I have found that it is very hard to have a daily routine here. When I was in college I would get up, go to class, work out, come home to shower and eat, go to class, then to work, study in the evenings, and that was life. This routine (and close proximity of home-school-gym) made it easy to fit everything I needed or wanted to do into one day. As a dedicated "multi-tasker," I thrive on busy days and crammed schedules. This was before I moved to Réunion.
Here no day is the same because my work schedule is so inconsistant, but I will try to give you a general idea. The Creoles here get up really early (probably because it's so darn hot) but I usually get up around 9. Mostly this is because I fall asleep late because there are so many dogs barking. First the little yippy ones start, then after a few minutes the deep-voiced big dogs decide they need to comment on the situation, and for the grand finale both together. It is SO obnoxious! But, I digress. Getting up is nice because, while it's hot, we have a beautiful veranda with a spectacular view of the ocean. My roommates and I usually eat breakfast out here to catch a bit of a breeze.
If I have to get to work, I need to leave at least an hour and a half before I need to start class because that is how long the bus route takes. I walk down the chemin des orangers past 7 barking dogs, a slew of chickens and geese, and dozens of fallen mangoes to the bus stop, about 7 minutes away. To get to work I take the 7 down the huge hill that is Moufia to catch the 10 (which is ALWAYS late). The 10 takes an ambling route through St Denis, but I kind of like the journey. I usually get on early enough to get a seat in the back, which is a miracle becuase it doesn't really occur to people here to move out of the entrance of the busses. They just all stand there making it hard for more people to get on. If they moved, they would all have more room, but I guess they like their cramped, sweaty quarters and their view of an empty back of the bus. I like to use my time in the bus to read, but you can be sure that I am the only one doing this.
The IUFM (where I work- Institut Universitaire de la Formation des Maitres) is on the opposite side of St Denis from where I live, in a posh area called Bellepierre. I am legally not allowed to discuss anything about the establishment on any kind of public forum, so I will simply say that I have anywhere from 3 to 6 hours of class in any one day (usually conversation classes), then I make the long journey home. Getting the 10 back is the most stressful part of my day, but once I am on I'm good to go.
My life pretty much revolves around the bus: I walk to the bus, I wait for the bus, I ride the bus and I do it all again later.
On days that I give private English lessons my routine changes a bit: I prep at 9:30 for my student who comes to the house shows up around 10, we work for an hour, then I rush off to the IUFM. When I go to another's office usually around 11, I take the bus and walk a bit. Another tends to meet me at the house around 5pm. These lessons are fun and challenging for me. Each student (I'm thankfully down to just three) is at a different level (one very beginner, another about "year 3-4", and another who is quite good) and this makes for quite a bit of preparation time. I enjoy my time with my students and I love seing them progress, but I do not want to do this forever. I much prefer teaching French. My débutant student usually shows up with fresh lychees or pineapples from his garden.
Food shopping is the other way I spend my time. If not every day, I go to the market every other day. Because it's quite a walk up the hill to get to our house, I can't carry too much a once. Plus, I like the idea of getting fresh fruits and veggies so frequently, even if I know I have seen the same cucumbers at the stand for atleast 8 days. It is a skill to pick out the freshest produce. Walking around the Petit Marché with my brightly-colored straw basket makes me feel like I fit in, even though I know that to everyone there I do not. Then I head to my favorite grocery store (Champoin) for the stuff I can't get in the market, then take the 7 or the 8 home.
Getting home is always a relief after the walk up the hill. There is usually at least one roommate around; it's nice to not come home to an empty house. Cooking usually works itself out nicely: someone starts around 6 and the Spanish girls never at until 10pm. We normally don't have to fight for space or dishes, but there are moments... I especially like our weekly house dinners.
Now that we have the Internet there is somewhat of a queue for using one of the three computers, but usually everyone gets a little bit in. Since I don't own one of the computers here I usually wait until it seems like one of the owners has finished, but sometimes it becomes necessary to ask to use one. Since the Internet arrived we are somewhat less social with one another, but I guess there's enough talking that occurs in other parts of the day that I don't feel like we are totally anti-social.
The bathroom that I use is in Cleo's room, so I try to get ready for bed before she goes to sleep. Our bathroom is bright pink- my favorite! The toilet is in a separate room (typically French).
This was long and perhaps boring, but sometimes that's how I feel about my days here. I'm glad I captured a small essence of my life in a blog. Seriously, though, most of my days are, overall, good. I usually always enjoy my time at the IUFM, I love shopping at the Petit Marché, and I enjoy cooking at night. Thanks for reading, now enjoy some pictures!
