Just as Obama is at the end of the beginning having just finished his first 100 days in office, I’m finding myself at the beginning of the end with just 20 days left of my year abroad! I will be officially checking out of France on Friday 22nd, barring any travel restrictions due to H1N1 flu or port barricades due to strikes! It feels strange to come back to Amiens and not immediately book my next flights home, but the tunnel and hotel are already booked for mum to come over with the car for moving out. Today’s journey back from Exeter went normally with no hitches. I felt more alert than usual this morning but it was still satisfying to know that there will be no more 3am starts for that 6.30am departure from Exeter!
I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing over the next three weeks – well two weeks really since Mum and Alan arrive on Tuesday 19th so for most of that week we will be doing stuff out and about before I have to pack. We may go to Rouen for a day as it’s not far and I stayed there briefly last summer as part of tour with Concert Band, but I’d like to see more of the city. Other than that I will probably just be finishing off my work, skating, maybe take a day or weekend trip to Paris and if Sonia has any money and/or energy left after her mammoth easter holiday travelling we might take another short break to somewhere.
I’m a bit out of touch with the strike situation but as far as I can tell from reports posted online nothing’s changed. I expect there will be an AG on Monday as usual so I can get up to speed. For simplicity’s sake now it would be better for me for the blocades to continue, as otherwise I expect some of my classes would resume although I doubt very much there would be any assessments this month, let alone before I leave. One of my modules was signed off before the Easter holidays, and after I turn in another assignment that’s sat in my email I will get a grade for Spanish grammar. I’m going to write two commentary pieces on plays for my French Literature module and email them off, although I haven’t heard from the lecturer in months. Once I let my Sociolinguistique lecturer know when I’m leaving I expect she’ll send me something to complete by way of assessment, and I’m going to try to get my Spanish presentation emailed to the lecturer for that class. That will only leave Spanish translation, Medieval French, Approche Litteraire du Picard and History of Scientific Ideas with no grades, although for the first two I have grades from last semester.
Here’s to hoping everything runs smoothly over the next few weeks! I have enjoyed this semester more than the first but I’m still excited to have made it and be finishing the year, and I can’t wait to be home for summer proper!
