So last night we went to a basketball game. Apparently, Autun is pretty good. On the way to the game, Ryan and I decided to stop in at the phone shop to get recharges. Some crazy people were banging crazy drums like they were trying to be a Jamaican steel drum band, but without the Jamaican and without the steel. It was just loud and repetitive. Anyway, apparently they were marching around, because while we were in the Orange shop, the drums got louder and a crowd of people walked by. We went out and followed the crazy people in beaded costumes across the Place Champs de Mars… until we got distracted by the giant food stand. They had two sandwich choices… then about 6 crepe choices, 6 Belgian waffle choices, candy apples, chocolate covered apples (they don’t play the caramel game), cotton candy and some weird fry things that come out of a funky press and look remarkably similar to Domino’s cinnastix. These come with chocolate dip, though. So we got some goodies and wandered back over to the band, which had, at this point, stopped in front of the City Hall. They kept banging away at their repetitive beats until Ryan and I decided to leave to grab good seats at the basketball game. Then they started the fireworks. By the time we left, probably all of Autun was there (all 20 people, just kidding) so we were 2 of about 12 at the basketball court. But we caught some of the fireworks over the CSA building, and they weren’t so bad. Ryan and I were both a little nervous about how close they let us get to the fireworks, so it was probably better we were a few blocks away by then. Then the stadium (cough, crappy rec center, cough cough) filled up, and Ryan and I settled into our front row seats. The refs were pretty awful. Either that, or the French rules are just stupid. The court was smaller than our high school court, and everything that might have resembled a travel was called. It was like watching a football game. And then the other team spent the night charging our team, but no one ever called that. Not until one of our guys ended up bleeding all over the floor (which they wiped up with a dust mop, mind you) and the ball went to the other team. The next almost-charge we got the ball back. So even though the refs had it out for Autun, and our team is completely incapable of grabbing rebounds while on offense, we somehow managed to win by about 20 points. I’m still not sure how that happened. I think we might actually be pretty good. The best part about the whole thing was that it turned out we were sitting in front of the wife of the American guy on our team. She’s from the Bronx. So while the irate Frenchmen (Sheara’s probably not even reading this) yelled things like “Yes, ref, you are right!” and “Why are you doing that?”, we got to trash-talk like normal sports fans for a little bit. Ok, fine, that was the second best thing. The best was the Jock Jams soundtrack. Which came on when the guys with the drums (what is it with these people?) weren’t banging away (even when our team is on offense!) and the guys with the horns weren’t playing “La Cucaracha”.P.S. Today I wasted 2 hours wandering around town looking for a supermarket that was open. Stupid Sundays when everyone is home and has time to take care of things like shopping. Silly Americans and their work shifts system.P.P.S. Legal internet today chez de Rochefort (the Americans in Autun). P.P.P.S. Kate and I are going to London next weekend. Saturday, we're hanging out with the French teacher formerly known as Mlle Schrader. The weekend after, it's up to Boulogne-sur-Mer. Then the one after that, Kate and I are in Paris until our flight on the 25th back home to Philly! (yay for non-stop flights)
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