La vie est belle

First off, Happy 4th to everyone at home! I'd much rather be at home enjoying the celebration than running around like a headless chicken trying to pack and clean my room, but I'll be there soon enough. This will be my last post from France, and as per the rest of this experience I've been spoiled right up until the end.

Sylviane and Jean-François took me on one last adventure to Château Harcourt, a spot we'd visited way back in October, but it was closed then. Yet this expidition was after they served me champagne, barbecue shrimp, zucchini flan and pear cake. Needless to say I was in coma mode on the drive over, but woke up once we got out of the car. Sections of this château date back to the year 911, and it was a noble family's residence until the early 20th century.

Once we'd toured the château and the arboretum, we headed back to their place where I said goodbye to Jean-François before Sylviane dropped me back off at my studette. They graciously sent me home with leftovers, which were greatly appreciated since I've got less than 30 € in my bank account. While I was in their bathroom, I noticed a sign that really struck me as being true/appropriate given the situation that read, "good friends are like angels, you don't need to see them to know that they are there." 

After a quick nap, I headed to the home of another one of my teachers for dinner. She had lent me a bicycle about a month or two ago and I had to return it before leaving. When I got there I was met with a kir normand for the apéro, and a containter of honey from another one of my teachers who had shown up to eat with us. Dinner was a sort of chicken stew, whose name escapes me because I was exhausted at this point, but it was delicious as usual. For dessert, melon balls and strawberries. 

Both of these teachers invited me to stay with them upon my eventual return, which means that so far I've racked up a list of 5 different houses that I can stay in (boosh!). At this point I'm too tired and stressed out over packing to get philosophical with you so I'll save the final reflection post for when I get home. Thanks to everyone who has followed me along this journey, I hope it was interesting for you having a peek at my adventures abroad. Bisous et à bientôt! 

The Lucky One

As the sun sets on my final weekend in France - at 10.45 nonetheless - I find myself reflecting on my experiences as I look at the hills surrounding Louviers. Today, for the first time I started to get worked up a bit while talking to my neighbor Corinne and later this evening to Jean-François, but I either quickly changed the subject or outwardly attempted to reassure myself that I would, in fact, be coming back relatively soon.

I just finished my second session of Région Langue here in Louviers, during which I worked alongside my friend Alex, and two others: Luci from Leicester and Aisling from Ireland. This past week has been filled with moments that convinced me that it is time to go. The first was unexpected; just being together with Alex and Liz again. The three of us were back where everything began, laughing and enjoying ourselves (a bit too much actually, as proven by a run in later that evening with some of the students, and 'ta mere!' being sent their way). Yet as much as I wanted to feel like nothing had changed, I couldn't. Yes we still get just the same as before, but this reunion was just different. In the two months since we were last together, so much had changed, we'd changed. I guess that's both a gift and a curse on the world - that nothing is static.

While I did appreciate the second session, and the money that it will be sending my way, I didn't enjoy myself nearly as much as I had during the first. The kids were all nice, but they made very little effort to speak English and when they did it wasn't very good. Also, for as well-structured as the schedule looked on paper, things didn't go nearly as smoothly as planned. Unfortunately, there was a lot of dead time where we just sat around. I was in charge of the cooking workshop again, alongside one of the teachers at Les Fontenelles, Christine. Together we made cookies, shortbread, butter tarts and toffee fudge.

During my presentation to the zombified students one evening my laptop charger decided it couldn't handle the 220V anymore and decided to crap out on me, leaving me without my computer for the remainder of my time in France (this is being typed in the salle des profs).

I'll miss the reputation I've earned here in France, hearing nice things about yourself said by people you've never even met doesn't hurt in the self-assurance department. Add that to the list of things I'll suffer withdrawl from along with haircuts. I had my last one this morning, during which I found out that my coiffeuse, Chloé, won't be in Louviers next year either. She's going to Toulouse to continue with her studies, but will start new courses in make-up and body painting. She gave me some sort of hair product that she always uses on my hair as I left too, which I thought was really nice.

As much as I would have loved to have stayed, I'll miss my relationships with the people that I've met too much to live here for another year without them. Life is all about meeting new people, but it would still be difficult not to compare then and now. In the mean time I need to take a step back and look at the big picture, and the lyrics to this song help me do it...

You're the lucky one
So I've been told
As free as the wind,
Blowin' down the road
Loved by many, hated by none
I'd say you're lucky 'cause I know what you've done
Not a care in the world
Not a worry in sight
Everything's gonna be alright
Cause you're the lucky one.