The cafeteria where we eat lunch most day, I say most days because the high school has off campus privileges and everything in Saint Amands Les Eaux is within walking distance from the school so sometimes we (my host brother, his friends, and I) go eat in town, though that so far has been limited to Fridays, as they always buy Frites and/or sandwiches from the weekly farmer's market on Fridays. Anyway the cafeteria is kind of 'in-out' style, by which I mean there is a constant flow of students in too eat and then out again once they're finished through the little cafeteria with limited seating throughout the entirety of the lunch period. All the kids who eat lunch at the cantina, some go home for lunch, but we live too far away for that, stand outside in the courtyard of the main building and wait for the teacher at the front to call their class, then they go and get their little lunch card and wait in line. Once in line they return the card to another teacher, who waits at the start of the line, which curves around a narrow tiled hallway into the kitchen and then out into the hall where we eat. The food itself is not great but compared to the majority of school lunch food out there could be a lot worse! The food is set on a display cart of sorts where we grab what we want, basically as much as we want. First bread, in slices, and silverware then dessert, then an appetizer, then the main course and a napkin, plus a glass of water if you like. Normally the main course is some sort of over-salted meat and a potato dish, today however it was rice that accompanied the meat. Then you dump your plate (real plates, as I was surprised to find) and silverware in the dishwashing part of the kitchen and exit once again into the courtyard. Everyone here prefers to eat in town, but that's too expensive for everyday, and no one brings a lunch to school, I guess that's just not a thing here.
Saint Amands Les Eaux is a charming little town with a nice park and lots of narrow ancient streets filled with funny little shops and a cafe or two, plus a bakery which I'm told is very good but haven't had a chance to try yet. The "Les Eaux" part of the name actually does mean water, as the town is in fact a supplier of bottled water, which my host family, adn thus I, drink.
The bus ride to and from school is on a grey hound bus, so its obviously very comfortable, and the views are wonderful, because we drive through three (I think three, though I can't actually tell!) little towns and some country side. I very much enjoy watching the everyday early morning routine of the French from the window of the bus.
All in all I am enjoying school and life here, though its still hard considering I have only Thomas and Sarah as friends, nice as they are I still feel I'm imposing a bit, and their friends, who are all very nice as well, but when they speak to one and other I can't understand them, so I'm never part of the conversation. It would just be nice to have someone to talk to in between classes.
I have so many free periods, I don't know what to do with them. I usually read, but I'm afraid to finish my book, as it's the only English book I have and I don't want to struggle through a French book with my dictionary, etc. in the study hall room on top of all my struggling with French homework.
well that's I'll I have on school life so far,
a bientot,
e
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