musings

Yes, another post in less than 24 hours. Lucky, you!

I guess I should start out with a disclaimer saying that this post doesn't mean that I don't like this year's assistants, because it is in no way that.

It's just that lately, I've been really missing the assistants of years' past. I've been craving for the antics of the Chauny Cinq from my first year. We never had a dull moment or an evening alone. We were a crazy little family. Or last year's foursome where we had teatime and spent the weekends cracking each other up. Whether it be at our (lack of) culinary skills, some crazy video, or some bizarre towns person. We had fun.

This year, I dread the weekends that I used to look forward to all week. I just know that they're going to be several days of staring at my walls, refreshing Facebook endlessly all night, etc., because we are doing absolutely nothing. At least during the week, I have classes, my students, and the surveillants and teachers to entertain me, but then the weekend arrives... and nothing. I'm not saying I want to go out all the time like we did the other years, because let's face it, Cuba has never been a prize, and this year, it's even less. I just miss the nights of discussing things over a bottle of wine and laughing over the latest thing someone got themselves into. Yes, I do also miss the nights where we did go out or have a party or at least something! Chauny used to be the town other assistants were jealous to not be in. Not because the town itself was extraordinary, but because we were the fun assistants who knew how to have a good time. We were always host to other assistants and such. I miss that so much.

I met so many of my friends by leaving the four walls of my room. It's not easy for a young American girl to meet the right kind of people here if she goes out alone in this town. Trust me on that one. And yes, other friendships have grown, like that with C. On the other hand, I feel like others have declined such as with M., because my presence in the evenings is much less if anything at all. I run into him all the time at La Rotonde, but he's always with his friends, and I'm with Roxy who he's not friends with like he was the others, so we're both less inclined to pass more than a fleeting moment together. That makes me sad, because we used to spend hours talking.

So yes, I'm all nostalgic and missing the past.

In happier news, I've been talking to and spending time lately with another assistant Anne who is pretty much having the same feelings about her life in Soissons. That's part of the reason why we were so thrilled to get out of town and go to Paris last Saturday. And then, this weekend, I might be joining her at her friend's party who she's been trying to introduce me to. They called me last night to see if I wanted to get dinner with them, but of course, I had already eaten an hour before. Sad.