Hello everyone!
I'm guessing most of you are getting ready to watch the Superbowl right now! I'm so jealous of all the good beer and appetizers/pizza/grilled food that is about to be consumed by ya'll in the next couple of hours. Oh, what I wouldn't do for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Fat Tire, or Blue Moon right about now. So jealous. Well, not THAT jealous...because this weekend I ate a "ficelle picarde" (huge burrito-like crepe stuffed with delicious cheese, mushrooms and ham) Friday night, then moved on to an absolutely divine pan of enchiladas followed by cupcakes, pudding, and candy Saturday night, and then more cupcakes and cookies today. And now my biggest problem is trying to decide if I should go to Istanbul or the Dalmation Coast in Croatia for the final summer holiday (any input or suggestions are welcome). So there.
Anyway, I haven't posted in over a week because not much has been going on since I got the good news last week (wow, was it only last week?!). Last weekend I was looking through my calendar, and it really hit me that the rest of my time here is going to absolutely fly by. Here is why:
-February 19th--March 7th I will be traveling with one of my best friends from home to Frankfort, Munich, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, and Paris.
-March 9th--March 13th--traveling to California to check out UC Davis
-March 18th--21st--weekend in Amsterdam
-March 24--chaperoning a trip to London
-April 15--May 7th--summer holiday to either Croatia or Istanbul
-May 7th-May 21st--Ireland and Paris with the fam
May 21st--flight home
Um, holy crap. So while I can hardly contain my excitement about all this traveling coming my way, I also really want to make sure that I am enjoying my time in France and with all of my roommates and other assistants. So...last weekend I went out in Lille with a bunch of other assistants. We took the last train to Lille around 10pm and headed to some bars in Vieux Lille (the old part of town), then around 2am headed to the Latina Cafe (since we were with a bunch of Spanish assistants). When we got to the Latina Cafe I was in desperate need of a drink but was also in desperate need of conserving my money. So...I did what any other lady in my situation would do. I spied some young guys at the bar with a few drinks in front of them, then sidled up next to them to buy a drink. And before I knew it I had a double shot of tequila in one hand, and a beer in the other, and my wallet remained unopened (ok, I'm sorry Mom if you are reading this...but I hope at least a part of you is proud of my frugality?!). So after this little boost I was able to make it out til the first train back to Douai at 6:20am.
On Monday morning I took on a new class with new students. Their teacher wanted me to help them prepare for their test on the Troubles in Northern Ireland later that week. Trying to get them to talk was like pulling teeth, so I started with the absolute basics about Ireland. I drew a very quick sketch of Ireland with Northern Ireland sectioned off, and then drew a line coming out of the top of Northern Ireland to label it. As soon as I did this the kids burst out laughing, and one girl exclaimed, "Mrs! You draw a penis!" I stepped back to take a look, and sure enough I had. I couldn't help myself, I started laughing too, which probably says a lot about my maturity level. I changed the map, but after that the students wouldn't take me seriously, and frankly I don't blame them. God knows what they wrote on their test later in the week...
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. I did get some more good news though. UC Davis offered to fly me out (from France!) to check out their campus, meet the faculty and other grad students, etc. So I am really excited to learn more about the programs and meet the profs. I really hope that I like the town, although I haven't heard rave reviews about it...and it sounds awfully hot for my tastes (remember, this is coming from the girl who often complains that the "winter" in Northern France isn't cold or snowy enough...).
Saturday night I hung out with my two German roommates. Together we made a huge pan of enchiladas and homemade guacamole, plus cupcakes and pudding for dessert. Then we watched a French movie (there were no subtitles, so about every 10 minutes my lovely roommates explained what was happening, bless them). Despite understanding very little of the dialogue, I actually really liked the movie. Then tonight I got together for desserts with a couple other assistants. Overall it was a very nice and very quiet weekend. Like I said above, I can hardly stop myself from wetting my pants when I think of all the traveling and fun coming my way in just TWO WEEKS --(now actually only 11 days Kel!!), BUT...I hate the idea of wishing time away, and thus I plan on enjoying the next quiet, but nice, 11 days.
Anyway, I miss you all very much. I'm excited to see many of you this summer (I will be rooming with the 'rents and my cats in Nevada til August). So don't forget about me! :)
Oh! I was about to post this without talking about the most important thing that happened to me this week! Wtf! So last Tuesday night, I was at the gym waiting for a class to finish up before the step class started. I walked up to the class, and a couple of the guys who work at the gym said "Ah, l'americaine! Eh-low, oww are ewwwww?" (this is how I am known at the gym--as "l'americane." I have no name). Anyway, a girl standing next to me said (in French): ah, you are American?" Me: "Yes" Her: "Where are you from in the US?" Me: "Iowa, a very small state next to Chicago." Her "What are you doing in France"....and so on. But my point is--I had a CONVERSATION in FRENCH with an actual French person...and it gets better...I UNDERSTOOD everything she was saying and SHE understood what I was saying too! It was a miracle beyond all other miracles!!! Anyway, I was quite pleased with myself :) This is a bit of a milestone for me, because while I have had "conversations" with French strangers before, there is always the inevitable awkward part that comes when I don't understand what they said, so I just reply "Oui" with a dumb smile on my face and 5 seconds later realize that they didn't ask me a "yes/no" question, and they realize I don't understand them. But this was my first conversation where the dumb smile didn't make its dreaded appearance!! Yesssss!!!!!
Anyway, take care everyone! Miss you (except if you are a Packers fan).
