Aubagne

I'm mad, so I have to write this down for you in order for me to find it funnier than I do right now.

I'm so thankful for the theme and title of my blog right now because that's exactly what tonight was like: In Pursuit of Aubagne. It normally takes 20 minutes to get from Marseille to Aubagne after theatre class. Tonight it took an hour and 45 minutes. Ergh!

I was driving through Marseille, happily remembering all that had gone on in the theatre (Ingmar Bergman is awesome by the way) when I came to the entrance ramp onto the road home. It was blocked. I drove into some random neighborhood thinking it was just that entrance that was blocked. Not so.

It took me a full hour to realize that there was a detour sign on all the blocked ramps. Now, the idiots who block highways at midnight and make dumb signs might say it was my fault, but if the sign is miniscule and only says S32 or some such nonsense, how on earth was I supposed to realize that was it.

So when I finally figured it out, I followed the detour S32 signs all the way back to where I had come from. Then the sign randomly changed to S31 and sent me straight back the way I'd already been. Finally I ended up in an enormous stream of angry cars stuck on a tiny road. I knew I had found a group to follow.

We eventually made it into Aubagne. I pacified myself the whole stupid drive with the knowledge that I would (hopefully) soon be complaining about my plight to all my lovely readers.
I did manage to find two things to be thankful for. One, I now rock at shifting gears. I thought I had it down before but now I am totally stellar. Two, I now know by heart all the backroads from here to Marseille. I know them so much more than I ever wanted to. They are not beautiful and they are kind of scary, but maybe someday, that knowledge will do me good. Maybe.

But before you feel too sorry for me (because I know you were planning to), be relieved to know that otherwise I had an amazing day. We played a game in class (at one point I had to role play as the obnoxious 15 year old daughter of one of the guys in my class...great fun), I had good conversations in French with the kids' grandfather, and theatre class was amazing!!

I've also gotten multiple comments/encouragements on the improvement in my French today and I'm really, really happy. My theatre teacher told me that by the end of February, I will be speaking/understanding/pronouncing great. I hope she's right. I'm so excited!