Sunday morning Joyce met me at 9:30am to walk to church together. The morning felt deliciously crisp and the walk only took 20 minutes. So far the weather in Poitiers reminds me a lot of the weather in Petaluma--cool in the morning, warmer mid-day, and 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than noon in the evening. Church was wonderful and people were incredibly welcoming. I was glad to have attended Wednesday's meeting and to have hung out with some members on Saturday because I felt at home right away. At the end of worship we sung the French version of an English song we sing in Spanish at my church in San Rafael...Yes, I said it like that to be more dramatic :) It was awesome! The choir/band even has an accordion player. Afterward we had a potluck lunch. I took baguettes with cheese and most other people took de-li-cious food! Yum!
The church band: Guitar, bass, two vocalists, an accordion, a flute, and my pastor on the keyboard.
So I'm old!... The only weird part of the potluck came when a 16 year-old asked my age, which I openly share with anyone who asks. Upon hearing my answer, Manu, who was next to me, just about died of shock...For some strange reason he thought I was in my early to mid twenties. He thought we were the same age and he's only 23. He kept saying "No, you are saying the number wrong!" He repeated this over and over with his jaw stuck to the floor from shock. It was embarrassing, then amusing, and then mortifying! I love being my age; that's how I got here. I finally know what I want and how to go after it and I leave it all to God to decide if he likes my plans or not, but being confronted with this guy's dissappointment was a little unsettling. He had spent the previous afternoon with me and a few others...I asked him if he'd be able to sleep...You know, jokingly, or if he'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming the number...After blushing a bit, he said he would be able to sleep...I can report that I too was able to sleep through the night :)
At the church potluck lunch. Joyce is in the back left and I don't remember the name of the guy next to me.
Getting lost in Poitiers...Since I had walked to church in the morning, I felt pretty confident I'd know the way home, so I left after the potluck and got all the way to Notre Dame La Grande, which is just a few blocks from my place. It should have been pretty easy to know the way home from there, but suddenly all the streets that stem off the church looked identical!!! I got soooo lost. It took me an hour and a half to get home instead of the expected 20 minutes. I was fine being lost because I wasn't in a hurry and I got tro walk off the potluck feast I'd just had.
Being lost on a Sunday is eerie because there's no-one on the street. In fact, when I did see someone I took my camera out and captured it. You can see that below, one lone person in the middle of the long empty street. Forget buying anything Sundays; it's all closed. It reminded me of my childhood in Latin America. I HATED Sundays when I was growing up. You'd pretty much be confined to your home and I remember the TV programming left much to be desired. Every other Sunday you could catch the same old, old, terrible movies and shows: westerns, pippy longstockings (which I liked, but got sick of after the 3rd or 4th re-run of the same epidose), and several channels that proudly displayed the multi-colored band used on TV stations to make sure the color balance is fine (they would have the darn colors on the whole day!)...The quiet Sunday in Poitiers didn't bother me; instead, it got me all instrospective and contemplative...
Sunday's calmness...Only a stranger sharing the long street with me.
More Sunday calmness at a beautiful Cafe
I love this building's exposed wood beams. Again, no one in sight.
The trivial victories...Today my housemate Mareike and I found a laundromat about 5 blocks from home and did our laundry...I felt so victoriously functional already doing my laundry in France. For you curious ones, the prices were 3 Euros per small load ($ 4.50 US) and 0.50 Euro per 5 minutes of drying ($0.75 US). They should really just sell the drying in increments of 15 minutes, but oh well...A cup of soap is also 0.50 Euros. I think I have the makings of a MC commercial: Walking 5 blocks to do laundry in France: wonderful, 3 Euros per load: manageable, 0.50 Euros per 5 minute drying cycle: absurd, feeling like you're leading a 'normal' life in a foreign country: Priceless! While we waited, we decided to become part of the bustling cafe scene going on about half a block north of the launderette. It was great! Pictures below...
Waiting for our laundry at an outdoor cafe
I wish the camera could capture the energy and chattiness of the cafes here...
Can someone please appease the scheduling Gods! My schedule is controlled by the school and the school changes it pretty much at whim and randomly on a quasi-daily basis...I thought I had French class today and tomorrow, but I found out I do NOT. I would have gone to Paris if I knew I had the days off...Instead, I'm going this weekend with Mareike and paying weekend prices for the hotel while sharing the town with many more tourists than we would have on a Monday and Tuesday...My luxury problems are that, a luxury. Paris on a weekday or on a weekend? Oh, what to do? I better just enjoy it and keep thanking God for all my blessings...I'm sure there is enough Paris for ALL!
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