Chasing the French Sun: Miscellaneous February thoughts

I don't know the proper name for it, but there's a feeling that you get when you leave a place and return to it after a period of time where everything kind of finally feels familiar. For me, this has happened in college, in numerous places in Appalachia, and now France. It always takes me by surprise (in a good way) and always makes me feel like I belong right where I am at that time. Leaving home is always hard for me, but coming back to a new "home", however complicated and temporary that home may be, is a good feeling.

Coming back to France after being home was much different than it was 6 months ago when I was first setting out. This time around, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, the good, bad, and ugly. I was nervous, anxious, and upset for different reasons than the first time. But I got back, fought the jet lag, and was back into my routine before I knew it. I didn't forget how to drive a manual car in the time I was home, and the baguette prices were the same as when I left them. Driving the streets, taking the boys to school, saying "bonjour" to my mom friends and the ladies at the bakery and the post office finally felt normal, and that felt good.

In random day to day news, I started a new french class. I felt like I wasn't learning enough in the old classes to justify all the money I was spending on them. If I had been learning a lot, I wouldn't have minded paying...but I wasn't. And Lord knows that money can go toward better things, like EasyJet flights and pain au chocolats. Anyway, these new classes are also in Annecy, which means they're still 50 minutes from the house, but ils sont gratuit. They are free. Well, besides the 20 euro donation. But i'll take it! They're at a church, and from what I have assumed, which could be completely wrong, the men and women who teach the classes probably go to the church and volunteer their time to do this. There is a different teacher every day, but the same day each week. So I've still been going on Tuesdays and Thursdays (you know how I hate to have a routine interrupted), and have seen the same instructors each time. And so far so good! I feel like I'm learning helpful things, the teachers speak slowly, and the class is quite an eclectic bunch, so the teacher can't just revert to english to try to get the point across. Everybody is just speaking french. Sometimes, a lot of hand motions are required.

Just like at home, it has also been snowing here a lot...way more than my liking. I'm a firm believer that the true test of a place is its winter, meaning if you can enjoy a place in the winter than you will enjoy it the rest of the year. Some days I do enjoy the winter here, but others I am so ready for it to be over. I mean, the mountains have been really beautiful, I can't deny that, and I do enjoy an excuse to wear big scarfs and drink lots of hot cocoa, but for like a month. And in practical terms, the snow and the cold just make everything so inconvenient. Take it from me, snowy mountain roads are no fun. It's been a constant state of clouds and snow since I've been back, and I'm very ready for the next month to pass so we can move onto Spring. However, I am looking forward to skiing next week. The boys have two more weeks off school (don't even get me started...) and for the first week we are all going skiing in the French Alps. The resort is actually only about an hour away. The second week I'll be on full time duty with them for the week, and while I may want to pull all my hair out by the end of the week, that will mean a little bit more money for me, which is always a good thing.

Nice pictures also come out of winter weather: