Saturday: Fabulous things happened. We went to a chateau (a castle for all you non-French speakers) with David (Dah-veed). The chateau is in Villandry and the gardens were GORGEOUS. The story behind the garden of love was the most interesting and I suggest everyone go and research a bit on it right now.......it's pretty cool. David was a dear and took us by car to the chateau. It was awesome. Pics are up on facebook. 'Nuff said.
That night we had a little get together at David's and ate raclette (google it!) nom. nom. nom. SOOOO GOOD! Then we went home and slept.
Sunday........... we did nothing. Glorious, glorious, nothing-ness. I mean, I did lesson plans........but that's it. Sunday night we went to a bar (a metal bar...in case you were curious, slim pickin's on Sunday nights) with Amelie our French friend that Marie introduced us to. She was really nice. Jim and Lydian (sp?) came too. We had a good time. I drank a beer. It was too expensive.
Amelie told us about this boite (club) called Les trois orfevres (which I just word referenced and it means the three goldsmiths.........???.........). Anyway. I think we're going to hit it up one night and see how it is. I know, me........at a club.......hmmm...... Well, here are the reasons why I might go:
1. The fee is only 2 euros (versus 15 at another club)
2. They only play rock music
3. Drinks are 3 euros
4. Amelie wants to go
5. I'm in France, why not?
6. French boys?
So......I figure I might as well give it a try. Maybe Friday or something....hmmm...
Monday. I taught some classes. One went horribly the rest were alright. Grace came over for dinner. We made pasta. I got brioche with Krystal. We sat on a bench and people-watched. I wrote a letter. Talked to AJ about Sunday (5 DAAAAAYYYYZZZZZ!!!!). Watched some Twilight (don't judge!) and.........slept.
Today. I taught one class. It was.....okay.... And.....I'm thinking about taking a nap.......and then I'm going to do lesson plans....and.......umm.........then..... we're having a slumber party!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OKAY. The one super duper awesome interesting thing I did this week was......... (drumroll please)............. Played an accordion. That's right. I, Amanda Catron, played an accordion. Jealous?
Love Always,
Amanda
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
My first observation
INSPECTION ACADEMIQUE D’INDRE ET LOIRE
MISSION LANGUES VIVANTES
BULLETIN DE VISITE CONSEIL
ANNEE SCOLAIRE 2009-2010
Nom : CATRON
Prénom : Amanda
Statut : Assistante
Date de la visite : 16 octobre 2009
Ecole : Francis Poulenc Tours
Classe : CM2 (28 élèves)
Séance de : 8h45 à 9h30
I - Vie de la classe.
Melle Catron enseigne l'anglais deux fois par semaine dans cette classe de CM2. L’enseignante, qui est aussi la directrice est absente de la classe mais je l’ai informée que sa présence était nécessaire tout au long de l’année.
C’est la deuxième séance pour cette classe et lors de la première séance, Melle Catron a rencontré des problèmes de discipline. Ce n’est pas le cas lors de ma visite. Elle maîtrise très bien le groupe, exerce son autorité avec calme mais fermeté.
II - Préparation de la classe.
La séance est préparée sur la fiche distribuée et expliquée en formation. Il faut continuer ainsi.
III - Mise en œuvre de la séance observée.
La structure de la séance est bien respectée.
Le rituel, inventé par l’assistante est très satisfaisant.
La réactivation s’opère sur le « What’s your name ? My name is… »
II s’agit ensuite de faire choisir des prénoms anglais aux élèves.
Le rituel de fin est basé sur la prononciation de la comptine étudiée.
Conseils et suggestions :
- Cette séance est une séance de CE2. Melle Catron, voulant donner des prénoms anglais aux élèves n’a pas pris en compte les connaissances des élèves de CM2. Elle a repris la séance de CE2 donnée en formation correspondant à ce qu’elle voulait faire.
L’idée de donner des prénoms aux élèves est très bonne mais il fallait aller plus vite car tous connaissaient déjà le « What’s your name ? My name is… ». Chaque élève choisi était interrogé, devait dire son prénom en français, prendre une étiquette prénom au tableau, répondre de nouveau à la question posée et tous les élèves devaient dire Hello. Cette partie était trop longue. Il fallait juste qu’ils viennent choisir un prénom, qu’ils le répètent et que toute la classe dise Hello…
- La répétition est très importante mais elle est trop monotone. Toute la classe répète toujours de façon collective. C’est alors très difficile de repérer les erreurs et de plus cela ennuie les élèves.
On peut faire répéter collectivement, puis par rangée ou par petit groupe, en s’adressant aux filles, aux garçons… pour varier les modalités de répétition.
On peut aussi faire répéter très doucement, très rapidement, tout bas, un peu fort, en chantant, avec une voix aigue, une voix grave… cela amuse les élèves et ils répètent sans ennui.
IV- Conclusion.
Melle Catron gère très bien la classe. Elle est calme et positive avec les élèves. Son idée d’associer les gestes à la parole est excellente. Il faut continuer à préparer les séances sur le document distribué en formation.
Lors de la prochaine visite, il faudra proposer d’autres modalités que la répétition collective pour faire répéter les élèves (voir conseils ci-dessus).
La conseillère pédagogique langues vivantes
Fleurette Barranco
MISSION LANGUES VIVANTES
BULLETIN DE VISITE CONSEIL
ANNEE SCOLAIRE 2009-2010
Nom : CATRON
Prénom : Amanda
Statut : Assistante
Date de la visite : 16 octobre 2009
Ecole : Francis Poulenc Tours
Classe : CM2 (28 élèves)
Séance de : 8h45 à 9h30
I - Vie de la classe.
Melle Catron enseigne l'anglais deux fois par semaine dans cette classe de CM2. L’enseignante, qui est aussi la directrice est absente de la classe mais je l’ai informée que sa présence était nécessaire tout au long de l’année.
C’est la deuxième séance pour cette classe et lors de la première séance, Melle Catron a rencontré des problèmes de discipline. Ce n’est pas le cas lors de ma visite. Elle maîtrise très bien le groupe, exerce son autorité avec calme mais fermeté.
II - Préparation de la classe.
La séance est préparée sur la fiche distribuée et expliquée en formation. Il faut continuer ainsi.
III - Mise en œuvre de la séance observée.
La structure de la séance est bien respectée.
Le rituel, inventé par l’assistante est très satisfaisant.
La réactivation s’opère sur le « What’s your name ? My name is… »
II s’agit ensuite de faire choisir des prénoms anglais aux élèves.
Le rituel de fin est basé sur la prononciation de la comptine étudiée.
Conseils et suggestions :
- Cette séance est une séance de CE2. Melle Catron, voulant donner des prénoms anglais aux élèves n’a pas pris en compte les connaissances des élèves de CM2. Elle a repris la séance de CE2 donnée en formation correspondant à ce qu’elle voulait faire.
L’idée de donner des prénoms aux élèves est très bonne mais il fallait aller plus vite car tous connaissaient déjà le « What’s your name ? My name is… ». Chaque élève choisi était interrogé, devait dire son prénom en français, prendre une étiquette prénom au tableau, répondre de nouveau à la question posée et tous les élèves devaient dire Hello. Cette partie était trop longue. Il fallait juste qu’ils viennent choisir un prénom, qu’ils le répètent et que toute la classe dise Hello…
- La répétition est très importante mais elle est trop monotone. Toute la classe répète toujours de façon collective. C’est alors très difficile de repérer les erreurs et de plus cela ennuie les élèves.
On peut faire répéter collectivement, puis par rangée ou par petit groupe, en s’adressant aux filles, aux garçons… pour varier les modalités de répétition.
On peut aussi faire répéter très doucement, très rapidement, tout bas, un peu fort, en chantant, avec une voix aigue, une voix grave… cela amuse les élèves et ils répètent sans ennui.
IV- Conclusion.
Melle Catron gère très bien la classe. Elle est calme et positive avec les élèves. Son idée d’associer les gestes à la parole est excellente. Il faut continuer à préparer les séances sur le document distribué en formation.
Lors de la prochaine visite, il faudra proposer d’autres modalités que la répétition collective pour faire répéter les élèves (voir conseils ci-dessus).
La conseillère pédagogique langues vivantes
Fleurette Barranco
Saturday, October 17, 2009
End of the week shenanigans
Wednesday was long. The meeting in the morning was silly. Afterwards we all went to get lunch at a kebab place.......and I ordered a steak frites.........and he didn't understand me and just gave me fries (sob). Then I shopping with Krystal (we found the 2 euro store and a place with really cheap boots). Finally, we had a jam session. We started with guitar in Krystal's house then we went to a sheet music store and rented the piano for an hour. It was so much fun.
Thursday I taught 6 classes. They went well, I think. Teaching English is just like playing a massive game of charades. I think it's amusing. Anyway, one of my teachers pulled me aside after her class and told me I did a good job. :)
Friday, Fleurette (one of the admin ladies) came to observe my class. She gave me two criticisms: 1. the class was too easy (but after I explained the situation to her and the fact that I had other stuff planned, she understood) 2. Repeat in smaller groups (which I did too, she just wasn't in the room for it). So, overall, I think I'm doing an okay job. The director of Helene Boucher in Ballan-Mire came up to me before I taught at that school and he said I could use "tu" with him. :) And, he told me that the teachers have been coming to him saying that I'm doing a good job (yay!). I taught 4 classes at Ballan that day and 2 of the teachers came up to me after class to tell me I did a good job.
Looks like I'm doing alright at the moment.
Friday night, we (Chelsea, Emma, Krystal, the Brits and I) got beers across the street (HAPPY HOUR!) then went grocery shopping tipsy and then made dinner (stir fry and fried rice and cookies........ oh my!). Then we drank a bunch of wine, and everybody did 4 lemon drop shots, and then Jim and Lidyian (sp?) (the girl who likes twilight too) came over, and then david and his friends came over, and then we drank some more, and then............I puked and went to bed. Yeah, yeah, yeah.... beer before liquor...... I know. psh. Everyone else went out to a club and did some dancing...I;however, was too busy praying for forgiveness to the porcelain God.
Whatever. I had a damn good time.
Today.......I don't know what my plans are, but I think fabulous things are going to happen.
Love Always,
Amanda
P.S. Go to the Dashboard website (http://www.dashboardconfessional.com/news and listen to the Don't Wait Demo. It's soooooooooooooo good!
Thursday I taught 6 classes. They went well, I think. Teaching English is just like playing a massive game of charades. I think it's amusing. Anyway, one of my teachers pulled me aside after her class and told me I did a good job. :)
Friday, Fleurette (one of the admin ladies) came to observe my class. She gave me two criticisms: 1. the class was too easy (but after I explained the situation to her and the fact that I had other stuff planned, she understood) 2. Repeat in smaller groups (which I did too, she just wasn't in the room for it). So, overall, I think I'm doing an okay job. The director of Helene Boucher in Ballan-Mire came up to me before I taught at that school and he said I could use "tu" with him. :) And, he told me that the teachers have been coming to him saying that I'm doing a good job (yay!). I taught 4 classes at Ballan that day and 2 of the teachers came up to me after class to tell me I did a good job.
Looks like I'm doing alright at the moment.
Friday night, we (Chelsea, Emma, Krystal, the Brits and I) got beers across the street (HAPPY HOUR!) then went grocery shopping tipsy and then made dinner (stir fry and fried rice and cookies........ oh my!). Then we drank a bunch of wine, and everybody did 4 lemon drop shots, and then Jim and Lidyian (sp?) (the girl who likes twilight too) came over, and then david and his friends came over, and then we drank some more, and then............I puked and went to bed. Yeah, yeah, yeah.... beer before liquor...... I know. psh. Everyone else went out to a club and did some dancing...I;however, was too busy praying for forgiveness to the porcelain God.
Whatever. I had a damn good time.
Today.......I don't know what my plans are, but I think fabulous things are going to happen.
Love Always,
Amanda
P.S. Go to the Dashboard website (http://www.dashboardconfessional.com/news and listen to the Don't Wait Demo. It's soooooooooooooo good!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Miss me?
So, I've seriously logged into this website 3 times in the past couple of days and then decided that I really didn't feel like writing anything. Lucky you; however, because now I do! Let's go with the usual format, shall we?
Friday night we had a party. It was pretty rockin'. At one point there were 5 French guys in my room with all of us. Cramped, yet, stylin'. None of them were even remotely interested in me, though. Everyone left around 1:30 in the morning. Clean up was minimal. :)
Saturday we woke up, ran some errands, went to the bank, went grocery stopping and then were sloths all day. It was excellent. Later that night we watched Labyrinth....oh, David Bowie.
Sunday we ran to the only cafe open for coffee and did lesson plans. We then walked around and met up with the Brits at Place Plume (Place Plumereau....go google it...now.........I'll wait.................cool, no? Let's continue...) came back and then made delicious dinner (I made cabbage soup for 50 men/the fridge to hold). I then went to bed, finished my book, and stared at the ceiling in terror for about 4 hours. Around 3:30 I fell asleep.
Monday I woke up at 6:30 to catch the train to Ballan-Mire. I got to use my card in the ticket machine (eek! :) And arrived in Ballan around 7:30. I then proceeded to take an hour to walk a 10 minute walk because I got horribly, horribly lost twice. When I got to the school the director was not there. Turns out.......friends........that he gets in at noon on Mondays. So.... I did not have my schedule/know wtf to do. One of the teachers there grabbed my schedule off of his desk (yay!!!!!!!) and then left to teach class. Nobody came to get me for observation, so I asked the secretary how to print something (use the director's computer? what?) and then make copies. I then copied things 800 times and then sat down in the teacher's lounge and stared at my schedule.....no really....just stared....until 10. I then got pissed off that the director was not there/nobody knew wtf was going on.......so..........I left. I peaced out of the school.
I walked around for about an hour in search of a cafe (nothing was open) and eventually went to a giant "Simply Market" and bought a pain au chocolat......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm and looked around there for a bit. (I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but I LOVE grocery stores in France. I actually consciously hope that I forget something so I can go back and get it at a later date.) Around 11 I went back to the school and the director was there (ugh...) and he made sure I got my schedule and asked me who gave it to me and a bunch of other things in his silly accent that I cannot understand at all. Then.....it was lunch time. I sat in the teacher's lounge from 1130 until 1330 doing nothing but getting terrified. I honestly, honestly, almost ralphed all over the table. :(
I got into my first class and was shaking uncontrollably (did I mention that I had been drinking coffee straight from 1130 to 1330?......haha). We did the lesson, the teacher was not in the room, everything went well. It was terrifying. The children laughed at my French. Tant pis. Then the teacher was 15 minutes late coming from her lesson :( So, I was 15 minutes late to my next class which was just after that. booooooo. Then I got a 15 min. break and then I taught two more classes. They all went well. I sang to them. They liked it. They learned nothing. (WIN!)
After my last class I sprinted (well, not sprinted, but walked briskly) to the train station and JUSSSST made the train home. I also, fell asleep on the train for a second. When I got back Emma had made me a card hoping I had a good day (so sweet!) and then we talked about our days and an hour after we got back we all went to Marie's house for dinner.
Oh. em. gee.
Marie greeted us, poured us some vouvray (the sparkling wine that's made in Tours........sooo good) and we talked about things over appetizers. All I want in the world is for her to like me, so I made sure that I said some smart things. I told her how much I love Camargue and Mistral (Inner Monologue: SEEE! I KNOW YOUR CULTURE! LOVE ME!!!!) and we talked about Avignon for a bit (while everyone else was discussing other things). She mentioned the bridge (like I'd never heard of it, of course) and I mentioned the fable that the Terrasque (sp?) ate the other side of the bridge and how it's a metaphor for the Rhone river (like she'd never heard of it). Win. Win. Win. I think I impressed her. That and the conversation about Colette at the dinner table. :) God, I'm glad I retain trivia like it's my job. God bless Francois Bory. Avignon was worth the trip if only for that class and it's applications in real life.
For dinner we had: 1) Asparagus with sauce 2) Foie Gras (Yes......foie gras........I ate at least 75 bucks worth of it) 3) Roast chicken, risotto, mushrooms, pumpkin puree 4) Chocolate cake and ice cream.
Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. I could barely move when we left.
Luckily, conversation at Marie's was easy because she kept pouring booze down our throats (I would say I had a total of 6-8 glasses of wine in the span of 3 hours). French came easily and laughter even easier. It was one of the best nights I've had here. Super super fun. The whole point of the dinner was to meet Amelie, Marie's neighbor's daughter who is our age. She is really cool, plays the accordion/piano, teaches at a conservatory of music (well is an assistant to a blind professor), is in a band, and loves ska. We all exchanged phone numbers/email address/etc to hang out soon. She friended me on facebook before I even had the chance to get on and try.
Overall, it was an awesome night.
Today, Tuesday, I woke up at 7:30 and headed to Francis Poulenc. The class is filled with little brats and I'm going to strangle them all (not really...but it's nice to dream). Then I came back here and took a nap. No idea what the night may hold, I think the Brits might come over at some point........ who knows.
Tomorrow, administrative stuff until noon. Then, hopefully, jam session! I miss my guitar. :(
Okay, interesting tidbits:
1. I got my credit card from Societe Generale! It's so f-ing sweet. I will post a picture.........sometime.........
2. At some point, I don't remember what day, I was able to talk to Erin. And it made me happy. It's weird to think how I must look to her....I feel like I'm changing/growing drastically each month. Oh, well. The best part is that now I get to be her friend and not her employee!
3. Emma does the best impression of how the French children act.....it's really something to see. I HATE children..........but.......... at this point...........I kinda want a little French kid to have as a pet. :)
4. Also met Marie's current foreign exchange student who is from BGSU. She's.......special. I don't think she understands much French (even though we were talking really, really slow/in English sometimes)......I think she might not have been paying attention or something. Anyway, she got offended when I told her what BG is known for (teehee). Oh! And turns out she grew up in Cleveland and knows all of the cities that my friends are from up north. :) I don't want to be her friend, though. She seemed apathetic towards the fact that we all were there. Wish she would try more.
5. New pictures up on facebook! I believe the include the Opera, the Musee des Beaux Arts, the Cathedral in Tours, my roommates, and a giant tree. Go check them out!
6. Decided Sunday night....er........Monday morning (really early) that it's time to start over. So far it's going really well. I'm starting to feel like myself again. I love it here.
7. Went to the grocery store today, bought cidre, baguette, and milk that's good until December. Explain that one.
Love Always,
Amanda
Friday night we had a party. It was pretty rockin'. At one point there were 5 French guys in my room with all of us. Cramped, yet, stylin'. None of them were even remotely interested in me, though. Everyone left around 1:30 in the morning. Clean up was minimal. :)
Saturday we woke up, ran some errands, went to the bank, went grocery stopping and then were sloths all day. It was excellent. Later that night we watched Labyrinth....oh, David Bowie.
Sunday we ran to the only cafe open for coffee and did lesson plans. We then walked around and met up with the Brits at Place Plume (Place Plumereau....go google it...now.........I'll wait.................cool, no? Let's continue...) came back and then made delicious dinner (I made cabbage soup for 50 men/the fridge to hold). I then went to bed, finished my book, and stared at the ceiling in terror for about 4 hours. Around 3:30 I fell asleep.
Monday I woke up at 6:30 to catch the train to Ballan-Mire. I got to use my card in the ticket machine (eek! :) And arrived in Ballan around 7:30. I then proceeded to take an hour to walk a 10 minute walk because I got horribly, horribly lost twice. When I got to the school the director was not there. Turns out.......friends........that he gets in at noon on Mondays. So.... I did not have my schedule/know wtf to do. One of the teachers there grabbed my schedule off of his desk (yay!!!!!!!) and then left to teach class. Nobody came to get me for observation, so I asked the secretary how to print something (use the director's computer? what?) and then make copies. I then copied things 800 times and then sat down in the teacher's lounge and stared at my schedule.....no really....just stared....until 10. I then got pissed off that the director was not there/nobody knew wtf was going on.......so..........I left. I peaced out of the school.
I walked around for about an hour in search of a cafe (nothing was open) and eventually went to a giant "Simply Market" and bought a pain au chocolat......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm and looked around there for a bit. (I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but I LOVE grocery stores in France. I actually consciously hope that I forget something so I can go back and get it at a later date.) Around 11 I went back to the school and the director was there (ugh...) and he made sure I got my schedule and asked me who gave it to me and a bunch of other things in his silly accent that I cannot understand at all. Then.....it was lunch time. I sat in the teacher's lounge from 1130 until 1330 doing nothing but getting terrified. I honestly, honestly, almost ralphed all over the table. :(
I got into my first class and was shaking uncontrollably (did I mention that I had been drinking coffee straight from 1130 to 1330?......haha). We did the lesson, the teacher was not in the room, everything went well. It was terrifying. The children laughed at my French. Tant pis. Then the teacher was 15 minutes late coming from her lesson :( So, I was 15 minutes late to my next class which was just after that. booooooo. Then I got a 15 min. break and then I taught two more classes. They all went well. I sang to them. They liked it. They learned nothing. (WIN!)
After my last class I sprinted (well, not sprinted, but walked briskly) to the train station and JUSSSST made the train home. I also, fell asleep on the train for a second. When I got back Emma had made me a card hoping I had a good day (so sweet!) and then we talked about our days and an hour after we got back we all went to Marie's house for dinner.
Oh. em. gee.
Marie greeted us, poured us some vouvray (the sparkling wine that's made in Tours........sooo good) and we talked about things over appetizers. All I want in the world is for her to like me, so I made sure that I said some smart things. I told her how much I love Camargue and Mistral (Inner Monologue: SEEE! I KNOW YOUR CULTURE! LOVE ME!!!!) and we talked about Avignon for a bit (while everyone else was discussing other things). She mentioned the bridge (like I'd never heard of it, of course) and I mentioned the fable that the Terrasque (sp?) ate the other side of the bridge and how it's a metaphor for the Rhone river (like she'd never heard of it). Win. Win. Win. I think I impressed her. That and the conversation about Colette at the dinner table. :) God, I'm glad I retain trivia like it's my job. God bless Francois Bory. Avignon was worth the trip if only for that class and it's applications in real life.
For dinner we had: 1) Asparagus with sauce 2) Foie Gras (Yes......foie gras........I ate at least 75 bucks worth of it) 3) Roast chicken, risotto, mushrooms, pumpkin puree 4) Chocolate cake and ice cream.
Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. I could barely move when we left.
Luckily, conversation at Marie's was easy because she kept pouring booze down our throats (I would say I had a total of 6-8 glasses of wine in the span of 3 hours). French came easily and laughter even easier. It was one of the best nights I've had here. Super super fun. The whole point of the dinner was to meet Amelie, Marie's neighbor's daughter who is our age. She is really cool, plays the accordion/piano, teaches at a conservatory of music (well is an assistant to a blind professor), is in a band, and loves ska. We all exchanged phone numbers/email address/etc to hang out soon. She friended me on facebook before I even had the chance to get on and try.
Overall, it was an awesome night.
Today, Tuesday, I woke up at 7:30 and headed to Francis Poulenc. The class is filled with little brats and I'm going to strangle them all (not really...but it's nice to dream). Then I came back here and took a nap. No idea what the night may hold, I think the Brits might come over at some point........ who knows.
Tomorrow, administrative stuff until noon. Then, hopefully, jam session! I miss my guitar. :(
Okay, interesting tidbits:
1. I got my credit card from Societe Generale! It's so f-ing sweet. I will post a picture.........sometime.........
2. At some point, I don't remember what day, I was able to talk to Erin. And it made me happy. It's weird to think how I must look to her....I feel like I'm changing/growing drastically each month. Oh, well. The best part is that now I get to be her friend and not her employee!
3. Emma does the best impression of how the French children act.....it's really something to see. I HATE children..........but.......... at this point...........I kinda want a little French kid to have as a pet. :)
4. Also met Marie's current foreign exchange student who is from BGSU. She's.......special. I don't think she understands much French (even though we were talking really, really slow/in English sometimes)......I think she might not have been paying attention or something. Anyway, she got offended when I told her what BG is known for (teehee). Oh! And turns out she grew up in Cleveland and knows all of the cities that my friends are from up north. :) I don't want to be her friend, though. She seemed apathetic towards the fact that we all were there. Wish she would try more.
5. New pictures up on facebook! I believe the include the Opera, the Musee des Beaux Arts, the Cathedral in Tours, my roommates, and a giant tree. Go check them out!
6. Decided Sunday night....er........Monday morning (really early) that it's time to start over. So far it's going really well. I'm starting to feel like myself again. I love it here.
7. Went to the grocery store today, bought cidre, baguette, and milk that's good until December. Explain that one.
Love Always,
Amanda
Saturday, October 10, 2009
POSTCARDS!
Dear Friends,
So.... postage is VERY VERY expensive over here, but because I miss everyone I decided to buy 3 postcards. (Well, I bought 4, but one must go to my sister).
Read the following carefully:
The first 3 people to email me at catrona@gmail.com with their address (and, of course, a short note saying how much you miss me) will receive a super awesome postcard from me! It will, probably, be enclosed in a letter.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I don't have enough money to buy postage to send everyone a letter.......even the people who I really really want to send letters to. So, I figured this is the only fair way to do it.
If you don't get a postcard this round......I promise late responses will be the first sent out the next time I buy postcards. I'm so sorry I can't send you all old-school correspondences...... :(
So....... GAME ON! Send that email now! (Email submissions in poem/song/video/Dashboard Confessional format or that are especially witty/touching/genuine/silly will be given special consideration)
I look forward to writing you all letters!
Love Always,
Amanda
So.... postage is VERY VERY expensive over here, but because I miss everyone I decided to buy 3 postcards. (Well, I bought 4, but one must go to my sister).
Read the following carefully:
The first 3 people to email me at catrona@gmail.com with their address (and, of course, a short note saying how much you miss me) will receive a super awesome postcard from me! It will, probably, be enclosed in a letter.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I don't have enough money to buy postage to send everyone a letter.......even the people who I really really want to send letters to. So, I figured this is the only fair way to do it.
If you don't get a postcard this round......I promise late responses will be the first sent out the next time I buy postcards. I'm so sorry I can't send you all old-school correspondences...... :(
So....... GAME ON! Send that email now! (Email submissions in poem/song/video/Dashboard Confessional format or that are especially witty/touching/genuine/silly will be given special consideration)
I look forward to writing you all letters!
Love Always,
Amanda
Yesterday was a very eventful day. Woke up early, sat and did admin stuff until noon. Ran to Place Jean Jaures for a sandwich/limonade for lunch with Krystal and then went back to finish the admin stuff in the afternoon. After the admin stuff I went with Fleurette (my admin lady) back to her office to call my school in Ballan to figure out when I'm supposed to be working on Monday. They, STILL, do not have my schedule done...but it looks like I'll be observing there Monday morning and teaching a class/some classes in the afternoon. I still don't know which of the 3 levels I'll be teaching or how many students, or, well, anything else. Fleurette said that they need to give me the schedule in the morning so I have time to prepare for the class. The one GOOD thing that she told me is that if I am not given the schedule with reasonable time to prepare then I don't have to teach in the afternoon. I guess........it's just still all up in the air (stressful!!!!!!)
I do know........however.........that I should take the train to get there. :)
I will then try to bum a ride from somebody home. :)
Friday night we had the Brits, the girl who loves twilight and her bf, Krystal, Diana, and 5 French guys over pour une petite fete. It was quite the success. We were supposed to go out..........but.........we played Kings........and then.......none of us went out. It was a great time. A great melange of French/English/Franglais. Good times were had by all.
Today, we are going grocery shopping...I will be sure to detail exactly what I buy after it happens.... I love grocery shopping...everything is so different and cool and amazing. I just want to try everything in that little store called "Simply Market". After shopping I believe Krystal is coming over and we are having a jam session, and later tonight the roomies and I are going to just chill and watch a movie. :)
Oh! And.... Krystal and I found this really cool little junk shop on the main street in Tours that has cheap.......well.......everything! Will most def. be buying curtains there when money allows.
It is also, official, that BMW did NOT pay me for my last week of work. I NEEEEEEEED that money... if only to get to my school and back. Angry emails will commence today.
It rained this morning...but now it looks nice outside. :)
Always,
Amanda
I do know........however.........that I should take the train to get there. :)
I will then try to bum a ride from somebody home. :)
Friday night we had the Brits, the girl who loves twilight and her bf, Krystal, Diana, and 5 French guys over pour une petite fete. It was quite the success. We were supposed to go out..........but.........we played Kings........and then.......none of us went out. It was a great time. A great melange of French/English/Franglais. Good times were had by all.
Today, we are going grocery shopping...I will be sure to detail exactly what I buy after it happens.... I love grocery shopping...everything is so different and cool and amazing. I just want to try everything in that little store called "Simply Market". After shopping I believe Krystal is coming over and we are having a jam session, and later tonight the roomies and I are going to just chill and watch a movie. :)
Oh! And.... Krystal and I found this really cool little junk shop on the main street in Tours that has cheap.......well.......everything! Will most def. be buying curtains there when money allows.
It is also, official, that BMW did NOT pay me for my last week of work. I NEEEEEEEED that money... if only to get to my school and back. Angry emails will commence today.
It rained this morning...but now it looks nice outside. :)
Always,
Amanda
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wow... I'm totally doing an excellent job keeping this blog up...*pat on the back for me!* So.........today (and yes, interesting bits are at the end again...).
Today I woke up early, walked a bit, and got picked up in front of the Inspection Academique by a lady named Michele. She promptly drove me right back to the neighborhood I live in to visit my second school. The school, Francis Poulenc, if you're curious.... is an elementary school that is also a conservatory for music. So in the morning the kids do normal classwork and in the afternoon they head somewhere else to do music/dance/art/awesomeness. It's a small school, so there were only 7 teachers and everything was a lot less intimidating than Ballan. The director introduced me and told me that I would be teaching her class Tuesday/Friday 8:45 to 9:30. What a novel concept! To tell me when I'm teaching! Craziness! So...that went well. The kids are not crazy or anything.....yet. And I got introduced as Mlle Catron (oddddddd).
Afterwards, I headed back to the apartment (a whopping 6 blocks away!) and saw that my roommates were headed out to their schools. We ran across the street to have a coffee and make better friends with the barman. I love him. There's something about French people that make me want them to like me for some reason. All I want is for him to say hi to me when I'm walking home each day. Anyway...after the coffee the roomies headed out and I made lunch, got online, and then passed out.
I was awoken when Emma came home and we decided to walk (about 30 minutes) to Planete Saturn a technology store. Basically it was like the harder side of Sears. (Get it...the opposite of the softer side of Sears...get it? eh? eh?) Then we ran to Carrefour where I purchased Diet Coke. mmmmm. Diet Coke. We walked back and I made dinner for myself, ate, and then made dinner for Emma (because I could). Finally, got on skype, talked to some peeps, and the Brits came over. Everyone watched Child's Play while I was on the computer and then I went and hung out with them/threw popcorn in Chelsea's mouth/learned her many talents.
Tomorrow we have administrative CRAP all day and then we're drinking a lot, going out a drinking more, and then coming home and sleeping.....forever. And, yes, I will be on the lookout for a beautiful French boy to call my own. :)
Interesting Bits:
1. The kids at Poulenc were taking a French grammar test on antonyms. The director asked me if I knew all the words on it....which I didn't. I got schooled in French grammar by 8 year olds. :(
2. While walking to Planete Saturn we had to go through this tiny, tiny tunnel that had a sidewalk that was no more than 2 feet wide. I have never been so sure that I was going to get ecraser'ed by a car in my entire life.
3. Opened a bottle of 2 euro red wine....it was so good. At least a 30 dollar bottle of wine in the states. yum!
4. So, when we were at Marie's house for Chelsea's birthday dinner she poured the last bit of the bottle of wine into my glass. She explained that if you finish the bottle of wine at a party it means that in that year you will either get married or hanged. I'd rather gain a green card than lose my life.....I'm just saying. Marriage is a lot less permanent than death. :)
5. Also, Emma said today that if our parents aren't here for Christmas then we'll go over to Marie's and she'll make us a delicious Christmas dinner (she told us that it's an 8 course meal.......gah!)
Love Always,
Amanda
P.S. I'm almost finished with Marley and Me...then finishing Children of the Mind. If you're feeling kind...mail me a book! But it better be a good one.... :)
P.S.S. I changed the picture on this blog to the Hotel de Ville that is a block from my house. Jealous?
P.S.S.S. CHELSEA IS F-ING INSANE!
Today I woke up early, walked a bit, and got picked up in front of the Inspection Academique by a lady named Michele. She promptly drove me right back to the neighborhood I live in to visit my second school. The school, Francis Poulenc, if you're curious.... is an elementary school that is also a conservatory for music. So in the morning the kids do normal classwork and in the afternoon they head somewhere else to do music/dance/art/awesomeness. It's a small school, so there were only 7 teachers and everything was a lot less intimidating than Ballan. The director introduced me and told me that I would be teaching her class Tuesday/Friday 8:45 to 9:30. What a novel concept! To tell me when I'm teaching! Craziness! So...that went well. The kids are not crazy or anything.....yet. And I got introduced as Mlle Catron (oddddddd).
Afterwards, I headed back to the apartment (a whopping 6 blocks away!) and saw that my roommates were headed out to their schools. We ran across the street to have a coffee and make better friends with the barman. I love him. There's something about French people that make me want them to like me for some reason. All I want is for him to say hi to me when I'm walking home each day. Anyway...after the coffee the roomies headed out and I made lunch, got online, and then passed out.
I was awoken when Emma came home and we decided to walk (about 30 minutes) to Planete Saturn a technology store. Basically it was like the harder side of Sears. (Get it...the opposite of the softer side of Sears...get it? eh? eh?) Then we ran to Carrefour where I purchased Diet Coke. mmmmm. Diet Coke. We walked back and I made dinner for myself, ate, and then made dinner for Emma (because I could). Finally, got on skype, talked to some peeps, and the Brits came over. Everyone watched Child's Play while I was on the computer and then I went and hung out with them/threw popcorn in Chelsea's mouth/learned her many talents.
Tomorrow we have administrative CRAP all day and then we're drinking a lot, going out a drinking more, and then coming home and sleeping.....forever. And, yes, I will be on the lookout for a beautiful French boy to call my own. :)
Interesting Bits:
1. The kids at Poulenc were taking a French grammar test on antonyms. The director asked me if I knew all the words on it....which I didn't. I got schooled in French grammar by 8 year olds. :(
2. While walking to Planete Saturn we had to go through this tiny, tiny tunnel that had a sidewalk that was no more than 2 feet wide. I have never been so sure that I was going to get ecraser'ed by a car in my entire life.
3. Opened a bottle of 2 euro red wine....it was so good. At least a 30 dollar bottle of wine in the states. yum!
4. So, when we were at Marie's house for Chelsea's birthday dinner she poured the last bit of the bottle of wine into my glass. She explained that if you finish the bottle of wine at a party it means that in that year you will either get married or hanged. I'd rather gain a green card than lose my life.....I'm just saying. Marriage is a lot less permanent than death. :)
5. Also, Emma said today that if our parents aren't here for Christmas then we'll go over to Marie's and she'll make us a delicious Christmas dinner (she told us that it's an 8 course meal.......gah!)
Love Always,
Amanda
P.S. I'm almost finished with Marley and Me...then finishing Children of the Mind. If you're feeling kind...mail me a book! But it better be a good one.... :)
P.S.S. I changed the picture on this blog to the Hotel de Ville that is a block from my house. Jealous?
P.S.S.S. CHELSEA IS F-ING INSANE!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
This week...
Okay, so I was able to get in touch with people on Sunday.....so that was great. And then Monday I used the internet at Krystal's house (whom I have come to adore). And, Tuesday we got internet! HOORAY!
Let's see...a brief recap of this week's events because I am EXHAUSTED and have to get up early tomorrow. Monday we had administrative stuff all day and Krystal and I had steak-frites for lunch (mmmmmmm). Tuesday I spent all day at my school in Ballan-Mire (accent aigu on that last e). It was stressful, terrifying, etc. Wednesday we had administrative stuff this morning and I've spent the rest of the day in the apartment calling people/hoping people would get online/making a really awesome dinner/napping/etc. Tomorrow I'm visiting my other school that's quite close by for the first time...we'll see how that goes. Afterwards, if I have it in me, I'm going to walk 45 minutes to a cheap appliance shop next to the other river to try to buy a phone for our house.... we'll see. If the morning's not to stressful/exhausting I'd really like to, but if it goes like it does at Ballan...then...we'll see.
I apologize for the delay, but there ARE pictures up on facebook. For people who want to stalk where I live my address is as follows:
11/13 Rue Victor Laloux
37000 Tours, France
Other than that..... roommates are good, food is good, apartment is good, work is STRESSFUL, french is still crappy, really starting to miss certain people (it might be a long weekend).
Oh, and after that horrible day on Tuesday we went to the bar across the street and did shots/made friends with the barman. :)
Still wondering if I am getting paid by BMW on Friday (DID I fill out that timecard?)...if so... I am buying a 3 plug adapter for my computer........running out of battery....... you know.
Always,
Amanda
Let's see...a brief recap of this week's events because I am EXHAUSTED and have to get up early tomorrow. Monday we had administrative stuff all day and Krystal and I had steak-frites for lunch (mmmmmmm). Tuesday I spent all day at my school in Ballan-Mire (accent aigu on that last e). It was stressful, terrifying, etc. Wednesday we had administrative stuff this morning and I've spent the rest of the day in the apartment calling people/hoping people would get online/making a really awesome dinner/napping/etc. Tomorrow I'm visiting my other school that's quite close by for the first time...we'll see how that goes. Afterwards, if I have it in me, I'm going to walk 45 minutes to a cheap appliance shop next to the other river to try to buy a phone for our house.... we'll see. If the morning's not to stressful/exhausting I'd really like to, but if it goes like it does at Ballan...then...we'll see.
I apologize for the delay, but there ARE pictures up on facebook. For people who want to stalk where I live my address is as follows:
11/13 Rue Victor Laloux
37000 Tours, France
Other than that..... roommates are good, food is good, apartment is good, work is STRESSFUL, french is still crappy, really starting to miss certain people (it might be a long weekend).
Oh, and after that horrible day on Tuesday we went to the bar across the street and did shots/made friends with the barman. :)
Still wondering if I am getting paid by BMW on Friday (DID I fill out that timecard?)...if so... I am buying a 3 plug adapter for my computer........running out of battery....... you know.
Always,
Amanda
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Update
10/2/09
Firstly I'd like to say a very happy birthday to my Father. Happy birthday!
So... yesterday. Yesterday would have been a bad day if it occured in the United States....in English. Because it occured in French it can officially be deemed dreadful. Yesterday we all woke up early and headed over to our apartment and signed papers for it. Marie, the french host mom of Emma, came with us again and made sure everything went smoothly. Afterwards, Marie gave us a ride to l'ecole Stephane Pitard where we were late, of course, for our first meeting with our advisor-like people. They threw a bunch of information at us and then told us when our meetings with our schools would be. We then ran to the gare to buy tickets for Orleans (which should be refunded later...yay!), grabbed a coffee and then headed back to the school. From here a lady named Michele picked me up and drove me to BFE to my school in Ballan-Mire. She had no idea how I should get to school. She suggested the bus or the train..... a lot of help she was. She then introduced me to the principal and left. The principal then took me on a tour of all the classrooms (about 14 in total). Here I was introduced to the students and the teachers in a blur of names/French/craziness. I was then left in front of one of the classes to do....god knows what. I asked everybody what there name was and then asked the teacher if he had anything else he wanted me to do and he replied with, "You mean, you didn't plan anything for today?". WHAT? Anyway... afterwards we all had a cup of coffee together in the teacher's lounge and then the principal dropped me off in another classroom. After 3 minutes the teacher told me I could leave because I would not, in fact, be teaching English in her class. Thus, I was in the hallway of a school...alone...and the principal (who was showing me around) was teaching a class. I then ran to the secretary, told her I was lost and had no idea where I was supposed to be, and she said wait in the teacher's lounge. 30 minutes later the principal came and introduced me to another class and after 3 minutes, again, the teacher told me I could leave. I then, again, returned to the teacher's lounge and sat, alone, staring at the window for 45 minutes. (Mind you, the secretary offerred me a cup of coffee 10 minutes before school got out). The principal returned after school and told me one of the teachers would drive me home. This teacher was actually super nice and spoke a little bit of English...the best part was he used the word "bottleneck" in French and it made me think of David Sedaris. :)
What made the entire day better was the fact that after all this a bunch of the assistants went over to Marie's house for a birthday dinner for Chelsea. May I just say, I have NEVER eaten so well and I have NEVER eaten so much in my entire life. We had aperitifs with appetizers, then asparagus, then fish and zucchini, then salad, then pie, then cake. It was RIDICULOUS. And the drinks were amazing too. The dinner lasted from 7:30 until 11:30. It was quite the experience. However, all that food did prevent me from getting to sleep at a reasonable hour. Bah.
This morning I woke up at 5:30 and ran to the ATM to get the rest of the rent money out. May I just say, I have never been so sure that I was going to get mugged in my entire life. Luckily, I did not...so that's good. Then I packed up all my bags, dragged them to Marie's house for storage until tonight............. when we MOVE INTO THE APARTMENTTTTTTT! AHHHH! I'm so excited to finally be able to settle down. It will be glorious.
Currently, I am on a train to Orleans with the rest of the primary assistants and several lycee/college assistants. When we get back (around 5 or 6, I believe) hopefully we will have our keys and then I'll be able to move in..........and eventually call home, since I didn't get to it last night because of the EPIC dinner of EPIC proportions!
10/3/09
It feels so odd that it's only been about 24 hours since I wrote that post...haha. Anyway...a lot has happened. You're going to get a play by play and then I'm going to go into the interesting stuff....if I bore you often I suggested you skip down to the bottom. Let's start with the very beginning:
Orleans: We arrived, Orleans was nice...a bit smaller/dirtier than Tours, I must say...but I am partial to the city in which I am living. :) Anyway... we had a short meeting in the morning talking about all the silly visa stuff we have yet to do and we were given a pp on the history of Orleans-Tours. After this we were supposed to go on a guided tour (we were broken up into groups), but our tour guide never showed up.......so we just followed another tour until we got to the cathedral. This other group's guide did not go into the cathedral...and we wanted to...so.....we did. We (meaning Krystal, Grace, Chelsea, Emma, and a bunch of other people) went into the cathedral (one word= HUGE!). Then we headed to see a statue of Joan of Arc (because she's from Orleans, you see? I saw her house...it looked like a house...). Then we headed back to where we started for lunch....of course we were 30 minutes earlier than everyone else, but we discovered that A. The lunch was a buffet of appetizers (not filling) and B. There was free champagne. So.... we ate some food (after asking permission of course) and started a contest to see who could drink the most (unfortunately this failed because all of the other assistants showed up, the drinks disappeared, and they were not replinished...we all had 2 glasses of champagne...too bad). Then I went to sit outside with Krystal because the restaurant was over crowded...and...I guess our administrators gathered all the primary assistants together and walked them over....some place...for the afternoon meeting. Because Krystal and I were absent we were not informed about this sudden change of location. So, we went where our first meeting took place and asked where the CDPC, or something like that, was. The lady there said it's about a block away on the right in the Inspection building. Krystal and I headed to the inspection building and asked the receptionist what room the CDPC was. The receptionist, of course, had never heard of it. She called someone and (btw as I'm writing this I was just interrupted because a greve walked by our apartment and was saying something in a megaphone....in case you were wondering a greve is a strike...that's right....4th one in the first week I've been here that I've seen) asked where the CDPC is....she wrote it down...and then we asked for directions there and she obliged. At this point we are already 10 minutes late to the meeting (everyone knows how much I enjoy being late). Anyway..... we start speed walking in the direction of this mysterious building and we run into an irish guy. I ask him if he's headed to the place and he said that he was a primary assistant, but he thought it was in the first room we had a meeting. I, politely, informed him that he was very wrong and going back there would be a graveeeee mistake. So, I invited him to join us on our quest for the CDPC (by the way...this turned out to be quite advantageous in the end because I asked him A. If they drink Irish car bombs in Ireland and B. What they would be called......the answer if you are wondering is that they do not drink Irish car bombs in Ireland and the Irish boy thought that they would be disgusting). Finally...after many minutes walking....we arrived...40 minutes late to a 2 hour meeting about health insurance/housing (don't even GET me started on how angry that made me....grr....information came far too late)/ other administrative things.
Finally, after the meeting was over (and it was over 30 minutes early) we were all ready to catch the train that left in 40 minutes (because a later train would take much longer to get back). Chelsea; however, lost her phone...so we looked for it...did not find it...and 10 minutes before the train left we decided to run to the gare (mind you, of course, she found her phone on the way...it was in her boot....which was the first place I suggested she look). ANYWAY. ;) We barely made it before the train left, and all of the other assistants wanted to get on the train that said "Tours" that would leave in another 30 minutes...I said, "No, no my friends...we should take the train that matches our ticket number that is leaving now. I know it does not say Tours, but IT is the correct train to take"...of course...I was right... :) (Would've been quite horrible if that wasn't the case, eh?). When we got back to Tours we went to Marie's house and watched Emma pack (because our suitcases where there, you see?) and I called my father (a very crappy skype connection, but at least I got through). Finally, Tobi arrived and we moved all our stuff into the apartment, made dinner, ran to the grocery, unpacked, and passed out.
This morning we got up early to open our bank accounts (which went smoothly) and we went to a store (yes, a cell phone store) to ask them how to install internet in our apartment. We returned here, and I ran to the grocery store while the other two girls run to IKEA (while I really need stuff for my room...like a dresser/drawers/something...I thought it would be best to wait until I get paid for stuff that I need, but can live without for now). And here we are.
So NOW the interesting stuff:
1. We moved into our apartment! It's completely furnished, the last guy even left food here like pasta/Olive oil, etc. The landlord freshly painted my room (which REALLY needed it). He left us towels for the dishes, etc, laundry baskets, just...little things that would've really added up in price. The blankets for the bed he provided us with our RIDICULOUS looking. They're stripped...in different colors....it's soooooo silly. SOOOOO silly. The other girls are buying new ones.....I like these ones...they were free....so I'll deal with the ugly-ness. The only thing I need is a dresser/drawers/something for my clothes. Other than that I am unpacked and life is GLORIOUS.
2. Internet...apparently, obtaining WIFI in France is very different than the US. What we have to do is get a package through a cell phone company. The package we are getting is TV, Internet (WIFI...we checked), and a telephone. The telephone will make FREE calls to fixed landlines in Europe and the US.............................AND free calls to cell phones in the US (but not Europe). ISN'T THAT AMAZING? I'm so pumped. This, of course, will cost us 30 euros a month (total) with a 50 dollar deposit for the little thingy that they are giving us. Our other option is to get just the internet for 20 euros a month. But, I figure we could all use the phone thing (which I hope one of the girls is picking up at IKEA today) and Chelsea was thinking about buying a TV...which would, of course, have to stay in my room since the box will be in here (damn.) Overall 10 euros a month for internet/phone/tv is AMAZING! That will officially make rent 310 a month. Not bad, eh?
3. Grocery shopping. Today I did my own grocery shopping for the first time EVER in France. I bought 2 things of pasta, 2 bottles of wine, coffee, cheese, bread, butter, and toilet paper for 12 euros! So... that's a week and a half of food. Win. Of course, there are no vegetables in there...and I sincerely wish I could purchase peanut butter, but, alas, there was none. So...cheese sandwiches for lunch and buttered pasta for dinner! Perfect. :) That'll get me by until we start getting paid and such and I can buy real food.
4. Visitors. I've told my roommates all of the possible people that might/will come visit and they are really excited about it....so now you all MUST come.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'm going to go take a nap, perhaps, until the other girls (and Tobi) come back. We are then headed to the cell phone store to set up our internet, the hostel (because I forgot my f-ing book there), and then headed over to the foyer to use the free interwebs. Afterwards, I am making fried rice for us and the Brits and then we're getting schwasted, going to bed, and then sleeping all day tomorrow. Sounds amazing.
Love Always,
Amanda
P.S. Go check out pictures on facebook....NOW!
10/4/09
Okay... Looks like yesterday did not go as planned at all. The girls spent 4 HOURS in Ikea...they got back 30 minutes before the internet store closed, so we RAN there (it's pretty far away). We got the internet set up and stopped at the hostel on our way back (they, of course, have not found my book.... :(, but I left my name and number (well, Chelsea's number) and they will find it today and call me.....I hope...) Chelsea wanted to run by fnac afterwards for....something... and then we headed home. I gave her our bbox and headed towards the foyer to use the internet....of course, although it is only a block away, I got lost. I was quite upset about this getting lost bit, but eventually I found my way and................................. the door was closed. I, not living there, have no way to open the door. So, I headed back home where I had a ridiculous sobfest because nothing was going right and I was overwhelmed and upset and I don't have my book and nobody wanted to go to the internet shop with me and I didn't get to use the internet and talk to people..........sigh. Anyway, so right in the middle of this the Brits (Liz and Grace) show up, so I pulled myself together, made some fried rice, and had a good night with my new friends.
BTW. Two more American assistants came over and.......(drumroll please).......... the chick is OBSESSED with Twilight! I finally have somebody to go see New Moon with.................AND......... it's coming out earlier over here than it is in the states. Jealous? Yes, yes you are.
Anyway, I woke up today, made coffee, set up our bbox, and now I'm doing laundry. I figure around 3 o'clock I'll head over to the foyer and wake everyone up with my phone calls home. The part that sucks about not being able to use the internet one day is that I can't just wake up and use it....I have to wait until the afternoon to call everyone......so the waiting is pretty unbearable......oh well.
Always,
Amanda
Firstly I'd like to say a very happy birthday to my Father. Happy birthday!
So... yesterday. Yesterday would have been a bad day if it occured in the United States....in English. Because it occured in French it can officially be deemed dreadful. Yesterday we all woke up early and headed over to our apartment and signed papers for it. Marie, the french host mom of Emma, came with us again and made sure everything went smoothly. Afterwards, Marie gave us a ride to l'ecole Stephane Pitard where we were late, of course, for our first meeting with our advisor-like people. They threw a bunch of information at us and then told us when our meetings with our schools would be. We then ran to the gare to buy tickets for Orleans (which should be refunded later...yay!), grabbed a coffee and then headed back to the school. From here a lady named Michele picked me up and drove me to BFE to my school in Ballan-Mire. She had no idea how I should get to school. She suggested the bus or the train..... a lot of help she was. She then introduced me to the principal and left. The principal then took me on a tour of all the classrooms (about 14 in total). Here I was introduced to the students and the teachers in a blur of names/French/craziness. I was then left in front of one of the classes to do....god knows what. I asked everybody what there name was and then asked the teacher if he had anything else he wanted me to do and he replied with, "You mean, you didn't plan anything for today?". WHAT? Anyway... afterwards we all had a cup of coffee together in the teacher's lounge and then the principal dropped me off in another classroom. After 3 minutes the teacher told me I could leave because I would not, in fact, be teaching English in her class. Thus, I was in the hallway of a school...alone...and the principal (who was showing me around) was teaching a class. I then ran to the secretary, told her I was lost and had no idea where I was supposed to be, and she said wait in the teacher's lounge. 30 minutes later the principal came and introduced me to another class and after 3 minutes, again, the teacher told me I could leave. I then, again, returned to the teacher's lounge and sat, alone, staring at the window for 45 minutes. (Mind you, the secretary offerred me a cup of coffee 10 minutes before school got out). The principal returned after school and told me one of the teachers would drive me home. This teacher was actually super nice and spoke a little bit of English...the best part was he used the word "bottleneck" in French and it made me think of David Sedaris. :)
What made the entire day better was the fact that after all this a bunch of the assistants went over to Marie's house for a birthday dinner for Chelsea. May I just say, I have NEVER eaten so well and I have NEVER eaten so much in my entire life. We had aperitifs with appetizers, then asparagus, then fish and zucchini, then salad, then pie, then cake. It was RIDICULOUS. And the drinks were amazing too. The dinner lasted from 7:30 until 11:30. It was quite the experience. However, all that food did prevent me from getting to sleep at a reasonable hour. Bah.
This morning I woke up at 5:30 and ran to the ATM to get the rest of the rent money out. May I just say, I have never been so sure that I was going to get mugged in my entire life. Luckily, I did not...so that's good. Then I packed up all my bags, dragged them to Marie's house for storage until tonight............. when we MOVE INTO THE APARTMENTTTTTTT! AHHHH! I'm so excited to finally be able to settle down. It will be glorious.
Currently, I am on a train to Orleans with the rest of the primary assistants and several lycee/college assistants. When we get back (around 5 or 6, I believe) hopefully we will have our keys and then I'll be able to move in..........and eventually call home, since I didn't get to it last night because of the EPIC dinner of EPIC proportions!
10/3/09
It feels so odd that it's only been about 24 hours since I wrote that post...haha. Anyway...a lot has happened. You're going to get a play by play and then I'm going to go into the interesting stuff....if I bore you often I suggested you skip down to the bottom. Let's start with the very beginning:
Orleans: We arrived, Orleans was nice...a bit smaller/dirtier than Tours, I must say...but I am partial to the city in which I am living. :) Anyway... we had a short meeting in the morning talking about all the silly visa stuff we have yet to do and we were given a pp on the history of Orleans-Tours. After this we were supposed to go on a guided tour (we were broken up into groups), but our tour guide never showed up.......so we just followed another tour until we got to the cathedral. This other group's guide did not go into the cathedral...and we wanted to...so.....we did. We (meaning Krystal, Grace, Chelsea, Emma, and a bunch of other people) went into the cathedral (one word= HUGE!). Then we headed to see a statue of Joan of Arc (because she's from Orleans, you see? I saw her house...it looked like a house...). Then we headed back to where we started for lunch....of course we were 30 minutes earlier than everyone else, but we discovered that A. The lunch was a buffet of appetizers (not filling) and B. There was free champagne. So.... we ate some food (after asking permission of course) and started a contest to see who could drink the most (unfortunately this failed because all of the other assistants showed up, the drinks disappeared, and they were not replinished...we all had 2 glasses of champagne...too bad). Then I went to sit outside with Krystal because the restaurant was over crowded...and...I guess our administrators gathered all the primary assistants together and walked them over....some place...for the afternoon meeting. Because Krystal and I were absent we were not informed about this sudden change of location. So, we went where our first meeting took place and asked where the CDPC, or something like that, was. The lady there said it's about a block away on the right in the Inspection building. Krystal and I headed to the inspection building and asked the receptionist what room the CDPC was. The receptionist, of course, had never heard of it. She called someone and (btw as I'm writing this I was just interrupted because a greve walked by our apartment and was saying something in a megaphone....in case you were wondering a greve is a strike...that's right....4th one in the first week I've been here that I've seen) asked where the CDPC is....she wrote it down...and then we asked for directions there and she obliged. At this point we are already 10 minutes late to the meeting (everyone knows how much I enjoy being late). Anyway..... we start speed walking in the direction of this mysterious building and we run into an irish guy. I ask him if he's headed to the place and he said that he was a primary assistant, but he thought it was in the first room we had a meeting. I, politely, informed him that he was very wrong and going back there would be a graveeeee mistake. So, I invited him to join us on our quest for the CDPC (by the way...this turned out to be quite advantageous in the end because I asked him A. If they drink Irish car bombs in Ireland and B. What they would be called......the answer if you are wondering is that they do not drink Irish car bombs in Ireland and the Irish boy thought that they would be disgusting). Finally...after many minutes walking....we arrived...40 minutes late to a 2 hour meeting about health insurance/housing (don't even GET me started on how angry that made me....grr....information came far too late)/ other administrative things.
Finally, after the meeting was over (and it was over 30 minutes early) we were all ready to catch the train that left in 40 minutes (because a later train would take much longer to get back). Chelsea; however, lost her phone...so we looked for it...did not find it...and 10 minutes before the train left we decided to run to the gare (mind you, of course, she found her phone on the way...it was in her boot....which was the first place I suggested she look). ANYWAY. ;) We barely made it before the train left, and all of the other assistants wanted to get on the train that said "Tours" that would leave in another 30 minutes...I said, "No, no my friends...we should take the train that matches our ticket number that is leaving now. I know it does not say Tours, but IT is the correct train to take"...of course...I was right... :) (Would've been quite horrible if that wasn't the case, eh?). When we got back to Tours we went to Marie's house and watched Emma pack (because our suitcases where there, you see?) and I called my father (a very crappy skype connection, but at least I got through). Finally, Tobi arrived and we moved all our stuff into the apartment, made dinner, ran to the grocery, unpacked, and passed out.
This morning we got up early to open our bank accounts (which went smoothly) and we went to a store (yes, a cell phone store) to ask them how to install internet in our apartment. We returned here, and I ran to the grocery store while the other two girls run to IKEA (while I really need stuff for my room...like a dresser/drawers/something...I thought it would be best to wait until I get paid for stuff that I need, but can live without for now). And here we are.
So NOW the interesting stuff:
1. We moved into our apartment! It's completely furnished, the last guy even left food here like pasta/Olive oil, etc. The landlord freshly painted my room (which REALLY needed it). He left us towels for the dishes, etc, laundry baskets, just...little things that would've really added up in price. The blankets for the bed he provided us with our RIDICULOUS looking. They're stripped...in different colors....it's soooooo silly. SOOOOO silly. The other girls are buying new ones.....I like these ones...they were free....so I'll deal with the ugly-ness. The only thing I need is a dresser/drawers/something for my clothes. Other than that I am unpacked and life is GLORIOUS.
2. Internet...apparently, obtaining WIFI in France is very different than the US. What we have to do is get a package through a cell phone company. The package we are getting is TV, Internet (WIFI...we checked), and a telephone. The telephone will make FREE calls to fixed landlines in Europe and the US.............................AND free calls to cell phones in the US (but not Europe). ISN'T THAT AMAZING? I'm so pumped. This, of course, will cost us 30 euros a month (total) with a 50 dollar deposit for the little thingy that they are giving us. Our other option is to get just the internet for 20 euros a month. But, I figure we could all use the phone thing (which I hope one of the girls is picking up at IKEA today) and Chelsea was thinking about buying a TV...which would, of course, have to stay in my room since the box will be in here (damn.) Overall 10 euros a month for internet/phone/tv is AMAZING! That will officially make rent 310 a month. Not bad, eh?
3. Grocery shopping. Today I did my own grocery shopping for the first time EVER in France. I bought 2 things of pasta, 2 bottles of wine, coffee, cheese, bread, butter, and toilet paper for 12 euros! So... that's a week and a half of food. Win. Of course, there are no vegetables in there...and I sincerely wish I could purchase peanut butter, but, alas, there was none. So...cheese sandwiches for lunch and buttered pasta for dinner! Perfect. :) That'll get me by until we start getting paid and such and I can buy real food.
4. Visitors. I've told my roommates all of the possible people that might/will come visit and they are really excited about it....so now you all MUST come.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'm going to go take a nap, perhaps, until the other girls (and Tobi) come back. We are then headed to the cell phone store to set up our internet, the hostel (because I forgot my f-ing book there), and then headed over to the foyer to use the free interwebs. Afterwards, I am making fried rice for us and the Brits and then we're getting schwasted, going to bed, and then sleeping all day tomorrow. Sounds amazing.
Love Always,
Amanda
P.S. Go check out pictures on facebook....NOW!
10/4/09
Okay... Looks like yesterday did not go as planned at all. The girls spent 4 HOURS in Ikea...they got back 30 minutes before the internet store closed, so we RAN there (it's pretty far away). We got the internet set up and stopped at the hostel on our way back (they, of course, have not found my book.... :(, but I left my name and number (well, Chelsea's number) and they will find it today and call me.....I hope...) Chelsea wanted to run by fnac afterwards for....something... and then we headed home. I gave her our bbox and headed towards the foyer to use the internet....of course, although it is only a block away, I got lost. I was quite upset about this getting lost bit, but eventually I found my way and................................. the door was closed. I, not living there, have no way to open the door. So, I headed back home where I had a ridiculous sobfest because nothing was going right and I was overwhelmed and upset and I don't have my book and nobody wanted to go to the internet shop with me and I didn't get to use the internet and talk to people..........sigh. Anyway, so right in the middle of this the Brits (Liz and Grace) show up, so I pulled myself together, made some fried rice, and had a good night with my new friends.
BTW. Two more American assistants came over and.......(drumroll please).......... the chick is OBSESSED with Twilight! I finally have somebody to go see New Moon with.................AND......... it's coming out earlier over here than it is in the states. Jealous? Yes, yes you are.
Anyway, I woke up today, made coffee, set up our bbox, and now I'm doing laundry. I figure around 3 o'clock I'll head over to the foyer and wake everyone up with my phone calls home. The part that sucks about not being able to use the internet one day is that I can't just wake up and use it....I have to wait until the afternoon to call everyone......so the waiting is pretty unbearable......oh well.
Always,
Amanda
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday Night?
So, update since I wrote that blog in the hostel...
Had the meeting today... it went well. Emma's host mom for right now came with us to make sure we weren't getting ripped off. We are signing papers tomorrow and my ever-generous father is helping me with the RIDICULOUS down payment (can you say insurance + agency fee + 3 months rent = ridiculous). So...... it looks like all is going well.
Tomorrow I'm off to sign papers in the morning (luckily, Marie, Emma's lovely host mother is coming with us) then to a school for a bit of an orientation with Catherine Dupin and then I'm going to see my school, Ballan-Mire for the first time........which, apparently, I will probably take a bus halfway and then walk. We'll see, though. Then we're all heading to Marie's place for a birthday dinner for Chelsea, my other roommate. Friday we are headed to Orleans. Sometime in that area we need to move. I bought a room in the hostel through Thursday night...and prices go up Friday night, so we better be able to move in really really late Thursday or Friday morning before we leave. I just hope he gives us keys when we sign tomorrow so we can move in when we please (I doubt he would enjoy getting up super early or super late Thursday to give us keys, pay him, and let us move in).
Saturday we made an appointment to get bank accounts. Marie also helped us get insurance for the apartment....so that's awesome. Ridiculous. But awesome. She also tried to help us talk down the agency fee (to no avail). But it was soooo nice to have her with us to help with all this stuff.
It's about 10 PM here... tonight we had dinner at one of the assistant's foyer (which is a fancy room for professional dorms) They cost 400 euros a month (mind you, everything included), but you live in a dorm. So, that sucks. I'm so glad we found a place for around 300 euros (no more than 350 a month) that, eventually, will also include everything.
I saw the apartment today and it's perfect. There's really no place for us to all hang out at once, but I'm sure somebody's room will become the hang out. Inevitably, I got the worst room in the house, but I really don't care. I won't be living alone. I won't be renting a room in somebody else's house. We have a kitchen, with laundry, and bathrooms. Everything is going to work out fine.
My French still sucks, I'm really glad we had Marie there today. But I did hold my own in conversation tonight with a random french boy we met in the courtyard. P.S. I forgot how beautiful French guys are. Sigh. I'm super hoping my language skills improve, though. And I know they will...it's just going to take time. I will willingly admit that I spent the first part of the day in the hostel room because I was terrified to leave the hostel without somebody else there with me. It doesn't matter if when we go out I'm the one that's talking as long as I have that safety net of the other person to help. Hopefully, it'll all be grand when we live in an apartment together and I won't have to go out alone until I'm comfortable.
Right now everyone's gone upstairs to check out Diana's room in the foyer and I thought I'd give this blog an update. There are, also, pictures on facebook. I didn't brink my cord, so I can't get pictures of our apartment yet, but they will come as soon as I move in, promise. I can't wait until we have WIFI in the apt. and I can get on the internet as I please...right now it's super difficult with the trying to find free WIFI (I know of two places now) and working around our schedule. I was all ready to be on early this afternoon, but, alas... Marie was showing us around town, and I would never turn a tour from a native down.
I don't know if I mentioned it before, but we're living right next to the Hotel de Ville and the Gare. So if you have a chance to look up pictures of either...they are beautiful....as is everything else here.
In case you haven't noticed, I'm def. still in the honeymoon phase, and if I can get out of that crappy hostel soon I will probably rest here for awhile. It still feels like I'm leaving in a couple of days, though....so weird.... I don't know how exactly to explain this feeling, but the permanence of my stay here has yet to sink in.
I've done the biz twice, in case you were wondering. And the thing that still connects avignon to tours is the smell. France just smells different. I think it's the mix of car exhaust, dog poop, fresh bread, and the old buildings. It's hard to explain, it's not an unpleasant smell or anything...just...different. And it inspires a sort of desire to learn, fit in, and live life to the fullest for some reason.
Money's going to be really tight the first couple of months. I'm hoping to get that pay advance if I can get my bank account set up in time......but I fear that the november 1st deadline for rent might also be a problem..... I'm trying not to worry about it, though, until I see if I can set that up and, I don't know...I just figured out October, so I need a break.
Again, like last time, I'm waiting for that moment when everybody stops speaking French...like it's a game or something. It's just hard to get over the fact that everyone speaks French...all the time. They think in French. It's odd.
Well, I better go because I feel they may be coming out soon......so.....best wishes. I'll try to get on tomorrow and update, but I really can't promise anything. I'm not on a fixed schedule yet, so it's a bit hard to figure out when I can get online. In fact, some random French guy just walked over and asked if I was going to stay here for a long time... thank God I have some French skills.... I can't imagine being here without at least fumbling my way through conversation. That's why I'm terrified to go to Italy or Spain...though I really want to... I just don't know the language and don't exactly know how that would work out. We'll see, though, we'll see.
P.S. Our landlord gave me his ex-loaner's phone...so I'm hopefully going to plug it in tonight and see that it still works and then just be able to buy minutes for it or something. It'd be nice to be able to call the police if I'm getting mugged or something.
P.S.S. Being the smart, professional woman I am...when the agency lady tried to get us to leave with just signing a paper, I demanded a receipt...to which she said she didn't have one. Of course, we paid in cash and I KNOW how easily that stuff gets lost...so I had her sign our paper saying that we paid her in cash today at that time. I'm not as naive as I look, I suppose.
P.S.S.S. It's quite possible that sparkling white wine is better than white wine.
Love Always,
Amanda
Had the meeting today... it went well. Emma's host mom for right now came with us to make sure we weren't getting ripped off. We are signing papers tomorrow and my ever-generous father is helping me with the RIDICULOUS down payment (can you say insurance + agency fee + 3 months rent = ridiculous). So...... it looks like all is going well.
Tomorrow I'm off to sign papers in the morning (luckily, Marie, Emma's lovely host mother is coming with us) then to a school for a bit of an orientation with Catherine Dupin and then I'm going to see my school, Ballan-Mire for the first time........which, apparently, I will probably take a bus halfway and then walk. We'll see, though. Then we're all heading to Marie's place for a birthday dinner for Chelsea, my other roommate. Friday we are headed to Orleans. Sometime in that area we need to move. I bought a room in the hostel through Thursday night...and prices go up Friday night, so we better be able to move in really really late Thursday or Friday morning before we leave. I just hope he gives us keys when we sign tomorrow so we can move in when we please (I doubt he would enjoy getting up super early or super late Thursday to give us keys, pay him, and let us move in).
Saturday we made an appointment to get bank accounts. Marie also helped us get insurance for the apartment....so that's awesome. Ridiculous. But awesome. She also tried to help us talk down the agency fee (to no avail). But it was soooo nice to have her with us to help with all this stuff.
It's about 10 PM here... tonight we had dinner at one of the assistant's foyer (which is a fancy room for professional dorms) They cost 400 euros a month (mind you, everything included), but you live in a dorm. So, that sucks. I'm so glad we found a place for around 300 euros (no more than 350 a month) that, eventually, will also include everything.
I saw the apartment today and it's perfect. There's really no place for us to all hang out at once, but I'm sure somebody's room will become the hang out. Inevitably, I got the worst room in the house, but I really don't care. I won't be living alone. I won't be renting a room in somebody else's house. We have a kitchen, with laundry, and bathrooms. Everything is going to work out fine.
My French still sucks, I'm really glad we had Marie there today. But I did hold my own in conversation tonight with a random french boy we met in the courtyard. P.S. I forgot how beautiful French guys are. Sigh. I'm super hoping my language skills improve, though. And I know they will...it's just going to take time. I will willingly admit that I spent the first part of the day in the hostel room because I was terrified to leave the hostel without somebody else there with me. It doesn't matter if when we go out I'm the one that's talking as long as I have that safety net of the other person to help. Hopefully, it'll all be grand when we live in an apartment together and I won't have to go out alone until I'm comfortable.
Right now everyone's gone upstairs to check out Diana's room in the foyer and I thought I'd give this blog an update. There are, also, pictures on facebook. I didn't brink my cord, so I can't get pictures of our apartment yet, but they will come as soon as I move in, promise. I can't wait until we have WIFI in the apt. and I can get on the internet as I please...right now it's super difficult with the trying to find free WIFI (I know of two places now) and working around our schedule. I was all ready to be on early this afternoon, but, alas... Marie was showing us around town, and I would never turn a tour from a native down.
I don't know if I mentioned it before, but we're living right next to the Hotel de Ville and the Gare. So if you have a chance to look up pictures of either...they are beautiful....as is everything else here.
In case you haven't noticed, I'm def. still in the honeymoon phase, and if I can get out of that crappy hostel soon I will probably rest here for awhile. It still feels like I'm leaving in a couple of days, though....so weird.... I don't know how exactly to explain this feeling, but the permanence of my stay here has yet to sink in.
I've done the biz twice, in case you were wondering. And the thing that still connects avignon to tours is the smell. France just smells different. I think it's the mix of car exhaust, dog poop, fresh bread, and the old buildings. It's hard to explain, it's not an unpleasant smell or anything...just...different. And it inspires a sort of desire to learn, fit in, and live life to the fullest for some reason.
Money's going to be really tight the first couple of months. I'm hoping to get that pay advance if I can get my bank account set up in time......but I fear that the november 1st deadline for rent might also be a problem..... I'm trying not to worry about it, though, until I see if I can set that up and, I don't know...I just figured out October, so I need a break.
Again, like last time, I'm waiting for that moment when everybody stops speaking French...like it's a game or something. It's just hard to get over the fact that everyone speaks French...all the time. They think in French. It's odd.
Well, I better go because I feel they may be coming out soon......so.....best wishes. I'll try to get on tomorrow and update, but I really can't promise anything. I'm not on a fixed schedule yet, so it's a bit hard to figure out when I can get online. In fact, some random French guy just walked over and asked if I was going to stay here for a long time... thank God I have some French skills.... I can't imagine being here without at least fumbling my way through conversation. That's why I'm terrified to go to Italy or Spain...though I really want to... I just don't know the language and don't exactly know how that would work out. We'll see, though, we'll see.
P.S. Our landlord gave me his ex-loaner's phone...so I'm hopefully going to plug it in tonight and see that it still works and then just be able to buy minutes for it or something. It'd be nice to be able to call the police if I'm getting mugged or something.
P.S.S. Being the smart, professional woman I am...when the agency lady tried to get us to leave with just signing a paper, I demanded a receipt...to which she said she didn't have one. Of course, we paid in cash and I KNOW how easily that stuff gets lost...so I had her sign our paper saying that we paid her in cash today at that time. I'm not as naive as I look, I suppose.
P.S.S.S. It's quite possible that sparkling white wine is better than white wine.
Love Always,
Amanda
First Week!
Hey all!
Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but it looks like wifi is a little sparse around here...or rather free wifi, which is the only wifi I'm lookin' to use is sparse around here (luckily, I found that in my friend's foyer's courtyard there is wifi....mwhahahaha). So, here we are. Let's go back, shall we?
Left Sunday, the plane was almost on time. Cried like a maniac in the airport the entire time until the plane arrived. Went to DC. Got some euros out (excellent idea!) and then got on the plane to Paris. To my right was a Mr. I can't keep my legs in my own space the entire ride and to my left was crazy chick my age who can't follow airline rules. I made my decision wisely and picked her to make friends with. We watched "The Proposal" together and laughed (until the end during which she thought it wise to sob uncontrollably). This is when I decided our friendship should end. I then played sudoku/read (thanks, again for the book, Jarrod) and attempted to sleep (which was impossible). When I arrived in CDG I only got lost a few times (it's a huge circle, so I just kept walking until I found what I needed). I then proceeded to wait 3 hours for the girl I was supposed to meet up with (Krystal). After these 3 hours I realized I was at the United airlines arrivals only gate. So, I decided to head to the gare. Took the tram to the gare, got a ticket and my carte 12-25. Then waited about 4 hours for the train. Hopped on the train (I will not explain the difficulties there...just let me say.....it sucked. Sucked A LOT). Then got off the train (which equally sucked). When we arrived at Tours (st. Pierre des corps) Krystal finally found me! We chatted and stood together on the train to actual Tours. I took a taxi to the hostel (he charged me 4 euros to put my bags in the trunk) and was ready to check in. Now the adventure begins:
After I walked into the hostel the lady starts gabbering away in French and I hardly caught any of it. Then she said something to do with suitcases and motioned for me to follow. At this point I understood that I was leaving my suitcases in a room. So, I put them in the room (made sure she locked the door, of course) and proceeded back to the lobby....where she disappeared. At this point I assumed I was not checking in and left. I looked at the door of the hostel and realized I arrived 2 hours too early to check in. (8-12 and 5-9 apparently). So, I realized I did not have a map of Tours and that I was going to just have to walk around and get lost. I stayed on a straight path at first and then saw pretty things and decided I would just get lost. At the point of my lostness that I realized I could never find the hostel I started to freak out....began walking a little faster...and then I heard somebody call my name. May I just say that the fact that somebody called my name is PROOF that there is a God. I turned and saw all the girls I've been talking to on facebook sitting at a cafe. Sigh. It was fate and I have no idea what I would've done if I had not randomly run into them. We all hung out, they walked me back to the hostel where I checked in, then I took at 10 minute nap, showered, and then we went to dinner (pizza and wine!) and then out for drinks (more wine!).
The hostel is very crappy. It's falling apart, but it's clean. Breakfast is included, but I still don't think that 18 euros a day is very fair for what you're getting.
Today, I woke up (see later) and we all grabbed a sandwich and went over next to the river to eat (soooo pretty). Afterwards I went with one of the girls to her foyer to use the free wifi, let my father know I was alive and then left shortly thereafter because I realized today I have no way to charge my laptop (must head to fnac tomorrow to buy a three prong adaptor/convertor). I then headed back to the hostel, ate some poptarts (mmm), and fell asleep from 6:30 to 10. Chelsea woke me up around 10 to tell me we are going to see the apartment tomorrow (see later) and invited me to watch a movie.
Apartment hunt update: As soon as we got here I found out that the apartment that we were looking at is gone (sob). I guess, also, one of the girls made the landlord mad, so he said he didn't have anything else for us. Chelsea and Emma (with whom I will be living) had been looking, but said they did not find anything for 3 people. We did find several doubles and singles, so I knew I'd find a place. I was then told by Liz (another one of the girls) that there was another room in her house. I did not want to live there because there is an 11 o'clock curfew (WTF???), the room is tiny, can't move in until next week and there's no heat. Plus, this is not the time in my life when I need to be living under somebody else's house. I was prepared to move in there.....until.........
I was awoken by Emma and Chelsea this morning at 12:30! Turns out they had just seen a 3 bedroom apartment that would end up costing us all 300 euros a month in rent (which includes the extra utilities we would have to pay...internet.........and such). It's furnished and that includes glasses/plates/pots/pans, etc. It's right in the center of town next to the Hotel de Ville. It has two bathrooms, 3 rooms, and a kitchen. He had an int'l student last year, so they think he understands the lack of cosigner and such. Problem is, must pay 320 euro fee and 2 months rent to move in. Luckily, I have an amazing father who arranged a loan with me and now it's very possible that we will be moving in on the first. All three of us are going to see the apartment tomorrow at 2:30 and hopefully sign papers and such. It would be so nice to be out of this crappy hostel and into a permanent residence. It still doesn't feel like I'm staying here for any extended period of time because I'm still living out of suitcases.
Job update: Meeting on Tuesday was cancelled. Am meeting with people on Thursday, then being driven to my school which is turning out to be really f-ing far away. The buses and train don't even go there...so I guess I will have to ask the person exactly how they expect me to get there. Then headed to Orleans on Friday for the big orientation. It sounds like the week after that will be observation/training (a whole week! :) and then I teach for a week and then we get vacation. mmmmmmm....... and AJ will be here! HUZZAH!
Life update: The wine is sooo good. Tours is a beautiful, beautiful city. It's exactly like Avignon (even smells the same) just extended 4 fold. It's really big, but not intimidating big. I'm still at the point where I get lost everytime I leave the hostel, but that's to be expected for awhile, I suppose. I found out I can get a cell phone for 30 euros from a wal-mart like place....so that's on the list after I get paid. God, what else. My french is horrible, apparently, but I'm getting by with being in a group of people the entire time. The lady at the hostel speaks broken English with me :). Food is good. Still haven't had steakfrites. Maybe tomorrow.
9/30/09
Woke up today to get breakfast with Chelsea and her German boyfriend Tobi (who is REALLY nice). Got to breakfast and they were not there, but another boy from the program, Jay was. Ate some food, took a shower, and on my way back from the shower some British people asked me if I drink beer....to which I replied..."yes?"...and then they gave me 3 kronenburgs. :) I guess they're leaving the hostel today and don't feel like carrying it. Mind you...alcohol is strictly forbidden in this hostel.... right. Whatever. Right now I'm letting my laptop charge with Chelsea's borrowed charger and then.... I don't know. We have to meet at 2 to go see the apartment, but that's in 4 hours. I'm terrified of stepping outside by myself because of all the french-ness and I wish I had some way to get in touch with the other girls, so we could go grab a glass of wine or something. Anyway, for now I'm going to let my computer charge and load my (few) pictures on it, so when I'm around the internet later today y'all can see them. I hope everything goes well at the meeting today.
Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but it looks like wifi is a little sparse around here...or rather free wifi, which is the only wifi I'm lookin' to use is sparse around here (luckily, I found that in my friend's foyer's courtyard there is wifi....mwhahahaha). So, here we are. Let's go back, shall we?
Left Sunday, the plane was almost on time. Cried like a maniac in the airport the entire time until the plane arrived. Went to DC. Got some euros out (excellent idea!) and then got on the plane to Paris. To my right was a Mr. I can't keep my legs in my own space the entire ride and to my left was crazy chick my age who can't follow airline rules. I made my decision wisely and picked her to make friends with. We watched "The Proposal" together and laughed (until the end during which she thought it wise to sob uncontrollably). This is when I decided our friendship should end. I then played sudoku/read (thanks, again for the book, Jarrod) and attempted to sleep (which was impossible). When I arrived in CDG I only got lost a few times (it's a huge circle, so I just kept walking until I found what I needed). I then proceeded to wait 3 hours for the girl I was supposed to meet up with (Krystal). After these 3 hours I realized I was at the United airlines arrivals only gate. So, I decided to head to the gare. Took the tram to the gare, got a ticket and my carte 12-25. Then waited about 4 hours for the train. Hopped on the train (I will not explain the difficulties there...just let me say.....it sucked. Sucked A LOT). Then got off the train (which equally sucked). When we arrived at Tours (st. Pierre des corps) Krystal finally found me! We chatted and stood together on the train to actual Tours. I took a taxi to the hostel (he charged me 4 euros to put my bags in the trunk) and was ready to check in. Now the adventure begins:
After I walked into the hostel the lady starts gabbering away in French and I hardly caught any of it. Then she said something to do with suitcases and motioned for me to follow. At this point I understood that I was leaving my suitcases in a room. So, I put them in the room (made sure she locked the door, of course) and proceeded back to the lobby....where she disappeared. At this point I assumed I was not checking in and left. I looked at the door of the hostel and realized I arrived 2 hours too early to check in. (8-12 and 5-9 apparently). So, I realized I did not have a map of Tours and that I was going to just have to walk around and get lost. I stayed on a straight path at first and then saw pretty things and decided I would just get lost. At the point of my lostness that I realized I could never find the hostel I started to freak out....began walking a little faster...and then I heard somebody call my name. May I just say that the fact that somebody called my name is PROOF that there is a God. I turned and saw all the girls I've been talking to on facebook sitting at a cafe. Sigh. It was fate and I have no idea what I would've done if I had not randomly run into them. We all hung out, they walked me back to the hostel where I checked in, then I took at 10 minute nap, showered, and then we went to dinner (pizza and wine!) and then out for drinks (more wine!).
The hostel is very crappy. It's falling apart, but it's clean. Breakfast is included, but I still don't think that 18 euros a day is very fair for what you're getting.
Today, I woke up (see later) and we all grabbed a sandwich and went over next to the river to eat (soooo pretty). Afterwards I went with one of the girls to her foyer to use the free wifi, let my father know I was alive and then left shortly thereafter because I realized today I have no way to charge my laptop (must head to fnac tomorrow to buy a three prong adaptor/convertor). I then headed back to the hostel, ate some poptarts (mmm), and fell asleep from 6:30 to 10. Chelsea woke me up around 10 to tell me we are going to see the apartment tomorrow (see later) and invited me to watch a movie.
Apartment hunt update: As soon as we got here I found out that the apartment that we were looking at is gone (sob). I guess, also, one of the girls made the landlord mad, so he said he didn't have anything else for us. Chelsea and Emma (with whom I will be living) had been looking, but said they did not find anything for 3 people. We did find several doubles and singles, so I knew I'd find a place. I was then told by Liz (another one of the girls) that there was another room in her house. I did not want to live there because there is an 11 o'clock curfew (WTF???), the room is tiny, can't move in until next week and there's no heat. Plus, this is not the time in my life when I need to be living under somebody else's house. I was prepared to move in there.....until.........
I was awoken by Emma and Chelsea this morning at 12:30! Turns out they had just seen a 3 bedroom apartment that would end up costing us all 300 euros a month in rent (which includes the extra utilities we would have to pay...internet.........and such). It's furnished and that includes glasses/plates/pots/pans, etc. It's right in the center of town next to the Hotel de Ville. It has two bathrooms, 3 rooms, and a kitchen. He had an int'l student last year, so they think he understands the lack of cosigner and such. Problem is, must pay 320 euro fee and 2 months rent to move in. Luckily, I have an amazing father who arranged a loan with me and now it's very possible that we will be moving in on the first. All three of us are going to see the apartment tomorrow at 2:30 and hopefully sign papers and such. It would be so nice to be out of this crappy hostel and into a permanent residence. It still doesn't feel like I'm staying here for any extended period of time because I'm still living out of suitcases.
Job update: Meeting on Tuesday was cancelled. Am meeting with people on Thursday, then being driven to my school which is turning out to be really f-ing far away. The buses and train don't even go there...so I guess I will have to ask the person exactly how they expect me to get there. Then headed to Orleans on Friday for the big orientation. It sounds like the week after that will be observation/training (a whole week! :) and then I teach for a week and then we get vacation. mmmmmmm....... and AJ will be here! HUZZAH!
Life update: The wine is sooo good. Tours is a beautiful, beautiful city. It's exactly like Avignon (even smells the same) just extended 4 fold. It's really big, but not intimidating big. I'm still at the point where I get lost everytime I leave the hostel, but that's to be expected for awhile, I suppose. I found out I can get a cell phone for 30 euros from a wal-mart like place....so that's on the list after I get paid. God, what else. My french is horrible, apparently, but I'm getting by with being in a group of people the entire time. The lady at the hostel speaks broken English with me :). Food is good. Still haven't had steakfrites. Maybe tomorrow.
9/30/09
Woke up today to get breakfast with Chelsea and her German boyfriend Tobi (who is REALLY nice). Got to breakfast and they were not there, but another boy from the program, Jay was. Ate some food, took a shower, and on my way back from the shower some British people asked me if I drink beer....to which I replied..."yes?"...and then they gave me 3 kronenburgs. :) I guess they're leaving the hostel today and don't feel like carrying it. Mind you...alcohol is strictly forbidden in this hostel.... right. Whatever. Right now I'm letting my laptop charge with Chelsea's borrowed charger and then.... I don't know. We have to meet at 2 to go see the apartment, but that's in 4 hours. I'm terrified of stepping outside by myself because of all the french-ness and I wish I had some way to get in touch with the other girls, so we could go grab a glass of wine or something. Anyway, for now I'm going to let my computer charge and load my (few) pictures on it, so when I'm around the internet later today y'all can see them. I hope everything goes well at the meeting today.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hello friends,
Didn't think I'd ever use this blog again, but I guess I am. Leaving for Tours, France on Sunday. Will be spending 9 months teaching elementary students English 12 hours a week. That's pretty much all the details I have right now. I'm hoping, if I have easy internet access, to update this blog a LOT more frequently than I did when I was in Avignon. As long as I have the means I promise I'll keep this up.
That's 4 days away. My last couple days in the US are looking like this:
Thursday: Work 12-9, out with Kat
Friday: Brunch w/ father and Keri 9-11:30, work 12-9, headed back to CDub
Saturday: Errands, packing, hanging with Harsh/Briggs
Sunday: Friends, leaving on a jet plane at 2:20 PM. The end.
Stressful? Yes. Can I do it? I don't know. Am I going to try? Yes.
More later.
Always,
Amanda
Didn't think I'd ever use this blog again, but I guess I am. Leaving for Tours, France on Sunday. Will be spending 9 months teaching elementary students English 12 hours a week. That's pretty much all the details I have right now. I'm hoping, if I have easy internet access, to update this blog a LOT more frequently than I did when I was in Avignon. As long as I have the means I promise I'll keep this up.
That's 4 days away. My last couple days in the US are looking like this:
Thursday: Work 12-9, out with Kat
Friday: Brunch w/ father and Keri 9-11:30, work 12-9, headed back to CDub
Saturday: Errands, packing, hanging with Harsh/Briggs
Sunday: Friends, leaving on a jet plane at 2:20 PM. The end.
Stressful? Yes. Can I do it? I don't know. Am I going to try? Yes.
More later.
Always,
Amanda
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