Yesterday there was a second strike- this time by all state employees who were demanding a pay raise and more time off. What this meant was that there was still school and all my classes, but there were no buses and no cantine. It worked out fine, since Laurie and I got a ride to school and I got a ride home from a friend who lives near-by. Since the cantine was closed I went to a French Subway for the first time with Laurie and her friends. There was no difference whatsoever, expect that the menu was in French, and the cheese selection was actually smaller than in the US. (Of course, the cheese they did have was better). Afterwards, we went to the house of one of her friends, since the lunches are long, and I helped three of the group practice their monologue for English. I like being able to help with my friends’ English homework, since it seem like the least I can do for everything they explain to me. This dialogue was especially interesting for me because the mistakes gave me insight in to which speech patterns and vocabulary are the most natural to native French speakers.
Usually on Tuesdays, I have a Rotary meeting, but since it was the second Tuesday of the month, the meeting was at noon and I couldn’t go. So after school, my host family and I ate an early dinner at 7:30, because my host mother’s drama club met at our house at 8:00. She started drama with an amateurs club a few weeks ago, and since they haven’t yet found a location, by 8:30 we were all sitting around the dining room table with the teacher at the head. Laurie and I were there only to watch, since we’re both too busy to sign up for a drama club, but the other members were nervously preparing to give their monologues. It interesting to sit and listen to the goings on, because I not only picked up quite a few words, but even when I didn’t understand what the teacher was saying, I could follow his drift because he had such a dramatic ability to express himself.
Today my morning started off well. Since I don’t start until 11:00 on Wednesday, I usually don’t have much to do in the morning, but today I got up early and walked to the library. I had to return Le Jour des Abeilles, but it was nice to talk a fall morning walk, since the air already smells crisp with a hint of wood smoke. That smell is one of my favorite things about this season. After getting to school, I stopped briefly to talk with a group of Australian students who are visiting France and my lycée for two weeks. They have each been matched up with a French correspondent who will return the visit in February. Since it being in a foreign country can be so intimidating and they already knew each other in Australia, they tend to group together during breaks and at lunch. For me, it was very disconcerting on the first day they were here to suddenly walk into a group of English speakers in the middle of a French high school. However, they are all extremely friendly and this morning thanks to them I tried something called vegemite which is apparently the Australian version of marmite. I had always thought that marmite was sweet (since it sounds like marmalade), but instead vegemite was an extremely salty and spread which I was told is eaten on toast with butter. They all laughed at my expression after tasting it. It wasn’t bad, just surprising. Of course, am in no position to say what you should or should not be homesick for- one person’s vegemite on toast is another person’s PB&J sandwich.
After lunch and then volleyball practice (I swear I’m improving, slowly but surely!) Laurie and I can back home and I had a few hours to do homework before leaving for Rugby. In between buses I stopped by the post office downtown (those Rotarians reading this should let me know if my quarterly report doesn’t arrive in a few days, since I wasn’t entirely sure I put the envelope in the right slot). Just this short trip made me realize how much progress I’ve made since arriving here. Just being downtown, I run into all sorts of different people who I know from school and from other activities. I saw no less than four different friends to say hello to just in the time it took for me to run to the post office and back. It seems that I’m really finally carving out my niche here, at the same time as I’m still busy exploring and finding everything and everyone new.
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