Home Sweet Homes

Today I am in Bordeaux, the place I've called home for the past seven months.  Tomorrow I'll be in New York, the place I've called home for the past twenty two years.  Though I am terribly excited to see my family and all things familiar in America, I am also feeling nostalgic at the thought of leaving Bordeaux.
There's a lot I could say about my time in France, but I'll keep it short: living in a foreign country can be hard sometimes, but there's no denying that I have been incredibly happy here.  I have had an amazing seven months, and I have spent them with people who have quickly become some of my favorite in the world.  I am leaving Bordeaux with nothing but the best memories, and really that's all I could ask for.  I'm sending huge amounts of love to everyone, in Bordeaux and New York and any of the places I've called home, who have kept up with my adventures over here.  The next adventure is right around the corner (adulthood?!) and who knows? Maybe I'll even keep a blog ;)

A Fantastic Final Weekend in Bordeaux

Seeing as how work has ended, and thus so have our contractual obligations to stay in France, the goodbyes have started trickling in.  Rather than being too upset about all of this ending so soon, for now I'll choose to instead acknowledge how lucky I am to have met people that I'll miss so much.  The friends I've made in Bordeaux are the perfect mix of hilarious, warm-hearted, and just the right kind of crazy, and they have become my home away from home.  I've spent the last seven months enjoying their company, and I'll continue to do the same for the time I have left here - which is surprisingly short.

I'll be away for the next two weekends and am flying back to New York the following Friday morning, so although I've got nearly three weeks left before coming home, this past weekend was my last in Bordeaux.  Happily, it was excellent.  On Friday we stayed out dancing and laughing until nearly 7am, then spent Saturday recovering all snuggled up in bed watching sitcoms.  Yesterday I celebrated the birthday of one of my favorite people here by tasting lots of wine in Blaye, then eating cake and heading to the pub for a very competitive quiz night.  A fabulous sort-of-end to seven fabulous months of adventuring through Bordeaux.  Next stop: Marseille!  And Nice!  And Ibiza!  And Geneva!  The good times keep on rolling.

Go Big, then Go Home

That's how that expression goes, right?

On Tuesday I'm heading out for one last two-week romp through Europe (this time hitting Marseille, Nice, Ibiza, and Geneva...!!) and then I've only got a couple days left in Bordeaux before heading back to New York on May 4.  Time flies.

Yesterday was my last day as a teacher.

Lots of mixed emotions.  Mostly, I've been feeling incredibly lucky to have spent the past seven months doing something I have truly enjoyed.

More of the usual.

Since the weather has been beautiful lately, I've taken to holding most of my classes outside. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this makes my students a little more comfortable speaking English, for which I am thankful - - usually.  Sometimes their newfound comfort means we have really good conversations about their favorite films, what they want to do when they "grow up," and what they would do if they won the lottery.  Sometimes their newfound comfort means they ask me what my favorite alcoholic beverage is, and I have to awkwardly try to steer the conversation back to something appropriate for an English class.  Nonetheless, I appreciate that with two weeks left of my contract, they're finally coming out of their shells.

In which I allow French teenagers to play contact sports during English class.

Today I brought an American football into school and, in what appears to have been a moment of insanity, actually brought them outside to play.  There's a lot I could say about how it went, but why not keep it simple?  All it really comes down to is this: they went absolutely apeshit.

An actual conversation with a student during one of my classes last week:

My student said something in French and I answered him in English.  Then this happened:

Student (in French): Wait. She understands French?
Me (in English): I live in France.  Of course I understand French.
Student (in French): But if she speaks French why is she making us speak in English?
Me (in English): ...Because this is English class.
Student (in French): Oh. Right.

Sometimes I wonder about these kids.