tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6835992859337018032023-11-16T08:42:07.860-05:00Katie's Great AdventureLearning science and other things...Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-49937682457872963272014-06-20T20:04:00.001-04:002014-06-20T20:04:17.856-04:00Language is fun, part Portuguese<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi! I am in Salvador, Brazil, for the summer. I could promise a blog post later where I explain that in more detail, but we've all seen how up-to-speed my blogging is, so I'll just say I'm here for field research for my PhD.<br />
<br />
Few people in Salvador speak English. Thus I am learning Portuguese (and I fear harming my good French and obliterating my crappy Spanish at the same time, but whatever). Each language has its weirdnesses (yes, even English, you just don't notice them until a non-native English speaker asks why you say X or Y and you have no idea). Remember <a href="http://katiesgreatadventure.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-count.html">how to count in French/Dutch</a>? Among other things in Portuguese, I've learned the days of the week (should have gotten a gold star, I KNOW!). They are: <br />
<br />
Monday= Seconda-feira (second-feira)<br />
Tuesday= Tercera-feira (third-feira)<br />
Wednesday= Quarta-feira (fourth-feira)<br />
Thurday = Quinta-feira (fifth-feira)<br />
Friday = Sexta-feira (sixth-feira)<br />
Saturday = Sabado<br />
Sunday = Domingo<br />
<br />
Feira means market. It seems to be a religious thing that Sunday is first, but weekdays are second through sixth market day. It is more confusing than it sounds, I promise. Try to remember what day of the week it is, then add 1 and translate it to Portuguese. Yup. They also abreviate the days as 2ª, etc., so you see shop hours listed as :<br />
<br />
2ª a 6ª, das 9.00 às 18.00<br />
<br />
which is fun when your best guess is that the shop is open five days a month....</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-37852122017702038082014-05-26T11:20:00.001-04:002014-05-26T11:20:57.080-04:00Ouch <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From a comment in a journal:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T-hN4q15f5YzWNNRQBC5-m3X8o9yI8WmYdNuSDonY_7lR7xfY6M6T_SdPy4mUV0no6_DweOBukRuAHjJlRTNYZ8pD-4T2xOe3zhCNu3xbrP4NxDmJJpF23BOALXpFyCRToXPCt2enT1A/s1600/No+Funding+Sources.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T-hN4q15f5YzWNNRQBC5-m3X8o9yI8WmYdNuSDonY_7lR7xfY6M6T_SdPy4mUV0no6_DweOBukRuAHjJlRTNYZ8pD-4T2xOe3zhCNu3xbrP4NxDmJJpF23BOALXpFyCRToXPCt2enT1A/s1600/No+Funding+Sources.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-51120570261043626592014-04-07T22:14:00.000-04:002014-04-07T22:14:02.878-04:00Well...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I haven't posted in way too long. Now there's too much pressure to come back with something good, so instead please enjoy the song I'm currently obsessed with. Bonus gorgeous scenery.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/KDPW_g2AhAU/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/KDPW_g2AhAU&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/KDPW_g2AhAU&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br /></div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-52297158840723884012014-01-08T09:54:00.004-05:002014-01-08T09:54:45.634-05:00Hairsicles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today I learned how fast your hair freezes when it's 10 degrees F (-12C) outside: fast. Very fast. Less than 2 minutes fast. </div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-26360774754506265092013-11-29T22:38:00.000-05:002013-11-29T22:38:06.724-05:00Interest level: None<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hahaha I just found this in a paper:</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqPwsAotxNbsrO-WUTGrarzC-IV0izbqTRTZGFPod_4I_CicVxW1bAr-zS7f0YkYRnkKczKXQa9rPtJnhkxM1Yh_VGQKh6ltvallncCVPbDUZSL4oVEtNVz3PmniQ_1fdNSa-uD4N-xeh/s1600/Interest_None.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqPwsAotxNbsrO-WUTGrarzC-IV0izbqTRTZGFPod_4I_CicVxW1bAr-zS7f0YkYRnkKczKXQa9rPtJnhkxM1Yh_VGQKh6ltvallncCVPbDUZSL4oVEtNVz3PmniQ_1fdNSa-uD4N-xeh/s320/Interest_None.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I assume they meant that they have no competing/financial interests, but that should have been phrased a mite differently...</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-81520698893093486912013-10-26T12:55:00.001-04:002013-10-26T12:55:52.044-04:00One reason not to buy socks at the grocery store<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WrpMxXP54nZXUC4CBzn-tWqiATIdX1i-6-vsjY6y-cN7fkp58Debr3GtWjrN31d2WzFCo0CvQhQLUvHVbxrGQaQFPFn1M1cJYqDPXjXdINoNDjDtPjFrs-eVIza6st_dck3JxGvEOC2-/s640/blogger-image--377667473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WrpMxXP54nZXUC4CBzn-tWqiATIdX1i-6-vsjY6y-cN7fkp58Debr3GtWjrN31d2WzFCo0CvQhQLUvHVbxrGQaQFPFn1M1cJYqDPXjXdINoNDjDtPjFrs-eVIza6st_dck3JxGvEOC2-/s640/blogger-image--377667473.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They might say "no nonsense" across the toes. Just maybe. </div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-81684150005680582162013-10-23T14:02:00.001-04:002013-10-23T14:02:51.079-04:00Yup, everything is bigger in CT<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CpcQPEl_B5d9nMErD4jWoVV31OT5iGuF-8su27ufc3sUY9L8qqNb0GgclIHdwu-RtfxZyrHN-zHjlxA5-rAY-8rLnxD7j7kowid048GFE3cwwNuWrRd5jO17WCO3AgtnzQ5PWy_y0Ny8/s640/blogger-image-857019374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CpcQPEl_B5d9nMErD4jWoVV31OT5iGuF-8su27ufc3sUY9L8qqNb0GgclIHdwu-RtfxZyrHN-zHjlxA5-rAY-8rLnxD7j7kowid048GFE3cwwNuWrRd5jO17WCO3AgtnzQ5PWy_y0Ny8/s640/blogger-image-857019374.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2.5 lbs of local honey. Mmmmmmmm</div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-71554983432329641142013-10-14T21:50:00.001-04:002013-10-14T21:50:55.457-04:00Monster veggies?!It being Halloween month, I thought the monster reference was well played. I accept your virtual applause. <div><br></div><div>Last week I got the biggest leek I've ever seen. Why, you ask? Because it was the smallest leek in the store. This week, it's another smallest-yet-biggest. Voila epic Napa cabbage:<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzDJUAQQ4t49OiOJ2pTYVORnjrk_rdDiwWOMPWu0eS9j4dmCr2WcDjqYjfsRnEwUzorbRqeasOegERvkDQtewgYhRsXPAmYkXMF_iikDEQFCyKPp2s36bJdUrKrC1zIow3Z3PXfwtZ1Td/s640/blogger-image-8851000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzDJUAQQ4t49OiOJ2pTYVORnjrk_rdDiwWOMPWu0eS9j4dmCr2WcDjqYjfsRnEwUzorbRqeasOegERvkDQtewgYhRsXPAmYkXMF_iikDEQFCyKPp2s36bJdUrKrC1zIow3Z3PXfwtZ1Td/s640/blogger-image-8851000.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> It wouldn't even all fit in my biggest pan! Am I crazy, or is this thing actually massive? I thought I had had enough veggies back in the States to be used to it, but I'm confused now...</div></div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-60749685973195018282013-10-07T00:52:00.001-04:002013-10-07T00:52:34.862-04:00Random architecture<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Such a random architecture assortment: The biology castle, the biology tower, and The Whale. They call it The Whale at least. I get more of an upside-down Viking ship vibe...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht44pjpYuZ78iHGlnzU9TFiJuQglKYOm5tQLg4053xPFp-ux0ikF70iX5GtfndNmQgtWAKagHQKq9thNtY79PmFvgbG-hYrVoWypOYZNCiMB6t06BCoo8o7bEtL0GNHCRHxhMah5Whlppw/s640/blogger-image--1138070944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht44pjpYuZ78iHGlnzU9TFiJuQglKYOm5tQLg4053xPFp-ux0ikF70iX5GtfndNmQgtWAKagHQKq9thNtY79PmFvgbG-hYrVoWypOYZNCiMB6t06BCoo8o7bEtL0GNHCRHxhMah5Whlppw/s640/blogger-image--1138070944.jpg"></a></div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-34305058142583134072013-09-17T22:35:00.001-04:002013-09-17T22:35:11.209-04:00Toilet paper math is iffy<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Note to self: do not let theoretical future future children learn math from toilet paper packaging...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAc9HZArVFuhmjRSdt3s_mKStJDZyxAe7jOsC5gMdT-l8NJVnLEQVnrCd5C1wgVHuoYB7SDAjh67LI0AV3JlF3uZu18WmXFAklwT2ijxTWweqi8KI-OP_gDYniYcNLikLxo8ykmyA9WFeV/s640/blogger-image--1405704615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAc9HZArVFuhmjRSdt3s_mKStJDZyxAe7jOsC5gMdT-l8NJVnLEQVnrCd5C1wgVHuoYB7SDAjh67LI0AV3JlF3uZu18WmXFAklwT2ijxTWweqi8KI-OP_gDYniYcNLikLxo8ykmyA9WFeV/s640/blogger-image--1405704615.jpg"></a></div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-3354876492953015182013-09-17T16:00:00.001-04:002013-09-17T16:00:41.868-04:00I'm not in Georgia anymore...<div>Exhibit A</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SWnrrfHVvmt1dN3ccar_hHJe8j3SGDaKOW21U8NuYPx-jhyPQZ-xPsdWZN18x8m1HyYL6goq8C7k4Bvuy5j9ukk0uVOuCI8NszKny7TglYvwhqQW0sj928olvQOm21kx44xKCk8f0ps2/s640/blogger-image--1240769122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKcaOSGOM-Yt3IATG565czewrzV5-5Lk7oOkeW9CEMk2XbKs8KHRCTASd6vSO2XF5qtzf7qnj7PuqCJTL1xpT3Rw5bvulCMqwBmlbNsJ7PAHC4P6DCE2xyCzQstwT8lkZqJfE98AlXdEy/s640/blogger-image-1811284494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKcaOSGOM-Yt3IATG565czewrzV5-5Lk7oOkeW9CEMk2XbKs8KHRCTASd6vSO2XF5qtzf7qnj7PuqCJTL1xpT3Rw5bvulCMqwBmlbNsJ7PAHC4P6DCE2xyCzQstwT8lkZqJfE98AlXdEy/s640/blogger-image-1811284494.jpg"></a></div></div>Verdict: Approve!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Exhibit B: there is no Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning in my grocery store. </div><div><br></div><div>Verdict: Fail Connecticut, FAIL. </div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-49423993985414544742013-09-12T23:06:00.001-04:002013-09-12T23:06:24.701-04:00Calculus and coffee stainsGrad school round 2 has officially begun... Don't judge my math, calculus was a while ago!<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPruaaORrAFlp_X_CJUxmGnY4JdFr_ZmLEC-cZYBOR0jYKLRTbC7Tt9NuLbk81lkexgH4e97AsYeJZe-aTUb1WaJaqoVmc8kZiMM8UiEZeF611-Uwwreif2navqRHVibINkrXG1VRRqRUV/s640/blogger-image-1057762866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPruaaORrAFlp_X_CJUxmGnY4JdFr_ZmLEC-cZYBOR0jYKLRTbC7Tt9NuLbk81lkexgH4e97AsYeJZe-aTUb1WaJaqoVmc8kZiMM8UiEZeF611-Uwwreif2navqRHVibINkrXG1VRRqRUV/s640/blogger-image-1057762866.jpg"></a></div>Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-42555627388094695062013-09-08T21:57:00.002-04:002013-09-08T21:57:38.323-04:00The end of one great adventure and the beginning of another<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please excuse the inexcusably cheesy title, but that is
exactly what I’m going through right now. My relatively short adventure on
Reunion Island has ended, yes, but this is also the end of my great nomadic
adventures of late. I’m starting a decidedly less mobile
adventure, but one nonetheless—my PhD, during which (among other things) I’ll live in one town
for at least four years, and this apartment for at least one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the transition I’ve been alternating
between being thrilled that I can finally settle down and panicking that I have
to finally settle down. What if I don’t like something? I can’t just deal with
it for a little while and then run away, never to return. I have to deal with
it for a long time… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it was time to move on, so here we go! Sorry, there
won’t be any more pictures of cool fruit for a while. I’ll have to figure out
how to make this blog interesting while I’m doing less exotic stuff. For now though, I am happy to report that so far I love my apartment,
neighborhood, school, and all the people I’ve met here. Let’s get a couple of
weeks into school and see how I feel then! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In honor of the end of my great 3 year walkabout, a few
things I won’t mind not having to constantly think about:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-the date format</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-the time format (24 vs 12 hours)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-which paper format I need to use for this Word document (Europeans don’t use letter,
obviously, because inches are evil. The use A4, which is just different enough
to be annoying: 8.26 x 11.29 inches versus 8.5 x 11)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The metric system. It makes more sense, yes, but
converting between the two is not good for my brain. Or things I’m baking when
I forget to convert and BURN THE EVERLOVING CRAP OUT OF THEM. I’ve also realized
that I can only think about cold temperatures in Celsius and warm ones in
Fahrenheit (growing up in Georgia versus Swedish winter?). I am a mess. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- What a comma, space, or period means when writing numbers.
Is it a decimal? A thousands separator? None of the above?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Where the *?!/#& a given letter/symbol is on a French
keyboard. Seriously, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KB_France.svg">look at this thing</a>.
I would frequently need literally at least a minute to find something. And
moving the As and Ms? That’s not ok, I use those a lot. On the other hand, I can type <i>mu</i> with one keystroke? Really? That's kinda cool... Useless, but cool. The fact that I can type a British pound symbol but not a Euro one, is less cool. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-‘Where is my passport??' Phrase guaranteed to cause a few seconds of panic, even if you absolutely know where it is. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Getting/having a visa/residence permit </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Language! I love speaking French and do it well, but man
it’s easier not to have to think about every single sentence that comes out of
your mouth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Random questions about Texas (the world is utterly
fascinated with Texas) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The general love/hate relationship with the US. Endless
accusing questions about wars and politics from the same people who go
starry-eyed talking about visiting New York…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-“You know where Florida sticks out the bottom? It’s the one
above that.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Making an entirely new set of friends every 3-6 months. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-The guilt of not doing anything one weekend. When I’m only
in a country for a couple of months, I feel I MUST do/see something each weekend,
which is exhausting. Here I have time. In fact, I should really slow down and
relax and settle in and not see everything at once!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What several of these come down to is that I am ready to be in my own country for a while. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When abroad,
you’re often The American, or more generally, A Foreigner. People hear your
accent or origin and define you around that. You’re immediately and always “other” to a
lot of people. Every time my boss on Reunion introduced me to someone, she started
with “She’s American,” like that was my most important characteristic. That of
course was not the case with close friends, but with many people you meet, me
being American was the extent of the relationship. I am excited that I can
finally be me, known for what actually matters about that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, there you have my thoughts on the transition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay tuned for the list that I’m sure is coming
of things I miss about living in the US! The grass is always greener…</div>
</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-39655554418352146942013-08-05T15:56:00.001-04:002013-08-05T15:56:22.120-04:00Spaghetti Pie?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So it's not all awesome adventures in tropical fruit here. I've had lots of weird adventures in food too. Mostly successes, but a few rather impressive fails. Take these for example:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk1-ugE29KKVohvIJijEevRad2AfpdQL1RGpLvf192l-WVHDtY8CM873Gq0Ky1TxD-shIdbsdamuofZEdZ6YC5W7yBNiydbUbzn5Q9z52G1mTZ2g4iNkc817-H2fUIjZfMj5tMb-15_m4/s1600/DSC09456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk1-ugE29KKVohvIJijEevRad2AfpdQL1RGpLvf192l-WVHDtY8CM873Gq0Ky1TxD-shIdbsdamuofZEdZ6YC5W7yBNiydbUbzn5Q9z52G1mTZ2g4iNkc817-H2fUIjZfMj5tMb-15_m4/s320/DSC09456.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
They look innocuous enough, right? Some kind of desserty something? They're made of manioc, which I've learned can be either acceptable or a totally weird mess. I didn't understand the difference between the several varieties of manioc pies this woman had, so I pointed at yellow and brown. Yellow was blended to uniform consistency and tasted like nothing but the coconut flakes she sprinkled on top, yet managed to conserve the weird rubbery-gluey texture that is manioc.<br />
<br />
Brown, however, was quite a surprise: When I bit into it, I discovered that it was spaghetti-textured! That was unexpected. And weird. Too weird. It again tasted like nothing except what can only be described as "mildly bad," but the texture flipped me out. I don't like spaghetti, and this looking like spaghetti but tasting another kind of bad was too much. I couldn't even look at it! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRPzY0PGxjFSq_XG5lLFoPCTlPJk-3V-DaQ9S8bxeExEcDhyphenhyphenHdQrGZLy5B9_iDu5TWsNXm7I9Cdv-HvU2JAW2vl1x5BAVhz-xqkaYbY8OYhMMV9w7S_hEmML4njO-kpQyqPD5uH0dWniO/s1600/DSC09460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRPzY0PGxjFSq_XG5lLFoPCTlPJk-3V-DaQ9S8bxeExEcDhyphenhyphenHdQrGZLy5B9_iDu5TWsNXm7I9Cdv-HvU2JAW2vl1x5BAVhz-xqkaYbY8OYhMMV9w7S_hEmML4njO-kpQyqPD5uH0dWniO/s320/DSC09460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Try manioc for the experience, sure. Just don't get manioc spaghetti pie... I think I'll stick with fruit from now on. All of the less than one week that is "from now on." </div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-86292717681235931322013-07-22T14:53:00.000-04:002013-07-22T14:53:06.668-04:00Adventures in Tropical Fruit 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I swear I do other stuff here than eat fruit. And the other things generate pretty pictures too. I will get a real post together sometime. Probably.<br />
<br />
But for now, more fruit! I got this one on Mauritius actually (yes, I had a holiday away from my island that most people come to for vacations). I don't remember what the fruit is called there, but here it's called a kaki. Which I just googled and is persimmon, which I've heard of! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRwwITXitx9ktVXnjSEEqQSGfckF1LUVuVquay7Geduw02739dP1MJ6_enwNFzDJNdKyDV4nkSc3_C04s6WjGxpMqtZK9Pqk_XJze2t7x-Z_SKt-SLiLjLh1sDAK19KgD02z-7awx7FS8/s1600/DSC09465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRwwITXitx9ktVXnjSEEqQSGfckF1LUVuVquay7Geduw02739dP1MJ6_enwNFzDJNdKyDV4nkSc3_C04s6WjGxpMqtZK9Pqk_XJze2t7x-Z_SKt-SLiLjLh1sDAK19KgD02z-7awx7FS8/s320/DSC09465.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7AObQO27tgrekOvq7Q8VSAAZnn_tBDWZmaCESFKJw5ly1jq9sg84tNy5unFsaikYy_sZev7PdnZ_4iIZyV5aHC556K0aP9os-AZsg55sBOPAy3-ZqVcVTip386mHEfsMC27-ErPiAwc7/s1600/DSC09466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7AObQO27tgrekOvq7Q8VSAAZnn_tBDWZmaCESFKJw5ly1jq9sg84tNy5unFsaikYy_sZev7PdnZ_4iIZyV5aHC556K0aP9os-AZsg55sBOPAy3-ZqVcVTip386mHEfsMC27-ErPiAwc7/s320/DSC09466.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
It looks like an orange tomato, and is very fibrous (soft fibers, but noticeable) on the inside. It's a really interesting flavor, a bit sweet and almost nutty, kind of like squash. I feel like a fake foodie snob describing it like that, but it really did have a weird/interesting taste. Recommended as an interesting one to try! Disclaimer: I just read that you're not supposed to eat the skin (oops) and that most people think it tastes like mango. Maybe mine was a different species or... unripe/rottenish? Like I said, interesting. Has anyone tried any version of persimmon before? </div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-81637319605722217692013-07-02T14:25:00.000-04:002013-07-02T14:25:45.277-04:00Adventures in Tropical Fruit 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I bought more passionfruit. WHAT? Try them, seriously, if you ever get a chance. <br />
<br />
I did branch out though. Guess what this is. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gbiTXrU6S8VSqRWOjOUwdR02oOe4wMtjcqN5x9ZJ0k-kTG_DzKzZd-HZvG-msSpXc_yFsL0U2YmuqbRMJYQlBBcNNVTTRBTROSQaA-2mgSa3F1gTtmTfwOwxspb5JwODB67ODOqD1L9D/s1600/DSC09152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gbiTXrU6S8VSqRWOjOUwdR02oOe4wMtjcqN5x9ZJ0k-kTG_DzKzZd-HZvG-msSpXc_yFsL0U2YmuqbRMJYQlBBcNNVTTRBTROSQaA-2mgSa3F1gTtmTfwOwxspb5JwODB67ODOqD1L9D/s320/DSC09152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Hint: It's one of those things that's more technically a fruit versus one that goes in a fruit salad. [Aside: Love that quote: "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in your fruit salad." Miles Kington]. No, it's not a tomato. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNh9vdW4XCkTe749GlEDEbSRxJe770_5A7JRDRP2J-FhMM6olaP9vukwg1ODw8AJQgHahyY30WZRjazsiJtlVcX5EcsX8e2VehpRIuppuiKcU6EuUN-0S9zzaOhBG0sNH6BpKRmKnToW6/s1600/DSC09153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNh9vdW4XCkTe749GlEDEbSRxJe770_5A7JRDRP2J-FhMM6olaP9vukwg1ODw8AJQgHahyY30WZRjazsiJtlVcX5EcsX8e2VehpRIuppuiKcU6EuUN-0S9zzaOhBG0sNH6BpKRmKnToW6/s320/DSC09153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Giant tropical avocado! Same general idea, only BIG. And weird. It's much less dense than ours and with less flavor. Kinda watery in both texture and taste. A definite eh--our version wins.<br />
<br />
Good thing I have lots of passionfruit! </div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-41630621627156787872013-06-23T11:24:00.000-04:002013-06-23T11:25:15.078-04:00Adventures in Tropical Fruit 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember how your mom always told you it's what's on the inside that counts? She's right. This wrinkly brown thing that looks remarkably like excrement:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2sIGpuMJ4tvEJZBUu8bIOUqKJqC-p3N3KKRdjaQqqhb80-rOBaFGY2TwrS4fOOMkvGOgDG5FuxwFof25dTqwm6D1l__IUE3YcdZL7f4zLUR28ONRy4jVTjz12Va031zwrIG5d6uiz8ZE/s1600/DSC09040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2sIGpuMJ4tvEJZBUu8bIOUqKJqC-p3N3KKRdjaQqqhb80-rOBaFGY2TwrS4fOOMkvGOgDG5FuxwFof25dTqwm6D1l__IUE3YcdZL7f4zLUR28ONRy4jVTjz12Va031zwrIG5d6uiz8ZE/s320/DSC09040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
is a passionfruit! You in fact chose the wrinkliest ones (they're at the right ripeness stage). This fruit, the fodder of dreams of tropical islands and the associated cocktails, is clearly never pictured from the outside in people's heads. But the taste does not disappoint--cut it in half and you immediately get a whiff of the tropics, and as you eat the crunchy seeds (we're talking corn kernel crunchy) and pulp with a spoon, you close your eyes and enjoy. Wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of the outside while you're eating... Delicious! My favorite so far. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pHDQiBUTbFrEBJAbWotY1zCRCgnKprbGevsEuC4jhpb2NhAzDU-SgAITeElFNTe5TMssu1Eu9uHgDA58hwvbai9h7qAPMevllK1WEomrY8NslkcCp_1qR_dIRQRh8zu_hQewd2lxnv0O/s1600/DSC09042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pHDQiBUTbFrEBJAbWotY1zCRCgnKprbGevsEuC4jhpb2NhAzDU-SgAITeElFNTe5TMssu1Eu9uHgDA58hwvbai9h7qAPMevllK1WEomrY8NslkcCp_1qR_dIRQRh8zu_hQewd2lxnv0O/s320/DSC09042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Update: Adventures in Tropical Fruit 4: Yeah, I got more passionfruit :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-8784811278991468002013-06-14T13:18:00.000-04:002013-06-14T13:18:06.621-04:00A balanced dessert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Balanced meals have lots of colors, yes? Am I doing it right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvVILvemZETaLsWM0ainnJhwr8gKQ8VfzPmo2VzV_Y4AGAuXvv_ZsBZRfXofXPieDqKmXU5SRNoUAXo2Hc5MGdWGhfbtzpL_JogHGuh3BJb8QjR0y391Wj8Wr3nlvCfAfbiUYP_X7IXfF/s1600/DSC09045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvVILvemZETaLsWM0ainnJhwr8gKQ8VfzPmo2VzV_Y4AGAuXvv_ZsBZRfXofXPieDqKmXU5SRNoUAXo2Hc5MGdWGhfbtzpL_JogHGuh3BJb8QjR0y391Wj8Wr3nlvCfAfbiUYP_X7IXfF/s320/DSC09045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Guava jam, lychee honey, and Nutella. Ignore my last question--I know I'm doing it right!</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-25144170329539047412013-06-04T12:15:00.004-04:002013-06-05T14:39:54.557-04:00Adventures in Tropical Fruit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is so much fruit here I don't recognize. Seriously, Google image <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=fruits+r%C3%A9union&client=firefox-a&hs=kdF&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3QyuUanFBuWc0AXg5YHIDg&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=639">"fruits réunion"</a>. What even is most of that stuff? I'm trying to figure it out. Whenever I go to the market (has to be the Saturday one, the grocery store has nothing interesting) I buy something I don't recognize and ask what it is and how to eat it. The first time I did it, I got a bag of goyaviers, which were at perfect harvest timing:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2RetQ-4fTfeuZ2uD4FSda3T1RAJQJFJpiEks7p44zV1X3rywkMAfhxLOpCfHmPfse92ElfcQEoqvOXlx-xA2fzfFjp_NBij2mWqPcDh25bFLV9Y1cNkvI4SaEdIcObwfQbcMvHULGIYu/s1600/DSC08893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2RetQ-4fTfeuZ2uD4FSda3T1RAJQJFJpiEks7p44zV1X3rywkMAfhxLOpCfHmPfse92ElfcQEoqvOXlx-xA2fzfFjp_NBij2mWqPcDh25bFLV9Y1cNkvI4SaEdIcObwfQbcMvHULGIYu/s320/DSC08893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvGfgRAwFxBQddY6Y_hHZ6FYHCH3XIW8EIy8Gt4DEUcZd6t4-0D9MLpk9kwi9AzgiFwWEe_UVmq9ilTZ8brJHQusgumBxWTIdhJob_OeYTv1TIBZioPOhQSV-LUpEvYTXyDAECpuEDqpf/s1600/DSC08895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvGfgRAwFxBQddY6Y_hHZ6FYHCH3XIW8EIy8Gt4DEUcZd6t4-0D9MLpk9kwi9AzgiFwWEe_UVmq9ilTZ8brJHQusgumBxWTIdhJob_OeYTv1TIBZioPOhQSV-LUpEvYTXyDAECpuEDqpf/s320/DSC08895.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
They look like baby pomegranates! Cute. According to the guy I bought them from, you peel them and eat the mushy inside. They're good--tart, but nice. Tons of seeds, which I didn't know to eat at first, but turns out you do eat them, which makes the fruit much more worth the effort. I recommend them if you get the chance. I do not however, know what they might be called in English. Nothing gives me a translation other than guava, which isn't right--goyavier seems to be Réunion-specific. Just eat the small red fruit in May, ok? So that's one thing to do with them. Another, according to the lady who walked up while the seller was explaining this to me, is to chop them in half and throw them in a bottle of rum for three months. I liked that idea too, so I now have my own rum arrangé brewing! I'll let you know how it is in a couple months. I just made this this morning (yes, this morning, no I don't know why) and it's already bright red... Scary or future delicious? TBD. So that was Adventures in Tropical Fruit 1. A smashing success.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdY2E4f99wcIEjTz2kPROl7dMFWtu9-199S_pXKzvs1zZ8weuEmf4pli05EK5u8ItPlB-ZMY2VWEM03AG8pgIaVsd6PHplIA-5xvWG_86H6Z0qtg0sNlMicw8djDRY-xoMfoU0YkV94Zw/s1600/DSC09015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdY2E4f99wcIEjTz2kPROl7dMFWtu9-199S_pXKzvs1zZ8weuEmf4pli05EK5u8ItPlB-ZMY2VWEM03AG8pgIaVsd6PHplIA-5xvWG_86H6Z0qtg0sNlMicw8djDRY-xoMfoU0YkV94Zw/s320/DSC09015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Adventure 2 is an actual guava. A white one, which I was unfamiliar with.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggelYop_zH55NF3ULqpQtZlbMfKGuGZgSP-m9OtJ7Ip7NvrZrCem-zgP3n4zOa409CBWDJZx6UB-W10MmHqwRQcKYsXngVnFwesbaHEvi2h1d-iq0Vqlw0yj5iYZD3WAXm0FrbMNIrHtcH/s1600/DSC09011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggelYop_zH55NF3ULqpQtZlbMfKGuGZgSP-m9OtJ7Ip7NvrZrCem-zgP3n4zOa409CBWDJZx6UB-W10MmHqwRQcKYsXngVnFwesbaHEvi2h1d-iq0Vqlw0yj5iYZD3WAXm0FrbMNIrHtcH/s320/DSC09011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-i7CXILgw-s-4egLtzQHTT5Sjefw9UcXhG0UAsCS9ZmLgz6QF6FMk5aWdkhGiDGfJH-_-9TnwHmPblM1M2s2hopqUSqAXwFqnnwmKw9sYDpTTZo64Wu0c1qV_vxm4loxnFTIvex4bcodw/s1600/DSC09012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-i7CXILgw-s-4egLtzQHTT5Sjefw9UcXhG0UAsCS9ZmLgz6QF6FMk5aWdkhGiDGfJH-_-9TnwHmPblM1M2s2hopqUSqAXwFqnnwmKw9sYDpTTZo64Wu0c1qV_vxm4loxnFTIvex4bcodw/s320/DSC09012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It looks like a pear and smells heavenly (yes, it smells so good it warranted that cheesy an adjective). The guy who owns my apartment here has a disgustingly smelly old dog that the apartment usually smells like, but not while my guavas were in the kitchen! That powerful. You know how strong dog smell is. Anyway. I haven't ever had guava in another format than juice, so I don't know if the white ones are like the pink/red ones. The texture is pear-like, but those seeds will break your teeth! I was really not impressed with the taste. It was like a bland pear, which isn't a fruit I love even when they're good. So I wasn't going to get those again for eating anyway. Maybe for the smell.<br />
<br />
BUT, since Saturday I have developed a truly fabulous bright red itchy lumpy swollen rash all over my neck and around my eyes. I am a sight to behold... The doctors (benefit of working in a hospital, instant access to many) said it's an allergic reaction, likely to food but maybe sugar cane flower, which has started blooming. The only new food I've had is the guava... My itchy cranky ass is therefore calling Adventures in Tropical Fruit 2 a bust. Guava is evil.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: According to the doctor I saw today (again, benefit of a hospital) the allergic reaction is due to something I put on my skin, not food. So guava may not, in fact, be evil. But the white one still wasn't very good. So there. (I'm still itchy and swollen and cranky, an you tell?)</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-48940094672846142522013-05-26T05:10:00.002-04:002013-05-26T05:10:31.210-04:00Just some apples<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I went to the market for apples. Only apples. I came home with this. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvrHVbULB0L6p1TtSa1FEpx60xLfNX4ijJAM7zbXRb3TcxgEaPU8BTnzB7XNDYIlIQzzV8__eoAC4f6skaxBgpXEksn2Njxq7qRtPBLS8SMQ4jxauj7Q-HpKT4dr2xpw_k9psAR73M2Bz/s1600/DSC08877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUvrHVbULB0L6p1TtSa1FEpx60xLfNX4ijJAM7zbXRb3TcxgEaPU8BTnzB7XNDYIlIQzzV8__eoAC4f6skaxBgpXEksn2Njxq7qRtPBLS8SMQ4jxauj7Q-HpKT4dr2xpw_k9psAR73M2Bz/s320/DSC08877.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3EYy59jt5hTGbksBTRLYJDwfS_h8GgdCSWZnbWFBqccRQfOc2_1wiyujGRwvFJQfL7kc7RQbOK4TmfgGoS-SIz1IsVSI01el5o3NHKfPd4vm7L7uKYPh5N8j97jffDblWEaVkIygQo5d/s1600/DSC08877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<br />
"This" contains no apples. It does, however, contain what will soon be the first installment of "let's figure out this tropical fruit I don't recognize!"</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-34215628480825711752013-05-22T14:20:00.002-04:002013-05-22T14:20:34.659-04:00An odd side effect of being highly mobile...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I got an email address at work today (yeah, I've been here thee weeks, there were vacations, it's France). I'll probably only ever get a handful of emails there, and when I leave in three months, it will expire and be closed. No big deal. But it did make me think about how many email addresses I've had in my life. I came up with 14! Many of them, like my newest one, were for short stints (a master's at a different university almost each semester results in several, for example), but the trusty Yahoo has been with me since middle school. And I am currently checking five of them. Ridiculous! </div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-69076512987863146792013-05-19T15:45:00.000-04:002013-05-19T15:45:03.339-04:00A Perfect Weekend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This island has turned me into a morning person in three weeks flat. The sun sets reasonably early here--especially now, around 6pm, since it's 'winter'--but it rises early in the morning (around the other 6), so people here have adjusted and tend to get a very early start. For example, this went by my window at 8:30 this morning:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHGGo16N_Nl3oUITdzkD6Kn0DRVn7gd8bjIZlKeNu6koF0KCRHmhbTuZp2qj_C_qhfikf-en6vFFtF2nP3sMkbQ_OtF3TLGiT-543dElaQL_5ypgDV41V3uexE858yPNTcoBQ4wNPCq26/s1600/DSC08745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHGGo16N_Nl3oUITdzkD6Kn0DRVn7gd8bjIZlKeNu6koF0KCRHmhbTuZp2qj_C_qhfikf-en6vFFtF2nP3sMkbQ_OtF3TLGiT-543dElaQL_5ypgDV41V3uexE858yPNTcoBQ4wNPCq26/s320/DSC08745.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
"This" was a parade led by a trumpet and drums. Good thing I was already up! I suddenly can't even imagine being asleep at 8:30. Who am I and what have I done with myself??<br />
<br />
Saturday morning I was up particularly early for a sightseeing adventure via one of the "long distance" buses. I took it from my town, on the southwest coast, around the southern part of the island across the expansive lava flows dating from various time periods and in different stages of returning to vegetation, which was very cool. The 2007 lava flow is still smoking in some places! On the other side of the lava, I stopped in a little town famous for its church that was not destroyed, but encircled, by lava in 1977. A miracle of course! From that tiny town there is a trail that leads along the coast through an unbelievable forest to a beach with waterfalls coming out of the cliffs beside it. The hike was honestly amazing. I still have trouble believing I'm here, seeing and doing all this amazing stuff, and it occasionally really hits me how cool this is. While hiking the trail, with the full force of the Indian Ocean at my back (I was on the east coast, so it was a "next stop Australia" feeling) and a verdant forest almost entirely full of plants I had never seen in front of me, I had a moment of absolute pure happiness, complete with a laughing fit! All alone in the forest. It was great. The whole day was awesome. Even the buses worked out, which seems to be a relatively rare event from what I've heard!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExVKp-uGz3L7rJkAzaxZd4BnlmYTco0JzCwyn2igh_rEcMFiMYsEbwORb5bzMfAD974SpHm1ShHVgGehnLGO5JAm4mivlCw1UHYbj6Vy38inGtB8chkD3Uuyjv5U5gZKVF72JRzrLuYoM/s1600/DSC08647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExVKp-uGz3L7rJkAzaxZd4BnlmYTco0JzCwyn2igh_rEcMFiMYsEbwORb5bzMfAD974SpHm1ShHVgGehnLGO5JAm4mivlCw1UHYbj6Vy38inGtB8chkD3Uuyjv5U5gZKVF72JRzrLuYoM/s320/DSC08647.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flow from 1977</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrvNw0ohvt9VdPhbOeKrhSatXCiV1dr0LmekqWt9wUkGbPI27IFgtU7YLfkaYwRpvedmpmbL3P-UC00pbnEu8YET68L2bjLfVMid38IrnWUEiDQ2-jo2w3qzrgFbGuYfxZgTQeTH25pBr/s1600/DSC08690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrvNw0ohvt9VdPhbOeKrhSatXCiV1dr0LmekqWt9wUkGbPI27IFgtU7YLfkaYwRpvedmpmbL3P-UC00pbnEu8YET68L2bjLfVMid38IrnWUEiDQ2-jo2w3qzrgFbGuYfxZgTQeTH25pBr/s320/DSC08690.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of my jungle hike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuve6_DUNf0X8Qb2RPjmTnEuRv1GtQ16UCFKUTaxX0j9A7tEU329HoQzTxejh9ZenAv8XuUOMNJ8TKn1oI0OUsiAZ4a9keVdR64aG3JJOQESaY8hfmwF-7V2RaUMl0-uCiVwFjGgvH4BSq/s1600/DSC08697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuve6_DUNf0X8Qb2RPjmTnEuRv1GtQ16UCFKUTaxX0j9A7tEU329HoQzTxejh9ZenAv8XuUOMNJ8TKn1oI0OUsiAZ4a9keVdR64aG3JJOQESaY8hfmwF-7V2RaUMl0-uCiVwFjGgvH4BSq/s320/DSC08697.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean view from the jungle hike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiFRNSNH9Q5yC3EMWzKguKhZgnZuuaCCrXuJYRU3m1tr9mLUEWdxz_x6okJXixIKbKNLAQMWb5RljoOo66aUUo2kMd0hII2s8pJDiCG8h3fGqeLB7TKi5zJ1Likx7_Lo8S6r-FixzJxhE/s1600/DSC08710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiFRNSNH9Q5yC3EMWzKguKhZgnZuuaCCrXuJYRU3m1tr9mLUEWdxz_x6okJXixIKbKNLAQMWb5RljoOo66aUUo2kMd0hII2s8pJDiCG8h3fGqeLB7TKi5zJ1Likx7_Lo8S6r-FixzJxhE/s320/DSC08710.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach with waterfalls--they come out of the mountain you see in this picture. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This morning I enjoyed a lovely working breakfast on the balcony with some loquat (one of those many fruits you and I have never heard of) jam and a fresh local banana, which someone brought to work because the tree at her house was just too overloaded and they couldn't handle them all. So sad, but I helped her out by taking a delicious bunch home. They are short and fat and kinda orange on the inside and DELICIOUS. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcN44sqAysan7ekAMi2UmUTN7ZNUK9oPtRt6ArMvnSz-zumb9-eT52vIvrVoBB1-_p15hFWJOHMFZB73qPW4ZVObIJUxdp0aBe-evxMR-jricUEF3d48u15EauUElkiBhSGuIJZpm2yVL/s1600/DSC08625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcN44sqAysan7ekAMi2UmUTN7ZNUK9oPtRt6ArMvnSz-zumb9-eT52vIvrVoBB1-_p15hFWJOHMFZB73qPW4ZVObIJUxdp0aBe-evxMR-jricUEF3d48u15EauUElkiBhSGuIJZpm2yVL/s320/DSC08625.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
This afternoon it was off to the lagoon for some snorkeling in the amazing aquarium that's attached to my beach. I saw a sea slug on the move today and wonder if that was the inspiration for the classically horrible series of Tremors movies... Then I headed home to get ready for a concert I went to with a coworker on the beach in a nearby town. It was awesome of course! We arrived just a bit after sunset and set up our picnic on the grass just beside the beach and talked and drank wine and ate amazing baked goods (one of the friends' friends is a baker in the process of opening his own bakery! Talk about a friend I need...) for hours. Seriously, it's been an amazing weekend. And tomorrow's a holiday! </div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-69993347664703606262013-05-14T14:29:00.000-04:002013-05-14T14:29:13.376-04:00I'm on Reunion Island!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In light of all the administrative fumbling that led up to my arrival here, I was thinking of bringing back the WTF series. "Welcome to France," remember? But everyone knows that story (if not the details, how it usually goes at least). In short, the reputation of French bureaucracy is well deserved. Don't go down the rabbit-hole if you can avoid the allure of this strange lovely disaster of a country. I can't. It keeps pulling me back. But I made it through the admin, and here I am once again!<br />
<br />
I'm not in what most people think of as France. My temporary new home is Reunion Island (La Réunion), a French overseas region located 430 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. No, I'm not studying lemurs. I work on a database of birth defects at the University Hospital in Saint Pierre where I am...not sure exactly what my job is. I thought I was doing research with a tiny bit of teaching. Then it seemed to be mostly teaching (a program I've never used, in French). But now I think I may be a biostatistician. It's all a bit unclear. But hey, I was never coming here for the work!<br />
<br />
What I was coming for, I have found :) I live in an apartment two minutes from the beach. The beaches here are awesome. The ones where you swim are the ones with coral rings around them (to keep out the hungry angry sharks). The coral fringes turn the beaches into calm lagoons full of coral and tropical fish. There is AMAZING snorkeling 2 minutes from my front door! As someone who almost went down the marine biologist track, I'm rather over the moon. So many good memories of other tropical snorkeling adventures, and I can still ID a lot of the fish! And as nice as the beach here is, I hear tales of much better options scattered along the coast, so I'll have to explore those! I already checked out a black sand beach near here (Etang Salé) over the weekend, and it was awesome as expected. I started at one end of the beach, in town, and wandered way over to the wild outer edge of the area, where there was no coral and there were big tube waves (the kind you see in surfing pictures, probably 8 feet tall) and an agave-filled forest behind the beach. <br />
<br />
But as amazing as the beaches are, everyone here will tell you that you don't come to Reunion for them. You come for the interior. The island is volcanic, so it has lots of topography. The highest point in the Indian Ocean is on Reunion (the Piton des Nieges at 10,069 feet--I'll see if I can get myself into suitable hiking shape to scale it...). The interior is made up of three old collapsed volcanoes called cirques (they're vaguely circular), which are sufficiently awesome to have earned the interior the designation of a World Heritage site. I already went to Cilaos, the closest cirque, and I get the attraction. I would have been totally happy with just the drive into the cirque from the coast! The road was long and wound along the incredibly steep edges of a ravine. Once in the cirques, you find villages scattered in unbelievable places. There's one cirque that even now has no roads--if you want to see it, you park at the edge and hike in. And yet that cirque has several villages in it! From another time... The cirques are most known for the hikes though. I was only briefly in Cilaos, but we hiked down a ravine and across a river, coming up the other side, then went back around via the road that ran through an interesting high-altitude cool forest. And there were so many other trails we didn't have time for! I'll absolutely be going back. Plus I bought my travel guide for the island, so I'm plotting other adventures now!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbv7c2DaNFNrCt-VQaMqPq3TykPj_yFcKeAcVN8iKzzDU6Bj7BItZ9-qWEhI3-QwC5emaXpcnVMX2WBMh4qywenZqaVORqKJ10HdT3R1_sCQzOW43NDe643c2EVOSTiGi3Gk20qS4K-ZP/s1600/DSC08481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbv7c2DaNFNrCt-VQaMqPq3TykPj_yFcKeAcVN8iKzzDU6Bj7BItZ9-qWEhI3-QwC5emaXpcnVMX2WBMh4qywenZqaVORqKJ10HdT3R1_sCQzOW43NDe643c2EVOSTiGi3Gk20qS4K-ZP/s320/DSC08481.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the town of Cilaos from across a ravine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYHO-ujWPkpLTvyZr-oIDElva5z1_WL-cMpPBXe-LqsdMnCo4sRir7sUe4DPB0izh2orkDsEVjTLMQ1TAzusYxoLJLFORMRYXLPH6HgzTRHGaaF1O0Ay8j58V7aykiMNBv6tyBvirVnGJ/s1600/DSC08421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYHO-ujWPkpLTvyZr-oIDElva5z1_WL-cMpPBXe-LqsdMnCo4sRir7sUe4DPB0izh2orkDsEVjTLMQ1TAzusYxoLJLFORMRYXLPH6HgzTRHGaaF1O0Ay8j58V7aykiMNBv6tyBvirVnGJ/s320/DSC08421.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute beach trees in St. Pierre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mp2pgJ7tb0aRV83yVYDyvuP0C99aFz4sWV6iz2woG1NLtCVoMYFg1aLaReqqzjBoElQNdJFbJbNsmwWhUx2skJEHLAoMi-IQ3rljzgF22FHalwdIDiNT9133N7Q6yDQQIyK6er1TRrky/s1600/DSC08544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mp2pgJ7tb0aRV83yVYDyvuP0C99aFz4sWV6iz2woG1NLtCVoMYFg1aLaReqqzjBoElQNdJFbJbNsmwWhUx2skJEHLAoMi-IQ3rljzgF22FHalwdIDiNT9133N7Q6yDQQIyK6er1TRrky/s320/DSC08544.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that water!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8_IT8G1Z0Q5bYk3SaK-I63C4ZXSAoD4vS-xaVXJ62lLLVI9geZw86B8Li5j3c0mZvw1V1Ek6Gsgz3nqx9exd-O7XiIicn9w_TUvkt4YhXVqX92pI-FO1AFebFS9xRiXCEZfZH6Bd6OP7/s1600/DSC08583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8_IT8G1Z0Q5bYk3SaK-I63C4ZXSAoD4vS-xaVXJ62lLLVI9geZw86B8Li5j3c0mZvw1V1Ek6Gsgz3nqx9exd-O7XiIicn9w_TUvkt4YhXVqX92pI-FO1AFebFS9xRiXCEZfZH6Bd6OP7/s320/DSC08583.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My black sand beach with wave show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-41937704232678874072013-05-09T02:36:00.003-04:002013-05-09T02:36:25.738-04:00The chocolate-almond croissant challenge is baaaaaaaaack!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Look what I found yesterday!! It was kind of pathetic, burnt and deflated-looking, but it was the first one I've seen here so I sorta freaked out and bought it. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-Yd9ULZy0IGSNbdQ0CBNur1_xGnV-jfIFh17nop5pWPkbTIIOk_ZAMKeSIhGFSIj8tlrMWUF8nTC90sIh6WOGIq9tZnegh8LB2g0D8kQmAkJNkpIfz3zCTx_E_6MLZea-AZ2o-UBchR5/s1600/DSC08519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-Yd9ULZy0IGSNbdQ0CBNur1_xGnV-jfIFh17nop5pWPkbTIIOk_ZAMKeSIhGFSIj8tlrMWUF8nTC90sIh6WOGIq9tZnegh8LB2g0D8kQmAkJNkpIfz3zCTx_E_6MLZea-AZ2o-UBchR5/s320/DSC08519.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Walking away with my burnt prize I realized I should actually start
looking for these things! Reunion Island is strange--it's very French
in many ways but not all, so I didn't even think about finding them
here. More on the island itself soon, but for now, just know that they have chocolate almond croissants, so I'll probably be ok. Although I must admit I hope the rest of them are better than this one. It was, in fact, burnt, and tasted so. It was also soggy--more of the almond bread type of confection with very little of the flaky croissant texture. And not much chocolate either! I'll probably give this place another chance because it's right by me and clearly this was a bad day, as I'm reasonably sure I've never before seen a burnt pastry for sale in a French bakery...</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683599285933701803.post-15882684886565126732013-04-19T15:30:00.003-04:002013-04-19T15:30:55.578-04:00Things I Love: Lemon Soap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</div>
Whatever mess you've gotten into and made your hands smell like, that little bottle of lemon soap by the kitchen sink will make you smell awesome again!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/images/fearless-flyer/uploads/article-595/97847-NTG-lemon-kitchen-hand-soap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.traderjoes.com/images/fearless-flyer/uploads/article-595/97847-NTG-lemon-kitchen-hand-soap.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Katie's Great Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18201477867658862342noreply@blogger.com0