Nearing the end

Well.

I'm sitting on my bed with the sun shining in through my windows.  The day has a strange feel to it, like it hasn't started or maybe it won't finish.  I feel oddly identical to how I felt when I realized I was officially a university graduate.  That life hadn't quite sunk in yet, something was going to hit me but I didn't know when.  

It feels strange to be officially done with my contract here in Sens.  Everything is winding down, goodbyes are becoming a daily occurrence.  Even though I'll be traveling around Europe and then coming back to Sens until mid-June, some little door has closed here already.  I had my very first thought yesterday about how much I would miss my little town.  The thought came suddenly but has taken it's time leaving, which I suppose is normal.  As much as I've complained about Sens and it's status as hardly a speck on a map, it's the place I've lived in for the longest in France.  Every place I've spent time in, studied, worked, and lived in France has shaped me in a different way and Sens is no exception.  

I decided to make a list of some things that have changed over the past 7 months.  Things I've learned, things I was expecting, things I wasn't expecting, surprises both good and bad.

I lived in the most multicultural apartment I'd ever experienced, and loved it.  A german, a brit, two americans and a chilean.  Thrown into the mix throughout the year were a handful of visitors from all the above mentioned countries.  And a couple French people too : )

After never having ever, ever thought of being a teacher, I was pleasantly (or unpleasantly?) surprised with  the realization that I love being in a classroom with a room full of students.  Preferably that WANT to  speak English and not just learn drinking games or take me to Las Vegas.

I couldn't possibly count the number of opportunities I've been given this year, to learn patience.  I also  wouldn't succeed at counting the number of times I've failed at being patient.  I can, however, absolutely  positively affirm that a sense of humor at all times is ESSENTIAL when dealing with this silly thing they  call bureaucracy in France.  

I survived the majority of the year with one often-malfunctioning hot plate, a water boiler, and a fridge  shared between 5 girls.  Yep.

I no longer shudder while I'm passing by the mairie, but I'm not exactly bounding in there to say hi to old friends either. 

It has come to my realization that I greatly took advantage of living in sunny Southern California for 4  years throughout college.  I came to this realization mid-January when I was trudging to work in a pea coat and 5 layers instead of walking to class in a tank top under the sun.  

My students were awful some days.  But they were wonderful other days.  They continuously made me laugh, whether from singing 'Denver, le dernier dinosaur', asking me to tell them about Miami Beach, or playing computer parts Pictionary.  

I have been to every grocery store Sens has to offer.  By car, by bike, by bus, by foot.  It has rained on me  more times than I could count, nearly always when I have gaping bags and no umbrella.  I missed Gus, my little Ford Focus, a considerable amount this year. 

By the time I leave France, I will have traveled to at least 9 countries in 7 months.  If anyone would have  told me that last year when I graduated, I would have laughed at you.  

It's very likely that I'll have a Sens-sized hole in my heart for awhile to come.  Hopefully next year I'll be closer than I expect to the tiny town that's grown on me.  Guess I'll just have to be patiente and see.  Oh la France.  

Mamma Mia

Whew !

I apologize for the extennnnded absence of my blog entries.  My head is very much in a whirlwind these days, and even though my arms are recovering from carrying my suitcases around Italy Switzerland and Germany for the past week and a half, my brain is taking a bit more time to catch up.  I now joke with my friends that Sens and my job have become my vacation from my vacations.  I'm gearing up to go again in two weeks, when my aunt and uncle will be traveling over to Europe for a grand tour.  And when I say grand tour, I mean Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, France, and Amsterdam.  I'm pretty sure I could be declared clinically crazy for attempting all this.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining- it's hard for me to believe sometimes, that this is the life I'm lucky to have at the moment.  I just want to be able to catch my breath before the next step comes along !

The trip I just got back from was with my parents, who came over to Europe for the Light Sport Air Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.  Before the show started we decided to scamper on down to Italy to eat some pasta and pizza.  And did we ever EAT.  

Here's a view of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  If you imagine a little path going off diagonally from the Basilica, that's where our hotel was.  

I always thought Rick Steves was kinda corny- for those of you who aren't familiar, he's a travel writer who's published oodles of travel guides for mostly European countries.  I stand officially corrected in my opinion of him, for all his amazing tips we used throughout Italy.  Like the tip to go early early to the Sistine Chapel- we were practically the only ones there.  We must have stayed in the room completely ogling over Michaelangelo's magnificent work for at least 30 minutes, maybe much longer.  By the time we left, it was quite obvious we had awesome timing, as the room was nearly packed and the only thing we could hear were security guards 'sssshhh' ing people.  From there we took Steves' tip and slipped out the 'back door' off the museum and straight over to St. Peter's.  Eliminating at least 45 minutes of extra walking, line standing, and security checking.  It couldn't have been better organized.  

A view of the Colosseum

We turned down the eager graduate students/college bums jumping on us to offer up close and personal guided tours of the Colosseum and decided to explore it on our own.  Not having a tour didn't prevent us from marveling over the insanity of standing in a place with such an extensive history.  And wondering what it would be like to be in the crowd, cheering on some poor guy running away from lions and tigers coming after him in a maze of walls and obstacles.  Poor Romans.  

A church in Florence (Firzene as the Italians say) where we spent our Saturday.

The highlights of our trip to Florence really depend on who you ask.  I would be inclined to respond with 'um, duh... the David'.  My mom, even though she of course enjoyed the David, might just answer, 'leather purse and jacket shopping' at a local flea market.  And my dad, well he could say one of many things, but among them might not be watching Luigi or Marco or Luca or whatever his name was, dance around his store grabbing leather jackets for my mom and randomly inserting a 'mama mia' here and there.  Just kidding, I'm sure he loved it. 

St. Francis Church in Assisi

Assisi was without a doubt the most authentically Italian of the towns we visited.  Which meant guessing at Italian words of the dinner menus, making up hand gestures for internet and computer, and wandering down delightfully cobblestoned streets.  I had visited Assisi already (almost 5 years ago, woah) but remembered it differently for some reason.  It was wonderful to revisit and re-coop there a bit before heading up to Germany.  

The air show in Friedrichschafen was fun, but I think all three of us would tell you... it wasn't Oshkosh.  Suits were a bit more popular than F-18 or P51- Mustang t-shirts, worn with love.  Slacks and dress shoes more common than Oshkosh patches dating back several decades, ironed on to a jean jacket.  German a bit more present than a friendly southern accent describing a 3 point landing or old friends catching up while waiting for a film to start at the Fly-In outside movie theater.  Salami, cheese, and bread rolls for breakfast instead of our morning coffee stop outside of the grocery store in Oshkosh on the way to the show.  And for me, there was no morning aerobics to start off the day, exercising with the background noise of the Aeroshell team taking off for their morning practice time.  It was a lot of fun, but it just wasn't Oshkosh.  

Now I'm back in Sens to finish up my two weeks left of  teaching.  I only have 3 teaching days left and can hardly believe it.  It was weird saying goodbye to my classes, thinking that just like that, I'll be gone from their lives and them from mine.  I'm more sad to leave some classes than others.  Some students seem more sad than others.  I think the only thing my Monday BTS class regrets, is that I didn't have enough time to teach them American drinking games : )

I spent this afternoon writing some thank you notes for the teachers I've worked with.  I think they are the ones I'll miss the most.  A few in particular have been so welcoming to me here, really making me feel at home.  I am very thankful to have met them this year, and will hopefully be able to keep in touch with them.  

Thinking of everyone Stateside!

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