much better and am almost over that nasty cold I told you I was fighting last week and the week before. I'm looking forward to my upcoming trips(!) to Italy and Bordeaux with Nikki! We leave for Florence and Cinque Terre on Saturday!

And I also wanted to let you know that although January was a rough month for me, February is looking up so far. I've been back to the gym and going out for jogs - - today the weather was a bit warmer and VERY sunny! (Although a jacket was still definitely required.) Today, Nikki and I made homemade Peanut Butter Cups with chocolate and the Jif PB you guys brought over for me! They are fabulous.

And another quick update, I just wanted to let you know I've been having lots of fun with my friends (roommates and other assistants) recently. Last weekend, we went out and I met a group of (French) friends, and have since met up with them several times. They're actually MY age (woohoo!) and seem really cool, from what I can tell so far. ;) I'll keep you posted on other updates once I get back from vacation!

Lots of love,
Tina

Ode to Seattle

A few nights ago, I had a dream that I came home to Seattle! In the dream, I had decided not to renew my contract for a second year in France (something I've been debating about in awake-life), and I was so excited to be back in Seattle and so excited to see everyone! This week has been difficult-- I mostly blame the cold I've been fighting (something about being sick while away from home), in short, I've been missing home.

I made a list of things I love about living in Seattle (mostly my favorite places to eat out)...just for fun :) Please feel free to add to the list, and if you are in Seattle, be inspired to go enjoy these activities and places! Because Seattle is an amazing place to live, even if the weather is dreadful much of the winter.

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All-Around, good-time Seattle-style F-U-N:

- Go to Pike Place to watch the fish throwers and laugh at all the tourists, buy some flowers also
- Walk around Greenlake, preferably with a couple of your best friends
- Go dumster diving at Queen Anne Top Pots
- Share a plate of happy hour Matador nacho's with a friend (go for the hef or red sangria to go with)
- Thursday night salsa dancing at Century Ballroom
- King's beer and burgers (after school special is bomb) in Ballard
- Rikki Rikki spider rolls in Kirkland...mmm sushi and wassabi
- Le Panier frambois or almond croissants at Pike Place
- Fremont morning meetup's involving PCC scones and Peet's americanos
- Drive west across the 520 bridge (traffic-free, of course), the moment when you can see everything and decide which side is the rough side and which side is the smooth side today
- Walk up and down every aisle at Trader Joe's and buying new foods and sauces to test out
- Chantanee Thai everything. With chopsticks. And a silver monk to go with it ;)
- Trabant Tuesday on the Ave
- Café Presse on lower Cap Hill, go for French onion soup and bring a book
- A run on the Burke Gilman trail, ending with a run to the top of the hill in Gasworks park
- Thai Tom on the Ave, phad thai (doesn't matter how many stars you say, they'll do what they want)
- Café Vivace lattes near the flagship REI on Yale
- Pottery open studio at the Kirkland Art Center
- Quest Church in Interbay
- Lunch at Nana's Soup House in Fremont. Free samples if you can't decide. Corn bread muffin is a must

And, Seasonally Speaking:

Fall:
- trip to the pumpkin patch - pumpkin spice lattes
Winter:
- Christmas ships on Lake Union - photos with Santa - outdoor ice rink - Westlake Center Christmas tree - Christmas shopping at U Village - snowboarding at Steven's
Spring:
- SV tulip festival
Summer:
- gasworks 4th of July - jump in Lake Washington - hike Poo Poo Point (Tiger Mountain) - canoeing at the Arboretum - Woodland Park Zoo day

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There are lots of great things about Seattle that either don't exist or are just plain different here. But this blog isn't about my life in Seattle. Sorry, lost sight of the objective there for a few minutes. Let me tell you, more importantly perhaps, about some of the things I love about my life in France!

Enjoying Life Today. I love, in France,...

- that people eat yogurt and/or fruit for dessert. I always thought this was weird, but now I think it's lovely
- eating lunch with the teachers at my school and listening to them joke around, and sort-of understanding. Lunch is a happy time of day
- 1 and 2 euro coins. Pretty handy, I think. Especially when my purse is loaded with them (haha, not often)
- the view of the town/ocean from my bedroom window
- sunshine and blue skies many days, even in winter
- Saturday morning outdoor market, fruit and veggie-buying time
- feeling like it's normal walking around the old part of town, on streets too skinny for cars with all the colorful old apartment buildings
- fresh bread, crispy crust and fluffy middle, even in the evening, from my favorite bakery, with the nice lady who always chats with me
- the French language, especially when French people say, "Oh, but you speak French very well!" even if it is just something nice for them to say
- exploring the parks on the big hill by my house
- Step class at the gym Tuesday nights. With our instructor who always smiles and asks me how I'm doing, and the nice woman who drives me home after
- puzzle time at Laura and Tessa's (1500 pieces to kill a little time)
- the beach, sand and sun a mere bus-ride away
- anticipation of an improvement in collective and individual morale once the sunny/warm weather sets in this spring! (keeping our fingers crossed for sooner than later!)

Any thoughts or "hello's" from the wonderful land of coffee, gray skies, green trees, and all-that-is-right-in-the-world (haha, right?) would be appreciated! :) (My email is pullit@spu.edu). Thanks for reading, as always. And, although it might seem like I'm busy b/c I'm here, I'm not HALF as busy as I ever have been in the past...and would love to hear how things are going with YOU!
x, Tina

Family Vaca at a glance

Pulliam Family Vaca '09

Alrighty, as promised, I've got some photos posted to sum up our Epic Pulliam Family Vaca Christmas 2009 A Christmas To Remember. If you missed me at Christmas this year, it was because the fam-jam took the opportunity to come over to France for a visit instead of having me fly home.

So they say a pic is worth a thousand words...well, I've got 30 up for your viewing pleasure. Pretty much sums up our trip, I think. Goodness, let's hope. And also, if you've never been to Paris, perhaps you can live vicariously thru the following photos...cuz we did just about everything you "couldn't miss" on a first-timer's Paris trip.

Here's the brief chronology, in case you care about that sort of thing...
Mom & Dad arrived in Nice Dec 21st, where Tina met them at the airport, as all good daughters should do
The P's and the Dot stayed a night in Nice, then traveled over to Hyeres for 2 nights
Dec 23rd, Mom/Dad/Tina trained up to Paris and found the apartment
Were joined by beloved son, Mark, on Xmas Eve
Spent several days as a family exploring the City of Lights
P's left the kiddos on the 29th and flew back home
Mark & Tina were joined by Nikki, who spent New Years together in Paris


Mom and Dad on the Promenade d'Anglais, Nice

Exploring the "remarkable garden" in Hyeres

Hiked up to the lookout at the castle in Hyeres

Mark made it!! yipee!

Sacre Coeur on Christmas

The whole fam

Charming siblings

Pulliam xmas card 09 here we come!

Venus de Milo

Bro and sis explore the Louvre

Louvre indoor courtyard

Sassy, eh?

Lobster's on Ice, Rue Moufftard Market

Nativity scene at Notre Dame

Jardin de Luxembourg, sporting its winter look

Don't go on the ice, pond in the Lux gardens

Catacombs under the city

Dem bones dem bones dem dry bones

Pantheon enjoying a glimpse of the sun

Our buddy The Metro, graffitied up for the occassion

Centre Pompidou, modern art museum, inside-out hamster cage

Marky at the parky on the island in the Seine

Ohhhh Champs Elysees! (duh duh duh duh duh) all lit up

A pet store!!! such cute (and expensive) puppies

The Ultimate Greek Gyro

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (not really, it's the song, you know...)

Stopped off for some famous chocolates

Cafe near Notre Dame, mmm French espresso

Happy New Year!

A Quick Something

It's afternoon in Seattle, which means it's about bedtime here. Just wanted to give you a couple quick tidbits in case you've been eager for another post.

Tidbit #1
Living in a multi-lingual household is quite funny. We've got a new name for "elbows" thanks to my Spanish roomie, Dani. They are now called "arm-knees." It makes sense, really, if you think about it.

Tidbit #2
Turns out the laverie (aka laundrymat) is a much better way to wash clothes than in the sink. Go figure, right? For several reasons, actually...and some of which you might not automatically guess:
Reason One: Sometimes (well, one time) you might be there and run into an old Italian lady who then proceeds to tell you her life story while teaching you how to use the washing machines.
Reason Two: Then this nice Italian lady will dump 1/3 of your bottle of laundry detergent into the machine (even though it says "40 washes" on the bottle), so that your clothes get EXTRA clean.
Reason Three: But, oh wait. Upon closer inspection of the now 2/3rds empty bottle, which you (meaning "I") have been using for THE PAST THREE MONTHS, your new Italian friend notices that the label says "Assoupplissant." Ok...and my point being...
Reason Four: And after a mixed Italian-French lesson, you come to find that in fact what you had previously thought was laundry detergent is in fact...fabric softener.

And so, for the past 3 months, I have been washing my clothes with fabric softener.

Vive la France.

And if that doesn't make a person feel stupid....

Tidbit #3
Just try having a conversation with ANYONE, really, and they'll automatically know you're a native English speaker.

Funny, I've already started thinking a lot about life back in Seattle. (Just bear with me here...I know, I'm living in the south of France...time to focus on the present and live it up...) But really, being in a place where you don't speak the language (ok, or well "do", but only sort of) gives you a whole new appreciation for simple things like being able to make friends (or at least pseudo-friends for the moment) in a coffee shop, or bar, or the grocery store. You know, the ability to go up to anyone and say "Hey! How's your day going?" and actually be able to understand their response, and catch the idiosyncracies of the language. It just seems so easy! And I miss that.

But the catch22 is I know how much I'm going to miss this uncomfortable, makes-me-feel-like-an-idiot challenge I experience every time I open my mouth. (Or heck, even walk outside, cuz I know they can take one look at me and see that I'm not from here. Yeah, even if I HAD the right clothes and hairstyle, I've got more thigh and upper arm meat than 3 Frenchies combined...those bitches...) Sorry, but it's true. And I digress.

What I want to say, though, is that being here and being uncomfortable motivates me to be a person who welcomes new friends, new relationships, and people of different language/cultural backgrounds more so than I have in the past. Being an outsider gives me a new appreciation for the outsiders who exist in places where I feel I fit in. Let me tell you, being invited over to a real French family's HOME for a real French dinner is a big deal to me. To be able to practice speaking French, as difficult as it can be, with real French people makes a big difference. And I would like to be that (English speaking) person for others. And I encourage you to be, if the opportunity should arise.

Tidbit #4
My computer is slow. Someday I'll get around to posting photos from Christmas and my brother's visit down to Hyeres after the New Years, but that day is not today. Uploading photos on a 5+ yr old "ordi" (as we say in la France) is not my cuppa tea. Mañana, mañana, mañana. (Cultural reference to Spanish tendency to always put things off til tomorrow...which is true, in case you were wondering).

Tidbit #5
Teaching is going well. Love those kiddos. Seriously. Love 'em. Well, most of them. We're working on colors this week. Playing lots of games. Taught them Heads Up Seven Up, and of course they all go crazy for it, just like we did when we were in 4th and 5th grade. It's been fun seeing them around the town, as I've said before, and I've even been invited to some of their afternoon fieldtrips! I went to the circus (small theatrical performance with 2 acrobats) and I saw a movie at our local cinema. Both times being out and about with them made me feel a little like a celebrity b/c all the kids from my various classes were calling my name and wanted me to sit by them.

Tidbit #6
And the French husband? ("French husband?" you may be thinking...) Ok, well I've joked with a lot of people about never coming home, of course, once I find my smoldering French man...haha. Just wanted to throw a big "DON'T WORRY" out there, b/c lately the cutest boy I've seen is in my Thursday morning class, and I'm twice his age. (Meant to be a joke, people, don't go freaking out on me here)... And anyone that comes close to my age...well just refer back to paragraphs 1-3 about feeling like an idiot of Tidbit #3 and you get the idea.

Tidbit #7
I have a never-ending appetite. I don't know if I'm not eating the right things (not enough protein to stay un-hungry perhaps?) but, man, I'm always hungry. And, with little to do, I'm usually eating. I'm convinced it's cuz, in France, every time you eat around someone they tell you "Bon Appetit". It's working on me; my appetite is insatiable. If you've got any ideas other than "just don't eat" or "pick up smoking", let me know. I've already thought of those, and have decided they're not actual solutions.

It's midnight (the bell tower by my apt is ringing) and I'm hungry. I'm off to brush my teeth and hit the hay, before I find myself marching downstairs to find the jar of nutella. Thanks for staying posted :) xoxo

Joyeux Noël

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S !

I wish I could be home to see all of your smiling faces this year for Christmas, but instead my mom, dad, and brother are here in France visiting! After a few days down south (Nice/Hyeres) with my parents, we *barely* caught a train up to Paris. And I retrieved Mark at the airport yesterday morning. So the whole fam' is together to celebrate baby Jesus.


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And here's the equation that got us from Hyeres to Paris:
(Canceled train in Hyeres + 44 euro taxi ride to Toulon + SNCF employee not knowing she could change our tickets + hey, that train to Paris we'd like to catch is leaving in 9 minutes + she's still looking for her boss to see if she can get us those tickets + oh wait now only 6 minutes til the train leaves + she's printing us the tickets + 3 minutes + she needs to write a note and stamp each of our tickets + and now the whistle + and now grab our tickets with a quick "merci" + 1 minute til departure + run onto the platform + shove our way on the train + this lady is standing in the doorway and she better move + great, Mom and Tina are on with the bags + the door is shutting + oh crap the door's shut and Dad's on the platform, not the train + pushing the button for the door to open + which it doesn't + Mom, "NO!!! This train's NOT leaving without your Dad!" + SNCF man making a phonecall to make sure the train doesn't leave + Dad running up to another car to hop on where a door didn't shut all the way + we assume Dad gets on + train starts moving + Me, "Mom, you stay here, I'll go find Dad" + found Dad + calmed down + walked through 4 train cars to find our PLUSH first class seats, which we didn't have to pay extra for, on our DIRECT train to Paris, ....see, there's always a silver lining, right? = Our crazy train-to-Paris adventure.)
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I hope you are all having a relaxing and happy holiday today with family and friends. Drink some hot cocoa and eggnog, eat some pumpkin pie and russian tea cakes, and enjoy time together with family (as best you can).

A note on that...
Sometimes it's not easy to be the pleasant person you want to be or think you should be when you're with family, or even close friends...isn't it true that being around the people who we know love us (and will continue to love us) sometimes can bring out the ugly or most unpleasant sides of us? That's how I feel a lot of the time.

But family's family. And even though each person in my family knows how to push all my buttons in different aggravating, embarrassing, and/or drive-me-crazy-I-gotta-get-away-from-here ways, and even though when I'm around them I turn into a bratty, bossy, annoyed, I'm-always-right-there's-no-backing-down version of myself, we still love each other. Cuz family's family. So maybe you can relate, or maybe, unlike me, you turn into a total angel when you're around your relatives, but either way, I hope you are fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who love and care about you, and I hope you value your time together.

Merry Christmas.

Fête des Lumières

Fête des Lumières
DESTINATION: LYON, FRANCE
le 5 å 8 decembre 2009

Hello again, everybody!
I had a great weekend in Lyon for the Fête des Lumières, or, as we might say in English, the Festival of Lights!

Trains aren't usually this complicated in France...
Nikki and I took the train over to Marseille on Friday afternoon, where we got on our train (platform M), only to then hear the announcement (in French, mind you) that the train was NOT going to Lyon, so everyone on board wanting to go to Lyon would need to get off (although they didn't happen to mention what platform to RUN to). So, with all the other confused Frenchies, we proceeded to RUN all the way to platform D, where we literally crammed our way onto an already "complet" train. After standing in the aisle for 10 minutes, wondering what the heck we're doing (nobody had a clue what to do, we weren't the only ones)...everybody got off and RAN all the way back to platform M!! What a confusing (and pointless) ordeal orchestrated by the SNCF peeps! 40 mins late, we were on our way! (And luckily we did end up in Lyon)...

...where our buddy Tim met us at the station!
Tim is another SPU grad/language assistant, who happened to be lucky enough to be in Lyon (an underrated French gem!). It's "tied" (depends on who you ask) with Marseille for 2nd biggest French city after Paris. It's a beautiful mix of old and new, classic French architecture like in Paris, mixed with modern buildings and clean, smooth sidewalks (which Paris lacks).

We kicked off the weekend with an excellent Friday night-tour of the city, led by Tim. It was so refreshing to be walking around in the freezing (literally 0 degrees C) city at night. And it was so crazy to see other people out and about on a Friday night!! (Hyeres tends to die once the sun goes down.) On Saturday, we explored the city more and enjoyed the annual Christmas market.

At the Christmas market!

This weekend was really a weekend filled with FRIENDS! It was great to be with Nikki (as usual) :), to see Tim, meet and hang out his friend Megan (another awesome SPU grad, go figure...we're taking Europe by storm), and meet Tim's roommates. And... Laura came down from Paris (yay!) and stayed with us for the weekend. ALSO, our Austrian friend Bernadette came up from Toulon! We were able to meet up with Britney (SPU grad/language assistant) and 2 of her friends who were also in Lyon for the festival. At the Christmas market, we had a total of 6 SPU grads! Oh, and did I mention we also hung out with our French engineering friends, and their friends?! Dozens of friends, some new and some old!


It was really fun to explore the city, go out to bars with people our age (what? this does not exist in Hyeres...), and see the city all lit up (with the thousands of others who crammed into the city for the displays)!

Nikki, Laura, Bernadette, and me outfitted for the cold in our new hats, mittens, & scarves

Saturday night, we went to one of the main squares in the city for the festival's kickoff celebration. We spent the night walking around the jam-packed streets seeing the different light displays. It was fun to be a part of something that so many people were there to experience! Although we felt a bit like cattle headed to the slaughter...we were packed like sardines! Body to body...bobbing along with the rest of the crowd... it was crazy!

Break from the crowds for pizza!Photographs from a previous festival on display

And we had no train problems on the way back to the city....we got a RIDE back with some of our French friends!! I haven't ridden in a car in ... hmm... a very long time!
What a weekend!!! :)