Here to stay

As I made my way to La Rochelle on Tuesday I felt like a bumbling idiot. Trying to board a moving escalator with two large suitcases was nearly life threatening. I tried many fruitless maneuvers including putting one suitcase on the track first to fare on it's own, and then jumping on behind it with the other suitcase in tow. Of course the first suitcase tips over and almost takes out the man in front of me. I was so out of sorts it was laughable, but he didn't seem to think it was funny. As a sleepless foreigner with absolutely no grace, the French seemed far too smooth, efficient and quiet.

When I finally got on my train to Poitiers (unabashedly following a couple with Harley-Davidson Poitiers t-shirts), I could not find my seat or a place to put my luggage. This made everyone seem even quieter. My exhausted insecurity roared like a car alarm. These things happen, I suppose, and I eventually sat down and took deep breaths as the train whirred [quietly] over the tracks and the green countryside passed by.

I then realized that though I was a little stressed I was in no way homesick or regretful. I have never had the feeling of choosing to leave a place I love to go far away to live on my own. This should have happened when I started college but Oregon is Oregon. It should also be a bit scary, not having the choice of driving 4 hours down the I-5 to visit home or being able to flirt with the idea of transferring.

Instead, I have found great comfort in the fact that I will be here for a long time. There is no valid question of whether not this arrangement will work out or not; I must make it work out. This is liberating in a way, as I don't have to pass judgment, figure everything out immediately, or closely monitor my progress. I am here, and I am here to stay. This might seem stifling to some, but emotionally it reassures me, as if this thick block of time were some kind of physical support.

If you read my first blog entry, however, you probably picked up on the fact that this support isn't extremely necessary, as I have walked into a truly amiable situation. Katia and I are still [I would hope] getting along well, and I think I will be able to rent my room long term (yay for no apartment hunting, hefty deposit or a potentially long trek to downtown). Yesterday afternoon I visited Josue Valin, the high school where I will work for the majority of the week, starting Tuesday. I met Isa, the woman who I've been in contact with this summer. She is extremely welcoming and introduced me to the school and the other teachers, who all seem very friendly (sorry that's all I've got so far).

Isabelle suggested that I go to Collége Beauregard, the middle school where I will teach at 3 hours a week, today to "present myself." I wouldn't have guessed, but is an uncomfortable idea to an American to just show up without notice. I asked if I should call or email first to know what time I should go and they said no, why would I do that? It is far better just to drop by.

And of course they were right. Everyone at Beauregard was expecting me.

On my trek back from Beaurgard I was at least able to get some pretty pics (the story of Katia's bike falling apart as I wove through the narrow streets of Centre Ville is another, kind of boring story).