This morning, at 8:30, we got a telephone call from the chimney sweep, returning Larry's call, asking if he could come clean our chimney tomorrow. Mais ... demain, c'est dimanche! On travaille le dimanche? Quoi?! C'est scandaleux!

I went out to lunch with Ellen today. We walked around Portland a little bit first. I still feel surprised when I see that all the shops are open at lunchtime here. She took me to the new Portland Public Market, where I found (drumroll, please) hard cider for sale. We'll see if it's anything like the cider in Normandy (which I find myself missing). It's certainly more expensive - ten bucks! I could get a very good bottle of cider for about three euros in Bayeux.

Overall, though, things are a lot cheaper here, especially when you figure in the fact that I am getting paid in dollars and prices are in dollars. I keep finding myself translating into euros ... and am still forgetting tips and sales tax ...

I called Bénédicte today, as well as Isabelle (Méline and Coralie were not home, to the girls' disappointment). It was so good to talk to Bénédicte, though ever since then I have felt pretty depressed. I miss my French friends so much; calling made me acutely aware of that fact. I still do not feel fully acclimated to here, though I paid some bills today, and that mundane task brought me back to this side of the ocean pretty strongly. I still feel myself resisting, though. I don't want my Fulbright year to be over.

I'd better get some sleep now ... the chimney sweep will be here bright and early tomorrow (dimanche!!!!)!

Both girls tonight were sad (Annika especially), missing their friends in France. It has been hard to tell, really, how they're adjusting. They still clearly prefer to speak French and I'm trying hard to maintain that and not slip into the habit of speaking English with them. I bought some postcards of Maine today that we can send off to our French friends. Tomorrow, perhaps, we'll do some Skyping.

We will probably go to the Farmer's Market again tomorrow ... trying to create rituals here that mirror some of the good things we did in France. Not the same, of course, but God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannont change. I'm trying to stay positive.

I made cookies yesterday, which was very comforting and helped me feel more grounded in this reality. Tonight Annika and I made a quiche for supper which came out really well. It is nice to be back in my own kitchen.

Soon I need to go into school and get my classroom set up. Larry and I went to Staples today and bought a new printer; wish I knew what happened to ours. I haven't hooked the new one up yet but hopefully now the two of us will be able to do some lesson plans. Only one week left, really. It's hard to think of "la rentrée" at Alain Chartier happening without me; that place still seems more like my school than Westbrook at this point. * sigh *

Another good thing about the U.S. - VEGGIE BURGERS! Sooo good!

Seems like all I did on this blog yesterday was whine. So here are some positives:

1. The view of Casco Bay when you drive to Portland from Falmouth on 295 is absolutely stunning - especially at sunset.
2. The girls and I keep chattering away in French. It is a comfort.
3. When we arrived home, two of my friends had put up streamers and welcome home signs. Then they threw us a welcome home party on Friday.
4. My bed here is a LOT more comfortable than our bed in France.
5. Milk. Soooo good. And Smiling Hill Farm ice cream.
6. My piano. I don't really remember how to play, but it's here and I can begin again ...
7. Ellen's mother put in some of my flower boxes for me. Sympa.
8. I had a wonderful massage from Pamela last week.

That said, when we went to the farmer's market in Portland on Saturday, I cried. No cheese, no fruit, no one yelling out deals in French, we didn't know anybody ... c'est difficile. I wonder if the Saturday merchants in Bayeux have thought of us at all. I wish I could go to the market, just for an hour!

Okay - this is turning to whining again. I just really miss France. I think I'm rather in mourning. * sigh *

How am I going to do school in two weeks? My desktop computer is all messed up; I don't know what they did, but I can't even move folders any more, and they're all in different places. It also keeps freezing on me and telling me there isn't enough memory. And I still can't get the printer to work with either the desktop or the laptop computer. Yikes!