C'est la vie
The Humble Abode My Neighbors
The sound of the church bells woke me every morning, 'ring, ring, ring...' And as you adjust to waking up you can hear the noises around you more and more, roosters talking, cows mooing, donkeys crying and, depending on the time of year you can hear the cows kicking the walls to the barn downstairs and if it is 8:30 you can hear the bread lady honking her horn in the distance. It's time to scramble to quickly get dressed so I can get downstairs and get out to the street in time. A fresh baguette of festive (which is just a certain kind of flour they used) it tasted to good, crunchy on the outside while still warm and soft on the inside. It was always a treat. As soon as the door opens, you can instantly smell the aroma of the country and you can clearly hear all of the life around you.
Rosieres-sur-mance, a small quaint village, smack dab in the French Country side, is a place that feels like home. Each village, is filled with homes from the 1700's and each have their own church and water mason in the center. It is like going back in time. I never thought places like this existed before, it is mind blowing. Made me feel like I was brought up living a sheltered life. The best part is that almost during any time of the year you can smell the wood burning in the fireplaces no matter where you go (which is such a calming smell to me). Feral cats are a big problem; it was rare if you never saw one while you are passing through (which was a positive for me).
The scenery around me for sure is one of the reasons why I fell in love with this place, but one afternoon, little did I know things were about the change. I took a female cat off the street. She was beautiful, white chested while the rest of her body was brown and black stripes. During my time with her there was an experience that will stay with me forever because at the time I did not know she was pregnant.
May 5, 2011 was the day that my cat Mulan gave birth to a litter of kittens. It was an ordinary morning, just like any other but for some reason something seemed different. It was a nice sunny day; since it was brisk outside I had to get the fire started to warm up the house some. I walked downstairs and then outside to the stack of wood that was piled up next to the house. I grabbed as many pieces as I could, without being too ambitious and back inside I went. I walked up the stairs and started working on the fire. After that was going it was time to make something to eat.
While I was making my breakfast in the kitchen downstairs, I noticed my cat was swaying back and forth, meowing while staring at me. I knew then that this is the day that the kittens would be born.
Filled with excitement on my end, I dashed up the stairs. She followed me around while I scrambled to gather some things together, specifically a laundry basket and some blankets/towels for her to relax on. After about 15 minutes or so the first kitten was born and within an hour and a half, another four were born. But, that first one, the runt of the litter would be the one that would make the biggest impact on my life.
Fast forward to a few weeks, it was a rough time. Mulan decided she had enough and went out on her own and seldom came home, so I took charge. I designated a corner of the main room to the little ones, which was filled with blankets, a create, toys, cat tree and other cat goodies. I also fed them every meal. During that time, I really bonded with the first born, she was the neediest. Since she was the runt she got picked on and got the least amount of food. I had to quickly learn how I could gain her trust so I can take care of her. After many hours of spending time with her, the bond started to grow.
Within a few months she would quickly become my cat. Once I got to really know her and I learned her personality, the most fitting name for her was Ninja. She was very stealthy in everything she did, moved just like a Ninja, hence her name. She followed me everywhere I went in the house, if I swept something up she would mimic my actions and make a small pile on the floor, if I cried she would put her paw on my face and at night before bed she would cuddle up on my lap and would find something on me to suckle. We were very connected with one another.
All in all, this place will always be important. Here I learned many aspects of myself and at the same time I learned different ways to get through life without conforming to the social norm while I lived there. Living a simple, beyond basic life teaches you how important it is to enjoy every moment since you are experiencing things in a completely new view and you have to work hard for the things you need.
Having this chance to create a relationship with an animal I never really was around much beforehand means the world to me. Because of this experience, it was another validation that I would love to work in the animal field. Ninja taught me how to love, nurture and be patient with the things that I do in life. Without having had her during my time in France, I think I might still be clueless as to where I wanted to take my life but because of her I knew.
I will always miss that part of my past and would always love to go back. But, for personal reasons that isn’t an option. Now all I can do is just think about that day and the start of my passion being renewed.
Rosieres-sur-mance, a small quaint village, smack dab in the French Country side, is a place that feels like home. Each village, is filled with homes from the 1700's and each have their own church and water mason in the center. It is like going back in time. I never thought places like this existed before, it is mind blowing. Made me feel like I was brought up living a sheltered life. The best part is that almost during any time of the year you can smell the wood burning in the fireplaces no matter where you go (which is such a calming smell to me). Feral cats are a big problem; it was rare if you never saw one while you are passing through (which was a positive for me).
The scenery around me for sure is one of the reasons why I fell in love with this place, but one afternoon, little did I know things were about the change. I took a female cat off the street. She was beautiful, white chested while the rest of her body was brown and black stripes. During my time with her there was an experience that will stay with me forever because at the time I did not know she was pregnant.
May 5, 2011 was the day that my cat Mulan gave birth to a litter of kittens. It was an ordinary morning, just like any other but for some reason something seemed different. It was a nice sunny day; since it was brisk outside I had to get the fire started to warm up the house some. I walked downstairs and then outside to the stack of wood that was piled up next to the house. I grabbed as many pieces as I could, without being too ambitious and back inside I went. I walked up the stairs and started working on the fire. After that was going it was time to make something to eat.
While I was making my breakfast in the kitchen downstairs, I noticed my cat was swaying back and forth, meowing while staring at me. I knew then that this is the day that the kittens would be born.
Filled with excitement on my end, I dashed up the stairs. She followed me around while I scrambled to gather some things together, specifically a laundry basket and some blankets/towels for her to relax on. After about 15 minutes or so the first kitten was born and within an hour and a half, another four were born. But, that first one, the runt of the litter would be the one that would make the biggest impact on my life.
Fast forward to a few weeks, it was a rough time. Mulan decided she had enough and went out on her own and seldom came home, so I took charge. I designated a corner of the main room to the little ones, which was filled with blankets, a create, toys, cat tree and other cat goodies. I also fed them every meal. During that time, I really bonded with the first born, she was the neediest. Since she was the runt she got picked on and got the least amount of food. I had to quickly learn how I could gain her trust so I can take care of her. After many hours of spending time with her, the bond started to grow.
Within a few months she would quickly become my cat. Once I got to really know her and I learned her personality, the most fitting name for her was Ninja. She was very stealthy in everything she did, moved just like a Ninja, hence her name. She followed me everywhere I went in the house, if I swept something up she would mimic my actions and make a small pile on the floor, if I cried she would put her paw on my face and at night before bed she would cuddle up on my lap and would find something on me to suckle. We were very connected with one another.
All in all, this place will always be important. Here I learned many aspects of myself and at the same time I learned different ways to get through life without conforming to the social norm while I lived there. Living a simple, beyond basic life teaches you how important it is to enjoy every moment since you are experiencing things in a completely new view and you have to work hard for the things you need.
Having this chance to create a relationship with an animal I never really was around much beforehand means the world to me. Because of this experience, it was another validation that I would love to work in the animal field. Ninja taught me how to love, nurture and be patient with the things that I do in life. Without having had her during my time in France, I think I might still be clueless as to where I wanted to take my life but because of her I knew.
I will always miss that part of my past and would always love to go back. But, for personal reasons that isn’t an option. Now all I can do is just think about that day and the start of my passion being renewed.