Happiness

This week has been a bit more difficult than most of the others. Well, I can't even say it's been the whole week. It was just this weekend that's been difficult. I've just experienced my first serious wave of homesickness. I was walking through Marseille on Friday and I suddenly realized that I just wanted to understand what was going on around me. I wanted to know what everyone was saying, look like everyone else, go to Barnes and Noble and soak in an entire bookstore full of English books, hang out with my friends and family, and just be really comfortable. Then I got a bit depressed and ended up in McDonalds (that's about as American as I could get) and guiltily downed chicken nuggets, fries, and a fig sundae. Unfortunately here they include the calorie content on the side of the packages. It did not help my mood.

So then Saturday I did nothing. I was invited to do multiple different things but I needed some time to wallow in self-pity, which I did, for two days. I mostly just watched movies and read books. I attempted, once again, to start writing something, a short story or anything, but, like usual, my mind was blank. Basically I just sat and did nothing.

It is starting to feel like fall here. It is inevitable that whenever the weather starts to cool and the leaves begin to change, I will become discontent. It doesn't matter where I am or what amazing thing I'm doing, I'll be ready for a change. I am restless in the fall. When the cool breeze blows through, I just want to follow it, wherever it is going. This time I wanted to follow it back to Africa but that's a different story. It's frustrating but it's probably what keeps me motivated to try new things rather than to just be happy where I am. So I guess it's a two edged sword.

But of course, this too shall pass. I woke up this morning at 6:30 to go to Alliance Francaise. This day was wonderful. Finally back amongst the living, I was reminded how much I also love my life here. My friends are amazing, this place is beautiful, I am starting to see how much French I'm already learning, and I have no business wasting this opportunity with my pity parties. I'm back and I'm happy!

*Above is a picture of the adorable kids I work with here. It cheers me up so I thought it was appropriate for this post.

An Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to me!! As of Sunday, I've been in France one month. A whole month! That's crazy. It feels like I just got here but at the same time, I know that's not possible because I know so much more than I knew before. I know more of the language, I understand the train system, I know not to try to use your friend's metro pass instead of buying a ticket because it does not work, I know how to drive a manual car and how to manage traffic circles, and I know I love this country. I love its people, its buildings, its cities, its countryside, its natural wonders, its customs, its food, and its language. (And I'm sure I love a lot of other things that I can't think of at the moment.) It's all just so fantastic.

Right now I'm in a shopping phase. I know, some of you are shocked, as am I, but I do have motivation. For one, it's a lot colder than I thought it'd be and shorts just aren't cutting it anymore. For two, the clothes here rock! I'm loving this legging thing because it's like sweatpants but it's "fashionable". In fact, I'm wearing leggings right now and I think I look quite chic. Eventually, to even attempt to fit in, I'll have to figure out what to do with my hair, makeup, etc... but I think the next step is to stop wearing flip flops. It may be a lost cause. It's one American custom I really don't think I can give up. Actually, the whole thing may be a lost cause. I'm not lying when I say, I can walk down the street and if I happen to see a person who probably could not step onto a fashion show runway right then and fit in perfectly, I'm shocked. I don't know how they do it. I just don't know.

So, to celebrate one month (and also because it was the only day it hasn't rained, well, very much) my 3 friends and I decided to go on a boat tour of the calanques of Marseille and Cassis. Calanques are basically fjords or inlets. They are massive rock formations caused by water or some natural something or other. I don't know, I didn't understand any of the narration.

It was absolutely gorgeous! And it was quite the experience. First, we decided to sit at the very front of the boat. I mean, we weren't in seats, we were sitting on the edge of the pointy front end of the boat. So, everytime the boat dipped, we got soaked. Then the boat went fast and it was freezing. Then I finally dried off. Then it rained. (*picture is of Milli and me hiding from the rain)

Also, I got a full frontal view of a nude beach. Nude people seem very nice. They all waved at us. Ah, I'm laughing right now at the memory. I was in the midst of taking pictures and through my lense I see something strange. I say to my friends, "Hey, I think that guy is naked!" Then I look away from my camera and realize the whole beach was naked. Um...oh. That's when I put the camera away for a while.

And we met a guy from Chile who's in the Foreign Legion. He doesn't know much about personal space bubbles but he's nice. We have a great picture of him inching closer and closer to me and I just keep inching further and further away. I tried not to be rude but really, if the boat hits a wave and you end up bumping into me, you're too close, end of story. But he let me borrow his sweater so I can't be too mad.

After the boat and a heroic effort by me not to throw up (the seasickness didn't really hit until we went below decks), we went in search of pizza. On the way, we saw a bunch of Native Americans playing pipes and flutes and doing rain dance things. Very out of place here I must say. It made me nostalgic none the less. At the restaurant, I ate pizza topped with cheese, tentacles, and shrimp with eyes. It freaked me out but it was really delicious.

So that was my one month anniversary adventure. Hm, I meant for this post to be short because I have homework and sleep to get to. Oops.

Electricity

I was getting worried that I wouldn't have anything interesting to write for my entry this week. School was fun but normal, I ran errands instead of getting to hang out with friends, and I worked, ate, and slept pretty much just like any other week. Oh, and I also got saved off from the side of the road by my neighbor. And I got to go to the cinema to see "Up" in French. So cool!! But I digress...

As it turns out, I did have a rather adventurous weekend. It began smoothly. I picked the kids up from school, dropped the family at the train station for their trip to Paris, and assisted with the selling and buying of furniture back at the house. Pretty busy but, like I said, running smoothly.

I cooked scrambled eggs for dinner (my specialty). They were delicious if I do say so myself. Then came the first problem, the harbinger of the trouble to come. (I just found that word in the thesaurus. I like it and I hope I'm using it properly.) I turned on the stove again to make tea and the imbecilic thing that had just made scrambled eggs ten minutes ago wouldn't heat up.

Then I tried to lock the door. Now, this is a very special door with a very special lock. It is tempermental and it hates me. It took at least seven minutes to lock the thing, with my fingers getting sore from turning the key and the dog getting sadder as she sat outside, wishfully believing that everytime the door opened instead of locking, she might get to come inside and snuggle. Not going to happen. I think I forgot to mention it was storming. Ew, wet dog!

So then I rented "50 First Dates" on iTunes (who knew you could do that? I didn't. Thanks Hannah!) and settled down for a peaceful night, even without my tea. Then it happened. The power went out.

While I'm not particularly fond of being home alone at night, I felt that I was managing quite well. I was locked in my attic room and was feeling pretty safe and calm. But, if you know me well, you know there are two things I'm completely phobic about: clowns and the dark. So, here I am, alone, in a big squeaky house, in France, in the dark. Can we say massive panic attack??

You know that sense of strange calm that comes over you when you know you have to do something or die? I mustered up some of that to sneak out into the hallway and creep to Paul's room using only my cell phone light for guidance. I'm ashamed to say, I raided his treasure box and found his two tiny flashlights. I promise I'll return them. Then I stopped off at the bathroom because I knew I wouldn't be brave enough to go back out there.

Finally back in my room, I found a tiny flashlight I had and held onto it like a life raft while I switched Sim cards in my phone back and forth trying to reach someone in some country who could tell me what to do or at least where to find a freakin' candle.

So, then my dad called me. He mostly just freaked me out worse than before. (I know you were trying to help Dad but really?) He asks, "Is the electricity off in the neighbors' houses?" I don't know. He's just checking because if it is, everything's probably ok. But, if it's just mine, he's worried that maybe one of the men who's been working on the house knew I'd be alone this weekend and shut off the electricity and is in the house. I about passed out. "Um, thanks Dad, I guess I hadn't thought about that. Goodnight."

I decided that it was a good time to be unconscious. I closed my computer, my only steady light source which was about to die anyway, and climbed into bed. Fortunately, I do love my sleep and after about three songs on my iPod, I was gone. Crisis averted.

Then I woke up. 9:00am, still storming, still no power, and still no phone call from the host family. Crap.

Downstairs, a man came to the door. I didn't have the key so I opened the window. Probably safer since I don't know this guy and who knows, he could be the one who shut off the power and has been waiting patiently to take advantage of my aloneness all night. It turns out he is renting the neighboring studio with his girlfriend for the weekend. They don't have power either.

So now as I'm writing this it is 1:00 and I have power. It took a lot of phone calls and neighborly visits but eventually the problem was resolved. Now I hope the electronic gate will open so I can go visit my friends like I was supposed to do this morning.

Alliance Francaise

This week has been fantastic! One of the best weeks ever!

It started on Monday with the beginning of language school. Many of you know that I was concerned about the scheduling because I was told I had to go to school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but I have to work Wednesdays. It turns out I go to school Mondays and Tuesdays from 9-1 and that is perfect. It means I have to wake up at 6:30 to get a parking place at the train station, ride the train, eat breakfast in the station, take the Metro, and walk to the school. But it's really kind of fun. I was able to show someone else how to do it the other day and it made me feel like a pro.

I love the class, even though it's a little over my head. The teacher, Sandrine, is great. She only speaks French in class but she rephrases things if you don't understand. She laughs a lot and I feel like we'll learn a lot with her.

There are about 12 people in my class. 4 are German, 2 American, 1 Canadian, 1 Indonesian, 1 Russian, 1 Czech, 1 Columbian, and 1 Italian. Only the Czech one is a boy. We outnumber him greatly but I don't know that he minds. I feel I got lucky with this class. We all work together really well and I like everyone in there. I had made two friends by the end of the first day and we added one to our group on the second. The four of us have spent most of the week together. Luise I met first. She's German, 20, and really funny. Camilla next. She's also German, 19, and also really funny. Finally, Hannah, 22, who's from Lynchburg, VA. Not only is she from Lynchburg, but she went to school in Charleston, SC (where I almost went to school) and she was born in Johnson City, TN (where I did go to school). Weird how small this world is. The four of us speak English most of the time but we're trying to speak more in French.

After school, we eat lunch and shop some before catching our trains back to wherever we have to go to pick the kids up from school. On Thursday, Luise, Hannah, and I went to la plage (the beach) in Marseille. It was amazing! Hardly anyone there and it was really warm and beautiful. The water was cold and clear and so salty I could just float forever. Fantastic. So the view in the direction of the water is beautiful. The view on the beach just makes me laugh. Men wear speedos, women go topless, and everyone just changes clothes on the beach, sometimes hidden by towels. It is definitely a different life here.

Friday night was the best. The four of us girls spent the night at Camilla's house in Cassis. We dressed up and went out to the harbor for dinner at 11:30pm. Unfortunately, everything was closing but a nice man told us of an outdoor cafe where we could go for some good pizza. We went and spent probably two hours there. We flirted a bit with some French boys (including a waiter) and the restaurant gave us free wine and lollipops. Then we made our way up the forever long, uphill driveway and fell into bed.

*In the photo, Camilla (purple), me (green), Luise (gray), and Hannah (black). Those are the colors we're wearing, by the way, not the colors we are.

This weekend was spent relaxing and doing mostly nothing. We had friends over for lunch today and spent hours by the pool. Each time we have people over, I recognize more and more of what they're saying. I'm not ready to have conversations with people but I like to listen. I don't want to do anything halfway. When I start talking, I want to be good at it. I'm not sure how that'll work out for me but it's what I want. Tomorrow is the third day of language school and another day to see my friends. I'm so excited!

Anything I Even Remotely Recognize

So, I decided to venture into Marseille today. Marseille is one of the largest cities in France. I live in Ferrum, Virginia, population: a couple families and a bunch of cows. Marseille population: like...a million. Of course I got lost.

It started out great. I got up at 6:30, left by 7:15, managed to buy my ticket and jump on the 7:26 train right as they closed the doors, arrived in Marseille no worse for wear. (Now that I look at that phrase it seems so weird. Is that even right?) I managed to find the metro station and buy my ticket. Still good so far. Then I got off the metro and began to walk in the direction of my language school, Alliance Francaise. I wanted to make sure I knew where it was before I have to go Monday.

Well, I was on my way and doing just fine when I saw a sign for Alliance Francaise pointing right. I was pretty sure I was supposed to go straight and then left but I figured I should follow the sign. The series of signs led me through all sorts of tiny roads and eventually they disappeared. How incredibly helpful. Now I'm lost and I don't even have faulty signs to blame it on. I managed to look lost enough that a kind man at a cafe thought it would be his deed of the day to help me. It turns out I had ended up on the right road, just not in the right spot. I then found the school, observed its placement, and attempted to get back to the metro.

This is where things got dicey. I think I walked for an hour (it was supposed to take one minute according to google map). I followed any road name I could vaguely remember ever hearing about. I had not yet bought a map at this point. My mistake. I found Boulevard Perier which I was quite certain I should be on since my metro stop was Perier. So I walked, and walked, and walked. Did I mention that Marseille is probably the most hilly city on the planet? This lovely road went straight uphill. If I had gone up the ginormous stairs I eventually stopped at, I would probably have made it to heaven right then.

Then I realized (once I was in a fancy residential area and clearly not getting closer to my destination) that there were tiny maps on the lamp posts. How handy. Apparently I was on the right road and had almost been at my destination when I was at Alliance Francaise, but sadly walked the opposited direction and didn't stop for a very long time.

I walked back. Good thing it was downhill because I basically just rolled down, I was so tired. Remember, I woke up at 6:30 and have not walked this much in probably 10 years. I eventually came upon Alliance Francaise and decided to just follow the incorrect signs to the school backward to get back to the station. The awesome signs that don't even take you to the school like they say, apparently do take you straight back there when you follow them backward. At this point, I saw the school again and that was almost the end. I considered throwing myself in front of the multitudes of honking cars or possibly just laying down and never getting up. I didn't mention that there is a cafe on this corner where I keep finding myself and I'm pretty sure I was the day's entertainment for many a coffee drinker.

Somehow I realized that the road I had found when I first tried to come back was actually the right one and so I walked on it. Wrong direction again but after a really long walk, I found the next station and threw myself into a train. I reached the train station (Gare Saint-Charles) and was so happy!! It has a McDonalds, clothing stores, cafes, and a bathroom (which I'd already discovered charges you 50 euro cents to pee). I ate pain du chocolat (pastry with chocolate in the middle), bought a map, and then looked for the next train home. It was only 9:45 and the next train was at 11:03. Perfect.

To waste time I walked down the one billion steps of the train station and just walked up and down the road, recognizing thing I'd seen my first time here in March. It was nice to know where I was. I returned to the train station 10 minutes later (my legs were giving out) and stood at the railing to look at the view. I was then petitioned for money from an apparently starving gypsy and her ragamuffin son. He was really cute. I've been told not to give them money but she wouldn't leave me alone and he was just so darn cute. I gave them a little and he took it and it was sweet and weird.

Eventually it was about time to leave and my train still didn't say which track to go to. Finally it popped up that it was running 5 minutes late. Not much but it really just made my day so much better. I managed to get home and immediately drank a bucket of chocolate milk, put away clean laundry, and fell into bed for 2 1/2 hours. Then I got the kids from school (not as tramatic a driving experience as yesterday. I seem to have figured out where the school is, after ending up in many miniscule one way parking lots and learning great maneuvering skills over the last few days, and figuring out how to get there and back avoiding all the zillions of parents that have to park in the also miniscule parking lot...but I digress.)

Afterward, Marie brushed my hair and put clips in it, she had her bath, she and Paul played very sweetly, and now they are gone visiting someone. And finally, the incessant screeching sound which has turned the whole neighborhood deaf and is ultimately coming from the construction in our living room has ceased. I now believe that this was a really good day.