I Kissed the Mayor of Maisons-Alfort!!!

Did I get your attention?

Allow me to explain properly.

Before I do ... there has been some confusion as to my Japanese host sister, Sayaka. Let me explain to you how my host family works:

Characters:

Guite (NOT PRONOUNCED "GWEET"!!!!! There is NOT a "w" sound!!!!)
Odile
Kader
Kenza
Maïssane
Hilal
Unknown
Sayaka
Leah

Guite is my host mother, if you will. Her daughter, Odile, lives in the little house in Guite's back yard. Living also in the little house is Odile's husband from Algeria, Kader, and their three little girls: Kenza, Maïssane and Hilal. Odile is now pregnant with a fourth child.

In the other house--the big one--we have Guite, Sayaka, and me. Now, you all know who I am. If you don't, stop reading my blog. Go away. Sayaka was an exchange student to France (like me) last year ... she's from Japan. This year, however, she has come back to study at a university in Paris and Guite has kindly invited her to live in her house. Thus, I have a Japanese host sister without having a Japanese host family.

Now. We continue.

Last night, there was a big soirée type thingy in Maisons-Alfort at Moulin Brûlé where a bunch of rich/otherwise important people went, listened to the mayor speak, and ate some little appetizer things. There are, apparently, a LOT of rich/important people in Maison-Alfort and the surrounding area. There was a rather large line to get in. Guite had come earlier, so Sayaka and I were on our own. Well, we did what any sane person would do and we cut in line, not quite to the front, but a lot closer than we would have been if we'd waited in line like all the other losers.

So. We waited, feeling rich and important (at least I was) until we got to where the party was. Some politicians and otherwise important people were standing in line, shaking everybody's hand as they entered. Undoubtedly, this is why the line was so long and slow moving.

Sayaka recognized some people (I only recognized Guite, who was obviously important enough to be standing in line with the politicians, greeting everyone who came in) and told me "Oh, he's a politician and he's the mayor and blahblahblah."

After about a million and five years, we got to the front of the line and the mayor of Maisons-Alfort gave me and Sayaka Frenchie cheek kisses, while most of the other losers god handshakes. We are obviously very special. Foreigners always are.

And that is my story of kissing the mayor.

He gave a speech (a half hour long) and it actually wasn't too bad. I didn't get bored but my feet hurt a little. You know, he was saying all these things very mayor-ish and all that. The highlight was when he said, "And during the Christmas season, what should we be doing? Going to stores to buy presents that will be lost or broken? No. We should be coming to public functions and listening to the mayor speak." Hahaha. I'm sure the humor was lost in translation. Plus, I don't remember exactly what he said.

I saw Myriam there--future host mom. Just a note. Obviously, a woman such as herself is important enough to be there. The mayor probably kissed her cheeks as well.

I do adore her. Going to the theatre with her and Pierre (future host dad) on Sunday. Don't know if Loïck (future host brother) is going or not.

But today. We move on to today, which was really my motivation for writing in the first place.

I woke up at 8:00. I got out of bed at 8:05. I took my time and by the time I got downstairs I had three minutes to eat breakfast. So, four minutes later I was running out the door and naturally I got to the bus stop much too early because I worry about such silly things. I could have made it to school on time by foot!

I got to school ten minutes before class started. So, what does a student to in a school where substitute teachers don't exist? Obviously, we check to see which teachers are absent!

Surprise, surprise! Mlle Briscadieu, my histoire/géo teacher wasn't there! That makes two hours free that would usually be spent in that class, plus my free hour during which everyone else has spanish, plus an hour and twenty minutes for lunch. Do I stay or do I go?

Do I look stupid? I went home of course! There I was at 9 in the morning, walking around the block to the busstop for bus 107 when EVERYBODY else was walking towards the school! It was a wonderful feeling.

So I got back home and joined Sayaka for a REAL breakfast because I hadn't eaten very well before leaving.

The next class I had to worry about was to start at 1:25 so I had pleanty of time. I thought to myself "wouldn't it be cool if my next teacher wasnt here either?"

But the PE teacher is ALWAYS there! I hate PE.

At 12:50 I set off to catch the next bus only to find that it had come early! No worries, though. Thirty-five minutes is pleanty of time to get to school by foot. So I set off, listening to my iPod, not really minding the wind and cold and slight-slight-slight rain.

I got to school a bit later than expected because a girl I had apparently met a loooooong time ago saw me on the street and stopped me to talk and ask some questions and all that. But I would still be on time for PE. Unfortunately.

So. I walk up to the school and who do I see at the busstop across the street? Margo! A girl in my class!

"We don't have sport today?" I called to her.

"No. The teacher isn't here."

So now I'm back at home. I wonder if my math and English teachers are here today ...