Look what I rediscovered in 2013? I wish I could tell you that I stopped blogging because I got too busy, but that is just not the case. What happened was that I got internet at home. (??!!) I since have been using my spare time to research websites on which I can watch my favorite and dearly missed TV shows for free (crap, I hope Big Brother isn't reading), planning my next trip, and keeping up with news stuff now that I can. Oh, and facebook. I'm sad to admit how much of a time suck that is. Though I haven't been blogging, I have been posting pictures and commentary on my shinanegans on said time suck. It's much more of an appropriate form of media for a person of my generation. I'm much better at giving updates in 140 characters or less than I am of writing multiple sentences and trying to make them flow together in a (somewhat) sensical way. Oh, the shame. So if you have facebook, which I'm pretty sure everybody but one person does (you know who you are. Just give in already.), you're probably up to speed.
I notice that the last time I blogged was after my last school break. I just returned from another, and this time I got to go home for Christmas. I'm glad I went, not only to fulfill the prophecy of the last blog during which I predicted I'd use the dryer as much as possible and stare at people I miss, but because I'm sure Perigueux was quite the deserted place over break. Most of my friends here either went home or were busy entertaining visitors. So, I got to spend two weeks doing my favorite things - happy hour, yoga, enjoying drip coffee (more than 5 oz of coffee was exciting), seeing great people, hanging out with former CMP families/teachers, and yes, drying my clothes. I even met two babies, which was exciting. I told them not to grow till I get back, but I don't think they'll listen. Typical.
So far, I feel pretty good about being back. It's only been three days, but that's good news nonethless. The school aspect of the job has been a bit frustrating, due to the sheer number of kids, teachers, and schools I work with and the lack of direction and feedback I've received, so that has caused some stress. But there are less than four months left, so that's not bad. Since being here, I've become obsessed with the passage of time. I'll always think something like "14 weeks left of teaching, that's not bad.. 14 weeks ago was the beginning of October...". I'm like a kid who measures time in episodes of I Love Lucy. Really, that's a thing. I know children who have used that time telling strategy. These daily calculations make me feel a little like Rainman.
I have learned, though, that sometimes things are hard, and you just have to deal. I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but as a person who has not really deviated much from my routines over the past 10 years and hung out with the many of the same (wonderful, of course) people for most of my life, it was more shocking than I expected to be removed from all of that. I'm not used to lots of ups and downs and this experience has been full of them. But, people much wiser than I have informed me that experiencing ups and downs and learning to navigate them is part of being an adult. What?! And I tried to avoid growing up for so long. Sigh. So that's what I've been up to; learning about myself. Ugh. Oprah would be proud of me and that makes me sick. So I'm still here, trying to figure out these funny French and how to teach them. But I can do it, because it's 2013 now and I am going to be more of a Gryffindor and less of a Hufflepuff this year. Yeah, I just said that. If you know what that means, good for you. If you don't, read Harry Potter. Also, why haven't you gotten around to that yet? And you thought I was done mentioning Harry Potter...
In other news, I have joined a gym. That has also helped my mental health considerably. The gym is pretty nice - it is like the gym I belonged to in Madison, where you have a key that allows access even when it is not staffed (read: during hours in which working in France must be illegal - Sundays and the two hour lunch), and has spinning and body pump classes that someday I'll try. The gym also has all kinds of rules, which I find funny considering there seems to be no rules in other aspects of French life. The operation/parking of motor vehicles comes to mind. People can seemingly park or drive wherever they want - sidewalks, doorways, whatever. But you MUST purchase a full size beach/bath towel and sit on it at all times while at the gym. The first three times I went to the gym I did not realize the extent of the towel etiquette, and got a talkin to each time. The first time, I didn't know you needed a towel. No problem, the guy gave me one. The second time I didn't realize you actually have to RENT those towels. Oops. The third time, I didn't know that you have to sit on the towels, they cannot be on the handlebars. They also have you wipe off the machines like we do in the states with the sanitizer, and I've seen the staff following people like me who sweat a lot with a mop, so I think this must be part of their aversion to sweat. I've heard that's a very french thing. I sweat a lot, I can't help it. Then I walk home looking like a sweaty, red-faced mess, past all the perfectly outfitted French people sipping expresso on sidewalk cafes. Sometimes they look disgusted, but I really want to point out that that's a pretty judgemental look coming from a man wearing a pink silk scarf and an outfit so tight I swore it was a wetsuit. And are those tap shoes? They look like it.
Well, time to plan my lessons for tomorrow. Thanks for sticking out this long post. A friend of mine recently suggested shorter blogs more frequently. I never thought of that. I'll work on it. Happy 2013!
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