So Roxy's visit went very very well. We both had a good time, and I was sad to see her go. She got in Wednesday night while we were at Hannah's student J.'s place for fondue. J. was nice enough to drive me to the station so I could easily meet her minus a long walk. Then, we all enjoyed an evening of good food, drinks, games, and amazing company. It was my first time ever trying fondue, and I must admit that despite losing my piece of bread many a time in the cheese, I enjoyed it.
Thursday, after making a batch of Rice Krispies Treats, Roxy and I braved the rain and the 50mph winds and made our way to Lille. We had lunch at a creperie before wandering the shops and trying to show Roxy as much as I could of Lille despite the weather. Needless to say, the weather finally got the better of us and we returned to Valenciennes looking like wet dogs. After a yummy dinner at Cafe de Paris in town, we met up with Hannah and two others for a chill evening.
Bright and early Friday morning, we were off to Chauny. After a few very close connections, we finally arrived in Chauny. We wandered the streets, running into a few acquaintances, and feeling we were back home, before heading to lunch at La Rotonde. We couldn't wait for our yummy lunch when the server (who knows us) came over and told us that there's a new chef and the menu had changed! Lunch was still good, we just couldn't have what we originally wanted. Sad times. It must have just changed because a lot of people seemed confused.
After lunch, we walked up to the lycee and soon ran into C. who did not fail to disappoint in his craziness. He practically tackled me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek when I gave him the keychain I picked up in Amsterdam. C. also broke out into "Luck You" (to the tune of Lily Allen's oh so appropriate song). Apparently, he remembers the joke between us of when he thought it was "Like You", but apparently he does not remember his exact mistake. LOL. We caught up on each others' news (and explained for the millionth time that there is a difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland), and then the proviseur joined us in the conversation.
All of a sudden, the proviseur started going on about how he couldn't believe it and how you couldn't compare the two. When I asked what, he said my French. He then started to compliment my French and how much it's improved since the very beginning and how I now easily slip in slang and contemporary words/phrases. C. readily agreed and said that the same is true for my writing, and in fact, I write better than some French people. He also said that I can use abbreviations and understand them. By this time, I was about thirteen shades of red.
Next up, we went to see A. I can never not smile when talking with him. And of course, he was thrilled for the Rice Krispies Treats. We then spent quite awhile with Claude and some of his classes. When I told him that he has prepared me well for my new English classes, he was ecstatic. He even brought it up when his wife walked into the room. He just kept going on and on. I think the new assistant, Mike, is seriously scared by now.
Finally escaping Claude, we went back to the surveillant office to say bye to our guys. We had a nice little conversation that included A. being clueless, C. pulling Roxy's hair (he thought the bright colors in it were extensions), and just our guys being major sweethearts in general. I really didn't want to say goodbye.
We met up with most of the other assistants in town and our friend Erika came down from St. Quentin, and we all had some drinks together back at La Rotonde where the server asked me to introduce the new generation to him. Good times. Lastly, we bought kebabs from our old haunt, and the nice family tried to convince us to move back. Oh, if only I could. After some more very close calls, we made it back to Val where we had a nice chilled night with Hannah and others.
I felt really sad leaving Chauny. Last time, I knew I'd be coming back in November. Now, with my new Friday class, I don't know when the next time will be. It broke my heart. I miss Chauny. I really do. Not that I don't like Val, because that's not the case, but I just really miss my friends. A lot.
Saturday morning, we set out in the torrential downpour for Roxy's train. I was sad to see her go. I really enjoyed having her around. Luckily, Hannah is awesome, and the two of us had a very good evening last night. Of course, my students are everywhere in this town, and it was next to impossible for me to have a drink without a bunch of them popping up to talk to me. One student even came up to me, said he saw me at the exam, and admitted that he doesn't know whose class he's actually in. Oh boy.
And I guess that's about it for now. Tomorrow, back to class. I have to do an extra half hour from now until the end of January to make up for the classes that were missed when the university was closed for the holiday two weeks ago. WTF? This kind of thing does not happen in the States.
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