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| Le salon of my new house |
Somehow, it's been two weeks since I've written on this blog. I've been very busy with Mwenya Uganda (
www.mwenya.blogspot.com plug plug) so I've put writing this to one side.
However, I'm now trying to balance les deux blogs!
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| The bar by the pool - new house |
So, I spent the last two weeks living in a studio in the garden of a man who works at one of my schools. The studio was perfectly placed for my two schools, completely equipped and furnished and just what I needed on paper for accommodation. But, I was living on my own, and after a house full of active children and family coming and going all the time it was quite a shock to have so much time to myself. Therefore I continued my 'logement' search and last night I moved into a huge villa with a swimming pool, a sea view and real French housemates!
Everything here is great so far, I'm in the smallest room of the house so therefore paying the least rent and thoroughly enjoy a sea view from my bedroom window, afternoon cold beers with my housemates and the promise of a fully functioning pool. Turns out one of my housemates here works in Saint Joseph too, and she's got a car, and she's willing to drive me to work. Good times!
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| Hindu Temple in the garden - new house |
Over the weekend, I spent two days up in the mountains huffing and puffing up the rocky scree slopes of the Cirque de Mafate. Reunion is made up of three 'cirques' - like huge mountain ranges in a big amphitheatre style circle. On Friday, myself and 3 other assistants took the local bus up to the village of Cilaos (one of the most spectacular bus journies of my life). We then managed to squeeze all four of us in the back of a little car after successfully hitchhiking! This got us to the bottom of the footpath and off we went. Three hours of walking up (and I mean up) the hill - stopping for a 'montante' (tea specially brewed to help circulation and respiration during climbing up hill) on the way. When we reached the peak, we were unfortunately in the clouds. The prize of a magnificant view didn't quite happen. But none the less, we enjoyed a huge lunch and descended down the other side of the peak, into the Cirque de Mafate. At the bottom of the huge solid lava mountain side, a little mountain village waited for us. No roads connect this village to the outside world, it is just the daily helicopters that drop off supplies and pick up rubbish that form any kind of link with the rest of the island. After a much needed coffee, we continued on our trek to
La Nouvelle. After about 6 or 7 hours of walking we made it to our gite. Just in time, as the rain was rolling in and we were well and truely in the clouds. The next day we got up at the crack of dawn and walked back along the same route in the crystal clear light and surrounded by magnificant views. One of my French housemates has just told me that this hike was the hardest she's done since arriving here over 4 years ago...so I'm feeling quite smug!
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| Cirque de Mafate |
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