Adventures

It’s back!

The municipal muzak is back. I blame Mum, because she mentioned it here. It has been going all week, perhaps in anticipation of Holy Week?

Sometimes it makes me laugh, like when they play the same French pop song twice in one day. Other times it's just annoying. I don't really want Chubby Checker exhorting me to "Twist, like we did last summer" while i'm walking to school. Come to think of it, i don't want Chubby Checker exhorting me to do anything at any time.

On my way home from buying Cadbury's chocolate fingers from the 8à8 today, Roy Orbison serenaded me with "Pretty Woman."

The only good thing is i haven't heard any Johnny Hallyday yet.

Of course, i just jinxed it.

Regrets?

Pascale asked me yesterday if i have any regrets about spending this time in Lillebonne. I quickly responded in the negative. She was worried that i felt like i had wasted a year, which couldn't be further from the truth.

I had wanted to come to France for so long that had i not done it, i would be wondering about it for the rest of my life. Discovering that i don't really want to live here and deal with all things French is just as important as coming here and discovering the opposite would have been. I will still come to France for holidays, and now i know people here that i can visit.

As far as the future, one never knows what that will bring, but it will work itself out. I tried to work out if going to graduate school was a cop-out for me, a delay-tactic used by so many others before me. Maybe it is, but at least i will be working toward something a little more concrete than i ever have in the past.

In these months in France, i have realized that i will never learn the language well enough to be an effective teacher here (or if i did, it would take too long). I have also realized that i really like working with children, even those in the midst of le crise d'adolescence. Watching some of the teachers at work, i have been amazed at their rapport with the students and their ability to be disciplinarians while keeping the atmosphere in the classroom friendly. They push the students much more than i do, and they get results. I wanted to ask one of them the other day, "how do you do that?" but then i realized that it was the result of 25 years of experience.

I may not have been happy the whole time here, but i have learned invaluable things and met invaluable people. And i have been happy for most of it, i guess.

Jumièges Abbey

Okay, i have finally uploaded the pictures from my camera to Flickr, so you can see the ruined abbey at Jumièges. I went there on Sunday with Dominique and Hervé.

According to the abbey's brochure,

Jumièges Abbey was founded by Saint Philibert in 654. It developed considerably although this was disrupted by the Viking invasions between 841 and 940. Its renaissance was then encouraged by the Dukes of Normandy. An economic center with many possessions, it was also a major intellectual center renowned for its scriptorium.

Link to the pictures:

Quick post

This will be short, because i have a cold that is knocking me out. And i just got some medicine from the pharmacy that may or may not literally knock me out.

I spent yesterday afternoon with Dominique & Hervé. We went to the ruined abbey at Jumièges, which was really cool. I took some pictures, but i haven't had the energy to get them off my camera yet.

Dominique says the parades on Saturday were for Carnivale. She said they were late because of the school holidays. This makes more sense than St Patrick's Day.

Oh, and i finally managed to write the essay required for Glasgow's scholarship application. I mailed it off this morning.

Three!

Three posts in one day is a record that will not be duplicated or broken any time soon, i hope.

Another parade just went by. This one was headed by the same drummers as this morning, but it was much shorter. It also included trained entertainers as opposed to small children in costumes. It was also going in the opposite direction.

The budget of Les Majorettes de Lillebonne doesn't seem to stretch to a uniform, or even clothing of the same or similar color, but they sure can twirl those batons!

The clown troupe, dressed as hospital escapees, abducted an innocent child and started wrapping him in bandages.

There was even a kid on a unicycle (being held up by his grandparents).

More Pictures