Although my work in the office may sound relaxing, we have very full days. Work starts with a breakfast meeting at 8 AM. My bedroom is off of the kitchen so I wake up at 7:42, brush my teeth, wash my face, thrown on some clothing, and walk down the stairs. I was spoiled this past semester, with my earliest class beginning at 10:50, so this has been a hard adjustment. Our meetings typically last until 8:20 or 8:30 at which point students have begun arriving and we can begin our day.
Each week we receive one day off. Because some weekends we work Friday night, all-day Saturday, and Sunday morning, our days off are greatly appreciated. The past two weeks I have had absolutely incredible days off.
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, my host mom has been eager to spend time with me and she asked me to let her know when my days off would be. I called her on Monday at midday after I found out which day I would have off, and although she had a meeting to go to, she suggested we go for a run in the morning. She came and picked me up at 8:40 and drove me back to her village. We left the car at the house and then ran down to the beach and ran on the road along the beach. We ran somewhere around 5 mile, though the pace was a bit slow. My host mom was huffing and puffing a bit, but I kept up a conversation in French with her throughout about the cost of college, the American tertiary education system, and the state of the economy in the US.
The day had dawned impeccably, with the sky a deep cerulean blue and only a few clouds dotting the mountaintops. I knew that I had to bike, so when I got home after our run, I relaxed for a bit reading, made a picnic lunch, packed my backpack (with a bathing suit) and hopped on my bike. Although I could have spent the afternoon at the beach in our village, I had been captivated by a beach on the far shores of the lake. The piste cyclable, which runs the majority of the way around the lake, is stunning on the western bank of lake. It is within a few minutes of the lake for the majority of its length and at mile 12 - the halfway point for going around the lake from Talloires - there was an expansive grass beach. The beach was not what had so captivated me, but rather the color of the water. I am not sure why, but the water on the western side of the lake is a vastly different color from the water on our side. I have two guesses as to why this may be the case. 1) The wind around the lake is most often blowing towards the east, pushing water that way and thus drawing up more minerals from the bottom on the western side. The rocks in this region are all limestone which is rich in calcium, causing the lake to maintain its Caribbean-like color. 2) The western side of the lake is home to the more marshy areas which do wonders for the lake and are vital to its purity. Perhaps the presence of these reeds means that the water is in fact cleaner on that side. Whatever the reason, one may as well be in the Caribbean when swimming on that far side.
I rode my bike - a bit more slowly than if I had been going for a ride - around the southern edge of the lake towards this beach. This was the first time I had biked with my camera here so I had to get out along the way and take some pictures.
I got a few weird looks along the piste, but then again, usually I'm the one giving snotty looks to tourists so I figured it was okay to have a bit of a reversal of roles.
I finally arrived at the beach where I lay out my blanket, took out my book, and basked in the sunshine. I am extremely chicken about getting in the water, so regardless of the aqua turquoise blue color and of the 80 degree day, I spent over ten minutes slowly slowly slowly, step by step, inch by inch, getting in. Once I finally got in it was totally fine, of course - not cold at all, completely comfortable, and I could have stayed in for hours. Except going to the beach alone is not the most fun. Not just because there is no one there to share everything with, but also because when one has brand new expensive bicycles with them, they are jumpy, anxious, and can imagine what it will be like having children. (Although luckily my bike does not move independently of humans).
After my swim (third and final part of the day's reverse triathlon), I ate my lunch and then slept. I was awakened by a family of swans and cygnets strolling up onto the grassy beach. Bikin-clad women were being awakened by their husbands left and right as the white birds made their way to drier ground. The papa swan was looking out for his family by hissing, blowing up his feathers, shaking his tushy, and flapping his wings at any people unlucky enough to be in their path.
I napped for a bit longer and then biked back to the Priory, albeit a bit more slowly than I had gone that morning. Although I did not race any of the events I participated in that day, it's a great feeling knowing you've exercised in several different ways.
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It will suffice to say that not every day off is as active as the day of my reverse triathlon. This past week's day off entailed seeing two friends whom I had not seen for over two years.
My high school runs several different exchange programs with sister schools around Western Europe and it was the French Exchange Program that enhanced and cemented my connection to France. I hosted a student in 2008, went on the trip in 2009, and then hosted another student in 2010. I had met this last student while on the exchange in 2009 and as she is Jewish and it was Passover when she would be in the States, I requested to host her (Pesach or no Pesach, however, I would have still requested her).
It just so happened that this student's best friend was being hosted by my little sister's best friend. The connection worked well - especially considering we are neighbors - and our student, LaBr, fell immediately and naturally into our family patterns and rhythms.
We have been in touch throughout the past two years since she was in Massachusetts, and I let her know that I'd be in France this summer. It didn't seem plausible that I'd be able to get to Valence to see her, but she emailed at the beginning of last week, announcing that she and her best friend (the one who had stayed with my sister's best friend) would be visiting Annecy on Thursday and did that work for me. Lo and behold Thursday was my day off so I happily wrote back to her, thrilled that I'd be able to spend the day with them.
I took the bus into Annecy, arriving around 12:30, and met them in the downtown area. We all commented how none of us had changed at all. I asked if they'd prefer to speak French or English for the day and they asked to speak French, explaining that it had been quite some time since they had really spoken English. I explained that my French was rusty too, but within an hour or so, I felt completely comfortable again.
We went out for lunch and spent a lovely afternoon together, riding a pedal boat around Lac d'Annecy, eating ice cream, walking around talking. We covered every topic, sharing French and American perspectives and acting shocked at each other's unexpected answers.
We spoke about the outrageous price tag on private college education in the states and about how in liberal arts we do not have to choose a major until sophomore year. I explained my majors, minor, and concentrations to them and when they asked what I would do with those areas of study, I responded that I was unsure, but that something would come my way.
For the French, who choose a spécialité at the beginning of their sophomore year of high school, the idea of still not being on a set track at age 20 is foreign (and paying $52,000 a year on top of that). LaBr asked me, "So basically you're paying $200,000 to go to high school again?" That question really made me think, but what I think is hard to express is how Americans are moving away from lifelong carriers and how a liberal arts education, while each student focuses on a specific area, is mainly teaching a student how to think critically and carefully and how to engage in an educated manner with the world around them.
After a compelling and thought-provoking afternoon, I was sorry to see the girls go when I kissed and hugged them goodbye on the train platform. We get along so well - especially LaBr and myself and we made sure the other would say hello to their parents for each of us.
I hope that perhaps I will be able to see LaBr and her best friend later on in the summer, but alas, I am unsure as to whether or not this will be possible. For the time being, we'll continue to write emails and check up on each other through photos on facebook.
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My next day off, occurring tomorrow, promises to be the most exciting. I'm planning on sleeping in and then driving into Annecy around 11:20 whereupon I will meet my mother at the train station! I am unbelievably excited to welcome my mother to this exquisite region of France that I am calling home for the second summer.
I will try to post more as she and I adventure around the region.
