Meeting in Nantes

Wednesday, Robin, Alicia, Michael, Doug, Sibel and I journeyed to Nantes for a meeting of all the assistants in the académie. We were up really early to catch the 7:40 bus from the train station. It was still dark out. The bus ride was almost 2 1/2 hours of anonymous French countryside, with a handful of small, picturesque towns.

We arrived in Nantes about 10, already an hour late for the meeting. After a small snafu with the bus, we took a tram to the meeting location. We walked into the auditorium as a panel was discussing insurance, banking, and finding an apartment. Luckily, everyone in our group had already completed all these things, so we hadn't missed much important information. Shortly after we arrived, the group broke up into 3 smaller rooms: one for middle school, and two for high school, divided by last name. We went over some very basic information, most of which was common sense, and then broke for an hour and a half long lunch.

After a delicious ham and cheese panini, we came back together to work on planning a hypothetical lesson plan. It may have been my exhaustion by that point in the day, but I didn't really feel like this was a helpful exercise. I did get a few ideas about showing an advertisement or comic, but covering up some or all of the text. I think I'll be able to use those to have some good discussions in my terminale classes. Finally at about 4:30, we finished and caught the tram back to the bus, and the bus back to Laval. I was disappointed that we didn't get to spend more time exploring the city, but at least now we know how to get to Nantes! It seems like a really cool place, so I'd love to go back soon.

Yesterday and today were spent at school, observing classes and going through the hundreds of ideas left for me by previous assistants. I was glad to find worksheets and handouts already prepared, but considering the varying personalities of the past few assistants, I'm not sure all of them will be used. I know I'll be writing my own lessons as well, and adapting those left for me. It's been a beautiful couple of days, a welcome change after all the rain we've been having. Even on the bus, you can tell people are in a better mood! I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of my school and the town.

One of the courtyards at my school. This building houses a computer lab and a study hall.

A Vieux Laval street right around the corner from my school.

The view across the river. Notice the Hollywood-esque "LAVAL" sign on the hill...

The Rain and the Bureaucracy

Well, if I was ever homesick, I needn't have worried. The rainy season has started, and it's looking a lot like fall in Valpo. That is to say, everyone has wet ankles and my hair is a huge poofy mess all the time. We've been told by a couple people that it'll be basically like this until about February, when it snows. Then it'll rain some more until about April. Great. I suppose I should get used to it. I invested in more mousse and gel today, so hopefully that'll help.

One thing I've noticed so far in France (and it hasn't really been a surprise) is that in getting all my documents turned in, there are a TON of hoops to jump through. Offices to visit, papers to mail in, meetings to set up. Considering I have never had this exact experience in the US, I can't say that things would be different there. But for my experience, things are slightly more....streamlined in the US. It's just interesting to experience the way business is taken care of here.

Anyway, I've just been running errands and getting stuff done these past couple days. Yesterday I went to school to try to work out a schedule with the English teachers. I struggled to keep up with the conversation, but in the end I think I have a pretty good schedule. I'll be following about 7 or 8 different classes, which might be tough at times, but I'll just have to be very organized. After the meeting, we all walked down to the pub on the corner and had a beer together. Anne-Marie brought her 5 1/2 year old daughter so that I could meet her. She asked if I'd be willing to babysit, and of course I said yes! Her daughter is adorable and was kind of shy, but she warmed up a little when I let her blow air in my face with a straw, haha.

Also, I've been eating awesome things. For lunch yesterday I had a kebab from a tiny restaurant on the street, with fries and a peach iced tea. It's basically my favorite meal in France, and I really enjoyed it after the rainy bus ride home. Reminded me a lot of Cergy...

Then today after grocery shopping, I enjoyed a very French lunch of baguette, cheese (Caprice des Dieux, my FAVORITE), and a tart Granny Smith. Yum.

Tomorrow is a big day: huge training meeting in Nantes. I'm wondering what exactly will be covered...
I'm supposed to start teaching next week Tuesday, but my teachers reminded me that a teachers' strike is starting on Tuesday...so I'm not really sure what will happen. It depends on who participates in the strike, I guess. I'm excited to experience this beloved French tradition first-hand!

First weekend out in Laval

Today is the 20th birthday of Charlotte, who is an assistant from Scotland, so last night we all went out to celebrate. It was a really great night, but I'm not sure I can handle it every weekend! First we had crepes and cake for dinner at someone's apartment. It was about 15 people crammed in a tiny room full of smoke from the crepes. I got to meet a bunch of people I hadn't met before, including more assistants and others. We had lots of food and wine, and everyone looked like they had a great time.

After singing and cake and coffee, we all headed out to the Irish pub in Laval, O'Regan's. It wasn't very crowded, which was good since we brought a rather large group with us. We all crowded into a long booth and chatted over a fresh round of drinks. I was lucky enough to spend the evening hanging out with Laura and Michael, two lovely British people. We had a great time imitating each others' accents and getting to know one another better.

The final leg of our journey brought us to a club called Le Donjon (The Dungeon), which was empty when we arrived at 1 am and completely full (with a line of about 30 people outside) when I left at 2:30. It's a strange nightlife culture here. No one does anything on Sundays (I'll get to that in a minute). Because of this, people stay out all night, until 5 or 6 in the morning. Not exactly the kind of lifestyle I'm used to...but something to experience once or twice all the same. We danced a lot and had the DJ wish Charlotte a happy birthday. There were definitely some creepy guys there looking to dance with the young ladies in our group, but we were able to fend them off for the most part. I left close to 2:30 am, out of breath and ready for bed.

Today is Sunday, a day when everything in Laval closes and everyone stays home with the family. Since we assistants have no family here in town, we mostly lay around our apartments and came to the lobby to use the wi-fi. In a way it's a relief to have a day of compulsory rest on Sunday; no one can run any errands, so no one feels guilty that errands haven't been run. At dinner Laura and I sat with a group of French guys, and our conversation touched upon this topic. They asked about Sunday dinners in the United States, and we said that often, family dinners didn't happen, that it was more normal for everyone to grab something for himself in between work, meetings, etc. The guys couldn't believe that people actually had things to do on Sundays, especially work. I told them, "La vie continue, même le dimanche..." and we talked about how in the US, life/work/money/responsibility often takes precedence over family. I think we're a culture that values hard work and achievement, even if that takes away from a person's family life. This will probably come up again in my teaching experience, so I have no doubt that I'll reflect on the topic again here. It's just an interesting comparison to make....and a little daunting to think of all the Sundays I'll have to fill.

Tomorrow I'm headed to school, to record some poems for use in the classroom, I believe. Then I've got a meeting with the English department and I hear we're all going to go out for a drink afterwards. That should be an interesting experience!

Surprising discoveries

Spent the day wandering around the city with Laura. We went first to a museum/gallery-type-place on the other side of town to try to sign up for some classes that the city offers, called the Universite Populaire. There are conferences on economics, politics, history, music, and literature. While we found that we couldn't actually sign up, the woman was very nice and gave us lots of information about the program.

The building is located in a beautiful park called the Jardin Publique. Laura and I had no idea that it existed and were happy to wander around for a while. We stumbled upon a mini-zoo within the Jardin, a huge wooden boat (that probably has some meaning...), and amazing views of the city. 

After that, we decided to browse the "junk shop," called Troc. It's a kind of resale shop for just about everything you can imagine (the first of its kind in Europe, of so the sign says). The other assistants have bought lamps and dishes there, as well as other trinkets. It was huge and had a ton of great stuff, for really good prices. I had to stop myself from buying things I won't have the space to bring home! 

All in all, a good afternoon and another newly discovered part of the city. I love the Vieux Laval area, with its cobblestone streets and cute little shops. I love that there's a zoo hidden in a forest in the city. I love that the French are only just learning what a resale shop is.

Tonight we are having a little party and going out for Charlotte's 20th birthday. She's from Scotland and has one of the greatest accents I've ever heard. Really looking forward to seeing a bit of Laval's nightlife!

A problem I have with the French language

Today I went to school for a meeting with the secretary (some housekeeping and paperwork) and lunch with the English teachers. I'll get to the lunch later...it was amazing. First, the secretary, who is probably only a few years older than me, asked that I use the informal tu when speaking with her. I agreed, only because we're about the same age and we are sort of peers. Then when I met up with the teachers, M. Goubin (who is trying to get me to call him Jacques) insisted that I call all of them tu as well. Except, he said, for Clothilde....I'm pretty sure he was making a joke about her age?

So my issue is that this is not the first time someone has insisted I tutoyer them. I really have no idea what the rules are on this! I tend to use vous way too much, just to be on the safe side. But I think sometimes people get offended, like I'm implying that they're old. Sigh. I think eventually I'll get the hang of all this.

The lunch. It was like no school lunch I've ever had! I had turkey with some gravy-type sauce, rice with almonds and raisins in it (that's a big thing here and it's pretty awesome), a salad, a banana, and this apricot mousse with fresh apricot garnish for dessert. There was also a selection of cheeses, sliced baguettes, about 4 other dessert options, and 3 other entree options. I walked through the lunch line (actually skipped to the front, since I am a teacher) wide-eyed, just taking it all in. The French students looked just as bored with their vast array of options as American kids are with typical American cafeteria fare. I wonder if they realize how great they have it?

the truth...

"People are so much bigger than the stereotypes we give them..."

- An English teacher at my lycée, talking about the conservative Texan assistant with whom she worked last year.

Another reason to be proud of myself...

Big news tonight is that we had a Soiree Quiche for dinner. And, despite my intense distaste for all things eggy, I ate some and didn't hate it! It probably helped that there were lots of lardons, thick cut french bacon, in my piece, plus a thick puff pastry crust.

Some of the girls got together for a glass of wine or beer, and then went out to an Irish pub in town. I decided to stay in because I have a meeting at school tomorrow morning. Really excited to get settled at school and start working with the kids!

In other news, I got a bus pass today! I also rode around a little bit so I could get the hang of it. It was kind of fun to see the city that way. The bus drivers are a little crazy, though....who knew you could take a bus around a corner at 40 mph??