I Like Rouen but I Hate Birds

The birds in Rouen are really annoying. Tonight (Sunday), they were making the shrillest noise imaginable near the cathedral. Last night, one crapped on my head. Go ahead, laugh. It's funny, especially since it happened to me and not you. It wasn't all that bad though, it was easy to clean and we were on our way back home when it happened. Stupid bird.

So, as this is a weekend and Rouen is infinitely more exciting and fun than Le Havre, I began my journey after signing some paperwork on Friday. I took a full train away from Le Havre (I'm clearly not the only person who wants out) and arrived in Rouen around 8. Lisa and I went out with Ben and Razim to a gay bar. Drinks were expensive but we got a "stick fluo" and were being filmed for something we didn't know much about. We also got some fries on the way home, which wrapped up a fun night.

Saturday was spent mostly around the house. We did some shopping in Rouen; Lisa got a necklace and I picked up a couple of black sweaters and a long sleeve polo. I think I've got the European look down. You be the judge!

Polo:



Button down and V-neck sweater:



Other sweater:




Having a sugar momma is a definite bonus. I get nice clothes and she gets a pretty boy toy on her arm. It's a win-win!

The sweaters have already been great. It's pretty cool here in Normandy and it's nice to have layers. I will also be able to wear both to school, with t-shirts or button downs.

Saturday night we went to a dinner party at the house of one of the teachers at Lisa's school. I was invited along, and we had quite a mix of nationalities: two Americans, two Norwegians, and four French. We snacked and drank until dinner at 9:30, then had a fabulous dinner. Asparagus and chives frittata, pork filet mignon, mashed potatoes and pumpkins, then cheese (three kinds) and bread, and finally pear and chocolate tart and apple tart. And some cognac to top it all off. I think we finally rolled out of the house at 1 or 1:30 in the morning. We discussed sheeps and deers and mooses on the way home. A good night, if a bit straining on my French abilities. I didn't talk much but I was often able to pick up on the topic of discussion, with some help from Lisa or her teacher Michele as needed. Lots of fun; I'm hoping to have a repeat in the spring when I can understand and contribute more.

Sunday was slightly more productive, cheaper, and just as fun. Lisa and I went to the market to pick up some fresh vegetables, and ended up with some clementines as well. We then partook in that oh-so-European pastime of sitting in the sun on a street cafe, drinking coffee and watching the world go by. Life is pretty good here in Rouen. Around 4, one of Lisa's assistant friends met up with us to go for a walk. We stopped into one of the myriad of churches, only to find it contained an exposition on old restored machines. There were steam engines, printing presses, bandsaws, and dynamos. Very cool stuff. We then walked around the cathedral (different from the church), where we saw some girl scream back at the shrill birds, to the amusement and delight of the nearby passersby. We goofed around taking pictures of each other at the cathedral, as you can see below.





I'm sure there will be a lot more similar adventures in the future.

There was some building getting rebuilt and the half-timbering was visible. Cool.



Lisa and I made some delicious Mexican stuff out of a failed enchilada kit. Just the right amount of spice and yum. We then headed off to the fair, which runs for an entire month. It's situated right along the Rive Gauche (south side of the Seine) and the rides offer incredible views of Rouen. We went on the ferris wheel, then wandered through the fairway and had some gooey candy stuff and fried balls of incredible yumminess. I think all fairs share the same overpriced food, rides, and tacky-as-hell decorations. All part of the charm. Here I am on the ferris wheel; you can see the cathedral in the background:



That's about it for this weekend. I've definitely gotten more settled in, dealt with quite a bit on my own, and am ready to kick the fun up a notch (once I get paid). Hooray!

I Like Sunsets but I Hate Communism

And this is why. Here's the view west from the beach:



And this is the view back towards Le Havre:



Since Le Havre was basically destroyed in WWII (funny story about this later) and one architect did most of the design work, his admiration of communist architecture is very evident. There are very few buildings here worth taking pictures of. Supposedly, the interiors of these buildings are very customizable and have lots of natural light. So much so that they have been classified as national historical monuments. Let's keep this as a reminder to not play around with communism anymore.

I've settled in about as much as one can in a prison cell. Some of the buildings aren't any better on the inside, like the one I live in. It's concrete, it's square, and the only decoration is the dirt on the tiles. That has since been removed (thank you Lisa) so I pretty much live in the most boring place ever. But it's free, so I can't complain too much. And I can come visit Lisa in her extravagant capitalist pig apartment. She has to pay utilities though, so I guess I've got at least one thing going for me. No internet though, or phone, or anything else you might want. Like an oven. Or a fridge. I have to share a minifridge with a couple of other people. So yeah, I'm excited about that.

I've been observing my classes at school this week. Well, yesterday, since I don't have to teach on Mondays (YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH) and today is Armistice Day so I'm in Rouen. I'll be at both the high school and middle school tomorrow, and Friday I'm at the middle school only. Then I'll be back in Rouen, because honestly, the section of Le Havre that I live in is not what you'd call the highlight of Norman nightlife.

I've also been getting a few things in order, like getting a prepaid cell phone and shopping for food and baguettes and things like that. There's a nice little bakery about 10 minutes from where I live that has great sandwiches, so I'll probably grab a bite there when I can. Nothing exciting, I know, but it's all stuff I have to do now or later. My teacher has been more than helpful in getting me set up with a bank account and learning the bus system and making my schedule and all sorts of other things. She's very good even though this is her first year doing this.

So, that story. After discovering that the bank, like everything else in France, was closed at lunchtime, she invited me down to her house to grab a bite to eat. We discussed a lot of things over lunch, Le Havre being one of them. She said that her mother disliked the British more for bombing Le Havre than the Germans for occupying France. Funny priorities, I suppose. The bank gave me 30 euros for opening an account, and I can't wait to get paid for this month. It's hard having to shop incredibly frugally and having to borrow money from my sugar momma. Life's hard, right?

Here's a picture of Le Havre from the hilly section of St. Adresse, looking south across the end of the Seine:



That's all I've got. More to come later.