Just a warning, this is probably going to be a very long post.
Thursday night, C. told us that he was going to try very hard to hang out with us Saturday night. Still, I tried not to get my hopes up too much. When talking on MSN later that night, he even brought it up again. And there were also apparently lots of problems in the Internat (dorm) that night. No fun.
Friday, I was at the school from 8am until 5pm instead of my usual 3:30. How does that always happen to me?? I also listened to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" more times than I can count. Still, it was a very good day.
It started out with my torturous two hours with the older BTSers. C. came in to interrupt as always. After he left, a few of the boys started making fun of him. That's nothing unusual for them, and I am often on the receiving end of their teasing. And that day was no different. One of them goes and says "Attention, elle l'aime" (Careful, she likes him). All the boys turn to look at me. I'm just like "Wait, quoi?" The ones who live here then go on to discuss how C. and I have something going on. Uhh... huh? C. and I weren't aware of that fact. Leave it to my BTSers to find a way to embarrass me. It's like a routine Friday activity now.
All my other classes were a blur of Christmas carols. After the one recreation time, the TGM all tried to beg me to come to their class. They even asked Claude why he always hogs me. We both said it wasn't our decision. They then tried to just stay with us for English. I'm sure they were very pleasant to their teacher that afternoon since they learned she was the reason I never come. Oops.
Anyway, after what should have been my last class (which involved a hilarious speech on colors and pens by Claude to C. in English - which C. told me later he mostly understood!), Claude kept me on a bit to work on some French speaking skills. Soon after, the new BTS showed up. Only two out of the five (six?) showed. One being D., the student who lives down the hall some weekends. I asked if I should stay, since I never have, because he doesn't really need me with them. I was told to stay. Great. I didn't want to stay with them ever, because I'm technically friends with D. It actually went really well though. D. jumped in right away on the whole "Torture Shannon" thing, but he was also really helpful. When class was over, we all got up to leave. Claude told me that I had to stay for another half an hour to work on my French. He extended the invitation to the students. The one decided to stay. D. sort of looked reluctantly at the door before choosing to stay with us as well. He told me later that he was surprised, because he never would have considered ever doing that.
Friday evening, I went to a Christmas market at one of the primary schools Roxy works at. We could only stand the hoards of kids for about ten minutes before deciding to get a drink at La Rotonde. Back at the school, we met up with D. for an "apero" in his room. First thing I notice is that he has a matela propped up. He said that C. was probably going to stay the next night! It was almost sure now! The three of us had a nice dinner of pizza before D. and I headed to Cuba. We didn't stay long though because we were both exhausted and D. spent all his money in the first hour. So like him.
Saturday, after a yummy lunch at La Rotonde, I attempted to watch the K&K podcast live. My computer didn't appreciate that feat too much. Also, after not hearing from C. all day, I was beginning to think that he had decided to return home to St. Quentin. Just as I was leaving to go back down into town, I connected to MSN on my phone. He signed in as well and messaged me saying he was in fact in town! So he met up with us for a drink in my room. We chatted a bunch (which led for heading out at 10pm in search of dinner), and he told us about how he could really understand and speak English after spending time in Denmark. He said he can still understand a lot of clearly spoken English but has trouble speaking it. Aww, I love when he tries to speak English.
Finally, C., Roxy, and I went out for Chinese food. On the way to the restaurant, we started singing Christmas carols (very badly) in the streets. I'm sure people thought we were crazy. Dinner was yummy though, and C. made me try some of his Thai soup thing which was delicious. He also tried to teach me to use chopsticks. While (with some help from him) I was able to hold and move them correctly, I couldn't quite master the art of picking up the food. Chopsticks are not for the uncoordinated. I only succeeded once or twice before I was given permission to use my fork.
We headed back up to the school afterward to drop off Roxy and pick up D. before going to the bar. The three of us had a nice time there, and it was sad that it closed so early. Never fear, the three of us stayed up playing cards, listening to music, and such in my room (after having to change from D.'s since we were too loud for the neighbor) until after 4am. C. made D. be a gentleman and sit on my awful desk chair so I could be on the bed, so he was not too thrilled, but it would have been hard to play the game with all three of us on the bed. D. was also not too thrilled that he kept losing.
Sunday, including me braving the cold to air out my room some (being friends with smokers is not good), we all had a very late start. C. was the worst. He didn't drag himself up for the promised coffee until after 3pm. He just came into my room and plopped himself on my bed, leaving me just a tiny spot on my own bed. I practically had to sit on top of him! Served him right when he misjudged his plopping space and smacked his head into the wall! We talked some over coffee, and I made a passing reference to my birthday, so he asked when it was, and then said the obviously he'd be here for it. Yay!
Since stores are open in town for Christmas shopping, La Rotonde was also open on a Sunday! C., Roxy, and I (D. was too distracted by his MSN) spent the rest of the afternoon there, drinking warm beverages, eating yummy waffles and crepes, and playing cards. All in all, such a nice Sunday. It flew by with having C. here and La Rotonde open. We've also decided just to kidnap C., so he has to always hang out with us. LOL.
Today, I have nothing to do (which is why you all graced with such a long detailed post). I'm going to go down later and buy my train ticket for St. Quentin on Wednesday. Usually, I don't buy it in advance, but I don't want to worry about having time to do it while herding the students there. Roxy has also come down with some kind of bug, so I'm hoping that I don't get it nor that C. got it. If he's sick on Wednesday, that leaves me and one other woman to deal with the kids. And I did not signup for that. I'm the "surprise" not the chaperone.
And I guess that is all for now. I'm sure very few people actually read this whole thing, so I should just shut up now.
Oh yeah, did I mention it's freezing out?? Winter has finally hit Picardie!
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