It's only mid-March, but spring has arrived in Besançon! This past week has been absolutely gorgeous, with cool mornings and sunny, warm afternoons. I know that the change is official because the truck outside Parc Micaud switched from selling hot waffles to selling ice cream cones again. I noted the change when it was the reverse back in November, and this time I'm considering it a harbinger of the new season. I'm not sure if it's the good weather or the two weeks of vacation, but in general my kids have been very well-behaved this week. I've noticed that some of the students who don't normally pay attention or participate willingly seem to have a newfound motivation. Let's hope it continues through for the rest of my time here.
Further good news: I have a bike! It turns out that Steph and Charly's former roommate/renter left it here when she moved out last summer and has never come back to get it (they've tried to contact her numerous times because she has continued to receive mail, in particular a couple of angry-looking bills). I had to find a bicycle tire pump and a helmet, but now I'm all set. I am, however, still missing a bike lock. Charly has one for his bike, but lost the key, so it's not much good to me. And unfortunately I can't really ride my bike to work until I find one, because Planoise is a prime area for bikes to be stolen (not that they're really safe in the centre ville either). At home it's locked in a shed attached to our building. I'm hoping to borrow one, because purchasing one for only six weeks seems a little silly. Being able to ride to school and back every day would be a good supplement to my running program, and a way to further enjoy the beautiful weather!
On the literary front, today I finished part I of Les Misérables! I finished it during the 15-minute recess this afternoon and loved every last bit. I bought part II this afternoon on my way to tutoring. I had to look in three different bookstores until I found one which sold part II, at which point I was beginning to get the impression that noone ever actually reads the second half). So now I have only 887 pages to go -- a full 26-page economy on the last part. I really hope to finish it before I leave Besançon on April 25.
Some of you may be wondering if and when I am ever coming home. The answer is yes, but the when is a little more complicated. I'm leaving here for Berlin on April 25, where I will spend five days with a friend whom I interned with two summers ago. Then on April 30 I'll leave for and hopefully arrive in Washington, D.C. (by way of New York), where I will spend a week with Claire (yay!) Then on Monday, May 7, I will fly home by way of the Dayton airport, in time for Trey's graduation from Vanderbilt which is that Friday. I am very excited to see my family and friends again so soon!
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