The Life and Times of the Curious Cockroach

Email to sibling
Location: boarding school dormitory, The Village

Dear Sibling,

I’m writing to you because I’ve just found a stable patch of internet in the school. It looks like it’ll rain a lot this weekend, so I’m not sure when I’ll have a good connection again. Heavy rain usually means internet melt-down in this place.

The highlight of the week was when a man fell into the canal. I’m not sure how it happened. I was on my way home from the bakery, munching on a goat-cheese pastry, when I saw a giant crowd gathered around the canal. A few policemen were lowering themselves towards the victim with rather flimsy-looking ropes. The canal is only about knee-deep, but this did not make the rescue any less dramatic. Rumours were already circulating among the excited onlookers, and by the time I saw my roommate Juanita, she had heard the story from someone else.

In other news, Juanita and I discovered a local club called “The Common Place.” It was founded after the 1968 riots, when many left-leaning protesters moved to the countryside in order to rediscover a more harmonious way of life. The Common Place is where people get together — not just from The Village but also from the hamlets scattered across the Dordogne Valley — and do all sorts of things. When Juanita and I were at their club meeting yesterday, we were supposed to watch a documentary about the daily dangers faced by French fresh-water turtles. Unfortunately, the projector would not work. It really wouldn’t. They tried for forty-five minutes. I think they felt pressured because here were these two young ladies all the way from Canada and Mexico, eager to learn about turtles, and the goshdarn projector just wouldn’t work.

But wait, the night was not over yet. The leader of the meeting finally gave up and asked the group if anyone had already seen the documentary titled “The Secret Life of the European Squirrel”. Another moment of suspense, and then a communal sigh of disappointment when one woman put up her hand. But she quickly said that she would most certainly love to watch the documentary again. The room livened up instantly, steaming cups of tea were passed around, chairs squeaked on the wooden floors as people got comfortable, and soon enough we were all enchanted by images of furry red squirrels.

I learned that 70% of European squirrels do not survive past their first year of existence. Also, gray striped Asian squirrels threaten the survival of European squirrels. Also, European squirrels are very cute (as evidenced by various close-up shots of the creatures).

After the documentary, there was a discussion. Because there is always a discussion. It was super. It was very lively. Many regrets were expressed regarding the faulty turtle documentary. A note was made to ask for an increase in next year’s club budget. I think I cracked one of my ribs from suppressing my giggles.

Must be off now! I see a cloud in the sky so I fear my internet time is limited.

Hugs and kisses,
Roachy

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