Well, it was good this morning. This morning I went to School One, which is by far my easiest school with the coolest principal (Mr. M.). I have pretty much unlimited access to the copier, as long as no one else is waiting for it, and I only have two classes. The fourth grade class is really bright, and the third grade class is pretty good also (almost typed that in French) and the students want so badly to impress me. I like that.
Then to School Two for one class with the hardest of the four groups I have there. I gave croises (marks) in the regles de vie (class rules; essentially I gave them discipline marks) to two of the most offensive boys. S* took advantage of the fact that I didn't remember his name and B* feigns stupidity because "I took German last year." I don't care, you turn around and stop talking. Luckily their classroom teacher, Marie-Pierre totally backs me up. Ah this is my favorite school.
And then to School Three. Thursdays are my most exhausting days. Lots of walking, lots of classes, lots of different levels. I got fed up with my fourth graders and gave them lines to copy. I spoke with their classroom teacher, Virginie, who has been nothing but sympathetic and supportive of my struggles with F*. F* apparently sees a psychologist, and he also takes advantage of the fact that he's not entirely right in the head. I think he has a filter problem, as in he doesn't think before he speaks. His seven classmates tire of him very quickly, and respond beautifully when he is strictly disciplined.
I also got fed up with my third graders at this same school. Their classroom teacher is also Virginie (it's a combined class), and there are eleven of them. I love the Turkish boys and C*, the boy who was raised in Ghana. I cannot stand T* who corrects my French, S* who is going to be a pervert someday if he isn't already, and T2* who won't stop friggin moving. These kids respond really well to songs and games - they did so well with Concentration - but they do NOT SHUT UP. I tell them in French, "You are being rude. I'm talking. When I say Listen, you do not talk." Plain, simple, decently pronounced French. And they continue talking. I play the waiting game. They continue. So I gave them lines too. I would have stayed to speak with Virginie again but I feel so embarrassed that I can't maintain control of the classroom with either of her groups, and I was also just exhausted mentally and physically. I feel like I'm going downhill with these two groups, especially because they're in the same class. They feed off one another. The most offensive perpetrators in both of these groups are well-known to the really nice principal (Mr. B.), but doesn't sending the kids who misbehave to the office every single class destroy my authority and also inhibit their progress in English? I really wish I could just cut this whole school out of my schedule. It gives me nothing but headaches.
Also, I've joined the high school newspaper. There is a name, but I didn't quite get it down. Apparently everyone else understood. Go figure. It should be interesting...I think there's a lot of sections, there's a paper and web version, and overall I think it's rather ambitious, but French kids are more apt to do things of this nature than their American counterparts. When the first web version is posted in December I'll post the link.
I also called Pops and Grandma!!! They're back from Italy. Oh I can't wait to hear their stories and see their pictures. Pops said they ate so many croissants. Yep, that's the European hotel's idea of a "continental" breakfast. You want eggs and bacon and cereal, you go to the well-known American hotels like the Ritz.
CANNOT WAIT FOR VACATION.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
on internet searching and Anglophone resources
So I did a Google search for long distance relationships because why not, and the results were intriguing.
1. I'm tired of the first search result being a Wiki-something. Enough with Wikipedia, Wikibooks, Wikihow, Wikitravel.
2. Is there nothing the BBC can't do?? In addition to being a treasure trove of English education resources, it offers advice too? I can't wait for more BBC answers to my internet questions.
3. I am currently looking for a website that shows Scrubs and The Office (US version) online for free. NBC.com doesn't work here, as my IP address shows I'm clearly outside of the US. I've been bouncing around but so far, I haven't found what I'm looking for. I could buy each episode for $1.99 through iTunes, but if it exists for free, I'd rather that. I have found Family Guy (and American Dad), and would also be interested in Robot Chicken.
My life is ridiculous. Who gets to work 12 hours a week, get two week vacations every two months, and do whatever they want for the remaining hours?? I have got to find some more liberry books.
1. I'm tired of the first search result being a Wiki-something. Enough with Wikipedia, Wikibooks, Wikihow, Wikitravel.
2. Is there nothing the BBC can't do?? In addition to being a treasure trove of English education resources, it offers advice too? I can't wait for more BBC answers to my internet questions.
3. I am currently looking for a website that shows Scrubs and The Office (US version) online for free. NBC.com doesn't work here, as my IP address shows I'm clearly outside of the US. I've been bouncing around but so far, I haven't found what I'm looking for. I could buy each episode for $1.99 through iTunes, but if it exists for free, I'd rather that. I have found Family Guy (and American Dad), and would also be interested in Robot Chicken.
My life is ridiculous. Who gets to work 12 hours a week, get two week vacations every two months, and do whatever they want for the remaining hours?? I have got to find some more liberry books.
Fun things that have happened recently, in list form:
1. The annoying fourth graders at School Three did really well with a dialogue exercise. There are only eight of them, but it's eight really strong personalities. Once I sent F* to the principal's office, they did much better, and when he was sent back, even he did well with the dialogue. Lucky his partner was Nice T* (not to be confused with Rude T* in the third grade class School Three) who helped him out quite a bit.
2. My two fifth grade classes at School Two were amazing. We did "What are you wearing? What is he/she wearing? I'm wearing... She/He's wearing..." in a telephone game and it worked SO well. I was so impressed. A good clue that an activity is working is when I'm not talking anymore. That means that the students understand the directions and they're actively participating and behaving. It was really cool. They totally get the structure of the sentences, and I'm just really proud of them. They're really smart kids.
3. One of my fourth grade classes at School Two just could not get the hang of the structure "I'm from France. I'm French." It was really frustrating. It was odd because this class is usually better than their counterparts at School Three. Oh well. Moving on.
4. I officially have my recepisse (receipt, sort of) for my residency card!! This is fantastic news. Granted, it expires two weeks after my visa does but the lady at the office told me I should have my real residency card by then. Hooray!!
5. I bought a coaxial cable and now we have television. All five (I think?) free channels. Oh the decadence...Ben doesn't watch tv (really?) but Rocio was really looking forward to it so for 6E, we have tele. Woohoo.
6. Vacation is coming up and I really don't want to wait for two very full days to go by before I can get on trains and start moving! I want to see more things than plain simple tranquil Ussel.
7. I'm having some difficulty uploading pictures online. Yahoo! Photos has become Flickr, and I haven't figured out Flickr's terminology. They have "sets" and "collections" and I don't know how to work it. Blogspot/Blogger, the site that hosts my blog, and Picassa are both part of the Google conglomerate, so there's something there I'm not quite getting. Dad uses DotPhoto but I'm just trying to find the simplest way for me to upload and then for others to easily access my photos. Hm.
8. Happy and safe. :)
Miss you and love you all!
2. My two fifth grade classes at School Two were amazing. We did "What are you wearing? What is he/she wearing? I'm wearing... She/He's wearing..." in a telephone game and it worked SO well. I was so impressed. A good clue that an activity is working is when I'm not talking anymore. That means that the students understand the directions and they're actively participating and behaving. It was really cool. They totally get the structure of the sentences, and I'm just really proud of them. They're really smart kids.
3. One of my fourth grade classes at School Two just could not get the hang of the structure "I'm from France. I'm French." It was really frustrating. It was odd because this class is usually better than their counterparts at School Three. Oh well. Moving on.
4. I officially have my recepisse (receipt, sort of) for my residency card!! This is fantastic news. Granted, it expires two weeks after my visa does but the lady at the office told me I should have my real residency card by then. Hooray!!
5. I bought a coaxial cable and now we have television. All five (I think?) free channels. Oh the decadence...Ben doesn't watch tv (really?) but Rocio was really looking forward to it so for 6E, we have tele. Woohoo.
6. Vacation is coming up and I really don't want to wait for two very full days to go by before I can get on trains and start moving! I want to see more things than plain simple tranquil Ussel.
7. I'm having some difficulty uploading pictures online. Yahoo! Photos has become Flickr, and I haven't figured out Flickr's terminology. They have "sets" and "collections" and I don't know how to work it. Blogspot/Blogger, the site that hosts my blog, and Picassa are both part of the Google conglomerate, so there's something there I'm not quite getting. Dad uses DotPhoto but I'm just trying to find the simplest way for me to upload and then for others to easily access my photos. Hm.
8. Happy and safe. :)
Miss you and love you all!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Toussaint Vacation
The upcoming October break is called Toussaint (All-Saints) and is from Saturday, October 27 to Tuesday, November 6. However, I don't have lessons on Wednesdays so my own vacation is until November 7. Here is where I'm going, what I'm doing, and where I'm staying:
Sat. 10/27: Ussel -> Montignac
Montignac
Montignac is a good base for exploring the Lascaux Caves, which have prehistoric cave paintings.
I will be staying at Hotel de la Grotte
Mon. 10/29: Montignac -> Les Eyzies de Tayac-Sireuil
Les Eyzies de Tayac-Sireuil
Les Eyzies (blah blah blah) has more prehistoric cave paintings, but unlike Lascaux, these are the real things.
I will be staying at hotel de France Auberge du Musee, part of a partially-government funded hotel chain. God I love France.
Wed. 10/31: Les Ezyies -> Sarlat-La-Caneda
Sarlat-La-Caneda
Sarlat is a pretty village with castles and old stuff. Ben recommended it when I mentioned it as a possibility.
I will be staying at Hotel de la Madeleine.
Fri. 11/2: Sarlat -> Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is another pretty village with more castles and old stuff. Karine, a marketing teacher here at the high school, lives in Cahors and has given me her phone number so we could possibly meet up. Apparently Cahors is where the Roman wine-making tradition still is, as in this is where they make the oldest wine. I tried some; it's good stuff.
I will be staying at Auberge de Jeunesse de Frederic Suisse, the only youth hostel on the trip.
Sun. 11/4: Cahors -> Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a Catholic pilgrimage site where the waters in a cave that a little girl saw visions of the Virgin Mary are said to heal people. The last confirmed case was an Italian woman cured of rheumatoid arthritis or something of that nature. Catholic mythology is enthralling.
I will be staying at Hotel Viscos.
Wed. 11/7: Lourdes -> Ussel
This leg of the trip will probably take all day. Hopefully I can find another liberry book.
I'm very excited!!!
Sat. 10/27: Ussel -> Montignac
Montignac
Montignac is a good base for exploring the Lascaux Caves, which have prehistoric cave paintings.
I will be staying at Hotel de la Grotte
Mon. 10/29: Montignac -> Les Eyzies de Tayac-Sireuil
Les Eyzies de Tayac-Sireuil
Les Eyzies (blah blah blah) has more prehistoric cave paintings, but unlike Lascaux, these are the real things.
I will be staying at hotel de France Auberge du Musee, part of a partially-government funded hotel chain. God I love France.
Wed. 10/31: Les Ezyies -> Sarlat-La-Caneda
Sarlat-La-Caneda
Sarlat is a pretty village with castles and old stuff. Ben recommended it when I mentioned it as a possibility.
I will be staying at Hotel de la Madeleine.
Fri. 11/2: Sarlat -> Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is another pretty village with more castles and old stuff. Karine, a marketing teacher here at the high school, lives in Cahors and has given me her phone number so we could possibly meet up. Apparently Cahors is where the Roman wine-making tradition still is, as in this is where they make the oldest wine. I tried some; it's good stuff.
I will be staying at Auberge de Jeunesse de Frederic Suisse, the only youth hostel on the trip.
Sun. 11/4: Cahors -> Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a Catholic pilgrimage site where the waters in a cave that a little girl saw visions of the Virgin Mary are said to heal people. The last confirmed case was an Italian woman cured of rheumatoid arthritis or something of that nature. Catholic mythology is enthralling.
I will be staying at Hotel Viscos.
Wed. 11/7: Lourdes -> Ussel
This leg of the trip will probably take all day. Hopefully I can find another liberry book.
I'm very excited!!!
I don't know what day it is
This morning Rocío and I headed to the train station at 5:30am to catch the train to Limoges. We had our mandatory immigrants' doctor's appointment today, and since the only train that could get us to Limoges on time left at 6:24am, we had to get up really early. We took a taxi to the clinic because I'm super lazy and prefer to have a nice man drive us there in a warm heated car with leather seats than figure out which bus takes us the closest and then walk. So we get to the clinic and who walks in the waiting room but Courtney!! My buddy from DC! How happy was I to see her. Ah I really like her. She's smart and funny and cute. Ah. Anyways. My appointment was first, and the first order of business was a chest x-ray. For this I had to take everything on top off, including my bra. I was prepared for this, but Rocío had been freaking out for a week about having to be anywhere near unclothed. I asked the doctor afterward why they do it and apparently it's tuberculosis screening. I was weighed (62kg, or 136lbs so not bad) and measured (172cm? does that sound right?) and he checked my heart or my pulse, can't remember because I was trying too hard to relax (it always happens), checked my vaccination records against a chart (thanks Dad! that really helped), and asked me if was on any medications (my prescription wasn't that big of a deal apparently, and I had even brought a copy of it in case) and if I had ever had any serious illnesses. And that was it! I was given a certificate of the visit to bring to the Sous-Préfecture and my chest x-ray. I really should find a way to post it online, it's fascinating. You can see the outline of my boobs and my scoliosis, which looks a lot worse in x-ray form. What a great souvenir. The doctor was really nice and patient.
Rocío and I found the bus stop across the street from the clinic (stop, I like taxis) and headed back downtown. Then since I had a good 2.5 hours to kill before the next train to Ussel, I dragged poor Rocío to the Tourism Office in Limoges to see if they had any information about the places I'm going to visit for the upcoming vacation. The lady handed me one brochure. Not so helpful. I miss the girls at the Tourisme Office in La Rochelle - they had everything and never hesitated when I asked for information. :-( Sad. Anyways. I chilled in the train station with a really crappy sandwich, reading my liberry book and waiting for the train. And then I fell asleep in the train. I have got to stop that, it's really not good! I could be reading, or writing postcards, or doing Sudoku puzzles...
So I dropped off a copy of my medical visit certificate at the Sous-Préfecture and discovered that yes, I do in fact have my récepissé! This document is temporary (it expires January 14, 2008) but is in fact proof that I have applied for and am in the process of receiving a real residency card! This is fantabulous news. They still want to see my original birth certificate, which bothers me. French administration doesn't realize that if I give them my original American birth certificate, getting a new one is not an easy thing. It's not something you give up so easily for anything. Copies, always. But I'll bring the original and the original translation and refuse to surrender either. I need those suckers. If the French postal service wasn't so iffy about mail security I'd mail home my original so Dad could put it back in the safety deposit box, but as it is, I feel more secure knowing its whereabouts at all times. Which is in my official purple folder.
So Ben came back from classes and we unsuccessfully tried to hook him up to the Livebox. He has a Mac, so we're trying to translate my PC's settings to his Mac's settings. And neither of us are particularly well-versed in technology so it was difficult. That conversation was in English.
Tonight, I'm going to dinner at the cantine, Andy and I are going to Skype, I'm going to make sure I'm ready for my lessons for at least Tuesday, and Ben is going to frog around on the Toshiba because we've also disabled his access to the crappy school network. Whoopsies.
Love you all!!
Rocío and I found the bus stop across the street from the clinic (stop, I like taxis) and headed back downtown. Then since I had a good 2.5 hours to kill before the next train to Ussel, I dragged poor Rocío to the Tourism Office in Limoges to see if they had any information about the places I'm going to visit for the upcoming vacation. The lady handed me one brochure. Not so helpful. I miss the girls at the Tourisme Office in La Rochelle - they had everything and never hesitated when I asked for information. :-( Sad. Anyways. I chilled in the train station with a really crappy sandwich, reading my liberry book and waiting for the train. And then I fell asleep in the train. I have got to stop that, it's really not good! I could be reading, or writing postcards, or doing Sudoku puzzles...
So I dropped off a copy of my medical visit certificate at the Sous-Préfecture and discovered that yes, I do in fact have my récepissé! This document is temporary (it expires January 14, 2008) but is in fact proof that I have applied for and am in the process of receiving a real residency card! This is fantabulous news. They still want to see my original birth certificate, which bothers me. French administration doesn't realize that if I give them my original American birth certificate, getting a new one is not an easy thing. It's not something you give up so easily for anything. Copies, always. But I'll bring the original and the original translation and refuse to surrender either. I need those suckers. If the French postal service wasn't so iffy about mail security I'd mail home my original so Dad could put it back in the safety deposit box, but as it is, I feel more secure knowing its whereabouts at all times. Which is in my official purple folder.
So Ben came back from classes and we unsuccessfully tried to hook him up to the Livebox. He has a Mac, so we're trying to translate my PC's settings to his Mac's settings. And neither of us are particularly well-versed in technology so it was difficult. That conversation was in English.
Tonight, I'm going to dinner at the cantine, Andy and I are going to Skype, I'm going to make sure I'm ready for my lessons for at least Tuesday, and Ben is going to frog around on the Toshiba because we've also disabled his access to the crappy school network. Whoopsies.
Love you all!!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
good news
So in my lesson planning, I found this website:
www.familyguynow.com
Free streaming Family Guy episodes on demand. HEAVEN considering I'm missing the sixth season.
This has virtually nothing to do with preparing elementary EFL lessons but more to do with the sudden attack of homesickness today.
Sucks that I can't watch them with Andy.
www.familyguynow.com
Free streaming Family Guy episodes on demand. HEAVEN considering I'm missing the sixth season.
This has virtually nothing to do with preparing elementary EFL lessons but more to do with the sudden attack of homesickness today.
Sucks that I can't watch them with Andy.
boring sunday
Yesterday was pretty quiet. Bought a train ticket to my doctor's appointment, got cash, got lunch. Didn't do much in the way of school work, which is still stumping me. Why aren't my fourth graders all doing the same thing? Igh. I'll just push the dumb fourth graders. I'm sorry, they're not dumb, they're just ridiculous.
I'm suddenly feeling really lonely. Maybe it's because I've got Yahoo Radio playing and that makes me homesick. Maybe it's because I'm online, AIM is open but no one's awake. I miss my parents and brothers a lot. I miss Andy and Maggie.
Rocio got a text message from Blandine this morning inviting us to lunch today. We both were hesitant because the last time we were invited for lunch, granted there was a hiking trip involved, but we didn't get home until about 11:30pm. And we have stuff to do. And we have a 6:30am train to catch tomorrow morning. So we texted her back and said thank you but no thank you. We haven't gotten a reply so hopefully she wasn't too insulted. I dunno, we're not obligated to accept every invitation and we really do have things to do. It's not North American to be invited to lunch and stay for the whole friggin day. It really made us feel awkward last time. Maybe there's a polite way to explain to Blandine the next time we see her without insulting her traditional French hospitality.
I have all but one city's worth of hotels reserved but since the train website doesn't really recognize my town's train station (I can't figure it out yet), I don't have any train tickets yet. All right, I have one and it's being mailed to me but I don't know if it'll get here in time. I'm excited! Yay vacation.
Yeah mostly I'm just lonely and I miss familiar faces.
I'm suddenly feeling really lonely. Maybe it's because I've got Yahoo Radio playing and that makes me homesick. Maybe it's because I'm online, AIM is open but no one's awake. I miss my parents and brothers a lot. I miss Andy and Maggie.
Rocio got a text message from Blandine this morning inviting us to lunch today. We both were hesitant because the last time we were invited for lunch, granted there was a hiking trip involved, but we didn't get home until about 11:30pm. And we have stuff to do. And we have a 6:30am train to catch tomorrow morning. So we texted her back and said thank you but no thank you. We haven't gotten a reply so hopefully she wasn't too insulted. I dunno, we're not obligated to accept every invitation and we really do have things to do. It's not North American to be invited to lunch and stay for the whole friggin day. It really made us feel awkward last time. Maybe there's a polite way to explain to Blandine the next time we see her without insulting her traditional French hospitality.
I have all but one city's worth of hotels reserved but since the train website doesn't really recognize my town's train station (I can't figure it out yet), I don't have any train tickets yet. All right, I have one and it's being mailed to me but I don't know if it'll get here in time. I'm excited! Yay vacation.
Yeah mostly I'm just lonely and I miss familiar faces.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
not much
So the France Orange technician came yesterday at 2pm prompt and frogged around with my Livebox. He wasn't able to figure out why the Wifi didn't work, and felt bad about it even though that wasn't what he was sent to do (silly tech support lady), and when I asked him how and who to pay, he shook his head and said No. About an hour later, he calls and says his fellow France Orange technician buddy is here and they're going to frog around with my connection. After about a half an hour of putzing around and mostly trying to translate my English computer, they discovered the problem was an IP address entered by Rodolphe the high school's IT dude to connect to the school server. So I'm online. Granted the signal goes in and out at random times but it works and it's mine and I have unfettered access to the websites and web-based software as I please.
Yay.
Also last night I was invited to Marie-Jo's house for dinner. Marie-Jo is another English teacher at the high school, who back when she was younger, was also a language assistant in England. So she understands the difficulties in being far away from home. Her daughter Elsa was also there, along with Elsa's baby son Thibault. Thibault is a doll and I got to hold him and play with him a lot. I'm not too sure how old he is - his teeth are not yet in but that's apparently delayed and he's just walking but always holding someone's hand. He's not really talking, just word fragments. Dinner was smoked salmon for an entree, broccoli puree (it's better than it sounds and bright green), confit de canard with lentils, regional cheeses, and pastries. And delightful conversation. Every Friday night for the last thirty years, Marie-Jo has watched this program called Thalassa, which is about the sea and anything about the sea. Currently the program is doing a world tour, and last night stopped in the South Pacific. Fascinating. It was really a nice evening.
Today Rocio and I went to the train station to get tickets to Limoges where our mandatory immigration medical visit is, get money from the ATM, and have lunch at the least impressive sandwich shop ever. But the radio played some American music I recognized, and that was interesting.
Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get to the towns I want to visit for the vacation that starts next weekend...at least reserve some hotels! In any case, I'm happy. Rocio just bought me a pastry because I bought her lunch. She's awesome.
Yay.
Also last night I was invited to Marie-Jo's house for dinner. Marie-Jo is another English teacher at the high school, who back when she was younger, was also a language assistant in England. So she understands the difficulties in being far away from home. Her daughter Elsa was also there, along with Elsa's baby son Thibault. Thibault is a doll and I got to hold him and play with him a lot. I'm not too sure how old he is - his teeth are not yet in but that's apparently delayed and he's just walking but always holding someone's hand. He's not really talking, just word fragments. Dinner was smoked salmon for an entree, broccoli puree (it's better than it sounds and bright green), confit de canard with lentils, regional cheeses, and pastries. And delightful conversation. Every Friday night for the last thirty years, Marie-Jo has watched this program called Thalassa, which is about the sea and anything about the sea. Currently the program is doing a world tour, and last night stopped in the South Pacific. Fascinating. It was really a nice evening.
Today Rocio and I went to the train station to get tickets to Limoges where our mandatory immigration medical visit is, get money from the ATM, and have lunch at the least impressive sandwich shop ever. But the radio played some American music I recognized, and that was interesting.
Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get to the towns I want to visit for the vacation that starts next weekend...at least reserve some hotels! In any case, I'm happy. Rocio just bought me a pastry because I bought her lunch. She's awesome.
Friday, October 19, 2007
ok I obviously got the dates wrong
Sunday September 30, 2007
Today I woke up entirely too early for a Sunday, but with unavoidable tasks. I went to the train station, which is a 30 minute walk (ugh), to buy my train tickets for the various orientations I have in two different cities. Hopefully they’re the right times. I know I’m getting into City #1 well ahead of time, and Marie-Claude has told me it’s probably best to take a taxi to the place (IUFM, which is kind of like a teachers’ college). Other than that, if it doesn’t work, no big deal. Those three tickets cost me a total of ~20E. Um, thank you Carte 12-25. Between the ages of 12 and 25, you can buy this 49E card that gives you discounts on virtually all trains, and often the discounts are near 50%. It’s a good deal. My other errand this morning was to purchase a small bouquet of flowers for Marie-Claude, because if you’re invited to someone’s house, it’s traditional and polite to bring something like flowers, chocolate, or if possible, some regional specialty. I’m fresh out of regional New York specialties (I gave away the two bottles of maple syrup that Mom picked up for me at the Farmers’ Market), so I got a small 10,50E bouquet. It was really pretty and that is going to be my florist from now on. This is the second bouquet I’ve purchased from them since I’ve been here (that says something, doesn’t it), and they are so patient and helpful and the bouquets are absolutely beautiful. And inexpensive.
So anyways, I bought the bouquet for Marie-Claude to whom I still refer as Madame because she hasn’t corrected me yet because she invited me over for lunch today. She, as mentioned before, is a music teacher, and Olivier is a musician as well. Olivier has obviously studied some English as well, as he kept trying to translate his (very very very verbose) conversations into English even though I completely understood what he was saying and demonstrated such by my responses. They have a hyperactive 5 ½ year old daughter named Camille who is obsessed with princesses and fairies. She’s adorable and was fascinated with my presence. She is just learning how to write and also the syllables in preparation for reading. She was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be teaching her class English, and showed off the only English phrase she knew: “My name is Camille.” Soooo cute! Can all of my students be that precious? Lunch was a small aperitif of pineau, a liquor from Ile de Ré which is off the coast of La Rochelle. It’s super sweet. Also there was regional sausage which tasted a little tripe-y, but still decent. Thank goodness for peppercorns. Dinner consisted of an entrée of this casserole of lard, bits of ham, egg, potato, and prunes. I tried my best but did not do very well. The main dish was crêpes (yay!) à l’usseloise with ham and cheese. Oh thank goodness. Then there was the cheese. I LOVE cheese. It smells pretty bad but it tastes awesome. Then we went to the Point des Millevaches, which is not “Thousand-Cow Point” like it immediately translates, but is a standard French approximation of some Occitan (south-central France) word. Olivier explained it but I forgot. Basically it’s a lookout tower on top of a huge hill/tiny mountain where you can see ALL of Corrèze. Wow. I just couldn’t articulate how incredible it was to see so much of France, how pretty it all was, how friggin picturesque it all was, and how beautifully mundane. Like there was nothing special to see, just France. But that’s beautiful. It looked a lot like the view from on top of the Ski Hill behind the house at home. And that made me sad. Or homesick. Or lonely. Then we went back to their house where Olivier and Marie-Claude gave me a little recital of traditional regional music on bagpipe-like instruments, a vielle (kind of like a violin crossed with an accordion that has a crank), and Marie-Claude’s violin. Really neat stuff. Olivier is off his rocker – he makes wind instruments out of ANYTHING, including plastic drinking straws. He also talks a LOT.
It was really nice of Marie-Claude to invite me over. When I thanked her, she said “Well, I just try to put myself in your place.” I guess I see her point: the hardest part about this trip, I can tell now, isn’t going to be French bureaucracy or teaching (although that should prove immensely challenging), but rather the lack of familiar faces. I miss my family and my boyfriend and my friends a lot. It’s nice to see the new people here in France like Marie-Claude, Françoise, and the English teachers so much because they’ll become familiar and even comforting. I find Ben to be immensely comforting, just his presence, because we at least have a mildly similar background (we both understand the love-hate relationship of WalMart, etc). And yet I hardly know Ben.
My train tomorrow morning is at 6.30ish, and it’s a half hour walk, and I want to be there early, so I have to wake up stupid early. Ugh. Rocío and Ben left today for the orientation, but I had the invite to Marie-Claude’s and also I just didn’t want to go today. I’m sincerely hoping that my questions regarding my residency card, social security/health insurance card, and classroom management will be answered in these next two days.
I also hope this week will provide some answers to the communication embargo I’m under at the moment. While it’s very nice that the high school has offered the computers in the library and the teachers’ room to use whenever we like, Ben and I both have laptops with webcams for a reason, and the library and teachers’ room close. I want to TALK and SEE people – it’s possible in this day and age, and in this country that friggin invented the jumbo jet (see Airbus).
I should go to bed. I’m not tired, but being awake makes me lonely.
Today I woke up entirely too early for a Sunday, but with unavoidable tasks. I went to the train station, which is a 30 minute walk (ugh), to buy my train tickets for the various orientations I have in two different cities. Hopefully they’re the right times. I know I’m getting into City #1 well ahead of time, and Marie-Claude has told me it’s probably best to take a taxi to the place (IUFM, which is kind of like a teachers’ college). Other than that, if it doesn’t work, no big deal. Those three tickets cost me a total of ~20E. Um, thank you Carte 12-25. Between the ages of 12 and 25, you can buy this 49E card that gives you discounts on virtually all trains, and often the discounts are near 50%. It’s a good deal. My other errand this morning was to purchase a small bouquet of flowers for Marie-Claude, because if you’re invited to someone’s house, it’s traditional and polite to bring something like flowers, chocolate, or if possible, some regional specialty. I’m fresh out of regional New York specialties (I gave away the two bottles of maple syrup that Mom picked up for me at the Farmers’ Market), so I got a small 10,50E bouquet. It was really pretty and that is going to be my florist from now on. This is the second bouquet I’ve purchased from them since I’ve been here (that says something, doesn’t it), and they are so patient and helpful and the bouquets are absolutely beautiful. And inexpensive.
So anyways, I bought the bouquet for Marie-Claude to whom I still refer as Madame because she hasn’t corrected me yet because she invited me over for lunch today. She, as mentioned before, is a music teacher, and Olivier is a musician as well. Olivier has obviously studied some English as well, as he kept trying to translate his (very very very verbose) conversations into English even though I completely understood what he was saying and demonstrated such by my responses. They have a hyperactive 5 ½ year old daughter named Camille who is obsessed with princesses and fairies. She’s adorable and was fascinated with my presence. She is just learning how to write and also the syllables in preparation for reading. She was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be teaching her class English, and showed off the only English phrase she knew: “My name is Camille.” Soooo cute! Can all of my students be that precious? Lunch was a small aperitif of pineau, a liquor from Ile de Ré which is off the coast of La Rochelle. It’s super sweet. Also there was regional sausage which tasted a little tripe-y, but still decent. Thank goodness for peppercorns. Dinner consisted of an entrée of this casserole of lard, bits of ham, egg, potato, and prunes. I tried my best but did not do very well. The main dish was crêpes (yay!) à l’usseloise with ham and cheese. Oh thank goodness. Then there was the cheese. I LOVE cheese. It smells pretty bad but it tastes awesome. Then we went to the Point des Millevaches, which is not “Thousand-Cow Point” like it immediately translates, but is a standard French approximation of some Occitan (south-central France) word. Olivier explained it but I forgot. Basically it’s a lookout tower on top of a huge hill/tiny mountain where you can see ALL of Corrèze. Wow. I just couldn’t articulate how incredible it was to see so much of France, how pretty it all was, how friggin picturesque it all was, and how beautifully mundane. Like there was nothing special to see, just France. But that’s beautiful. It looked a lot like the view from on top of the Ski Hill behind the house at home. And that made me sad. Or homesick. Or lonely. Then we went back to their house where Olivier and Marie-Claude gave me a little recital of traditional regional music on bagpipe-like instruments, a vielle (kind of like a violin crossed with an accordion that has a crank), and Marie-Claude’s violin. Really neat stuff. Olivier is off his rocker – he makes wind instruments out of ANYTHING, including plastic drinking straws. He also talks a LOT.
It was really nice of Marie-Claude to invite me over. When I thanked her, she said “Well, I just try to put myself in your place.” I guess I see her point: the hardest part about this trip, I can tell now, isn’t going to be French bureaucracy or teaching (although that should prove immensely challenging), but rather the lack of familiar faces. I miss my family and my boyfriend and my friends a lot. It’s nice to see the new people here in France like Marie-Claude, Françoise, and the English teachers so much because they’ll become familiar and even comforting. I find Ben to be immensely comforting, just his presence, because we at least have a mildly similar background (we both understand the love-hate relationship of WalMart, etc). And yet I hardly know Ben.
My train tomorrow morning is at 6.30ish, and it’s a half hour walk, and I want to be there early, so I have to wake up stupid early. Ugh. Rocío and Ben left today for the orientation, but I had the invite to Marie-Claude’s and also I just didn’t want to go today. I’m sincerely hoping that my questions regarding my residency card, social security/health insurance card, and classroom management will be answered in these next two days.
I also hope this week will provide some answers to the communication embargo I’m under at the moment. While it’s very nice that the high school has offered the computers in the library and the teachers’ room to use whenever we like, Ben and I both have laptops with webcams for a reason, and the library and teachers’ room close. I want to TALK and SEE people – it’s possible in this day and age, and in this country that friggin invented the jumbo jet (see Airbus).
I should go to bed. I’m not tired, but being awake makes me lonely.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Day 25
This coming Monday will mark my first full month in France. Wow.
Today went all right. Thursdays are exhausting because I start at 8:30am, go to all three schools, and get home just before 5:00pm. It’s long.
Kids I can’t smack:
T* refuses to listen to anything I say in English or French because “I don’t understand when you speak English” and “You don’t speak French very well.” Well, is there something I should be doing so you do understand? No? Ok, then I fully expect you to behave, do as I say, and respect your classmates. He’s in third grade.
F* is a jerk. He harasses other kids for the sake of being That Kid. He’s just the obnoxious kid, but not at all in the smart witty kind of obnoxious. He’s annoying and the rest of his class (there’s only eight!) can’t stand him. When I led them back to their classroom, virtually all of them asked me “You’re going to tell the teacher about him, right?” Oh yes. Oh yes. This is only the second lesson, and I’ve already separated him from the others, given him lines to copy, and scolded him in rude harsh French in front of the class. Next time he’s out of line he’s going to the principal’s office. Let Monsieur B. deal with him. I really don’t want him in the class. There are enough other strong personalities, like M* (eesh she’s going to be a handful when she’s a teenager) and T*(dorky awkward little girl who acts like a friggin princess).
W* (that’s his real name) has the best accent in his fourth grade class but he’s an asshole and disrupts everyone. He’s also the ringleader for him and three other boys, so I really would hope that taking him out of the picture would calm things down.
Kids I can’t adopt:
C* spent his first three years (he’s in third grade now) of school in a bilingual school in Ghana. He speaks English with virtually no accent, and his French is normal. I feel terrible for him because we’re doing friggin NUMBERS and he’s the only one who knows exactly what I ask for. I really have got to find something more fun for him to do, like enrichment activities. Anything! If his parents would let him stay after school for a half an hour, we could do something more fun together.
Ophélie is adorable and has just the sweetest face and voice. Omg want to hug her. She makes good efforts too, and usually succeeds. That’s impressive, considering she sits in the back of the room.
L* lives in an apartment building up the street from me, I’ve learned. She sits in the front with her friend who isn’t quite as bright as she is. She is very smart and catches on quickly. She makes such an effort to imitate my pronunciation as best as she can. I really like her.
Ah I don’t remember his name but he’s one of L*'s classmates – he’s really smart, kind of a smart-aleck, but quick to catch on and totally understands what’s expected. I like him a lot.
There's another L* who is just as intelligent, and whenever I need someone to give a perfect and audible (that's always important) example, I know I can count on her. She makes such an effort to imitate my accent. Ah I love her.
A* is a third grader whose vocal cords are set on ultra-soprano. It’s unbelievable to hear him speak – I mean squeak – the little sentences I ask of them. Omg he’s unreal.
What I don’t understand is why these children continue to talk over me and their classmates, even when I tell them in French “You do not speak when your classmates are speaking, and you do not speak when I am speaking. It’s rude and disrespectful.” I really should have given my fourth graders at School Three crosses in their règles de vie today…I’ll ask Virginie (their classroom teacher) if I can do that. They’re unreal.
The French really do expect their children to be better behaved than this, and when they misbehave, they’re told in very stern and what I would consider harsh language that it is not tolerated at all and that they immediately affect others around them. Language here places a lot of emphasis on others and the inequality of others – we’re not all the same – and that in effect devalues a little the individual. Indeed, there is little here that is private. The State, especially in the school, occupies the space. Everyone pretty much has the same dishcloths and mailbox color; there was even a box of socks and underwear in the teachers’ room in School Three for students. Like new socks and underwear. On the other hand, there is so much that is not discussed, like your name, what you do for a living, what your parents do, your family situation, etc., things that normally come up in an American conversation to gauge the person’s place in society. As a result, I, and Ben agrees, have a hard time “reading” people. I can’t immediately, or even after speaking with them on multiple occasions, divine people’s social places – what do you spend your money on, what education do you have, what does your spouse do, what are your children like, etc. It’s a lack of social context. It’s frustrating and makes one lonely.
I have three classes tomorrow, starting at 8:30am. Hopefully the France Orange technician will come tomorrow, because if he doesn’t I’m going to hurt something. I want me some freakin internet, goddammit. (Ben agrees with me, but in less harsh words.)
Miss home, miss Mom, miss Dad, miss Peter, miss Nicholas, miss Andy. End.
Today went all right. Thursdays are exhausting because I start at 8:30am, go to all three schools, and get home just before 5:00pm. It’s long.
Kids I can’t smack:
T* refuses to listen to anything I say in English or French because “I don’t understand when you speak English” and “You don’t speak French very well.” Well, is there something I should be doing so you do understand? No? Ok, then I fully expect you to behave, do as I say, and respect your classmates. He’s in third grade.
F* is a jerk. He harasses other kids for the sake of being That Kid. He’s just the obnoxious kid, but not at all in the smart witty kind of obnoxious. He’s annoying and the rest of his class (there’s only eight!) can’t stand him. When I led them back to their classroom, virtually all of them asked me “You’re going to tell the teacher about him, right?” Oh yes. Oh yes. This is only the second lesson, and I’ve already separated him from the others, given him lines to copy, and scolded him in rude harsh French in front of the class. Next time he’s out of line he’s going to the principal’s office. Let Monsieur B. deal with him. I really don’t want him in the class. There are enough other strong personalities, like M* (eesh she’s going to be a handful when she’s a teenager) and T*(dorky awkward little girl who acts like a friggin princess).
W* (that’s his real name) has the best accent in his fourth grade class but he’s an asshole and disrupts everyone. He’s also the ringleader for him and three other boys, so I really would hope that taking him out of the picture would calm things down.
Kids I can’t adopt:
C* spent his first three years (he’s in third grade now) of school in a bilingual school in Ghana. He speaks English with virtually no accent, and his French is normal. I feel terrible for him because we’re doing friggin NUMBERS and he’s the only one who knows exactly what I ask for. I really have got to find something more fun for him to do, like enrichment activities. Anything! If his parents would let him stay after school for a half an hour, we could do something more fun together.
Ophélie is adorable and has just the sweetest face and voice. Omg want to hug her. She makes good efforts too, and usually succeeds. That’s impressive, considering she sits in the back of the room.
L* lives in an apartment building up the street from me, I’ve learned. She sits in the front with her friend who isn’t quite as bright as she is. She is very smart and catches on quickly. She makes such an effort to imitate my pronunciation as best as she can. I really like her.
Ah I don’t remember his name but he’s one of L*'s classmates – he’s really smart, kind of a smart-aleck, but quick to catch on and totally understands what’s expected. I like him a lot.
There's another L* who is just as intelligent, and whenever I need someone to give a perfect and audible (that's always important) example, I know I can count on her. She makes such an effort to imitate my accent. Ah I love her.
A* is a third grader whose vocal cords are set on ultra-soprano. It’s unbelievable to hear him speak – I mean squeak – the little sentences I ask of them. Omg he’s unreal.
What I don’t understand is why these children continue to talk over me and their classmates, even when I tell them in French “You do not speak when your classmates are speaking, and you do not speak when I am speaking. It’s rude and disrespectful.” I really should have given my fourth graders at School Three crosses in their règles de vie today…I’ll ask Virginie (their classroom teacher) if I can do that. They’re unreal.
The French really do expect their children to be better behaved than this, and when they misbehave, they’re told in very stern and what I would consider harsh language that it is not tolerated at all and that they immediately affect others around them. Language here places a lot of emphasis on others and the inequality of others – we’re not all the same – and that in effect devalues a little the individual. Indeed, there is little here that is private. The State, especially in the school, occupies the space. Everyone pretty much has the same dishcloths and mailbox color; there was even a box of socks and underwear in the teachers’ room in School Three for students. Like new socks and underwear. On the other hand, there is so much that is not discussed, like your name, what you do for a living, what your parents do, your family situation, etc., things that normally come up in an American conversation to gauge the person’s place in society. As a result, I, and Ben agrees, have a hard time “reading” people. I can’t immediately, or even after speaking with them on multiple occasions, divine people’s social places – what do you spend your money on, what education do you have, what does your spouse do, what are your children like, etc. It’s a lack of social context. It’s frustrating and makes one lonely.
I have three classes tomorrow, starting at 8:30am. Hopefully the France Orange technician will come tomorrow, because if he doesn’t I’m going to hurt something. I want me some freakin internet, goddammit. (Ben agrees with me, but in less harsh words.)
Miss home, miss Mom, miss Dad, miss Peter, miss Nicholas, miss Andy. End.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)