The other day I was sitting in the station and had one of those pinch-yourself-to-see-if-it’s-real moments. This occasionally happens here. I was watching the world go by waiting for my train and had to remind myself that yes, I was sitting in a French station and yes, I’d managed to set up home in France for several months and yes, I was off to teach in a school. It felt so normal yet so surreal. I had sudden feeling of dauntedness, but then proceeded to remind myself that I needed to shed that feeling because I’m used to my job and am capable of the role.
I’ve had a very busy time since Anne and Liz’s visit. In fact, this last week I’ve hardly eaten on my own which has been great, though does show I’ve been doing a lot (probably too much, but I wanted to make the most of what came my way). On Wednesday evening I went out for dinner with the English teachers from Armentières and we went to a lovely little crêperie in Vieux Lille. It had a really homely atmosphere, though we were quite squashed in and behind us was a rather loud bunch of men, which didn’t help my comprehension. There is a famous cheese in this region which is called Maroilles, and the teachers made me try some Maroilles sauce to see if I liked it. I’m not a lover of strong cheeses, and this one’s quite strong. I was happy to try it as I’d heard about it and seen it around, but unfortunately I didn’t like it, so with the expectant eyes of five French people on me, I wrinkled up my nose at the taste! They chuckled and one of them said ‘Once English, always English!’ I’m sure there are some English people who would love it, it’s just my cheese palate isn’t that advanced.
On Friday evening, I met up with Marie, her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s brother (Marie is my friend who currently lives in Bordeaux who comes to see her boyfriend now and again). We had a raclette meal (potatoes with melted cheese and assorted cold meats) round at her boyfriend’s brother’s flat and then went bowling. Here came a cultural shock, because we only started eating around 9.15/30pm and when we finished it was around 11.10pm and they said ‘So are we going bowling then?’ I was convinced the bowling alley would be shut or shutting, and the others weren’t sure either, but we walked in at around 11.30pm and everything was still in full swing! We had one game and then another which were very enjoyable, but suffice to say, I had a late night…and the bowling alley is open to a very late hour!
On Saturday evening I went out to a restaurant followed by hanging out at someone’s house to celebrate the birthday of a friend from Christ Church (The English-speaking one), which was a lot of fun and good conversations were had.
Since the New Year, I’ve started helping out at Christ Church’s youth group which takes place on a Sunday afternoon. There are two other leaders, James and Anne-Marie, and so far I’ve met seven young people who attend. It’s a really nice group and we spend around an hour playing games and then around an hour focusing on a topic looking at the Bible and doing activities related to it.
I have a lot of things to think about at the moment. My year abroad project (which I’m not sure I’ve mentioned yet), the summer, and housing for next year are all important things to sort out and potentially quite stressful, so I’d appreciate prayer for those if you can.
Fiona x
I know what you mean by the 'pinch-yourself-to-see-if-it’s-real' feeling, that's happened to me a lot too! Hope you're not too stressed and will keep u in me prayers. Speak real soon, probs Sunday. Ya :)
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