Spring Break 2012!!

Spring Break '12! It is finally upon us! Can't wait to go to the beach and get my tan on in...Scotland. Yes, for my April vacation, rather than search a locale with balmy, tropical beaches, I've chosen to head thousands of miles north for one last blast of winter. I just could not get enough of that arctic air during this winter's record cold temperatures, so I thought I would search it out one more time.

Now while this is reason enough to go to Scotland, the real motivation for me is to stay at my friend Toby's house. He is another assistant here in Vannes and has graciously offered to move the party from Vannes to his house outside Glasgow. His girlfriend Louise, also an assistant in Vannes, and another assistant Laura, will all be there to welcome me and my friend from camp, Asaf. Asaf is arriving in Vannes this Saturday, and then we spend the next two weeks together trekking through France, England, and Scotland. At the end of our trip, we will swing over to Holland and meet up with Eli, my old college roommate, in Amsterdam. After spending one night and two full days there, Eli and I come back to Vannes. It is sure to be a whirlwind tour and a fantastic trip-provided I don't blow all my remaining paycheck during the festivities.

While I cannot be more excited for my trip, it does underscore the very sad fact that the end of my year in France is quickly drawing to its close. Toby and company will finish their work at the start of the vacation and are going home for good. So while this makes it possible to come visit them in the UK, it does mean that they are moving away from France. And while I look forward to our time together in the coming week, I dread the end of it shortly after. We have developed quite a close group of teaching assistants here. We are all each other's family in France, and weekends pass where we spend nearly all of our time together.

The past few weekends have been as such. With temperatures soaring to the mid-70s ( 20s for you Celsius users), we have spent as much time as possible enjoying the beautiful springtime sunshine. Eating outdoors, drinking beer outdoors, walking outdoors. But that's about as physical as it gets. This past weekend we took a day-long cruise around the scenic Gulf of Morbihan. Aside from the fact that we were the only participants under fifty, it was one of the best Saturdays I have spent here. Great company, beautiful weather, and a stop on a wonderful island community named Ile Aux Moines.

House on Ile aux Moines

All this time spent talking about my leisure time activities, and not a word about school. Perhaps you can see where my thoughts are at. The last few weeks at work have passed swiftly, though they have seemed more like time-fillers in between great weekends. That said, most of my time over this last work period has been spent in Terminale classes, who are the oldest students in the school. As part of their graduation requirements, they must take an English oral exam following strict criteria and administered by their teachers. So while the English teachers have been taking students one-on-one for this exam, I have been handling many of their classes. The results are mixed, and not surprisingly, my feelings about my position change after each hour of class, depending on how it went.

With my time in France winding down, and with my next two weeks spent on vacation, I have also started the incredibly complex process of closing down my life here in Vannes. As France is noted for its amazing grasp of bureaucracy, I have decided that I want no surprises during my last week here when I return from travelling. So this week I have spent my free time drawing up lists of every account that needs to be closed, and then visiting or calling each item on the list to determine what needs to be done. And as I feared, my life is going to be quite difficult to close up here but at least I am now forewarned and know what I am facing.

The Frisbee Team

After spending today knocking off items on my list, it is high time I go enjoy the start of my last vacation in France. My days of having two weeks off every eight weeks are disappearing before my eyes, so as the French say, "il faut profiter!" (roughly, "Get on it!") With that, I bid you au revoir, and I will check in at least one more time before I head back to America.

Tommy




P.S. Link to my last article for Like the Dew: http://likethedew.com/2012/03/30/mcdonalds-an-american-institution-in-france/