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.