Wednesday
What an unusual day this turned out to be.
I woke up early so I could meet my neighbor Catherine J outside. She had agreed to take me to Crémieu so that I could renew my bus card for the month of April. I was in and out of the appointment in about five minutes. Catherine wanted to stop at the market while we were in town and I agreed to go along.
Our first stop was at a fromagerie. The glass counter full of assorted cheeses was absolutely beautiful. I marveled at all the different types. Catherine chose a few and got some butter before we were on our way.
The next shop was the butcherie. We waited in line for a bit before we were able to enter. Catherine encouraged me to enjoy the smells of roasting chicken and I was only reminded of how dull my sense of smell has been since I got COVID. I stationed myself directly next to the roaster and barely got a whiff. When we were finally able to enter, she found a selection of meats that she wanted to cook. Everything behind the counter looked so good! There were even fully prepared dishes available. I ended up buying some lasagne to take home for lunch. To my surprise, she was ready to head back to Anthon after purchasing the assorted meats. We climbed back into the tiny car and zipped away through the countryside. She pointed out all the “dry brick” walls that spotted the sides of the roads, telling me how they were constructed and how they were a great French tradition.
When we arrived home, I thanked her for the ride and scurried back to my room for a scheduled Zoom meeting. At 12, I chatted with one of the coordinators for the study abroad program I did in Grenoble in 2019. We talked about the influence that the program had on my life and my decision to come back to France. After our conversation I realized how much my time in Grenoble changed me and my mindset. Though I’ve done a lot of reflection on my time there, it can still be shocking to think about what a different person I became while I was there. I wonder if I’ll think the same things about myself after this program 🤔
Finally finished with my planned social engagements for the day, I enjoyed a long lunch before heading out on a long walk. It struck me just how little time I have left in France. I knew that April and May would pass quickly with the beautiful weather. I had just one more week before vacation, which would last two weeks, then just two more days the final week of April. I planned on having two weeks to travel after the program. My time in Anthon was growing more scarce. I took a lot of pictures so I could remember the little path that occupied so much of my time during confinement.
I walked until around 6pm, when I thought I had a call. Whoops! Wrong day. Instead, I made dinner for myself and put on a show. I was waiting for the French president’s speech to come on at 8pm. There were a lot of rumors circulating about what was going to happen. A lot of people suggested that our region might be confined because cases continue to soar here. Others hinted that schools might close- although many vehemently disagreed with that assessment. Madame Bodet assured me that we would be in the classroom next week. I wondered what new restrictions might mean and if life would return to how it had been in November when I first arrived.
My internet connection would not allow me to watch the broadcast live. Instead, I waited for news to trickle in from my friends. The first bit of news floored me. Secondary schools (middle and high school) were closing immediately. They would have Thursday and Friday to wrap up, then go online for a week, have a two week vacation, and be online again until May. Primary schools would be in person the last week of May. In one fell swoop, my time as a teaching assistant in France came to an end. I would not be able to say goodbye to half my students. I wondered what the traveling situation would be like- if restrictions were limited perhaps I had just won a month long vacation. Sadly, that was not the case. I received a message saying that confinement would start for the entire country again by Saturday. Unless there was pressing need for work or some other activity, we became limited to a 10km radius from our homes. Travel between regions would not be possible. I was crushed. There were so many things that I wanted to do in France and will be unable to enjoy. I would not even be able to say goodbye to my friends in person. I started to wonder if the best choice was simply to return home early.
Mary-Est-En-France 