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.