Well this past Thursday I started my internship. However the store is very small and does not have many shoppers come in. In fact, I am fairly certain that the store is supported by the volunteer workers because they buy more things from the store than the clients. Well I started on Thursday, and they kind of showed my the various products they had on display. Then they let me look through the catalogues of the products from past seasons. They also have a newsletter that comes out every couple of months, so I read that. The most french that I speak while I am there is actually with the workers, it is kind of difficult to speak with the shoppers...I mean they didn't come into the store to have a nice, long, somewhat choppy conversation with an American girl....they came to shop. So I spend most of the time trying to keep myself warm, pace throughout the tiny store, and try and find new things that I hadn't seen throughout the first 100 times walking around.
Then Friday morning came, and that is when the house cleaning lady comes. I am not so fond of her....I don't know what it is, maybe she doesn't like Americans, but she is just kind of rude...so I often find excuses to leave so I don't have to stay around and talk to her. This weekend was the last of the sales, so I decided to go out and get some of my gifts, I did fairly well. I was able to check at least half of the people off of my list.
On Friday, I had another two and a half hour shift at Artisans du Monde, so I went there after all of my shopping. It was a new group of ladies, so they showed me the same things. They even handed me the same catalogues and newsletter from Thursday. Instead of explaining that I had looked at them the day before, I decided that sitting and reading for a bit was better than pacing the store for the whole time. So I read the newsletter and looked at all of the products for a second time. I was sure to take my sweet time:)
Friday night was hard because I had been on my own all day long and the nights aren't much different. So I talked to Chris for awhile and probably fell asleep talking to him or something like that. But he promised that he would stay up so that the next morning I could wake up and talk to him. I woke up at about 7.30 on Saturday because I was going to go out with a friend later that morning to help her shop. I call Chris. He informs me that he has something to tell me and it is not going to be easy, but reassures me that he loves me and will be there for me. I had no idea what to expect. He then told me that he had talked to my dad the night before and my grandfather had passed away. I have never lost a grandparent before, so I didn't even really know how to react. Grandpa Froese was so special (all of my grandparents are!!). He was such a role model and a little sneakster who liked to play innocent. But all of my childhood memories just flashed with my head, and it was hard to imagine he is gone now. But I know this is what he wanted, to go to heaven. I imagine that he is having the time of his life right now and just feels so liberated, and that is the very thought that makes me feel good about this. It is still really hard. All I want right now is to be with friends and family, and that just can't happen. My feeling of loneliness was just doubled. Chris told me that my wonderful dad had his phone by him in bed and to call him after I found out, so I did.
I told my host mom, and she tried to distract me yesterday. We walked to the post office in the morning, and then we walked to the recycling bins in the afternoon. But during a day like yesterday, telling me about the various properties around their house, their garbage system, and different types of plants was of no interest to me. I was able to get some homework done and I watched a little tv too.
Today I was invited to go to mass with my host family and to a "pot luck" type meal following the service. Mass was interesting. I was expecting to walk into an old stone building with stained glass. It was actually a fairly "modern" building with a projector and everything. Now I had only been to mass one time before today...and that time the service was in spanish.
After that, we headed next door for an aperitif...apple juice. After that craziness, we went across the street into a bigger building with lots of tables and chairs. We sat about 10 to each table. Each family was to bring something and you shared it with the people at your table. So we had Dahl, and indian dish (that was supposed to be really spicy...it was far from) , some sort of ham/eggy thing...though it wasn't quiche. About 15 minutes into the meal we were supposed to switched dishes with another table. So we got some sort of ham something or other and Egyptian rice. After that, some apple pastry and coffee was served. There was a choir practicing next door. So they came over and had a "mini - concert" for us. Only one of their songs was in french...so I wasn't the only one lost:)
Now today is February 13. Two years ago (it was Friday the 13th...) my wonderful husband proposed to me on a blue bridge. He gave me a beautiful wedding band. Last year on this day, he took me out to Buca di Beppo in Indianapolis and gave me an engagement ring. He told me not to expect a ring every year. But I think that I will still get one today, a ring on Skype that is.....This also means that I left the USA 1 month ago (1/4 done already!)
One last reason to make this weekend not so much fun is tomorrow. Valentines day. I only have a huge ocean between me and my Valentine. This weekend is supposed to be one that you can spend with the one that you love. I get to see all of the facebook statuses about all of you happy lovebirds that get to see each other this weekend and do something fun together. I guess I will just have to postpone my Valentine's Day for two weeks when Chris gets to come visit me!! Technically less than two weeks now!
Sorry that this blog was a bit of a downer, but this weekend didn't have too many positive things. I am so appreciative of all of the support that I have gotten from friends and family! Thanks!
A Bientôt.
Bisous,
Carrie
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