Carnaval 'n Salsa

I arrived to school on Tuesday doing a doubletake when I saw the secretary dressed as a Musketeer. Then the hallway monitors were dressed in disco clothing and I knew either I still hadn't woken up yet or I didn't get the memo that Halloween in France isn't October 30th. well it turns out Carnaval in France is where everyone dresses up in costumes for Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), but since it falls during the holidays the school decided to celebrate it early. Even though it got all of the students rowdy it was hilarious to see the chefs dressed as killers and babies and seeing clowns and bumblebees smoking outside the school gates. Each class picked a theme so I know one was circus and one was paysan (countryside person, like a farmer but not). At the grocery store I saw the costumes on display and laughed at how they have the same mockery masks of politicians only here its Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Segolene Royal.

Other fun times this week; while walking to try out a hip hop dance class last night I saw the most full rainbow I've ever seen. And then it felt really good to dance again at the class and then at the Medina for salsa night. Even though salsa in France is the Cuban version so the opposite of what we do in the US (Puerto Rican I hear) I caught on quickly when Triss, a dance instructor from Feurs asked me to dance and after a few minutes I was even spinning and doing little arm twists. Carole, an English teacher I teach with, happened to show up also and so I got to see her in action on the dance floor because she's been taking lessons for four years.