No more pencils...

Remember that little song that kids used to sing as school was coming to an end each year? Maybe they still do sing it. I know I used to. In fact, I think I misunderstood one of the lines. The song, in case you don't know or have forgotten, goes like this:

No more pencils, no more books
No more teachers' dirty looks

It's not that I never got dirty looks from any of my teachers, but I actually pictured the line in my head this way: No more teachers, [no more] dirty looks. I don't know who I thought the dirty looks were coming from.

In any case, in France today, they will be singing that song (or its French equivalent), as it is the last day of school and the beginning of the grandes vacances (summer vacation). Here in France, the school year starts in the beginning of September like in the States, but throughout the year, the kids have 2 weeks of vacation every 8 weeks. Then they have all of July and August off. Many families take 3 and 4 week (or longer) vacations during these months. The family that I work for actually still haven't finalized their vacation plans. There's a possibility that they'll be travelling west before I leave, in which case my visit to Nantes may happen during their vacation (i.e. I'd go with them to help but take a couple of days off to visit the kids in Nantes). Or they may be going after I leave, in which case I'll take the train to Nantes for a short visit anyway.

Although it is now officially summer vacation, the weather has taken a turn from hot and sunny to chilly and rainy (atypical for this time of year). I like it, especially since there's no AC in my apartment, and it can get pretty hot on the fourth floor. I'm sure it'll be heating up again soon.

Well, I'm off for the afternoon to go run some errands. More later.