vendredi, 2 avril

Today is my last day taking French classes at CIEL. Wanted to ride Mellow Yellow here this morning, but it was raining so heavily that I took the bus instead, not wanting to be soaked before I got out of the dormitory parking lot. Of course, half way to school on the bus, the skies cleared and it will be a beautiful day. Turning in the keys to my room Monday morning before catching ferry at Roscoff to Plymouth.

Mercredi, 24 Marz

Awoke this morning, as usual, to Culture France -- the radio station I like to listen to. Every week I can understand more words, but still have troubles comprehending full sentences. The early morning program is great for me because it consists of interviews with people new to France. People like me who are learning the language and who talk about everyday events. One morning I felt very sad for the man speaking, an Arab who described how his brothers had all found wives in France, but he had none. He sounded very sad. Also this morning, as I topped the longest hill on my 12km bike ride to school, the fragrance of freshly cooking crepes met me and they smell just like pancakes! On a cold morning there is nothing more inviting and homey than to be surrounded by the warm aroma of Breton crepes.

Dimanche, 7 Mars

Visited Oceanapolis with Miho, who visited me yesterday to get an idea of life at the dormitories at Cité Universitaire. I was sick this week for the first time in a couple years (missed three days of class) and so it felt great to hop on Mellow Yellow and pedal to Oceanapolis, Brest's magnificent aquarium. Cold, but sunny and very windy. Visiting Oceanapolis was a special treat after seeing Jacques Perron's new film, Oceans. One scene toward the end was filmed at Oceanapolis and two others at and around Ile d'Ouessant which I visited the first weekend in February.

Samedi, 27 Fevrier

I'm learning French! This morning was able to (1) overcome my timidity in speaking French outside of class and (2) render complete sentences in a conversational exchange. "Merci pour le chanson de George Brassens!" says yours truly to the proprietor of Café de l'Ocean. "Je ne comprend pas les paroles, mais j'aimé ses chansons. Je pense il chante avec beaucoup joie de vivre!" A grand speech pour moi! I imagine the proprietor was shocked to hear his usually mute customer say something more than; "Bonjour! Merci beaucoup! A revoir!"

Mardi, 16 Fevrier - my birthday

Yesterday I nearly broke down into a puddle of tears -- twice -- because of my inability to communicate. First, trying to track down missing mail, then at WorldPhone when the proprieter treated me like I was stupid because I didn't understand how much I was to pay.

But, today, was altogether different! My 54th birthday began with greetings via the internet, then "felicitations" from my classmate Miho who gave me a stupendous box of chocolates, and a trip to the Musée de la Fraise with Marie-Pierre, a new friend. We meet once a week to practice one another's language. Friday I treat myself to dinner aboard "Ma Petite Folie."

Photo Melange

Attempting to maintain a blog has not been a simple process. For the moment, please know that the photos connected to new entries bear no connection to text. Random images will have to do for now. Much love to all!

Vendredi, 12 Fevrier

On the way home from school, carry on a conversation in French with a Chinese student. My French is halting, filled with gaps and dictionary-assisted, her's is very good. She and two other Chinese students get a kick out of my paperback dictionary. Around here, electronic dictionaries are a la mode.