France has a pretty regimented vacation schedule for students. All schools in a certain area have the same time off, so as you can imagine, flights, trains, and highways become more crowded during those weeks. Everyone gets excited to leave school behind for a week or two and go do something fun. For me, my spring vacation was a much needed break from "The French System," so I was looking forward to it more than I normally would. My anticipation was only egged on by the prime choices for travel: Spain and Morocco. Can't you just taste the sangria and sweet spices when you say those words together? Two countries I had been wanting to explore for some time sitting back to back in one, short, worry-free sentence. It was going to be amazing.
I hate the French school system for many reasons. I think that coming from a small, community-based liberal arts college in rural Vermont where people yearn for a heated debate and a compelling lecture, I was uncomfortable with the less-than-friendly, unmotivated nature of a public, city University where the debate was lukewarm at best and the law of the land was handed down from teacher to student without compromise or explanation. Not only was the setting different for me, but I was different within my setting. I was The Foreigner in France, which meant I didn't speak the language perfectly, and I didn't always know the cultural code of conduct. I had several large tests right before my vacation, and the stress from academically floundering in a system I didn't even like, coupled with the wear and tear of so much away-ness over the year led to my mega McDonalds Meltdown.
Driven to McDonalds by the promise of free wifi--because my host mom's internet had decided to stop working during the week of my biggest exams--I hauled my computer and school books down Avenue de Rome. Hot cocoa in hand, I had paid my dues and was ready to use the internet when I realized there were no outlets to be found. Just to be sure I checked with the people who worked there who confirmed that there were indeed NO outlets. Within 20 minutes my three year old computer battery was dead. I lost it.
The point is two fold: 1) being The Foreigner can be very frustrating, especially when you're out of your natural habitat for so long. It's ok to break down so long as you build yourself up again. By the next morning I was fine. I did just fine on my exams, and I was re-armoured for the major glitch that was heading my way. 2) This is the state of mental and emotional exhaustion I was in pre-Volcanic catastrophe. Just bear this in mind when I relay what happened after the volcano went Kaboom.
I hate the French school system for many reasons. I think that coming from a small, community-based liberal arts college in rural Vermont where people yearn for a heated debate and a compelling lecture, I was uncomfortable with the less-than-friendly, unmotivated nature of a public, city University where the debate was lukewarm at best and the law of the land was handed down from teacher to student without compromise or explanation. Not only was the setting different for me, but I was different within my setting. I was The Foreigner in France, which meant I didn't speak the language perfectly, and I didn't always know the cultural code of conduct. I had several large tests right before my vacation, and the stress from academically floundering in a system I didn't even like, coupled with the wear and tear of so much away-ness over the year led to my mega McDonalds Meltdown.
Driven to McDonalds by the promise of free wifi--because my host mom's internet had decided to stop working during the week of my biggest exams--I hauled my computer and school books down Avenue de Rome. Hot cocoa in hand, I had paid my dues and was ready to use the internet when I realized there were no outlets to be found. Just to be sure I checked with the people who worked there who confirmed that there were indeed NO outlets. Within 20 minutes my three year old computer battery was dead. I lost it.
The point is two fold: 1) being The Foreigner can be very frustrating, especially when you're out of your natural habitat for so long. It's ok to break down so long as you build yourself up again. By the next morning I was fine. I did just fine on my exams, and I was re-armoured for the major glitch that was heading my way. 2) This is the state of mental and emotional exhaustion I was in pre-Volcanic catastrophe. Just bear this in mind when I relay what happened after the volcano went Kaboom.