Internationalmatt's Blog

This blog is about my international friends and their inspiring stories

Teaching English in France in the Summer of 2004

In June 204 I went to Lyon France as part of a small group to teach Conversational English for children and teenagers. I taught the teenagers and the two women taught the children. It was a wonderful experience for me to be in France which is a beautiful country and to meet some French people. I also had the opportunity to taste some delicious food while I was there such as the best chocolate mousse I have ever had.

our group for the conversational English classes

Before I went I had some concern about how we would be received because there was all of that crazy America/France stuff going on in the media. I found the people I met to be warm and friendly and the “issue” of America/France did not come up. The teens I taught were full of life and a joy to be around. They were eager to learn and entertaining to be around. We all had a good laugh when I tried to make microwave popcorn and due to  not being able to read French burned the popcorn.

me with my class and my helper

That was a great summer because I had two trips; one to France and one to Romania. I also went to Austria and Germany as part of my travels. One day we took the train to Geneva Switzerland and the scenery through France was stunning. The scenery in Lyon and Saint Genis Laval where we were was also beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in France. I also had the opportunity to meet with some men in the evenings for conversation time.

If you are wondering if you should go to France, I would say definitely go. As with anytime we travel remember to respect the culture and country you are in and you will have a good experience like I did. The scenery is great. The food is delicious. The people are warmer and more friendly than the media portrays.

April 8, 2010 Posted by | Europe, food, France, International Friendships, Internationals, Travel experiences | Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving week fun- Desserts hmm yum

When people in America think about Thanksgiving they usually think of turkey first. I like turkey but that is something I can get throughout the year at a supermarket deli. I also enjoy cranberry sauce but again I can buy organic whole cranberry sauce any day. Thanksgiving for me conjures up thoughts of DESSERT.

I love pumpkin pie with whipped topping which I think my nephew Garner would agree since he likes whipped topping. I like blueberry pie, cherry pie, apple pie. I love chocolate cake. Okay I know chocolate cake is not traditional Thanksgiving food but I like chocolate cake anytime. It goes without saying that ice cream is good any time.

I have had the pleasure of tasting desserts from around the world such as Baklava, a Brazilian chocolate dessert, Russian Torte, Iraqi sweets, desserts from Mexico, Iran, India, Brazil and many other countries. In France I had a chocolate dessert that was heaven on earth. In short I LOVE DESSERT as long as it doesn’t have coconut which just ruins it.

This leads me to my poll question this week. Where does the best dessert come from? I have listed 10 choices and oyu may choose 2. You can also write in an answer if oyu choose other.

November 25, 2009 Posted by | Brazilian friends, Fall, food, France, Holidays, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Food a Cultural Universal- Chocolate:)

In June 1997 I had my first trip to Romania. In the Amsterdam airport I went to look for some chocolate. I love chocolate and if possible, I would have chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I went to search for some European chocolate.  Much to my delight I found some. I found some chocolate pastries to eat for breakfast. I bought some chocolate to bring home. For a few weeks I was a happy man until the sad day came that my chocolate was gone and then back to normal. Every trip I have had to Europe I savor the sweet anticipation of buying chocolate.

In June 2004 I was in Saint Genis Laval which is very close to Lyon France. One day I went to the Mall to find a coffee shop. Oh yes Coffee!! I will write about that another time. I walked through the grocery store and thought I had found heaven on earth. Almost a whole aisle of chocolate. I thought it would be nice to have an apartment next to that store just so I could go there for chocolate every day. I also enjoyed some wonderful chocolate pastries for breakfast while in France. The best chocolate desert I ever had was in France.

I have some friends from Europe that have brought me some chocolate when they come here. Eva used to come every year from Hungary with her husband. She would bring me some chocolate from Hungary. Brigitte is from Belgium. She has gone back to Belgium a few times and each time brought me some chocolate from Belgium. I like to joke and would ask her “is this from France or Holland?” she would roll her eyes and say something like “be careful” while she smiled. Isis from Brazil gives me a few pieces of Brazilian chocolate and I have eaten some Brazilian chocolate deserts.

Food is a cultural universal. We all need to eat. The food varies from country to country. Chocolate can be found almost everywhere. There is dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate with nuts added, chocolate with fruit added, and other kinds of chocolate. It amounts to one happy Matt when chocolate is around. The question is where can we find the best chocolate?

November 3, 2009 Posted by | Belgium, Brazilian friends, food, France, Romania, Travel experiences | 4 Comments

   

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