Monsieur (M.) et Madame (Mme.) Rose picked me up and we spent the day in Brest. When I woke up this morning I did not realize it was Friday and not Saturday so I was shocked when I looked out the window to see a student walking outside. On our way to Brest, M. Rose was explaining to me the link and history between Brest and the U.S. I saw a port which was beautiful and there is tramway in town (just like in Nice). It was nice to walk in a city like that.
Firstly, we went to Dialogues which is a huge bookstore that smells like books (lol). It has a glass cut open ceiling so you can see the sky from both the top floor and the main entrance on the first floor. M. and Mme Rose pointed out the Pleiade books which are very expensive and have a plastic wrapping because the pages are fine and lined with traces of gold. I got to touch the page of an already open book and the page did feel very delicate.
Secondly, we walked the part of town where the téléphérique (cable-car) is but it was closed until Monday due to technical issues. Along the water in the area is the military terrain. The French marine base is in Brest and there was a marine chopper parked right by the water.
We made our way to the Château and I found a gift, a crystal looking rock, in the grass. We also passed by the Triangle d’Or, the most expensive apartments in town, sitting right across the Château.
After seeing the castle we went back to main street ( Siam, named after the King of Siam who had visited Brest during Louis XIV’s reign ) and walked into a restaurant. M. and Mme Rose treated me to lunch and my main course was Faux Filet mad followed by a Crêpe Melba for dessert and it was really good.
After lunch we went to the Marché de Noël, Christmas market, and there was this giant table with giant chairs. I saw a booth with jewelry that was made by the seller and the labels on them were charming. There was also another huuuuge bench with a gingerbread man sitting on it that I took a picture with.
Thirdly, we went to the mall. I learned on our walk there that Mme Rose had laid a lot of groundwork in the early days to set up things for previous assistants once they arrived at the school. We ran into two young ladies who were raising money for a telethon and after adding to their collection, Mme Rose offered me the last keychain the women were giving out which came attached to a stuffed toy. Another present!
At the mall, I went into a store that had flowers hanging from the ceiling. We also went into FNAC and I ran into a book about energy work that I’d seen in a bookstore in Rennes. I enjoyed walking through the section with comic books so I may visit the library and look into checking out some. The next store was called Nature Découverte and I bought a book on origami. The book is so cool because I can make over 1000 origami pieces and there are difficult projects with instruction included. I’d actually been thinking about getting into origami in Amiens and also in Rennes so I must have manifested this.
When we left the mall we met up with M. and Mme Rose’s son and had tea and pastries in a nearby café. We talked about many things including soccer. I learned their son does origami and he was nice. After the café break we said our goodbyes to him, found our car, so we could start on the drive back. Side note: tell me why there is a children’s playground in the middle of the parking lot.The ride back was very relaxing and I was a bit sleepy.
Once we got to the lycée they dropped me off and we said goodbye. I am so thankful for today. Words cannot describe how touched I am by the Rose’s generosity. I thank the Universe for this amazing day and I am looking forward to more beautiful experiences.
December 2016
Aisha Isabelle 
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