Happy Toussant

This is the first Halloween that I have not fallen into a sugar coma from consuming too much candy or had sugar coated teeth the following day despite brushing them. My only form of American candy that I ate to celebrate Halloween were the Reese's cups MoT sent in a package and they were so good! The French think that peanut butter is low grade and I have only found the tiniest jar for 5€ ($7)!! All I want is to stick a giant spoon in a jar of crunchy peanut butter or make tons of muddy buddies. For this Halloween, we decided to bring our American traditions to France. We had a shin-dig at our apartment and taught all of the non-American assistants American games such as signs and ninja. Afterwards we went to this so-called "Halloween Party." Apparently, no one got the memo that you dress up on Halloween. I have never gotten called out so much in my life. We had to show off our American pride and own our costumes! Despite the stares and cat-calls (yes, pun intended), it was a memorable Halloween.

Toussant (November 1) is a national holiday in France and everything closes. We decided to go to Nimes, a city near Avignon, and bike around the city. I have been back in 2007, but the only thing I remembered was the giant arena in the center of town. It was great going back and exploring more of the city and actually appreciating its beauty. It was a beautiful day, perfect for biking. We stumbled across this giant garden that led to a tour that is the oldest part of Nimes. There was a great view of the city from the top. We saw a bunch of old French men playing a game similar to Bocce ball called, Pétanque. It is the traditional game of the south and I am on a mission to find someone to teach me. I'm a born and raised southern American, now I need to become a French southerner.