It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

From Lyon's Fête des Lumières to wandering the streets of Romans in the snow, the Christmas feeling has definitely begun to settle in (even though none of the "snow" we had in Romans the last couple of days stuck...it ended up being that wet snow that has all of the annoying attributes of rain once it hits the ground). The weekend and included some time spent in Valence, a wine tasting in Cornas, just outside of Valence (some of the most consistently good wine I have ever tasted...the cheapest bottle we tried was around 15 euros), and trips to Lyon on both Monday and Tuesday (Monday for the famous Fête des Lumières, an incredible collection of light shows and displays around the city, and Tuesday for a mandatory foreigner Medical Visit).

I have new pictures up that include all of these events, so see the "photo links" section on the right if you want to see them. To give an idea of what the Fête des Lumières was like, here's a picture of the Hôtel de Ville area:

I feel the need to elaborate on the medical visit due to some of its peculiarities compared to doctor's appointments back home. There were four assistants from the region at the visit: Patrick, Eric, Sean and myself. They called us back one at a time to go through what felt like an assembly line of nurses, first for eye checks, next for weight/height and a couple questions, and lastly for an x-ray. For the x-ray, they put you in a changing room from one side, close the door behind you, and tell you to get undressed from the waist up and wait for the door on the other side to open. So, there I am, shirtless, waiting for someone to let me into the room. She finally does, then presses me up against a board that who knows how many people have been pressed up against in the past, and takes a quick x-ray. I'm then told to get dressed again and given no further direction. After standing in the hall for a little while, I decide just to go back to the waiting room (apparently it was the right decision)...the others came out, one at a time, looking just as confused as I was. Then the doctor's visit...my favorite part was that, when the doctor was asking me questions, she got to the following:
"Do you smoke?"
"No."
"Do you drink some wine, some beer?"
"Yes."
I was ready to answer the typical question that would come after that in the states..."How much and how often?", but that question never came. Instead, she nodded approvingly and gave the impression that, had I responded no, she would have told me to start consuming wine and beer immediately.

So, finishing the medical visit means two things: (1) I am done with all of the required administrative tasks of being here, and (2) I now have an x-ray that I get to keep...what to do with something like that is beyond me.

Anecdotally, I have noticed that myself and other assistants have started using some typical French expressions...if that's what you can call random noises that you make combined with a very specific facial expression. There's one in particular that I don't even know how to accurately describe, but it's a combination of letting air out your mouth while making a sound and puffing your lips a little...it can be translated as, "I don't know/don't really care that much." I've apparently seen way to many of my students do it toward me (as have the others), because it's become a regular part of our conversations.

In other news, I saw "Burn after Reading" last night (it came out yesterday in France...a little behind the times). I have to say, I don't understand why it got such bad reviews in the US...I thought it was great! Have the French translation at the bottom was entertaining; it showed that there are some (typically vulgar/insulting) American phrases that just can't be translated. Funny to see the attempts, though!

I better go finish preparing my lessons for this afternoon...I'm using the first 10 minutes of the original animated version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and making the students fill in the blanks in the text version of it as they watch it. Lessons have become really fun to plan now that I've sort of figured out what works and what doesn't...I even had a teacher today tell me I would make a good teacher! How about that?!

One week and two days until I leave for the US...getting excited!

Thanksgiving weekend, France-style

Last week, while you were all enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal…I was, too! The assistants in Valence hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for all of the American assistants (and some British, Mexican, and Spanish folks) that included everything from turkey to pumpkin pie. The only thing lacking was the canned cranberry sauce, which I plan on making up for at Christmas (right, Lindz?!). The food was delicious, the company was great, and the wine lasted us through the night. Patrick used my camera to get some great pictures, so check them out at the link to the right…they tell the stories better that I possibly could.

Friday morning, I left Valence with Molly and Patrick and we made our way to Geneva, where Grace met up with us. The four of us proceeded to have a great 4-day weekend in the city of the UN (European branch), Red Cross, fondue, banking and chocolate. Geneva’s a great city – you can walk down one street and hear four languages and see some of the most chic, cosmopolitan people in the world. You can also pay 4.50 CHF (Swiss Francs, close enough to a US dollar) for a cup of Starbucks drip coffee that you actually end up buying, just because it’s been way too long since you’ve seen, much less drank, Starbuck’s coffee…and, you’ve been dreaming about the red, “It only happens once a year” Christmas cups. Yeah, the city’s expensive. But, luckily Patrick was smart enough to find us an “apartment-hotel” that was about a 20 minute tram ride from the city center for about 15 euros/person/night. We basically outsmarted Geneva with this one…we paid very little for a great place to stay, didn’t even have to search for the place as it was directly in front of us when we got off the tram, and didn’t end up having to pay for many meals in town since we could cook at home for dinner and bring picnics with us for lunch. We did, however, enjoy one fantastic fondue dinner on Saturday night, followed by beers at the bar across the street from our apartment: total dive bar, but we enjoyed it! The people were great there, as was the beer and the prices.

Now, back to "reality". I've actually described this week to multiple people as "busy," which is a little sad when you work 12 hours. But, I am babysitting for a professor this weekend, so I have to go to dinner at the woman's house on Thursday night so that I can meet her daughter before I babysit her (apparently they don't trust strangers as easily here as we do in the States). I'm also going to Chambéry tomorrow night for one of Grace's roommate's birthdays, then back on Thursday morning to teach. Friday, I'm heading to Lyon with Patrick and Molly for the Fête des Lumières, which is a huge festival where they light the city of Lyon for Christmas -- people put candles in their windows and everything, which sounds just magical. Sunday, I believe that there is another wine tasting in Valence, so I'll probably be going to that...I'm starting to consider wine tastings like school lessons; I learn a lot at them!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you all...I'm excited to be back on American soil (and even see some of you) in less than 3 weeks!

"But, eh, I do not understandeh zee English!"

Today, I actually yelled (well, my version of "yelling," which is really just speaking in a serious tone) at a student for the first time. This kid was a jerk; he was a jerk last time I had him in class, and this time I just wasn't in the mood to put up with his crap. So, about halfway through the class, as he rambled off another smart-ass comment in French, I let him have it. I looked at him and said something along the lines of:

"I don't want to hear you speak French. If you don't want to be here, that's fine - I'll tell your professor not to send you next time. But, maybe the reason you don't understand English is because you sit in all your classes, speak French, and don't try. If you don't want to speak English, that's fine, but then I don't want to hear you speak at all."

I went on like this for a couple of minutes...the other students were totally backing me up, too, which was pretty awesome. I think he felt bad, because he actually shutup for the rest of the class period.

It was really strange to confront somebody like this in the middle of the class, and I was actually really scared the whole time (but I don't think it showed). It was something that was outside of my comfort zone, although necessary since I had begun to lose control of the class and he was acting as the ring-leader.

I ended up having about 10 minutes at the end of class and nothing to do, so I put this picture of Will and Joe dressed as hobbits from a beer pong tournament last year up on my computer, and asked the students to imagine and describe what was happening:

I should have been able to predict that they would say nothing - I reacted quickly when they didn't, though. I made them all take out pen and paper and write "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" on the board. I told them they had 5 minutes to make up answers to the questions, write their names on the papers, and turn them into me as they left. (Here are my favorite answers: (1) "There is two man, they drink and do the fiesta. It the party of village in winter. They do a grimaces in the picture." (2) "This is your friends in bar in your country. They drink and make a party. In winter because they have a blouson. They make a grimaces in your pictures. They dancing, they have a eyes brow, they are funny. Because it's nice. They wear the cape.") This exercise accomplished a few things -- first, it filled the last 10 minutes of class really easily. Second, it allowed me to stop talking and made them start working. Third, it showed them that, if I wanted, I could have the power to affect their grades (even though I don't think I actually do). Fourth, it allowed me to get the name of the little jerk so that I can tattle to his teacher.

Situations like this show me not only that I'm not meant to be a teacher (I guarantee I know many, many people who would handle situations like this, and far more difficult situations, with a much higher level of grace, composure, and effectiveness), but they also are good lessons in learning how to think and react both quickly and effectively. I'm not sure if I fully succeeded this time; we shall see.

Immediately following that class, I was supposed to have another group of the same age. Luckily, the group couldn't come because their professor was being observed, so I ended up with a group of 11-year olds who were absolutely adorable. They loved being in the classroom, and I had so much fun with them!

Among the reasons I love the French

I now have yet another counterexample for anyone who has ever used the phrase, “The French are a-holes”. Or, perhaps those of you who have formed another overly generalized opinion about “The French” (which, for most American, refers solely to the Parisians). Two weeks ago, I decided to buy a plant in an attempt to my “apartment” more like a home. So, I went to a local plant shop and began looking around. The girl working at the shop was close to my age; most of the conversation revolved around what kind of plant needs little to no sun, can live inside, and require little maintenance (I ended up with the sweetest-looking plant ever; it’s all spiky with white dots). However, the inevitable question of where my accent is from came up, and we began to discuss our backgrounds and travels (as she has spent time in some Anglo countries). She mentioned the fact that she’s losing her English due to the lack of opportunities to practice it; so, as I was paying for my plant, I gave her my number and e-mail address and told her to call if she ever wanted some English conversation time. She contacted me the next week, and we finally arranged a time to get some coffee tonight. She brought her boyfriend, with whom she is moving to New Zealand in September, and we spent about two and a half hours at a local café getting to know one another.

Now comes the part related to French stereotypes. During our two and a half hour conversation, Emilie and Pascal offered the following: (a) To take me skiing and let me stay with them at her father’s place in the mountains; (b) Do drive me around to local vineyards for wine tasting; (c) To go on various local excursions to places you can only see by car; (d) To go with Emilie to visit Pascal in Montpellier, where he goes to school, and stay with them for a weekend; and (e) To go out with their French friends in Valence so that I can meet and talk to some natives. I’m not sure that they realized how generous they were or how impressionable their generosity was to me, but I was truly overwhelmed. They are some of the most generous people I’ve ever met, and I’ve known them for a grand total of two-and-a-half hours. Oh, and did I mention that Emilie paid for my coffee because I was the “invitée”?

Now, I would not tell all of you to reconsider your opinion of the French population if this was a unique circumstance – but, I can assure you, it is not. In the last two months in France, I have met some of the most generous, welcoming people I have ever met in my life. Yes, it helps that I speak the language. But, more importantly, there is a deeply rooted culture of openness and hospitality in France that can be quickly discovered by simply traveling outside of Paris and speaking a few phrases of French (even if in a pitiful accent). I have to say – as Americans, we do not give these people enough credit. There’s a lot we could learn from them.

In addition to defending my respect for the French, tonight also made me realize, once again, the impact of every seemingly insignificant decision in our lives. First of all, the fact that I even decided to buy a plant was a fluke because (1) I happened to be yearning to spend some money as I walked down the street that day, and (2) I had been passing plant stores every day for weeks without ever going in, and just had a sudden impulse to finally make the purchase. Beyond that, Emilie made the decision to open up conversation unrelated to plants by asking me where I was from; simple, but enough to open a door. Lastly, it was an impulse to leave her my contact information, thinking, “Well, maybe I could actually have a chance to make a French friend…if not, nothing lost.” This is not a though that would come into my mind at every moment of every day; I was just a little more outgoing than usual. Now, as a result of random decisions and actions, the entire landscape of my time in France may have changed; I may end up speaking better French, experiencing the country in a different way, and leaving with friendships that I would not have found otherwise – all because of simple, compulsive decisions. I may even end up being a decent skier! That’s definitely something none of us saw coming!

More than anything, this is a message to myself – an attestation to the benefits of taking chances and stepping outside of one’s box. It may seem to some of you like I am overreacting to the fact that I met just one person; but, anyone who has lived in France and attempted to meet French friends knows just how difficult this can be, and how rewarding it is when it finally happens.

Nick and Carrie: I had breakfast for dinner chez moi tonight (breakfast burritos) and missed having you guys there to share it. Hope you’re carrying on the tradition, too!

Andy: my students seemed to like Kay Kay, but said they liked Death Cab more…sorry. I’ll use the lesson on other classes and see if I can get some better results. Somehow, though, the lesson on Seattle music ended up leading to me spending the last 5 minutes of class defining the term “street cred”. How I get myself into these situations is beyond me.

On another note, I am now tutoring two people for free – clearly, I have been away from American businesses for too long (the going rate for English tutors is 10-15 euros/hour). I don’t know, I just didn’t feel right charging them because I really like them, want them to succeed, and appreciate their desire to learn. Wow, I sound like a teacher already.

Bouquet du Vin, Orange, etc.

Another week beginning after another great weekend. Friday night, I went to dinner at a teacher's house with the other American assistant, Demos. We were at the Blanc residence from 6:30pm-midnight and had a great French dinner (about 4 courses, of course) and met her daughters (both about the same age as us) and her husband, one of the funniest Frenchmen I've ever met. Also present were her older daughter's boyfriend and one of her younger daughters' friends. It was a great night, the whole family is incredibly fun to spend time with. Her younger daughter spoke English with a perfect American accent; when I asked her how long she had spoken English, she explained to me that she never learned it in school, but rather from watching episodes of 'Friends' over and over with the desire to speak like Jennifer Aniston. A girl after my own heart :).

Saturday, I headed to Valence to meet up with Molly and Patrick for the "Bouquet du Vins," a wine exposition for the wines from the Côtes-du-Rhône region. This was an amazing event; we started by walking around trying whites, then took a break in the cheese, meat, and other local food specialties area, then continued with a tour of reds. Not only did we taste some incredible wine (including a 1999 Châteauneuf du Pape, one of the most famous wines from the region that is now aged 10 years), but I also had my first taste of Foie Gras and we saw a great "fashion show" that was nothing more than guys and girls dressed up in Christmas decorations. After conversations with some vendors, we even scored some free Pogne (local bread specialty) and a free bottle of wine! I guess it pays to be social Americans. Altogether, it was a great afternoon -- however, I never realized how exhausting it can be to drink wine for 5-6 hours straight! I ended the night by going home, cooking dinner, watching "Sideways" (I guess the wine tasting put me in the mood), and going to bed.

Yesterday, I took a day trip to Orange, a town a bit south in Provence, with Molly, Patrick, Marie (German assistant) and Demos. The town was beautiful, as was the weather (finally some blue skies and sun!). The one downside was that we definitely caught some of the Mistral, the well-known wind of Southern France. I don't think I've ever even experienced wind this intense in Wyoming, which is saying something. In the midst of our fight against the Mistral, we saw a Roman theatre (the only Roman theatre wall still standing in Europe), had a picnic at the top of a hill overlooking the town, and attempted to see a Roman Arc de Triomphe through the scaffolding and construction that surrounded it. It made for a great day-trip, although we all spend the train ride back exhausted (a combination of a long day in the wind plus the previous day of wine tasting).

Classes lately have been going really well, too. Most of my lessons have focused on either (a) Obama, (b) American businesses (notably Microsoft), or (c) American sports. All of them have made for incredibly interesting conversations. It's amazing how being an American in France has changed in the last week and a half (since Obama's election), on a couple of levels. With the younger people (students), things have gone multiple ways. I've had students passing me in the halls proclaiming, "Yes we can!" I've also had some tell me that they are certain Obama will be assassinated since Americans are all racist (this provided enough material to fill an entire class period, and some time outside of it, last week). More serious conversations with professors have been more significant and more telling of the French view of Americans. Essentially, most have said that the election of Obama is proof to the world that America is a nation of change, and that this choice proves that the "American Dream" is still alive. This is emotional for them, because they have spent years doubting it. Additionally, many have said that in electing Obama, the Americans have done something that the French would never have the courage or ability to do -- to rise above a history of racial differences and choose, as a people, to pursue a future of change. No matter what one's political persuasion is, it is powerful to hear educated French adults speak about the respect and admiration they have for the American population after this election. They see us differently, and it's clear everywhere I go. Vendors even treat me differently when they learn that I'm American, consistently expressing their pride in our decision. At the market, Patrick, Molly and I even got a discount on chicken because the vendor was so happy about Obama! Through it all, I have found France to be a fascinating place to be living after such an historic election, especially considering French/American relations in recent years. I'm looking forward to the conversations that will continue to develop on the subject.

Get ready...

There are only a few days left before the big fête of Beaujolais Nouveau! If there isn't an event going on where you live, make one! The French are starting to get really excited about this, and you should be, too! Beaujolais Nouveau is one of very few wines that you are supposed to drink without ageing...so, the third Thursday of November every year, the release of this wine serves as a celebration of the year's wine harvests. You should be able to find it at most liquor/wine stores in the US...for those of you in Littleton, I'm sure that Tipsy's will have it. For some info, see below:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122661278424225851.html
http://gofrance.about.com/cs/festivals/a/beaujolais.htm

So, be sure to plan on celebrating Thursday night...I know I will be!

Do they work here?

So, get this: I have been back at work for 3 days since our 10-day vacance, and apparently tomorrow (Armistice Day) is another day off of work. For the school I'm working at this week, I don't have classes on Wednesdays...so, after today I'm looking at another 2-day break. In the words of one of my students this morning, "c'est la France."

This weekend was very relaxing with perfect Autumn weather. Saturday, I went to Valence to spend the afternoon with Molly and Patrick. We went to one of the coolest markets I have ever seen, which was in a lesser-known part of town with a mostly immigrant population. The people there were incredibly friendly, and the food was incredibly cheap. I didn't buy any (holding out for the Romans Sunday morning market), but I did enjoy a fantastic dinner cooked by Patrick and Molly with the ingredients they bought there. I'm way too spoiled when it comes to cheap, high-quality fruits and vegetables here...hopefully Pike Place market will live up to the expectations set by French markets when I move back!

Yesterday morning, I decided to go to church. I didn't know exactly where the Protestant church was and, after a little confusion, found myself wandering into a church that I figured was some sort of Protestant church (the sign said "Eglise something," and I didn't really have time to think about it before I was welcomed and shuffled in by a very nice older gentleman. About 30 minutes into the service, I realized what the sign outside said: "Eglise Pentecôt," as in Pentecostal Church. Only at that moment did I remember what I knew about Pentecostal churches, a realization that occured at approximately the same moment that people in the congregation were speaking in tongues, crying profusely, and calling out to Jesus their Savior. I became pretty anxious as I sat there, realizing that I was in for quite the church experience. After another hour and a half, during which people continued crying and babbling and the pastor jumped around while delivering his message, I decided I needed to leave (this is about 2 hours and 10 minutes into the service). I'm usually not one to be too judgmental on churches, but this was one of the most frightening experiences of my life and I had to get out of there. Unfortunately, I also drank the communion wine, and spent most of the service hoping it wasn't a "don't drink the kool aid" situation. I told the girl next to me that I had to leave and asked her if it is okay for me to just walk out. She said yes, but not before asking me to give her my phone number and e-mail address, which I actually gave her (I know...the phrase "what was I thinking" has entered my head many times since). In an attempt to be stealth, I snuck out while people were on their way up to the altar to be blessed. Fresh air has never felt so good.

After readjusting to the outside world, I met Marie, a German assistant from Valence, to walk through the market, have some coffee, and show her around Romans. It ended up being a pleasant Sunday (after I got over the church shock).

Tonight I'm going to Valence to have dinner with a bunch of assistants at Abi's apartment (an assistant from Seattle). Should be a fun way to celebrate not having classes tomorrow.

I'm having picture uploading issues, but I will get all of my Vacances pictures up as soon as possible. À bientôt!

So underground

So, I've been back from Vacance for a few days and really wish I was still traveling. It started off well with a day trip to Grenoble to meet another assistant, Grace. We started the day by "monté'ing" (climbing) a hill that takes you up to the Bastille, an old fortress overlooking the city of Grenoble. However, it was too foggy to see anything at the top so we "descendu'ed" and spent the day in town. Ended up being a sunny, clear day after that...we clearly have great timing. I stayed with her in Chambéry that night and hung out with her "colocs," the French people she shares an apartment with. She even welcomed me there with a home-cooked, Southern-style dinner. It was a great time, and I decided that Chambéry is somewhere I will start going more often.

Monday and Tuesday of Vacances were spent in Lyon with Grace and Sarah Nickel, a friend from Puget Sound who was passing through France at the end of her 2-month Euro Trip. We were also joined by Patrick, an assistant from Colorado and his girlfriend, Molly, for a day. We had a great time despite the never-ending rain. We met French people, shopped, and had a traditional Lyonnais dinner at a "bouchon," which is the name for a traditional Lyonnais restaurant. Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France, and now we all know why!

Then there was Prague, which inspired the title for this post. Prague was, hands down, one of the coolest cities I have ever seen. I went there by bus with an assistant from Montana, Bryan. The bus trip was about 17 hours and, although I was dreading it, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. There's too much to say about Prague and too little time, so I'll touch on some highlights and elaborate later:
-AMAZING beer everywhere for a little more than a dollar...favorite being the beer garden.
-Tons of places that are, literally, underground...cafés, bars, restaurants, etc.
-A great Czech tour guide who said everything as if she was telling a ghost story
-An intense customs stop at the German/Czech border
-Honey cake and wine at the 'underground' literary café across from our hostel
-Our hostel roommates, Richard and Aaron, who were both super entertaining in really different ways. Richard was about 65 yrs old and never stopped talking, and Aaron was a typical New Yorker who introduced himself by offering us bread that he stole from a restaurant whose service he "didn't like".
Okay, gotta run and catch a bus to Valence, but I will definitely elaborate when I get a chance.

Hope you're all doing well and I'll talk to you soon!

Picture Links

One more thing...I added an area to the right called "Photo Albums".  If you click on any of the links, you should be directed to my Picasa albums, where I will keep posting all of my pictures.

Vacances already?!

I am now officially on "Vacances"...I've told some of you how my schedule works here, but for those of you who haven't heard, here it is: I began working on October 1st, and it is now October 24th and I have about a week and a half of vacation. I will then work until December 19th and have vacation until January 4th. Between January and the end of April, I have two other 2-week breaks and a few 4-day weekends. Not bad at all.

I have been through each of my classes at the 3 establishments where I work once now; So, I have seen about 48 different classes of students, each of which I will only see 6 or 7 times before I leave. It's kind of unfortunate in that way, because I really don't feel like I'll be able to see much progress with individual students. But, it's also nice because I won't get bored with the same students...it's always something different! This week was the first week I taught at the collège, which is the French equivalent to middle school. It was definitely an interesting experience, and I now have even more respect for middle school teachers than I did before. The ages (13-15) are hard to work with, especially in terms of keeping them interested and on-task. But, they're fun at the same time, especially the youngest of them. I anticipate that they will provide the best storytelling material going forward!

I've gotten comfortable (and a little antsy) in Romans...it's definitely a small town, and there are very few young people to socialize with. On the weekends, the city is pretty much dead. There is one bar open called "La Charrette" which I have been to a couple of times with the other Assistants; it's very "French" in ambiance and character. However, it's not an exciting enough place to keep us interested for 7 months, so we have started to venture out and go to the larger cities around here (so far, Valence has been our destination of choice). I think that as we go forward we will spend more time in Grenoble and Lyon, which are both conveniently close and really great cities full of college students. I have also met a couple of French friends, and they are great...I can tell that my French is improving each time I'm with them.

If there's one thing I can credit Romans with, however, it's tradition. They have a lot of pride surrounding their gastronomy and commerce. The two regional dishes here are ravioles (never say "ravioli"...that's Italian, and the Romanais ravioles are smaller and filled with cheese instead of meat...they're very protective of this) and Pogne, a breakfast pastry (I'm still trying to figure out why it's special...it just tastes like semi-sweet bread to me). They even have a museum for Pogne, and almost every pizzeria you pass features Raviole pizza. Additionally, you can tell that the economic history of the town is based on shoe production...there are shoes everywhere; in fact, I have to wonder how so many shoe stores are kept in business by such a small population. But, the town has always been known for its shoes and is keeping the tradition alive. It's kind of difficult to walk down the streets without giving into the constant temptation of shoe shopping, but I've restrained myself so far. Maybe I'll give in after I receive my first paycheck.

In other news, I spent Wednesday this week in a nearby town called Tain l'Hermitage (I had Wednesday off...yeah, I know). It is a town surrounded by vineyards, and wine is definitely the raison d'être for this town. I went to a "cave" to taste some wines, which were incredible. I got to learn a little bit about the wines of the region, and tasted about 8 wines ranging from 7 to 150 euros/bottle. Although I still prefer reds, I had a couple of great white wines as well. I walked out with two bottles of red, one of which may just have to make it home to Colorado for Christmas.

For Vacances, I will be starting by spending this weekend in Romans, going to the Sunday morning market (my favorite thing about the town) and preparing some post-vacation courses. On Monday, I will be heading to Lyon to meet up with Grace, a friend I met at Orientation, and Sarah Nickel, a good friend from college. We'll spend Monday and Tuesday in Lyon before I head back to Romans on Wednesday and catch my bus to Prague. I'll be in Prague for about 4 days with Bryan, another assistant who was on my flight to France last month. I'm incredibly excited to see Prague...I've had the urge to see Eastern Europe, and especially Prague, for a really long time. Plus, it will be great to spend some time in large cities at a slightly faster pace than everyday life in Romans.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

School Days

I'm beginning to feel like I actually live here now! I began teaching last week, and it has proven to be interesting. Basically, I have students with a range of ages and abilities, so I go into each class slightly unprepared for what will happen. Some classes have an impressive amount of participation, and some just sit there and stare at me as if they don't understand a word I'm saying (which, they probably don't). So, I've done a couple of unplanned lectures since students weren't asking questions or participating; I just started talking about American politics, culture and economics for a long time...I'm sure they were all fascinated. It should get better, though -- I only see most of my classes once a month, so for now I have a lot of introductory sessions where I introduce myself, we discuss common French and American stereotypes (pretty predictable - "Americans are fat," "All Americans carry guns"), and I try to clear up some common misunderstandings. They always find it entertaining when I tell them the stereotypes we have about French people, especially that they don't shower or shave (they can't believe that there are Americans who believe that). Most of them agree with the stereotype that the French are lazy, though... they also admit to the fact that they complain all the time.

The teachers at the schools have been incredible and very welcoming - I think they will be fun to work with this year. There is one who frustrates me because she basically supports all of the negative ideas that the French have toward Americans in front of the class, which makes it a little hard for me to openly state my opinion. But, I guess there's always got to be one.

Other than that, I'm really starting to like the town I'm living in. I found a great running course, which I define as "great" because it avoids all large gatherings of people in the town. People don't really run in France, so when you do, they look at you like your ridiculous. I got sick of these looks right away, so I did what I could to find a path avoiding them.

I ventured to Valence the other day, which is a larger city about 20 minutes away from Romans by train. There is a university there, so I might try to find a class schedule and listen in on some classes. If I do, I will also put up a flyer to advertise for tutoring so that I can fill my schedule a little. On that note, I also bought a cheap guitar so that I can continue practicing :).

Last weekend, Annie and Régis took the Mexican assistant, Carlos, and me to their home in Seyne-sur-Mer near Toulon. We spent the weekend seeing the city, walking around on the beach, and hiking (well, I don't know if it can actually be called "hiking"...more like walking uphill) to some great viewpoints. For my birthday, their neighbors joined us for dinner at a Crêperie - it was delicious! After, we went back to their house and had a bottle of champagne. They really treated me well; it was so nice of them to take me under their wings once again.

Anyway, I better get going and try to get some things done with what's left of my day. It's really rainy out today, so the town isn't very lively. I will probably cook some dinner in my apartment and watch yesterday's debate, which I'm currently downloading. It's amazing how interested the French are in the election - most of the questions I get everyday in class revolve around either it or subprimes (yeah, that's easy to talk about in very basic English). Although they do know a decent amount about the election, most of their knowledge has a strong leftward slant and, with the way they talk about Obama, one would think he was God's gift to Earth. So, I try to teach them a thing or two about both sides. And, anytime they ask me who I'm voting for, I say I haven't decided yet.

Oh, for the record, I've heard a real French person say "Zut alors" three times.

I miss you all and will talk to you soon!

Ça commence...

Here I am in Romans, finally starting to get comfortable after a few days.  Most of my time here so far has been sent dealing with French bureaucracy, which of course is thrilling.  But, I now have a place to live, bank account, cell phone, and have signed all of my official work papers.  

Romans is a beautiful city -- the center of town still has a lot of medieval architecture, and the Isère river runs between Romans and Bourg-de-Peage, the town where the middle school I'm teaching at is located.  The size of the city is ideal because it's small enough to be comfortable in and meet people easily, but it's large enough to have almost anything one would need as far as stores and services are concerned.  

One of the English teachers (Annie) and her husband (Régis) have basically adopted myself and the other assistants, which has made the adjustment pretty easy.  They have us over for dinner regularly, helped us setup our bank accounts, drove us around the town, etc.  They also brought me to their chalet in the Vercors (a plateau-type mountain range) last weekend, where I spent time with their daughter, her husband, and their grandchildren, Ludo (7 yrs old) and Anya (4 yrs old).  Not only were the chalet and its surroundings beautiful, but the family was incredible.  I spent Saturday playing darts, chess, and basketball with Ludo, followed by a "nature walk" to a huge cave.  As the day progressed, I realized that French boys become their romantic selves at a young age.  While we played darts and chess, Ludo kept cheating to my advantage.  If I threw a dart and got 20 points, he would immediately walk up to it, move it to the bullseye, and proclaim, "C'est 90!".  Similarly, he would set himself up for failure in chess, showing me exactly how I should move to take his knight or queen.  However, once we began playing basketball, he was relentless.  He began to cheat to his own advantage and impersonated American basketball players (he knows their names and teams much better than I do).   Anyway, on our nature walk, he began to tell me about his love life.  First, he said that he was in love with a Czech girl.  When I asked him later if she knew he loved her, he said, "No, but I have loved her since 2007 when she visited.  I never see her now because she's back in the Czech Republic."  Right away, he added, "But it's ok, because I'm in love with 4 other girls at my school, too."  He proceeded to pick a flower for me, ensuring that I still had it throughout the rest of the day.

We spent the next day exploring the area around the chalet, from a lookout point over "Maleval," a valley below the mountain, to watching rock climbers, to making friends with the neighbors' horses.  As we were walking toward a path, we cut through the horse pasture.  One of the horses immediately began to run toward us, following closely behind Régis and chewing on the bottom of his pant legs.  We confronted a similar situation about an hour later with two donkeys...

Anyway, back in the town, I have been trying to get ready to begin teaching (I am supposed to start tomorrow, Oct 1.)  The age of my students will range from about 13-24 years old, so it should make for an interesting 7 months.  I am excited, though -- it will be a really unique experience, especially since my job is just to talk with the students and teach them about American culture.  

I miss you all, and I will post pictures soon!

The Destination

http://www.ville-romans.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romans-sur-Isère

Some highlights of the town in which I will be spending the next 7 months:

Population: approximately 50,000

Located between Grenoble and Valence (essentially, between the Alps and the wine region of the Rhône Valley)

Primary tourist attraction: Museum of Shoes

My vacations are the following dates, in case any of you are tempted to visit:

October 25-November 4

December 23-January 4

February 7-February 22

April 4-April 19

I am leaving for France on September 23rd and will have orientation in the town of Autrans through the 26th. Then, I will get settled in Romans and begin school October 1st. I am flying back to Seattle on May 6th, 2009.

Keep in touch! I look forward to reading comments and e-mails!