nouveaux yeux

Back to Paris?

2011-02-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the past year, it became clear that French has a permanent place not only in my life, but in my career. And so does teaching. My current high school teaching job is for the most part an incredibly positive experience, which proves among other things that the older my students the better. It feels much more natural teaching teenagers than it did 6-11 year olds. What I really see myself doing, though, is teaching at the university level.

So why the sudden blog update? Well, I of course need a Master's, if not a doctorate, to begin teaching at a university. A few days ago, I received a very exciting email. I've been accepted into Middlebury! I've applied to IU Bloomington and Purdue, which are closer to home, but... an MA with Middlebury could mean returning to Paris for a year in September.

I thought that merited a blog update. :) We'll see.

nouveau...emploi

2010-08-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

We've been back a month already? Incroyable!

I sincerely hope to "finish" my blog. I want to write and share about the rest of our experience. I never wrote about Germany (either trip!), and I didn't finish writing about English in the French classroom.

But now, tomorrow in fact, I am embarking on a new type of adventure already. I, Katie A, who was "never going to teach because there's so much more you can do with French," has taught for 7 months in France and will now teach French for a semester at a high school in Indiana. How did this happen? I don't have time to tell you! I haven't had time to think. Life has gone by so quickly this past month. Tomorrow, I meet my six classes of 9th-12th graders.

C'est parti! Wish me luck!

Results are in!

2010-07-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

We've been back in the good ol' USA for a week now. We're slowly unpacking and I'm looking for a job. Up to this point, we've been readjusting pretty well but missing France like crazy. But this is for another blog post (that is, if I manage to keep writing like I want to. In fact, there are a lot of posts that are in my head that haven't made it to the blog.)

Today I want to share some great news I received upon our return. This may be an extra vain blog post, but please allow me this brief self-indulgence. I'm pretty excited about it. When my dad handed over 10 months worth of mail, he also gave me an envelope sent priority mail from France. What could it be? Nothing other than my Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF) results!

I took the TCF on June 21, after being in France for over 9 months. I set a reasonable goal of placing at C1 (level 5 of 6). But as I studied and took a prep class at the ASLC (which I recommend), I started to worry. A friend told me of an American she knew, a French degree barer I believe, who was really confident and then placed really low, level 2 or 3 I think. Since I continue to struggle with self-doubt, I began to worry. I knew If I placed lower than level 4, I'd be crushed. What would 9 months of immersion mean then?

Sitting at my dad's dining room table, I opened the envelope, not realizing what it was at first.

Attestation

TCF - Test de connaissance du français

Oh! Oh! It's my score!

AYERS

Katherine Ann

blah blah blah

Résultat global: 590 points, niveau C1 du CECR

!!!!!

So, I reached my goal, and I was only 10 points away from C2 (level 6, the highest).

For anyone interested, here's the breakdown of the scoring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Niveau C1, 500 à 599 points

Supérieur

Bonne maîtrise de la langue. La personne peut comprendre une grande gamme de textes longs et exigeants comportant des contenus implicites. Elle s’exprime couramment et de façon bien structurée sur sa vie sociale, professionnelle ou académique et sur des sujets complexes.

Level C1, 500 to 599 points

Advanced Level

Good operational command of the language. Can understand a wide range of long and demanding texts and can recognize implicit meaning. Can express himself or herself fluently in a well-structured way on his or her social, professional or academic life and on complex topics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The TCF scoring is based on European standards and the test composed of 5 examination sections, 3 of which are compulsory if you register, and 2 which you can pay extra to take. I, of course, took all 5. The compulsory sections are Reading, Grammatical Structures, and Listening. The extras are writing and speaking.

I placed in C1 overall and in each section, except one: speaking. I expected to place lower in this section. Speaking really is the most challenging of all for me. But...I placed in C2. It's curious, really. This part involved a 15 minute recorded interview with 6 questions, that went from super easy to difficult. I'm happy, but I'm not sure I agree. I wish the results came with comments or corrections, but it's just a single sheet with scores.

This is another thing I can check off of my "want to do in France" list! I plan to continue listening, reading, writing, and speaking as much as possible, right here in Anderson. In fact, we just switched to AT&T U-Verse so we can watch the French channel TV5 Monde.

Maybe I'll take the test again in a few years, with a C2 (upper advanced level) in all sections being the goal!

Packing. Did not exactly learn my lesson.

2010-07-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Before moving to France, I wrote this post about my regret of the amount of STUFF in my life.

Now, that we're packing to move back home, I've realized I haven't completely learned my lesson. Our first phase was packing to move out of our studio as we left to go to Germany and Belgium. We took two huge bags of clothes and shoes to La Croix Rouge, shipped 4 boxes of books through the Post Office's Livres et Brochures rate (about 14€ for 5 kg), and abandoned office and kitchen supplies in the apartment. We were left with two big rolling suitcases, two backpacks, a duffel bag, and my oversized purse. What do you think? Is that really bad for 10 months of living here? I remember when we arrived at the airport in September, an American couple, who had the same amount of luggage as us, said "we have a lot, but we're here for two weeks." I just smiled. Comparatively, we've done ok. But I want to do better!

Luckily, our landlady was able to keep our extra luggage during our travels. Today, we recuperated our bags to bring to them to our friends' place, where we're staying until we leave Paris.

Oh my gosh. Still too much. We also made the less than brilliant decision to go from Paris to Dublin for 2 days, then home to Indiana, meaning we have to lug everything to Dublin, and then again to Indiana. This also means if we have extra bag or overweight fees, we'll have to pay twice.

Fortunately I have learned to live without as much clothes as I used to have. And without a microwave. And a TV (although we cheated by watching movies and TV shows on our laptop). And there's nothing wrong with liking books, right? I might need to give some serious thought to a Kindle, but I really just like the feeling and the smell of a real book.

On the other hand, I need to stop keeping ridiculous little things that add up: brochures, museum leaflets, class notebooks and worksheets.

So, here I am, trying to get rid of more still. I did buy a few more things today, but don't judge me! I bought chocolatey goodness gifts and tea from Mariage Frères for myself and a certain tea-loving friend.

Expressions of happiness

2010-06-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

I love it when this happens. From a French person's mouth to my ears to my brain in seconds. And I smile.

It's when I hear an expression for the first time. I've seen it and read it before. But now I've heard it, in real life, and I got it.

Today, it happened in the few brief seconds while turning onto the sidewalk, leaving my apartment. A lady yelled down the street, "Ça fait un bail!"

"It's been ages!" is what she said to her friend, a French expression that isn't literally translated.

Sometimes it's really the little things that make me happy. And since learning a language can be so difficult and discouraging, I'll take as many little moments and expressions as I can get.

Beginning of the end...and a new beginning

2010-06-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

English in italics

Samedi je suis retournée à JF, une des écoles ou j’ai travaillé, pour la fête de l’école pour la fin de l’année scolaire. C’était vraiment un plaisir d’être là. Au lieu de stress, j’ai ressenti un bonheur de voir les élèves et bien sûr l’excellent équipe des enseignants. Et les enfants, au lieu d’être petits monstres, étaient mignons.

On Saturday I returned to JF, one of my schools, for the end of the year festival. It was truly a pleasure to be there. Instead of stress, I felt happy to see the kids and of course the wonderful team of teachers. And the kids, instead of being little monsters, were cute.

Les enfants ont chanté et puis il y a eu des stands des jeux. J’ai bandé les yeux aux enfants et les ai fait tourner au stand de La Queue de l’Âne avec Patricia.

The kids sang and then there were games. I blindfolded kids and spun them around at the Pin the Tail on the Donkey stand with Patricia.

Parmi les chansons était « Hello, Goodbye, » une chanson que je les ai appris. Malheureusement, je suis complètement bête et j’ai supprimé la vidéo. En regardant mes photos sur l’écran de mon appareil photo, je pensais que c’était une photo floue.

One of the songs was “Hello, Goodbye,” a song I had taught them. Sadly, I’m a complete idiot and I deleted the video. While looking through my pictures on my camera, I thought it was a blurry picture.

Par contre, j’ai conservé heureusement la vidéo d’une très jolie chanson que j’ai entendue pour la première fois. C’est « Toi Plus Moi » de Grégoire. J’étais instantanément fan.

However, I luckily didn’t delete the video of a beautiful song I heard for the first time. It’s “Toi Plus Moi” by Grégoire. I was immediately a fan.

Merci, les enfants, de m’avoir présenté cette chanson. Vous chantez bien !

Thanks kids for introducing me to this song! And you sang beautifully!

Et voilà la vidéo de Grégoire. C’est tout simplement une chanson optimiste et joyeuse, parfaite pour le début des grandes vacances et encourageant pour mon avenir un peu pas sûr.

And here is Grégoire’s video. It’s just simply a happy and optimistic song, perfect for the beginning of summer vacation and encouraging for my less than certain future.

Les Paroles/ The Lyrics (English translation not as good as the original, of course)

Fête de la Musique in a (small?) city

2010-06-24T02:28:00.000-07:00

This year was my 3rd time in France on June 21, and my 2nd time getting to celebrate the Fête de la Musique. In 2006, I experienced la fête for the first time in a small-ish town with my study abroad gang in Normandy. In 2007, I was in Lourdes, volunteering and wasn't really aware of any festivals going on. In 2008 and 2009, I was sadly stateside.

What is this Fête de la Musique? It's a music festival involving all types of music performed by bands, mostly outdoors, to celebrate the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year.

And in 2010, on Monday, I got to experience la Fête de la Musique in Paris. The capital. This year totally rocked 2006's socks off. While interesting, my experience in 2006 involved listening to various mediocre bands do covers until about 9pm when we headed home.

On Monday, Tom and I didn't start until 10pm (although, this was a mistake because many venues closed down at midnight). We started in the 5th district at la Place de la Contre-Escarpe where, again, we heard covers, the best of which was Born to be Wild. We then took the metro (for the last time) to the 4th, near the Bastille where we listened to Les Dindons Virtuels, a pretty great sounding band doing songs by the Stones, Beatles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd outside Le Paradis du Fruit. Next, we walked to the nearby Place des Vosges. In each corner of this square there was a different band. We stood in the middle to orient ourselves then followed our ears to a band singing, you'll never believe it, French songs! It was very good to hear. Even though I didn't know any of them, I get sick of all the covers in English (especially when they don't actually know all the words). Unfortunately I don't think they were on the official listing and don't know how to find out who they were.

Really bad picture. You can't even see the band. But this was at Place des Vosges.

On the way out, we listened to a few interesting Electro-chorale numbers by a group wearing...rain suits?

Electo-chorale group called Echo.

Our last stop was supposed to be at Le Troisième Lieu, a bar with bands playing until 2am. I thought it would be good to find a place open late where we could sit down. Except when we got there, there was a line and it looked too hip for us. Instead, we went to a nearby bar to listen to music (through the stereo). At about 1:30 I was feeling pretty tired, so we decided to walk to the nearest metro to go home. RATP had announced for a week before that the metro would be running all night. After checking several stations, though, we realized they had deceived us and had decided to screw us all over. Why? I still don't know. Even the night buses, which are a normal thing, weren't normal. RATP, I can't believe I praised you in a recent post. I'm still waiting for an apology.

So we walked. From the 4th to the 13th. It took a little over an hour, and we reached home at 3am. It seemed like a very long walk, especially since I was so tired. But at the same time, I expected it to take longer. It turns out that Paris really isn't that big (excluding the suburbs of course). Our long early morning walk was only a little over 3 miles, or about 5 kilometers. In every other way, Paris is a big city, just not in actual size.

This walk gave Tom a chance to show off, though. Without a map, he got us home without a hitch, and he even showed me some pretty cool hidden treasures I'd never seen. He took a Discovering Paris class, which involved a lot of field trips, and now I'm really jealous because he might know Paris better than me.

Overall, it was a great night. The best part, I think, was experiencing some of my favorite spots (Place des Vosges, Place de la Contre-Escarpe) in new ways.

To the Market

2010-06-17T01:50:00.001-07:00

Marché Maison Blanche, March 2010

“Allez-y madame.”

“Bonjour! Ça va?”

The man at the fruit and vegetable stand caught me eyeing his tomatoes and hands me a bag.

The normal Paris barriers seem to come down at the markets. Vendors shout bonjour before they know you are going to buy something. It’s to get your attention of course, but they are still the warmest salespeople in the city. The fruit and veggie guy even started tutoyer-ing me (using informal “you”) after my second visit.

I fill my bag with tomatoes, and take two more for green beans and carrots while I listen to the vendor talk to an elderly man about bananas.

“Des bananes de Martinique!” Bananas from Martinique!

“De Martinique? Quelle ville?” Martinique? What city?

“Moi, j’en sais rien. Je suis marocain!” I have no idea. I’m Moroccan! And they both laugh.

After he’s finished with the bananas, I hand him my bags, and he hands me a cherry. Delicious, but what do you do with those pits?!

“Merci.”

“Des abricots pour la princesse?” Apricots for the princess?

“Non, merci, ça sera tout.” No thanks, that’ll be all.

“Deux euros dix.”

I hand him the 2 euros and 10 centimes.

“A la prochaine.” See you next time.

Yes, see you next time. But not because you call me princess and give me free fruit. Really.

According to this France Guide website (in French), there are about 90 markets in France. The majority are marchés alimentaires (food markets), but there are a lot of markets that specialize in flowers, clothes, one that has birds, antiques, and then there are also marchés aux puces (flea markets) and the bouquinistes (used books) along the Seine.

The market described above is obviously a food market, one of two that I frequent. There you can find fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, cheese, and much more. And don’t let the name foul you. Most food markets also have stands for clothes, purses, cooking equipment, flowers, jewelry, and other odds and ends, like batteries.

Food markets are usually open two or three days a week for the morning and early afternoon. The permanent covered markets are open most days, but I’ve yet to be to one, but the famous Marché d’Aligre is on my to-do soon list.

The market above is called Marché Maison Blanche and is a 2-minute walk from our apartment and occupies one side of Avenue d’Italie, the main street for shopping and errands in our area. It can be visited on Thursdays from 7am-2:30pm and Sundays from 7am-3pm. This is where I go most often because this is where my veggie guy works and it’s so close. I also bought a 10 euro purse here (It’s not of super great quality though. For great quality, go one stand down where you will find 70 euro leather purses). Yet, it’s not my favorite food market because of one little thing: it’s organization. It is one long strip to walk down, with stands on each side. It’s usually very crowded and difficult to maneuver.

My favorite can be found on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7am-2:30pm and Sundays from 7am-3pm at Place Monge, near the Arènes de Lutèce. It offers most of the same things, but is set up in a town square and therefore is much easier to move about.

Marché Monge, May 2010

My favorite stand there has spices and olives. It smells absolutely wonderful and the colors are beautiful. Sorry, I haven’t been brave (or rude?) enough to take close-up pictures of stands. I need to learn how to make something with olives so I can actually buy and use some.

Besides Marché d’Aligre, I also hope to make it to the Marché aux Puces de Vanves before going home. The first day of my sister’s visit, we tried to make it, but everyone was packing when we finally got there. By chance, on the way home, we found a one-time flea market. Tom and I found some really neat old postcards of Paris, that had actually been sent decades ago and had their originally messages on the back.

Open-air markets have made it on my list of my favorite things about daily life in Paris. The market ambiance is unique. Watching people interact with each other and smile is almost better than my free fruit.

For more info or to find other markets in Paris, go here (French only).

Repeats and firsts during the sister visit

2010-06-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

Luckily my sister, equipped with her foot brace, was able to continue to visit the sights in Paris. Of course, since I've been here since September, and since I'd visited Paris twice before (man, am I lucky!), I've covered all of the main tourist spots and much more, some multiple times. Obviously, though, there are several must-sees in Paris and any good host will revisit these places with the first-timer. I tried to regain my own first-time enthusiasm, as to not bum out my sister with my boredom.

In some places, it worked.

I continue to love strolling through the halls of Musée d'Orsay, looking at Van Gogh and Monet and Degas paintings. The enthusiasm didn't hold up in the Louvre, however. I prefer the Louvre from the outside. Gazing at the ancient palace turned museum with it's modern pyramids from the Tuileries is how I prefer to experience the Louvre these days. Once inside, I fell trapped and I know that the next 4 or 5 hours will be spent wondering the halls, feeling like a lost soul not knowing when it will end. Yet I survived my 5th (6th?) visit to the Louvre and was happy that my sister found a lot of interesting Egyptian art, including a Book of the Dead, which I suppose was pretty neat.

Since she came for two weeks, we had the time to see more than the must-sees, and I was excited to be a first-timer again in a few new places.

Although I have been to the Marais countless times (usually for a good falafel), I had never visited any of the hôtels particuliers. Although we weren't able to visit the inside of Hôtel de Sully, the courtyard of this town house, connected to the Place des Vosges, provided great views of the exterior. At the Hôtel de Soubise, we succeeded in getting in before it closed. The prince's and princesses' apartments are worth a visit.

Hôtel de Sully

One of my favorite new places was La Conciergerie, a royal palace dating from the middle ages that was later used as a prison. It was used to hold prisoners during the revolution. Their next stop after La Conciergerie was the guillotine. Marie Antionette and Robespierre were held here before their executions.

La Conciergerie

A mock up of what Marie Antoinette's cell looked like. Her actual cell was later converted into a chapel.

Still in the Conciergerie. Tom showing the mark of the water level during the 1910 Paris flood.

In the middle of Jenny's two week Paris visit, the three of us took a weekend trip to Normandy. Having studied in Normandy in the summer of 2006, almost everything we did and saw was another repeat for me. But it was a wonderful repeat! I love this region and it was good to get out of the city for a few days. Tom had also never been to this area, and he really enjoyed it, too, especially the adorable port city of Honfleur.

We visited Monet's gardens in Giverny, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Mont-Saint-Michel, and spend an evening and afternoon wondering around Honfleur before returning to Paris. One new thing for me, though, was horseback riding near Mont-Saint-Michel. My sister is a horse enthusiast so we organized this detour. Sadly we didn't actually ride on the beach like she wanted to, but we did have magnificent views of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Another new thing was staying in a Chambre d'Hôte (Bed and Breakfast), which was the only option for us in the countryside where our horseback riding took place. It was definitely not the most comfortable (bed and awkwardness-wise), but it was another wonderful opportunity to speak French. The couple who owned the place were exceptionally welcoming and talkative.

Monet's gardens

Monet's...flowers

American Cemetery

Getting ready for some serious horse-riding, or just hoping not to fall off. Domino, my horse, was sweet, but all he wanted to do was eat along the trail. I had to yell "Non! Tu ne manges pas!" quite a bit.

Jenny smiling for a picture during a pit-stop.

Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Tom in the hall where monks ate...in silence.

Gorgeous Honfleur. How could I refuse a second visit?

I'm really glad my sister was able to experience a little bit of France, a place that holds such a special place in my heart. It's a bit of a risk inviting someone to visit you in your beloved new home. I know that sounds odd and snooty, but let me explain. Since France is so special to me, it is important that any guest of ours have a great time and find it equally wonderful. I suppose that I may be a tad unreasonable. I took my sister, and other visitors, to some of my favorite places, which are not exactly the most famous or must-sees. They liked some, but didn't care at all for others, which hurt a little. But on the whole my sister's trip was a success (well, besides the few special places she didn't care about or the whole falling down the stairs thing). It really helped that she had done some research before and was interested in seeing certain places...even if one of them was the Louvre.

An encounter with French health care

2010-06-07T03:03:00.000-07:00

It’s almost time for me to return to the states. After nearly 10 months of living in France, I never succeeded in signing up for Social Security, and therefore health insurance (although I believe that since my pay checks were deducted for this that I would have been reimbursed- eventually- for any medical bills). So, clearly administration in France is a nightmare. However, a recent incident reassured me, that if I were to get sick, I would be taken care of and it wouldn’t cost me les yeux de la tête (an arm and a leg). This incident gave me a glimpse at the system.

My sister came to visit for two weeks in May. It was her first time to Europe, her first time out of the country if you don’t count a few days in Mexico when we were too young to remember. I wanted her to have a great time and for Paris to have a great impression of her. Unfortunately, our staircase had another plan. Her second night here, she missed one or two miserable steps. At first, she was fine. But overnight her foot swelled. My first thought was to go to the pharmacy.

Pharmacists are honestly just awesome here. When I explained what happened to the pharmacist, he took us to a room and looked at her foot. He said he didn’t think anything was broken but recommended she go to a doctor to make sure she didn’t need an x-ray. Nervous, I asked what an x-ray would cost since she wasn’t covered by French health insurance. He grimaced. Oh no. 100? 200? More? I worried. With an apologetic tone he said, “Without French health coverage, it could be up to 30 or 40.”

Next, I accompanied my limping sister to the nearest clinic to make an appointment for later that afternoon. When we came back for the appointment, they asked for her carte vitale (insurance card). After explaining that she’s just visiting France, again with an apologetic tone, the lady said, “then you’ll have to pay the whole fee for the appointment now, but we’ll give you a form and maybe your American insurance will reimburse you.” How much? “22 euros.”

We waited for about 45 minutes in the waiting room where we watched 5 patients be called before us into the exam room. Curious thing about doctor offices (or at least clinics) in France: there are cabines (changing rooms) connected to the exam rooms. So as patients were called, we watched the doctor go through the main door to the room, while the patients went to the cabine. I explained to Jenny that they are probably stripping down and may not have gowns to wear. There are no frills at the doctor or the hospital in France, I hear. “No way am I taking off my clothes for my foot!” she exclaimed. I agreed that would be ridiculous, but after this long day I told her to suck it up if she had to. Luckily, when we were called, Dr. Arnaud just asked her to take off her shoe. She sat on the table and the doctor asked me, “Elle a fait quoi comme bêtise?” (What stupid thing did she do?) I like this guy.

Dr. Arnaud confirmed that nothing was broken and that an x-ray wasn’t needed. She had une entorse (a sprain) and he wrote her a prescription for an anti-inflammatory cream, une attelle (a brace) and a set of cannes anglaises (crutches, but those that you hold with your hands and don’t go under your armpits). The doctor even assured us that we could take our trip to Mont Saint Michel and that she could even ride a horse. He even included a funny horse riding demonstration from his chair.

Back to the pharmacy we went for the brace, cream, and rented crutches, which cost about 50 euros. So the day’s worth of medical bills, without coverage, cost under 75 euros.

The standard fee for seeing a (non-private) general practitioner for adults in France is 22 euros. If you are covered by the Social Security health coverage (which are all citizens and residents here long enough to get paperwork finished), 70% of that is reimbursed. Back in March, the doctor unionists (yes, doctor unionists) went on strike. They were demanding that the fee be raised to 23 euros. Well, from what I’ve found on the Internet, it didn’t exactly happen. Some doctors have begun to charge the extra euro, but the Assurance Maladie (Health Insurance) website assures that patients have the right to refuse to pay the extra euro. For Francophiles, this article is interesting if you want to learn more, and this site explains the basics about doctor fees.

I indeed sympathize with the general practitioners who feel constrained by politicians and unappreciated, and I think they deserve the extra euro. Clearly I must admit that there are problems and downsides to the French health care system. Yet, I firmly believe that my sister, as small as her incident may have been, was in competent hands. She was well taken care of, and even without coverage she didn’t have to forfeit all of her traveling money for medical bills.

After doing some research about fees and such in France, I decided I needed to learn more about the new health care plan going into effect in my home country. I knew the very basics, but since it passed, I didn’t understand how and when things would exactly change. Some of the first things to go into effect are that people under 26 can remain on their parents’ health insurance, and that insurance providers cannot deny coverage to children due to pre-existing conditions. As a married individual, I can’t exactly benefit from my dad’s insurance (I assume), but I think that is wonderful. How many 22 year olds find a job with excellent benefits right after college? That’s a much-needed cushion in my opinion. And not allowing insurance companies from refusing to give health coverage to children, well how could you argue with that? Is that not simply just?

Before strangers to my blog begin to bombard me with anti-socialist comments, let me say that I’m admittedly not an expert, and let me change the subject. Another wonderful thing to come out of my sisters’ slight misery was my opportunity to speak French in a new environment. Speaking with pharmacists and doctors and learning new vocabulary was honestly exciting and it felt good, since I’ve not had “new” French speaking experiences lately. So, Jenny, I’m sorry you feel down the stairs, but thank you for the gift of this interesting experience.

Mon Appart (or Housing in Paris, Part 2: Studio Apartment)

2010-06-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our 19th Century Haussmann apartment building.

There is so much I want to write about, and I'm trying to catch up! Back in February, we moved out of our foyer (residence hall type place) and into a subleased studio. It's only slightly bigger than our foyer room, 18m2 (194 square ft), but we have our own kitchen, which is slowly helping me with that learning to cook goal, and we share a toilet with one other studio. The shower is oddly in the kitchen, but it works for us. This size of studio apartment is typical for students in Paris, as housing is so expensive here. We unfortuanetly no longer qualify for CAF assistance, but we pay a relatively fair rent amount.

It may sound small, but we really have all the space we need. We love our quiet area, and we are close to Avenue d'Italie, where we do all of our errands, and close to the metro so we can go anywhere in Paris in an hour or less. Both our old foyer and current studio are in the 13th district, but we're in a nicer area now, with more restaurant and grocery shopping options. I actually adore our area, which includes the Butte aux Cailles. But that's for another blog post. Now, I just want to share some pics of our humble abode.

Kitchen. Do you see the shower?

Kitchen, view #2.

Living room/dining room/bedroom. I love our big window!

Living room/dining room/bedroom view #2. Our bed is a BZ, think futon but it pulls out the other way.

The view of the treacherous stairs from the top floor.

I prefer pubic transportation

2010-06-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

I was sad to learn recently that my not-so-faithful car at home has gone kaput. When I return, I will have to make do with sharing Tom's truck until I find a job and can get a new car.

Fortunately in Paris, having a car is not necessary. In fact, it would be nearly crazy to keep a car here. Using les transports en commun is part of the daily grind in Paris. In fact, there is a common expression that goes métro, boulot, dodo (metro, work, sleep). This expression is actually negative, showing the monotony and repetition of daily life in the city.

Metro station Tolbiac, 13e arrondissement

Besides the few setbacks and strikes, I've actually been enjoying using public transportation, and wish it would be possible at home. Ok, I don't usually enjoy my time on the metro. At times, especially on lines 1 and 2 it seems, it's so crowded that there is no other option but to push and shove your way on, fighting for a spot, not even hoping for a seat but for room to breath, securing your pockets so that Mr. Pickpocket doesn't take off with your 10 euros or Navigo pass. There's also the stations themselves, which unfortunately sometimes have an awful stench and where you often have to avoid mysterious puddles, like on the streets. Every time I see one, I think of my friend Tabitha's saying, "I don't trust liquid in the city."

Back to the positive, since I really do like taking the metro. The number one reason is that it is so convenient. There are 14 metro lines in Paris (16 if you count 3bis and 7bis), and 5 RER lines (A-E). We are just a 5 minute walk from the station Tolbiac, on line 7, 10 minutes from the station Place d'Italie, which has lines 5,6, and 7, and just 10 minutes from the station Olympiades, which has the automatic super-fast line 14. Such a modern city, right? Can you believe that the metro started in 1900?!

Among other advantages is the time you have to read, which you couldn't (or shouldn't!) do while driving. It's also a great time to eavesdrop on conversations and try to understand as much French as possible. Also, it's relatively inexpensive. If you frequently use the metro, you can buy a Navigo pass. For Paris (zones 1 and 2), I pay just over 50 euros for the month. I probably spent more than that in gas in one week at home. There's also the Navigo Imaginaire, the student pass, which is much cheaper. The downside is that you have to pay for the year and you have to have a Certificat de Scolarité before you can get it.

In addition to the metro and RER, there are many bus lines and 3 tram lines. Buses can be a great alternative after months of taking the metro, where, if you have to go far, you'll be deprived of sunlight for hours a day. The trams are also above ground, but generally slower because their speed depends on traffic. Yet, the metro just seems easier to me. It's very easy to navigate. But one warning for future Paris visitors. Avoid Châtelet if you can, or be ready to walk. As convenient as it is to change lines (it has 5 metro lines and 3 RER lines), it is humongous. I'd prefer to walk outside than underground.

One last thing bothers me about the metro, though. It is the opposite of handicap accessible. There is the occasional elevator, but not at many stations. There are also escalators. But mostly it's stairs, stairs, stairs. I'm not sure how the elderly do it. Slowly, I guess. But people in wheelchairs? Well, I've obviously never seen any wheelchairs in the metro. But how do they get around?

Using public transportation goes hand in hand with your feet. This doesn't bother me so much, but getting lost does. At metro stations, there are plans du quartier (area maps), which are helpful. But I recently broke down and spent the 10 euros to buy the VERY helpful A. Leconte Plan de Paris book. I highly recommend it for Paris dwellers.

General Update

2010-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have been horrible about blogging, je sais. Since my last pathetically short post, a lot has happened, which I'm using as my excuse for not blogging. Here's a quick update on life for Tom and Katie (mostly for Katie because Tom hasn't blogged since January 4), and I will try to elaborate soon.

My sister visited for 2 weeks, and we had an awesome 3 day excursion to Normandy. Unfortunately, she hurt her foot on her second day here, and fortunately it gave me the opportunity to make fun of her, and to use my French at clinics and pharmacies. Oh, believe you me, you'll hear more about this.

Today I finally signed up to take the Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF), a test that will assess my level of French. Test date is June 21, and I'm taking it at the Association d'Assistance Scolaire Linguistique et Culturelle (ASLC), where I will also be taking a prep course starting next week. I haven't had a lot of luck with classes here (German lady with her distracting dog and tangents, classes turning out to be in English, etc), so I'm really hoping this one goes well, yet sadly expect something crazy to happen.

I've also been looking for jobs in Indiana. No news. I'm not panicking. Not yet.

And, oh yeah, tomorrow we're going to Germany for a 5 day trip! Munich, the Ludwig II castles, and the Oberammergau passion play. I'm excited and only wishing I'd work harder on my German.

There's the quick version. More will be posted after Germany. So check back on Tuesday. Give me a nudge if need be.

2 months to go

2010-05-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

We have now been in France for 8 months, and unlike many of our student and assistant friends, we didn't go home for Christmas. Eight whole months and only 2 to go.

Dear Time,

Please don't go too fast. Let me savor every moment in France.

Respectfully,

Katie

A road trip through the Hexagone

2010-05-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Enjoy our pics, then scroll down for English.

Un de mes cours préférés à la fac était La France Contemporaine. J’ai appris pleine de choses sur la France et les Français. J’ai appris que les Français appellent la France, des fois, l’Hexagone, et qu’ils sont tellement fiers de leur pays varié. Pour le cours, il fallait situer les chaînes de montagnes, les fleuves, et beaucoup de villes sur une carte. Ça fait 3 ans que j’étais assise dans la salle de classe, m’émerveillant à la belle France avec une carte, un livre, et des photos. (J’avais déjà visité la Normandie et Paris, mais j’avais beaucoup à apprendre). Et maintenant que j’ai vu beaucoup plus de mes propres yeux, je peux vous dire que je serai fière aussi si c’étaient mon pays. Bon, je suis fière d’être résidente. Et je sais que j’ai vraiment la chance d’avoir vu encore de la France la semaine dernière.

Avec nos amis, Thomas B et Maggie, on a loué une voiture pour cette aventure. Notre première étape était Auvergne, une région dans au centre de la France. Les parents de Thomas ont une maison en Auvergne, alors il connaissait déjà la région et il était un excellent guide. Nous avons monté deux volcans (oui, il y a des volcans en France !), et nous avons visité le château de Murol, des grottes, une ferme de chèvres où on a acheté du fromage, et le village d’Usson où la Reine Margot a été bannie. Et nous avons essayé beaucoup de nouveaux fromages : Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal vieux, et trois types de chèvres.

Le quatrième jour, Tom et moi avons dit au revoir à Maggie et Thomas qui sont rentrés à Paris en train. J’ai continué vers le sud avec mon mari, content d’être au volant. Après quelques heures au Puy-en-Velay où nous avons visité le rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (une chapelle bâtie dans le rocher d’un volcan) et un magasin de dentelle fait main, nous sommes allés au Chambon-sur-Lignon. C’est une ville assez inconnue, même parmi les Français, mais avec une histoire incroyable. Pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale, les gens de cette ville, et dans le voisinage, ont accueilli et caché 5000 juifs, pour la plupart des enfants. J’ai écrit mon mémoire pour mon cours de l’Holocauste à ce sujet et c’était un peu irréel d’être là.

Ensuite, nous sommes arrivés en Provence, à travers la route des Gorges de l’Ardèche, pour une journée à Avignon et une journée à Aix-en-Provence. Ahhh. Provence. Vous imaginez le soleil, des bons repas provençaux, et les santons ? C’est ce que j’ai imaginé. Je suis sûre que on peu trouvé toutes ces choses, mais pas nous. Il a plu les deux jours. Beaucoup de restaurants (ceux que notre guide Michelin suggère), magasins, et musées étaient fermés. Samedi était un jour férié, et puis dimanche, c’est dimanche en France. On n’avait pas beaucoup de chance en Provence. Mais, bien sûr, en Avignon nous avons visité le Palais des Papes (oui, les papes habitait en France pendant un moment de l’histoire !) et nous avons dansé sur le Pont d’Avignon, et nous avons même réussi à trouvé un bon restaurant, l’Orangeraie. À Aix, on s’est reposé un peu à l’hôtel pendant la pluie. Je n’ai pas réussi à trouver un magasin ouvert pour acheter mon santon convoité, et on s’est contenté de manger un repas, moyennement bon, à Patacrêpes, une chaîne. Par contre, les serveurs étaient très sympathiques. Mais, avec notre guide Michelin fidèle, nous nous sommes promenés en apprenant un peu sur l’histoire et l’architecture. Je dois avouer que Aix est une ville charmante, même dans la pluie. En route vers Lyon, nous sommes allés à Orange pendant une heure, pour voir les vestiges romains, y inclus un Arc de Triomphe beaucoup plus vieux que celui de Napoléon.

Lyon était notre dernière étape avant de rentrer à Paris. N’ayant qu’une demi-journée, nous avons concentrés sur les deux collines. Sur la colline Fourvière, la colline qui prie, se trouve le Basilique Notre-Dame. Les mosaïques étaient exceptionnelles. À droite, elles racontent l’histoire de France et à gauche l’histoire de l’Église, avec Marie partout. Dommage, photos interdites. Ensuite, nous avons visité la Croix-Rousse, ou la colline qui travaille. Mais nous avons trouvés rien d’intéressant. Peut-être que nous n’étions pas au bon endroit. Ou peut-être que le travail n’est pas très intéressant. Nous n’avions pas le temps de visiter des musées ou d’autres églises, mais les vues du Rhône et de la Saône étaient superbes.

Il y a certainement des avantages de voyager en voiture. Les trains ont leurs avantages, mais en voiture on voit beaucoup plus. On découvre les petits villages et on aperçoit des jolis panoramas inattendus. Malheureusement c’est moins écologique que les trains, et c’est plus cher quand il faut se garer. Il y a aussi les péages si on prend les autoroutes. Si vous pensez à voyer en voiture en France, munissez-vous d’espèces ! Même si les péages sont censés d’accepter les cartes bancaires, la mienne n’a pas marché (il y en avait de l’argent, je promets !) et après 10 minutes, j’ai rendu une dizaine de gens derrières nous vexés, et après une interrogation j’ai reçu la facture avec une menace d’être poursuivie si je n’aurai pas payé sous 8 jours.

~~~~~~~English~~~~~~~

One of my favorite college classes was Contemporary France. I learned a lot about France and the French. I learned that the French call France, sometimes, the Hexagon, due to its shape, and that they are very proud of their diverse country. For the class, we had to be able to place mountain chains, rivers, and lots of cities on a map of France. Three years ago I was sitting in a classroom, marveling at beautiful France with only a map, a book, and some pictures. (I had already visited Normandy and Paris, but I still had a lot to learn). And now that I’ve seen much more with my own eyes, I have to say that I would, too, be proud if this were my country. Well, I guess I can be a proud resident. And now I know that I’m really lucky to have seen even more of France last week.

Together with our friends, Thomas B and Maggie, Tom and I rented a car for our Spring break adventure. Our first stop was Auvergne, a region in the center of France. Thomas’ parents have a house there, so he already knew the region and made for an excellent tour guide. We climbed two volcanoes (yes, there are volcanoes in France!), and we visited the castle in Murol, caves, a goat farm where we bought cheese, and the village of Usson where Queen Margot was imprisoned. We also tried a lot of new cheeses: Salers, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal vieux (“old” Cantal), and three types of goat cheese.

The fourth day, Tom and I said goodbye to Maggie and Thomas who took a train back to Paris. I continued south with my husband, happy to be behind the wheel. After spending a few hours in Puy-en-Velay where we visited the Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe (a chapel built in the rock of a volcano) and a handmade lace store, we went to Chambon-sur-Lignon. This town is not very well know, even by French people, but has an amazing story. During WWII, the people of this town, and in the surrounding area, welcomed and hide 5000 Jews, mostly children. I wrote my paper for my Holocaust class about this and it was a little unreal to be there.

Next, we journeyed on to Provence, driving through the Gorges de l’Ardèche, to spend one day in Avignon and one day in Aix-en-Provence. Ahhh. Provence. Are you imagining sun, wonderful regional meals, and cute little stores (particularly those selling santons- figurines for elaborate nativity scenes)? That’s what I imagined. I’m sure you can find those things here, but not us. It rained both days. A lot of restaurants (those that our Michelin guide suggests), stores, and museums were closed. Saturday was a holiday, and Sunday was a Sunday in France. We didn’t have a lot of luck in Provence. But, of course, we visited the Pope’s Palace (yes, Popes lived in France for a time!) and we danced on the Avignon Bridge, and we even succeeded in finding a good restaurant, l’Orangeraie. In Aix, we rested in the hotel while it rained. I was not able to find an open store to buy the coveted santon, and we settled with having a moderately good dinner at a chain restaurant called Patacrêpes. However, the servers were really nice. But, with our trusty Michelin guide, we learned a bit about the history and architecture of Aix while strolling through the city. I have to admit that Aix is a very charming city, even in the rain. On the way to Lyon we stopped in Orange for an hour to see the Roman monuments, including an Arc of Triumph much older than Napoleon’s.

Lyon was our last stop before returning to Paris. Only having a half of a day, we concentrated on the two hills. On the Fourvière hill, “the hill that prays”, is the Notre-Dame Basilica. The mosaics were beautiful. On the right, they tell of France’s history, and on the left the history of the Church, with Mary to be found everywhere. Too bad, no photos allowed. Next, we visited the Croix-Rousse hill, “the hill that works.” But we didn’t find anything interesting. Maybe we weren’t in the right area. Or maybe that work isn’t very interesting. We didn’t have time to visit museums or other churches, but the views from the two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, were superb.

There are certainly advantages to traveling by car. Trains have their advantages, but in a car you can see so much more. You discover little villages along the way and you see amazing and unexpected views. Unfortunately it’s less green than trains, and it’s more expensive when you have to park. There are also tolls if you take the autoroutes. If you are planning a road trip in France, go prepared with extra cash! Even though the tollbooths are supposed to accept bank cards, mine did not work (there was money in it, promise!) and after 10 minutes, I had angered the ten people behind us, and after a questioning from a lady through the speaker, I received a bill that threatened that I would be “pursued” if I didn’t send in the payment within 8 days.

I heart the CAF. Social Security office, not so much.

2010-05-07T03:07:00.000-07:00

I heart the CAF

Today I checked my French bank account, hoping I hadn't gone negative yet (I'm not so good with personal finances) and had a happy surprise. A nice big chunk of euros had been deposited into my account. The generous donor was the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales), the agency that determines and distributes social benefits. The benefit that Tom and I, and most other students and language assistants, qualify for is rent assistance. The amount of assistance depends on how much you make, your age, and how much you pay for rent.

We had been paid a nice amount back in March and then I received mail from the CAF requesting more documents, stating that we were entitled to more assistance. I'm no dummy, so I sent it in right away, and here we are.

Since moving into our studio, we no longer qualify for the CAF, since it's a sublet. So the assistance we've received was for the rent we paid at the foyer (residence hall). We lived there for 6 months. I did the math and our CAF payments covered 50% of our rent at the foyer. FIFTY PERCENT. Wow.

I have written several times before about our administration frustrations, and the CAF was one of them. We moved here in September, and did not have all of our necessary documents ready for the CAF until January. Then, it took a good two months for them to go over our file.

It's slow. Very slow. But I'm very very happy with the CAF right now. It makes affording Paris housing...possible. My childlike husband asked what we were going to do with the money. I said, "Pay the rent."

Social Security office, we need to see other people.

Three trips to the office to sign up for social security to get health coverage.

First time, wait. Wait. "You're at the wrong office."

Second time, wait. "Your sex is not indicated on your birth certificate. This won't work." Wonderful dad picks up a new birth certificate and mails it to me.

Third time, wait. Wait. "Looks good. You'll receive something in the mail soon."

Oh I received something in the mail. My entire file was returned with a letter stating that I still didn't have everything. One of the things is my pay slip from March, which I obviously didn't have when I completed the file in MARCH. For the love. Another is the pay slip from October. Since I wasn't paid from October until December, I have one pay slip for three months, which I gave them with a letter explaining that.

Is it worth it? Do I give up? What happens if I don't sign up? I go home in two months!

Satisfaction of a job well DONE

2010-04-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was my last day teaching in my schools. And I was, sadly, just relieved. Even though I knew from the start that teaching small children wasn’t my truc, not my thing, I had hoped to like it a little. I mean, I was very lucky to have the wonderful and welcoming team at JF. I made some friends and had a great time talking to some of them. PA/B is just a different story (a few good experiences would be the exception to the indifference I felt there).

I don’t hate children. I don’t. I hate children when they outnumber me 15 to 1. I know that “real” teachers (who I respect oh so much) have classrooms of 20 or 30 all day, every day. But there’s one small difference that I’ve been trying to keep in teachers’ minds since day one: I am not a teacher. I’m not certified and I had 4 days of training. I’m an assistant.

Even though the assistantship program is quite old, nobody seems to be used to the idea. The principle is that uncertified Anglophones can come to France to teach French children or teens to expose them to the right accent and to share our culture. The uncertified part isn’t supposed to be a problem (at least for 7-month assistants) because in theory, we’re either supposed to be with the whole class with the teacher, or take small groups. I never looked it up, but I’m not so sure that 17 counts as a small group.

Yet, I sympathize. I’m sure how else it would have worked, since only one or two teachers in the school are qualified to give their own English lessons.

So, I was the Prof d’anglais in one school, and spread thinner than a crêpe at the other. I went to 13 classes a week, but didn’t see the same kids every week. So, I “taught” English to total of more than 300 kids. Remembering names was a nightmare and connecting with the kids was downright impossible.

Before starting this job, I talked to my teacher friend Heather about my worries. Number one was discipline. I was afraid of the kids walking all over me. And I was right. They didn’t see me as their teacher. So, I had to yell. Despite some mistakes, I’ve learned to lecture in French. As my sister-in-law elegantly put it, I was a BA (and no, that doesn’t mean Bachelor of Arts like I thought at first). I sent misbehaving children to the hall or back to class and didn’t blink when they started to cry.

However, I didn’t spend all my time yelling or perfecting my “classroom” French. I did teach some English. We sang and played games. And I encouraged kids. The names of the particularly bad students were easy to remember and I learned to praise them when they started to improve in English. Or when they learned how to listen to a song without starting to drag themselves around on the floor. That must be one of the best parts of teaching- seeing a kid become proud of himself after you tell him he’s improving.

I really wish I could have been with SMALL groups and had seen the same kids more frequently. I really feel that I would have been able to make a bigger impact, and they would have been able to progress more. But, when every class, starting from 1^st grade, has to have English, and there’s just one of me, that wasn’t possible.

Was it a total flop? Well, no. Some class sessions certainly were. And I didn’t come close to getting through the curriculum.

The CP/CE1 (1^st/2^nd grade) class- I swear they’re the fastest learners- at JF still sings Blue like the sea by heart. Ok, they don’t actually know all the words, but they will never forget their colors! And it was a very rewarding moment when Ali came up to me and said, “Hello. My name’s Ali. I’m 7.”

And at PA, in one of my CE1 classes (one that I saw every week), the kids can kind of express themselves- almost independently. They can say that they like spaghetti and that they don’t like snakes.

I had to lower my expectations to keep from going insane or being too hard on myself or the kids. I don’t mean that I suck or that they’re stupid. I just had really high expectations and wasn’t being realistic. And I didn’t understand kids. So, I’ve learned to be more realistic (and maybe l’Éducation Nationale should too) and having realistic goals helped.

Thursday was my last day. I had a wonderful party at JF, and, well some of the people at PA/B remembered it was my last day and said goodbye. But here’s what’s more important: the kids were sad to see me go. Because I’m a pushover and English is second recess? Maybe some of them. But, others…well I'll just let you read it for yourself.

Yacine drew his class, or maybe just his favorite classmates. "Big kisses" is a literal translation of the French expression "Gros Bisous." It's equivalent to hugs and kisses, or xoxoxoxo. The second is "Kety, I love you." I told you about my name!

Valentine says "Goodbye Cathy. Big kiss." Samantha says, well a lot, but it includes a thank you for the lessons.

This one just cracks me up. "We are going to miss you. You were a real English teacher (who was American)! Have a nice vacation." It's also fun for me to correct their FRENCH mistakes. That should be bonnes vacances.

This sweet letter is from Wendy (her English class name). "For the best English teacher (that's me!). When you came to France I knew right away that you were nice and that your classes would be good and I was right. I'm sad that you're leaving but I think that we'll see each other again (when I go to the US :) ). Goodbye and maybe I'll see you soon. From the bottom of my heart, Wendy."

I think this earns me the right to check something off my list.

Qu’y a-t-il dans un nom ? Une explication d’un prénom. / What's in a name? A name explanation.

2010-04-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

(scroll down for English)

Katie.

Ce n’est pas un prénom français, je sais bien. Mais est-ce que c’est si difficile ? Ce n’est que 5 lettres et 2 syllabes.

Quand je suis arrivée en France, et quand j’ai rencontré les enseignants et les élèves dans les écoles, j’ai essayé de me présenter comme Katherine. Après tout, c’est mon prénom, celui qui est sur mon certificat, et c’est plus facile en France. C’est un prénom assez commun en France, sauf c’est toujours écrit avec un « C. » Pourtant, même si j’avais l’intension d’être Katherine, j’ai laissé échapper « Katie » au début, et j’ai perdu toute possibilité de simplicité.

Alors, je n’étais pas Katherine. Mais je n’étais pas Katie, non plus. Au moins, pas exactement. Les enseignants ne pouvaient pas se mettre d’accord et on m’a appelé :

Katelyn

Kelly

Casey

Kate (qui me fait grimacer puisque je m’appelais, malgré moi, Kate à la Croix Rouge)

Kathy

Je n’ai pas la moindre idée où devenaient les trois premiers. Le quatrième, j’imagine, est parce que c’est un prénom anglais commun. Le dernier est le plus intéressant (au moins si vous êtes un geek comme moi). Quand je me suis présentée comme « Katie » il y avait des enseignants qui pensaient que je prononçait « Kathy » à la française. Un enseignant, spécialement fort en anglais, m’a appelé Kathy (avec le « th ») toute l’année. Je crois qu’il était fier de sa connaissance des prénoms anglais et sa prononciation et je n’avais pas le courage de le corriger.

D’accord, les Français, je comprends qu’on peut confondre Katie et Kathy à l’oral, mais à l’écrit ? J’ai écrit une douzaine de mèls aux enseignants, et j’ai signé Katie, et presque chaque réponse a adressé « Kathy. »

Il serait plus facile de m’appeler Katherine en France, mais je ne peux pas m’empêcher de dire Katie. Quand on habitait au foyer, j’ai réussi à me présenter comme « Katherine » au début, mais après quelques jours « Katie » est revenue. Puis, un jour au dîner, un mec vraiment désagréable qui aime se moquer des autres pour se sentir plus important (Tom et moi l’appelons Spiky à cause de ses cheveux) m’a demandée, « Alors, c’est Katherine ou Katie ? ». J’ai expliqué que Katie est un diminutif de Katherine. « Ah, c’est plus intime, » il a ricané. En France, les diminutifs sont uniquement pour la famille et les amis proches. Spiky pensait que j’essayais d’être son amie. Et maintenant je ris. « Non, Spi…euh, tout le monde m’appelle Katie chez moi. Katherine, c’est mon nom administratif, et c’est tout. »

Ma mère aimait le prénom « Katie » mais c’est un diminutif, donc elle m’a donné « Katherine » comme prénom afin de m’appeler « Katie. » C’est une règle que ne suivent pas les Français qui adorent les prénoms anglais. J’avais des élèves avec les prénoms Tom, Mike, et Steve, mais ce sont leurs prénoms officiels.

Je ne sais pas si j’ai des lecteurs français, mais si il y en a, voilà une explication pour le prénom américain, Katie.

Phonétiquement, on dit [kedi] (si je me souviens bien de mon cours de phonétiques).

D ? Oui. Aux Etats-Unis, le « t » se prononce souvent comme « d. » Water, par exemple, ou little.

Chez moi, je me présente comme Katherine uniquement quand je parle à la banque, ou quand je dois commander un nouveau certificat de naissance parce que j’en ai besoin pour la sécurité sociale en France.

Kathy- ce n’est pas moi, c’est ma tante et d’autres femmes qui ont une quarantaine d’années.

Voilà. C’est clair ? Une rose embaumerait autant sous un autre nom, et peut-être que je ne changerais pas si j’étais Casey ou Kathy. Mais je suis assez attachée à mon prénom.

In English

Katie.

It’s not a French name, I am aware. But is it so difficult? It’s just 5 letters and 2 syllables.

When I got here, and when I met the teachers and students in my schools, I tried to go by Katherine. After all, it is my name, the one that’s on my birth certificate, and it’s easier in France. It’s a common first name in France, except that it’s always spelled with a “C.” Yet, even if I planned to be Katherine, “Katie” just slipped out a few times in the beginning, and I lost all chances of simplicity.

So, I wasn’t Katherine. But I wasn’t exactly Katie either. The teachers never agreed on what to call me, so I got:

Katelyn

Kelly

Casey

Kate (which still makes me wince since I was called Kate despite myself while at the Red Cross)

Kathy

I have no clue where those first three came from. The forth, I imagine, is because it’s a common English name. The last is the most interesting (it is if you’re a geek like me). When I introduced myself as “Katie” there were certain teachers who thought I was pronouncing “Kathy” with a French accent, as there is no “th” sound in French. One teacher, who is especially good in English, called me Kathy (with the “th”) the entire year. I think he was proud of his knowledge of English first names and of his pronunciation and I didn’t have the heart to correct him.

Ok, French people, I understand how it’s easy to confuse Katie and Kathy orally, but written? I wrote a dozen emails to teachers and I signed them “Katie,” and almost every response was addressed to “Kathy.”

It would be easier to call myself Katherine in France, but I just can’t stop myself from saying Katie. When we lived in the foyer, I succeeded in introducing myself as Katherine at first, but after a few days “Katie” came back. Then, one day at dinner, a very unpleasant guy who likes to make fun of others to make himself feel more important (Tom and I call him Spiky because of his hair) asked me, “So is it Katherine or Katie?” I explained that Katie is a nickname for Katherine. “Oh, it’s an intimate name” he snickered. In France, nicknames are reserved for family and close friends. Spiky thought I was trying to be his friend. And now it’s my turn to laugh. Ha! “No, Spi…um…everyone calls me Katie at home. Katherine is my official name, that’s all.

My mom liked the name “Katie” but it’s a nickname, so she gave me the name “Katherine” so she could call me “Katie.” It’s not a rule that the French really follow. If they give their children traditional French names, that’s what they will go by- except by close family and friends perhaps. But, the French who want to be cool and give American names go straight to the nickname. I had students called Tom, Mike, and Steve, and those were their full names.

I don’t know if I actually have French readers, but if you’re out there, here is an explanation of my very American name.

It sounds more like “Kadie” than “Katie.” In the States, “t” is often pronounced as “d.” Like in water or little.

At home, I introduce myself as Katherine only when I’m talking to the bank, or when I need to order a new birth certificate because I need one for the social security office in France.

Kathy- that’s not me, it’s my aunt and a lot of other women who are in their 40s.

So, there you have it. Is it clear? A rose would smell just as sweet if we called it something else, and maybe I would be the same if I were called Casey or Kathy. But I’m pretty attached to my name.

A Delicious find and a conversation starter

2010-04-05T03:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, after my interview with Acadomia, I walked around the area, near l'Opéra Garnier. On my walk I came across La Cure Gourmande. I had already been to this store, but the one on l'Île Saint Louis, and I knew that they like to give out free samples so I stepped inside. The sample cookie was so delicious that I decided to buy a few cookies and a pretty tin as an Easter treat for Tom and myself. I got the tin and 4 cookies (2 almond and 2 chocolate) for just under 9 euros.

On the way home on line 7, I noticed a 60-something year old lady next to me studying my Cure Gourmande bag.

I was listening to my iPod, but after about 5 minutes the curiosity got the best of her and she politely interrupted my music to ask me about the bag. I showed her my tin and cookies and told her where I bought them. She had never heard of the place before. Seeing my opportunity to speak some French with a stranger, I asked "Vous habitez à Paris depuis longtemps?" (Have you lived in Paris for a long time?) "Oui, depuis des années." (Yes, for years.)

Then I saw the look, the "I hear an accent and you're surely not French look," so I told her I was American and she started talking to me in English. Normally, this would bother me, but not this time. She actually told me that my French is very good and that it's nice that some Americans are learning French. I learned that she is from Vietnam, that she lived in New York for several years, and that she has been in Paris for a decade. We talked about how difficult it is to get used to a new place. "It takes a year, no matter where you are. The first year is the hardest." I said that unfortunately I have a little less than a year, but that I've been able to enjoy myself and learn a lot all while dealing with the "first year problems."

We both got off at Tolbiac and went our separate ways- I went home and she went to a Vietnamese restaurant.

Pictures of the tin and cookies:

Oops! I guess I'll have to buy some more.

Joyeux Poisson d'avril!

2010-04-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Poisson d'avril = April Fool's Day, but poisson = fish

After learning about Poisson d'avril in my elementary French classes, it was neat to "experience" it. Really, there's not much to it. It's like April Fool's. Some people play tricks on friends and many completely forget what day it is. During my lunch break at JF, the teachers were trying to come up with a good trick for a colleague. I think they decided on telling her that retirement benefits just changed (she's retiring next year). Unfortunately, I had to leave before seeing it play out.

The biggest difference of course is the fish part. Kids make paper fish and tape them to the backs of friends and teachers. I got two put on my back today. It's a little cultural experience, but it makes me smile.

This day also makes me smile, because 7 years ago today, my then boyfriend said the "L" word for the first time. Je t'aime Thomas A!

French with Marie

2010-03-29T11:01:00.001-07:00

Whoa, 2 posts in one day, aren't you lucky blog readers!

For a while now, I have been working on my French with a "language exchange partner" who I met at the Tempo Tea Time conversation group. Well, what I thought would be "language exchanges" quickly became hanging out with a friend. A friend is what I was secretly hoping for, so I was pretty happy with that. Marie has shown me and some other lucky anglophones some of the greatest spots in Paris, including an amazing ice cream shop called Berthillon, the Tea Caddy, the Places des Vosges, and the Playmobil exposition.

I had originally envisioned doing 30 minutes in French and 30 minutes in English during our outings- to make sure I really worked on my French. Instead, we just switch back in forth. Sadly, Marie is leaving Paris soon. She just got a job in Germany. I mean, I'm very happy for her. I'm 90% excited for her and 10% sad for me.

I thought this would be a good time to share all the wonderful vocabulary I have learned thanks to Marie. Some are helpful for everyday, and same are downright hilarious.

Here is the list, taken in order directly from my vocabulary notebook (if you think I'm a nerd, Marie has a notebook and a pen especially for English vocab, haha).

se damner
Je me damnerais pour ça - I would sell my soul for that; I would kill for that

un lèche-bottes - brown-noser; suck-up

un cancre - dunce (or the kid who goes to sleep in class)

crade - dirty; gross

un déjeuner-baskets - dine-and-dash

sécher - to skip/cut class (also: to dry)

trinquer - to toast

dégoûter - to disgust
J'étais dégoûté(e) - That disgusted me (can also been that you are jealous)

râler - to moan; to complain

J'hésite entre... - I can't decide between...

le repose merdouille - junk drawer

le gendarme couché = le dos d'âne = le rallentissage - speed bump

un intello - nerd; geek

un montagne russe - roller coaster

There are probably many more I learned when I didn't have my notebook handy.

Thank you for teaching me these great words, Marie, and for showing me around Paris! Maybe it's more like 70% excited and 30% sad.

60%/40%

joueur de saxophone

2010-03-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

French

Je regarde presque sans cesse les offres d'emploi- pour les 2 mois en France après mon contrat de 7 mois, et pour Anderson/Indianapolis de juillet et pour qui sait combien de temps.

Je me suis assise auprès de la fenêtre et je n'entends que le joueur de saxophone. Je ne peux pas le voir, mais je sais bien où il est. Il est en face de Monoprix, comme d'habitude, mais je ne l'ai jamais entendu d'ici.

Maintenant les gouttes de pluie prennent de l'ampleur et le joueur s'arrête. Il est encore orageux- du tonnerre et des éclairs. Je mets de la musique, Ariane Moffatt.

C'est sûr maintenant. J'aime habiter à Paris, surtout dans mon quartier quasi paisible. C'est bien Paris, mais avec du calme, là où l'on peut entendre un joueur de saxophone de loin. Je ne peux pas m'empêcher de m'inquiéter de mon avenir, mais je dois avouer que je suis heureuse.

Anglais

I'm constantly looking at job offers- for the 2 months I'll have in France after my assistantship contract, and for Anderson/Indy from July and for who knows how long.

I'm sitting at the window and I hear the saxophone player. I can't see him, but I know where he is. He is in his usual spot, across from Monoprix, but I've never heard him from here.

Now the rain is picking up and the musician stops. It's stormy again- thunder and lightening. I put on some music, Ariane Moffatt.

It's decided now. I love living in Paris, especially in my almost peaceful neighborhood. We're certainly in Paris, but with some peace and quiet, in an area where you can hear a saxophone player from afar. I can't stop myself from worrying about my future, but I have to admit that I'm happy.

arc-en-ciel

2010-03-26T02:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a nice day, besides hopping on the wrong train, being 15 minutes late for work, and then walking home in a storm.

Once I was back in Paris after work, I decided to walk home instead of taking the bus. After all, it's only about a 15 minute walk and it was nice out... until it started pouring and the wind decided to show just how powerful it can be. I was soaked and felt a bit beat up by the time I had climbed 6 flights of stairs to our apartment.

And, of course, the minute I got à l'abri, the storm calmed down and the rain stopped. Sure. At least I had a magnificent few from our window.

Schools closed

2010-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Due to a huge strike, my schools were closed today. Of course I was happy to have the day off. After my International Relations class (in English, grumble, grumble) today, I spent the afternoon in the Marais. After having a delicious falafel, I sat and read for a good hour. Then, I checked out the 150 years of immigration exposition, which circles Hôtel de Ville, and then headed to the Caféothèque where I continued to read.

It was nice being able to take my time and I couldn't have asked for nicer weather. Yet, I've already missed a handful of classes lately, due to being sick, participating in recording sessions for the Académie de Créteil's language site (where I amused myself with singing things like Old MacDonald), and teachers freaking out about being inspected. With only about a month to go, I still have a lot I want these kids to learn.

A quick note on the strike. There have been several teacher strikes this year, but not all teachers went on strike and it never affected me. This one is different. It is so big and widespread that both of my schools closed. What's more is that it wasn't just for teacher unions, but for public service unions as well, meaning public transportation was affected too. From what I've learned, the strike is due to Sarkozy's reform plans, including teacher cuts and retirement reforms.

I recently talked to my American teacher friend Heather who said that her township is getting a lot of cuts now, but that if they were to strike, it would be much different than in France. The teachers would still have classes because, of course, it's not the kids' fault and they shouldn't be punished. Their striking would involve going home right after school lets out.

Closing schools for a strike still seems strange to me, but it makes me think of a Hey Arnold! episode I saw a lot time ago (of course I don't still watch cartoons...). The teachers went on strike and the school was closed. Arnold and the kids loved it, but then they found out that every day they missed they would have to make up in the summer. Something tells me the kids here won't have to go to school in the summer.

My winter break: working / Mes vacances d'hiver: travail

2010-03-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

English first, et puis la version française

For one week during my winter break, I decided to make a little extra money by leading an intensive English workshop for French high school students, which was organized by the Paris school district and is free for the students. I was nervous at first, because I have never really taught this age group. But it turned out to be an amazing experience.

I had a group of 12 15-17 year olds. In a total of 15 hours, I helped them improve their English through short presentations, listening exercises, the "hot seat," and of course games. We even did a small scale exchange with one of Prof N's French class from AU. See the exchange blog for some amusing videos and posts about culture. "I know someone who..." was maybe the best game of all and really got them talking. At the end, they presented their final projects, which included a murder/detective skit, a talk show about a family's strange habits, and a skit about a kid taking his driving test for the 5th time. The last day, they convinced me to speak to them in French for 5 minutes, after they had spoken in English for 5 days. So, it was my turn for the "hot seat." They asked me questions and I had to respond in French. It was kind of funny because that was the most nervous I've been about speaking in French in a long time!

I am so happy that I decided to do this (even though I haven't seen the money yet). I had a lot of fun and it was great seeing the kids progress. I was very surprised at their level of English. Naturally, they made some mistakes when they spoke, but they could SPEAK! I could communicate with them. Perhaps the most rewarding part was when one of the girls told me she was less afraid of talking in English now. It makes me wonder if I should have chosen to teach high school this year instead, but I realize that this was a group of 12, sweet, motivated kids, and a typical class of 30 students might be a different story.

Version française

Pour une semaine de mes vacances d’hiver, j’ai décidé de gagner un peu d’argent en travaillant comme intervenante d’un stage intensif d’anglais pour des lycéens, qui à été organisé par l’Académie de Paris et qui était gratuit pour les élèves. Au début, j’étais nerveuse parce que je n’ai jamais enseigné aux lycéens. Mais il s’est avéré que j’ai beaucoup aimé cette expérience.

Mon groupe s’est composé de 12 lycéens de 15-17 ans. Pendant 15 heures (3 heures par jour), je les ai aidé à améliorer leur anglais au travers des exposés courts, des exercices d’écoute, la « chaise chaude, » et bien sûr des jeux. Nous avons fait même un petit échange avec une classe de Prof N. d'AU. Voir le blog de l'échange pour des vidéos et posts intéressants et culturels. « Je connais quelqu’un qui… » était peut-être le meilleur et leur a fait beaucoup parler. À la fin, ils ont présenté leurs projets finaux, qui ont consisté d’un sketch assassin/détective, un talk-show au sujet d’une famille avec des habitudes étranges, et un sketch au sujet d’un garçon qui passe son contrôle technique (pour la cinquième fois !) pour son permis de conduire. Le dernier jour, ils m’ont persuadé de parler un peu en français, après qu’ils ont parlé en anglais pendant 5 jours. Alors, c’était mon tour dans la « chaise chaude. » Ils m’ont posé des questions (des questions sérieuses, et des questions drôles) en anglais et j’ai répondu en français. C’est un peu marrant parce que ça fait longtemps que je n’étais aussi nerveuse de parler en français !

Je suis heureuse que j’aie décidé de le faire (même si je n’ai pas encore touché à la rémunération). Je me suis bien amusée et c’était superbe de voir le progrès des élèves. J’étais étonnée à leur niveau d’anglais. Naturellement, ils font des fautes quand ils ont parlé, mais ils pouvaient PARLER ! Je pouvais communiquer avec eux. Peut-être que la plus grande récompense était quand une fille m’a dit que maintenant, elle n’a plus peur de parler en anglais. Je me demande si j’aurais dû choisir à travailler dans un lycée au lieu des écoles primaires, mais je sais que c’était un groupe exceptionnel, un groupe de 12 gentils élèves motivés, et non pas une classe typique de 30 élèves.

The ABCs of French Education

2010-03-15T03:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a very basic introduction to the structure of French primary and secondary education. School is free, secular, and mandatory (gratuite, laïque, obligatoire- merci Jules Ferry) from age 6. There are, however, private schools, mostly Catholic.

Premier degré:

École maternelle (Kindergarten)

Petite Section (PS), 3-4 years old

Moyenne Section (MS), 4-5 years old

Grande Section (GS), 5-6 years old

École élémentaire (Elementary School, my area of expertise)

Cours préparatoire (CP), 6-7 years old

Cours élémentaire première année (CE1), 7-8 years old

Cours élémentaire deuxième année (CE2), 8-9 years old

Cours moyen première année (CM1), 9-10 years old

Cours moyen deuxième année (CM2), 10-11 years old

CP = 1st grade; CM2 = 5th grade

Second degré:

Collège (Middle School)

Sixième (6e), 11-12 years old

Cinquième (5e), 12-13 years old

Quatrième (4e), 13-14 years old

Troisième (3e), 14-15 years old

6e = 6th grade, but starting here they count down so 5e = 7th grade. There are 4 years of middle school in France and 3 years of high school, opposite to most American schools.

Lycée (High School)

Seconde (2nde), 15-16 years old

Première (1ère), 16-17 years old

Terminale (T), 17-18 years old

See, still counting down. 2nde = 10th grade/sophomore year; 1ère = 11th grade/junior year; T = 12th grade/senior year. Although it's confusing for me, I kind of like the counting down method. Terminale (the end!) definitely gives the sense of finishing 12 years of education.

School Day

For my schools, the day starts at 8:30am, and ends at 4:30pm. The lunch break is from 11:30am-1:30pm. There is a school cafeteria, but many children go home for lunch. There are two breaks for recess (supposed to be 20 minutes, but seems to be about 30) at 10am and 3pm. Oh yeah, and there's no school on Wednesdays! There used to be school on Saturday mornings, but not anymore, at least not for my schools and not that I know of for others.

Vacation

French primary and secondary students get about 7 weeks of vacation during the school year, and 2 months off for summer. School begins at the beginning of September, and goes through the end of June/beginning of July. There is a week and a half vacation for Toussaint (All Saint's) in October/November, 2 weeks for Christmas, 2 weeks for Winter break, and 2 weeks for Spring break.

Well, that is definitely very basic info that you can find many other places too, but it's a starting point and I plan to share more, especially about learning languages in schools in France.

Avec 4 mois qui reste, on quitte le foyer et j'écris seulement en français cette fois-ci

2010-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

Je suis assise sur le lit du foyer. Je viens de faire l’état des lieux et j’attends Thomas pour rendre les clés. C’est notre dernier jour au foyer – mais nous ne quittons pas Paris ! Pas encore, heureusement. Nous avons déménagé à un studio. C’est up peu plus grand, et on a notre propre douche et cuisine. Eng fait, ils sont ensemble ! Il y a deux pièces : la cuisine/douche et la chambre/salle à manger/salon. Mais, à vrai dire, c’est mieux. Il y a des gens du foyer qui vont me manquer, mais nous sommes déjà heureux au studio, même s’il faut partager les toilettes avec une autre personne.

En attendant, j’ai décidé d’écrire parce que quelque chose m’a frappé. J’ai réfléchit et je sais que ce n’est pas la tristesse. Pourtant, cette chambre vide me fait pense à deux choses.

Premièrement, elle me fait penser à chaque fois que j’ai quitter une chambre à la résidence à AU, et ces souvenirs de sentiments mixtes sont encore vivants aujourd’hui. Malgré le froid du début mars dehors, j’ai l’impression que c’est mai et que je rentre chez moi pour l’été. Mais ce « chez moi » n’existe plus. Je ne veux pas dire que je préférais l’ancien « chez moi, » celui que j’avais quand j’avais 18 ans, parce qu’en fait je préfère mon « chez moi » actuel, celui avec mon mari. Et en plus, je crois que Paris devient petit à petit un autre « chez moi, » un « chez moi » à part.

Deuxièmement je pense à la dernière fois que j’ai vu cette chambre vide – quand nous sommes arrivés. C’était un jour horrible pour moi. Fatiguée, stressée, et accablée, j’avais peur que j’avais fait une faute grave de venir en France pour 10 mois. Plus maintenant. Même s’il y a plusieurs difficultés, je suis contente d’être là. Jusqu’ici, mon séjour en France est rempli de belles expériences, de nouveaux amis. Je sens que je suis en train d’apprendre un peu plus sur moi-même, et j’améliore mon français !

Je tiens le coup !

Mes vacances d’hiver : voyage / My winter break: traveling

2010-03-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Voilà le programme pour ce post: français, photos, anglais. Here is the layout for this post: French, pictures, English.

Les écoles en France n’ont pas seulement 2 semaines de vacances pour Noël, mais aussi 2 semaines de vacances d’hiver. Et non, je ne me plains pas.

Il y a eu un peu de tout dans mes vacances d’hiver : le voyage, le travail, la lecture, le repos, un musée gratuit, de la bonne conversation avec des amis en français, et un déménagement.

Milan

Nous sommes allés à Milan pour un week-end. Nous avons choisi Milan parce qu’un vol à cette ville italienne était moins cher que des billets de train pour le sud de la France, et parce que Thomas voulait depuis longtemps voir la Cène de Leonardo Da Vinci. Alors, en janvier nous avons choisi Milan et nous avons réservé nos billets pour la Cène, qu’il faut faire au moins un mois en avance.

En deux mots, vendredi nous n’avons pas eu de chance et samedi était superbe.

Vendredi, notre vol a été retardé 4 heures. Après 3 bus de nuit, nous sommes arrivés à l’aéroport à 5h30 pour apprendre que notre vol était maintenant à 10h ! Une fois à Milan, il pleuvait des cordes. Nous sommes allés à l’hôtel pour nous reposer et pour reprendre nos esprits. Quand nous sommes sortis, le métro était fermé, à 17h ! Puisque nous ne pouvons pas lire l’italien, nous ne savions pas pourquoi. Dans la pluie, nous avons trouvé un bus et puis une magnifique pizzeria avec un décor unique, Pizzeria Piccola Ischia. Nous avons aimé notre dîner, même si nous étions tout trempés.

Le lendemain s’est passé beaucoup mieux. Le métro fonctionnait et nous avons beaucoup vu : Le musée national de la science et de la technologie Leonardo Da Vinci- un homme que je trouve encore impressionnant maintenant, le Duomo (une église à part en Europe à mon avis, et c'est là qu'on fêtait le Carnaval, c'est pour ça qu'il y a des ballons et des enfant déguisés dans la photo), le château Sforzesco, et la fresque fameuse.

Avec le tuyau de notre Routard, nous avons déjeuné dans un tout petit restaurant végétarien, Alla Vecchia Latteria. Le propriétaire/serveur nous a donné un menu complètement vide. Je pensais que c’était une blague, et il m’a apporté un vrai menu. Mais quand j’ai essayé de commander du ravioli, et le monsieur, qui portait une moustache épaisse blanche, a dit simplement « non. » Non ? D’accord, je prendrai…. Puis un italien à côté parlant anglais nous a expliqué qu’on ne commande pas du menu. On dit au cuisinier qu’on a confiance en lui, et il apporte des choses magnifiques. On a donné notre accord, et nous avons managé la moitié de deux GRANDES assiettes d’une variété de pâtes et légumes délicieux. Après, il nous a baiser sur les fronts et il a tâté nos ventres pour être sûr que nous avons assez mangé ! C’était un vieil homme animé, mais un peu fou, et nous avons eu une addition un peu trop coûteuse.

Je m’excuse, c’était un peu plus que deux mots.

Photos

Pizzeria Piccola Ischia

Da Vinci Museum

The Duomo

On the roof of the Duomo / Sur les toits du Duomo

The view from the roof / La vue des toits

Alla Vecchia Latteria

ENGLISH!!!

Schools in France not only have 2 weeks off for Christmas, but also another 2 weeks for winter break. And no, I'm not complaining.

There was a little of everything in my break: traveling, work, reading, rest, a free museum, some good conversation in French with friends, and a move.

Milan

For one weekend of my vacation, we went to Milan. We chose Milan because a flight to this Italian city was cheaper than train tickets for the south of France, and because Thomas has wanted to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper for a long time. So, in January we decided on Milan and we reserved our tickets for The Last Supper, which you have to do at least a month in advance.

In a nutshell, we were very unlucky Friday and Saturday was amazing.

Friday, our flight was delayed 4 hours. After 3 night buses, we arrived at 5 :30am to learn that our flight was delayed to 10am! Once we made it to Milan, it was pouring. We went to the hotel to rest and to recover a bit. When we went out again, the subway was closed, at 5pm! Since we can’t read Italian, we didn’t know why. In the rain, we found a bus and then a wonderful pizzeria with an interesting décor, Pizzeria Piccola Ischia. We loved our dinner, even if we were completely soaked.

The next day went much better. The subway was working and we saw a lot : The National Science and Technology Museum dedicated to Leonardo Da Vinci- a man I find even more impressive now, the Duomo (a unique Church in Europe, in my opinion, and this is where they were celebrating Carnival, which is why there are balloons and kids dressed up in the picture), the Sforzesco castle, and the famous fresco by Da Vinci.

With the advice of our Routard guide book, we had lunch in a small vegetarian restaurant, All Vecchia Latteria. The owner/waitor gave us a menu that was completely empty. I thought it was a joke, and he brought me a real menu. But when I tried to order ravioli, the thick white mustache-wearing-man simply said "no." No ? Ok, I’ll take…. Then an English speaking Italian sitting at the table next to us explained that people don’t order from the menu in this restaurant. You are supposed to tell the chef that you trust him, and he brings all kinds of wonderful things. We agreed to this process, and we ate half of two HUGE plates containing a variety of delicious pastas and vegetables. After, he kissed us on our foreheads and then he felt our stomachs to make sure that we were full! He was one animated old man, but a little crazy, and we had one pricy bill.

I apologize, that wasn’t exactly a nutshell.

Astérix et l'administration

2010-03-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

In response to my recent administration woes in France, my French friend Marie shared this video with me. C'est parfait! Merci Marie!

Astérix et l'administration

Housing in Paris, Part 1: Foyer

2010-02-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

Since our arrival in September until now, we have lived in a foyer in the 13th district of Paris, Foyer Masséna, part of the CLJT. There really isn’t a good translation of foyer, because, as far as I know, there is nothing like this in the US. The closest comparison is a dorm, because there is a lot of collectivity. We have a 15m2 room with a sink, and there is one bathroom (3 toilets and 3 showers- coed!) per floor. We also share a tiny kitchen with the other 100 some residents.

However, it is far from being a dorm because it is not connected to a university and accept young people aged 18-25 (with some flexibility) from all over the world. Some foyers are just for students, some just for girls, and some just for workers. Ours is a foyer for jeunes travailleurs, étudiants, et stagaires (young workers, students, and interns). Some foyers only have single rooms, and ours, of course, has rooms for couples.

Pictures of our room, taken around Christmas:

Tomorrow we are moving to a studio. We are very excited to be moving, because life in this foyer has become borderline unbearable. I must add that our frustration is related more to specific circumstances than general foyer life. Let me explain. When we applied to live here, we were told that the bathroom and kitchen were collective, but that they were renovating a new, nice, better building in central Paris and that everyone would be moving to the new place in December. December.

Tomorrow is March 1 and we are still here. The move was delayed until January, and then February, and then March. What’s worse than sharing a bathroom and kitchen is that the cafeteria (which served dinner Monday-Friday) stopped last month in anticipation of the move. We never bought a fridge because one was supposed to be included in the new room at the new foyer. In addition, it seems that the direction here has lost interest in the conditions of this foyer, “knowing” we’ll be moving soon. Among other problems, there is rarely toilet paper in the bathrooms and the Internet goes out on the weekends when the staff isn’t here to reboot it. If we knew 100% for sure that we would be moving to the dream foyer in March, we would be sticking with foyer life. Yet, we have very little faith in them now.

We did live here for nearly 6 months, though, and I thought it might be helpful to future students and English assistants if I gave a quick bilan of the advantages and disadvantages of living in a foyer- not specifically this one which is falling apart. Of course, not all foyers are the same, so if you are considering applying to live in one, ask a lot of questions!

Advantages

• It’s easy. I mean that it’s easy to apply to live in a foyer compared to the nightmare of trying to find an apartment in Paris. Affordable and decent housing is a big problem in Paris, especially for students, since there aren’t dorms like in the US. I was afraid of coming to Paris (at the same time as tons of students) without a place to live. I know other assistants who didn’t find a place for two weeks or more. Others found a temporary place, but had to do the search all over again after a month or two. Finding an apartment or studio here takes time, energy, and MONEY. For our foyer, we had to give a security deposit (une caution/ une garantie) equal to the amount of one month’s rent (le loyer). But with apartments, when you use an agency, you have to pay a deposit of one or two month’s rent, first month’s rent, and often agency fees (honoraries) that are at least the amount of one month’s rent. So, if you found a place for 650 euros/month, you may have to pay 2000 euros or more. Also, you usually have to have a co-signer (garant) if you don’t make 3 TIMES the amount of the rent. You also have to have all kinds of paperwork that you probably don’t have in the first week of arriving.

• It’s probably cheaper than any apartment or studio you’ll find in Paris. But, I guess you get what you pay for….

• There are (for our foyer at least) planned activities that are usually free. Tom often played badminton and volleyball. I did a few cooking workshops which were fun.

• The staff members are usually helpful with questions about housing assistance, bank accounts, and where to find things in the neighborhood.

• It’s a good way to meet people- if you’re outgoing and enjoy the activities proposed.

• It’s international, which maybe 50% French and 50% foreigners from the US, northern Africa, Italy, Spain, Latin America…. I think other foyers are mostly non-French. Not sure.

Disadvantages

• Sharing a bathroom (again, some foyers have rooms with private bathrooms). This wouldn’t be so bad if some people here weren’t so disgusting! Gross.

• At this foyer, there is no Wi-Fi and Internet is only accessible in… you guessed it, in a common room, only open from 9am-midnight. You have to have a cord and there is a limited number of spots- perhaps 8 for more than 100 people that live here!

• There are too many Americans. A disadvantage? Yes, when one wants to learn French.

• A particular disadvantage for us: we are perhaps on the older end of the age range here and are married. We are also not so much into partying in the “college” way. Therefore, it was actually difficult to make friends here, due to a lack of common interests I suppose. Going from having our own place to living in a dorm-like place has been tough and sometimes made me feel like I was being treated like a child.

• The building is simply not very attractive.

• Some foyers (not ours) have a curfew and don’t allow overnight guests. This may mostly apply to the all girl foyers.

So, there you have it. Generally for students and English assistants, I would recommend living in a foyer if you are single and are used to living in a dorm. If not, some adjustment is required. I would in general recommend the association that our foyer belongs to, CLJT, but not this specific foyer, unless they actually do move to the apparently inexistent foyer in St. Lazare (9th district). And remember to ask a lot of questions! It also could be a temporary solution. You have to give a month’s notice before leaving, though.

We are moving tomorrow to a studio, only slightly bigger but with a kitchen and shower and the possibility of Wi-Fi. The toilet is in the hall (not uncommon here) and is shared with one other studio. I think it will be a vast improvement, but I’m hoping not to run into any unexpected problems. I will keep you posted.

Ça n'a rien à voir!

2010-02-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

Pssst- Scroll down for English. And then learn some French!

Je suis désolée mon pauvre blog et mes lecteurs fidèles (je sais que vous venez tous les jours, sans faute, pour voir si j'avais écrit quelque chose de nouveau...). Je suis plus occupée ces jours-ci à cause de notre recherche pour un nouveau logement et nos aventures administratives. Enfin nous avons eu nos rendez-vous chez l'OFII et nous avons reçu nos titres de séjour! En fait, je suis actuellement en vacances, mais je travaille toujours. Cette semaine je suis intervenante des stages intensifs d'anglais pour un groupe de 12 lycéens.

Alors, je donne mes excuses pour le manque de posts. Je vais écrire longuement de toutes sortes de choses la semaine prochaine, mais en attendant, voilà un peu de vocabulaire. Il n'y a pas de thème, sauf que "ça n'a rien à voir."

I am sorry my poor blog and faithful readers (I know that not a day goes by that you don't check the blog to see if I've written something new...). I have been extra busy lately thanks to our housing search and our administrative adventures. But we finally had our appointment at the OFII and we received our residence permits! And actually I am currently on break, but I'm still working. This week I am leading an intensive English workshop for a group of 12 high school students.

So, forgive me for the lack of posts. I am going to write about all kinds of things at length next week, but in the meantime, here's a little vocabulary. There is no theme, except that "it is not at all the same."

Ça n'a rien à voir. That has nothing to do with it. / It is not at all the same. The first time I tried to use this, I said it wrong. I said "Ça n'a rien à faire," which is closer to the English version, to a student who was asking ridiculous questions, unrelated to the lesson. They all just stared at me! Just last week, my dear friend Sylvie (I'm not making fun, promise!) said in English, "It has nothing to see." I love languages!

Ça y est. That's it. It's finished.

Ça a été? How did it go?

Ça vous (te) dit? Is that okay with you? / Does that interest you?

Ça vous (te) dit quelque chose? Does that ring any bells?

Vote!

2010-02-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

... on our blog that is.

I have plenty to write about, but don't have the energy tonight. Plus, I want to know what you want to read, hence the poll on the left of the page. Let me know what you're interested in, and I'll get back to writing!

French Administration and 3 Ways to Say, “I’ve had it!”

2010-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Before coming to France last September, I had a vague idea of how bureaucratic French administration can be. Trying to get information about different university programs for Tom was a headache in itself, and the fact that French people don’t email as much as Americans do can be very frustrating.

That was just the beginning.

Since arriving in September, and especially lately, French administration has been testing my patience, and my patience has not been prevailing. It seems that nobody is on the same page about ridiculous but result-changing details. I’m pretty sure that most offices in France have less hours than those in the States, and the hours are never 9am-5pm. And everything takes so much time! For my American, non-Frenchy, readers, you may think I am exaggerating. But ask a French person, and he or she will likely back me up. Just today, my French friend Marie said that you really have to be déterminé to survive French administration. In addition, if you watch L’Auberge Espagnol you will see a scene in which a French student goes through the frustrating process of finding “the right form.” But, if you don’t know any French people and don’t want to watch the movie, I have two real life examples to prove my statements.

Example one: official paperwork. We have been in France for over 4 months and still do not have everything finished that we should as residents. Upon our arrival, we sent copies of our passports, visas, etc to the OFII. Around December we were supposed to receive a convocation from the OFII, summoning us to a medical appointment, after which we will receive some type of stamp serving as our titre de séjour, a resident permit. We still have not been summoned. It wouldn’t be such a big deal, except we need the residency permit to register for Social Security (for health insurance) and we need our Social Security numbers to apply for the CAF (housing assistance). Honestly I think that health care (which is cheaper here even without insurance) and housing assistance is better in many ways in France, but for the love of Pete, it’s taking forever to get it!

Example two: auditing a class. Last December, I decided to audit a Political Science class at l’Institut Catholique de Paris. I’m really interested in international relations and wanted to take a class in French, so I chose to take Relations Internationales. I went to the office of the department (which is only open in the afternoons) in December, ready to sign up and pay. I was told to come back in January. I went back in January, filled out a form, and was told to come back later to pay. I went back the next week, arrived at 4:30pm, waited for 30 minutes and then was told they were closed and had to come back. I went back last Friday and watched the lady enter my information from the form into the computer (she couldn’t have done this without me there?). Then, she told me that that’s all she could do. I had to go somewhere else to pay. Oh, but they’re closed on Friday afternoons. The class started on Tuesday, so I had to go on Monday. But, I work until 4pm and they close at 4:45pm. So I ran! And…success! I signed up and got a shiny student card that will get me some awesome discounts.

Tuesday: first day of class. I arrived perhaps 2 minutes late, opened the door to Salle C 32, and heard a professor speaking in English. Huh? I must be in the wrong room, I thought. Nope. The Relations Internationales class is indeed in English this year, although it was not indicated in the brochure as one of the English classes and the lady in the office didn’t tell me this. Just me? My mistake? No, the French students were pretty upset to learn, on the first day of class, that it’s in English.

In Tom’s words when I told him about the class being in English, “Oh mon Dieu.” I have been defeated. I have not the strength to try to switch classes.

In order to deal with this new kind of frustration, there are too solutions. One: remind myself daily how much I love speaking French, eating French food, and getting to know French people. Two: complain in French. Thus, voilà 3 ways to say, “I’ve had it!”

J’en ai assez! I’ve had enough!

J’en ai ras le bol! I’ve had it up to here! / I'm sick of it!

J’en ai marre! I’m fed up!

Superheroes?

2010-01-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

I wrote the following post a while ago now, and am just now finding time to post it. This time, English first et après la version française.

Last week, I listened to several stories on France Info. Among them was one titled “Haiti under American control.” This story really hit me because, before, I didn’t completely understand the extent of the earthquake. I knew that there were a massive amount of deaths, people left homeless, and an incredible amount of structural damage. Yet, I hadn’t thought about the effects on the government. When I saw the title “Haiti under American control,” I only thought about the organization of humanitarian aid. But, when the reporter interviewed a Haitian, he said that the government of Haiti was not competent. “We don’t have a government. Préval is no longer president…he doesn’t have control.” That really shocked me, but I think that I understand the gravity of the situation in Haiti a little better. The earthquake shook a lot, including the faith people have in the government, and it revealed weaknesses in the administration that was leading the country.

I’m not going to pretend that I know a lot about Haiti, because that’s not the case, not at all. But I want to add one other thing. The Haitian who was interviewed concluded by saying “I prefer that Haiti become a protectorate of the United States.” This made me think of something a teacher told me in October, when I started work. When I asked her if she has traveled to the United States, she said know, that the US wasn’t for her. Everything is too big. She prefers Europe. Then she said, “We see Americans as our saviors. Something goes wrong and the Americans come and save us.” I’m not sure exactly what she meant, or why she said it. Maybe she was referring to World War II? But, I think that when she said “our saviors” she was not only talking about France. I think that she was sincere, but I wonder if it’s a good thing if Americans are designated the saviors of the world (and it’s certain that not everyone thinks it). I think the US should help and support other countries, since our country has a unique opportunity to do so, and it’s a reason I can be proud of my country. On the other hand, I think it’s dangerous if people see Americans as superheroes or saviors. Perhaps it’s the most dangerous when it’s Americans who think it. With this unique power, it is absolutely imperative to stay humble and to not forget the importance of working side by side with the people we’re helping.

Version Française

La semaine dernière, j’ai écouté plusieurs reportages sur France Info. Un entre eux a été intitulé « Haïti sous contrôle américain. » Ce reportage m’a frappé parce que, avant, je n’ai pas compris l’étendue du séisme. Je savais qu’il y avait un énormément de morts, des nouveaux sans abris, et des dégâts. Pourtant, je n’ai pas pensé aux effets sur le gouvernement. Quand j’ai vu le titre « Haïti sous contrôle américain, » je n’ai pensé qu’à l’organisation de l’aide humanitaire. Mais, quand la correspondante a interrogé un Haïtien, il a dit que le gouvernement de Haïti n’est pas en capacité. « Nous n’avons pas de gouvernement. Préval n’est plus président…il n’a pas le contrôle. » Cela m’a vraiment étonné, mais je crois que je comprends la gravité de la situation en Haïti un peu mieux. Le séisme a secoué beaucoup, y compris la foi du peuple dans leur gouvernement, et il a révélé des faiblesses dans l’administration qui gérait le pays.

Je ne vais pas faire semblant que je sais beaucoup de l’Haïti, parce que ce n’est pas le cas, pas du tout. Mais je vais ajouter une autre chose. Le Haïtien interrogé a conclut en disant « Je préfère qu’on met l’Haïti sous le protectorat des Etats-Unis. » Cela m’a fait pensé à quelque chose qu’une enseignante m’a dit en octobre, quand j’ai commencé mon travail. Quand je lui ai demandé si elle a déjà voyagé aux Etats-Unis, elle a dit que non, les Etats-Unis n’est pas pour elle. Tout es trop grand. Elle préfère l’Europe. Puis, elle a dit, « On voit les Américains comme nos sauveurs. Quelque chose ne va pas et les Américains viennent nous sauver. » Je ne suis pas certain exactement ce qu’elle voulait dire, ou pourquoi elle l’a dit. Peut-être qu’elle parlait de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale ? Mais, je pense que quand elle a dit « nos sauveurs » elle ne parlait pas seulement de la France. Je crois qu’elle était sincère, mais je me demande si c’est bon si les Américains sont désignés les sauveurs du monde (et c’est sûr que tout le monde ne le pense pas). Je crois que c’est juste que les Etats-Unis aide et soutien d’autres pays, puisque notre pays a un pouvoir unique dans cette époque, et c’est une raison d’être fière de mon pays. De l’autre côté, je crois que c’est dangereux si on voit les Américains comme des super héros ou des sauveurs. Peut-être que c’est le plus dangereux quand c’est les Américains que le pensent. Avec le pouvoir unique, il faut absolument rester humble et de ne pas oublier l’importance de travailler avec les gens qu’on aide.

Listening to French News

2010-01-18T02:23:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have started to listen to the news in French online. We don't have a TV (a good thing most of the time, but a TV would help with listening to more French...) and so I've been trying to read and listen to more news. So, I am keeping up with world events a little more and improving my French at the same time.

I listen to two stations online. France Inter and France Info. I listen in "direct" on France Inter and choose stories to listen to on France Info, which has mostly been about Haiti. This has been the best way for me to keep up on the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.

I've also read the recent posts of the sister of a friend who lives in Haiti. Her blog is a personal account and is moving and very well written.

Frankly my dear: 4 ways to say "I don't care" in French

2010-01-15T09:31:00.000-08:00

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." It may be strange, but I've wondered for a while how Rhett Butler would have said this if he were French.

Since I started learning French, I have always looked for the best way to express "I don't care." I, of course, learned the most neutral expression, which can be found in the dictionary, when I was at AU- "Ça m'est égal," literally "It is equal to me." This is fine for expressing simple lack of interest or stating that you don't care whether you go to this restaurant or that one. However, when stronger emotion is needed, "Ça m'est égal" just won't do.

One reason that I love being able to live in France for 10 months is learning some very useful, though sometimes vulgar, expressions. There are so many ways to express "I don't care" in English, from "It doesn't matter to me" or "I couldn't care less" to Rhett Butler's stronger expression or the same expression with the f word. As in English, there are a variety of expressions in French. Here are those I've learned and heard frequently since being in France. They go from weak to strong, from polite to vulgar.

Ça m'est égal- Again, this is simply, "I don't care," "I don't have a preference."

Je m'en moque- Still pretty polite. I've heard teachers use this in front of their students.

Je m'en fiche- Not the strongest, or the most polite.

Je m'en fous - The strongest. It is vulgar. I've heard kids at school use this, and then tattle on each other for saying it.

Now, I can be pretty sure that Rhett Butler would have said something like, "Franchement chérie, je m'en fous." What may be stranger than my wonderment about the translation of this phrase, is that I've never actually seen Gone with the Wind! Maybe I should put that on my to do list. Do you think there is a version that has French subtitles, so I can see if I'm right about the translation?

German

2010-01-07T02:12:00.000-08:00

As you can see from my "want to do list" on this blog, I want to work on another language. While at AU, I took 2 semesters of Spanish and 1 semester of German. I took Spanish because language majors have to take 2 semesters of another language, but also because it's very useful for working in non-profits in the US, which is one of my career possibilities. I even took a few Spanish classes at a language school in Indy last year while I was working at the Red Cross. I took German because I had a sudden interest in my heritage. This came right as I was changing my name and giving up my maiden (German) name. Now, I'm trying to learn more German because we hope to go to Germany this summer before coming home. Unfortunately, nothing seems to stick as well as French- my first language love.

After a few weeks of trying to regain back some of my German, I signed up for a German class. It is at the Association Philotechnique. It is an adult learning association and only cost 50€ for a class that goes until May! Sadly, I am not remembering as much as I thought I would and I am way behind! I'm also, obviously, learning German from French. If I can make it through this class, it will be an interesting experience.

A Snowy Paris

2010-01-04T04:52:00.000-08:00

Let's back up to December for a little bit... It was the last week before our "Vacances de Noël" (Christmas break). Katie and I were excited to have a break from school and work. She works and I attend school to learn French. The last day of my class, which was December 18th, I got a lovely gift from mother nature.

It snowed and stuck to the ground enough to place a thin blanket of white happiness on the streets, grass, and monuments of Paris. I have always loved the snow and was told many times that it rarely snows in Paris and when it does, it does not stay long.

This snow stayed for about two days. It was enough for me to gain the satisfaction that I always desire from snow, except now that it is January, I want more snow to go with this cold. This was the first time that I have seen Paris in the winter and because I was happily accepting the snow, I stayed outside all day taking pictures except when I had class. Also, for the first time, I was teaching a former classmate how to make a snowball and I should have taught them and some of the French the art of making Snowmen (see photos below). This was weird for me because they were only a couple of years younger than me. I was not teaching four year olds how to play in the snow. I was teaching individuals who were from the far south of the USA and some from the southern parts of the globe. I love my international classes. This white blanket of beauty was the perfect way to start Christmas break.

That night, Katie and I went exploring through the glorious blanket. At home in the US I have to beg and drag Katie out of the house to enjoy the snow; however, here she was just as excited to explore the new cover of Paris. Probably because she did not have to dig herself out of the driveway or even have to worry about driving. I'll admit, that was a very nice feature of being in a large city with plenty of public transportation.

By Saturday, the snow had pretty much melted away revealing the same old streets of Paris. This did not stop us from exploring and doing things that are relevant to winter activities in Paris such as ice skating outdoors, which was an another first for me. What better place to experience my first time outdoor ice skating than right in front of the Eiffel Tower. Though I am ready for more, I believe that I have fully experienced a snowy Paris.

4 jours à Nantes/4 days in Nantes

2010-01-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

English Version a little further down!

Nous avons passé 4 jours à Nantes chez Catherine et Matthieu pour célébrer Noël avec eux et leurs familles. J’ai rencontré Catherine (Cat) en 2006 quand elle était stagiaire à Anderson University. Maintenant, elle et son mari sont propriétaires d’une boulangerie à Nantes. Ça a fait 3 ans qu’on ne se s’est pas vu et je m’inquiétais que ça serait un peu bizarre ou mal à l’aise. Au contraire. C’était absolument, sans doute, un séjour magnifique, mieux que je pourrais imaginer. Je ne pouvais pas demander une meilleure expérience. Vous vous demandez pourquoi c’était si super…

C’est peut-être grâce à la belle ville de Nantes. Nous avons visité les cryptes de la cathédrale (pas de photos L- l’appareil photo est mort ce jour-là), le beau Château des Ducs de Bretagne et son Musée d’Histoire de Nantes.

Nous avons eu un rendez-vous avec Estelle, une amie que j’ai rencontrée à Lourdes en 2007. Avec Estelle, nous avons fait les Galeries Lafayette et nous avons fait les magasins sur la rue Crébillon, ou plutôt, nous avons crébillonné. Et, nous avons vu le fameux Passage Pommeraye et sa verrière.

Mais, ce n’est pas vraiment pour ça…

C’est peut-être grâce ou grand éléphant. Avant d’aller à Nantes, nous avons trouvé les Machines de L’île sur Internet et nous savions que nous voulions le faire. Parmi les créatures mécaniques, il y a un éléphant énorme. En plus, il marche et on peut monter dans l’éléphant pour une promenade. Si génial et unique ! Nous avons visité les Machines de L’île avec Cat et Matthieu. Malheureusement, la dernière promenade de la journée était complète. La prochaine fois ! Comme Cat a dit, « il faut toujours laisser un raison de revenir. »

Mais, ce n’est pas vraiment pour ça…

C’est peut-être grâce à l’amitié et à Cat et Matthieu eux-mêmes. Ils sont de très bons hôtes et ils étaient très accueillants, malgré le fait qu’ils étaient très occupés avec le travail. Cat nous a préparé des plans et des idées de visite. Ils nous ont gâtés avec des croissants et des pains au chocolat. Ils ont même préparé un petit-déjeuner pour le train le jour de notre départ, avec un cadeau, une boîte aux leurs chocolats.

Ils nous ont montré et expliqué la boulangerie. Tom a aidé un peu. Et moi, j’ai regardé et j’ai mangé !

Après notre visite aux Machines de L’île et le Passage Pommeraye, ils nous ont amené dans une crêperie pour manger des galettes.

Ils ont parlé en français avec nous. Ils avaient de la patience et nous avons eu de très bonnes conversations. J’ai beaucoup aimé comment Cat m’a corrigé. Elle était tout à fait gentille quand elle l’a fait et j’ai appris pas mal de mots et d’expressions. Et grâce à Matthieu, j’ai appris des mots comme « moche. »

Oui, c’est pour tout ça.

Peut-être que ça semble très simple et rien d’extraordinaire. Mais, pour nous, c’était formidable. Je pense que c’était la première fois que nous avons eu l’occasion de parler avec des français et d’avoir des conversations un peu plus profondes qu’avant. Comme j’ai écrit, nous avons rencontré des jeunes au foyer, mais ce n’est pas facile de devenir des amis avec les français. J’étais un peu triste de rentrer à Paris…

Merci Cat et Matthieu !

English Version!

We spent four days in Nantes at Catherine and Matthieu’s to celebrate Christmas with them and their families. I met Catherine (Cat) in 2006 when she was an intern at Anderson University. Now, she and her husband own a boulangerie, a bakery (but much more than a US bakery) in Nantes. It’s been three years since we’ve seen each other and I was worried that it would be awkward. It was the opposite. It was absolutely, without a doubt, a wonderful time in Nantes, better than I could have imagined. I could not have asked for a better experience. Why was it so awesome, you ask?

Maybe it was because of the beautiful city that is Nantes. We visited the crypts of the cathedral (no pictures L- the camera was dead that day), the beautiful Castle of the Dukes of Brittany and its Nantes History Museum. We met up with Estelle, a friend I met in Lourdes in 2007. With Estelle, we looked around the Galeries Lafayette and we shopped around the stores on the rue Crébillon, or rather, we crébillonner, a verb that means “shopped along rue Crébillon.” Haha! And, we saw the famous Passage Pommeraye and its glass ceilings.

But that’s not really why…

Maybe it was because of the big elephant. Before going to Nantes, we discovered the Machines of the Island on the Internet and we new that we wanted to go there. Among the mechanical creatures, there is an enormous elephant. But that’s not all. He walks and you can ride the elephant as it goes for a walk. How unique and awesome! We visited the Machines of the Island with Cat and Matthieu. Unfortunately, the last ride of the day was full. Next time! Like Cat said, “you always have to leave a reason to come back.

But that’s not really why…

Maybe it’s because of Cat and Matthieu and their friendship. They were very good hosts and were very welcoming, despite the fact that they had a lot of work to do. Cat prepared maps and brochures for us, with ideas for things to do. They spoiled us with croissants and pains au chocolat. They even prepared breakfast for us for the train the day we left, with a gift, a box of their chocolates

They showed us the boulangerie and explained a little of how it works. Tom helped a little bit. And me, I watched and I ate!

After we visited the Machines of the Island and the Passage Pommeraye, they took us to a crêperie to eat galettes.

They spoke to us in French. They were patient and we had some really good conversations. I really liked how Cat corrected me. She was very nice about it and I learned several new words and expressions. And thanks to Matthieu, I learned words like “moche” (a familiar word for ugly). J

Yes, that’s why.

Maybe it seems really simple and nothing special. But, for us, it was wonderful. I think that it was the first time that we had the opportunity to talk to French people and have deeper conversations than before. Like I’ve written before, we have met some other young people at our residence hall, but it’s so hard to make friends with French people. I was a little sad to come back to Paris…

Thank you Cat and Matthieu!

Noël à la Française

2009-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

Attention non-French speakers: Don't be afraid! Scroll down to the English version :)

Tom et moi avons eu de la chance d’être invité à Nantes pour partager Noël avec nos amis Catherine et Matthieu et leurs familles. Je suis vraiment ravie d’avoir eu cette expérience extraordinaire.

Pour le réveillon (le 24) les parents de Catherine nous ont accueilli chez eux. Il y a eu d’abord l’apéritif, avec du champagne et plusieurs choses à goûter, y inclus du caviar sur des toasts. Après, les membres de la famille ont offert des cadeaux. Nous avons été surpris quand les parents de Catherine nous ont offert un beau livre sur Paris.

Pour dîner, nous avons mangés de la foie gras sur pain d’épice et ensuite des huîtres (pour la première fois) avec du vin blanc. C’est vraiment une spécialité française et c’est sûrement une tradition française à ne pas manquer, même si ces deux américains n’apprécient pas ces délices comme les français. Un cousin à Catherine a rit à Tom quand il a essayé les huîtres, sachant qu’il ne les aimait pas trop. Pourtant, ce n’était que l’entrée. Comme plat principal, nous avons mangé de la dinde, de la purée formidable, et des haricots verts avec du vin rouge. Pour le dessert, nous avons savouré pour la première fois une bûche de Noël chocolat que Matthieu a confectionné. Et n’oubliez pas le vin ! Oui, encore du vin. Cette fois-ci c’était le vin que nous avons offert, un vin blanc sucré. Catherine a dit que le vin s’est marié bien avec le dessert.

Le jour de Noël, nous sommes allés chez la mère à Matthieu pour déjeuner. Il y avait moins de monde que la veille, avec les grands-parents de Matthieu et son frère et belle-sœur.

Comme la veille, on a ouvert les cadeaux après l’apéritif. Tom et moi avons offert des décorations de Noël à Catherine et Matthieu, et à la mère à Matthieu. Tom a reçu des bandes dessinées, Tintin et Astérix, et moi, j’ai reçu un livre de recettes pour les crêpes et les galettes, des spécialités de Bretagne, de la mère à Matthieu, et un livre de recettes pour les œufs à la coque (avec quatre coquetiers) de Catherine et Matthieu. Ça vous dit quelque chose ? Souvenez-vous ma première expérience avec la coque ?! Je serai content d'apprendre plus sur ce sujet!

Pour déjeuner, nous avons mangé encore de la foie gras, mais cette fois-ci avec du saumon, et de la dinde. La bûche était aux framboises, et même si j’adore le chocolat, j’ai préféré la bûche aux framboises. Délicieux !

Ensuite, nous sommes allés chez le grand-père de Catherine, qui est en fait le mari d’une amie de Madame N (mon professeur de français), pour prendre une partie d’une bûche et encore du champagne.

Des gens chaleureux la découverte des traditions françaises. C’était vraiment un Noël de nos rêves.

English Version!

A French Christmas

Tom and I were fortunate to have been invited to share Christmas in Nantes with our friends Catherine and Matthieu and their families. I am so excited to have had this extraordinary experience.

For Christmas Eve, Catherine’s parents invited us over. The night started with the aperitif, with champagne and several appetizers, including caviar on toast. Afterwards, the family opened gifts. We were surprised when Catherine’s parents gave us a beautiful book about Paris.

For dinner, we ate foie gras on gingerbread and then we had oysters (for the first time) with white wine. It’s a real French specialty for Christmas and definitely a French tradition not to miss, even if these two Americans did not enjoy these treats as the French do. One of Catherine’s cousins laughed at Tom when he tried the oysters, knowing he didn’t like them too much. Yet, that was only the starter course. For the main dish, we ate turkey, absolutely wonderful mashed potatoes, and green beans with red wine. For dessert, we savored for the first time a bûche de Noël au chocolat, a chocolate Christmas cake, which was made by Matthieu himself. And let’s not forget the wine! Yes, more wine. This time it was the wine that we had brought, a sweet white wine. Catherine said that it went very well with the dessert.

On Christmas day, we went to Matthieu’s mother’s for lunch. There were less people than the day before, with Matthieu’s grandparents, brother, and sister-in-law.

Like on Christmas Eve, we opened gifts after the aperitif. Tom and I gave Christmas ornaments and decorations to Catherine and Matthieu and to Matthieu’s mom. Tom got two comic books, Tintin and Astérix, and I got a crêpe and galette (specilites of the region) recipe book from Matthieu’s mom, and a oeufs à la coque recipe book from Catherine and Matthieu. Does that ring a bell? Do you remember my last experience with la coque?! I'll be happy to learn more about this!

For lunch, we had foie gras again, but this time with salmon, and turkey. The bûche de Noël was raspberry this time, and even though I love chocolate, I think I liked the raspberry better. Yummy!

Next, we went to Catherine’s grandfather’s (and actually her step-grandmother is an old friend of Madame N, my French professor) to share more cake and champagne.

Meeting nice, warm people and discovering French Christmas traditions. It was really a perfect Christmas experience.

Marchés de Noël. Christmas Markets.

2009-12-21T03:29:00.000-08:00

Hot wine, baked goods, and Christmas lights. I have really caught the Christmas spirit this year. Perhaps it's because we're experiencing it in a very different way. The Marchés de Noël (Christmas Markets) have been a delightful and exciting part of December. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed to find that most of the booths weren't selling originally, hand-made, or traditional items. Actually, we found pretty much the same things at each market, including magic scarves, magic wallets, and magic wooden boxes. Yet, it's been fun strolling around, drinking vin chaud and eating beignets. We even found a few Christmas gifts.

Marché de Noël Number 1: Champs-Elysées. Beautiful lights but we went on a rainy, muddy day. This is a picture of the little roller coaster and fake snow.

Marché de Noël Number 2: La Défence. This was my favorite one because the set up is like a little village. We went with our new friend Katie F, who took this picture of us with our vin chaud.

Marché de Noël Number 3: Notre-Dame. Very small but kind of cute.

Marché de Noël Number 4: Trocadéro/Eiffel Tower. Nice set-up and, obviously, great location. We also went ice-skating here, but Tom's supposed to tell you about that....

Christmas Markets take place all over France, but it's really a German tradition, I hear. The best ones in France are supposed to be in Strasbourg, a city on the German border. We're a little disappointed we won't be able to see Strasbourg at Christmastime, but we're really excited to be spending Christmas with a French family in Nantes! We leave on Wednesday.

Now, of course, a little vocabulary I learned or encountered at the Christmas Markets:

Le Chalet - Stand/Booth

Le Vin Chaud - Hot Wine

Le Chocolat Chaud - Hot Chocolate

La Barbe à Papa - Cotton Candy (literally Papa's beard! hahaha- by far my favorite new vocabulary)

Le Bonnet de Noël - Santa Hat

Le temps passe trop vite! 3 mois déjà!

2009-12-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

Ça fait 3 mois déjà que nous sommes en France. C'est vraiment incroyable. Ma famille et mes amis me manquent, bien sûr, mais je ne veux pas que le temps passe aussi vite! Il nous reste à peu près 6 mois, mais il me reste beaucoup à faire. Surtout, il faut absolument que je fasse plus du progrès avec mon français. C'est peut-être une bonne idée pour une résolution pour le nouvel an? Je suis en France, je dois en profiter! Je parle déjà souvent français, mais il y a trop d’anglais dans les écoles et avec les autres américains au foyer. Il me faut de la structure. Oui, je prévoirai des temps pour parler et écouter le français. Après les vacances, je parlerai régulièrement avec ma partenaire d'échange, et peut-être je chercherai une deuxième partenaire. Je écouterai plus le français sur Internet. Voilà. Je m'y mets*.

Time is passing too fast! 3 months already!

We've already been in France for 3 months. I can't believe it. I of course miss my family and friends, but I don't want time to go by so fast! We have about 6 months left, but I have a lot left to do. Above all, I absolutely have to make more progress in French. Maybe that's a good idea for a New Year's resolution? I live in France, so I should take advantage of that while I can! I speak French pretty often already, but there is too much English in the my schools and with the other Americans at our residence. I need some structure. Yes, I will plan time to speak and listen to French. After Christmas break, I will regularly speak French with my language exchange parter, and maybe I will look for a second one. I will listen to more French on the internet. There. I'm going to do it.

Lots of great posts to come. Stay tuned. Monsieur Ayers might even write soon!

* Je m'y mets. I love this expression! I've seen it mostly in regards to a diet. Literally it means "I'm putting myself there." My translation is "I'm going to start/I'm going to do it."

These Teachers Know How to Party

2009-12-18T00:13:00.001-08:00

There was a Christmas party at JF on Tuesday, and Tom and I were lucky enough to be guests. It started at 8pm and probably lasted long past 11:30pm, which is when we left to catch the last train headed back to Paris.

We tried foie gras for the first time and luckily we didn't hate it. Foie gras is a Christmas tradition for the French so I'm glad we (including picky Tom) were able to try this dish, although it's not something we would specifically request.

The rest of the party involved talking and laughing and drinking wine and champagne, maybe too much drinking thanks to Xavier who kept saying "rouge ou blanc," indicating we had no choice otherwise. There was also dancing. It was hilarious to see the teachers (and the principal!) I work with in this kind of context. Although this school is by far the most difficult that I work at, I really enjoy the company of these teachers. They are so encouraging and simply nice to be around- even when alcohol and dancing aren't involved.

Les Mecs. Funny guys.

Me with Sylvie, my partner in crime, meaning my partner for some of my English classes.

Tom braving the foie gras.

I'm not sure about this one...

It's almost Christmas break! Hooray!

Katie's Little Helper This Week

2009-12-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Why is this driving me crazy?

2009-12-14T00:33:00.000-08:00

"Why is this driving me crazy?"
I am constantly preoccupied with what I should do with my life, which involves me looking into various unrelated graduate school programs, even though I won't be going for a while still.

"Because you plan and organize everything, and you can't plan this out right now."
- My husband speaking truth to me yesterday.

"Pourquoi est-ce que je deviens folle à cause de ça?"
Je suis toujours préoccupée de ce que je vais faire dans la vie, et ça veut dire que je suis toujours en train de chercher des divers programmes de Masters, même si je ne vais pas commencer pour quelques années.

"Parce que tu fais des projets et tu organises pour tout, et ça, tu ne peux pas faire des projets pour ça pour l'instant."
- Mon mari disant la vérité hier.

Seigneur, aide-moi avec cette préoccupation. Donne-moi de la patience et aide-moi à lacher mes soucis. Aide-moi à voir le monde, les autres, et ma vie avec tes yeux.

God, help me with this preoccupation. Give me patience and help me to let go of my worries. Help me to see the world, others, and my life with your eyes.

Kids say the darndest things. Example one: cute.

2009-12-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Little girl ran up to me just after recess: "Hello Katie!"

Me: "Hello!"

Little girl: "Delicious!"

Me: "Delicious?"

Little girl: "Le repas était delicious." (The meal was delicious- she said delicious in English in a French sentence.)

Me: "Ok... Great!"

More quotes to come, not all so cute though.

Il pleut à Paris

2009-12-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

Il n'y a pas un seul jour pendant les trois dernières semaines où il n'a pas plus, au moins un peu. Je vous jure. Il y a deux semaines il pleuvait des cordes. Le tramway était en panne et alors nous sommes rentrés à pied. Nous étions complètement mouillés. Puis, la semaine dernière, nous sommes allés au marché de Noël aux Champs-Elysées, et il pleuvait encore. Le vent violent a rendu mon parapluie inutile. Nous avons marché dans la boue. Après, dans le métro, nous avons vu que nos jeans étaient couverts de boue jusqu'aux genoux! Mais je ne vais pas plaindre, parce que j'habite à Paris!

There hasn't been a single day in the past three weeks when it hasn't rained, at least a little. I swear. Two weeks ago, it was raining really hard. The tramway wasn't working and so we had to walk home. We were soaked! Then, last week, we went to the marché de Noël (Christmas bazar?) on the Champs-Elysées, and it was raining again. My umbrella was useless because of the strong wind. We walked in the mud. After, in the metro, we saw that our jeans were covered in mud up to the knees! But, I'm not going to complain, because I live in Paris!

Some vocabulary:

Il pleut. Il a plu, Il pleuvait. It's raining. It rained. It was raining.

Il pleut des cordes. It's raining very hard/It's raining cats and dogs.

Il pleut à torrents. It's pouring. (I heard a teacher say this as she rang the bell after only 5 minutes of recess).

Il fait du vent. It's windy.

La pluie. The rain.

Un parapluie. An umbrella (I thought for so long that this noun was feminine...)

What's up with this blog?

2009-12-02T02:17:00.000-08:00

For some reason, everything that used to be on the left of our blog page (In France, Katie wants to..., followers, etc) is now at the bottom, under the posts. At least that's what we see. Is that what you see too? How do we fix this? In our layout mode, it is still on the left...

One Little Word

2009-12-01T00:58:00.000-08:00

Si.

Yes, I said si. It's a French word, I promise! And I can't get it into my immediate vocabulary. I know how to use it, but can't manage to remember it fast enough.

What does it mean? It means "if," but also means "yes" in a special circumstance. Oui of course is the word for "yes" in French, but when you are responding "yes" to a negative question, the word is si. And I never get it. It always comes out oui, and as soon as that word slides out of my month I know it's wrong.

A Real Life Example from Yesterday:

French friend: Tu ne l'aimes pas? (You don't like it?) - referring to my new haircut

Me: Oui, je l'aime. (Yes, I do like it.)

French friend: Si. (She corrected me.)

Me: Arg! Je sais! (Arg! I know!)

Thanksgiving in the French Classroom

2009-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

This week I talked about Thanksgiving in my classes. The older kids read about Thanksgiving in French and then they learned and wrote a few words like corn, turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and family. For the little kids, I gave a simple explanation, reviewed colors, and then had them make hand turkeys, which they kept calling poules (chickens). No! Not chickens! Turkeys!

Kiddies in my CE1 (2nd grade) class at JF showing their hand turkeys.

This was taken just before the one above. Shows how well they listen to me!

Grandma & Grandpa Swails in Paris

2009-11-26T01:52:00.000-08:00

Tom's Grandparents visited us several weeks ago in Paris and I thought I should share some of our pictures. They were here for about 10 days, minus a weekend in London. They said they had a great time, which made us happy hosts. Tom and I were tour guides for much of the time and we loved it! We had waited to revisit many of the monuments and museums so we could experience it with the Swails.

They took us on a dinner cruise on the Seine for my birthday!

G & G Swails at the Louvre. Not quite like the Da Vinci code, though, huh?

A nice dinner together their last night in Paris. Toni had her crème brûlée and everything was perfect...except the wily waitor trying to charge us for a bottle of wine we didn't have and then asking if we wanted to leave a tip! Nous sommes américains, monsieur, mais je sais bien qu'on ne donne pas de pourboires en France! (We are Americans, sir, but I know that you don't give tips in France!)

Thanks for visiting!

2 months

2009-11-23T01:23:00.000-08:00

It's already been two months that we've been living in France, so this is officially the longest I've been in France and away from home at one time. I decided this would be a good time to see how I'm doing on my list (over there, to the left).

speak French every day. Yes! I am disappointed that I'm not improving faster and I often get down about that, but I LOVE that I get to hear French and speak French every day. Somedays it's not very much because I speak English at my schools and with Tom (we're working on that). Other days I surprise myself by becoming a chatterbox in French, like the last conversation night we went to. Awesome!

become part of a community. Not quite there. This has been tough. We have been going to a church called Trinity, which is an international, mostly English speaking church. I like it ok, but... I don't know. There is an obvious community at our foyer (residence) and we cherish our community dinners, but there's something still missing, not to mention the fact that we are one of the few married couples here. Next week, I have an appointment at Secours Catholique about becoming a volunteer. Maybe I'll find my community there. Really, I feel the strongest sense of community when people with common values are all working together for a common purpose. I'll let you know how this goes.

learn to cook. I made an effort. Then I put it on the back burner. I went to a few Ateliers Cuisine (Cooking Workshops) here at the foyer, but I really just followed other peoples' instructions and had no clue what I was doing. When we move to the new foyer in a month or two, where we'll have our own kitchen, I'll give it another shot.

make French kids like English class. Yikes. Some of the classes, those that are more "under control" because the teacher is with me, actually get the opportunity to have fun. In fact, one of the teachers told me that they get excited every Thursday and ask if I'm coming. :) In the other classes, the kids might like English class, but it's because they think they can walk all over me and talk the whole time. That's not the reason I want them to like it.

visit Nantes. Maybe next month?

find the best coffee in Paris. I am removing this from the list because, really, coffee just isn't the same here. I'm very picky. I learned to like coffee at Mocha Joe's and can't come to like much else now.

go back to Franceville. In the spring! Maybe with my dad, sister, and B?

read more. Yes! It usually takes me ages to get through a book even if it's a good one. Since being here, I've read two novels, La méchanique du coeur by Mathias Malzieu, a wonderful story that I've mentioned before, and La jeune fille au pair by Joseph Joffo that I stumbled across in the library which made my metro rides to work a little more enjoyable. This past weekend I started French Colloquial Grammar. What I really need to do is start reading more news. I've gotten really bad about this, especially since I don't have class in the morning anymore and thus do not grab Direct Matin, one of the free metro newspapers.

assess my level of French, then improve it. See the first goal. I had thought about taking an assessment like the Test de connaissance du français to see where I am and then improving my French. But the TCF is expensive. According to my Sorbonne class certificate, I have excellent comprehension and very good expression. Maybe I'll just get really awesome first and then look into taking the TCF before coming home?

visit the Loire Valley. Done! We would like to go back to visit Orléans and some more castles, but we already have a long travel list.

learn more Spanish...or German. I'm not really sure what to do about this one. French obviously has to be the priority this year since I'm in France. But, since we are hoping to go to Germany in June before returning to the States, I might take a few private German lessons later on.

So readers, what do you think? How am I doing?

Time to learn some vocabulary. C'est parti!

2009-11-16T08:57:00.001-08:00

Voilà quelques mots et expressions que j'ai appris et que j'entends souvent. Attention! Je ne vous donne pas les traductions du dictionnaire, mais ce que j'ai compris par ces mots. (Here are some words and expressions I've learned and that I hear frequently. But beware! I'm not giving dictionary translations, but what I've understood them to mean).

C'est parti! I have heard this about a million times over the past two months! I can't think of one good way to say it in English. Several possibilities are: Here we go! And we're/they're/it's off! Ready go! It's begun! I also saw that this was used in the subtitles of the movie Away We Go when Burt says "Play ball."

Turbulent. Wild, noisy, crazy. As in: Les CE2s sont toujours turbulents. (The 4th graders are always wild, noisy, and crazy.) Yes, I learned this word from a teacher. I did cheat here and looked up the actual dictionary translation, which is boisterous, but I like wild, crazy, noisy better.

Se débrouiller. To manage, to make it. Several people have told me concerning my French "Tu te débrouilles bien." I'm only managing? :( Not excelling? ;)

C'est chiant! That's annoying! This is very familiar and maybe vulgar (?), but I hear it all the time. The first time I heard it was when my French friend Julie said it. I said I didn't know that word and she kind of smiled when she explained it to me.

Tranquille. Calm, relaxing/relaxed. I've heard people say this when answering to ça va? (how are you?) and comment s'est passé ton week-end? (how was your weekend?).

And now I sleep in.

2009-11-10T09:08:00.001-08:00

Today was the last day of my French Oral Expression class at the Sorbonne. It was for five weeks, 8-10am, four days a week. So, in 40 hours of French Oral Expression, what did I learn? Well, not as much as I'd hoped, and I'm not so sure I've progressed much in speaking French.

I was really disappointed that we didn't have much lab time. A few times we went to the lab, had a more or less natural conversation with a partner, and then the professor corrected us. I wish every class had been like that! Another thing I really appreciated was learning more about the different language registers. Not only do you have to distinguish between tu and vous, but you use different language and expressions depending on who you're talking to and the setting. I think I will try to learn more about this on my own.

Now that the class is over, what do I plan to do? Sleep in (a little more) in the mornings! But to work on my French, I am going to continue going to the conversation exchange group on Tuesdays, and I'm going to try to find a language exchange partner. Some one-on-one French time would be very helpful. I also will, eventually, start reading French Colloquial Grammar by Rodney Ball. En plus, I am looking into volunteering, something I miss doing.

It's time for dinner and then that conversation group! Send French thoughts my way!

Châteaux and more

2009-11-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Tom and I had the chance to get out Paris last weekend and go to the beautiful Loire Valley. We based our stay in Tours.

On Friday, we discovered Tours and had an amazing dinner. We both had poulet au miel citronné (Chicken cooked with honey and lemon). Tom had rillettes (a type of pâté special to the area) as his entrée and he actually liked it! He is very picky, so I was happy.

The restaurant, Grill du Roy (with the old spelling for king- Roy instead of Roi):

On Saturday we visited two châteaux near Tours. The first was Chenonceau in the village of Chenonceaux.

This castle's history is dominated by women: Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici, and Louise de Lorraine. My favorite room was Louise's just because it was so interesting. She was in mourning when she lived at Chenonceau, and she went beyond black and white morning clothes. Her room was solemn, with painted crown of thorns and silver tears on the walls.

The second castle we visited was Amboise. And we just realized we didn't take a picture of the outside of the château. Oops! However, by visiting the chapel of the castle, we stumbled across the (presumed) tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his golden years in France.

We also had a great view of the town of Amboise that we visited briefly after the château. We also found a place to déguster (taste) and buy some Loire Valley wine.

Despite having a terrible headache on Saturday, it was great. Sunday, we weren't sure what to do. It was Toussaint (All Saint's Day) and everything was closed in Tours and busses weren't running to castles. At the Tourism Office we found that there was a guided tour of Tours. Tom, being the great husband that he is, accompanied me on the two hour walking tour in French. I loved learning about the architecture of the town. We saw the place where Joan of Arc got her armor before heading to Orléans, another city in the Loire Valley where Joan had her great victory. The houses where you can see the wood are from the Middle Ages- at least the style is, and they've been restored. I don't know pretty much any architectural terms, so I can't really describe it, but I enjoyed hearing about it anyway. The guide talked a lot about how dangerous this style of building was for fires, and how the more affluent Tours residents reconstructed their homes (back in the day). Luckily for us, some weren't able to and we still get to see the original style.

The Loire Valley will do just fine

2009-10-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Après avoir appris que les billets pour l'Eurostar sont beaucoup trop chers, Tom et moi avons décidé de ne pas accompagner ses grands-parents (qui sont venus pour visiter Paris) à Londres. Donc, hier, nous avons décidé de venir à Tours, dans la Vallée de la Loire. Et nous voilà! Nous sommes arrivés cet après-midi, et les visites des châteaux commencent demain matin.

After learning that Eurostar tickets are way too expensive, Tom and I decided to not go with his grandparents (who came to visit Paris) to London. So, yesterday, we decided to come to Tours, in the Loire Valley. And here we are! We arrived this afternoon, and visiting the châteaux (castles) starts tomorrow morning.

Pictures coming soon! (Also coming soon-ish: more posts about everything else we're up to!)

appy alloween: So glad it's vacation

2009-10-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Learning French from Kids

2009-10-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

Après que je me suis présentée aux élèves d'une classe CM1, une fille a dit « Je n'ai rien pigé. » L'enseignant, Monsieur D, a expliqué que ça veut dire « Je n'ai rien compris » mais c'est familier.

ABC

2009-10-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first “observation” day at JF. All of the teachers are super nice, and in fact I get to work in a team! There is a teacher’s aide who will be working with me in all of my English classes. She has never taught English before, but she is an experience teacher’s aide and she speaks English well. From what I saw today, I don’t think the kids will be too “difficile.” I did spot one or two troublemakers, but that’s expected. Most of the classes seemed excited when I said I was from the US and would be teaching them English. That’s the good news of the day.

The bad news is that I’m completely overwhelmed! At just this one school (and mind you I have two others), I’m teaching 3 classes on Tuesdays and 4 on Fridays, without seeing any of the same classes or kids more than once a week! On top of that, I’m not just teaching one level. No, no, no. I’m teaching CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, and CM2 classes. This is equivalent to 1^st-5^th grade. Yikes. That means preparation will take quite a bit of time.

I don’t actually have to start teaching at JF until the 20^th since I have more training days and observation to do. But in the meantime, I have to choose a méthode (curriculum/teacher’s book) to use. At this point, I think I’d prefer just to use the méthode as a reference, but create my own materials. On verra.

I guess another piece of good news is that, at least at JF, I’ll have a good amount of freedom and independence. For the 7-month contract, which I have, assistants are supposed to be mostly a support to the teachers. I was worried that I would be underutilized and bored, especially after having so much freedom and responsibility with my VISTA year at the Red Cross. Well, I certainly won’t be bored!

Highlight of the day: The directrice was telling me that the kids must vouvoyer me, to keep some distance and make sure they respect me. Another teacher who was there said that sometimes the youngest kids tutoyer their teachers just because they don’t know any better. One day she corrected one of her CE1 kids, who replied, « Mais pourquoi est-ce que je dois te vouvoie quand tu es toute seule? » (Why do I have to use “vous” with you when you’re all alone ?). Quick lesson for those of you who don’t speak French. There are two forms of “you.” You use “vous” when you are talking to more than one person or when showing respect (such as to a stranger, an older person, or a TEACHER). You use “tu” for friends, family, etc. Hahahaha, c’est rigolo ! I guess French grammar is hard for the French too.

And now I’m watching two French guys play a dancing Wii game to the Jackson 5 ABC song. What an appropriate song for someone who will soon start teaching the ABCs and counting. But also hilarious to watch. Yes, this day has ended well.

Cultural Awkwardness: La Coque

2009-10-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

Before coming to Paris, I stumbled onto a blog belonging to the patron of a quaint looking salon de thé in the 13th called L'Oisivethé. Shortly after our arrival, Tom and I decided to try it out for lunch. This place is adorable, but not the cheapest place to have lunch. We both decided to order the cheapest thing on the menu: la coque. I wasn't sure what this was, but I mistakenly thought it might be some sort of grilled cheese sandwich. Now I know that I was thinking of Croque Monsieur. Not the same thing.

We were each presented with 2 eggs and mouillettes (strips of bread).

Here is an outline of my thought process as we attempted to deal with this strange new meal.

Oooook. So le coque is not a sandwich. So it's hardboiled eggs.

Let's see how to eat this. That lady over there took the top part of the shell off.

Ooooh, not hard boiled! Runny! Soft boiled. I guess this is why we have these tiny spoons.

Doesn't taste bad. But not great either.

Are those old ladies staring at us?! Are we doing it wrong?!

At least my tea- thé noir aux quatre fruits- is delicious.

We returned to L'Oisivethé on Tuesday, but not for another round of la coque. There is a French/English conversation group organized by Tempo Time on Tuesdays. We spoke in French for 45 minutes, played Taboo in both languages, then had 45 minutes of English conversation. That will definately keep us coming back! It was a great way to practice French and meet Parisians.

My First Non-Backyard Badminton Experience.

2009-10-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

This will be short and sweet. Mainly because it was only a couple of hours of badminton.

Badminton reminded me of playing tennis. The motions and strategies are very simular. This was pretty much the same group of people I played football with couple of wednesdays ago. Although they did not yell at me when I messed up, no they laughed WITH me. So lets just say there was a lot of laughing at first. Once I got the hang of it and the strategy, I was doing great. I was paired up with an British person who I believe was half asleep. He was nice but not very into any game or conversation. Only a couple of people there were truly badminton players, which meant all rules and regulations were in. All other three minute matches were just plain having fun. It is awesome how laughter means the same in at least four different languages.

Tonight, Nuit Blanche

Next Wednesday of sports is Volleyball. Katie is signed up to play that one with me. So I am very excited for Wednesday. Someone pretty to translate for me. :-)

Mon premier jour comme assistante d’anglais

2009-10-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Note: For the English version, scroll down.

Aujourd’hui est le premier jour de mon contrat, mais ça ne veut pas dire que j’ai commencé à enseigner. Attendez, il faut reculer un peu…

Hier j’ai eu le stage d’accueil avec les autres assistants d’anglais dans l’Académie de Créteil. Pendant trois heures, les présentateurs ont parlé du système éducatif en France (dont je dois écrire plus tard), nos droits et devoirs en tant qu’assistant, et les choses administratives. C’était d’avantage les choses administratives, et effectivement ennuyant, mais en même temps brumeux. Pourtant, je sais que c’était nécessaire et les inspecteurs étaient très serviables.

Après le déjeuner, nous nous sommes retrouvés dans des petits groupes, organisés par département et degré, où j’ai rencontré deux autres assistants qui travailleront à Maisons-Alfort, mais dans des écoles différentes.

Alors, retournons à aujourd’hui. J’ai eu un réunion avec Monsieur H, mon conseiller pédagogique (qui travaille pour l’Inspection Education Nationale de Créteil et qui est très très gentil) et les directrices de mes écoles.

Je vais travailler dans trois écoles, mais deux sont voisines. Je vais les appeler PA et PB. L’autre est JF. J’ai vite appris que ces écoles, ce qui sont très proche l’un de l’autre, sont très différents. Je me suis sentie bien accueillie par une directrice. Mais, je m’inquiète que les autres seront un peu difficiles. Il me presque semble que quelques-uns entres les enseignants préféreraient de ne pas avoir une assistante. L

En tout cas, je vais travailler le lundi, mardi, jeudi et vendredi après-midi (il n’y a pas de cours le mercredi dans les écoles en France), ce qui me permit de suivre un cours le matin. La journée n’est pas passée trop mal. En fait, j’ai eu l’occasion d’aller d’une école à l’autre en scooter avec Monsieur H !

My first day as an English Assistant

Today is the first day of my contract, but that doesn’t mean that I started teaching. Hold on, we need to back up…

Yesterday I had orientation with the other English Assistants in Créteil. For three hours, the presenters talked about the education system in France (which I should write about later), our rights and responsibilities as assistants, and administrative things. It was mostly administrative things, and therefore boring, but unclear at the same time. Yet, I know that it was necessary and the “inspectors” were very helpful.

After lunch, we broke into small groups, according to our department and the level that we’re teaching. I met two other assistants who are going to work in Maisons-Alfort, but in different schools.

Ok, let’s get back to today. I had a meeting with Mr. H, my mentor (who works for the IEN- I really don’t think there’s an equivalent in the US- and who is very very nice) and the principals of my schools.

I will be working in three schools, but two of them are actually in the same building. I will call them PA and PB. The other is JF. I quickly learned that these schools, although very close to each other, are very different. I felt welcomed by one of the principals. But, I worry that the others will be a little difficult. It almost seems that some of the teachers would actually prefer not to have an assistant. L

In any case, I will be working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons (they don’t have school on Wednesdays in French elementary schools), which will allow me to take a class in the mornings. The day didn’t go too badly. In fact, I had the chance to ride with Mr. H on his scooter from one school to the next!

My first weekish in Paris.*

2009-09-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

*The weeks and days are still a blur.

Well I have a lot of catching up to do. well to get to the place where Katie is anyway. I feel like I have gotten through the jet lag phase finally. All I wanted to do was sleep for the first couple of days but when I laid on the bed, my back yelled at me. Not a comfortable bed at all. I think I have gotten use to being in a different bed now and different country.

I have been told that the culture shock takes a couple of weeks usually, but I feel that I have prepared myself for it rather well. Everything I see so far, I have learned about in the states. Or I just ask Katie. She's my guide. :-) So I will let you know how I feel in a couple of weeks. As of right now, I miss my family, co-workers, friends and the little life I had in Indiana.

À Paris,

For a person who speaks very little French, I feel that I have been doing well. Luckily I can read and figure out what most of the signs instruct and pick out the important words. Thank God for gestures and tone of voice.

The first wednesday, I got to play indoor football (soccer, I haven't meet one European that likes American Football) with a bunch of French guys and some other Europeans. Only one could speak English and he was not much of a talker. Little tip for American soccer players when playing Europeans: Never hesitate when playing. The few times the ball was passed to me, I stop only long enough to look up to set up a cross (I hesitated). As mentioned before, I don't speak French but I could definitely tell that I was being cursed at and by gestures and by the Frenchman making fun of me, one should set up the play before the ball arrives at your feet.

Today was the second day of French class for me and it is going well. I am still not sure what level I'm in or what the professor is saying. It is all in French, no English allowed. I'm not complaining just informing hopefully encouraging others like me reading this. If I can do it you can too....probably. Many that I have spoken to here in the foyer have told me "It takes time and then it just clicks" or "So and so got here not knowing a lick of French and two months later he or she speaks very well." As for me, I am still waiting on that "click" thing to happen. In the meantime I will continue to listen and speak as much as I know and can. Maybe in a month I can write these blogs in French like my awesome Frenchy wife (she's not really French).

Well this Wednesday I will be playing Badminton which is a sport that I have only played in the backyard. Katie and I are going to a meet up group where they speak 45 min of French and 45 min of English, so it is nap time for me. Till I write again......

Cpt. Tom

Demonstrators and Books in the Latin Quarter

2009-09-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

One day last week (I think it was Tuesday but the days are kind of jumbling together right now), Tom and I decided to follow one of the walking tours in our Michelin Green Guide. We decided on the Quatier Latin because Tom wanted to see where he would soon be studying.

As soon as we got off the metro, we heard a commotion. What looked like a rather depressing parade was, in fact, a manifestation- a demonstration. We caught a glimpse of the banner. “Contre la privatisation de la poste.”

For the past week, I've been trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Here's my summary, with no promise that it's exact: the French postal service has to, by EU regulation, liberalize and become open to competition by 2011. Postal workers are worried that this means that the postal service will be privatized and will not be able to contend with new competitors. And so, as this is Paris, they went on strike, called grève in French. This confuses me a bit because I've read that they went on strike the 21st, yet we've seen trucks out and about, delivering mail. I've also read that French citizens are voting from today until October 3. But what for? I think that it's a vote to have a referendum (so maybe it's like a petition, demanding a referendum?). It's not a vote held by the state. I need to get in the loop some more.

After finding l’Institut de Langue et de Culture Françaises, part of l’Institut Catholique and Tom’s school, we set out towards the Seine. Our walking tour started at Quai St. Michel. We didn’t get too far until I spotted les bouquinistes- secondhand book sellers that have booths along the Seine.

I feel a bit sorry for Tom when we come across a bookstore. Whether it’s Borders or it’s these adorable stalls in Paris, whether it’s new or old, I love looking at books. And I take forever to do it. I didn’t have anything specific in mind, I was just looking for an author or a book that I’d heard of. I ended up buying A la recherche du temps perdu: La prissonière by Proust, which is where the title of this blog comes from, for 3 euros. I soon discovered that I might not be ready for this one. A few days later, at Fnac, I bought La mécanique du coeur, a sweet story that is a little easier to read.

Our tour ended at the Panthéon, but we got there right as it was closing. Another day ☺

How Being Exhausted Wreaks Havoc On My Emotions

2009-09-23T03:06:00.000-07:00

Hurray for (more) regular Internet access! We do not have wifi in our room, but we bought an Ethernet cord, so we can now use the common room of our foyer to get online. I wrote the following post on Monday, and am just now getting to typing and posting it. Still playing catch up.

Aujourd’hui, c’est le 21. Nous sommes arrivés le 18. Je ne sais pas si j’ai fait face au « culture shock » ces 3 derniers jours (puisque normalement le choc ne vient que des semaines après l’arrivée). Mais si oui, je ne l’ai pas reconnu, ou les étapes ne sont pas comme j’avais appris. La première étape, c’est l’enthousiasme, « la lune de miel. » C’est vrai que j’étais vraiment ravie quand j’ai vu encore les sites de Paris de notre navette (notre chauffeur agissait aussi comme guide). Mais en arrivant au foyer, après avoir signé les papiers et apes le tour, je me sentais tout d’un coup déprimée. J’avais un sentiment de peur. Qu’est-ce que je fais ici ?! 10 mois ?!

Nous avons fait un somme, pas très longue, mais ce n’était pas une bonne idée. Quand je me suis réveillée, le sentiment s’est élevé et j’ai pleuré. Lune de miel ? Je crois que non. Peut-être c’était à cause de la fatigue, je ne sais pas.

Apres le somme, je me suis installé pour rendre notre chambre un peu plus comme chez nous. Les sentiments ont commencé à disparaître, peu à peu. Et Tom, il va bien depuis le premier jour, au moins il le semble. C’est moi qui a étudié le français et demeuré en France pendant 6 semaines, et c’est moi qui parle français (au moins conversant). Mais c’est lui que n’as pas peur. Il est vraiment un soutien merveilleux.

Maintenant, nous apprenons toujours cette ville (ou bien notre quartier) et le foyer. Nous avons trouvé un marché pas trop loin. Il y a aussi un centre commercial près d’ici. La, il y a Casino, où nous avons acheter les serviettes de toilettes, un sèche-cheveux, et d’autres choses que nous avons laissé chez nous parce que les tailles de nos valises ne les ont pas permis.

For the Anglophones

Today is the 21ist. We arrived on the 18th. I don’t know if I’ve encountered culture shock or not these past 3 days (since normally culture shock doesn’t come for a couple weeks after arriving. But if I have, I didn’t recognize it, or the phases are not like I had learned. The first phase is enthusiasm, or the honeymoon phase. It’s true that I was really excited when I saw the Parisian sites from our shuttle (our chauffeur also acted as our personal tour guide). But when we got to our foyer, after signing the papers and the tour, I suddenly felt depressed. I felt scared. What am I doing here?! 10 months?!

We took a nap, not very long, but it wasn’t a good idea. When I woke up, the feeling grew and I cried. Honeymoon phase? I don’t think so. Maybe it was because I was so drained, I don’t know.

After the nap, I unpacked to make our room feel a little more like home. The feelings started to melt away, bit by bit. And Tom, he’s been doing well since day 1. I’m the one who studied French and lived in France for 6 weeks, and I’m the one who speaks French (at least conversational French). But he’s the one who’s not scared. He is really a wonderful support.

Now, we are still learning about this city (or at least our neighborhood) and the foyer. We found a market not too far away. There is also a mall close by. In the mall there is Casino (a supermarket, not a casino) where we bought towels, a hair dryer, and other things we left behind because our suitcases wouldn’t permit them to come.

Nous sommes à Paris

2009-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

Nous sommes à Paris...mais toujours fatigués et il nous faut partager un ordinateur pour le moment. Alors, je promets d'écrire plus la semaine prochaine!

We're in Paris...but we're still tired and we have to share a computer for the time being. So, I promise to write more next week!

Cutting Out Some of the Stress

2009-09-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, a fellow English Assistant pointed me in the direction of this very useful site. You can use this to get public transportation (bus, metro, RER, and/or tramway) directions within Paris.

We had planned to use public transportation when we first arrive, to get to our residence hall from the airport. I used that website to see what that would involve: a 47 minute ride on the RER (Réseau Express Régional, Regional Express Network) and then taking a tram and some walking. I have absolutely no opposition to public transportation. In fact, I'm thrilled that I'll be taking the metro and buses and walking a lot more (so sick of driving!). But due to previous horrific experiences of taking trains and buses whilst lugging around a couple suitcases, I decided we could "splurge" on a shuttle.

Thanks to the Michelin Green Guide that French Professor S gave me a few days ago, I found ParisShuttle. I made a reservation today. It was 36€. Not getting off on a great start of saving money, but I think I've saved us a lot of stress. We'll have plenty of time to experience public transportation.

On a side note- I'm not sure if this blog is functionning correctly (maybe something to do with the administrator) and I'm not sure comments are working. So if anyone is out there reading this, please try to comment. If it doesn't work, drop me a line at katherine.ayers@gmail.com. Thanks!

What's to Miss?

2009-09-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well there are 9 days left of living it up in the U.S. Because there is so much that I will miss here in the States and yet so much to learn and experience in Paris, I can't decide if I'm sad, happy, excited, stressed, or crazy. As far as I know, I am still sane despite what my wife says every now and then.

I know the sad parts are the people in my life that I will miss the most. I will definitely miss all of my family and friends. I write "family AND friends" because most of my family are my Closest friends. People that I can hang out with and play any sport with and not seem like a family outing. In other words, when I'm with my family, it is by choice not obligation.

I will also miss working at the YMCA, because it's been more than just a place of employment. I have worked at the Y in Anderson for three years (as of Sept 2009). I started in JUST youth sports and then expanded into Aquatics, Before and After School care, and the rental department. I was a site director for youth sports working next to the director operating basketball and soccer programs and leagues. I then became fascinated with the aquatic environment. I became the Head lifeguard, Assistant Pool Operator, and a Lifeguard Instructor. As a head lifeguard, I was able to meet and get close and have tons of fun with many different people and it made me more outgoing and able to connect with others. Abilities that I plan to use in Paris. So to say that I will miss the Anderson YMCA, is a bit of an understatement.

Lately, my life has been wrapped up in My Wife and the YMCA. Thank God I will still have one with me in Paris and Thank God it will be my wonderful Wife. I love the Y very much, but nothing is better than my Katie.

Yes, I will miss Anderson

2009-09-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our last day at The Mercy House. Our pastor Matt had us come up to talk about where we are going and what we were doing. To introduce our announcement, Matt said something close to "for some strange reason, Tom and Katie are leaving the wonderful and exciting city of Anderson, IN for the lame who-would-want-to-go-there country of France."

Although there was obvious sarcasm in his description of both cities, Matt truly loves Anderson. And really, so do I. It's certainly not for its selection of restaurants, availability of jobs, or all-around coolness. Because it doesn't have any of those things. When I came to Anderson in 2004 to go to AU, and when I moved here in 2006, I would never had imagined missing Anderson- especially if the alternative were Paris! And despite the fact that I feel that Indy is "where I'm from," Anderson has become a home.

The Mercy House is a top-of-the-list reason why I feel so connected to Anderson. We don't exactly have a big group of friends in Anderson, but TMH has been a place to connect with others, to learn, to worship God, and to serve the community. I love TMH atmosphere and the people who are doing wonderful things: starting and running a thrift store, creating a free after-school program, and caring for the spiritual growth of TMHers. And Tom and I, we coordinated the coffee bar, admittedly not a ministry like the others. But I think a lot of people appreciated having delicious lattés to sip on Sunday mornings. And I loved doing it!

Tom and I are looking forward to becoming part of a community and church in Paris, but I will certainly miss this place over the next 10 months.

Applying to be Assistante d'Anglais

2009-09-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Once I decided that I was definitely interested in going to France as an English language assistant, but still while I was thinking it wouldn't happen, I obsessively checked the French Embassy site for the 2009-2010 application. I am ashamedly addicted to checking email and Facebook, but thinking about the assistantship application was something different. I didn't check for it because I was bored. I would be working in my new storage-supply-closet-turned-office, trying to focus on improving the volunteer program through capacity building and organization, when a familiar-sounding voice would whisper. "France. You could be going to France."

Strangely, I don't remember the day that it was up. But it was in November, leaving less than one month to make the first deadline, December 1. I wasted no time.

I realize that my readership is at about 2 at the moment, but my hope is that my experience with applying can be helpful to others. The following is in no way official information, but my personal notes and timeline.

Overview of the application process*

Online Application Form. This includes basic information, teaching experience, time spent in France, and reasons for wanting to be an assistant. In French! This is also where you select your geographical and type of contract preferences. This is just the beginning. This has to be printed and mailed, with the following, in a super-meticulous order.

Medical Form. Requires a physical and a form to be signed stating that you are healthy enough to teach for 12 hours per week.

Dependant Waiver. Since my husband is going with me, I had to sign this saying that I understand that the assistant stipend is not sufficient to support more than one person. Applicants planning to take children must also sign this.

Two forms of recommendation. Luckily, I had two French professors who know me and my French language abilities well (Note: unlike many other teaching abroad programs for which you don't have to speak the host country's language, you are required to know at least some French).

Passport photos. Like every other type of application in France, and perhaps Europe, this requires 2 passport-style photos.

Easy things. Transcripts and copies of passport.

Proof of housing. If you already have housing in France with family or such, you can submit a utility bill as proof and you may be more likely placed in the académie of your choice. No guarantees. If you plan to study too, you can submit proof of enrollment. Problem: the application is due in the winter, and most universities and study abroad programs don't accept applications that early, much less review them. Riddle me that. Once we decided on Paris, I made copies of Tom's study abroad application and wrote "mon mari va étudier à Paris" in large print and highlighted at the top. Just between us, he had not actually submitted the study abroad program yet, nor did this turn out to the the school he chose. Mais qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire?

Waiting

After submitting the online application, I got a number (I was around the 300th person to apply), but nothing more. No emails or letters. No confirmation letter once my documents reached Washington. Just waiting and a great exercise is learning to be patient. There are about 1500 positions for American English assistants in France, and probably thousands of applicants. There's only one contact person in Washington for questions about the application process. That ratio isn't good for either side.

The Assistants in France forums saved me from insanity during this waiting period. Ok, that may be a tad dramatic. Honestly, though, the forums allowed me to share my frustrations and excitement with other hopefuls, and to ask the experts (current and past assistants) my many many questions.

The waiting lasted a grueling four months.

Getting the news, bit by bit

"Dear Future Teaching Assistant," so began the much awaited email that looked so beautiful on that April afternoon. "Congratulations! We are very pleased to inform you of your acceptance into the French Teaching Assistantship Program for the 2009-2010 academic year, sponsored by the French Ministry of Education. You have been placed in the Académie of Créteil."

I was, of course, at work when I got the email. It was the end of the day and my VISTA friends were gone. I tried to call Tom, who has a habit of being in class when I need to talk to him. I called my friend Heather. Then I told Teresa, the Administrative Assistant for Emergency Services at the Red Cross, who had no idea what I was talking about. But I couldn't stop telling people.

Créteil is in the Paris region, but it's a big académie, so I was worried that my schools would be too far away from Paris to be able to live in the city. The first email only gives you the name of the académie, and not information about the type or length of contract, or the names of your schools.

Two months later, in June, I received an email from the Académie of Créteil stating that my placement was in Maisons-Alfort and would be for primaire (elementary schools). Good news again! Maisons-Alfort is not in Paris, but it is on a metro line. So, commuting might take longer than I'd like, but it won't involve a car! This email also gave me the name and email address of my tuteur, or contact person.

Later in June I received the prized arrêté de nomination (certificate of appointment). I found out that my contract was for 7 (and not 9) months. After a few emails to my tuteur, I still do not know the names of my schools, or even how many I will have. I could have up to three schools.

This has been one crazy adventure already, and it's been mostly paperwork!

*For more information about applying to the program, I highly recommend visiting Jennie's Assistants Guide. Jennie has done an amazing job of summarizing the program, the application process, and much more. There's no need for me to duplicate the work, right?

Trop de choses

2009-08-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

C’est encore trop tôt à commencer à faire nos valises, mais puisque des locataires vont venir bientôt (avec un peu de chance), il nous faut entreposer tout ce qui ne nous accompagnent pas à Paris. Et ça, c’est beaucoup.

J’essaie de le faire dans des phases, pour que ça ne devienne pas trop stressant. Aujourd’hui, c’est phase 3. Comment est-ce possible d’amasser tant de choses ? J’ai pris deux boîtes de nos vêtements au magasin à notre église aujourd’hui. Mais il reste beaucoup que je ne porte jamais. Et les livres. Et les trucs ! Il y a beaucoup qui appartenait à ma mère. Je sais que je n’en ai pas besoin de tout.

J’aimerais vivre plus simplement : acheter moins et donner plus. Nous ne pouvons pas apporter un énormément de choses en France, alors peut-être je peux apprendre à vivre avec moins.

English Version

Too much stuff

It’s still too early to start packing, but since we’ll have renters coming soon (hopefully), we have to store everything that we’re not taking to Paris. And that’s a lot.

I’m trying to do it in phases, so that I don’t get too stressed out. Today, it’s phase 3. How is it possible to accumulate so much? I took two boxes of clothes to the thrift store at our church today. But there’s still a lot that I never wear. And that still leaves books. And…things! There’s still a lot that belonged to my mom. I know that I don’t need all of it.

I would love to live more simply: buying less and giving more. We can’t take a whole lot to France, so maybe I’ll learn how to do with less.

And we're blogging

2009-08-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tom and I leave for France 3 weeks from today. How did we get here? Here being the state of "about to go to France for 10 months," not physically France since we're not there yet.

About a year and a half ago I was in my senior year of college, about to graduate, with no idea of really what to do next. I remember French Professor S mentioning the assistantship program, which she had participated in as a post-grad. When I probably should have been reading a text book, I started looking into this. I learned that English language assistants (or assistants d'anglais) taught in schools in France for 6-9 months. I thought that it probably wasn't for me since I didn't really want to teach and since I'm married to a mostly non-French speaking husband. I didn't want to drag him out of college for a year. And what would he do? So, as much as I wanted to go back to France for a significant amount of time, I realized it just wouldn't work out. But, I kept reading more about the program. Just for fun.

Being very interested in non-profits and service, I became an Americorps*VISTA at the Red Cross. This was a great experience in many ways, and maybe I'll write more about it later. Yet, the assistantship kept coming back to my mind. I frequently asked Tom what he thought about it, always getting the same answer: "Let's do it." But the practical side of me kept pushing it away again. Finally though, around October last year, I started obsessively checking the French Embassy website to see if the 2009-2010 application were up yet.

It was up in November.

I applied by the first deadline on December 1.

On April 6, my acceptance email came.

We leave in 3 weeks.

So what changed between my senior year and now? I still am far from convinced that I was born to be a teacher (especially for little kids). Tom is still in undergrad with a few years to go. Maybe I got the nerve to do it. I realized how much I wanted to go back. I was in France for only 6 weeks for my study abroad, and it simply wasn't long enough. And maybe teaching won't turn out to be a life-long career, but I'm still unsure of what to do with my life. Why not continue to figure things out in Paris? As for Tom, he will continue to be a student in Paris. Since taking classes is one of his favorite things (je plaisante), perhaps he'll tell you more about his plans for Paris.

We chose "nouveaux yeux" ("new eyes") for the title of the blog because we want more than a good experience out of our 10 months in France. We're not just going because we want to see new things or to delay getting "real jobs." We're going to immerse ourselves in another culture and language. We want to see life in new ways. We want to learn about people, including ourselves. We want to be observant, but we hope to be apart of something, and not simply be passive spectators.

Here is the plan for the blog. There will be at least 2 posts each week. I will write once in a while in French (and maybe Tom will too). We will share what we learn, see, and do. I hope that this provides useful, if not always insightful or interesting, information for others, especially young couples, going to France.

To conclude this first post I want to say that we don't have a lot of blogging experience. We happily welcome comments, suggestions, and questions.