Joanne would be very proud

because I certainly got my exercise today.

Today was my first day at Collège Simon de Laplace! Everyone told me that I should give myself a good half-hour to get there and I might consider taking a bus. “Not that it’s far,” they said, “just that it’s up.”

And they weren’t kidding. After I passed the familiar cathedral, I found this hill:

Not as steep as I’d assumed, after all. It would be nothing to tackle this! Once at the top of the hill, I practically patted myself on the back. Sure, my heartrate was up a little, but I wasn't even tired! Walking to school would be nothing. I turned right, as instructed, and continued on my way. And promptly discovered this:

Oh. This was the hill I had been warned about. I know it doesn't look like much, but the picture really, really doesn't do it justice. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the plateau and another ten from there to get to the school, when if everything were flat it probably would have been a ten minute's walk. Embarrassingly enough, I was exhausted by the time I got there. See me, all sweaty and dehydrated. What a day to forget water! At least my face isn't cherry red yet. It's usually a traitor that way. So far France has done a lot to remind me just how out of shape I am. I think it was just yesterday that my arms recovered from pulling bags all around Paris, so I guess it's about time for another body part to be sore.





Once I got to Laplace, the school, I met with all four English teachers. They are all female, and they are all beautiful. We set up my schedule. I will be teaching there on Monday afternoons and on Friday mornings. I didn’t actually meet any of the kids today, or observe classes. I’ll have to wait until next Monday for that.

I noticed a big difference between Laplace and Michelet (the other school I will be working at) that I really appreciate. At Laplace, no one really made an effort to speak to me in English. We did the major things in English – the introductions, the planning of my schedule, the explanations of how things work – but after that it was all French. Whenever I was introduced to someone new in the school it was in French, and I followed right along. And the conversation in the lunchroom was in French too. That I did not follow entirely.

I think it's a lovely combination. At Michelet I speak mostly English with the teachers, and at Laplace I speak mostly French. I’m sure that by the end of my contract I will be speaking French to everyone, but for right now I am grateful for the English I do get. I think if it weren’t for the conversations at Michelet, my head would explode from lack of familiar words.

At the end of our meeting at Laplace, the teachers tried to tell me about the bus schedule, but I explained to them that I really would prefer to walk. I think my seven month stay is a great opportunity to focus on my health. And isn’t a thirty-minute uphill walk twice a week a great facet of a fitness regimen? I certainly think so.

On the walk back down I had more of a chance to appreciate some of the sights.

The highlights:

I did so much walking I thought I'd snap a photo. Notice how the ground is wet. That's because it rained today. If my shoes weren't glazed with rainwater (beside the white chickens) I would stick my foot in my mouth.

About halfway down the road I found an empty skatepark, which had this amazing view of the French countryside:

Check out this awesome building. It's right in front of the hospital, and I think it may have originally been the town medical center:

Oh, and when I was almost home again, I stumbled across this little garden. It reminds me of 1725 and MarioKart. Peach Gardens anyone?

Win of the day: I asked for my wifi username and password at the library. And I got it. The receptionist understood every word I said, and an even bigger win is that I understood every word she said!

Fail of the day: I lost my umbrella. I did mention that Caen is the rainiest region in France, right?