Sophie À La Carte!

Hi friends, I sit writing to you thirty minutes before the plane boards. Only one slight mishap so far. I zoomed through security, only to sit down at the gate to write this post and SNAP! There goes the strap on my dress, completely off. Bad omen? I'm not sure. It forced me to buy a sewing kit (which of course I didn't pack), so fortunately this happened to me now, and not when a sewing kit wasn't in twenty feet of me. Yours truly, 2 1/2 hours before takeoff. This weekend has been a whirlwind, which I will briefly describe: Friday was spent in the car, driving from Kansas to Minnesota with my parents. It's not a bad route- just a straight shot up I-35. The last time I did this drive with my parents was in August 2009, when I first moved to Minneapolis to go to the University of Minnesota. The first time I did it was from 2002, when I went to Spanish immersion camp in Bemidji. It seems like driving up to Minnesota with parents usually signifies a new cha...

I HAVE A FARM! As of Saturday morning, the next leg of my trip has been established. I'll be spending 3ish weeks on the border of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, working on a farm and in a restaurant. I can't be more excited. Let me back up a bit. When I first hatched this plan, a main draw for me was going to a different country to learn about food and cooking culture. I did some research and found that one of the best ways to do this was WWOOF. WWOOF stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and was first conceptualized in the seventies in England. The early premise was that farms would host urban visitors who would support the organic movement by working weekends. Photo courtesy beersandbeans.com (a great WWOOF blog!) The movement has since expanded to other countries and continents, and is a popular way for travelers to spend longer periods of time working with farmers and learning new skills or sharing those they already have. Each participating country ...

I write to you on day 4 of packing up my apartment- in the midst of this controlled chaos, or as my roommates would call it, chaos. I am most surprised by the number of canning jars I have accrued over the last year or so. It's as though they've multiplied, each born with a genetic disorder: a handful of raisins there, a cup of rolled oats there, and flaxseed. Oh, so much flaxseed. I don't know where it all came from, but I hope someone finds a good use for it. I preemptively dumped every nut I owned into the food processor on Sunday, and have been living off this "mixed nut butter"- mostly cashews and walnuts, but also six macadamia nuts, a tablespoon of almonds, a couple of pecans, and pinches of cinnamon and salt. It's ridiculously creamy, and I've been stirring spoonfuls of it into oatmeal and smoothies (practically all I've been eating at home). Hopefully by the end of the day everything will be packed up and stacked nicely in a corner ("...

On Monday I received my first site assignment for American Village, the English-immersion camp system I will be counseling at this summer. Drum roll please.... Miramont de Guyenne ! (cue frantically Googling where that is) ...Southwest France! (NICE!) ...an hour from Bordeaux! (NICE!!) ...adventure camp! (WHAT?) So yes, friends, I will be spending July at Le Saut du Loup  (which Google tells me translates to "The Jump of the Wolf"), an American Village "Adventure Camp" for 11-15 year olds. The website offers a few glimpses of camp life, including horse-riding, stargazing, and archery. I was expecting to be placed at one of the "original" language camps, so this is a pleasant surprise. I looked back at my application to see what could have caused this assignment, and this might have been it: "Outside of work, and depending on the weather, I try to stay outdoors as much as possible." Whatever the reason, it does not matter. I can...

This time next week I'll have my first campsite assignment for American Village. No expectations here- I think anywhere in France will do just fine :) I have a little less than two weeks left working for the City of Minneapolis. After that, I'll spend a week tying up loose ends in MN before driving down to Kansas to visit my family. My dad is retiring this month, so we're throwing a big party. Looking forward to cooking with my mom! My parents and I will drive back to Minneapolis together a week later to move everything out of my room. Hoping to take them to the Surly Tap Room one night- perhaps one last burger before I fly out? I have a small bucket list before I leave Minneapolis for the summer: Glorious migas! - ride the streetcar from Lake Calhoun to Lake Harriet (this one has been on my list for 4 years, never seem to get around to it) - run along the Ft. Snelling State Trail - hit up Al's Breakfast one more time - go to Marvel Bar (never been!...