Cote d'Azur

For the Toussaint Vacation Krista, Nele and I decided to go to Nice for 4 days. We had to spend the night in the Charles De Gaulle Airport in order to catch our 7 a.m. flight this morning. It was fun for about 2 hours but then the over-tiredness sets in and pretty soon you'd kill for a bed. Oddly enough there were a lot of people doing the same thing we were. A guy next to us snored the whole night and not to mention there were cleaning crews buzzing around us...some on machines with flashing yellow lights!! Needless to say I didn't hardly sleep. Our flight was scheduled to leave Paris at 7a.m. this morning but once we got loaded on and we were ready to go the captain said that air traffic control weren't allowing us to leave until 8:30a.m.! Fortunately we left shortly after that announcement and we arrived on time in Nice. We were happy campers! Unfortunately it rained all day today. We took a walking tour of Nice, the beach too and we checked into our hostel. Its a great hostel and I'm really happy with it. They even serve dinner and breakfast is free...score! It was an awesome day and I'm ready to go to bed but its only 3:34p.m.! Tomorrow we're headed to Eze and Monaco for the day. I have already been to both but I loved both of them. Its so odd going back to places that I was three years ago. For example, I found the same gelato place in Nice that I had visited when I was here with Providence...haha! Thats it for now. Its going to be a busy 4 days but it's nice to get out of Fourmies.

Love

Thoughts About the Schools

So it's been about a week since my last post and nothing much has changed besides that I have finally observed classes at my other college (middle school). In both of my colleges there are major discipline and respect problems; I really can't believe it! The kids don't care and some of the teachers don't either. A perfect example of this is one of the teachers at my other school, Joliot Curie, doesn't care at all about teaching the kids. While I'm there he usually writes random english phrases on the board that they're supposed to translate. Meanwhile, he's chatting me up and being a grumpy puss about teaching. His name is Mathieu just fyi. The other teachers that I work with at Joliot Curie are nice and welcoming. One of them, Marilyn, has purple and blonde hair....setting a nice example there lady. She has difficulties controlling her class as well. My favorite of the three is Valerie. I observe her class last on the days that I'm there (Tuesdays & Thursdays).

The walls in this school are either bright pink, orange or green. I often wonder how they came to pick those terrible colors? Did the designer really love those colors or did the principal of the school pick those colors in order to punish everyone who enters the building hah! Instead of bells they plan a string of classical music to signal the end of that particular learning experience.

I witnessed my first English test this week as well and it is actually teaching me something. The students are learning all the right names like: direct object, indirect object etc, and to be honest some of those things I don't even know!

So far its been a good experience for me and it makes me realize how lucky we are to have good schools in the United States!

*More Soon*

Whoa Adventures!

Well, it's been too long since my last update and I'm sure a lot of you have been dying for me to update you...well here goes!
I have been in Fourmies for 2 weeks only and it feels like I've been here for a lifetime. The landowners are fantastic people, they have been so kind and welcoming to be. Especially with the internet problem...I still don't have internet at my house and they have given me a key to their house so I can come over whenever I want to use it - wow, talk about trust!
Fourmies is a small town of 13,000 people and it has everything you need for daily life :) I won't lie to you but the first few days of my living here alone was quite a shock and I missed home terribly, just like anyone. Most of all I missed my family and the loudness that my family makes (haha) but I have been advised to drink this all in for two reasons: 1) I may never be back in Europe again and 2) as soon as I arrive home, there will be noise. God has really helped me through the rough days and my parents as well with their unfailing encouragement. But enough of that..
I started work officially on Friday and this Tuesday and Thursday I will be working the full days at both of my schools. I have been at the school right around the corner from my house several times now and all the teachers have been so welcoming to me, I didn't expect that at all. Spending time there has helped me get over the whole lonliness part of the trip. The students are very interested in me and America and of course I'm happy to share with them!
My work schedule is: I work full days Tuesdays and Thursdays and that's it! It's great for doing side travels.
In a couple of weeks I plan to go to London for 3 days during our first school break called Toussaint. I'm really looking forward to it.
My house is perfect and I really have come to like the quiet and I have a routine down for the night. I have been keeping daily journal entries which have helped jog my memory about what to write here for all of you.
Overall, it's been a great experience already and I've only been here for 2 1/5 weeks. I'm trying to take one day at a time and to have a planned activity for everyday so I won't lose my mind!
This week on Wednesday we have orientation for all the assistants in Lille for the entire day, it should be interesting.
I miss the US a lot and the familiarity of everything but I'm in Europe so it's time for me to start to enjoying it right?!
Please email me and give me updates about your life! I will try to get keep updating this as much as possible.

Love to all!

Why?

This post will be giving more information about this English assistant assistantship - whoa confusing. Anyway,it will detail the who, the what, the where and the how- so brace yourselves, it could be a bumpy ride.... !!!!

We'll start at the very beginning when my cousin (aka worldtraveler) Ben suggested that I apply for this program where they send English speakers to public schools in France to help teach English. The application process included filling out the typical application and then providing with it a 500 word essay (in French) detailing why you want to be an assistant. That had to be the easiest question I have ever had to answer - so I was psyched that they didn't ask something difficult like "Why do you like English" or something wacky like that. In my essay I listed all the reasons: 1) I am obcessed with everything French, 2) I love France and their culture, 3) the way they live their lives (slowly and deliberately) just astounds me, 4) I like kids and I have ample experience with them and 5) It is my dream/my passion/my everything to live in France! After I got that squared away I had to then translate my essay to French. Now, if it hadn't been for my cousin Ben (wow, two mentions in one post Ben... haha.) I would have absolutely and epically failed at the essay. Anyway, after about 3 hours of grueling translating we finished!

After submitting the application in the middle of January the countdown to April started. To my surprise, those months flew past until the end of March was upon us, then the weeks started moving like molasses......

FINALLY, on April 6th I recieved in email from Carolyn Collins from the Embassy in Washington D.C. announcing that I had been selected as an English assistant for the Academie de Lille (very northern France). And that I would be looking forward to recieving my placements in the next couple of weeks. Lo and behold they finally came along with my Arrete de Nomination (work contract; which I needed to get my long-stay visa). I have been placed in two colleges (middle schools) in Fourmies, France (about 3 hours out of Paris and right on the Belgian boarder). Also, the town is about 13,000 people - not too shabby!

I have been in contact with this wonderful older couple - Annette and Bernard who live just outside Fourmies. Annette has actually worked at one of my schools as an English teacher and she's wonderful. She and Bernard found me a great little house for me about 4 minutes walk from one of my schools. They have been so helpful to me and I cannot wait to meet them (finally) in two weeks!

After a mound of paperwork and emails I scheduled my visa appointment at the French Consulate in Chicago. Thankfully, my grandma was able to accompany me to this appointment. We flew there early in the morning for the appointment and then did some sightseeing and then hopped on the plane that same night! It was a hectic day but it was great to get that over with.

Now that my visa is safely with me I am now free to go! I am scheduled to leave (with my grandma) on September 14th in the morning and then I'm coming back on December 18th for 9 days for Christmas then I will officially be back sometime at the end of April. Its going to be a wild and crazy adventure and I'm getting excited!!

Stay tuned for the adventures!

Sister City!!

Today on Wikipedia I discovered that Fourmies' sister town is Fridley, Minnesota!! How sweet is that?!

26 Days & Counting

Today marks the 26th day until I leave the U.S. for France. I looked at the calendar last night when I couldn't fall asleep and I realized that I have about 3 and 1/2 weeks left before the big day. Needless to say I was a little shocked... there is still a lot that needs to happen before I leave! Too many people to say goodbye to still, my job needs to end, my siblings need to start school, I need to buy train tickets from my grandma and I and I need to purchase a lot more stuff!! The to-do list is slowly getting shorter...

This past Sunday my aunt and uncle threw me a going away party with all of my relatives and it made my leaving more of a reality. Most of the guests at this party I will see at Christmas, but the other half I won't see until I don't know when, that being said, WOWZA that's crazy. But it was great to see everyone before I left and to have a toast in my name :)

I have mixed feelings about leaving in 3 and 1/2 short weeks. I'm abandoning everything I know here at home (family, friends, school etc) and I'm putting my faith and trust in God. From the beginning I have asked God only to give me this opportunity if it was the right thing for me to do and that I could survive it (haha..), when I recieved the answer "yes" I knew this was something I had to do.

This assistantship combines my three loves: France, French and children. My French skills are more than a bit lacking I find as I continue my French lessons at the Alliance Francais in downtown Minneapolis. It is disheartning and it makes me even more nervous but there is no where to go except forward!

For some of you, you know how much of a struggle these past few weeks have been. During these past weeks I have become stressed out to max... I've been dealing with paperwork, lists, planning my first few days in Paris, planning other excursions with friends, booking plane tickets etc etc. In the end it will all be worth it I keep telling myself! When I first signed up for this Assistantship, I didn't realize at that time how much work and stress it is moving your life to a different country but I thank God for the people who have helped me in more ways than one with getting things situated. One of these people has been this couple, Annette & Bernard, who live near my town (Fourmies). They have helped me find a house to rent only a 4 minute walk from my house and they have called French government offices to ask my questions. Having a place secured now it was such a relief off my shoulders and my parent's as well. I'm so excited to see it and to get accquainted with the town.

Let the countown continue - 25.....

Catch you on the flip side ~
Marie