Provence

This past weekend, I got to spend a couple of days in Provence. For those of you who don't know, Provence is located in the Southeastern tip of France. It's known for its distinctive landscape and historical landmarks for the most part. It touches the Mediterranean Sea, but unfortunately we didn't get to see the coastal areas.  Take a little look at this nifty little map I've provided for you. France is roughly the same size as Texas, so you can see that Provence is quite a trip from Paris. On the TGV(that's the high-speed train), it was between three and four hours each way.  In a car, it would have taken a little less than twice that time. Our trip centered around three main events: Avignon, best known as the Pope's home during the Great Schism during the 11th century (more on that later); then Arles, known both as Vincent Van Gogh's home and for its historical landmarks (particularly from Roman and Medieval times; and the small town of Uzès, near the Pont du Gard. 

SNOW!

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd wake up one morning, see snow falling outside, and just groan. But the day came, earlier this week. I'm still technically on Spring Break, so I really don't have much to report besides snow and just general yuckiness. Next week, I'll start student teaching about 7 hours/week with a brand new group of students. It's very exciting, but I haven't actually started yet, so there's nothing really to report. Most of my French friends have been abuzz with all this Pope stuff, but honestly I don't really care that much. I think it's great that they chose a Latin American one (as I understand it, it's the first time that's happened), but since I don't really look to the Pope for spiritual guidance, I haven't been paying close attention.