Well, as usual, I waited a month before posting again.
Since my last post I went to Provence to visit one of my favorite cities, Nimes; Aix-en-Provence, where I stayed with my roommate here in Cognin, Magali, who is from Aix and still has an apartment there; and I spent a day in Isle sur la Sorgue, when I tried and failed to find the Fontaine de Vaucluse.
Nimes was fun, but the first night was kind of a strange experience. I stayed in the hostel as four years ago, but in a different room; and more importantly, I was alone this time around instead of being with my study abroad friends. It was disappointing, jarring, but still a beautiful city. Every city I've visited in Provence is beautiful and reminiscent of a day at the beach in the USA, and it reminds me of being back in Avignon on my study abroad again. My second day in Nimes was with Cat, my future roommate, and was a lot more fun. We saw the main sights, spent some time in the incredible park, and had a nice lunch (until the monster winds started breaking glasses and umbrellas where we were eating). It was nice to see someone from home, as it was in Avignon and Paris.
Then I spent some time in Aix with my roommate, which was great. I had never been there before, and it was a much more comfortable experience staying in a friend's apartment rather than in a hostel with 9 strangers in the same room. My second night we went out and had a great time dancing; that is to say, I tried to dance, and it was still fun.
The Isle sur la Sorgue was... interesting. I thought based on the train ticket that I bought that it would be easy to find the Fontaine de Vaucluse, the actual goal for my trip; not so. It was about 8 kilometers away, and considering all the stuff that I was carrying, it wasn't possible. Instead I just chilled out, read my new book, ate candy, drank pastis, and ate tons of candy. Perfect day, in other words.
A couple weeks ago I went to Torino, Italy, with my friend Melissa. Beautiful city, with the largest "place" --- like a city square, I guess --- in Europe. Great day spent with a great friend :)
Now I'm just trying to tie up my lessons with my kids and not have a nervous breakdown. I have a lot of things to finish before I make it home, and France is infamous for its unnecessary bureaucratic procedures. For good reason. I had to call my cell phone company as well as send a letter with copies of my plane ticket, acceptance letter from OU, and a typed letter explaining my situation. I get to do the same with my bank account, and probably my housing money as well. Need to buy a suitcase.. I've yet to receive my reimbursement for my bus passes, and have no money in my American bank account... lots of things to get in order before I can rest easy.
I have a little less than four weeks to enjoy my time, and that's what I intend to do. Wine, baguettes, crumbles, chocolate to be eaten. Mountains, hikes, lakes to be seen. People to say goodbye to, lessons to teach, pictures to be taken. Wish me luck.
