I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated the blog. I’ve actually been really busy with 12 hours of teaching plus 8 hours of class (not to mention all the time I spend on the metro getting to and from class and work). Unfortunately, this post is not the most positive. I truly do have a lot of positive things to write about, but my current mood has led me to vent about the negative things that have occurred in the past week.
First of all, there’s the bank situation. During orientation day, bank representatives came to help English assistants open a bank account. It wasn’t mandatory, but I jumped at the chance because I’ve heard it’s hard to open an account without the most obscure documents I probably don’t have and without money to deposit. These representatives understood that we don’t have money and helped us through the paperwork. A month later, I still haven’t received anything in the mail. No welcome letter, no bank card, and most importantly, no RIB. The RIB is something I have to have to get paid, since it’s direct deposit. After probably having waited too long, I went to a branch in Paris on Wednesday. The lady looked up my name and there I was in the computer. She told me I would have to go to the bank in Créteil to get my RIB, since that’s where I opened my account. You can’t exactly do business at any branch like you can in the states. I called the bank in Créteil and explained my situation. This lady told me I’d have to come there with the documents I had already given them a month ago! At this point, I still don’t know if I even have an open bank account.
Second of all, I’m stinkin sick again. Maybe it’s better to be sick on vacation since I can rest, but Tom’s grandparents are coming on Tuesday and I don’t want to be a sick hostess.
Third and last of all, these children are already driving me crazy! A few classes in particular in which I have about 15 kids on my own. Maybe they were rambunctious because it was right before break. Maybe they’re taking advantage of me because they think I don’t speak French (since I’m supposed to stay in English as much as possible). Whatever the reason, they would not stop talking!
I think the best part of the week, though, was when I saw light bulbs go off as some of the students understood “Spiderman” for the first time. I was teaching about Halloween. I showed them pictures of American kids dressed up in different costumes, including Spiderman, who they all know and love, except they pronounce it “Speederman.”
Later I showed them the picture of a spider, and I got only blank stares. So I showed Spiderman again. “Spiderman.” “Spider.” The looks were priceless. One kid came up to me afterwards and said he understood why he was called Spiderman- because of the spider that bit him. He was so excited! So, maybe the kids will continue to say “appy alloween” despite my best efforts to teach the “h” sound, but at least they will remember the word for spider. Little victories.
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