Thursday 1st May

Only 15 days till I go home. Half of me is happy and half of me is sad. I’ll miss my room, even if it was awkward, I will miss living on my own and the laid back culture, and Cafe Cheri, but I will be happy to see everyone again and not have to think about what i’m saying all the time. So, today I woke up late. Not surprising really and tried to do some critical studies. Then I ventured out thinking i’d pop into FNAC and print some photos and check my emails at Cafe Cheri. Ha, forgot it was a bank holiday. Yep, on a thursday, how weird is that? Everything was closed. However I remembered the power boats so I had a wander down to the river. Woah, I think everyone in Rouen was there. The quays were full of people, food stalls and fairground rides, and the two bridges were covered in people. On one bridge there was a big screen and a commentary was being played out over a big speaker. I got there at the right time and saw the end of the race, which was 24 hours round and round the island. I don’t know who won but at the end all the team members sat on top of the boats and did a slow lap waving flags and with everyone clapping. Then, because I had my laptop with me I went to Flunch, which was open, and checked my emails over a fruit salad. Back at the flat, after getting soaked by a downpour, I settled down to an evening of art. At 9pm I decided to watch ‘Howard’s End’ and had just got settled with a cup of tea when Liz phoned and said that they were going to the cinema at 9.30, would I like to join them. So I gulped down my tea and headed into the night to meet Mary, Liz, Grace, Mika, Charlie and Timotei. The film, we found out, didn’t actually start until 9.55 so I could have had a bit longer at home but oh well. We saw ‘Iron Man’ which is basically across between Transformers and Power Rangers, where a man who is very technological, creates a suit of iron and tries to save the world by ends up fighting his buddy instead. Apparently according to Charlie it was quite funny, but seeing that it was in french I didn’t get most of the jokes - will have to watch it in english. Outside the cinema we said goodbye to Mika and Timotei and Grace decided have a piggy back ride on Liz. It was all going well until they both fell backwards, Liz landing on Grace and Grace hitting her head on the pavement, ouch, and then laughing hysterically. It was time to go home!