Trip with dad to Belgium and Luxembourg and the end of October

 Saturday 23 October 2010

Time seems to be passing more and more quickly. This past week seems like a blur. Monday (18 Oct) I taught three classes at Montaigne and they all went relatively well; however, I did have one trouble-maker. I had all of the students make name cards to set on their desks and this student wrote down a fake name. When I asked him for his name, he told me yet another fake name. He mustn't have realized I had a list of students to refer to. In addition, every time I gave instructions for an activity he pretended not to understand me even though I gave directions in both English and French to be clear. He did not bring his workbook to class, and when I had him work on an exercise he wrote inappropriate non-sense. I finally collected his 'carnet', a correspondence book each student is obliged to carry at all times, which acts as communication between teachers and parents. It's also one of the only means to record disciplinary action. After class he seemed surprised I followed through and brought him to the main teacher. We discussed what happened and he apologized. I wasn't terribly upset because I think he was trying to be the cutesy class clown, but as this was my first problem I wanted to make sure I dealt with it so other students won't think they can take advantage of me.

Monday evening was another night spent at the Cafe des Langues for conversation in French and English. Tuesday (19 Oct) the strikes were continuing and I was feeling ill, so I got the okay to miss classes from my principal and co-teachers. Wednesday (20 Oct) morning I went to a viewing of Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" for middle school teachers. In November or December there's a day for middle school students to go to the cinema to see this film if their teachers wish for their class to participate. Peggy had planned to go and invited me to join her, however she couldn't make the movie because her daughter was home sick. In the afternoon she joined me for a 2.5hour lecture and discussion of the film led (in French) by a film professor. I really enjoyed the lecture and it made me aware of how much I miss certain aspects of university. I miss learning from professors in a classroom environment, the idea of absorbing the knowledge of someone who is devoutly passionate to their area of expertise. Sure, I can read books and watch documentaries to further my education and grow, but there's something about that personal interaction from a classroom. For this reason, among others, I can definitely see myself going back to university for graduate studies.

Wednesday evening my dad arrived in spite of the strikes which are making the train schedule erratic. We both felt a weight lifted off our shoulders upon his arrival, a great relief he made it to Tours from Germany. Thursday morning, before going to teach lessons at J.P. Rameau, we stopped at the post office and bank, where I finally received my debit card! (Now, only waiting to be paid...) Lessons didn't go exactly as well as I planned this time. One of the three in particular went by so slowly because I overestimated the classes' level of English. It was completely my fault that I prepared too difficult of a lesson, but I haven't spent much time at all with my students to get a good assessment of their abilities.

The most frustrating part about teaching, that I find so far, is how rarely I see my students. I teach up to 12 different classes per week, never seeing the same class twice. In addition, I only see half of the class each week, and the other half the following week. Consequently, of approximately 120 students, I see each student for 55 minutes of class every other week. This makes not only correctly gauging their abilities difficult, but also learning their names and learning about them as individuals. It seems quite the challenge to build steady relationships with my students.

Thursday (21 Oct) evening my dad and I went to a quiet Italian restaurant recommended by Christophe. Our pasta dishes were delicious, especially paired with my new favorite red wine, St. Nicholas de Borgeuil.

Friday (22 Oct) we hoped to go to the medieval chateau at Langeais, but due to the strikes it wasn't possible. Instead we stayed in Tours and went to St. Martin's Basilica and Museum and the regional wine museum. Even though we were unable to go to the chateau, we kept plenty busy. That evening we went out for dinner and prepared for our 5 day trip to Belgium and Luxembourg. Saturday morning we were both feeling a bit tired, but overall excited for our trip! Ghent and Brussels in Belgium, and Luxembourg City are on the itinerary.


GHENT, BELGIUM

Ghent, Belgium: Gravensteen, Castle of the Counts

Ghent, Belgium: Gravensteen, Castle of the Counts

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, Belgium

We arrived in Ghent around 5:45pm (Saturday 23 Oct) and took a taxi from the train station to our hotel. Our hotel was right in the heart of the historical center, across the street from St. Bavo's Cathedral. Ghent is such a picturesque and seemingly ancient city. Walking through the streets I could feel the history of the town seeping into my skin. Perhaps I was so absorbed and compelled knowing it was the major medieval city of Flanders, a rival of Paris in the Dark Ages. We walked down by the river which delicately carves through the old city buildings. The winding, uneven cobblestone streets reflected the night lights in a drizzle. We wandered until we found a Belgian restaurant with plenty of background noise and a cozy atmosphere as it was filled with many people my age enjoying drinks with friends. I was able to try some traditional Belgian food/drink: Geuze (type of Lambic Belgian beer), Waterzooi (Chicken vegetable stew), and Belgian waffles (with a Belgian Chocolate sauce for drizzling over the top). Delicious! 

Sunday (24 Oct) We took our time getting up even though I was restless after 6:30am, ready to see more of the city. We headed straight for Gravensteen, the Castle of the Counts, constructed in the 12th century. This imposing and impressively well-conserved chateau rests in the middle of the old city center and is home to a great variety of medieval artifacts including weaponry (executioners' swords, daggers, flails, axes, crossbows), armor (chain-mail and full plate), and a whole section dedicated to medieval torture instruments and methods (gruesome and morbid, but fascinating to me all the same!) After Gravensteen, we went to some of the main cathedrals in Ghent, St. Bavo's and St. Nicholas'. Determined to see another of the 4 main churches we ventured further away from our hotel and the city center. Just as we arrived at St. James' Church only to discover locked doors, we got caught in a downpour and hail storm! We waited under the archway of the church entrance for at least 15 minutes, waiting for the rain to let up. I stood with my face down and umbrella blocking the sideways rain while my dad (who luckily wore his rain jacket) huddled in the opposite corner holding on to his hood. When the rain finally turned to a drizzle we went back to the hotel to dry off, warm up, and rest up. On our way out for dinner we came across a small pub packed with soccer fans, just our type of place! We caught the tail end of a Manchester City v. Arsenal game and enjoyed some Belgian beer before continuing on. For dinner we tried another traditional dish, stoverji, a beef stew. 

Monday (25 Oct) we left Ghent and arrived in Brussels after a short 40-minute train ride.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Brussels, Belgium: Grand Place

Brussels, Belgium: Royal Palace

Brussels, Belgium: Belgium Brewer's Museum

Brussels, Belgium: Grand Place

Brussels, Belgium

We dropped off our backpacks at the Hotel de l'Opera in the center of old Brussels, acquired city maps, and planned out our afternoon. Our agenda: the Grand Place, Belgian Brewer's Museum, the famous Mannekin Pis fountain, the Eglise de Notre Dame, the Royal Palace, Cathedral St. Michel, the Galleries St. Hubert, Belgian Chocolate shop, a pub for more Belgian beer and dinner, and end the perfect day in Brussels with Belgian waffles. While we made lots of stops in just one afternoon, it was pretty perfect. We had a lovely walk through of Brussels and managed to see so many of the main attractions, while also wandering through the smaller streets of the old center. The Grand Place is a huge, busy square lined intricate, massive buildings. It reminded a bit of St. Mark's square in Venice, Italy. 

The Belgian Brewer's museum had one room preserved in the style of an old brewery and one representing a modern brewery. It was a small museum, but we watched a really interesting film about Belgian beer and it's other specialties (Geuze, Lambic, Kriek). After the film we enjoyed a beer in the little pub of the museum where we chatted a bit with the bar man who kindly took our picture. 

The Mannekin Pis, which supposedly captures the humor of Brussels, was a bit of a let down for me. A small fountain of a child/cherub where the water comes out as if it were peeing. 

We stopped in two more cathedrals, Eglise de Notre Dame and Cathedral St. Michel. I love going inside all of the Gothic cathedrals in Europe, but after so many, they all blur together. When I'm inside any of them, I absolutely appreciate their grandeur and ability to amaze me. Imagining the task of constructing, designing, and decorating these cathedrals perplexes and intrigues me. When I walk inside a one of these enormous cathedrals, every time, I look straight up and gaze down the perfectly aligned and decorated columns until I reach the center altar and bring my eyes back down. Although they all seem similar after a while, I can never allow myself to skip going inside them when I have the opportunity. I'm never disappointed. 

We walked outside of the Royal Palace and saw a quick change of the guard, walked through the Galleries St. Hubert- a beautiful (& expensive!) indoor mall, and then headed for a chocolate shop. How could we not buy any infamous Belgian chocolate! After some dinner and more Belgian beer (yes, by this point on our trip we had tried many varieties...but I swear we weren't drunk from all our beer tasting, just enjoying the quality!) we had some waffles we ate as we wandered the streets back to our hotel. I believe we were both very satisfied with our short time in Brussels. It was a beautiful and captivating city, and there positively was much more to see. But we were ready for our last stop, to which I think my father was most looking forward, Luxembourg. Why? Because, who goes to Luxembourg!? It turned out, the peculiar choice on my dad's part was well worth it!

LUXEMBOURG CITY

Luxembourg

Luxembourg, Bock Promontory, old ruins

Luxembourg, the Three Towers

The train ride from Brussels to Luxembourg was beautiful rolling hill after hill, and dense forests of yellowing trees. Autumn is finally arriving to western Europe, and in great style at that.

We didn't arrive in Luxembourg until mid-day on Tuesday (26 Oct). Again, for convenience, we took a taxi from the train station to our hotel so we could ditch our heavy backpacks. We took our maps to the lunch restaurant with us to figure what we would be doing for the afternoon. As I've gotten older, I've also gotten more adventurous in trying new things. I ordered something on the menu which I had no idea what it was. Instead of asking, I figured I could handle a surprise (hey, up to this point I'd been well rewarded at meal-time by my lack of fear). BUT, this was the end of my good luck. It was raw fish: skin, fins, and tail attached. The only thing good about it was that the head had been cut off, thankfully. At first I was really disappointed, probably from a long morning of traveling, but was able to laugh about it later in the afternoon. I tried a couple of bites, but couldn't force any more down.

After lunch we went to a city's history museum. It was really interesting for the both of us because neither my dad nor I knew much about the city's history. After the museum, we walked more around the city which had plenty of traces of old medieval ruins. Luxembourg city had a valley cutting through it's center. Streets and walkways carve back and forth along the banks of the valley, giving it several levels from top to bottom. These banks were covered in trees with yellow and orange autumn shades and exposed the walls and towers of old fortress ruins. Along the valley we were surrounded by panoramic view after view of this gem of a city in Europe. Although it was a calmer, more reserved city, Luxembourg was definitely worth the trip as it's quite unique.

Wednesday (27 Oct, my dad and brother's birthday!) we made our way back to Tours. I hadn't spent my dad's birthday with him in 4 years, and this was the 5th year I haven't been with my brother on his actual birthday because I'd been in Colorado the past few years. What a lovely way to spend my dad's birthday with him, a great finish to our trip! Sometimes being away from Rockford gets to me at times like these: family birthdays and minor holidays. This will be the first year I will not be coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. And although I feel so far removed from my family sometimes, I would not change my decisions to go to Colorado for school or come to France. I've had this feeling for a few years now, so I felt very appreciative to be with my dad on his birthday. Even though it was his day, it was really special for me too.

Thursday we were both exhausted from traveling, but managed to spend some time shopping in Tours and walking around. Not only were we tired from traveling, but my dad had been gone for almost 2 weeks now and was feeling ready to return home and I was fighting the sadness of him leaving against the excitement of seeing my new friends again. Friday morning we woke up at 5am as his train left at 6:20am. Although I was sleepy-eyed and groggy for his departure, it was impossible for me to go back to sleep. I moped around my apartment all morning until the fatigue caught up with me mid afternoon. I then ruined my chance to return to a normal sleep pattern by taking a 6 hour afternoon nap...

Saturday (30 Oct) I went grocery shopping and picked up a few things for my Halloween costume. Although most French don't dress up really for the holiday, my anglophone friends and I were determined to celebrate. Caroline had invited us over for a Halloween party. I got dressed in my sailor costume at Jenny's and Miriam's apartment where Emma, Devlin, and Alex joined us. We had such a fun time getting ready together and painting faces. When we went out for a bit, we only saw a handful of others in Halloween costumes. What a striking difference from the U.S. where Halloween is one of the biggest excuses to party for a college kid and eat junk food for children! We did make lots of people laugh or smile, and had many ask us about our costumes. Not a typical Halloween, but definitely a fun, memorable one!

The school holiday continues through Wednesday, so I have plans to clean my apartment and maybe visit a chateau before classes recommence!

Musée du Gemmail, Château de Villandry, and Protests

I literally woke up Thursday morning to the sound of masses of high school students chanting in protest. In France the government has proposed to raise the age of retirement from 60 to 62 and no one is afraid to voice their disagreement. On Thursday, the high school students joined workers in protests and demonstrations throughout France, including Tours. When I reached my usual bus stop to get to school, I realized there were no buses in sight on Rue Nationale, the main street through Tours. Groups of people were gathering in Place Jean Jaures for a planned demonstration later in the afternoon. I had to walk quite a ways north, out of centre Tours, in order to find a bus to get me to school. Eventually I made it to Jean-Philippe Rameau where I the three classes I had to teach went pretty well. More protests are planned for next week...

Friday I met two friends at the Musée du Gemmail in Tours. Not only was it the last day open for the season, but we were informed that it may not re-open at all next year, meaning we were quite possibly among the last to see this absolutely breath-taking form of art.

Gemmail art

Gemmail is a form of stained glass art constructed by a technique employing fused layers of colored glass fragments illuminated from behind, creating an illusion of three-dimensionality in the design. A gemmail is constructed, piece by piece, on a pane of clear glass bearing the outline of the design. When all fragments have been glued in place, the work is dipped in transparent enamel and baked until fused. It began in the 1930's in France and reached it's peak in the 1950's, but never became extremely well-known. 

Photographs of Gemmail do absolutely no justice to the original pieces of art, which were like nothing I'd ever seen before. I do not say this in exaggeration either. Some of the works of art in the museum were representations of famous paintings, such as the Mona Lisa, while others were original works of art. The layering of the glass shards combined with a soft light coming from behind each piece created the most intriguing 3-D images that were hard to tear my eyes away from. As soon as I moved from one gemmail to another, I would literally let out a quiet gasp and stare in awe. I cannot understand how this form of art never grew in popularity nor can I understand why the museum would have to shut down. 

Saturday I went to the Château de Villandry with Alex and Jenny. Even though I stayed out late Friday night with friends, I woke up in time to meet them at 8:30am to catch a bus to the château. While the interior of the château is beautifully furnished and seemingly well-maintained, it's known for it's vast, beautifully groomed gardens.

The three of us spent the entire morning wandering about the château grounds. The château was constructed relatively recently, the very end of the 18th century, in comparison with some much older châteaux in the region. It was inhabited until the beginning of the 20th century and consequently was well furnished on the interior. The perfectly manicured outdoor gardens made up of medicinal plants, roses, wild flowers, and vegetables, were seemingly endless. After the morning rain cleared, the flowers and grass were covered in a sparkling dew reflecting the sunshine and making our visit seem that much more enchanted. After eating a croque monsieur and potage for lunch, we took the bus back to Tours where I relaxed for the afternoon. In the evening I went to Caroline's for a dinner with friends before heading to Place Plumereau for drinks. This evening I will be out again to celebrate a fellow assistant's birthday. 


Up to this point I've been fortunate enough to spend lots of time with new friends and time sight-seeing, but I also must remember I have work to do! It's back to school tomorrow which means lesson planning is in order for this afternoon!

Old photos from Amboise

La Loire, Amboise

Château d'Amboise
Gothic & Renaissance

Chapelle St Hubert, on Château grounds

Resting place of Leonardo da Vinci, inside Chapelle St Hubert

The Château in the centre of Amboise

View of the grounds of the Château d'Amboise

This brisk morning

Most windows in France, including mine, have shutters or blinds on the exterior of the building that nearly block out all light. The darkness, combined with a chill in my room this morning when I woke, made it extremely difficult to crawl out of bed. I forced myself to be up at a decent hour so I could make it to the outdoor market near my apartment, held only on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

I always loved going to the fresh markets in Aix-en-Provence and I still equally adore them in Tours. It may be silly to think so, but I find the colorful presentation of various fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses, and other gourmand products sort of beautiful. After taking a tour of all the vendors, I bought my produce to last me the next several days and took it back to my apartment. I did spend a pretty penny on some mushrooms. Perhaps mushroom spotting and gathering on my hike this past Sunday inspired this expensive purchase. Now I feel I owe it to myself to find some way to tastefully season and cook these mushrooms.

On the way to the market this morning a feeling hit me similar to the way the brisk air did when I walked out the door. Quite suddenly I fully realized my present situation and how wonderful it really is, how fortunate I am. It's not that before this moment I haven't appreciated my experiences or thoroughly enjoyed the people I've met, places I've seen... but this morning I recognized and appreciated the fact that I really will be here, in Tours, until next May. The sunshine above and the chill in the air, the fact that I was headed to one of my favorite places, remembering how much fun I had teaching on Monday without it seeming at all like "work", and looking forward to meeting friends for lunch was quite rejuvenating.

I met several friends for crepes at lunchtime before going to see "The Social Network". While my mother was here we found a creperie we really enjoyed where conveniently enough, there happens to be a very cute waiter. When my mother and I ate there we made some small talk with him, but nothing extensive. After eating there with my mom, he remembered me and now says "bonjour" with a smile when I walk past the creperie. Needless to say, I told some friends about my quick hellos with him and they chose to meet for lunch there today just for me. Unfortunately, due to my timidness, I cannot bring myself to talk to him. I'm afraid I'll just have to return next week...

Tomorrow I will teach three classes at J.P. Rameau, to which I am very much looking forward. This evening I will prepare for the classes, hopefully catch up with friends and family from home, and maybe even cook those mushrooms...

First day teaching & photos of my studio

Yesterday I taught my first three classes! In the French collèges there are four "grades," 6eme (11 year olds), 5eme, 4eme, and 3eme (14 year olds). I had two 3eme classes and one 4eme class. For each class I will take one half while the other half remains with the head teacher, and the following week we will switch groups. Working in smaller groups will give me the chance to be more productive, have more personal interaction with the students, and won't be overwhelming since I'm not exactly a trained/certified teacher. My first class was a bit chatty, but not terrible by any means, and the other two classes were just wonderful. I thought I would be really nervous to start speaking and get the lesson going, but it came naturally and I even found it fun!

After school, another teacher at Montaigne, Peggy, gave me a ride home. Since we were driving home at rush hour we had plenty of time to talk. She told me about a seminar being held next week on a student film day. Apparently there is a film viewing day for students in the region to see "North by Northwest" and there will be a seminar next week for teachers who plan to have their classes participate. The teachers will see the movie in theaters in the morning and then attend a lecture about the film and turning it into a lesson for students. It sounds really neat and I hope I can join her for this! She also told me that she takes African dance lessons and invited me to go with her sometime. I really enjoyed taking African dance lessons last year at CSU with French Club, so I will probably check it out!

I was supposed to have three more classes today, but a national strike started today. Included are some teachers and some in the transportation industry (meaning no metro in Paris today and many cancelled buses/trains). Not all of the teachers I work with are striking, but without reliable buses I wouldn't necessarily be able to get to school. In addition, it's a "renewable" strike, for lack of a better word, meaning at the end of each day the strikers will vote on whether to continue the following day. So, I plan to enjoy having today and tomorrow off, and prepare to teach on Thursday and Friday at J.P. Rameau:)

Below are pictures of my cute little furnished studio apartment. All of the furniture came included, and I've filled it up with my belongings from home. It's just the right size for me since everything I brought fit in 2 suitcases!

There's a sliding glass door that opens to a balcony, but standing room only

My little kitchen has a refrigerator and two electric burners for cooking. No oven :(

Not enough hours in a day..

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it." (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

The past few days I have gone nonstop, but I'm loving every minute. This is one of my favorite quotes (from an excellent movie) because it's so true. I've already experienced so much and I've been keeping so busy that I need to continue to make the effort to stop and enjoy my surroundings and the people I spend my time with.

Street in Vieux Tours

Basilique St. Martin in Tours

Train Station in Tours

Pont Wilson and the Loire River, Tours

My mother and me :)

L'Hotel de Ville, Tours

Cathedrale St. Gatien, Tours

Part of the Chateau, Tours

Inside the Opera House, Tours

Friday afternoon I went to both schools to observe. I spent the morning at Montaigne, and then Michelle took me to her house for lunch where I met her husband and daughter. Her daughter, Valentina, is 20 and studying English at the university in Tours so I'm hoping that I will see her again soon. Michelle's husband cooked lunch for us and then Michelle drove me to JP Rameau so I could observe classes there in the afternoon. She is such a wonderful person and continues to go out of her way to make me feel welcome. I am so grateful she's taken me under her wing and has been willing to help me with anything. In addition, she's wonderful company and so much fun to chat with!

Before going out with some friends Friday evening, I was lucky enough to talk to Eddie and Tim on their phones, thanks to Eddie's computer program he helped me set up before leaving the states. It was so good to hear from both of them and to catch up. Later on I met up with some friends, shared some sangria with Alex and bonded with Ryan while sharing a kebab.

Saturday morning I had to wake up early, even though I didn't go to sleep until 3am, so that I could get to the bank. I needed to deposit money asap because in France, bills are commonly paid by simple wire transfers. My electric company had my bank info from when I signed up, and I needed to get some money in the account before I had a bill. The problem is, I'm still waiting for some paperwork to get through mail system (saying the post office verified my address) so that I can get my debit card and check book. Anyway, after the bank I spent a couple of hours walking around the city. I walked down the path by the river towards the chateau, stopped in a bookstore to browse, and went inside the Opera. The orchestra had a rehearsal open to the public that I sat in on and listened to for a while. In the late afternoon I went to Caroline's house for a rugby viewing party and get together. We left her house around midnight to go to some bars. Not much was happening so around 2am Ryan and John were kind enough to walk me home, thankfully. I'm fairly confident I'd be safe walking home alone, but I'm not one to take chances when they offered to walk me home.

This morning came a little to early. I woke up at 7am and met Lucy, my neighbor and a gym teacher at Montaigne, at 8am to leave for a hike. We met Michelle and her husband, the principal, and her friend for a 10km hike. It was in the countryside and forest near Azay-le-Rideau, about 40 minutes away by car from Tours. It was a big public event- there were many cyclists. Although I was really dragging from a lack of sleep, it was a beautiful hike and I was in excellent company. Apparently a very French thing to do while hiking, especially in this region, is to find good mushrooms. The principal had a nice collection for dinner by the end of the hike. We also passed some vineyards and tasted the grapes fresh from the vine, ate fresh fig right from the tree, and also found some blackberry bushes. At the end of the hike there were a couple of food tents set up where we had a sandwich and some fruit, and also some regional specialties including poires tapees and a partially fermented bubbly juice/wine. Poire tappees are pears partially dried in an oven and then soaked in sweet wine with a hint of cinnamon- absolutely delicious!

This afternoon I came back from the hike absolutely exhausted. I was able to talk to my parents, Zack and Amy, and Tori on the phone. It's always so good to catch up with what's going on and home and just to hear familiar voices. Tori let me know she bought her tickets to come visit in January, for which I am beyond ecstatic! Hearing that news made me bounce up and down in my chair and I couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear. Just thinking about it now I can't help but smile :)

Tomorrow is my first day teaching lessons solo. Three classes tomorrow, and three on Tuesday! Keeping my fingers crossed that the classes go smoothly and the kids have fun!

Social Security, Ikea, Carrefour and the Cinema.

I love it here. I love Tours, I love the schools I'm in and the teachers & assistants I'm working with, I love that I'm meeting new people everyday and turning acquaintances into friendships, and I love the feeling of reality sinking in that I will be here for the next 7 months.

Yesterday a fellow teacher, Michelle, took me to sign up for social security and health insurance. It was a relatively simple process that I'm sure was made much easier because she was there to guide me. I then went with another co-worker, Adeline, to Ikea and Carrefour (the equivalent of a GIANT Wal-Mart). I got some more necessities and bought some groceries. Shopping in Carrefour was quite fun- the store is absolutely huge. We would push the cart a ways and leave it, and then run down the aisles we wanted to in order to grab a few things by hand, then met up again at the cart. By the time I got home it was about 8pm so I had a quick bite to eat before meeting some other language assistants for a film.

We saw a Quebecois film titled "Les amores imaginaires" in French and Quebecois French. It was a smaller budget movie and was completely different from American cinema (as French films usually are). I really enjoyed the music because it was so well incorporated into the film's artsy direction and underlying meanings. The nice thing about this particular cinema is that for 12 euros I bought a membership card that will now allow me to see any other film for nearly half price (about 4 euros). Pretty good deal! They seem to have a really wide variety of films that rotate through regularly and consequently I plan to take full advantage of it.

Tomorrow is my last day of observing classes before I begin to teach solo on Monday. I don't know what the weekend has in order, but perhaps some hiking on Sunday with some other teachers, including the gym teacher Lucy. As much as I love the big city vibe Tours has, it will be nice to get out and admire the landscape. After all, I am in 'Le jardin de France'!

Internet at last!

As of this evening, I have access to internet in my apartment! I realized I had very few options to get wireless in my apartment and this morning I wrote a letter to my neighbor and left it in their door. My note included a brief introduction of myself and why I am in Tours. I explained that I could not pay for a year long internet contract, as I will only be here for 7 months, and offered to pay half of their bill if they were to share their wifi password with me. Yes, the note was a bit desperate but hey, I really was hoping they would take pity on me and agree. This evening, while a friend was over for dinner, my neighbor knocked on my door. He is Christophe, a 27 year old law student from Blois. We chatted for a while about school, wine, things to do in Tours, etc. I went in to his studio to get set up with the internet. When I asked if I could pay him, he refused, and asked that in return I help him with his English. He also invited me to a law student gathering later on in the week to introduce me to local students my age. So alas, I have internet!

Today I spent in College Montaigne observing English classes of different levels. I met another English professor who was not there last week. Michelle. She was nice enough to help me fill out paperwork so I can get paid, and even drove me home. Tomorrow she is going to take me to apply for a social security number. She also has a daughter, 20, who studies English and Italian at the university in Tours and plans to pass along my phone number so we can meet.

The teachers at both schools have been enormously helpful and I'm really looking forward to working with them. However, although some of the classes are wonderful, there seem to be a lot of discipline problems. Some classes are quiet and eager to learn, while other classes (generally the older students, ages 14-15) are more disruptive and disrespectful. They seem to like me so far as I'm the new American teacher. Hopefully that attitude will continue...

Bonjour from McDonald's, how French..

I'm starting to settle in more everyday to my new life in Tours. I'm continuing to meet so many wonderful people. Friday morning my mother and I parted ways with a tearful goodbye in the train station at 5:30am. I made my way to Orleans, the hometown of Joan of Arc, for an orientation. I met there other some other language assistants from Tours and also made some new friends in the area too. The day was pretty boring as we went over the many administrative details I need to take care of soon. We did have a short break and guided tour during the lunch hour. Orleans isn't nearly as picturesque as Tours and and lacks charm despite it's size and history, making me even more grateful I have been placed in Tours :) That evening I took the train home with two assistants I met at orientation, one from Australia and one from the UK. We hung out a bit over the weekend as well, inviting others and making more friends while out in Tours. Yesterday I went to a recreational rugby match. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it as I'd never really watched the sport before. In the last two minutes the teams were so close and it was a nail biter, but Tours pulled out an exciting win! I feel assured that I will always have friends to call if I'm feeling lonely because I didn't spend much time alone this weekend! I also met for coffee with an English teacher at College Montaigne, Adeline. She is from Bordeaux and just moved to Tours. I feel that we are going to be very good friends as she is my age and considering we easily spent almost 2 hours chatting at a cafe.

This morning I went to College Jean Philippe Rameau and observed 3 classes with Helene. The kids generally seemed curious to get to know me and happy to have a new face in the classroom. After observing today I'm quite a bit more excited to start working with the students! It seems that I will have half of a class at a time and will be free to do whatever lessons I want, as long as they are listening and speaking oriented, and in English of course.

The most difficult part, aside from the administrative paperwork nightmare, is not consistently having internet at my apartment. I am now sitting in the McDonald's using their free wifi. I hate the fact that the internet has become almost necessary. I will need to spend time surfing the web for lesson plan ideas and activities, not to mention, it would be nice to hear a familiar voice from home via skype. Also, not having spoken much French lately, I am a bit rusty. Hopefully another week or two and I will regain my confidence.

This evening I am going to a cafe where there is a casual language exchange, apparently in several language groups. Tomorrow I plan to go to my other school, College Montaigne, to observe. Should be exciting!