First mission accomplished!

Yay! I've finished the course. Tomorrow I 'graduate'. What a gruelling experience. None of us expected it to be like this. It was more difficult than we imagined and the only way to get through was to persist, despite the living conditions and difficult personalities involved.

The three of us who lived at the Camina Centre got on well and the camaraderie was important for our sanity. The other two students lived in more comfortable accommodation but were probably a bit more 'isolated'.

Today I had an interview with the moderator. She was thorough but friendly. I then had my interview with the trainer and redid grammar exercises. I was then informed I would receive my certificate tomorrow. What a relief! I know I'm a good teacher but some people have the knack of making you doubt everything about yourself. That's when it's important to have a reality check with your colleagues and discuss each other's experiences.

I have met some wonderful people, had thorough training (though there are areas I'd like to know more about) and found myself being completely myself... fun, silly, outrageous, helpful, encouraging, dynamic and understanding. My sense of fun came out in the shared living experience despite the fact I'm old enough to be the mother of other students. The 'student life' has been novel for me. I never had that when I was a teenager because I either lived at home or behaved like a wife to my future first husband. I have felt completely free to be open to enjoyable experiences as well as stressful ones. There were moments of despair, very brief moments of loneliness. This is one of those times, a bit like childbirth where, over time, you forget the pain and just focus on the positive outcome.

Yesterday it was a power outage. Today it was a water outage. So, no water for toilets, showers, cups of tea this morning. It came back on after lunch-never a dull moment here. As predicted, I'm sitting here with a heated can of ravioli. Carbs are great in these living conditions. I eat little meat during the week because of the kitchen difficulties and lack of fridge space but I still seem to be healthy for now. Ahhg! this ravioli is not very nice. I'll eat as much as I can tolerate and then finish up my yoghurt. Where I am right now is NOT France.

Tomorrow after graduation I'll get a lift to Rostrenen where I will sample a hairdressing establishment. I'm in desperate need of coiffing. I'm unruly and not at all corporate-looking. I need to look sharp for Tuesday and hopefully Rostrenen will be a lot cheaper than trying to get a last minute appointment in Paris.

Last night I was in communication with the keynote conference speaker. I have an appointment to see him on Tuesday to discuss my sustainability projects. He sent me a link to his workplace which I followed up and easily discovered a Communications vacancy there for someone who is fluent in English. Yes, I applied right there and then, why not? Maybe it's a longshot and I'd need to have an interview during my time in Paris so that's tricky but at least it's a contact and a positive activity to move me forward. I don't know what it will take yet to get the outcome I need and want so I'm leaving no stone unturned.

Tonight I'll send out some CVs to language schools in Marseille in case I can get an appointment during the afternoon when I'm there next Thursday.

Photos taken along the breton coast