Day 65 - lundi

4 avril 2011

            The weather is definitely improving in Nice – temperatures are heading towards 21º Celcius, about 70º F., all this week. It will be pleasant enough to go out without a coat. The breeze off the water remains cool.

            Again this week, our classes have been put into every afternoon to accommodate the Italian groups/customers. This is a disappointment to many of the regular students because it makes traveling to sites outside the city and enjoying the promenade and the beach less accessible. In our standard course, only five of us were present. Tomorrow it sounds like we will have new students, for a total of 12, joining us.

            After school I stopped at the Internet shop around the corner to inquire about closing time. The shop attendant gave me the official time, then “translated” it in French to tell me 9 pm. However, I think he meant 10 pm because when I left a few minutes after 9 this evening, the shop was still hopping. Michele has not indicated that the Internet line has been repaired, so after supper, I walked back to the shop to ask if Skype could be accessed there, and if they had WiFi. When I found out that I could bring my own computer and use their WiFi, I returned home to retrieve my laptop. By the time I returned, it was already 8:40. Thinking the shop closed at 9:00, I hastily got onto Skype. Within the twenty minutes, I had both received and put in brief calls to Mary Agnes and Mary, my sister Shelley who was really hoping that I would get back soon, and my mother who is doing well. I will attempt another time to call on Thursday evening.

            Back at the apartment, I read through the daily paper, Direct Matin, which is a free publication Monday through Friday available at some of the bus stops. This allows me to read about what I’ve seen on the news during the supper hour, filling in a few holes of information because of my developing language skills – my reading skill has way surpassed my verbal skill, but this has helped me recognize some language structures that aid my aural comprehension and verbal ability.

            That sums up the day. Here’s wishing you a day of warm sunshine and smiles, Dear Reader.