Second day of class...

So, today, the 2nd day of class, I was late again. No bus strikes this time, just me not realizing that the bus in this neighborhood only comes every half hour. So, I was 6 minutes late for class. I am beginning to get the reputation of being the late one which is so ironic since I am at work at 7:35 on most days. Class did seem a lot longer, though, being there for the full 3 1/2 hrs. At any rate, that is going pretty well. I had a rather embarassing verb conjugation situation at the board today. A verb I had never heard of (and now can't remember, should have written that down) that has three roots and I got them all wrong (and in the present tens, yikes!) AND no one in the class jumped in to help which I am assuming is because they didn't have a clue either, at least I hope that is why.
This afternoon has been my first at home and it was great. Hilda took a nap, I worked on planning a trip for this weekend, Vinicio helped Claude (host dad) in the yard building an above-ground swimming pool out of cement blocks!?!? I am wondering how this this is going to hold water and not fall over. I doubt I'll get to see that before we leave.
Anyway, all is well. Hilda is getting used to things (and not acting up quite as much as when we first arrived), Vinicio and Claude seem to be getting along well building and repairing things and I am just fine.

OK, so I just wrote a decent-sized post that was erased. I guess I hit the self-destruct button. So now I have to decide if I want to write what I already wrote once. And I am noticing that this doesn't automatically correct spelling.....hmmmmm. Well, we are in Pau now. The weather has been crap since yesterday, I think that Vinicio is happy that I made him bring a jacket (which he didn't think he needed). Today was the first day of class. Class was fine, really great, actually. The problem is that I was a bit more than an hour late. Why, you ask? Well, there is a bus strike today in France (apparently not just here in Pau but there didn't seem to be any news about striking bus drivers on the TV so either it is only in Pau or an entire country without busses is not news). And my class started at 8:30am (earlier than it will be for the rest of the summer). So, I left my house at 7:30 sharp to walk to class. Well, I got going the wrong way, didn't figure it out for anout 40 minutes, had to call my host mom to bail me out, but she had to take the kids to school (which is why she didn't just give me a ride today in the first place). I sat for about 15 minutes in a far-off parking lot, she brought me downtown (not all the way to the University because she had many things to do) and assured me that there WOULD be a bus at some point. And, in fact, eventually a bus did come and I did make it to class. So, on the first day of class the study abroad advisor was an hour late. Great professionalism, non? AND I am the one who should be able to navigate cultural cues and foreign situations with ease. Well, I did get there and I was able to tell my host mam where I was over the phone in French (after being lost for 40 minutes). All in all, a learning experience, not one I hope to repeat.

Liz

Getting ready to go

In true Liz and Vinicio form we are overly unprepared for leaving home in less than 24 hours. We have managed to figure out a housesitter and lawn mower, still missing packing and shopping for whatever we need (which is unknown because we haven't gotten to that yet). I am thinking that we will just push through as late as necessary tonight and then be extra tired for sleeping on the flight. Hilda has picked out the clothes that she wants to bring which is a wildly random batch. We'll see how much I care when we are actually packing.

I am going to be bold and set a goal of blogging every other day while we are gone. Let's see how that works out! Of course, now that I've actually published that it is more of a challenge. Bring it on blogging, I am ready for anything!