A quick weekend wrap-up

Read regular posts from Mihi. She’s a Kiwi from Wellington, New Zealand and each week she tells us about living in France and speaking French.

I did it! Sunday morning, drove out to Saint-André des Eaux with Laurent from my running club, and ran a half-marathon on French soil.

The event had a great friendly atmosphere; people who you see on the course approach you afterwards to say “Bravo!” and inquire about the time you did. And, being a French half-marathon, at the finish line there were crepes and wine for sale. We downed a nice cold beer while we waited for the spot prizes to be announced.

On Saturday I had a haircut and colour. A ripe area for misunderstandings when you are trying to explain the style and colour you want in your second language. Usually I just do my best, then the two hairdressers who work there spend a few minutes huddled over the colour charts conferring in low tones about what hair dye mix they should make up, or something technical like that.

It’s worked well in the past, although this time I wanted a light brown tint. I ended up with something most people would describe as black. The hairdresser assured me it would look a lot lighter after a few washes and once I’m out in the sun. So I’m not sure if what I wanted got lost in translation or if something in the colour mix went awry. Oh well, c’est la vie!

 

Mihiata  – Saint Nazaire, France