Rain and reflections

Nonstop rain today, so I had no motivation to go out. Plus, the party last night lasted until 5 or 6am, so I didn't sleep all that much. I did a little work, a lot of reading Guns, Germs, and Steel (only a chapter left!) and Moins que zéro, a novel that Pierre-Antoine gave me.

The most fun of the day was when my door buzzed this morning. I wasn't expecting anyone on a Saturday morning, so I ignored it. Then, I looked out my window to see a yellow postal delivery van driving away. Ma had sent me some packages, so I realized what was going on immediately. Still in my pjs, I ran out into the rain in my bathrobe and chased the truck down. The guy seemed rather surprised, but he got the package out for me quickly so I could get in out of the rain. Nor many people were out on the Place at the time, but I saw smiles and laughs and heard a woman yell 'pyjamas' at me! Ah well, all for the sake of adventure.

The package had little Christmas decorations/home goods, which I've already hung up and set out, and some GOLDFISH CRACKERS!!! Eating some today made me feel like a little kid in preschool--very theraputic.

My internet died for a few hours, so I took the time to reflect on my life here. I've been very negative lately about the students misbehaving, miscommunication with French people all the time, the bad weather, the strange food... A skype conversation with Ma ended with, "No one is going to want to hang out with you if you're so negative." Very true. I'm resolving to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" in the words of Spamalot! Here I have a minimally demanding job that allows me to live comfortably in a foreign country in a nice town. I should remember my blessings; perhaps celebrating Thanksgiving soon will help.

Also helping me cheer up is the prospect of holiday travel. I am going to Copenhagen to see my Africa study abroad buddies EBrown and Lily for the weekend of December 9-12. For the Christmas holidays, I'll hang out with PA and maybe (tentative plan here) go to Eurodisney and/or Strasbourg for the Christmas markets--or if anyone has a Christmas in Germany suggestion, that'd be nice too ;) For the February/March break, my dream is to do Spain, Portugal, and Morocco for a week or two. We'll see how the cards fall, but a change of scenery and something to look forward to may be just what I need.

As always, thanks for reading my confessions from France. Hope to hear back from you sometime!

Vacation cont'd.

I found the upside of retiring later for the French: Taking Early Retirement May Retire Memory, Too. And for all of us, I suppose... ;) I'm pretty sure that this month of not working has already declined my brain abilities, so I totally agree with this study's findings!

So it still isn't too exciting here... After my last post, I went on a bit of a shopping spree for a bathrobe, hat, and mittens to keep me cozy this winter. I also found postcards that actually show my apartment's windows!!! How cool is that!? I bought a ton to send and keep for myself. Also grabbed pasta and sauce for a lonely dinner. Most of the other assistants are out of town traveling for vacation, and the two in town were not feeling up to meeting me downtown since they live a ways out. It was fine to have a little chill time, and there was a band playing at a bar I could hear clearly from my windows. After "Hotel California" and some Beatles, I was plenty content.

This morning was exciting because I got two packages from Mother of clothes, Thanksgiving things, photos, and brochures for my classes. Thanks to her and Grandma Tucker for the thoughts and things! I also got a form back from my landlord (who lives in Andorra, so I got a cool Andorra stamp!) so that I could finally mail in my application for housing aid! Hopefully, that will go smoothly, and I can take advantage of this poor French government some more.

PA arrived around lunchtime, bringing me a microwave! How exciting! Plans for the afternoon include helping PA research grad school stuff, decorating my apartment for a Halloween party, and perhaps going to IKEA to buy a table, lamp, and clothes rack. How domestic my life has become...