Wazemmes, take 2

Yay, put this in the right format to share today!! An extra note - changing places again tomorrow, so we'll see what the internet situation is there.

As you may have guessed, I don’t have internet where I’m staying now. I’m actually writing this from the apartment and plan to go out and post it later. I am staying with a girl around my age who is a comics artist. I’ll call her Valerie (nope, not her real name.) Don’t go thinking Batman or Snoopy - comics here have a really wide audience, with different ones for all ages. She had one published that she was the illustrator for, it’s a short book for kids, and it’s cute. Now she’s working on something bigger, with a collection of short stories. She has a terribly cute little apartment in the same neighborhood as I stayed in after Paris.

I arrived here Saturday afternoon, so we mostly talked a bit, then she worked a little (adding colors to a comic on the computer). After that we went out for pizza and beer. Beer is the drink of choice in this area - definitely more than wine. The climate here is a lot like wester WA/OR - it’s mild and wet. A good climate for growing hops (that are later made into beer) but not for wine grapes. And yes, I like pizza here even though I don’t like it at home. It’s completely different here - thin, crispy crust with a different sort of sauce and less cheese.

Sunday, we went to the Wazemmes market. It was cool! There were vendors for EVERYthing: vegetables, fruit, hair dye, boxed candy, pick-a-mix sort of candy, clothes, roasted chicken, and even live chickens. I kid you not, the first guy she bought vegetables from (and they were CHEAP!) was also selling live chickens. They were in these sort of stackable pens that reminded me of over-sized milk crates lined with straw. Someone would ask for one, he’d ask what size, then pull one out of the crate, tie its legs together, weigh it, ask them if the size was ok, and if so, he put it in a cardboard box, tied the box with twine, and cut some holes in the sides so it could breathe. I was impressed that people would know what to do with a whole chicken. I did notice that it was foreigners buying them, at least when we were nearby. I also replaced my gloves and hat. Because it was COLD. Plus it was cheaper there than anywhere else I’d seen. I also bought two persimmons because she’d never tried it, and they are much bigger and cheaper here than at home.

After that, we met her mom in a café, had a drink, walked around a bit (her mom was supposed to be meeting a friend who never showed) and then had lunch. It was fun. Her mom is a teacher, so it was interesting to talk about the differences in the school systems and how teachers are paid at different levels. After lunch, we headed down to the museum. It’s a pretty good size! Even better, since it was the first Sunday of the month, the permanent collection was free. I might try to go back for the temporary exhibit later.

After a stop at a café for hot chocolate and a snack (pear tart - mmmm!!!) we went to a small movie theater a good bit away (we took the metro) where she works as a ticket-taker on Sunday nights. It’s really basically volunteering, but then she gets to see the movie for free, as does the person she brings with her. Yay, me! The movie was Vincere, about the secret second wife of Mussolini. I want to look up how much of the story is known for sure, and how much is made up. Apparently, the lady had his first son, who was officially recognized by Mussolini for a bit, but afterwards it was all completely hushed up. Both the secret-wife and her son died in psychiatric hospitals where they had been hidden. Both also died before the fascist regime was brought down.

Today, she’s working some, I washed some clothes, am now writing this. After lunch, I might do some more thesis reading, and then I’ll go out. I have to remember to go by the supermarket, too, because I’m gonna make some fajitas for dinner tonight… as long as I can find tortillas. I have seen them some places in town, so hopefully there are some around here, too.