Week 13

This week saw an annoying hiccup with an appointment, a funny social challenge, an unexpected gift of music and more. I also tried, with varying success, to solidify some routines. I restarted an online French grammar course that I set aside when I was packing up my life. I’ve committed to 1 hour every morning to do this. So far, I find myself questioning where my memory disappeared to. I also set a goal to walk at least one hour a day. More on that below.

Challenges

It’s hard to argue when you struggle with the language

I’m a push-through-and-get-things-done kind of person. That’s how I got here. Figure out the challenge, find a solution and work through it. This approach works well until I can’t communicate.

Several weeks ago, I booked an appointment for Nov 4 to get x-rays for my knee. Last Friday, someone from the lab left a phone message I couldn’t understand. Since it’s much easier to communicate in person, I went to the lab on Monday for a chat. The receptionist told me that I had phoned her and asked to move my appointment. I questioned her as much as I could until she admitted that she was probably supposed to move someone else’s appointment but changed mine by mistake. Oops shrug smile.

If I was in Canada, I would have become assertive and pushed the issue. Clearly not my mistake, surely there’s a way we can fix this, don’t you know I’m in pain? At the lab, all I could think to say was ‘j’ai beaucoup de pain’ which translates to ‘I have a lot of bread’. I knew this was a mistake which made me even more frustrated, but that’s where my brain got stuck. It’s funny in hindsight but not at all productive! So now I wait for my appointment which has been rescheduled for a couple of weeks from now.

So much socializing – a good problem with an unexpected challenge

It’s hard to imagine, but many who are reading this might not know about Dagny. She was my perma-pup, my urban melange, my little love for nearly 17 years. Going anywhere with Dags meant leaving extra early to account for all the people who wanted to say hi to her. It was through her that I met many of the friends I had in Toronto – I credit her for bringing me out of my shell.

I was pretty confident in my ability to meet people in France, but had a laugh this week when I was late for a lunch date because I kept running into people I wanted to chat with. How wonderful is that? My social calendar has a happy mix of lunches, coffee or drink dates, dinners and even a few parties. I just need to factor in what I like to think of as Dagny-time so I’m not late – a mild enough challenge that it should probably be placed with the Joys.

Joys

The gift of music

I love classical music but somehow failed to notice posters for a concert at the church in Pézenas last Sunday. It was a string ensemble and soprano soloist from Prague. I was walking past the church just 5 minutes before the concert started when a group of people outside the door offered me their extra ticket. I joined a friendly group of Canadians (is there any other kind?) for 90 minutes of blissful music and perfect acoustics. What a gift!

A lot of walking

I’m trying to walk at least an hour a day. This week, I began exploring areas of Pézenas I hadn’t seen before. The old town is really just a small portion of a sprawling community. I continue to walk the old lanes but have also begun walking through what might be called suburbs if this was a city. The homes are beautiful. Even better are the gardens! From one vantage point, I can easily see the nearby town of Tourbes. My map tells me that it should take me about an hour to walk there – a good option for lunch one day soon.

Here are some photos from my walks.

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All Saints Day

All Saints Day isn’t part of my heritage, but I love the idea of setting aside one day a year to focus on loved ones who are no longer with us. Yesterday, I opened my windows as the church bells began to ring. I paused to think about my parents, grandparents and other family members. I spent a few minutes honouring my matriline – my mother, Esther, and the long line of Helenas. I thought of friends I have lost and said a prayer for someone very dear to me who will soon be with the saints.

In the afternoon, I went to the cemetery for what I assumed would be a solemn walk. Instead I found people laying bright chrysanthemums, families laughing and children chatting happily as they helped to wash off tombstones.

So many stories rich with joy from those who have gone before us. Never forgotten.

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À bientôt .