I know...I know. I'm a wretched human being who is unable to keep others updated about her life and probably doesn't deserve to have a blog. But in my defense...I've been working (and playing) hard. But who wants to write a blog entry when you're living in Skagway and someone says that there's an impromptu game of four square outside of the church? Or there's volleyball and basketball happening in the rec center? Or there's miles of amazing hiking just outside of town? My point exactly. All that to say, I've been keeping myself pretty occupied. I've wanted to share stories but I never seem to find the time. So, I'm going to recount now, for your reading pleasure, one of my more recent stories. Let's call it...Lauren and the Terrifying, Exhausting, Disastrous, Bear-filled Day at Dyea.
So...yesterday was my first day being stationed out at Dyea by myself. Dyea is a ghost town that once rivalled Skagway during the Gold Rush but is now a bear infested patch of woods with ruins of old buildings scattered throughout. It is my job to spend all day out here and lead two walking tours through the townsite and rove throughout the rest of the townsite in the meantime. Well, I've been pretty nervous about the bears. But everyone had been reassuring me that although there was bear skat all throughout the townsite, nobody had seen a bear in a good two weeks time. I guess I'm lucky. I had only been in the townsite for approximately 20 minutes. I was taking pictures of some wildflowers. I made contact with my first visitor who decided to go on my walking tour. In the time that it took for him to go back to his motorcycle and come back, I met a bear. I was reading one of the interpretive signs in a clearing with a small patch of woods behind me that lay between the road and the clearing. I felt safe as the slough was in front of me and I figured the woods behind me were too scarce to hide any bears. Well, I heard a tremendous crash directly behind and instantly knew it was a bear. I whirled around, fumbling for the bear spray on my belt and managed to whip it out just in time to see a bear crashing through the woods towards me, about twenty to thirty feet away. The bear must have been startled by something on the road because I don't think it initially saw me. I must have surprised it as it directly went galumphing off in the other direction upon seeing a human in the clearing. But that didn't stop me from dying inside as I imagined in quick succession a million deaths. My hand was shaking as I walked back out to the parked cars to where the visitor was. What surprised me was how calmly I was able to talk. I really didn't want to lead the walking tour having just watched the bear run in the direction of the town, but what choice did I have? I now had 5 visitors. Well, we proceeded boldly along, my hand constantly wandering to the bear spray at my side.
We had gotten about half-way through the tour and although I was still somewhat high strung, I began to relax a little. I genuinely enjoyed conversing with my group and it was almost as though we were having a pleasant stroll through the woods. But it was not to be. While pointing out some color changing lichen, I heard the unmistakable snap of a branch by a creature that was too large to be a squirrel or a bird. I spotted a little bit of movement and then I informed my group that there was a bear a mere 40 feet away. Well, they did remarkably well and they calmly talked in loud voices to let the bear...or should I say bears, for there were two...to let the bears know that we were there. We started to back track and the bears fled from before us...right in the direction we were going to go. Well, we got out of there (one woman was upset we weren't able to stay so she could take a picture of the lichen...but color changing lichen is much less important than being in proximity to a bear if you ask me). We decided we would approach the false front (the only remaining structure in Dyea) from the opposite direction and hope that the two bears had left. We met up with a cycling group and we then proceeded in a group of 20 or so to the false front. On route, I saw the two bears again. They ran away from the false front. We then reached the road leading up to the false front and the two bears came crashing through one last time. The leader stopped in the middle of the road and gazed fully upon us before running off again with her friend in pursuit. Needless to say, I was somewhat on edge all morning. And I was unreasonably angry with Steve, our Law Enforcement ranger, for not being in Dyea when there were bears all around on my first day. He doesn't deserve my wrath, but that didn't stop me from thinking that he did at the time.
Well, turns out I couldn't have called for help if I had wanted to...because radio technicians had basically cut all radio traffic as they were working on improving the signal. Great. Bears running loose in Dyea. Me. All alone. Radio. Dead. And this was how I found out. Apparently a stump out on the tidal flats was on fire, but they had poured sand and water on it. It was still smoking and I tried to call it in to Steve...but no answer. So, I drove back to the ranger station, had to call Steve on his cell phone at which point he said he would call the fire department and come out and have a look. They finally came out, but by then it was time for me to drive back to Skagway. They were still on the flats when I left but my attitude by that time was good bye and good riddance. See you in two weeks, bear friends. I unashamedly sing and talk to myself as I rove in Dyea to keep the bears at bay. No bear, my hat. I saw 3 bears in my very first hour in Dyea. What are the odds of that? I went home, had Dorritos, Dr. Pepper, and leftover chili for dinner and read Confederates in the Attic. Thus ended my day in Dyea. Until next time!...whenever that may be...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
La vie en...ALASKA!!!
So...I realize that this is my french blog...but I don't really want to change the address and everything now that I'm in Alaska. So...it looks like I'll be continuing my blog.
So...Alaska. It's gorgeous! I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet, but I will soon. I'm finally feeling not sick. I've been pretty desperately ill for the last week or so...and I didn't have enough time to go the doctor, so its nice to be able to start to taste and smell things again. I'm still coughing and don't really have a voice...but at least I'm not achy and I don't want to crawl into bed all the time. Disneyland was fun...but we were all kind of sick...especially me, so it could have been more fun. I beat Sarah on the buzz lightyear ride...yes! But my plane rides were without incident. On the way from LAX to Seattle, I was seated next to a decently cute guy, and since it was a red eye flight, pretty much the whole plane was asleep. I awoke from a small snooze to find cute guy completely asleep and starting to lean in my direction. I found it kind of amusing and so I left him like that until he was almost sleeping on my shoulder. But then I had to go and cough and he woke up with a jerk and awkward situation ensued where I pretended I was asleep and was unaware that he was snoozing in my vicinity. I slept the whole flight from Seattle to Juneau, so the whole process passed rather quickly. We arrived in Juneau to wind and rain and I feared that my small plane would not be able to fly out in inclement weather. Well, inclement weather means something different in Alaska than it does in California. So...I got in a tiny plane that seated 8 passengers and we struck out for Skagway. What can I say? The flight was breathtakingly beautiful. There is snow in Juneau still and we flew up the inside passage inbetween enormous snowcapped mountains and glaciers to the tiny town of Skagway, located in a fjord. The flight was somewhat bumpy, and the bottom swooped out from us a few times, but if you treated it as a rollercoaster, it was fine. To land in Skagway, you fly over the town and make a sharp curve banking far to the right just next to the mountains to approach the landing strip from inland. If heights and rollercoasters frighten you...small planes are not for you.
Skagway...now that I can finally smell again, the scent is intoxicating. The mountains rise straight to the heavens and are still capped with snow. The biggest mountain facing us is known by the locals as witch mountain. The majority of the buildings are restored and all of the sidewalks are boardwalks. I'm living in a restored historic house (the Peniel Mission) with the Moore cabin and house practically in my backyard (The absolute first structures in Skagway before the stampeders arrived...to a history nerd like me, this is tantamount to awesome). I asked today if the tap water was good and was met with incredulous stares. Apparently, the water comes straight from the glaciers surrounding Skagway...this is where bottled water companies should set up headquarters. I had my first day of training today. It was definite information overload, but hopefully, I'll be getting the hang of this soon. I'm very excited to start my official duties once I finally get it all figured out. There are so many different duties I'll be doing...so different from Cabrillo. I'll give official tours around town, staff the visitor center, staff the moore house (with the original piano that composed the state song for Alaska...that I'm allowed to play!), spend a day out in Dyea (chances of bear sightings are good), do living history, and help with research (yay!). Pretty much to sum it up....I'm stoked. And a fellow ranger invited me over to watch the laker's game tonight. They lost. Boo. But cool that I got invited over and seem to be making friends. Anyhoo, I'm attending a seminar on the Tlingit (pronounced Klinkit) tomorrow and then we are headed up to the white pass with the historian. Should prove another interesting day. Talk to you all soon!
So...Alaska. It's gorgeous! I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet, but I will soon. I'm finally feeling not sick. I've been pretty desperately ill for the last week or so...and I didn't have enough time to go the doctor, so its nice to be able to start to taste and smell things again. I'm still coughing and don't really have a voice...but at least I'm not achy and I don't want to crawl into bed all the time. Disneyland was fun...but we were all kind of sick...especially me, so it could have been more fun. I beat Sarah on the buzz lightyear ride...yes! But my plane rides were without incident. On the way from LAX to Seattle, I was seated next to a decently cute guy, and since it was a red eye flight, pretty much the whole plane was asleep. I awoke from a small snooze to find cute guy completely asleep and starting to lean in my direction. I found it kind of amusing and so I left him like that until he was almost sleeping on my shoulder. But then I had to go and cough and he woke up with a jerk and awkward situation ensued where I pretended I was asleep and was unaware that he was snoozing in my vicinity. I slept the whole flight from Seattle to Juneau, so the whole process passed rather quickly. We arrived in Juneau to wind and rain and I feared that my small plane would not be able to fly out in inclement weather. Well, inclement weather means something different in Alaska than it does in California. So...I got in a tiny plane that seated 8 passengers and we struck out for Skagway. What can I say? The flight was breathtakingly beautiful. There is snow in Juneau still and we flew up the inside passage inbetween enormous snowcapped mountains and glaciers to the tiny town of Skagway, located in a fjord. The flight was somewhat bumpy, and the bottom swooped out from us a few times, but if you treated it as a rollercoaster, it was fine. To land in Skagway, you fly over the town and make a sharp curve banking far to the right just next to the mountains to approach the landing strip from inland. If heights and rollercoasters frighten you...small planes are not for you.
Skagway...now that I can finally smell again, the scent is intoxicating. The mountains rise straight to the heavens and are still capped with snow. The biggest mountain facing us is known by the locals as witch mountain. The majority of the buildings are restored and all of the sidewalks are boardwalks. I'm living in a restored historic house (the Peniel Mission) with the Moore cabin and house practically in my backyard (The absolute first structures in Skagway before the stampeders arrived...to a history nerd like me, this is tantamount to awesome). I asked today if the tap water was good and was met with incredulous stares. Apparently, the water comes straight from the glaciers surrounding Skagway...this is where bottled water companies should set up headquarters. I had my first day of training today. It was definite information overload, but hopefully, I'll be getting the hang of this soon. I'm very excited to start my official duties once I finally get it all figured out. There are so many different duties I'll be doing...so different from Cabrillo. I'll give official tours around town, staff the visitor center, staff the moore house (with the original piano that composed the state song for Alaska...that I'm allowed to play!), spend a day out in Dyea (chances of bear sightings are good), do living history, and help with research (yay!). Pretty much to sum it up....I'm stoked. And a fellow ranger invited me over to watch the laker's game tonight. They lost. Boo. But cool that I got invited over and seem to be making friends. Anyhoo, I'm attending a seminar on the Tlingit (pronounced Klinkit) tomorrow and then we are headed up to the white pass with the historian. Should prove another interesting day. Talk to you all soon!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Boite de Nuit!!! ...aka...nightclub
I woke up at 2:30 this afternoon. I think it was merited seeing as how I didn't go to sleep until 5:30 in the morning. But it was soooo worth it! I went to a nightclub for the first time in my life last night and it was a blast! Last night, we started the evening off at my apartment, with pizza and various autre choses. By we, I mean Melany, Roselyne, Gladys, Jordan, and Jeremy. The girls showed up first and we had a fun time getting dressed up and taking pictures (when you go to a club in France...it's serious business...jeans and tennis shoes are absolutely not allowed). The boys showed up later and we made a party of it until around midnight or so when Gladys' mom came to pick us up to drive us to the club. She is a saint, that woman. I can't think of many mothers who would volunteer to drive a bunch of intoxicated adolescents 40 minutes to a club and then come pick them up at 4 in the morning...especially, when Gladys and family are leaving for Morocco today for vacation. But I digress...anyhoo, we got to the club and you could feel the music from outside the building...which means that you can probably guess the how loud it was inside the club. Melany got carded at the entrance (she always does...she has a baby face)and we met up with Benoit. We then all trooped in along with all the French people who came to Saintes especially for this nightclub...which has the reputation of being one of the best in the Charente-Maritime.
On first walking in, I was impressed. The biggest dance floor is techno themed. There are platforms for dancing on, cages for dancing in, and even a rotating floor that when paired with strobe lights makes you feel like you're dancing even when you're standing still. The boys were reluctant at first, so Melany and I started dancing on the rotating platform thingy with about a million other people. You can feel the music and when everyone is dancing all around you, you can't help but dance. It's great! After dancing a little bit, we took a tour of the club...there are different rooms and they are all differently themed. There was a room dedicated to rap and hip-hop and a room for disco hits and 80's music. There were a ton of old people in the latter room. We didn't dance in there at all. There was also the "VIP club"...which was upstairs and was more posh. Anyhoo, the dj announced that he was going to be giving out free drinks which got everyone super riled up and all of a sudden I found myself dancing with the group right in front of the dj. Along with the music and the strobe lights they also pump in fog...which when paired with strobe lights is surreal. But it was great! And then...I don't know how this happened...but the dj pointed at me and called me forward to give me a free drink voucher. Wow. I guess I don't suck at dancing. But don't worry...I only had a coke. After dancing for a while, we decided to go outside for a few minutes to breathe...but in reality, the only "outside" that you can access without leaving the club is the smoker's area...so I wasn't really given the opportunity to breathe. But oh man...that many bodies packed in like so many sardines in a tin is a recipe for sweat.
I won't bore you all with more details about how we danced all night long, but I will leave you with this one anecdote. Towards the end of the night, we were sitting in a booth waiting for Jordan to show up again so that we could leave (Jordan has a few million friends. He was flitting between groups all night long.), when a French guy approached me and asked me if I'd like to dance. Welp, it was a slow song and not knowing him at all, I politely declined. He was persistent. I again declined. He then asked why. Why oh why should I have to justify my refusal?!? Why do boys always have to ask why? Just as I was racking my brains for an excuse, Jordan shows up out of nowhere, grabs my hand and pulls me over to the couch next to him saying somthing to the effect of, "Ma cherie! There you are!". So...thank you Jordan for saving my life. I do not condone being intoxicated, but when Jordan is drunk, he is flippin' hilarious. He waxes witty...then starts singing songs...and then starts mumbling to himself...and then has incredible bursts of energy. Dancing with a drunk Jordan is super fun. I no longer have a voice from trying to make myself heard last night...and my ears were ringing as I tried to fall asleep...and my feet were sore from dancing. But given the opportunity to go clubbing again? I would probably say I'd love to.
On first walking in, I was impressed. The biggest dance floor is techno themed. There are platforms for dancing on, cages for dancing in, and even a rotating floor that when paired with strobe lights makes you feel like you're dancing even when you're standing still. The boys were reluctant at first, so Melany and I started dancing on the rotating platform thingy with about a million other people. You can feel the music and when everyone is dancing all around you, you can't help but dance. It's great! After dancing a little bit, we took a tour of the club...there are different rooms and they are all differently themed. There was a room dedicated to rap and hip-hop and a room for disco hits and 80's music. There were a ton of old people in the latter room. We didn't dance in there at all. There was also the "VIP club"...which was upstairs and was more posh. Anyhoo, the dj announced that he was going to be giving out free drinks which got everyone super riled up and all of a sudden I found myself dancing with the group right in front of the dj. Along with the music and the strobe lights they also pump in fog...which when paired with strobe lights is surreal. But it was great! And then...I don't know how this happened...but the dj pointed at me and called me forward to give me a free drink voucher. Wow. I guess I don't suck at dancing. But don't worry...I only had a coke. After dancing for a while, we decided to go outside for a few minutes to breathe...but in reality, the only "outside" that you can access without leaving the club is the smoker's area...so I wasn't really given the opportunity to breathe. But oh man...that many bodies packed in like so many sardines in a tin is a recipe for sweat.
I won't bore you all with more details about how we danced all night long, but I will leave you with this one anecdote. Towards the end of the night, we were sitting in a booth waiting for Jordan to show up again so that we could leave (Jordan has a few million friends. He was flitting between groups all night long.), when a French guy approached me and asked me if I'd like to dance. Welp, it was a slow song and not knowing him at all, I politely declined. He was persistent. I again declined. He then asked why. Why oh why should I have to justify my refusal?!? Why do boys always have to ask why? Just as I was racking my brains for an excuse, Jordan shows up out of nowhere, grabs my hand and pulls me over to the couch next to him saying somthing to the effect of, "Ma cherie! There you are!". So...thank you Jordan for saving my life. I do not condone being intoxicated, but when Jordan is drunk, he is flippin' hilarious. He waxes witty...then starts singing songs...and then starts mumbling to himself...and then has incredible bursts of energy. Dancing with a drunk Jordan is super fun. I no longer have a voice from trying to make myself heard last night...and my ears were ringing as I tried to fall asleep...and my feet were sore from dancing. But given the opportunity to go clubbing again? I would probably say I'd love to.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes....
Hello all! I know its been ages since I've updated my blog, but nothing super exciting has happened that has merited a blog. Or maybe, life in France has ceased to be novel and is just life. But in any case, I love it here! But on to the point of this blog...I'll be home in one week! I can't believe it! After living in this wonderful town for 7 months, I can't believe I'm leaving! BBMB threw a goodbye party for me last weekend...soo much fun! We danced all night long...I love to dance! But nobody at home likes to dance with me (ahem! Get your acts together...we're going dancing). But anyhoo, tonight will be my last basketball practice. Things really are wrapping up here. Friday night I'll have a goodbye dinner with Sylvain and friends and afterwards, I'll watch my last guys game. Then Saturday, time to start cleaning...bleh. But Saturday night...we are going dancing! It will be my first time in a "boite de nuit" (nightclub)and i must admit I'm somewhat nervous. After Saturday, it will be a quick 3 days of cleaning and packing up and then "I'm leaving on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again" (hopefully next year...I'd love to return for a second year). I'll pass a night in Dublin and then from Dublin, a quick stop in Boston for customs and then I'll be arriving in San Diego, greeted by my sister and a burrito. I'll only be home for a week or so, but I'm sure that I'll get a chance to say hello to you all! Here's to one week left!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hamlet...Facebook Style
HAMLET
(FACEBOOK NEWS
FEED EDITION).
BY SARAH SCHMELLING
- - - -
Horatio thinks he saw a ghost.
Hamlet thinks it's annoying when your uncle marries your mother right after your dad dies.
The king thinks Hamlet's annoying.
Laertes thinks Ophelia can do better.
Hamlet's father is now a zombie.
- - - -
The king poked the queen.
The queen poked the king back.
Hamlet and the queen are no longer friends.
Marcellus is pretty sure something's rotten around here.
Hamlet became a fan of daggers.
- - - -
Polonius says Hamlet's crazy ... crazy in love!
Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet are now friends.
Hamlet wonders if he should continue to exist. Or not.
Hamlet thinks Ophelia might be happier in a convent.
Ophelia removed "moody princes" from her interests.
Hamlet posted an event: A Play That's Totally Fictional and In No Way About My Family
The king commented on Hamlet's play: "What is wrong with you?"
Polonius thinks this curtain looks like a good thing to hide behind.
Polonius is no longer online.
- - - -
Hamlet added England to the Places I've Been application.
The queen is worried about Ophelia.
Ophelia loves flowers. Flowers flowers flowers flowers flowers. Oh, look, a river.
Ophelia joined the group Maidens Who Don't Float.
Laertes wonders what the hell happened while he was gone.
- - - -
The king sent Hamlet a goblet of wine.
The queen likes wine!
The king likes ... oh crap.
The queen, the king, Laertes, and Hamlet are now zombies.
Horatio says well that was tragic.
Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, says yes, tragic. We'll take it from here.
Denmark is now Norwegian.
(FACEBOOK NEWS
FEED EDITION).
BY SARAH SCHMELLING
- - - -
Horatio thinks he saw a ghost.
Hamlet thinks it's annoying when your uncle marries your mother right after your dad dies.
The king thinks Hamlet's annoying.
Laertes thinks Ophelia can do better.
Hamlet's father is now a zombie.
- - - -
The king poked the queen.
The queen poked the king back.
Hamlet and the queen are no longer friends.
Marcellus is pretty sure something's rotten around here.
Hamlet became a fan of daggers.
- - - -
Polonius says Hamlet's crazy ... crazy in love!
Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet are now friends.
Hamlet wonders if he should continue to exist. Or not.
Hamlet thinks Ophelia might be happier in a convent.
Ophelia removed "moody princes" from her interests.
Hamlet posted an event: A Play That's Totally Fictional and In No Way About My Family
The king commented on Hamlet's play: "What is wrong with you?"
Polonius thinks this curtain looks like a good thing to hide behind.
Polonius is no longer online.
- - - -
Hamlet added England to the Places I've Been application.
The queen is worried about Ophelia.
Ophelia loves flowers. Flowers flowers flowers flowers flowers. Oh, look, a river.
Ophelia joined the group Maidens Who Don't Float.
Laertes wonders what the hell happened while he was gone.
- - - -
The king sent Hamlet a goblet of wine.
The queen likes wine!
The king likes ... oh crap.
The queen, the king, Laertes, and Hamlet are now zombies.
Horatio says well that was tragic.
Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, says yes, tragic. We'll take it from here.
Denmark is now Norwegian.
Monday, March 2, 2009
I HAVE A JOB!!!
A totally awesome God-thing just happened to me. I was sitting around waiting for a phone call from Jeanne Roy, the hiring lady at Katmai (the bear park) when about 30 minutes before the expected call, I received a call from Bruce Dansby, the hiring guy at Klondike (my first choice...I've already been rejected). Welp, he called to tell me that somebody was backing out of a position at Klondike and the job was mine! So, I have a job for this summer! Praise be to God! Not only do I no longer have to work with bears, but I'll be working with Gold Rush History on the Alaskan frontier! How cool is that? AND...Skagway (the town where Klondike is) is not super remote like Katmai...meaning I most likely have internet access and can use a telephone. Plus, Bruce was very lenient with me and I report for duty May 4...giving me some time to see my family and friends after France! AND he said I can take annual leave to come home for Alli's wedding! All things work together for the good of those who love God! I'm just so relieved that I won't be working with bears in the middle of Alaska. I just thought I'd share my joy with all of you. If you're interested, you can learn a little about Klondike Goldrush by visiting their website. www.nps.gov/klgo
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Quelle Histoire!
So...I fell in a hole yesterday. Not just any hole...a hole in a subterranean passage completely devoid of light in the fortified city of Brouages. What an adventure! But the bad part of all of that is that I broke a rib. Well, there's a first time for everything isn't there? Let me start at the beginning...
Yesterday, my friend and teammate Yop (johann) invited me out to see the sites of the Charente-Maritime. So, at the buttcrack of dawn, we went to the port of Marennes and went out the marais with his stepfather on his boat. The marais is what we call it when the tide is low and all of the oyster beds are exposed. It was very cold, but I went into the boat cabin and warmed up next to Urky, the dog. It was an industry unlike anything I've ever seen. Oyster farmers' lives are dictated by the tide. Sometimes, they go out before the light. Sometimes, in the evening...and sometimes, they are unable to work if the tides are not good enough. After leaving some oysters just off the coast of Ronce les bains and Ile d'Oleron, we returned and warmed up in front of the fire in the cabane while Yop's mother sorted good oysters from empty shells and other things.
Later that day, we went to Brouage. Now, I have been dying to see Brouage since I arrived. It's a completely fortified walled city built by Vauban and Richilieu less than 7 km from where I live. But as there are no buses out there...I haven't had an opportunity to visit. Brouage is also the birthplace of Samuel Champlain, the explorer who founded Quebec. Brouage was a catholic city in the 16th century and La Rochelle was a protestant city...which meant that there were the inevitable wars. At one time, the sea ran just up alongside of Brouage...it currently resides 7 or 8 km away. Now the city is surrounded by marshes. But the ramparts are in excellent condition. Brouage is much much smaller than Carcassonne, but it was just as cool. Anyways, while exploring the city, Yop and I found one of its subterranean passageways that used to allow access to the city by boat. We walked a ways in only to find the passage barricaded off. But what is a barricade to adventurers like us? Channeling the spirit of Indiana Jones, we walked past the barricade and attempted to explore the cavernous dark. Having no light, we attempted to use the flash of my camera to explore. We rounded a corner and were trying to trace the exit of the tunnel. All I remember is taking a step to the right and finding no ground beneath my foot. My first thought was, "Lauren, how could you be so stupid?!? You could have found the neverending pit for all you know!" But my tumble was brief and it concluded when I hit the back of my head against a wall. Relief flooded me...whew...I only fell about a meter or so. But the only thing poor Yop could see was my head and who knows what terrible things he was thinking. Of course when asked how I was, I responded, "Ca va, ca va." I see now that I was not "ca va". My primary occupation was with my hand...I had torn a rather large hole in it. My chest and hip were hurting a bit, but I was extremely pleases to find that I had sustained no head injuries. Anyways, we climbed out of the hole, found our way back into the sunlight and decided to search for Yop's mother to patch me up a bit. I then discovered that what had been a small tear in my jeans had turned into a gaping gulf...sniff...those were my favorite pair too! Anyways, I returned home afterwards, and although my ribcage was hurting, I was convinced it was probably just a big bruise or a pulled muscle.
So, I played basketball that night. I know...I am not an intelligent person. Afterwards, I clearly realized that perhaps the feeling in my chest was a little bit more than a bruise. But I decided to sleep on it and see how i felt in the morning. Welp, when Yop called me this morning to see how I was doing, I wasn't coherent enough to speak French, so he said he'd call me back. I then got up and realized that my ribs were feeling much much worse today than they were yesterday. Maybe I should play it safe and go to the doctor...which is what I did. Yop took me the doctor and helped me explain what it was that I had done. The doctor then proceeded to push on my sternum and my back at the same time, explaining that my ribcage would rotate and it would indicate whether I had broken something. Well, at first, it wasn't bad but as he moved down my sternum, there was very definite pain in my ribcage. So...apparently I've broken a rib. But I've done it in the best possible way...very clean break, possibly even just a very bad crack. No punctured lungs...I really count myself quite lucky. Actually, I hate to think of what I might have done had I walked straight off the ledge into that hole instead of taking a side step... Anyhoo, hope this finds you well! I've been banned from basketball for 10 days as I heal, so please be praying that this heals well and quickly.
Yesterday, my friend and teammate Yop (johann) invited me out to see the sites of the Charente-Maritime. So, at the buttcrack of dawn, we went to the port of Marennes and went out the marais with his stepfather on his boat. The marais is what we call it when the tide is low and all of the oyster beds are exposed. It was very cold, but I went into the boat cabin and warmed up next to Urky, the dog. It was an industry unlike anything I've ever seen. Oyster farmers' lives are dictated by the tide. Sometimes, they go out before the light. Sometimes, in the evening...and sometimes, they are unable to work if the tides are not good enough. After leaving some oysters just off the coast of Ronce les bains and Ile d'Oleron, we returned and warmed up in front of the fire in the cabane while Yop's mother sorted good oysters from empty shells and other things.
Later that day, we went to Brouage. Now, I have been dying to see Brouage since I arrived. It's a completely fortified walled city built by Vauban and Richilieu less than 7 km from where I live. But as there are no buses out there...I haven't had an opportunity to visit. Brouage is also the birthplace of Samuel Champlain, the explorer who founded Quebec. Brouage was a catholic city in the 16th century and La Rochelle was a protestant city...which meant that there were the inevitable wars. At one time, the sea ran just up alongside of Brouage...it currently resides 7 or 8 km away. Now the city is surrounded by marshes. But the ramparts are in excellent condition. Brouage is much much smaller than Carcassonne, but it was just as cool. Anyways, while exploring the city, Yop and I found one of its subterranean passageways that used to allow access to the city by boat. We walked a ways in only to find the passage barricaded off. But what is a barricade to adventurers like us? Channeling the spirit of Indiana Jones, we walked past the barricade and attempted to explore the cavernous dark. Having no light, we attempted to use the flash of my camera to explore. We rounded a corner and were trying to trace the exit of the tunnel. All I remember is taking a step to the right and finding no ground beneath my foot. My first thought was, "Lauren, how could you be so stupid?!? You could have found the neverending pit for all you know!" But my tumble was brief and it concluded when I hit the back of my head against a wall. Relief flooded me...whew...I only fell about a meter or so. But the only thing poor Yop could see was my head and who knows what terrible things he was thinking. Of course when asked how I was, I responded, "Ca va, ca va." I see now that I was not "ca va". My primary occupation was with my hand...I had torn a rather large hole in it. My chest and hip were hurting a bit, but I was extremely pleases to find that I had sustained no head injuries. Anyways, we climbed out of the hole, found our way back into the sunlight and decided to search for Yop's mother to patch me up a bit. I then discovered that what had been a small tear in my jeans had turned into a gaping gulf...sniff...those were my favorite pair too! Anyways, I returned home afterwards, and although my ribcage was hurting, I was convinced it was probably just a big bruise or a pulled muscle.
So, I played basketball that night. I know...I am not an intelligent person. Afterwards, I clearly realized that perhaps the feeling in my chest was a little bit more than a bruise. But I decided to sleep on it and see how i felt in the morning. Welp, when Yop called me this morning to see how I was doing, I wasn't coherent enough to speak French, so he said he'd call me back. I then got up and realized that my ribs were feeling much much worse today than they were yesterday. Maybe I should play it safe and go to the doctor...which is what I did. Yop took me the doctor and helped me explain what it was that I had done. The doctor then proceeded to push on my sternum and my back at the same time, explaining that my ribcage would rotate and it would indicate whether I had broken something. Well, at first, it wasn't bad but as he moved down my sternum, there was very definite pain in my ribcage. So...apparently I've broken a rib. But I've done it in the best possible way...very clean break, possibly even just a very bad crack. No punctured lungs...I really count myself quite lucky. Actually, I hate to think of what I might have done had I walked straight off the ledge into that hole instead of taking a side step... Anyhoo, hope this finds you well! I've been banned from basketball for 10 days as I heal, so please be praying that this heals well and quickly.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)