Les Temps Libre – Keeping Busy

One of the great things about the France school system is that it gives you a lot of afternoons free to do as you please.  Of course spending that time at a café, as much as I would love to, is not practical – for the waistline or bank account. 

The school does not offer organized sports, clubs, and music programs like in the United States.  All activities are outside of school.  There are no after-school practices or teams to join.  You have to participate in activities through the community.

So, when I’m not at a café, shopping with friends, or planking in the park (Yes, there are two other American girls in my classes, and we are keeping up with our American background. *smile* You wouldn’t believe the strange looks we were getting, the French have never heard of planking and trying to explain it to them is nearly impossible. For those who don’t know what planking is, it’s where you randomly lie face down in funny spots and take a picture), I try to stay active.

Back in the states I played basketball, volleyball, softball, and ran. Luckily for me I got paired with a family where my parents are also runners.  They have taken part in the New York City Marathon, and they are my inspiration to keep up with my running. Sometimes we run together; sometimes I run on my own.  I was not so lucky, however, with the sports. 

Basketball is not nearly as popular over here as it is in the U.S.; the same with baseball.  So instead I have taken an interest in aviron (rowing).  Every Tuesday and Saturday I bike to The Rowing Club and spend between an hour or two on the river. 

I would be lying if I said it wasn’t hard, but now that I’m getting used to it and have the whole motion down, it’s definitely getting better.  Of course though, some days are better than others. 

The good and the bad with rowing on the river is, well, you are on a river.  It is beautiful and invigorating, but the other day I ended up swimming rather than rowing.  In crew, the more narrow your boat is the more unstable it is, and you have to be very conscious of the height of your oars and force between each stroke so that it all stays balanced. 

Well, I wasn’t so balanced the other day, as my boat capsized and I had to swim (which I would like to note just how cold and dirty La Garonne is).  That was the first and hopefully last time I will be in that river.  The rowing coach gave me a dry t-shirt to wear for the bike ride home.

In France, sports are all about rugby and soccer.  At my school, each class forms a soccer team and there are matches during the breaks in the schoolyard, and students will gather to watch.

Sunday morning I was woken up early to watch the World Cup in rugby, where France lost to New Zealand; all of Toulouse seemed to have been on hold for the match.  It reminded me of when the Phillies or the Eagles are in the playoffs. 

Along with soccer and rugby, tennis and escalade (rock climbing) are very popular.  For the past two months in gym class, we have been doing rock climbing. It’s so much fun, and since the whole class if familiar with the wall now, we’ve been adding components to make it more challenging; for example, I climbed the wall blind folded.

I am also keeping up with my music; I have joined a small group where we play Middle Eastern music.  We meet every Wednesday from 8-9:30pm. (I’m always very hungry and eager to eat dinner afterwards).   There are four violins, one flute, two clarinets, a bass, and three accordions in the group.  

While it might seem strange, a lot of people can play the accordion here.  It’s kind of cool, because people will play the accordion on the street at night and it makes for a very “Parisian”/French atmosphere.

In the group I play the alto (viola), which is not that well known in the United States to begin with, and it is even less known in France.  I have to transpose all my music.  In France they don’t learn the notes by letters, but rather “do-re-me”.  Even still, it’s not that bad, and I love the group because it gives me an opportunity to play music I don’t play in the U.S.

That is it for my extra-curricular activities.  If I tried to do more, my advisor and my host parents would probably protest.  One thing to note, the French do not “over-schedule” themselves like many families in the U.S.  Children/teens do not play multiple sports and instruments at the same time or try to juggle various practices.  Family time is important; eating dinner together as a family is important, and taking time off is important.

School lets out for two weeks breaks every 6-8 weeks during the school year.  Our first break just started and there is no rowing or orchestra for the next two weeks.  Instead, we will travel and relax (and I have homework to do).

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