Stuck in a Rut

First I'll tell you about the end of Feburary break, though I realize it's a little late in coming. I wanted to see Emilie and Elodie (Sophie was gone that weekend) in Montpellier for some catchup time and some sunshine, and some of the girls here decided to go with me. We trained down the long 9 hour trip, but when we got there the city was as warm and gorgeous as ever. We stayed at the Citadines in Antigone (the wealthy business district) because that's where my mom and company stayed when they came to visit me last time I was here. I found a great deal online, and the four of us could split an apartment for only 20 something euros a night (about the equivalent of a crummy hostel in Paris). The apartment was fabulous with a fully stocked kitchen and a balcony. We were loving it, and from the first night we didn't want to ever leave. I showed the girls around the city, and they loved it, of course. It was sunny and bright and the architecture is breathtaking. The whole time they kept saying how they wished we lived there. Me too.

I got to hang with Elodie, and we chatted and got caught up. She's swamped with wedding stuff, but she's getting really excited for June to come, and so am I. She explained how we all walk (wedding party and guests) from her house to the town hall and then to the church for the ceremony. It's like a big parade! Luckily she lives in a podunk town, so we won't be walking miles in the hot summer sun. She also showed my her dress (at the wedding shop) and it is beautiful. She's going to look amazing on her wedding day. It's still strange to me that she's getting married. After all, when we first bonded 2 years ago it was while we wrote notes to each other in our history class about these two boys she had to decide between. Needless to say, I helped her pick Jean, and I'll admit that he was a star from the start. When he met me and the Americans, he was super nice to us and a ton of fun to hang with, and he's always been great to Elodie. It's weird that I was there for the start and now will be there for the wedding, but I'm super happy that I get to go (and so too is Elodie). I already know all of her family (and Jean's!) so it won't be too strange being the only foreigner around.

We also got to hang with my friend from Emilie from Madison (she and Sophie studied abroad for a semester in Madison and worked on ag stuff). She showed us around her agriculture school, and it was SO much nicer than Paul Valery (where I studied in Montpellier). Science is always favored over humanities, though I can't imagine why... She invited us to a soiree with some of her friends and it was a lot of fun. Sadly for her, she just finished school down there and now is starting her internship. But I think she's ready to move on. It's a shame to have to leave Montpellier though! Hopefully I'll get to see her once or twice before I leave.

And the last notable adventure on our trip was our afternoon at Palavas. We took the bus to...the beach! It may have been March 1st, and it may have been a blustery day, but we took a dip in the Mediterranean like champs. And actually, Christina and I did the very same thing last time I was there, on March 1st. Needless to say, it was a wee bit chilly, and all the bundled up French people thought we were crazy!

Unfortunately our trip had to end and we're back doing the usual in Avranches. This past week or so has been kind of rough for me, and I couldn't pinpoint why. But last night I talked with Irene about feeling more antisocial and super bored and always tired. She felt the same, and it's strange because we both started the year with so much energy and excitement. We figured out why we were in a rut, and the problem is a combination of our lycee and this city. Despite a few classes that we really enjoy, we feel (as I wrote about before) like we're wasting our time here. The students don't work, they don't care, and we're running low on ideas and enthusiasm. It really is draining. It makes the boredom worse, and the apathy stronger. Couple that with this city where nothing ever happens and everything is always closed (!!), and you can't really be all that surprised that we're in a rut. It's hard to energize each other because we just feel so tired and so bored and so ready to leave. Honestly, my work is done here, and I'm ready to go home. I will miss my friends dearly, but not this lycee and not this town. A few months is great, but a full school year is too much. I think my trip to NC in April and having the month of May to travel and stuff will brighten me up a bit, but it can't come soon enough. I've even tried to get back into my philosophy stuff, which sort of helps, but it's not the same without having inspiring classes and people to talk to about it. I can read the books and articles and blogs, but that only gets you so far without real live interaction. All I have to say is that next fall is going to be amazing.

So yeah. We're in a rut around here. Though if the weather brightens up and I can go back to having my reading time out at the parc sportif, well then I just might get out of it. We'll see!