Sorry for being so awol. I don't mean to be, I do enjoy writing this blog, but writing something interesting enough to read takes so much time that it can get pushed to the side when I am busy. And also, I need to have internet access to post something. This last vacation zapped me of both time and internet and hence no blog was written. But it was great! And now I can get to writing.
There are things I don't like about the French school system. Teachers have no room to teach creatively and struggling kids have much less access to help than back in the states (Not that the states great at helping the bottom climb up. France is just worse.) They get abandoned to their own devices. However, I am willing to overlook those drawbacks because this vacation thing is awesome. Since the first day of school, I have had 7.5 weeks of vacation and that doesn't include strikes and absent teachers. Just as you start to feel the motivation slipping away and the days stretching out, a couple of weeks of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation show up to get you back on track. Man, is it a life saver.
This vacation has been especially excellent. I got to start it a day early when my mom showed up on Thursday evening. I showed her around town instead of going to class on Friday which was nice and I think she enjoyed, despite the 9 hour jet lag. I liked showing her my town, the movie theater, the park, the best bakery, my high school, and where I get coffee on Wednesday afternoons. What my life is actually like now. Then on Saturday we took a trip with my host parents and sisters to the Mont Saint Michel, one of the seven great wonders of the world. It is about an hour from Le Chatellier. It is an abbey situated on the very top of tall hill that used to be an island (the water has dried up a bit now). There are shops and other buildings surrounding the abbey, in a very medieval town-enclosed-in-castle-walls way. It is beautiful and incredibly still intact after hundreds, even thousands of years (the very first building on the hill existed in roman times). It was touristy. Very, very touristy. But that only slightly lessened the effect.
And then, Great Britain! Alice, mom, and I skipped off across (well, under) the channel to the home of Harry Potter and the Beatles. It was a wonderful week. We saw three musicals, Mamma Mia, The Lion King, and Stomp, all incredible in different ways. Mamma Mia was silly and fun and everyone was dancing in their seats; The Lion King was visually stunning, so many intricate, breathtaking costumes, just such a spectacle; and Stomp was not only full of talent and interesting noises, but also funny, even though not a single sentence was spoken. The week was filled with good food, museum visits, interesting architecture, lots of (expensive) stores and shops, and of course, the Royal wedding. Even if the millions of people made it impossible to see much, it was so much fun to be in the middle of such a patriotic fuss. They weren't just celebrating this marriage but also everything good about England and Brittish culture. Everyone was so happy! I like happy people. My mom's friend was so generous with us and it was so nice to see and talk to my mom in person and in depth. The entire stay was lovely.
And also, the stay was busy. High energy, with lots of this to do every day all day. So the next week of vacation was the perfect next stage: a relaxing, nature and family filled week near the beach in Brittany. I made sure not to stuff too much in to the week and just enjoy the sunshine and blue waves.
We went to the beach several times in the week, and while the water wasn't what I'd call warm (and I have a high tolerance), I did go swimming and even got into an algae fight. I went on a beautiful 8 mile hike in the hills right on the coast and even got a bike ride in, something I've really missed. I cooked a mexican meal for my family and they seemed to enjoy it. I have to say, it didn't match what Concha makes or any of the nice mexican restaurants in California, but at least I got to eat black beans.
Then school started up again. I took a test on Tuesday in Caen that will give me a diploma saying I speak french if I pass, which meant I didn't have to sit through two hours of French class and three of Art Plastiques and instead could stroll around Caen with Karla (the Finnish girl). So the first week of school was a gradual entry, not too stressful. I am pretty confident with my performance on the test. I hope this means I can come back and work in France some day. Otherwise, this last week was back to the books and the hours of note-scribbling. But then I hopped on a train and came to Paris for the weekend!
Paris still hasn't lost its magic. It is so beautiful. I am in awe of the romance and art in the architecture and monuments and little boutiques every time I go. This trip was cultural, for a change. I saw museums at 10:00 at night and ate wonderful food and wandered through the alleys with my Grandmother and her French friends. I really enjoyed this trip. It left me feeling sure that I will live in Paris for at least six months of my life. I am decided. I'm not sure I would want to live there forever, but I will for some period of time. I will start saving as soon as I get off the plane in California.
My return is looming. I am so undecided. There is so much I will miss about France. The billboard-less auto-routes that wind through the little towns, the individual chocolate and pastry and meat and vegetable shops that replace big ugly strip malls and grocery stores, the long meals where we practice the "art of conversation", my new wonderful friends, and so much more. But Berkeley is calling me. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss that people don't judge you the second they see what you're wearing, I miss the international presence, I miss going to school performances and I miss passing by the Thai Temple on my way to school every morning. I guess for the moment I should just push that all aside and take advantage of the short two months I have left. I will try.
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