Settling In.

It is a weird feeling when it finally hits that you will be staying somewhere for more than a few weeks.  This happened today. A mix of extreme sadness and joyful anticipation swirls inside of you and out comes a headache.  Fortunately, mailing a few letters in the direction of the US tends to relieve headaches brought on my this type of stress, so I did exactly that today. Le mistral has begun to pick up, but I still managed to fight back against the wind to send some mail stateside.

The joyful anticipation of what is to come occurs everyday in the silly things that happen to/around me.  If I did not know how to laugh at myself I would never survive. Here is a tidbit from this past weekend (and the necessary back story).  I live with five people.  Sometimes, however, we become eight when my landlord and his two daughters are around the house.  They are wonderful, so I am not put off by his presence, but I had a very "French" experience on Saturday.  I tutored in Pujaut Saturday morning, caught a bus back to Avignon around 2PM, and then met up with a couple other assistants around 2:30PM. We meandered around a bit, but we decided to swing by my house after I bought some groceries that needed a fridge.  I walked into the kitchen to find all of my housemates and landlord sitting around our kitchen table.  I was about to miss the octopus cook-off! I really did not want to miss this.  My one housemate (Etienne) is French, but from Mayotte (think Comoros islands near Madagascar).  My landlord (Raynald) is French as well and wanted to defend his style of octopus preparation after Etienne said that it was only "okay."  The rest of us were called upon to be judges in the important event.  I innocently dragged two language assistants into the competition as well, and one of them was not a fan of octopus. So I spent Saturday stuffing myself with octopus, one in the style of a sauce over rice and the other in a tapas style. In the end, my landlord won by one vote (we were nine) and he stood on a chair pounding his chest.  I have never rented a room from someone like this before. I like it. I think that all landlords/landladies should take a page from his book.

I thought that my eventful Saturday was over once my belly was full, but how silly of me!  Raynald's younger daughter has really taken to me.  She is ten, and upon her discovery of my sticker collection for my students, has become my best friend.  I think that she is trying to sweet talk me into free stickers.  I mean, I am suspicious that Kelby dates me for the same reason :P So she really likes me, and as I was getting ready to go out to a bar for the night she asked to come along. I told her to check with her father assuming that he would say no.  How silly of me. Raynald thought that it was a fine idea and told his daughter that she could go.  He also offered to drive us, so seven of us (plus the dog!) piled into a little Renault to make our way to the bar.  Needless to say, it was a really tight squeeze.  I also ordered drinks with a child for the first time.  Raynald's daughter did order a Coca-cola, so I cannot say that she was drinking crappy red wine with me, but even so, how many people can say that they went out with a child and her pet dog? I assume not many.  I really hope that this assumption is correct!

What could be more "Provence?" Drinking wine in the street, at a bar with a child and dog, a warm night...Also, did I mention that I had two Spanish couchsurfers staying over Saturday night? They found this entire situation hilarious. However, there was some mild confusion since they had little grasp of the French language.

I guess the part of me that gets sad is when I know that I cannot share these types of moments with the person that means the most to me.  *Sigh*, as I told myself earlier today: soon enough!

Well, until next time! I suggest taking a child and her dog to a bar with you so that I am not the only one :D