The Story Of...

It certainly has been a week of ups and downs.

The story of how the past week turned into an honorary vacation:
The CPE demonstrations are turning everything into a bit of chaos and confusion. I haven't had class for a week now. Granted, I only have it 3 days a week, but an unexpected vacation like this is surprising, to say the least! It hardly feels like a vacation when we are waiting on a day-to-day basis to hear if there are classes. The break is nothing to complain about, but I would like to have my schedule and my education back soon. Why would they do this, you ask? From my understanding, it is not enough for them to demonstrate in the streets, they must interrupt a government function (like university classes) to make a greater statement to the government. A very interesting time period in France, I must say! But no, there is no violence in the streets in Lyon, and the demonstrations are even a little "fun" to watch. I will keep you all posted.

The story of how our apartment turned green:
It was another great weekend here in Lyon. I didn't get to go to Annecy as hoped, but it will be there another weekend. On Thursday, I could have been moping around the house all day (that's another story), but instead I went out with Caro to buy some beautiful plants for our apartment. We got fresh herbs (chives, cilantro, mint, and basil seeds) to eat - so scrumptious - and some flowers and leafy plants as well! Botanic is a fabulous wonderland of greenery! We really did have to drag ourselves out of that store. So I um, "grow up," haha (I will be this Friday!!), I've decided I will have a big garden full of lots of plants and flowers.

A story that ends with "and then I found 5 euros!":
Louise and I are right on schedule, for our preparation for the Lyon 10K. I'm looking forward to getting more into the training. Go team "...Et Puis J'ai Trouvé 5 Euros!" (By the way, to clear up any confusion, AHEM, that's for you Givanni, Louise is a girl's name..."So, um, do you have a new boyfriend? I see you are hanging out with this Louise guy a lot." Haha!!) Anyway. Saturday, instead of running around the bridges by the river like usual (that gets old), we decided to run up and into the park so we could go to Botanic (haha, yes, again) afterwards. I always enjoy a change of pace and more nature on a sunny day. At the store, we spotted some clay, unpainted pots next to some pretty painted ones. "Dude, why buy those when we can paint our own?" So more plants, more pots, and a paint-finding mission later, we have some beautiful pots, and they are called "the blending of earth and sky" and "the blending of sea and fire." Green/blue and red/blue for you less poetic ones out there.

The Story of How St. Patricks Day got celebrated by Canadian folk:
St Patrick's Day is not really a huge deal in France, at least it wasn't when we went to see some French friends of Olivia's at the local, um, Danish, pub. (I think they were a little confused on the concept.) There was no wearing of green, just a few "Irish" hats and bright orange wigs. Interestingly enough, there was a Canadian flag in the Danish pub on the Irish holiday.

The Story of Me Going To the Theatre 5 Minutes Before the Show:
In theatre news, I saw a good play on Saturday night, called Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard (the game of love and "hazard"/gambling), by Marivaux (18th century, if i'm not mistaken). I was really excited that this was in Lyon at le Theatre de la Croix Rousse because I read this last semester, and it was one of my favorites. This particular production was much different than how I had imagined the play! The set was VERY minimalist, with only some unpainted wooden backdrops, doors, and a staircase. Lots more dramatic falling on the floor and romantic approaches than I would have imagined! Add some more singing and you would have had an opera. Now I know what French theatre is really supposed to look like.

The Story Of Upcoming plans:
The Netherlands with Christen to celebrate my birthday! Hello Amsterdam!!