April Fish's Day??

Today is April 1st AKA April Fool's Day AKA the day I get my mom with the old rubber band around the squirter thing next to the faucet on the sink day (seriously, I get her every year with that trick. You know the one; where you tie a rubber band around that nozzley squirter thing next to the sink so that instead of getting water out of the faucet it kind of goes in your face?...oh man...that makes me laugh everytime...) Apparently, the tradition is a little different here in France.

I went to work this morning, which was a joy. It was an absolutely great morning; one of those mornings where you just know an even greater day is on the way. I went into work and I entered my first class of the day and all of the kids had these little paper fish taped to the edges of their desks. They had made them either at home the night before or that morning before I got there. They were all excited and giddy when I came in. Then Christophe, the teacher, asked me what the tradition was in the states. I tried, in French, which was disastrous, to explain the sink nozzle trick and some of the kids got it, but then they told me about what they do. Apparently you stick fish to people's backs without them knowing. Hmmm...okay.

My lesson went well ( I read There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly and then we did activities) and then it was time for recess. I learned at recess just what this whole fish thing meant. The kids were all kinds of excited. They all had their fish and were running around and laughing. Then I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye and a poke on my back. I turned around and saw two 7-year-old boys dashing away from my absolutely howling with laughter. I reached back and pulled a smiling, cut-out fish colored with stripes about 4 inches long off of my back. I laughed too. One of the boys shyly ran up to me and I glared at him and bent down to his level. He looked slightly scared, then I pulled my hand from behind my back and poked him on the head and stuck the fish right to his forehead. All the kids watching cracked up, including the boy himself. It was so much fun. The next 25 minutes consisted of me playing "Poisson d'Avril" with about 100 6-8 year-olds. It was one of the best experiences I've had this year.

I went into a new class today and introduced myself to them. They asked me some real silly questions about earthquakes, the bridges in NYC, Thanksgiving, Lava, the American Flag, more about New York City (because thats all America is to 8 year-olds), the food we eat and my life here in France. After work, I met up with my friend Kim and we went to this really sweet cafe/bookstore and sat outside and enjoyed the colors and the air and the sunlight and the first real signs of Springtime. It really was an absolutely amazing day here. The air was so perfect and the sun was shining and I just wanted to dance around. Yet those silly french people were still wearing their black leather coats and black pants and grey sweaters and dark purple hat/scarf combinations. I can't, for the life of me, understand this and I dont think I ever will, no matter how long I stay in France. Voila.

On a completely different note, I mentioned something in my last blog about how I had some bad news. I figured I'll just get it over with because it has to be said and after the amazing day I just had, nothing really seems THAT bad. So here goes:

I didn't get accepted into the Product Design program at U of O.

I cried for quite a while when I finally found out. But I slept on it for a few days and came up with an alternative plan (just like you said I would Erin) that I am fully backing myself up on. You see, there is nothing else I want to do with my life. I want to Major in Product Design and that is it. Anyone who reads this knows that I could go on and on about it and that I am really passionate and that getting into this Program meant more to me than anything. Being the person that I am and being this passionate about Product Design, I can't possibly just give up now, just like that, that easily. I am in the process of writing an precisely worded letter explaining my situation and my feelings and my intentions for this next year and I am sending it to every professor instructing in the Product Design major. I want to meet with anyone and everyone willing to go through my portfolio with me and tell me what I need to do to make it better and get into Product Design next year. Also, next year, I am going to show up to every class I couldn't get into without being enrolled in Product Design and see if the professor won't let me in. If they know me before it happens, I might have a better chance of making it in. Also, if I am extremely persistent and passionate and they see how much I want this, I am almost certain I can get what I want. This is NOT the end of the line for me. I am going to get what I want.

I'm really glad this heartbreak happened in Spring because when I'm feeling down, I can just go for a walk outside and see that everything is starting to regrow. During the winter, everything looks so dead and lifeless and cold but then, time passes and you look around you and all of a sudden you see tiny traces of life. Life that was there the whole time but retreated beneath thick layers of gray protection in order to prepare itself for the boom of activity to come 3 months later and all at once. I think thats just what it takes. Toughing it out, knowing that days like today are going to come and that life does go on. So, I see that this rejection is not a winter. It really is a Spring. I have much to do in the months to come. I have a feeling that this is going to show me something that I needed to see and that maybe I wasn't exactly ready to get what I wanted. Its a humbling experience however I am ready to work to improve.

For now, I'm just going to enjoy the springtime. Watch out for fish on your backs, everyone.