懷孕32週獨自去法國尼斯旅行 (第一集)

(Scroll down for English)我(蕃薯媽媽)懷孕 30 週時到達英國，發現我的朋友 L 搬到了尼斯。 她在那裡做博士後，並與她兩歲的孩子和她的父親住在那裡。 因為我知道她不太可能永遠留下來，所以我抓住了拜訪她的機會。 我們還可以透過見面的地方來增加我們的友誼！ 劍橋、香港、英國南部、新加坡（以及後來的倫敦）..！

我認為懷孕時如此冒險在傳統文化中是不尋常的。 當然，我知道我的家人都希望我待在一個地方，不要動…當我懷孕28週時，我和爸爸去昆明（中國）度蜜月時，公婆們有很多勸告要小心！ ( 一定要握實她的手，別讓她摔倒啊！)

在你喘氣並伸展你的眼睛之前（這句話來自我在英國牛津小學學到的一首兒時詩：

瑪蒂達，說謊被燒死

瑪蒂達說瞭如此可怕的謊言，

它使人倒吸一口涼氣，睜大眼睛；

她的姨媽，從她很小的時候起，

一直嚴守真理，

試著相信瑪蒂達：

這項努力幾乎要了她的命，

如果不是她的話，她也會這麼做的

發現了這個弱點。

這一次，在一天結束時，

瑪蒂爾達厭倦了玩耍，

卻發現只剩下她一個人，

踮起腳尖去接電話

並召集了立即援助

倫敦貴族消防隊的成員。

一小時內，勇敢樂隊

傾注在每個人的手上，

從普特尼 (Putney)、哈克尼唐斯 (Hackney Downs) 和鮑 (Bow) 出發

勇氣高漲，心潮澎湃

他們馳騁，呼嘯著穿過小鎮

“瑪蒂爾達的房子著火了！”

受到英國歡呼聲和大聲的啟發

從瘋狂的人群出發，

他們用梯子跑過分數

舞廳地板上的窗戶；

並把特殊的痛苦帶給了蘇斯

房子裡上下的照片，

直到瑪蒂達的阿姨成功

向他們展示他們是不需要的；

即便如此，她也必須付出代價

為了讓男人走開！

幾週後發生的事

她阿姨去劇院了

去看那場有趣的比賽

第二任譚奎雷夫人。

她拒絕帶走她的姪女

聆聽這有趣的作品：

公正而明智的剝奪

懲罰她說謊。

那天晚上確實發生了火災——

你應該聽到瑪蒂達喊叫！

你應該聽到她的尖叫和嚎叫，

然後打開車窗並打電話

致街上路過的人們—

（迅速增加的熱量

鼓勵她獲得

他們的信心）－－但一切都是徒勞！

每次她大喊“著火了！”

他們只回答『小騙子』！

因此，當她姨媽回來時，

瑪蒂達和房子都被燒毀了。

——希萊爾‧貝洛克 (Hilaire Belloc)

我們被要求記住詩歌。 正如你所看到的，不僅僅是我的學校…有一個全國性的「背詩」網站：

https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/matilda

這通常被當作家庭作業，不像在香港，人們唯一可能要做的就是為演講節比賽做準備。 順便說一句，我不相信把一切都變成競爭，尤其是在年輕的時候。 如果你把它當作家庭作業，你只需要努力能夠憑記憶大聲說出來。 如果你在競爭，毫無疑問你會開始追求完美。 另外，我從來沒有因為背誦一首詩而被評分。

話說回頭。 我和其他在英國懷孕的朋友交談過。 有一位在懷孕期間去了波蘭工作（儘管她的醫生希望她不要去），另一個本來計劃去尼泊爾（這離開了我可以接受的範圍，我向她轉達了這一點！），但最終卻變得搖滾起來－考慮別人的擔憂後去斯里蘭卡登山！

我購買了涵蓋懷孕32週的旅遊保險，並預訂了與L在同一街區的小公寓套房。

等L下班的時候，我獨自在昂蒂布閒逛

找出隱藏的面孔

有一個煎餅

還去了畢卡索博物館

海邊有雕塑

Solo trip to Nice, France when 32 weeks pregnant (Part 1)

I arrived in the UK when I was 30 weeks pregnant and discovered my friend L had moved to Nice.  She was doing a postdoc there and living there with her 2-year old and her dad.  Since I knew she was unlikely to stay permanently, I jumped at the chance to visit her.  We could also add to our friendship the number of places we’d met up in!  Cambridge, Hong Kong, South Downs, Singapore (and later London)..!

I think it is unusual in Chinese culture to be so adventurous when pregnant.  Certainly, I knew that all my family would have preferred I stay put in one place and not move…  When Baba and I went on our babymoon to Kunming (China) when I was 28 weeks pregnant, there were many exhortations from the in-laws to “BE CAREFUL!  Make sure you hold her hand, so she doesn’t fall over!”

Before you gasp and stretch your eyes (this phrase comes to mind from a childhood poem, which I learnt in primary school in Oxford, UK:

Matilda, Who Told Lies and was Burned to Death

Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,

It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;

Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,

Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,

Attempted to Believe Matilda:

The effort very nearly killed her,

And would have done so, had not She

Discovered this Infirmity.

For once, towards the Close of Day,

Matilda, growing tired of play,

And finding she was left alone,

Went tiptoe to the Telephone

And summoned the Immediate Aid

Of London's Noble Fire-Brigade.

Within an hour the Gallant Band

Were pouring in on every hand,

From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow

With Courage high and Hearts a-glow

They galloped, roaring through the Town

'Matilda's House is Burning Down!'

Inspired by British Cheers and Loud

Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd,

They ran their ladders through a score

Of windows on the Ball Room Floor;

And took Peculiar Pains to Souse

The Pictures up and down the House,

Until Matilda's Aunt succeeded

In showing them they were not needed;

And even then she had to pay

To get the Men to go away!

It happened that a few Weeks later

Her Aunt was off to the Theatre

To see that Interesting Play

The Second Mrs Tanqueray.

She had refused to take her Niece

To hear this Entertaining Piece:

A Deprivation Just and Wise

To Punish her for Telling Lies.

That Night a Fire did break out-

You should have heard Matilda Shout!

You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,

And throw the window up and call

To People passing in the Street-

(The rapidly increasing Heat

Encouraging her to obtain

Their confidence)-but all in vain!

For every time She shouted 'Fire!'

They only answered 'Little Liar'!

And therefore when her Aunt returned,

Matilda, and the House, were Burned.

-Hilaire Belloc

We were expected to memorize poems.  As you can see, it wasn’t just my school…  There is a national website for “poetry by heart”:

https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/matilda

This was regularly given as homework, unlike in Hong Kong where the only instances one might be expected to do this would be in preparation for speech festival competitions.  And by the way, I don’t believe in turning everything into a competition, especially at young ages.  If you are given it as homework, you only need to aim to be able to say it out loud from memory.  If you are competing, you will undoubtedly start aiming for perfection.  Also, I don’t remember being graded for memorizing a poem.)

Anyway, back to the original topic.  I talked to other friends who were pregnant in the UK.  One went to Poland for work when heavily pregnant (although her doctor would have preferred her not to), another planned to go to Nepal (this was way out of my comfort zone, which I relayed to her!) but ended up going rock-climbing in Sri Lanka after considering other’s concerns!

I bought travel insurance that covered 32 weeks pregnancy and booked a studio in the same block as L.  Then off I went to the South of France, just a 2 hour flight from London!

While waiting for L to get off work, I wandered around Antibes by myself

 Spot the hidden faces!

Had a crepe

And went to the Picasso museum

Which had sculptures by the sea