Downtime

I can't bring myself to blog about teaching just yet, because I only have one week until Feburary break (2 weeks long!), and I'm trying make this week feel like the start of vacation even if I still have a few days to go. Now before all the naysayers complain that I don't need a vacation because I only work 12 hours a week as it is, let me tell you that the past few weeks have been anything but relaxing. Work has been rough, mainly because I'm at a loss with some of my classes. Even the classes I like are getting tricky because of the teachers I work with. Add on top of that some assistant drama and waiting anxiously everyday to hear back from schools... and, well, I need this break to keep my sanity in tact.

Thankfully God is doing what He can to keep me from going nuts. Not only do I have some amazing friends here, but recently I've had some downtime to chill me out. Last Friday the rainy/windy/miserable weather changed from to warm/sunny/amazing. It was perfect outside, about 50F and more sun than I thought possible for Avranches. I was upset that such a lovely day had to fall on a Friday, the day I work almost half of my hours for the week (5-6). Luckily during my hour break in the afternoon I ran into some of the other assistants preparing for a picnic, so I was able to join them for some sun-basking, bagette with bourson and salmon-eating goodness before it was back to the yearbook projects. It may be Feburary, but for a bit it really felt like summer.

Yesterday Rachel and I had another picnic, this time in the parc sportif. We popped into a boulangerie and got some jambon fromage sandwiches and few pastries. The parc sportif is a 5 min walk from the lycee, but you wouldn't know it from looking around the parc. The parc is literally surrounded by farms, and on the way to the parc you pass a good number of cows and sheep. It's like walking into the past. The houses and farms look just as I would imagine they did over a hundred years ago. For all of our complaints that Avranches is too small, there is an advantage to living in the country. It really is lovely to be in such a calm, green space. Rach and I spread out a blanket and laid in the sun, secretly hoping to get a slight tan. The sun's warmth put us to sleep and we soaked in the moment of peace. We ate and chatted and stared at the Mont St Michel in the distance. Then we busted out some books and read for a bit (I'm reading my second Irene Nemirovsky book, the first being Suite Francaise which I highly recommend, for this book I have the french version because I'm feeling ambitious). I've never felt more relaxed.

The weather is gorgeous, and the landscape is even better. It's days like this that I will miss the most when I leave. Sigh.