And what fun I had! It was the first time that I went out with anyone here in Lisieux. I’ve been keeping to myself because I don’t really know the area and I am a young girl, so I didn’t want to take any risks. But thanks to the wonder that is Facebook, some of the other English assistants at other schools contacted me and invited me bowling. I invited Karen, one of the incredibly warm and lovely English teachers at Collège Michelet, and she met me at Gambier (where I live). We were supposed to meet Tom and Cecil there but they were nowhere to be found. Hmmm. Karen and I decided to walk around to the front of the building. Little did we know that Cecil and Tom had been at the front and decided to check around the back at the same time. Classic sitcom shenanigans. Eventually, we found each other in the middle. 
Tom is from Oregon, which is nice, because now I know how they prefer to say it, which is something I have wondered for a long time. It is or-uh-gun, not or-uh-gone, in case you were wondering. We also bonded over the fact that Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states in the US where you don’t pump your own gas. He thought it was funny that I made up my mind long ago that if I ever moved, it would be to Oregon. I have vowed never to pump my own gas. I almost did once, and almost pumped diesel into my car. It was traumatic. Anyway, I also met Cecil, who is from the great state of Washington. He is really nice and seems to be pretty enthused about the job. He is teaching primary school. He is really good at French too, as I noticed when he and Karen started to have an interesting conversation about Crepes. It turns out Karen is from Brittany, land of the crepes, and she can make them herself. Yumm!
With the two guys was also Lizzi, a charming and beautiful girl from England. I have forgotten where exactly she is from, but she went to school at Portsmouth. She’s lively, loves the color pink, and likes to make fun of the way I and the American boys talk. She thinks the word pants is hilarious, because apparently if you walk into a store in England and ask for pants, they will hand you underwear. I’m thankful for the tidbit. I’m also happy to know that in England a rubber is an eraser. Lizzi also brought a friend from where she is living, le foyeur de jeunes travailleurs (foyer for young workers). His name is Youseff, and he is a native Frenchman who speaks English. We didn’t talk too much but he seemed really nice.
Bowling was awesome! Our names on the screen were a pretty big hit. I told the man my name was Ash and when I got to the lane I saw that I was just h. “Ash” is the way you pronounce the letter here. I guess I should have said “Ashley.” And Lizzi, though she spelled her name quite clearly, was Laiz. I don’t know, I think it sounds pretty badass. I was proud to get the first spare of the game, even before anyone got a strike. I thank you. After that, I’m not sure I hit more than ten pins total for the rest of the game. Everyone had some pretty good moves, and there were quite a few strikes. The winner with 133 was Karen. She cleaned up! It was strike after strike after strike. Quite impressive! I asked her if it’s called le dinde (turkey) here also. Check out our scores! I lost big with 37. I had a lot of fun, and I’m glad that we all went out together. They’re a pretty solid and inviting group, and they like to speak French too. I have to admit, I was a little scared to hang out with other assistants because I didn’t know if they would speak more English or French. I know how easy it is to get into the habit of just speaking English and not getting too into the language of the country you’re in. It happened all the time at Sea. But it seems that everyone really wants to practice French, and that I am the worst at the language of all! It’s a relief to know that we can hang out and practice our French at the same time.
We’ll be hanging out again soon, and I am just so happy to have friends!
Win of the day: I found the most perfect of all presents for Donna. I can’t say anymore, because it has to be a surprise.
Fail of the day: On the way home from bowling, I walked into a signpost. Right in the middle of the sidewalk. I was so focused on what Lizzi was talking to me about that I just collided with it head-on. Well, chest-on really, which is good because at least I don’t have a headache. Anyway, everyone had a good long laugh about it, so I guess it was really a win.
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