My last class on Friday had something of a troublemaker, sitting in the back of the room and making wise-ass comments to test my French comprehension level. He disrupted the class more than once and seemed absolutely uninterested in learning anything from me, but still I walked out of school with a smile. Why is that, you ask? Because I don’t have to go back for two whole weeks. Just to clarify, I arrived in France a month ago but I’ve only been working for three weeks. And now I’ve got two weeks off. Not bad, I think.
In order to celebrate the beginning of our first paid vacation (though it could be argued that since I am in France and by contract only work 12 hours a week, my whole seven months here are something of a paid vacation) a friend and I spent Saturday afternoon wandering around the outdoor market, drinking sweet wine, and napping in the park. Then we made a Latin-American-themed dinner, complete with burritos and nachos and guacamole and flan all while listening to Shakira and drinking Sangria-flavored diet Coke (weird, I know, but they sell it here). I didn’t go out Saturday night; partly because of the food coma I was falling into and partly because I wanted to be well rested in order to wake up early Sunday morning to get to the bar. I can imagine what you’re thinking: A bar?! On a Sunday morning?! Whatever happened to going to church? Kids these days… But I assure you, it was with good reason: France was playing New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup Final. And so along with a group of friends, I walked into a bar at 9:30 on a Sunday morning, ordered a beer, and watched my very first rugby game. The place was packed with the most enthusiastic French people I have ever seen, and everyone was singing and cheering despite the fact that France trailed the entire match. New Zealand ended up winning 8-7, but don’t ask me to explain why because rugby is confusing as hell. It was fun anyway, and afterwards we got lunch and actually ended up running into one of my students, who I’m pretty sure was drunk. I ended up going home and spending my afternoon quite lazily; two weeks of vacation are stretched out before me, and so I’m in no hurry to get work done. On Tuesday I’m leaving for London, where I will celebrate my 22nd birthday (on Thursday) with one of my best friends from AU. I’ve never been to London, and I am absolutely thrilled to see it. Also thrilling is the idea that I will speak nothing but English for an entire 5 days. When I return to Bordeaux, I’ll still have a full week to plan lessons and continue exploring the city. Saying that “life is good” seems like an understatement.
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