Foie gras et Parfum

With two days to go until 2009 arrives, this will probably be my last post of the year. It has been a good one, filled with many enriching experiences. 2008 has also brought some new people into my life that I never want to part with... and all in all, it has been a year that I would do all over again; from my last practicum, to my graduation, to my first teaching contract, and now my trip, I cannot say that I would erase any parts of 2008 (well, except maybe when the Canucks didn't make it to the playoffs... but that's ancient history).

But before I completely write off the year, I should tell you about what I have been doing for the last days of 2008. Christmas this year will definitely go down as one to remember. It was my first one away from any family, in another language, and with people that I have only known for 2 months. In spite of what would seem an obstacle-ridden holiday season, I had a very charming Christmas. The 24th, we loaded the 2 cars with all the kids' paraphernalia, the presents, the clothes, the non-gingerbread gingerbread house, the strollers, and finally ourselves, and headed to Cecile's mom's house in Mougins, which is close to Antibes. Her house is huge, but seeming as there were 8 of us, plus 3 kids, we were still a little cramped at times. Cecile's brother, Arnaud, came from Paris with his wife and son Karl, whi is this adorable 2 year old. Marion was also there, and so we all had lunch together, then spent the afternoon playing with the kids and finishing the Gingerbread house.

At night time, the kids all went to bed, not before Lisa left the candy-covered house next to the tree with a glass of milk for Santa to snack on when he came. Then, it was the adults' time to have fun. Everyone got out of their jeans, dressed up and we had a 4 course dinner with its accompanying wines by candlelight. I tried Foie Gras for the first time, served with fresh bread, caramelized onion jam, and fig jam; It was to DIE for, and I think after this Christmas with it, I will not spend another without it!! then came the grilled scallop and prawn salad, then theRoasted Veal with Wok vegetables (made by yours truly); and finally the Bûche de Noël, a delicious grand Marnier and Chocolate cake made by Iannis.
It was truly French, to have spent nearly 3.5 hours at the table, eating good food in small portions, enjoying wine; and conversing... then at midnight we opened the grown-up gifts. I got a gorgeous suede designer bag, a french pastry cookbook, a short stories french book, and a beautiful candle holder. I was very pampered, considering I wasn't chez moi.

The morning of the 25th was a flurry of pyjamas and wrapping paper, as the kids opened their gifts. It was a little overwhelming for them, since each one had about 12 presents... they don't even know where to look by the end of it. At 1pm the rest of the relatives came, and after converting the table into one that fit 16, we had the traditional Christmas dinner; with ,ore foie gras, turkey, foie gras stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes, etc.
Overall, I felt very much like part of the family, and considering how far I am from home, i think I could've spent a much sadder Christmas; I was truly blessed that day!

So, I was supposed to leave for the UK this week, but for reasons not worth mentioning, I had to cancel and postpone my trip. I was pretty devastated, since I'm getting to a point where homesickness is getting very strong, and to have seen my friends, someone familiar, would've really helped me out. But, there's no sense in dwelling; life goes on, and I better keep up!! So I spent the day in Grasse yesterday. Grasse is known as the Perfume Capital of the World. It became so when tanners started to impregnate their leather products with essences from Italy to make the animal hide smell go away; Later, they learned to make their own essences, and being as Grasse has the perfect climate to grow some of the most aromatic flowers in the world (orangiers, jasmine, May rose, lemon), it was easy for the market to develop itself.

I don't know if any of you have read The Perfume, History of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, but it is in Grasse where a lot of the story takes place, because for centuries it has been renowned as the capital of parfumes in the world. It was also really neat to see all the techniques they mention i nth ebook for essence extraction in real life. It was a gorgeous day for a day trip, and I was able to enjoy the inland city with the sun coming down on the palm trees. My first stop was the Musée International de Parfumerie, where they have exhibits of everything from the earliest uses of perfume by the Egyptians, to a collection of modern day art found in perfume vials. It was truly interesting, and the best part was that they had free entrance for the week of the 24th to the 31st.. yay for free!
After the museum, I had a quick lunch, and made my way to one of the most celebrated parfumeries in France: Fragonard. They have a 225 year old factory in Grasse, which is still in operation, and they offer free tours. They also employ one of France's 10 "noses". A Nose, is someone who studies the science of fragrance. There are only two schools in the world, one in Versaille, and the other in Paris. A nose's formation takes between 10-15 years; by the end of their education, they can recognize over 350 essences (most of us can only recognize about 80) and by the end of their career, they can recognize 3000. They can even tell the difference between jasmine grown in Grasse, and jasmine grown in any other part of the world! To maintain their sense of smell intact, they must renounce all spicy food, alcohol and tobacco.
It was this nose that created the delicious perfume that I bought as a souvenir, called Belle de Nuit. Its delicious... and I got it for half the price that they usually sell it in their stores, since I was in the factory.

These are all the updates I have for now.... i wish you all a very Happy, Merry and FUN New Year's, but most importantly that you may live life to the fullest and love every minute of it in 2009!!!