I arrived in my new hometown on the 27th, and immediately fell in love. Talk about picturesque! Each building painted in variations of the same golden and rose hues and adorned with classically French wooden shutters in bright blues, greens, and reds. My new apartment is probably my most adorable one yet, split on three levels (kitchen at entry, living room and office, and bedroom/bathroom at top). C’est tout petit… that is to say, small but cozy.
The vibrantly blue shutters and multicolored shower tiles are the icing on the cake; while it may sound a bit odd, in a way, they make my day every time I see them. My landlords (a middle aged couple) are two more of the most welcoming people I have met so far. I pay 300euros per month for the heat, electricity, water and rent, which is not entirely horrible in comparison to what I paid in the states, or what others have paid in the states for a room with a sink and refrigerator. It is in a small town, sure, but 5 minutes walking to my job, 2 minutes from the Laundromat, and 7 minutes from the large town grocery store (3 minutes from the bank, local boulangerie, and épicerie). I absolutely love the feeling of coming home to my own place for a change. I am sure it will get lonely at times, being as this is the first time in my life that I will be living completely alone. But I will have plenty of good old quality time with myself.
I went wandering about Lorgues upon my arrival, attempting to get to know the spider web layout of the medieval town, and after thinking I was completely lost, found that in an hour and a half, I had walked almost the entire periphery and made it home safe and sound. It is an easy place to wander and an easy place to let oneself get lost in the history of the surrounding buildings. There are plaques everywhere from the 12th and 13th centuries, and these buildings, rather than lying in ruins are still in active use as housing or storefronts.
I checked in with my High School to put a face to my name and also in hopes of getting paperwork out of the way. I knew I was a good bit anxious, but felt that there was nothing I could do but smile and try to keep up with conversation the best I could. They were surprisingly warm and welcoming, with an air of… (who would have guessed it?)…”C’est normale!” I actually think those words were uttered by one of the English professors as he gave me a tour of the school. It is absolutely enormous… though I suppose no bigger than Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights. There are 850 students in the high school and 700 in the middle school. As for the other professors, they were very excited to meet me and have me on board, and seemed to accept me as one of their own from that initial moment onward. My French was complimented a few times, which conversely made me more nervous and conscious of mistakes, but I suppose others come with no comprehension of the language, so some is better than none, and a great deal is better than some. The professors promised to speak nothing but French with me, while I am to speak nothing but English with the students. The same professor to give me the tour then invited me on a number of upcoming gatherings and outings with the others, which I happily and graciously accepted. I feel confident that this year is indeed going to be a great one.
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