Still Alive....

I know its been forever since I last posted. I can't really explain but I hit a wall a couple of months ago and I've been hardly capable of writing a single sentence. And I thought I was on such a role! Thanks to Uncle Roger for giving me the nudge, I'm back.

And I've got some good news! It is pretty likely that I will be staying in France next year, and even the following year too. I got an acceptance letter yesterday from the University of Aix-Marseille admitting me into a graduate program. The program centers upon Anglophone studies, exploring literature, linguistics, translation, and teaching. The school has reputable language programs, and I think I will get a lot out of it.

Plus, its almost free here in France thanks to old socialism. Now, my only fear involves another very French tradition - les grèves!!! The humanities departments in all of the country have been on strike since March. You got it - no classes since March. So, it may be close to free, but you may end up paying in wasted time. Sarko and his cronies have been cutting funding for education (as conservatives tend to do) and both the proffs and the students are reacting. There is a whole slew of other problems too, most of which are still after all these months unresolved. Anyway, I have been told that the stikes don't effect the graduate programs, but I still worry. In any case, I am really excited about being a student again, and I'll be able to study in both French and English and that really appeals to me. My spoken French is pretty good these days, and being in school will ensure that I keep up with my written French.

Life these days is pretty spectacular. The poppies are in bloom, and you can find wild poppy fields around every turn of the country roads. Its hot too! Here is the briefest synopsis of my life:

Naps, swimming pools, salads with beets, rosé, sandals, sunscreen, jogging at 9 pm, sleeping in, four-day weekends, cucumbers and tomatoes, freckles, the sea, all night parties, bbq, teaching occasionally, pastisse with orja, country bike rides, listening to music à fond in the car with the windows down, sweating.

You get the picture! Its summery and hard to work. Both teachers and students are anxious to be free. And listen to this, we had days off May 1st, May 8th, May 21st and 22nd, and June 1st. Can you believe that??? Its all thanks to Catholicism, but no one could tell you why. I try to pay attention but alas, I couldn't say either. Its the heat.

I'll be posting pictures soon. Hope you all are well!