Updates!

I am now officially on vacation for two weeks. And I've officially been paid by the French government. I feel like I have done precisely nothing to merit being paid - but I'm not going to argue with that. Lots going on, and I'll probably put up a post tomorrow or Monday with pictures (again, internet is too slow to do it from home - I need to go to a bar to use their wifi and do it there), but here are a couple random thoughts/musings/updates.

1. It got really cold here today. I bought a croissant with chocolate in it at the market today and the chocolate had hardened inside the croissant. I am not looking forward to the winter here. It can apparently get down to -18 C. I still have no concept of Celsius - but a converter says that's even in the negatives of Fahrenheit. Great.

2. I'm going to start tutoring the children of one of the teachers at the school. I'll do it once a week once we get back from vacation. They are a boy and a girl, ages 10 and 7, and when I met them they were so polite and so cute. I'm looking forward to hanging out with young kids again. Plus it will give me an opportunity to speak French with real French people.

3. Katie and I walked for more than two hours today along the river. We came across French kids playing organized rugby. Reminded me of being at home and kids playing soccer. Just more violent - and more use of hands.

4. I was almost painfully American at the market this morning. I went in yoga pants, running shoes, and a plain casual black coat (over a Redskins T-shirt). Everyone over the age of two was dressed better than me.

5. Speaking of the Redskins, I am still dying over here without American football, particularly without my RGIII and Peyton Manning fixes. Whew. Rough season to be missing football...

6. Boy do the French eat a whole lot of bread.

Tomorrow I am going out to see another town and possibly a castle in the countryside. Catherina, a German assistant, has a car here, so some of us are going to try to go out and see what's outside of Perigueux. Just need to hope that the sun makes an appearance tomorrow!