Antibes, once again

My Canadian Counterpart and I made it safely back to Nice late Tuesday night after being stranded in Barcelona due to the extremely well-publicized eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull. For those of you living under a rock, this eruption kept flights grounded all over Europe for a few days last week and even effected flights to and from the USA. We were pretty surprised to learn that our flight was cancelled because the airspace around the airport in Nice remained open almost the entire time. Spanish airspace was closed the morning of our flight, but was open several hours before our scheduled departure. To add to the difficulties, there was a national strike of the French rail system. I ask myself why the rail employees couldn't postpone their strike in the interest of human decency so people could travel who really needed to, but this question has yet to be answered to my satisfaction.

At any rate, we were supposed to fly back to Nice on Sunday night but wound up staying in Barcelona until Tuesday night. The good news is that there was ample space at our very comfy hostel for those days (probably because everyone who had been there had to stay and no new people could fly in). It also gave us more time to poke around the city and really get into the groove of the place. During our week (it was meant to be 4 days) in Barcelona we enjoyed the beach, the old port, the Dali Museum in Figueres, the Parc Guell (Gaudi Park), Montjuic, the Sagrada Familia, La Ramblas, mojitos, tapas, daquiris, people watching, wandering through the Barri Gottic, and a number of other small pleasures that I can't quite recall at the moment. We even got to see Castellers in action (teams that build human castles by standing on each other's shoulders- very cool!).

Since returning to France both the Canadian and I have been staying in the dorms at the CIV. I stayed here for two nights back in October when I was still jetlagged and very confused as my whereabouts. I remember it very differently, but in a way that favors my current situation. The showers are all functioning and so far my key card has worked 90% of the time, this is nothing short of amazing! We are also indulging in cafeteria food a la boarding school, which has only been really disgusting once. Needless to say my portion sizes are much bigger here since I'm fed the same amount as the teenage boys so I'm always full!

This week has really flown by. I've been sleeping a good bit and getting organized for the end of my time in Europe. I only taught one normal lesson this week (long story) but taught 4 tutoring sessions in my free time, so it was ultimately worth my coming back here to see my pupils once more. I have no emotional attachment to this part of France. In fact, I don't think I could ever live here again. I love most of Europe, but Cote d'Azur just isn't on my list. However, it was important for me to come back here for a few days to collect my thoughts, myself, and my belongings before my next adventure. It reminds me of a quote I hear from Alec via Sam (who I'm pretty sure stole it from a book): "Protect the Earth, it's where I keep my stuff!"

So that's where I've been hiding the past several days. Tomorrow Sam and I have a date with our friend Katrina for one last outing before we both disappear into the ether. Sunday I take the train to Marseille and Monday I fly to Morocco. I will admit that I am a bit nervous about Morocco, but also very excited to see this place I have heard so much about! With any luck it will be a very positive experience. I have done all that I can to simplify this trip by not trying to see the whole country in 4 days, as I tend to do, and by keeping my expectations to things like enjoying the architecture, eating good food, and taking lots of pictures. With this in mind I just have to keep my wits about me enough to use what French I have to get through the week and to stay sharp since I am a woman traveling alone in a very traditional country. If I can make it through this unscathed I think it will show quite a bit of growth on my part in the past year. If not, it will be just another experience I can learn from.

With that said, I have to spend some time trying to fit a year of my life into a single suitcase...