counting down

2 days till winter break. 22 days left of work. 77 days to go.

Perhaps all this counting is a bit excessive, but I've got to say that since I've gotten back to France this has felt like the longest stretch to a break. It doesn't help that last week was the worst work week I could seemingly (hopefully) ever experience. Yours truly was one sob away from packing up and escaping the Bomb Shelter for good. Suffice it to say that some people are not very professional. And that's all I will say about that! Looking at the numbers, and the paper chain for that matter (we've almost made it around the corner of the room!), really helps keep things in perspective. That and two mottos that I've started saying to myself... 1. Keep calm and carry on. 2. Don't let the bastards get you down.

Thankfully this week has been pretty low key. I've been talking to my students about Valentine's Day in the United States. You should see the eyes roll or look around the room suspiciously whenever I announce the topic. Valentine's Day is exclusively "for lovers" over here. They've all been shocked to find out that friends and family give each other valentines in the states. Over Christmas I was able to find some valentines to bring back to them and they've really enjoyed picking them out. My technical students today insisted that I fill out the to and from for each of them and then they did the same for them. They all tried to be more unique than the other in what they wrote on them. The results are kind of amusing i.e. lots of verys and ;) And the candy sweethearts! They don't really like how they taste, but they love the little sayings on them. I had to teach this group of sophomore boys what xoxo was and they were all saying, "Oh! I need to remember to say that to my girlfriend!" Too cute!

On Friday I'm meeting up with Sarah and we'll start our winter break! It cannot come fast enough! We're traveling to places we've never been to before and are crazy excited to be getting out of our small towns for a whole two weeks. So here's the schedule (just for you, Mom):
12th-14th: Dijon
15th-17th: Montpellier
18th-21st: Toulouse
22nd-25th: La Cadière
With the exception of Dijon, we're spending our time in the southwest of France. I, for one, am itching for some warmer weather. Granted, it's not going to be summery, but anything is better than this constant snow! La Cadière is a small town between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. We'll be staying with the Chauchat's in their second home down there! Splendid times ahead. I've got a ticket to ride and I don't care!