Fin du monde? / End of the world?

Part One: Dans le train

I think the Mayans may possibly have been wrong...here's to 12.12.21?

I very rarely remember what I dream, but today seemed to be an exception. Due to being so excited (and scared that I wouldn't wake up!) my body decided to get me up at 5am after a particularly strange dream. Why strange? Well, it was totally in French. I mean, I thought dreams were meant to be where you could do anything...turns out I struggle just as much with dream French as I do with normal...bit annoying! But hey, progress. Everyone seems to think that that is a very good sign in terms of your speaking. Who knows!

So back to voyageant, this time it seems somehow different. It might be because I have been wanting to go home for a rather long time, and the fact it's Christmas, but it means I can finally see my family after what seems like forever. Words just cannot describe how I'm feeling, apart from that I know this mega-journey will be so worthwhile...I already feel like I'm home in a way because I'm already travelling towards it.
I find the French numbering system of train seats very strange. The numbers on my right going up the train are as follows: 11, 13, 12, 18, 21, 23, 22, 28. My left: 17, 15, 14, 16, 27, 25. I am so confused...

Part Two: Dans l'avion

I love the fact you get so much room on AirFrance aeroplanes, and a free drink and snack. Can't be bad. So might have got chatting to a Frenchwoman in the seat next to me and been offered a job in the Loire Valley over the summer! We exchanged emails, and she said she will be in contact very soon. Watch this space...

So the aeroplane was delayed ever so slightly by a "bomb scare". Someone had left a bag outside one of the shops, and the whole airport ground to a halt as ever more frantic announcements happened in French asking for the person to claim their bag. Then they started in English. By this point I think everyone had decided it wasn't too dangerous so we all got on the aeroplane. Fun!

Part Three: Finally home

So nice to be back. So tired though, exhausted. After spending a few hours unpacking, and wrapping presents and then visiting the dentist I set off for the reunion of Saint Mary's Music Department.

So as a music department, my old school were pretty close. At the end of your time at the school the music teachers would spend hours trying to find the most apt Mister Men / Little Miss book to present to you at the final concert of the year. I got Little Miss Stubborn. To anyone that knows me, there is no other book that I could have had! So anyway, back to the evening. Every year there is a reunion meal/evening do where people from past years come back and everyone checks what everyone else is up to. The furthest year back that I was chatting to was 10 years ago...I was 11 when they were in 6th form! So great to see everyone and to have such a good turnout of my year. The majority of us still have a year left at university after this one, and are so glad we still have it and don't have to confront real life yet.

These beautiful people are Luke, Tim and Katherine. I met Luke at the age of 11, and we've been friends ever since...but that's not the longest relationship, which would go to Tim as we met when we were 7. His gambit for the length of time we've known each other this time was that we've known each other longer than a rape sentence (better than a death sentence?!). Good going! Katherine and I met in the following year after Luke, as she's the year below us. Along with Alice and Mike, these are the only people I keep in close contact with from school; it is so strange how that happens.

Had a bit of a weepy moment when I got home, as I was so tired. At the evening I found myself translating everything into French before I said it, before realising I didn't have to and had just taxed my knackered brain even more!