Last Monday I had a long day of orientation, here are some pictures from our walking tour:
On Tuesday I started working at the Lycée Jean Lurçat (a high school). The first day I felt a little overwhelmed by all the French around me in the halls and the teacher's room, but the day after I quickly adjusted. I'm still shy to speak, but getting better at at least initiating conversation. The English teachers at JL are wonderful, and so are the students. There are definitely some with some attitude, but I think I'll be able to handle it. In a class of students preparing to be secretaries, which happened to be all young women (there are other classes that are all guys...), they seemed to love the idea of an American assistant the best. All of the classes had lots of questions for me, including "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Have you met 50 cent (rhianna, obama...etc)." Others recommended some French music for me to listen to. Some wanted to know if I was doing okay after moving so far from home! I really enjoy helping them learn how to interact and practice making cross-cultural connections.
On Friday I went to Neuville Aux Bois, to the collège that I am teaching in (middle school). I was picked up at 7 30 in the morning by the music teacher Stephane, and the art teacher Sylvain. Let me tell you, I love the Stephane-SylvainMobile. Stephane, the music teacher, is this middle-aged, bald man with a long wiry beard and lots of hippy ideas and he loves things like Steve Reich. He also likes to try to speak to me in English, and we take turns talking in English and French to help each other. He calls me "teacher" when we are speaking in English "Thank you teacher!" I love it. The art teacher is a younger guy who maybe I can be friends with after I'm less of an awkward foreigner. But I'm looking forward to more rides in the Stephane-SylvainMobile.
The school is full of students who are the equivalent of our grades 5th to 8th grade. They are all so adorable. Even though some of them are harder to calm down, I love them all. Throughout the day, I was given candy, told I was pretty, and shocked one child into saying "je ne le crois pas"—"I don't believe it!" over and over again when he was told I was an American.
Ugggh some man in the mall (i'm using free wifi because my wifi at the foyer hasn't been working) just bothered me and I think tried to pick me up—introduction being 'how old are you?' Never a good start sir. Uuughkckk.
Anyway back to nicer things. The children were adorbs, and I absolutely love my job! It's so nice to present your life and your person to people as a job and actually feel like just being yourself is useful to someone.
Also, another wonderful thing that happened, is the man who lives next door to me plays songs on guitar all the time and sings and it's so nice! So I left him a note telling him so in bad French. The next day he left me a note:
Today, he came and knocked on my door, and even though my French became even more horrible with nervousness, he was very patient and helped to correct my mistakes in French, and brought his guitar over and started singing and then had me playing guitar and showing me the chords and singing along with the things he had written. It was very sweet and it made me feel so happy to feel like I have a French friend. He told me that I could come over anytime and eat with him and his friends, as he has a nicer apartment with actual cooking abilities.
Okay, tonight a German language assistant and two of my American English Assistant friends go to Paris—to "La Nuit Blanche." It's an all night long art gallery opening where you can go to all sorts of art installations alllll over the city. I'm going to have to stay up all night until our train back at 7 am, I'm afraid I'm not going to make it but I also think this is a really good once in a lifetime opportunity. Love you allll I must runn!
xxx
K-la
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