Hey guys,
Well, I promised to post more, so here we go! The last few days have been bizarre, to say the least. I experienced my first taste of socialized medicine and attended french parent teacher conferences all within a span of about 4 hrs. I'll start first with the translation of the title: Next time you should have a parachute. This was said to be by Marie Agnes' (the teacher I'm staying w/) father. By the way, this is probably the sassiest family I have ever encountered (apart from my own of course.) Anyways, "père-père" said this to me today in reference to the little incident I had Thursday morning round about 3 a.m. I woke up w/ the worst stomach ache I have ever had in my life. When I proceeded downstairs to the bathroom, I turned on the light, and then passed out. When I came to, I was lying face down on the bathroom floor and my face was white as a sheet. Also, I seemed to have banged my face pretty hard when I fell. So, the next day, when I told Marie Agnes about this little mishap, she goes, yeah we should take you to see the doctor. So, we go to the doctor's office and wait for about 2 hrs (because we didn't have an appointment.) My doctor was super cute, in a geeky doctor way, and he's now my primary physician (you have to have one of these in France.) When he signed off on my form, he said ever so cutely, "You're my first ever American patient." I could definitely be sick again.
After leaving the doctor's office and getting the prescribed medicine, we, or rather Marie Agnes was late for parent teacher conferences for her middle son, Simon. What was really weird about this was the fact that the kids come to the parent teacher conferences WITH the parents! Now, how are you supposed to talk crap about your kid when they're sitting right there?! Anyways, turns out, Simon is a great student and he only has a problem with conjugating verbs in French. Join the club Simon.
So, needless to say, I got some good cultural education yesterday. I also got some sass from a grandpa.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Strikes, Divorces, and Studios
Hey all,
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted but I can now deliver the good news that I've found an apartment! It's a pretty small studio but it has its own bathroom complete with toilet and shower. I don't have to share! I'm really looking forward to moving in on Saturday and starting to make it my new home. After sharing a room for four years, I am so happy to have a place of my own that I can do whatever I want to it. Also, after three weeks of looking and getting pretty hopeless, I and finally start to settle down and start a life here.
So, the past two weeks have had a common theme: strikes. Long story short, Sarkosy raised the age of retirement from 62 to 67. So naturally people are pissed. Last tuesday there was a national transportation strike and so I had my first grève day at school. Most of the classes I went to had at most 5 or 6 people in them, so obviously it was not a productive day. The strike was continued into the next day and since I had to be in Lille thursday for a training day for assistants, I was a little worried about making it there. So, one of my colleagues, Hélène offered to put me up for the night in Lille. When I got to the school, there were 4 assistants there. For the better part of 2 hrs, more assistants arrived each with their own harrowing story of how they got there. But b/c of the delay, I was able to chit chat with fellow assistants and I met one who had studied abroad in Grenoble a semester before me. So that was obviously awesome. When I got back to Avion, I found out that it was another nulle day at school w/ very few students there because of the continuing demonstrations. Friday was the same. Yesterday, Tuesday, was declared another national strike day so again, not many students. However, those teachers who choose not to go on strike still have to show up and teach. So I was at school all day yesterday yet not doing much. Today, I don't have class, but there are ongoing barricades and demonstrations in Lens and throughout the country. Most of my colleagues don't think their is going to be a normal day of school until after fall vacation. Basically, not much has changed since I was here a year and a half ago.
The next odd thing that has happened to me was that I was invited to the divorce party for one of my colleagues, Gaetane. Yes, that's right, a divorce party. She signed her divorce friday morning, so naturally we had to have a party that night. There were 4-5 english teachers there from my school and some other friends and colleagues. It was fantastically awkward and fun at the same time. I also got to finally meet Laura, the assistant at my school the past two years and her boyfriend, Alban who's a really weird guitar teacher. It should be noted that Gaetane's nickname among the teachers at school is Lady Gaga b/c she's so crazy. En fait, most of the teachers at my school are crazy and going to school is pretty fun. Marie Agnes is extremely sassy so we have a lot of laughs poking fun at each other. My other colleagues are similar. Normally it's a good mix of French and English b/c let's face it, I'm really not that funny in French. Anyways, back to the divorce party. We had cake and champagne to toast Gaetane's new single life. The cake had the traditional bride and groom on top, with a few alterations. The bride was holding up a knife and the groom was face down next to her. Perfect. The night was accompanied by good french food and of course, wine. We also played a few games, one of which included trying to eat 4 french biscuits in 1min. No one was able to do it b/c apparently they're really dry and chalk up in your mouth. However. It is my personal opinion that an American, with their fierce competitive nature and considerable capacity to eat large quantities of things very fast could do it. I have to test this theory. All in all it was a fun night and I can now check off divorce party from my list of things to do (even though it really wasn't originally on it.)
Lastly, it should be noted that I am an absolutely shameful daughter for having forgotten my mother's birthday on Sunday. So, officially Happy Belated Birthday Mom! I'm sorry I suck. I promise to make it up to you when you come to visit in a couple months.
Well, sorry this was such a long post and I promise to be more regular in posting in the future when I settle down in my new place and get internet. Take care, Emily.
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted but I can now deliver the good news that I've found an apartment! It's a pretty small studio but it has its own bathroom complete with toilet and shower. I don't have to share! I'm really looking forward to moving in on Saturday and starting to make it my new home. After sharing a room for four years, I am so happy to have a place of my own that I can do whatever I want to it. Also, after three weeks of looking and getting pretty hopeless, I and finally start to settle down and start a life here.
So, the past two weeks have had a common theme: strikes. Long story short, Sarkosy raised the age of retirement from 62 to 67. So naturally people are pissed. Last tuesday there was a national transportation strike and so I had my first grève day at school. Most of the classes I went to had at most 5 or 6 people in them, so obviously it was not a productive day. The strike was continued into the next day and since I had to be in Lille thursday for a training day for assistants, I was a little worried about making it there. So, one of my colleagues, Hélène offered to put me up for the night in Lille. When I got to the school, there were 4 assistants there. For the better part of 2 hrs, more assistants arrived each with their own harrowing story of how they got there. But b/c of the delay, I was able to chit chat with fellow assistants and I met one who had studied abroad in Grenoble a semester before me. So that was obviously awesome. When I got back to Avion, I found out that it was another nulle day at school w/ very few students there because of the continuing demonstrations. Friday was the same. Yesterday, Tuesday, was declared another national strike day so again, not many students. However, those teachers who choose not to go on strike still have to show up and teach. So I was at school all day yesterday yet not doing much. Today, I don't have class, but there are ongoing barricades and demonstrations in Lens and throughout the country. Most of my colleagues don't think their is going to be a normal day of school until after fall vacation. Basically, not much has changed since I was here a year and a half ago.
The next odd thing that has happened to me was that I was invited to the divorce party for one of my colleagues, Gaetane. Yes, that's right, a divorce party. She signed her divorce friday morning, so naturally we had to have a party that night. There were 4-5 english teachers there from my school and some other friends and colleagues. It was fantastically awkward and fun at the same time. I also got to finally meet Laura, the assistant at my school the past two years and her boyfriend, Alban who's a really weird guitar teacher. It should be noted that Gaetane's nickname among the teachers at school is Lady Gaga b/c she's so crazy. En fait, most of the teachers at my school are crazy and going to school is pretty fun. Marie Agnes is extremely sassy so we have a lot of laughs poking fun at each other. My other colleagues are similar. Normally it's a good mix of French and English b/c let's face it, I'm really not that funny in French. Anyways, back to the divorce party. We had cake and champagne to toast Gaetane's new single life. The cake had the traditional bride and groom on top, with a few alterations. The bride was holding up a knife and the groom was face down next to her. Perfect. The night was accompanied by good french food and of course, wine. We also played a few games, one of which included trying to eat 4 french biscuits in 1min. No one was able to do it b/c apparently they're really dry and chalk up in your mouth. However. It is my personal opinion that an American, with their fierce competitive nature and considerable capacity to eat large quantities of things very fast could do it. I have to test this theory. All in all it was a fun night and I can now check off divorce party from my list of things to do (even though it really wasn't originally on it.)
Lastly, it should be noted that I am an absolutely shameful daughter for having forgotten my mother's birthday on Sunday. So, officially Happy Belated Birthday Mom! I'm sorry I suck. I promise to make it up to you when you come to visit in a couple months.
Well, sorry this was such a long post and I promise to be more regular in posting in the future when I settle down in my new place and get internet. Take care, Emily.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Pictures of Lens and a little family hike
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| Downtown Lens, where I'll be living (hopefully) |
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| A park I found to have lunch |
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| Université d'Artois à Lens |
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| Pure happiness |
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| The "main drag" |
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| And now for a little hike w/ the fam |
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| This child has more energy than anyone I've ever met |
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| Elvira, my only friend |
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| This whole area was made from excess coal that couldn't be mined. It was piled up and up into a huge "mountain" |
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| Now, they've made it into nature paths |
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| Mère et fille |
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| Avion from half way up |
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| Giant cool looking mushrooms |
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| This is only half the stairs |
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| At the top |
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| Our house is on the right |
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| The whole thing was black carbon soil |
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| Went running up here monday evening and got a little lost. I had to run down this trail in the dark. Woops! |
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| Didn't see that helpful sign either |
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| Probly should have looked at this too |
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Busy busy busy
Hey all,
This past couple weeks have been really busy for me. I started school last friday, went to lille for a day of teacher training, and continue my search for an apartment. I've also spent considerable time in Lens, the city where I'll be living given that the bus there only runs a few times a day out to the burbs where I'm staying.
Well, starting school has been an interesting and fun experience. It's been a long time since I've thought critically about my high school days and it's taken quite alot of brian prodding to bring some of those memories back. Ok, it hasn't been that long...but still. In the academie of Lille, every assistant has to do two weeks of observation before beginning to teach. So, for the most part, I've just been introducing myself, answering a few questions in English and then watching for the rest of the class. I've had some really random questions, including whether or not Lady Gaga was a man or a woman and one kid asked me for my phone number. All of the English teachers at my school are wonderful. They all have awesome senses of humor, so I'm laughing alot when I'm with them. They're also eager to help me with whatever they can, so I've hit the jackpot there.
Wednesday, I went to Lille for orientation, met alot of other assistants and got to catch up with my friend with whom I studied in Grenoble, Julia. It was awesome to see her and catch up and to hear about her experiences, which includes living 20 minutes away from a train station with the principal of her school. She's basically stuck in this little town with no mode of transportation. I don't feel so bad about my homeless situation when I talk to her. :) Orientation was pretty much just a review of all of the paperwork I have to get done as quickly as possible so that I can be legal here. But I go back to Lille next Thursday for more training. However, there's going to be a transportation strike starting on Tuesday and no one knows how much longer it's going to last. So hopefully I can get there!
Other than that, my time is completely consumed with finding a place to live (no, after 2 weeks here, I still haven't found a place.) I generally hit dead end after dead end and it's extremely frustrating. I do have two visits later today though so hopefully one of those situations work out. Otherwise, my family here is really nice and the little 8 year old Elvira is soooo cute and I hang with her all the time.
Well, that's all for now. Hopefully the next time I post will be from a new apartment somewhere!
Take care.
This past couple weeks have been really busy for me. I started school last friday, went to lille for a day of teacher training, and continue my search for an apartment. I've also spent considerable time in Lens, the city where I'll be living given that the bus there only runs a few times a day out to the burbs where I'm staying.
Well, starting school has been an interesting and fun experience. It's been a long time since I've thought critically about my high school days and it's taken quite alot of brian prodding to bring some of those memories back. Ok, it hasn't been that long...but still. In the academie of Lille, every assistant has to do two weeks of observation before beginning to teach. So, for the most part, I've just been introducing myself, answering a few questions in English and then watching for the rest of the class. I've had some really random questions, including whether or not Lady Gaga was a man or a woman and one kid asked me for my phone number. All of the English teachers at my school are wonderful. They all have awesome senses of humor, so I'm laughing alot when I'm with them. They're also eager to help me with whatever they can, so I've hit the jackpot there.
Wednesday, I went to Lille for orientation, met alot of other assistants and got to catch up with my friend with whom I studied in Grenoble, Julia. It was awesome to see her and catch up and to hear about her experiences, which includes living 20 minutes away from a train station with the principal of her school. She's basically stuck in this little town with no mode of transportation. I don't feel so bad about my homeless situation when I talk to her. :) Orientation was pretty much just a review of all of the paperwork I have to get done as quickly as possible so that I can be legal here. But I go back to Lille next Thursday for more training. However, there's going to be a transportation strike starting on Tuesday and no one knows how much longer it's going to last. So hopefully I can get there!
Other than that, my time is completely consumed with finding a place to live (no, after 2 weeks here, I still haven't found a place.) I generally hit dead end after dead end and it's extremely frustrating. I do have two visits later today though so hopefully one of those situations work out. Otherwise, my family here is really nice and the little 8 year old Elvira is soooo cute and I hang with her all the time.
Well, that's all for now. Hopefully the next time I post will be from a new apartment somewhere!
Take care.
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