Today was the first day back to work after two weeks of vacation. Got to say, I'm enjoying the French school schedule - 6 weeks of classes, two weeks vacation, 6 weeks of classes, two weeks vacation, repeat. This next session of classes is however my last. The contract is up at the end of May. When my students come back from their 2 week May vacations I won't be at Lycee Vaucanson anymore.
I'm sure they're all choked up about it.
Looking at the end of the second year in France, everything has a hint of bittersweet. Complaining about some absurdities of France is a favorite activity. But, every baguette I eat, every line I wait in, every time I'm frustrated because I don't have the language skills to communicate I feel a little .. something. I want to take pictures of everyone I've met. I want to bronze things.
It's been cold again this past week. Some snow. The cold air has helped lift some of the pollution in the valley and the mountains truly do look majestic. Today at school I looked out a window I hadn't before and saw a new view of the mountains to the south. I could see a village tucked onto the hills. Last year I would have thought 'I'll hike there next year'. But today I realized that I probably won't have - or take - the time to see what's behind the steeple I could just barely make out.
Every day this winter, I would sleep walk to work at 7:30am in Grenoble's dark. This far up in the Northern Hemisphere winter days start around 8. The mountains block the orange and pink of a rising sun. But, at about 7:55 when I'd be walking through the gates of Vaucanson, the sun would start to crest over a mountain and clean yellow sunlight would touch the old walls of the former seminary.
It was gorgeous.
© 2006
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