Today's day 1 of my fifth to last week as an English teaching assistant in France. And unlike far too many of my other days here, it has been/is marvelous. The sun is out and shining, skies are gorgeously blue, flowers are starting to bloom, and everyone is generally much cheerier than usual. Like the one teacher that I was frightened of, for instance, who decided to have a nice heart-to-heart with me in hushed tones as she oversaw her students doing a devoir. Even the man at the post office was unusually nice, joking with me as he did his job efficiently and with a smile(!!!).

The view from my window - tell me those blue skies would not plaster a huge grin onto your face!

Strangely enough, this place is (finally) starting to feel a little bit like home, and I suspect that I will miss it dearly when I leave in 5 weeks.