Vacances

Where to start. I just finished up my two week vacation on Sunday and I'm back in Marvejols teaching. I'll start from the beginning. Two fridays ago we celebrated Halloween early as many people were traveling for vacation and would not be able to participate. Being in France, I obviously didn't have a costume so I used the resources I had: black clothes. So, I was a funeral go-er, une funebre en francais, je crois. It worked alright but it definitely wasn't my finest costume. They next day there was a free Joan Baez concert in the main park in Montpellier. We brought a picnic and camped out early to get good seats. It was an amazing show! So epic to see such a legend, though we were probably the youngest people in the audience. The rest of that week was spent relaxing in Montpellier, saving what little money we all have left and singing in the streets. Yes, I sang in the streets with my friend Lisa. We made 15 euros! Enough for lunch and dinner, success!

One of Lisa's friends from home (Boston) is currently working on organic farms around Spain and France and had a plane disaster, so she joined us as well in Montpellier. We three decided to trek over to Barcelona for the weekend. What an incredible city! We stayed in three hostels trying to find the best deals and discover new parts of the city. We stayed right on the main strip of Barcelona, La Rambla for two nights. It was 75 degrees and sunny everyday! We did most of the tourist-y stuff, but we didn't have too much time! Sagrada Familia was indescribable, the Picasso Museum was fantastic and the tapas and sangria were delicious. We didn't have the classic "night out" in Barcelona where you stay up until 7am, we're too old to handle that. Instead we sat down by the port enjoying the weather and the water and chatting. I would definitely return to Barcelona to explore more.

The worst pickpocket on the planet: So, on our first day in Barcelona we were exploring the markets on la Rambla. While looking at bunnies, apparently some woman reached in my purse and took something. Don't worry, refer to the title of this sidenote. After gawking at the bunnies, I turned and saw a toothless woman standing next to me smiling. I looked down at her purse and I see my camera case hanging out of her purse. It's bright green and Vera Bradley, pretty obviously mine. She proceeds to just stand there looking at me so I snatched it back, grabbed her purse and checked that she hadn't taken anything else. Mind you, my camera wasn't even in the case. This means that this woman stole a $5 camera case with nothing in it and allowed herself to not only get caught but searched as well. No word for this idiocy.

We returned to Montpellier on Monday after a longgg day of traveling. The next day we participated in a pub quiz night where our team tied for first! Mind you the only thing I contributed related to economics and american football. Sweet. On Wednesday, I took a day trip to a BEAUTIFUL coastal town 20 minutes south of Montpellier called Sete; it was like a mediterranean Venice, but way cooler. The rest of the week I spent hanging out with my friends and enjoying the weather in Montpellier.

On Sunday, I made the five hour trek back to Marvejols where it has really turned into winter. Teaching is going well, though the kids can be real punks sometimes and they often don't understand a word I say. I'm planning on staying Marvejols this weekend, we'll see how that goes. Ahhh la Lozere.

note: I didn't spell check this. I'm too lazy right now.