emilyjbenson@gmail.com

The Holy Trinity of Haute Provence: Lavender, Lac Sainte Croix and Languid Medieval Villages

Photos and text by Emily Benson-Scott Gorge du Verdon “The emerald giant is more than far away, it’s another world..” (Jean Giono) Last week I wrote about the lavender fields and village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, but that was only two of the three delights of the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence region of France. The third wonder of the region […]

The Holy Trinity of Haute Provence: Lavender, Lac Sainte Croix and Languid Medieval Villages Read More »

Sunday Summary: In Love with a Landscape

Photos and Text by Emily Benson-Scott One of the ways I know I’ve begun to feel at home in a place is that I start my jogging routine. When I say routine, I don’t mean really mean routine in the every day sense, I just mean being able to finally execute the idea of a

Sunday Summary: In Love with a Landscape Read More »

Sunday Summary: Residential Purgatory

Photos and Text by Emily Benson-Scott Settling in and preparing to reside in a foreign country for three months is not without its challenges. It took me a few days to notice the container I put in the refrigerator that was a dead ringer for the milk carton was actually lavender-scented bleach. Fortunately, neither Rob

Sunday Summary: Residential Purgatory Read More »

New Series: How to Make Money Online: #1 Teach for an Online University

Photos and Text by Emily Benson-Scott Telecommuting on the French Riviera For the last few years, job hunting has been a strangely pleasurable experience, largely due to being able to enter the euphonious word “remote” in the job search category. Imagine telling your employer ten years ago, “Yes, I will work for you, but only

New Series: How to Make Money Online: #1 Teach for an Online University Read More »

Weekly Summary: The Familiar Exotic

By Emily Benson-Scott We arrived in France late Thursday night, hiking up to our rental in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, after a grueling day-long jet-lagged journey from Malpensa airport in Milan. I had originally intended to write a blog about how smart it was to save money by flying into a different country and taking cheap Italian trains

Weekly Summary: The Familiar Exotic Read More »

Leaving the Brick and Mortar World

By Emily Benson-Scott I’ve just finished a wonderful semester of teaching at LaGuardia Community College in Queens NYC.  I had one exceptionally bright and talented student in ENG 101 who managed to turn in homeworks and free-writes while performing Burlesque in Vienna.  In my women’s literature class, we read novels featuring powerful Haitian, Afghani and African-American female

Leaving the Brick and Mortar World Read More »

Our “petit maison” for the summer in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

This stone house, built in the early 1800’s, is perched high up in a rocky outcropping overlooking the Mediterranean in a town called Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, between Monaco and Menton on the French Riviera. The owner refers to it dismissively as “le petit maison” and is consistently amused by how enamored we are of the little house.

Our “petit maison” for the summer in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin Read More »