From last night:
There are so many things I would like to write right now. I’ve just had the most awesome weekend. There was a party, there was shopping, there were books. I learned a lot. I read some really interesting things about the French. I just finished watching Les Poupées Russes. My love for Tapan grows more and more each day we are apart. And of course, I saw the September 11th exposition. It was not at all a weekend of sightseeing. It was not a weekend as a tourist. It was a weekend as someone who lives in France. And I really prefer it that way. Voila.
On meeting C’s parents:
I think my time with Yves and Wynne was probably the best part of the weekend. It was so lovely to meet them. And they have the house of my dreams. I mean, all the books they have. Excuse the expression, but I felt like a kid in a candy store. A bibliophile’s heaven. Books published before the United States was even a country. Beautiful bindings. The most awesome collection of Jules Verne I’ve ever seen. OK, the only collection of Jules Verne I’ve ever seen but all of the volumes were incredible. Many many books. Huge bookcases on all three levels of the house. Even bookcases in the bathroom. I’m pretty sure I know exactly what I want my house to look like when I have one. And C and her parents were so generous with letting me borrow anything I wanted. I have much reading to do.
On Friday night:
Honestly, Friday night was one of my worst and best nights so far in France. I mean, I had a great time at the party, and I wish I could have enjoyed it more. But I was super-allergic to C’s cats for some reason this particular night, and that prohibited me from enjoying myself as much as I could. Of course, the last time I was there I had my allergy medicine and didn’t need it. This time I forgot my allergy medicine and was desperate for it. But it was really a jolie soir. Many of the colleagues from Michelet were there. And Francois.
Here’s the thing. In America, with all of my English-speaking friends, I find it hard to shut up. I love to listen to people, but I have this (quite human) flaw where I’m constantly thinking of what to say next. And I wait for good segues so I can have the opportunity to add my opinions on the subject. It’s something that comes naturally, but which you can really only do when you’re fluent in the language being spoken.
In French, simply following a conversation between that many people is tiring for me, even without trying to think of something interesting to say. And so, naturally, sometimes I find it best just to relax and listen. And when listening gets to be too much, I watch people. Take in all their body language and begin to realize that spoken language is far inferior. And it was during one of those moments Friday night that I realized just how content I was. To be in this lovely candlelit room in Caen with such an array of intelligent, interesting people. To watch them talk to each other, and listen, and laugh. To eat and drink wine with them and really be involved in the moment. I felt truly happy.
And yet, I also felt incredibly sad. Because I’m recently in love and I don’t have the one person with me whom I want the most. Because Francois is talking about American politics and I can’t play. Because my nose won’t stop running and it’s sore from blowing it every minute. Because the day before was Thanksgiving and I’ve never missed my family so much.
On the September 11th memorial:
I knew I was going to see the exposition on September 11th, but I don’t think I realized just how much it would affect me. I’ll most likely write more about it later. But for right now, it deserves more reflection than what I’ve given the rest of this entry.
Upon arriving in Lisieux I was pretty tired. It had been a weekend full of exciting things, plus I had all those books to carry. Of course I knew how to get home, but it was dark and I really wasn’t up for the twenty-minute walk. So I sprung for a cab. And after the cab ride, I felt for the first time like I could speak to anyone in French. I was able not only to tell the driver where I was going, but I could also tell him exactly how to get there, with directions. I understood every word he said. To be fair, he didn’t say much, but I understood, like, all 25 words. And that’s a really good feeling for me. Maybe I haven’t done too much traveling here so far, but now I know that if I want to go somewhere, I don’t need a native speaker with me. I can do the basic stuff on my own. And that’s pretty cool.
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