Aisha Isabelle

The most amazing thing happened last night. Claire, our school nurse, invited me over to her place near Quimper for the upcoming break and I am ecstatic. This morning, I packed for my trip and the process was fairly simple and stress free. I chose to use my medium size suitcase because I was not so sure what exactly I would need or how long I’d be staying at Claire’s (plus I love having options). When I was done, I went to the infirmary for the first time, met up with Claire there then we headed to her car where we loaded the trunk with my belongings.

The drive to her town was pleasant. We had a discussion about how things were going so far for me including whether I knew what I would be doing next after this post in Brittany and observations of differences between school schedules in the U.S. and in France. When we arrived in her town we picked up her daughter then made a pit stop at their local boulangerie before heading to her home.

Claire’s home is beautifully decorated. You can tell right off the bat that so much love and care has been put into it. There seems to be a sea theme going on so all around you you spot something that reminds you of the water. There are also palm trees in the yard which was pretty unexpected. When we get in I meet her son, who is very nice, and we all have some tea and nibble on some Rice Krispies Treats which I’d made at home and had decided to bring over with me as a gesture of gratitude. I am really glad they all like it.

An hour or two later, Claire drives me into Quimper’s historic center and we take a night walk around the area. It is beautiful and the cathedral looks amazing from the outside. I look forward to visiting it during the daytime and actually getting the chance to go inside. What I really like about this place is that the water snakes through this part of the city and I am able to capture some amazing night shots. The moon is out and round and nice and low and full and brilliant which creates a bit of a magical quality.

When we return to Claire’s house, I meet her husband who is lovely and we learn that we’ll be having pizza for dinner. Dinner is lively and we converse mostly in English. As a whole we talked about my experiences in France (both past and present), what I am looking forward to doing next, interesting places/visits/scenes I have been to in the U.S.  and I learned that Claire’s husband is a plane enthusiast. They are a really welcoming and hospitable family and I am so lucky and grateful to be here as their guest.

FEB 17