Peppermint tea

Well, with three English girls in one place, tea would have to happen at some point! In the evening, Becky, Meg and I watched The Frog Princess and had tea. The perfect end to a full day.

Today I managed to see both Mathieu, and also Baptiste. I started my afternoon in an old haunt, Café Latin with Mathieu. It was so great to finally catch up on everything that each of us has been up to...and he may be coming to England next year as an assistant, so fingers crossed for him!

In the time between Mathieu leaving and Baptiste arriving, the barman decided that he would have a chat with me...leading him to saying how well I spoke French, and asking why I wasn't going to stay in France forever. The thing is, my French is alright...but not at all to the level of some of the people I know who have lived in France for longer. It is always in the back of my head to try and make a go of France, go to university there, do something...just for a few years. But right now, I feel my place is in England...more things keep me there at the moment. But it is a hard decision, and I feel like I'll always have the siren song of France as a temptation. I love the people, I love the language, and I love the way of life. The problem comes when I realise just how much I would have to leave behind in England as well.

So after this interlude with the barman, Baptiste arrived...and instantly got told off for being late (he wasn't!). Again, so lovely to see him...and as ever, we had a lot to catch up on. Another one who is looking at coming to England next year, I really hope that he succeeds too!



I can't get this song out of my head, and especially these lyrics:-

Je te demande si tu es une bête féroce ou bien un saint. Mais tu es l’un, et l’autre, et tellement de choses encore. Tu es infiniment nombreux; celui qui méprise, celui qui blesse, celui qui aime, celui qui cherche et tous les autres ensembles. Trompe-toi, sois imprudent, tout n’est pas fragile. N’attends rien que de toi, parce que tu es sacré, parce que tu es en vie. Parce que le plus important n’est pas ce que tu es, mais ce que tu as choisi d’être.

I'm asking you if you're a savage beast or else a saint. But you are one and the other, and many more things too. You are infinitely many; the one despising, the one hurting, the one being, the one seeking and all the others together. Cheat yourself, be careless, not all is fragile. Expect nothing from around you, because you're sacred, because you're alive. Because the most important thing is not what you are but what you have chosen to be.