So I am new to the world of blogging and never really saw myself as a "blogger," but i figured this would be better than sending really long, intrusive, e-mail updates. This way I don't risk sending e-mails to uninterested participants and you can check out the blog at your own leisure, if you are ever wondering what I'm up to.
With that, I am sending you my first "Hello" from France, which seems to have been on the brink of revolution..!
Teachers, students, trains, civil servants, literally EVERYONE was going on strike this past month in a struggle against Sarkozy's law to increase the age of retirement. As usual, the strikes have proven to be unproductive. In the meantime, trains were getting cancelled left and right and trash was piling up sky high in cities like Marseille where the garbage men were striking as well. And all anyone can say is..."Welcome to France!"
It's been just over a month since I've moved to Gerardmer and everything has been wonderful, for the most part. The town is very cute and primarily caters to its tourists during the summer and winter months. The downside: there is no train station! This makes traveling somewhat of a big ordeal that requires much detailed planning and coordinating with buses, carpools, etc. The school is relatively small and built into the hillside, looking down into the center of town and with a pretty view of the ski slopes. Most of the area is completely covered in forest with specks of little towns here and there. I didn't expect to be living the small town life again, but I'll take it!
I live in the boarding school and share an apartment with the primary school assistant, Imanta, who is from PA and also has dual
American and European citizenship. We both have our own smallish bedrooms and share a kitchen (with attached dining room), large bathroom, and toilet. There is no living room, so we usually just hang out in the kitchen. The best thing about it... it's free! For meals we either cook or eat in the cafeteria. There is a third American assistant in town as well (from CT), so the three of us sometimes get together on the weekends. Unfortunately it's a bit hard to meet French people in such a small town, at least ones that aren't much older, or creepy. The town has a notorious "stalker" who has already managed to meet all three of us, but luckily we haven't seen him (as far as I know) since the first couple weeks we've been here. There aren't many twenty somethings in the area since they probably all take off for the cities as soon as they get the chance. This means there is plenty of time for preparation and pondering the great questions of life ;)
Luckily I have made friends with many of my colleagues, who are all incredibly nice and hospitable. We eat lunch together in a separate room in the cantine, which makes for great chats in French about everyday life. I immediately bonded with one of the English teachers because she's an active rower and took me right to practice the first day where she introduced me to the coaches and rowers. I promptly signed up and was already racing with them in Burgundy a couple weeks later. I raced in an octuple skull with the head coach, two assistant coaches, a junior national champion, and some adults who row recreationally. Never thought I'd be rowing in France! It was great fun and good to meet people outside of school. Some of my students row at the club as well, so I got to know them a little bit better. I was looking into coaching, but as it turns out, you need a special license for in France. I would have to take "rowing instruction classes" and learn about the history of rowing, etc., followed by an exam. Nothing like Detroit where I showed up out of the blue one day and was getting paid to coach the next. They certainly take their rowing seriously!
As for work, I have 15 different classes and teach about 12 hours per week, not including lesson plans. The kids are great, although their English skills are a bit worse than I expected. I usually come up with my own lesson plans and always teach about half of the class on my own in a separate room. The number of students I have ranges from about 5 to 15. Pretty interesting experience, teaching without having studied pedagogy! Sometimes it's hit and miss with the activities, so I usually need to have a plan B, and sometimes even C. That hardest part is to get everyone to talk and to find activities that accommodate for their different skill levels. They hardly practice speaking in their regular classes, so many are very shy about it.
In other news, yesterday was my last day of fall break and I just got back from traveling with my friend from college, Meghan, who is also an assistant in a city close to Paris, Chartres. The good thing about working for the French school system is that they hardly go two months without a vacation. We had a great time visiting some ancient towns in Provence, mainly exploring the Roman ruins, medieval castles, and museums. We spent two nights in Avignon and the rest of break in Arles, taking several day trips throughout our stay. It was a miracle we made it there and back with all the strikes !
In Arles we stayed with a wonderful Couch Surfing host who drove us around the
country side to see the hidden provincial terrains, inaccessible through public transportation. We were also there for Halloween, which we celebrated by introducing our host and some of his friends to *pumpkin pie.* Meghan and I made it from scratch, and it may not have been as good as mom's, but i think it was a hit nevertheless. In exchange, our host introduced us to various French cakes, tortes, and some darn good quiche, and Pastis. Then, as if someone was trying to tell me I was having entirely too much fun, my wallet got stolen. It was turned in to the police station four days later, without money, but everything else intact. It was the perfect storm, but no need to go into further detail...
That's all for now! I promise the other posts won’t be as long. Write back or comment if you'd like :) It would be great to hear from you. Miss everyone and the pretty colors of fall in Michigan. Already counting down the days until Thanksgiving, which will hopefully be spent in Oldenburg with Auntie Phyllis :) Cheers!
With that, I am sending you my first "Hello" from France, which seems to have been on the brink of revolution..!
Teachers, students, trains, civil servants, literally EVERYONE was going on strike this past month in a struggle against Sarkozy's law to increase the age of retirement. As usual, the strikes have proven to be unproductive. In the meantime, trains were getting cancelled left and right and trash was piling up sky high in cities like Marseille where the garbage men were striking as well. And all anyone can say is..."Welcome to France!"
It's been just over a month since I've moved to Gerardmer and everything has been wonderful, for the most part. The town is very cute and primarily caters to its tourists during the summer and winter months. The downside: there is no train station! This makes traveling somewhat of a big ordeal that requires much detailed planning and coordinating with buses, carpools, etc. The school is relatively small and built into the hillside, looking down into the center of town and with a pretty view of the ski slopes. Most of the area is completely covered in forest with specks of little towns here and there. I didn't expect to be living the small town life again, but I'll take it!
I live in the boarding school and share an apartment with the primary school assistant, Imanta, who is from PA and also has dual
American and European citizenship. We both have our own smallish bedrooms and share a kitchen (with attached dining room), large bathroom, and toilet. There is no living room, so we usually just hang out in the kitchen. The best thing about it... it's free! For meals we either cook or eat in the cafeteria. There is a third American assistant in town as well (from CT), so the three of us sometimes get together on the weekends. Unfortunately it's a bit hard to meet French people in such a small town, at least ones that aren't much older, or creepy. The town has a notorious "stalker" who has already managed to meet all three of us, but luckily we haven't seen him (as far as I know) since the first couple weeks we've been here. There aren't many twenty somethings in the area since they probably all take off for the cities as soon as they get the chance. This means there is plenty of time for preparation and pondering the great questions of life ;)Luckily I have made friends with many of my colleagues, who are all incredibly nice and hospitable. We eat lunch together in a separate room in the cantine, which makes for great chats in French about everyday life. I immediately bonded with one of the English teachers because she's an active rower and took me right to practice the first day where she introduced me to the coaches and rowers. I promptly signed up and was already racing with them in Burgundy a couple weeks later. I raced in an octuple skull with the head coach, two assistant coaches, a junior national champion, and some adults who row recreationally. Never thought I'd be rowing in France! It was great fun and good to meet people outside of school. Some of my students row at the club as well, so I got to know them a little bit better. I was looking into coaching, but as it turns out, you need a special license for in France. I would have to take "rowing instruction classes" and learn about the history of rowing, etc., followed by an exam. Nothing like Detroit where I showed up out of the blue one day and was getting paid to coach the next. They certainly take their rowing seriously!
As for work, I have 15 different classes and teach about 12 hours per week, not including lesson plans. The kids are great, although their English skills are a bit worse than I expected. I usually come up with my own lesson plans and always teach about half of the class on my own in a separate room. The number of students I have ranges from about 5 to 15. Pretty interesting experience, teaching without having studied pedagogy! Sometimes it's hit and miss with the activities, so I usually need to have a plan B, and sometimes even C. That hardest part is to get everyone to talk and to find activities that accommodate for their different skill levels. They hardly practice speaking in their regular classes, so many are very shy about it.
In other news, yesterday was my last day of fall break and I just got back from traveling with my friend from college, Meghan, who is also an assistant in a city close to Paris, Chartres. The good thing about working for the French school system is that they hardly go two months without a vacation. We had a great time visiting some ancient towns in Provence, mainly exploring the Roman ruins, medieval castles, and museums. We spent two nights in Avignon and the rest of break in Arles, taking several day trips throughout our stay. It was a miracle we made it there and back with all the strikes !
In Arles we stayed with a wonderful Couch Surfing host who drove us around the
country side to see the hidden provincial terrains, inaccessible through public transportation. We were also there for Halloween, which we celebrated by introducing our host and some of his friends to *pumpkin pie.* Meghan and I made it from scratch, and it may not have been as good as mom's, but i think it was a hit nevertheless. In exchange, our host introduced us to various French cakes, tortes, and some darn good quiche, and Pastis. Then, as if someone was trying to tell me I was having entirely too much fun, my wallet got stolen. It was turned in to the police station four days later, without money, but everything else intact. It was the perfect storm, but no need to go into further detail...That's all for now! I promise the other posts won’t be as long. Write back or comment if you'd like :) It would be great to hear from you. Miss everyone and the pretty colors of fall in Michigan. Already counting down the days until Thanksgiving, which will hopefully be spent in Oldenburg with Auntie Phyllis :) Cheers!
You truly live a charmed life my love.
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