Thursday, October 22, 2009
What a wonderful day. I went to my Thursday school only for the morning, and the kids in the classes (1st graders and 3rd graders) remembered EVERYTHING that we discussed last week! Colors for the 1st graders and animals for the 3rd graders. Then in the afternoon I went to my last orientation session for assistants and had a good wrap-up of the program, got all my questions answered, and was able to talk with another girl a lot about teaching styles. She has a certified K-12 teaching degree from the US and it was great to get ideas from her and feedback about good ways to approach this English teaching program. Then I zoomed to the library in my 30 minutes remaining before they closed to look up more housing options (literally, when a room is posted in the morning, it’s quite possibly taken by noon). So, I called 4 different places and got meetings at 2 of them- great odds! And I was able to set up the meetings for this weekend before I leave for Amsterdam, so I’m determined to have permanent housing for when I return next Friday. I also have another call to make on Saturday morning to a lady who’s out of town right now, but has a room to rent in her apartment. And I responded to an ad placed by a French family looking for a native English speaker to talk with their kids 10 hours a week in exchange for a room. All seem like great possibilities, and aren’t way over my initial budget.
I emailed Leah Martin, one of my best friends from elementary school, the other day because I saw on her Facebook profile that she’s currently living in Paris. We both moved away from Urbandale, IA the summer after our 5th grade year and have seen one another a few times since then, so I was excited to learn we’re both living in the same city halfway around the world! While writing her a text tonight I received a phone call from an unknown number, and it just happened to be her calling while I was writing. It’s an awesome feeling to catch up with a friend that I haven’t talked to in 4 years. We’re upset we didn’t figure out beforehand that we were both going to be here because we would’ve been roommates otherwise. This is her second year living in France- last year she was an au pair in a city about an hour and a half from Paris (Reims, in champagne country- one of my best trips ever during study abroad… I’m sure the girls who went with me will agree). This year Leah’s living here in Paris working on her first year of her master’s degree, so there will be many ‘catch-up’ chat sessions in the near future, they’ll just be happening in a café in Paris rather than over the computer in the US- I’d say the cafés present a more appealing atmosphere!
So, even though it’s been cloudy and rainy in Paris, I’m looking forward to a great weekend getting together with old friends (Leah as well as another college friend from Tridelta, Chrisi, who happens to be in Paris working too)! Then I get to go see Dad in Amsterdam next week for 4 days, and still have another 5 days off from work to look forward to after that. Not that I dislike work, but I’ll spend some more time at the Louvre, browsing some street markets around Paris, and hanging out with all the other teaching assistants who are also on holiday until November 5th. I figured out a few days ago that the Daylight Savings time change is this weekend in Paris, but next weekend in the US, so only a 6 hour time difference between us for a week! It really does make a difference for me, standing at the phone booth at 10:30pm making a phone call as opposed to 11:30pm. In the very near future, I have a sure-to-be fun conversation awaiting me when I call Nancy in a half hour- we got cut off last weekend because my phone card ran out. I did loads of laundry the last two days (yay for more socks), cleaned the apartment, and figured out my teaching itinerary for the next few weeks. Life is good, even better because it’s in Paris. I think about all my friends and family back in the US every day, keep the emails and blog comments coming because I love to hear from everyone, even if it’s a quick Hello! Let‘s me know you haven’t forgotten me over here. A helpful tip I’ve learned in Paris- always bring an umbrella in your bag, you never know when you’ll need it. And I find if I’m prepared for the predicted rain, it never actually comes. Tchao et bises à tous!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Chocoland, Apartment hunting
Saturday, October 17, 2009
While I didn’t make it to the Chocolate expo last Wednesday, I did end up going today, and it was a fun experience. The chocolate fashion show actually had models wearing clothes with chocolate accents, but not entirely made of chocolate. A lot of jewelry or clothing items were made out of plastic or cloth then covered in chocolate for the models to wear. You could tell it was really chocolate because certain clothing items were melting onto the models! My pictures from the fashion show didn’t turn out very well and my camera battery died during the show. It turns out all the clothes were placed on display after the show, so I really should’ve waited and saved the battery to take pictures of the clothes afterward on the mannequins. Oh well. I went with two other girls and we made the rounds to the 50+ gourmet chocolate booths set up to take advantage of all the free samples! It was a lot of chocolate even for me, and I am a self-proclaimed sweet tooth, with a special affinity for chocolate. In the end I didn’t buy any high-end chocolates, but I did buy some really good tea from a boutique that specializes in tea, coffee, and chocolate. I only saw one Belgian company there, which surprised me because I will argue with anyone that Belgium has the best chocolate in the world (especially their Neuhaus chocolate)!
I looked at two more apartments today to no avail. The first apartment had been advertised as available only to young women, and I showed up at 1:45pm for a 2pm visit. As 2pm came and went, more than 30 girls had lined up outside the door to look at the room! Luckily I was in the first group of 5, so I got to see the room right away, if it could be called a room. It was more literally like a hole. The room itself was only as wide as a twin bed is long (so, 6 feet?), and the bed was pushed into the far end of the room with zero room on either side. In the remaining 8 square feet or so, a shower, small refrigerator, plastic armoire, and hot plate had been fit into the room somehow. I honestly don’t know how someone could live in such a cooped space, and if you think I’m being picky, I wish I would’ve taken a picture to show you. No way was it worth the €400 rent price; I don’t even think the owner should be allowed to rent it as a room! I have 3 more visits on Sunday and Monday, so hopefully I’ll find something in the end. I’ve realized that I cannot stick to my initial price cap of €530/month if I want something that even resembles a decent living area. But because France is a Socialist country, they actually give you aid to pay for housing, so in the end, if I pay €620/month, I’ll probably get at least €150 back from the government.
After my first full week of teaching I’m ready for more, which is probably a good thing! My friend Jess, who did this program last year, told me to keep in mind which age levels I prefer teaching, and see if it changes over the next 9 months. Right now I would say I prefer the older students (5th grade) because they’ve already taken English class at least one if not two years. It’s much easier to teach when I’m able to speak in complete sentences with the students, rather than single words like Red, Orange, Green, etc. But while teaching the 1st graders, I’ve revamped my fondness for the song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” because it can keep the 6-7 year olds amused for hours on end. I needed to sing that song and the alphabet without any music to back me up, so I’ve had to quickly get over my fear of singing in public, as well as teach myself overnight how to draw. This job requires me to have a wide array of artistic skills, and I’d say the only thing I really excelled at in the art department was coloring within the lines. Luckily stick figure drawings are used just as much over here, so I’m safe so far. The kids are all rearing to speak English, and while there are a few who stand out as major trouble-makers, for the most part all have been very accepting of me and haven’t tried to get away with too many shenanigans since I’m not the regular teacher. I remember as well as everyone else how students tried to get away with everything when there was a substitute teacher for the day- when I come to class that’s sort of the attitude the kids have. But, the regular teachers stay in the room with me, so nothing gets completely out of control.
I haven’t been able to check online, but I’m cheering for the Badgers to beat Iowa for our Homecoming Football game! Also, I’d love to know if Tridelta won Homecoming, hopefully we continued our reign for a 4th year in a row! Hope everyone is staying warm, it’s getting cold here in Paris too (but maybe still warmer than MN/WI - it’s about 50 during the day here). La bises à tous! Kisses to you all… Faire la bise is what the French and many Europeans do when they say Hi, kissing one another on the cheek 1, 2, 3, or even 4 times depending on what region you’re in. In Paris, it’s two times, once on each cheek.
Edit: Between writing and posting this blog, I learned that, sadly, the Badgers did not win. I guess cheering for them from France had little impact.
While I didn’t make it to the Chocolate expo last Wednesday, I did end up going today, and it was a fun experience. The chocolate fashion show actually had models wearing clothes with chocolate accents, but not entirely made of chocolate. A lot of jewelry or clothing items were made out of plastic or cloth then covered in chocolate for the models to wear. You could tell it was really chocolate because certain clothing items were melting onto the models! My pictures from the fashion show didn’t turn out very well and my camera battery died during the show. It turns out all the clothes were placed on display after the show, so I really should’ve waited and saved the battery to take pictures of the clothes afterward on the mannequins. Oh well. I went with two other girls and we made the rounds to the 50+ gourmet chocolate booths set up to take advantage of all the free samples! It was a lot of chocolate even for me, and I am a self-proclaimed sweet tooth, with a special affinity for chocolate. In the end I didn’t buy any high-end chocolates, but I did buy some really good tea from a boutique that specializes in tea, coffee, and chocolate. I only saw one Belgian company there, which surprised me because I will argue with anyone that Belgium has the best chocolate in the world (especially their Neuhaus chocolate)!
I looked at two more apartments today to no avail. The first apartment had been advertised as available only to young women, and I showed up at 1:45pm for a 2pm visit. As 2pm came and went, more than 30 girls had lined up outside the door to look at the room! Luckily I was in the first group of 5, so I got to see the room right away, if it could be called a room. It was more literally like a hole. The room itself was only as wide as a twin bed is long (so, 6 feet?), and the bed was pushed into the far end of the room with zero room on either side. In the remaining 8 square feet or so, a shower, small refrigerator, plastic armoire, and hot plate had been fit into the room somehow. I honestly don’t know how someone could live in such a cooped space, and if you think I’m being picky, I wish I would’ve taken a picture to show you. No way was it worth the €400 rent price; I don’t even think the owner should be allowed to rent it as a room! I have 3 more visits on Sunday and Monday, so hopefully I’ll find something in the end. I’ve realized that I cannot stick to my initial price cap of €530/month if I want something that even resembles a decent living area. But because France is a Socialist country, they actually give you aid to pay for housing, so in the end, if I pay €620/month, I’ll probably get at least €150 back from the government.
After my first full week of teaching I’m ready for more, which is probably a good thing! My friend Jess, who did this program last year, told me to keep in mind which age levels I prefer teaching, and see if it changes over the next 9 months. Right now I would say I prefer the older students (5th grade) because they’ve already taken English class at least one if not two years. It’s much easier to teach when I’m able to speak in complete sentences with the students, rather than single words like Red, Orange, Green, etc. But while teaching the 1st graders, I’ve revamped my fondness for the song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” because it can keep the 6-7 year olds amused for hours on end. I needed to sing that song and the alphabet without any music to back me up, so I’ve had to quickly get over my fear of singing in public, as well as teach myself overnight how to draw. This job requires me to have a wide array of artistic skills, and I’d say the only thing I really excelled at in the art department was coloring within the lines. Luckily stick figure drawings are used just as much over here, so I’m safe so far. The kids are all rearing to speak English, and while there are a few who stand out as major trouble-makers, for the most part all have been very accepting of me and haven’t tried to get away with too many shenanigans since I’m not the regular teacher. I remember as well as everyone else how students tried to get away with everything when there was a substitute teacher for the day- when I come to class that’s sort of the attitude the kids have. But, the regular teachers stay in the room with me, so nothing gets completely out of control.
I haven’t been able to check online, but I’m cheering for the Badgers to beat Iowa for our Homecoming Football game! Also, I’d love to know if Tridelta won Homecoming, hopefully we continued our reign for a 4th year in a row! Hope everyone is staying warm, it’s getting cold here in Paris too (but maybe still warmer than MN/WI - it’s about 50 during the day here). La bises à tous! Kisses to you all… Faire la bise is what the French and many Europeans do when they say Hi, kissing one another on the cheek 1, 2, 3, or even 4 times depending on what region you’re in. In Paris, it’s two times, once on each cheek.
Edit: Between writing and posting this blog, I learned that, sadly, the Badgers did not win. I guess cheering for them from France had little impact.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A post about food
Monday, October 12, 2009
Today while looking at Facebook, I had a funny thought comparing food in France to that in the US. I was looking at profiles of Wisconsin friends, so inevitably I started thinking about cheese curds. Because everyone knows that even though Wisconsin is called the Land of Cheese, it should really be called the land of cheese curds- just doesn’t sound as pretty (and let me tell you, if a Madison bar started charging a $10 cover one night just so students could get all-you-can-eat cheese curds, it would be the only place in town to go!) Well then I thought about what my current land of cheese (France) would think about deep-fat fried balls of cheese and decided it would be blasphemous to even suggest such an idea. Later on today I went grocery shopping and really wanted to make hamburgers for dinner, and the differences between American and French hamburgers further boosted me toward this post.
First off, yes, I have already tried McDonalds (fondly pronounced “Mac-Dough” in French) in attempt to fill my hamburger craving. Eww, and eww. If ever in France and you want a cheeseburger, just say no to MacDo (if you take nothing else away from this blog, at least retain that advice). I’ve put off buying hamburgers in the grocery store because I didn’t want to deal with 8 hamburger buns, no way could I use them all. So I happily discovered that some people in France actually know how to think straight- they sell buns in packages of 3! Even though the majority of hamburger patties are sold in packs of two, there is also the option to buy a single burger, thus the ability to make three to fit the hamburger bun packaging. Unlike the US, and I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but who ever really USES all 8 hamburger buns before they go bad, unless you’re having friends over for a cook-out? Ok, so first point goes to France in the hamburger bun section. Next, I knew I would need ketchup. Well, ‘real’ ketchup doesn’t usually exist in France, at least not the kind we’re used to (the better kind) from the States. So I was happily surprised to find Franprix, my local grocery store, had Heinz in stock, in a smaller sized bottle (good for 1 person), and it’s the old school glass version bottle of Heinz 57 like they use in 50’s diners, so no runny juice at the top like in a plastic bottle. So, 1 point goes to Franprix, although restaurants in Paris do not choose to carry this quality brand. Now, pickles. Let’s just say the US blows France out of the water. The only pickles I’ve found here so far are smaller than the size of my pinky finger and definitely do not taste like any pickle I’ve ever had. What gets me is the cucumbers I buy here are bigger than any I’ve ever seen in the US, so not sure why the pickles are so small. Ok, first point for the US in the pickle department. Now onto cheese. I like Swiss cheese on my burger, but that also doesn’t exist here in France, although Emmental is basically the same thing, and I like both equally. Tie between Swiss and Emmental. For tomatoes, it’s really hard to beat how fresh they are every time you buy them here, but I can’t say for certain what they’re like in the US right now, so another tie.
Overall, I was pleased with my French homemade hamburger, and really, the only thing lacking was a really juicy dill pickle. I’m no onion or mustard fan, so that I’ll leave to you to judge. Rather than having fries with the burger (because I don’t exactly have a deep-fat fryer, once again, not very popular over here), I had a salad with no lettuce in true European fashion. Just dice a tomato and cucumber, add a little oil and vinegar, shred some mozzarella on the top and voilà, a wonderful mix of home town US and new town Paris for dinner. Today was my first real day of teaching and I gave classes to every level of the elementary school. I was definitely nervous but received lots of positive feedback from the teachers, so hopefully I’ll be a little calmed down before my Thursday and Friday classes. During lunch, it’s a routine for one of the teachers to bring back bread and camembert (my favorite!- see earlier post…) to the teacher’s lounge for all to share. Well, there wasn’t any extra cheese to take from the cafeteria today, but what do you know, I had packed my own camembert cheese and bread in my sack lunch! So while these teachers were complaining, I slyly pull out my own personal stock to show-off and start spreading it on the baguette I brought with me. They all laughed and decided I’m going to fit in just fine based on my food choices. Luckily, there was some cheese left over when the kids finished eating, so the other teachers also got their daily fill of camembert and baguette.
I didn’t do anything of note this past weekend, but luckily was able to talk to most everyone that I missed on the phone last Thursday, with still a few calls to come this week for catching up. Went to dinner on Saturday night in Chinatown where we really didn’t get very good service, but between all of us there (few British, few American), we decided Chinese restaurants give the same service no matter where you are in the world.
I’m upset because I really wanted to go to a football (soccer) match on Wednesday; France is playing Austria for one of the qualifying rounds before the World Cup next summer, but tickets are sold out. There were 22,000 tickets offered at €10 each but they sold-out like wildfire a week before I even looked into going to the game. So now I’ve decided to go to the Chocolate exposition instead, which happens annually in Paris and also makes stops in other places such as New York and China. There are ‘chocolatiers’ from around the world who come to show off (and hopefully offer samples of) the different types of chocolate they produce. Every day there is a Chocolate fashion show, but I haven’t been able to figure out yet if the models’ clothes are actually made out of chocolate, or maybe chocolate wrappers, or maybe something entirely different. So I’ll wait and see. I guess that’s all for now, good thing I just ate otherwise I would’ve made myself hungry all over again!
PS- I would like to patent the $10 all-you-can eat cheese curd idea please, I think I’ll make a fortune in Madison bars! Unless it’s already been done at a state-fair somewhere, which is probable.
Today while looking at Facebook, I had a funny thought comparing food in France to that in the US. I was looking at profiles of Wisconsin friends, so inevitably I started thinking about cheese curds. Because everyone knows that even though Wisconsin is called the Land of Cheese, it should really be called the land of cheese curds- just doesn’t sound as pretty (and let me tell you, if a Madison bar started charging a $10 cover one night just so students could get all-you-can-eat cheese curds, it would be the only place in town to go!) Well then I thought about what my current land of cheese (France) would think about deep-fat fried balls of cheese and decided it would be blasphemous to even suggest such an idea. Later on today I went grocery shopping and really wanted to make hamburgers for dinner, and the differences between American and French hamburgers further boosted me toward this post.
First off, yes, I have already tried McDonalds (fondly pronounced “Mac-Dough” in French) in attempt to fill my hamburger craving. Eww, and eww. If ever in France and you want a cheeseburger, just say no to MacDo (if you take nothing else away from this blog, at least retain that advice). I’ve put off buying hamburgers in the grocery store because I didn’t want to deal with 8 hamburger buns, no way could I use them all. So I happily discovered that some people in France actually know how to think straight- they sell buns in packages of 3! Even though the majority of hamburger patties are sold in packs of two, there is also the option to buy a single burger, thus the ability to make three to fit the hamburger bun packaging. Unlike the US, and I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but who ever really USES all 8 hamburger buns before they go bad, unless you’re having friends over for a cook-out? Ok, so first point goes to France in the hamburger bun section. Next, I knew I would need ketchup. Well, ‘real’ ketchup doesn’t usually exist in France, at least not the kind we’re used to (the better kind) from the States. So I was happily surprised to find Franprix, my local grocery store, had Heinz in stock, in a smaller sized bottle (good for 1 person), and it’s the old school glass version bottle of Heinz 57 like they use in 50’s diners, so no runny juice at the top like in a plastic bottle. So, 1 point goes to Franprix, although restaurants in Paris do not choose to carry this quality brand. Now, pickles. Let’s just say the US blows France out of the water. The only pickles I’ve found here so far are smaller than the size of my pinky finger and definitely do not taste like any pickle I’ve ever had. What gets me is the cucumbers I buy here are bigger than any I’ve ever seen in the US, so not sure why the pickles are so small. Ok, first point for the US in the pickle department. Now onto cheese. I like Swiss cheese on my burger, but that also doesn’t exist here in France, although Emmental is basically the same thing, and I like both equally. Tie between Swiss and Emmental. For tomatoes, it’s really hard to beat how fresh they are every time you buy them here, but I can’t say for certain what they’re like in the US right now, so another tie.
Overall, I was pleased with my French homemade hamburger, and really, the only thing lacking was a really juicy dill pickle. I’m no onion or mustard fan, so that I’ll leave to you to judge. Rather than having fries with the burger (because I don’t exactly have a deep-fat fryer, once again, not very popular over here), I had a salad with no lettuce in true European fashion. Just dice a tomato and cucumber, add a little oil and vinegar, shred some mozzarella on the top and voilà, a wonderful mix of home town US and new town Paris for dinner. Today was my first real day of teaching and I gave classes to every level of the elementary school. I was definitely nervous but received lots of positive feedback from the teachers, so hopefully I’ll be a little calmed down before my Thursday and Friday classes. During lunch, it’s a routine for one of the teachers to bring back bread and camembert (my favorite!- see earlier post…) to the teacher’s lounge for all to share. Well, there wasn’t any extra cheese to take from the cafeteria today, but what do you know, I had packed my own camembert cheese and bread in my sack lunch! So while these teachers were complaining, I slyly pull out my own personal stock to show-off and start spreading it on the baguette I brought with me. They all laughed and decided I’m going to fit in just fine based on my food choices. Luckily, there was some cheese left over when the kids finished eating, so the other teachers also got their daily fill of camembert and baguette.
I didn’t do anything of note this past weekend, but luckily was able to talk to most everyone that I missed on the phone last Thursday, with still a few calls to come this week for catching up. Went to dinner on Saturday night in Chinatown where we really didn’t get very good service, but between all of us there (few British, few American), we decided Chinese restaurants give the same service no matter where you are in the world.
I’m upset because I really wanted to go to a football (soccer) match on Wednesday; France is playing Austria for one of the qualifying rounds before the World Cup next summer, but tickets are sold out. There were 22,000 tickets offered at €10 each but they sold-out like wildfire a week before I even looked into going to the game. So now I’ve decided to go to the Chocolate exposition instead, which happens annually in Paris and also makes stops in other places such as New York and China. There are ‘chocolatiers’ from around the world who come to show off (and hopefully offer samples of) the different types of chocolate they produce. Every day there is a Chocolate fashion show, but I haven’t been able to figure out yet if the models’ clothes are actually made out of chocolate, or maybe chocolate wrappers, or maybe something entirely different. So I’ll wait and see. I guess that’s all for now, good thing I just ate otherwise I would’ve made myself hungry all over again!
PS- I would like to patent the $10 all-you-can eat cheese curd idea please, I think I’ll make a fortune in Madison bars! Unless it’s already been done at a state-fair somewhere, which is probable.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The last few days...
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Yesterday while waiting in line at the Monoprix (French version of Target), I met two Canadian girls who had just moved to Paris. After talking for a few minutes, we figured out we’re living on the same street, just one door down from each other, so they started asking me for advice about the area and where I did my shopping, who had the best baguettes, so forth. While I’m no expert, I was able to give them directions to places and answer certain questions they had about French culture. I walked away from the experience feeling good because in my mind I was acclimated enough to the French culture and life in Paris to start giving advice to others. But then today, I was picked out of a crowd at least 3 times by people asking if I knew English. So how did they know I wasn’t French? I hadn’t been speaking English out loud, so it must be the clothes I was wearing or shoulder bag I was using, but I wasn’t wearing the typical American get-up of tennis shoes and shorts or anything. I went to see two authors speak tonight at the American Library about their expatriate experiences, one moved to France from the US, the other from Britain. I thought they would talk more about mishaps they’ve had and troubles they’ve gone through to establish a French lifestyle, but mostly they did book promotion. One thing they did talk about was their inability to keep up with French fashion. So even after living here for 15 years these women are still struggling to wear outfits that make them “Look French”, I guess I’m not going to get it right after only 2 weeks time. I’m not sure exactly why I care whether people can tell I’m not a native Parisian; I think it has to do with my ability to adapt to the culture. While I will never be a French citizen, I am a resident of the country for the next 9 months and I hope that over time I’ll be able to fit in with the culture- a lot of which will come from continued improvement in speaking French and hopefully observing both students and teachers interacting with one another during my job will help me gain cultural insights on “how to act more French.”
On a different note, I was thinking today at lunch about how strange it is that I like Camembert cheese (while I was spreading it on my bread). If you know me at all, you know I don’t really have an adventurous appetite. I don’t like spicy food, or really anything that has pepper in it whatsoever and I definitely stick to food I know when ordering at a restaurant. So I basically like bland food, which seems to work out ok in France because a typical French meal is pretty easy on the spices. But when my dad was here during the first week, I picked out Camembert to bring home from the market to eat with our bread. According to my dad, it is a “stinky cheese.” He even designated a Ziploc bag to be the “stinky cheese” bag so the smell wouldn’t rub off on other food in the refrigerator. But I never in a million years would have eaten a cheese that falls into the “stinky” category. Until I came to France for study abroad I guess. When I lived with my host mother Annie, I ate whatever she made. My first time eating ratatouille was an experience- it looked like a big pile of dark mush and I knew she had put in eggplant, zucchini, and I’m sure pepper (all three things that were not high on my favorites list). So that first bite was very difficult for me… but well worth it. I highly doubt I will ever find ratatouille that tastes as wonderful as Annie’s does, and luckily I now know I don’t have to be scared of eggplant or zucchini. So, I think that experience of being required to eat whatever was put in front of me definitely changed my attitude toward food, so much that I found out I like certain “stinky cheeses” such as Camembert, but I still haven’t been able to bring myself to like anything spicy, even mild salsa. No thank you. Good thing I’m not studying in a Spanish speaking country! Another first for me was eating French pizza. They prepare a regular cheese pizza, but then put raw tuna on top, along with an egg sunny-side-up. I almost turned that one down at Annie’s dinner table, but if I were to see it in a French café today, I would get it without thinking twice. Just like I’ll eat a stinky cheese without thinking twice.
Friday, October 09, 2009
I have another orientation training session today, so I won’t go to my Friday school. When I called yesterday to remind them I won’t be there, the director asked me for my cell phone number in case she needed to call me. Then she said there is rumor of a “grève,” or strike, which really is not uncommon in France. But now I wonder what I do if the teachers go on strike- teacher strikes have been known to last 3 months! I don’t go into work because no children will be there, but I hope I still get paid… I’m sure it’s happened in the past where assistants didn’t have to work for an extended amount of time, so I’ll be able to ask today during the orientation session what will happen.
Yesterday I went to my Thursday school for observations, and in the morning I accompanied the CP (1st grade) classes to a little one-man play about food and cooking. He went through the 5 senses with the kids, showed them that cooking can be fun, and then went through table manners. One of the teachers I was with said to me afterward, “Now you see why we like to eat in France, we start them at a young age!” I really liked the teachers I’ll be working with (just like all the other schools) and all seem to be excited to help me teach, as well as learn some English along with their students! Some of the teachers do have basic English skills and could probably hold a decent conversation with me, but others don’t know the language at all, yet they’re expected to teach it to their students. So that’s where I come in.
Yesterday was my dad’s birthday, so I bought an international phone card to make sure I could call him- I knew I wasn’t going to get Skype to work. I went to the phone booth and luckily was able to talk to my mom, who had Thursday off from work, but everyone else I called was unavailable. I got pretty sad, knowing that my day was coming to an end (9pm my time) while the rest of my friends and family had barely finished midday in their schedule (2pm in the Midwest). It was my first true feeling of homesickness, realizing how hard it will be to keep in touch with people. So I’ll resort to email because that exchange is easier for people to do in their own time. So Happy Birthday Dad, even though I already told you in a message :)
Yesterday while waiting in line at the Monoprix (French version of Target), I met two Canadian girls who had just moved to Paris. After talking for a few minutes, we figured out we’re living on the same street, just one door down from each other, so they started asking me for advice about the area and where I did my shopping, who had the best baguettes, so forth. While I’m no expert, I was able to give them directions to places and answer certain questions they had about French culture. I walked away from the experience feeling good because in my mind I was acclimated enough to the French culture and life in Paris to start giving advice to others. But then today, I was picked out of a crowd at least 3 times by people asking if I knew English. So how did they know I wasn’t French? I hadn’t been speaking English out loud, so it must be the clothes I was wearing or shoulder bag I was using, but I wasn’t wearing the typical American get-up of tennis shoes and shorts or anything. I went to see two authors speak tonight at the American Library about their expatriate experiences, one moved to France from the US, the other from Britain. I thought they would talk more about mishaps they’ve had and troubles they’ve gone through to establish a French lifestyle, but mostly they did book promotion. One thing they did talk about was their inability to keep up with French fashion. So even after living here for 15 years these women are still struggling to wear outfits that make them “Look French”, I guess I’m not going to get it right after only 2 weeks time. I’m not sure exactly why I care whether people can tell I’m not a native Parisian; I think it has to do with my ability to adapt to the culture. While I will never be a French citizen, I am a resident of the country for the next 9 months and I hope that over time I’ll be able to fit in with the culture- a lot of which will come from continued improvement in speaking French and hopefully observing both students and teachers interacting with one another during my job will help me gain cultural insights on “how to act more French.”
On a different note, I was thinking today at lunch about how strange it is that I like Camembert cheese (while I was spreading it on my bread). If you know me at all, you know I don’t really have an adventurous appetite. I don’t like spicy food, or really anything that has pepper in it whatsoever and I definitely stick to food I know when ordering at a restaurant. So I basically like bland food, which seems to work out ok in France because a typical French meal is pretty easy on the spices. But when my dad was here during the first week, I picked out Camembert to bring home from the market to eat with our bread. According to my dad, it is a “stinky cheese.” He even designated a Ziploc bag to be the “stinky cheese” bag so the smell wouldn’t rub off on other food in the refrigerator. But I never in a million years would have eaten a cheese that falls into the “stinky” category. Until I came to France for study abroad I guess. When I lived with my host mother Annie, I ate whatever she made. My first time eating ratatouille was an experience- it looked like a big pile of dark mush and I knew she had put in eggplant, zucchini, and I’m sure pepper (all three things that were not high on my favorites list). So that first bite was very difficult for me… but well worth it. I highly doubt I will ever find ratatouille that tastes as wonderful as Annie’s does, and luckily I now know I don’t have to be scared of eggplant or zucchini. So, I think that experience of being required to eat whatever was put in front of me definitely changed my attitude toward food, so much that I found out I like certain “stinky cheeses” such as Camembert, but I still haven’t been able to bring myself to like anything spicy, even mild salsa. No thank you. Good thing I’m not studying in a Spanish speaking country! Another first for me was eating French pizza. They prepare a regular cheese pizza, but then put raw tuna on top, along with an egg sunny-side-up. I almost turned that one down at Annie’s dinner table, but if I were to see it in a French café today, I would get it without thinking twice. Just like I’ll eat a stinky cheese without thinking twice.
Friday, October 09, 2009
I have another orientation training session today, so I won’t go to my Friday school. When I called yesterday to remind them I won’t be there, the director asked me for my cell phone number in case she needed to call me. Then she said there is rumor of a “grève,” or strike, which really is not uncommon in France. But now I wonder what I do if the teachers go on strike- teacher strikes have been known to last 3 months! I don’t go into work because no children will be there, but I hope I still get paid… I’m sure it’s happened in the past where assistants didn’t have to work for an extended amount of time, so I’ll be able to ask today during the orientation session what will happen.
Yesterday I went to my Thursday school for observations, and in the morning I accompanied the CP (1st grade) classes to a little one-man play about food and cooking. He went through the 5 senses with the kids, showed them that cooking can be fun, and then went through table manners. One of the teachers I was with said to me afterward, “Now you see why we like to eat in France, we start them at a young age!” I really liked the teachers I’ll be working with (just like all the other schools) and all seem to be excited to help me teach, as well as learn some English along with their students! Some of the teachers do have basic English skills and could probably hold a decent conversation with me, but others don’t know the language at all, yet they’re expected to teach it to their students. So that’s where I come in.
Yesterday was my dad’s birthday, so I bought an international phone card to make sure I could call him- I knew I wasn’t going to get Skype to work. I went to the phone booth and luckily was able to talk to my mom, who had Thursday off from work, but everyone else I called was unavailable. I got pretty sad, knowing that my day was coming to an end (9pm my time) while the rest of my friends and family had barely finished midday in their schedule (2pm in the Midwest). It was my first true feeling of homesickness, realizing how hard it will be to keep in touch with people. So I’ll resort to email because that exchange is easier for people to do in their own time. So Happy Birthday Dad, even though I already told you in a message :)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Written Monday, October 5
Salut! Another great weekend spent here in Paris. On Friday I observed my first classrooms and was anxious to learn how this whole teaching thing will work. I’m in 3 different elementary schools: one all day Monday, one on Thursday mornings, and another on Friday afternoons to make up my 12 classroom hours of work per week. I was nervous to meet the teachers I’ll be helping because I didn’t know if they had already prepared syllabi (is that the plural of syllabus?) for the classes, or if that was on me. Luckily, most had already prepared a generic outline of what should be taught each class period, and there is an ample amount of online resources for me to use. On Fridays I’m in a school called Jean Rostand in Boissy-Saint-Léger, and it turns out it’s not the best area. Many of the kids live in low-income housing and are known to be disrespectful to teachers, so I’m happy the regular teachers will be in the classroom with me to discipline kids if need be. During my observations I saw many a punishment given, and I don’t think I’m prepared to yell at the kids in French like I saw take place. One minute, nice, kind, happy teachers, the next minute, they turn into someone you do NOT want to cross. First off, I probably have that attitude buried somewhere inside me but I don’t know the last time I used it, and second, I wouldn’t even know how to start to punish someone in French… I’m sure I could yell in English and the kids would end up laughing. Today (Monday) I observed in a different school- same city, but more in the countryside, and I was relieved to find a more laid-back, comforting atmosphere where the children are generally more anxious to learn and often have very good support from their parents. It’s amazing to think I’m going to teach English to 6-year -olds who can’t even read and write their first language! Those English classes will be filled mostly with nursery rhymes and songs- too bad they have to listen to my singing!
Saturday was a Paris-wide party night called “Nuit Blanche.” There were artistic attractions set-up throughout central Paris that were open to public from 7pm-7am, so literally a “White Night” as one says here when they pull an all-nighter. I went out with two other English assistants, one of whom is dating a French guy, so his friends came along too. It was nice to have to use French in a conversational setting rather than just ordering food at a restaurant. We stayed out until 1:30am and ended up not really seeing any art stuff up close- I’m pretty sure the entire population of Paris was out and about along with us. Lines to get into the Jardin du Luxembourg were more than an hour long, and the attraction inside was an ENORMOUS disco ball suspended from a crane 75 feet in the air. We saw it from outside the garden while standing on the sidewalk, and it literally sent sparks of light into the sky that were visible from anywhere in Paris. When our group dispersed at 1:30am, there was still music rocking and millions of people walking around. On Sunday, I went to the “Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe,” the French equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. I don’t think it’s as big a deal here though, seeing as how they were handing out free tickets. So, four of us assistants went to enjoy ourselves while people-watching, ie taking pictures of ladies in crazy hats. We saw 6 different races, 5 semi-important events leading up to the 6th grand prize race. I’ve never really been a ‘horse person,’ but I understand how you could be, they’re really beautiful, graceful animals. I placed a random bet on a horse for the large race and amazingly won- but everyone else in the stands also bet on the same horse. Turns out it was a major shoe-in to win the race, but I had no idea! So, I was paid a whopping €2.80 after making a €2 bet because the odds were so low.
We had a second orientation today (Monday) to help us get acclimated in the French school system, and I found out another assistant is from Eagan (one city over from my home town), she graduated the same year as me, we both went to UW-Madison and majored in French, and played soccer for our schools and on opposing co-rec teams throughout high school. How is it the first time we meet is sitting on a métro in Paris, France after signing up to do the same job here? Crazy. She’s really fun and I’m sure we’ll continue to hang out as the year goes on. So all in all, still having a great time! Talk to you later, Bises, Justine
(I’ve heard back from 9 of my 11 medical schools about submitting a secondary application, so I’ll be busy working on those in my spare time. Still waiting to hear from MN, keep your fingers crossed for me!)
Saturday was a Paris-wide party night called “Nuit Blanche.” There were artistic attractions set-up throughout central Paris that were open to public from 7pm-7am, so literally a “White Night” as one says here when they pull an all-nighter. I went out with two other English assistants, one of whom is dating a French guy, so his friends came along too. It was nice to have to use French in a conversational setting rather than just ordering food at a restaurant. We stayed out until 1:30am and ended up not really seeing any art stuff up close- I’m pretty sure the entire population of Paris was out and about along with us. Lines to get into the Jardin du Luxembourg were more than an hour long, and the attraction inside was an ENORMOUS disco ball suspended from a crane 75 feet in the air. We saw it from outside the garden while standing on the sidewalk, and it literally sent sparks of light into the sky that were visible from anywhere in Paris. When our group dispersed at 1:30am, there was still music rocking and millions of people walking around. On Sunday, I went to the “Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe,” the French equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. I don’t think it’s as big a deal here though, seeing as how they were handing out free tickets. So, four of us assistants went to enjoy ourselves while people-watching, ie taking pictures of ladies in crazy hats. We saw 6 different races, 5 semi-important events leading up to the 6th grand prize race. I’ve never really been a ‘horse person,’ but I understand how you could be, they’re really beautiful, graceful animals. I placed a random bet on a horse for the large race and amazingly won- but everyone else in the stands also bet on the same horse. Turns out it was a major shoe-in to win the race, but I had no idea! So, I was paid a whopping €2.80 after making a €2 bet because the odds were so low.
We had a second orientation today (Monday) to help us get acclimated in the French school system, and I found out another assistant is from Eagan (one city over from my home town), she graduated the same year as me, we both went to UW-Madison and majored in French, and played soccer for our schools and on opposing co-rec teams throughout high school. How is it the first time we meet is sitting on a métro in Paris, France after signing up to do the same job here? Crazy. She’s really fun and I’m sure we’ll continue to hang out as the year goes on. So all in all, still having a great time! Talk to you later, Bises, Justine
(I’ve heard back from 9 of my 11 medical schools about submitting a secondary application, so I’ll be busy working on those in my spare time. Still waiting to hear from MN, keep your fingers crossed for me!)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
First update
Hello All!
I got to France without any problems last Saturday, September 19th. My dad has some friends that own a flat in Paris, and they were able to pick us up from the airport and were gracious enough to let us stay at their place! I’m still at that apartment now, while searching for another permanent place to stay. I initially wanted to find a place with a roommate to help me meet people here, but it’s not working out so well, so I’ll probably end up renting a studio and having to be extra friendly to meet people my age.
Dad and I hit the tourist attractions last week (well, ones that weren’t closed for repairs anyway, which is quite a few…) Sunday turned out to be free monument day nationwide, so we saw the Pantheon and climbed the Arc de Triomphe for free. Monday was our first mess-up: took the train to Versailles and realized after arriving the palace isn’t open on Mondays. Not uncommon here in France, I would say a majority of monuments, stores, and any other public building are closed both Sunday and one other day of the week, usually Monday or Tuesday. That’s what happens when people only work 35 hrs/week for a full time job. Went back to central Paris, walked through Notre Dame, and then went looking for the Musée Picasso. Second mistake of the day- it’s closed for building repairs until 2012!! I went home Monday night and put together an official itinerary using my guidebook, making sure we wouldn’t go anywhere else that was not open.
The rest of the week went well- 1.5 hour wait in line for the Notre Dame towers was worth it to see the gargoyles, the true trip back to Versailles was awesome because the Hall of Mirrors was NOT under construction (WOW!), Dad was able to get a picture with the Mona Lisa because we went to the late-night Louvre hours, saw Rodin’s “Thinker” and other statues, Monet’s grand paintings at the Orangerie, the painters and peddlers around Sacre Coeur, a gorgeous Tiffany exhibit at the Luxembourg palace, and of course, the 360° views of the city from the (frighteningly) high vantage point of the Eiffel tower.
I had orientation for my job today and was lucky enough to already meet with my advisor on Monday, much more than the other assistants can say. I start observations in my classes on Friday and will probably start helping to teach the English curriculum in a week’s time. It’s hard to fully grasp how the French system works without being here, but let’s just say that basically none of the assistants have a schedule yet even though contracts are supposed to start October 1st, and I’m one of few who has even had contact with their school district. The lady in charge of making my schedule is one of a kind- she will make my life wonderfully easy because she is treating me as “she would treat her own daughter” in her words, which means she is doing everything within her power to get the schools in touch with me and to really get my schedule set so I have nothing to worry about. I highly doubt any of the other 100 assistants in the Creteil/Paris area will have someone as helpful or as organized as her, so I hit the jackpot! But, she still won’t have power over the French government to speed up processing of paperwork; I’ll be waiting 2.5 months for my first paycheck along with the rest of them.
Keep in touch, I’m sporadically checking my email whenever I’m able to find internet access (not as easy as you would think…) Miss you all, Bises! Justine
I got to France without any problems last Saturday, September 19th. My dad has some friends that own a flat in Paris, and they were able to pick us up from the airport and were gracious enough to let us stay at their place! I’m still at that apartment now, while searching for another permanent place to stay. I initially wanted to find a place with a roommate to help me meet people here, but it’s not working out so well, so I’ll probably end up renting a studio and having to be extra friendly to meet people my age.
Dad and I hit the tourist attractions last week (well, ones that weren’t closed for repairs anyway, which is quite a few…) Sunday turned out to be free monument day nationwide, so we saw the Pantheon and climbed the Arc de Triomphe for free. Monday was our first mess-up: took the train to Versailles and realized after arriving the palace isn’t open on Mondays. Not uncommon here in France, I would say a majority of monuments, stores, and any other public building are closed both Sunday and one other day of the week, usually Monday or Tuesday. That’s what happens when people only work 35 hrs/week for a full time job. Went back to central Paris, walked through Notre Dame, and then went looking for the Musée Picasso. Second mistake of the day- it’s closed for building repairs until 2012!! I went home Monday night and put together an official itinerary using my guidebook, making sure we wouldn’t go anywhere else that was not open.
The rest of the week went well- 1.5 hour wait in line for the Notre Dame towers was worth it to see the gargoyles, the true trip back to Versailles was awesome because the Hall of Mirrors was NOT under construction (WOW!), Dad was able to get a picture with the Mona Lisa because we went to the late-night Louvre hours, saw Rodin’s “Thinker” and other statues, Monet’s grand paintings at the Orangerie, the painters and peddlers around Sacre Coeur, a gorgeous Tiffany exhibit at the Luxembourg palace, and of course, the 360° views of the city from the (frighteningly) high vantage point of the Eiffel tower.
I had orientation for my job today and was lucky enough to already meet with my advisor on Monday, much more than the other assistants can say. I start observations in my classes on Friday and will probably start helping to teach the English curriculum in a week’s time. It’s hard to fully grasp how the French system works without being here, but let’s just say that basically none of the assistants have a schedule yet even though contracts are supposed to start October 1st, and I’m one of few who has even had contact with their school district. The lady in charge of making my schedule is one of a kind- she will make my life wonderfully easy because she is treating me as “she would treat her own daughter” in her words, which means she is doing everything within her power to get the schools in touch with me and to really get my schedule set so I have nothing to worry about. I highly doubt any of the other 100 assistants in the Creteil/Paris area will have someone as helpful or as organized as her, so I hit the jackpot! But, she still won’t have power over the French government to speed up processing of paperwork; I’ll be waiting 2.5 months for my first paycheck along with the rest of them.
Keep in touch, I’m sporadically checking my email whenever I’m able to find internet access (not as easy as you would think…) Miss you all, Bises! Justine
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