Rainy Sunday

my patio with rain-slicked table top

It's tough having to deal with rain when you get to the South of France and all you want to do is go out and play!

Tomorrow should be sunny, but it rained all day today and yesterday. I was caught in a torrential rainstorm yesterday going out and about to pick up groceries and a SIM card that will work in France. I got my goals accomplished just in time for the clouds to roll in and me in a t-shirt, no umbrella. I waited out the storm in a souvenir shop, until one o'clock when they kicked everybody out to close for lunch (mais, oui! This is France). Luckily for me, the storm had calmed to a sprinkle.

But--I forgot toilet paper while I was out yesterday, and I'm trying to decided if it's worth braving the weather.

Moving In to the South of France

I got in late last night to La Ciotat, and practically the minute I got here (thinking of my blog, of course!) I took some photos of my studio apartment!

It is smaller than the one I had in Vienna, which shouldn't be surprising...but it might take some getting used to. I have a nice little (very little) bedroom/kitchen/dining room, a guest "space" and a porch. No actual oven, just a toaster oven and two burners. I guess I will not be making myself lavish French meals. Closet space is also an issue, but I will have to make the most of it and be creative.

The weather here is much nicer (about 20 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than in Green Bay, which is pleasant - there are two weeks left of good swimming weather I'm told! I will have to take advantage, since La Ciotat is a tourist town, after all.

My host family/landlords are also very nice. They have two small children, Lu-Lu and Chloe, a dog named Saumon and a cat named Charles.

The flight was great, no problems. I even got a second bag on for free! (British Airways changed their policy.) Paris was no problem, though I was briefly reminded how rude Parisians can be, and getting into Marseille was fine, though I was suuuuuuuuper tired by then.

guest "space"

I got to sleep late today, and I have a million things to do before I start school next Monday. Here's hoping I get it all done!

Of Late, I Think of France

Me voici! New country -- new blog! I hope it is to everyone's satisfaction (especially my own)!

I will be living and teaching in the South of France this school year, after spending two years in Austria, and the change is welcome, but a bit sad at the same time. There are many wonderful things about Austria that I have already begun to miss terribly (and a few things I'll never miss, but that's a different story); as a learner of both German and French, I need to keep my fluency up before the likely step to a graduate program -- or a job where (I hope to goodness) I'll be using my bachelor's degree (I majored in languages).

I have high, but realistic, hopes for this year. Living abroad is always so variable, so unpredictable. Yet, for me, it is life-affirming as well as life-changing. I will try my darnedest to continue to shed quirky and original insight into teaching English to Europeans. It's a job I keep getting hired for, so what the heck?! I'll give it my all.

For those of you who followed my Austrian adventures, expect more of the same. For those who didn't -- where the hell have you been?!?! You missed a lot, but not everything.

Here's where I'll be honest: I'm expecting more followers this time around because Americans seem to know next to nothing about Austria (save The Sound of Music) but seem to all have a love affair (at the very least, a love-hate relationship) with France. Quel horreur it would be to disappoint, n'est-ce pas?