Tu n’es pas beau, tu es irrésistible.
Je ne veux pas être avec toi pour toujours,
j’ai besoin d’être avec toi pour toujours.Et je ne pleurerais pas si tu t’en vas, je mourrais.
Et je ne t’aime pas de tout mon cœur, tu es mon cœur.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY BABYLOVE!
Most of you know that I have been working as a Montessori teacher for 3 years now. And i work with 13 other teachers in the school ( not counting the surveillants and the people at the canteen). Three years…13 colleagues.But i am amazed of how little i know about the people i work with. Although we see each other everyday and always start our conversations with hello and how are you, we never get to the point of really sharing a part of ourselves to each other. The most intimate info that i know about my colleagues are the diplomas that they got for their montessori training ( and that they didn’t need to tell me, it’s obvious from which classes they are in). I mean, they wouldn’t be in a 6-9 class if they have a 3-6 diplome, right? And i am almost ashamed to admit this, but i don’t even know their family name, as we call each other by our first name, and yes, even my boss i call her just Patricia ( for months i go around avoiding having to say her name at all and the first time i did it i had to (almost) pull my tongue out as it got stuck on my throat. It was just so awkward to call her just that as i am so used to adding Ma’am or Sir before the family name, as customary in Pinas). Seemingly we are so casual here, everybody’s friendly…yet people are also so discreet. And on my part, what do they know about me? My name and where I’m from, of course….that’s basically it. Though i wanted to tell them more: there is more to me than my being a teacher, more to me than the color of my skin….I wanted to reach out, maybe not to everybody but to a significant one or two or three …but no. And because they never ask, i never offered and i have learned to play their game too
So now you ask me, what do we talk about in school? About everything and nothing, really: the weather ( always about the weather!!!), health issues, our jobs and the children in our respective classes. And mind you, i am not complaining. For a long time now, I have learned to want it this way or maybe i have gotten used to this: of wearing masks and of putting up walls.
But on reflection, i don’t want to get used to this. I don’t want to learn to live with it. I find it sad, really. Three years, i have accomplished a lot… and yet i feel that i have nothing to show for it. I feel that I’m missing on something. Not even a friend gained…. what a let down!
La Rochelle Avril 2007
Solace of the Sea
The sturdy sloop bobs along,
Waves licking at the sides.
Its sails filled with lilting breeze
Birthing joy in my sighs.The scent of kelp and ocean air,
Gulls gliding overhead,
The swish of boat upon the foam,
I slumber in my water bed.Rejoicing in the shifting ocean,
And the friendships that I find,
The suntanned faces, generous hearts,
Like currents running through my mindOh glorious days spent on the water,
When escape is what must be.
Sea calls me with its siren song
Come launch and sail!
Be free with me!Linda H. Carney
La Rochelle Avril 2007
Delphine and Ludo
sailing avril 2007
les amis
au frigo
ready….set….
GO!
sailing avril 2007
c’est la vie pour juju
la rochelle from a distance
la phare au bout du monde
neither out far nor in deep
mon vrai nord
sailing avril 2007
sea gypsy
port of la rochelle
The French’s way of greeting still makes me jittery at times. For the French, kissing is a way of life and one is always expected to make the rounds upon arriving in a gathering, going from person to person, whether you know them or not, and greeting each individual with the appropriate number of kisses on the cheek.
Now, coming from a culture who does "mano po" rather than kiss, meeting people is almost always an awkward moment for me. Kissing is a difficult thing to get right in France. I’m in a state of total confusion as to what to do whenever I meet someone new.I am still baffled on who to kiss and how and how many. After 3 years of observation this is what i have come up with:
WHO to kiss:
I am not expected to kiss elderly people on the first meeting EXCEPT if they are a very close relative of my hubby. As to people my age, kissing is the name of the game.
HOW MANY kisses:
Now this can be very awkward if not done right. Imagine getting poised for a 3rd kiss only to find out that you are only expected to give 2 or giving only 2 when you are supposed to give four. Confusing isn’t it? But now i know that it really depends on which part of France you are. In and around Paris, 2 is perfect ( one on each cheek); In Brittany, 3 is expected; for Julien’s friends in Nantes they need to have 4 and in Cote d’Azur a five or six kissing pattern is not unusual.
HOW to kiss:
On my 3 years of stay here, i have mastered the art of gently touching my cheek to my recipient’s ,while pursing my lips and making a kissing sound. I found out that it often does the trick. Though the closer the person to me is, the more pressure i put in touching my cheek to theirs — my way of kissing "more" affectionately.
Interestingly, 1 kiss is considered more intimate and is given only to a hubby or a lover.
I have yet to witness a 5 or six -kiss greeting, but I’m ready for one - should the need arise.
saw it in the daffodils gracefully swaying with the wind
spotted it on the buds that are eagerly waiting to bloom
noticed it on the number of lovers strolling hand in hand and embracing on the bridges of Paris ( was too coy to take a photo of them, besides this one’s cuter)
caught sight of it from the number of people who came out to enjoy the warmth that spring brings
Spring is almost here…yai! 
Today is Tatay ‘Swe’s 1st death anniversary. I will not talk about how hard it had been, because definitely, i am over that. BUT that does not mean though that i have forgotten, it only means that I have finally stopped to question God why, and has accepted to let it go by faith. It also means that i have learned to forgive myself for the "should haves and the should have beens", this i guess was the hardest part of all. I realized that though time heals, the longing continues. I still wake up missing him — craving for the little joys his person bring —the infectious laughter, the Elvis impersonation moments, the jokes i can recite by heart, and the wonderful lunch he prepares on Sundays for the family. I am sure, i will forever long for that.
His death has forced me to look at my own mortality and to respect the circle of life. It has taught me to treasure each moment, to say i love you and thank you more often, to live each day to the full, to always look at the brighter side of things, though i admit, the decision to do that is very hard to keep everyday. But i choose to do it because that’s how i want to live my life now.
I keep Tatay ‘Swe in a special corner in my heart….a place all his own. Where his memories will never age with time and where his laughters will continue to ring forever.
The red are countries visited and burgundy is the place of origin.
I have seen ONLY 6 percent (14 countries) of the world’s countries 
Hmmm, i still have a LOT of globe-trotting to do but i am happy of what
i have managed so far. I cannot remember now when this love to wander
started and who influenced it, but it seems that the travel bug has got
me and has gotten me well. I found out that the more you see, the more
you want to see! The world is such a beautiful place indeed.
I
would love to get to know Africa and more of Asia and Europe…and the
United States, of course. India and Tibet are my dream destinations
.God willing, i will be able to fill that white spaces with red dots
before i will be too senile to even walk.
What about you, is the world your playground too?
Today a little boy in my class, for circle time, shared to us some elephant facts. It got me thinking how similar their way of life is from humans. Check this out:
Elephants live in families. Several families live together in a "herd." The leader of the herd is usually the oldest female elephant. She is called the "matriarch." All the babies and other females follow her. ( Lola rules!!!)
A young male elephant stays with the herd until he is fourteen or fifteen years old. Then, he goes out on his own. The young male will try to find a female elephant for a companion. ( Although in Pinas, we stay with our family as long as we like OR until they kick us out!!! I think 14 or 15 is also the age, when a young guy starts making pacute pa cute, di ba?)And get this, many times when a mate cannot be found, the male elephant will display homosexual behavior.
Elephants can even kiss, by putting their trunk in another elephant’s mouth.
Elephants can live as long as eighty years! And when they are old, they move away from the herd, staying alone until they die. (Sad, isn’t it?)
On the last few days of December, after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday, Julien and I had a 3 day get away in Brittany, in the northwestern side of France, known for it’s beaches and its Celtic heritage…and of course, when the sea is there, the oysters, the lobsters and shrimps… and all those other seafood goodies couldn’t be too far away.
Click here for for more: BRITTANY/BRETAGNE
And some more: CANCALE
And again : VILLA ST. MALO
