Weekend de l'égalité

Managed to finally Skype my darling best university friend Claire...and very glad we managed it too (both very busy people, can't ever find a time that corresponds!). It feels like it has been so long since we spoke, and as usual we managed to lose track of time and talk for too long...but that is normal for us. Hopefully will be able to see her in person at some point before the end of summer/year abroad/sometime soon...but I am so glad that she also has a four year course, so I get her with me for another year at university next year.

So even overrunning on Skype, I managed to make it on time to the manifestation for Gay Rights that was happening in Caen. Two of my friends, Thomas and Flavie, had helped to organise it...so I was so proud of them when so many people showed up...around five hundred all in one little square! Another thing I was really glad about was that none of the protesters against the manifestation turned up, as that would have more than ruined the atmosphere. Talking about the atmosphere, it was absolutely amazing...there weren't only people my age there, but families, children, teenagers and old people, all there to support the same cause. To be involved in something like this made me really happy...as did the number of good photographs I took! So difficult to choose a photograph that fully summed up the day, and after much soul searching and flipping through photographs I decided on this one. There were of course others.

So why balloons, and why stickers? The stickers were really effective I found, and everyone was wearing them...it gave a real sense of community. And the balloons? Well from the other photographs you will see that each balloon has a piece of paper tied onto it...and on that piece of paper we had to write our thoughts, feelings, experiences or expectations. And then at the end of the speeches, everyone let their balloon go. Beautiful sight, and of course, beautiful photograph opportunity! One thing that one person said in their speech was that homosexuality had been called a sickness, but that she was proud to be sick and would never want to be cured...struck me how awful some people can be around something or someone that they cannot define in their "normal" sphere. A fight for the same rights is something that I believe should not have to happen, these rights should have already been passed...we should live in a time where equality is assumed rather than having to be fought for.

After the manifestation I ended up in Rien de Rien with Pawel and Becky. Was nice to catch up on the events of last night, and see what had happened to the rest of the group when Kendra, Laura and I left. Time always seems to fly by so fast with times like these, and before I knew it I was meeting Thibaud, Thomas, Flavie and Pierre to faire des courses (supermarket shopping...faire du shopping - clothes/sundries shopping), eat at Thomas' (where I was introduced to a French version of Hotel California, and various other French bands!) and then finish the night at a soirée ERASMUS.

My back injury from falling over in the snow yesterday was rather annoying to say the least. I'm hoping it will improve by tomorrow...