although i've been singing praises about this place, i had an interaction with someone last night that made me want to turn around and come back to the US.
i'll begin here:
i don't know if anybody in the states keeps track of rugby, but if you don't, here's the lowdown:
in the quarter finals, france beat new zealand. HUGE DEAL. new zealand was the best team in the world. so last night, france was playing against england in the semi finals. france last. HUGE DEAL. everybody got depressed. also, in a bar, someone heard my friend as me a question in english, and someone said "ils sont les anglais" (they're english) and at 11:30 (the bars stay open til 2am here, clubs until 5am) the bartender informed me he was closed.
thank you, england. i'm glad i claimed my independence from you over 200 years ago.
but that's not the point.
there was an english girl, who was with a large group of italians that i met through another assistant who is part italian. she was (pardon my french, and for those with sensitive eyes, i will censor) a big b****. she started her conversation telling me that she doesn't like americans, because of an experience she had with a group of stoners who wanted to go to bob marley's house on a tour a couple years ago. she also openly said "i'm making generalizations here, but the cowboy image.... the politics.... the president... americans are all dumb and shallow" in so many words.
here's what's wrong with that statement.
I am not dumb and shallow, you cow.
i am not the one making sweeping generalizations about a nation, and openly admitting it. that makes you dumb. and what makes you shallow, is you judged me without even knowing me. because you think my president is an idiot, you think i'm an idiot. you didn't even ask me about my opinions, or my thoughts on politics. because you think the kids you met a few years ago weren't interested in you, you weren't interested in me. every time i spoke and said "well there is that image, but really if you were to talk to half the country, or the kids on this trip, or if you were to talk to someone else, you'll discover that there's .... whatever" you would respond with "i'm making a generalization here". AND I'M DUMB?? no darling, you are. one of the first things you learn in school is that generalizations don't work.
finally, by the end of the conversation, she said "well i guess there are two types of americans, ones who are mean and don't care about the world, and others who are really friendly" and i said "well i think it's sad that it seems like so much of my country is so egotistcal and self-centered. really i don't think it speaks of the people but of the education of those people. i wouldn't blame the actual citizens, but the politics. and the small children who are 8, and taught in school that the US is the best, don't have control over that do they?" and she shut up.
fact of the matter is, there are a lot of people here who i have met who seem to think that (especially american girls) are all dumb, and self-centered, and close-minded. they judge me before they know me. and it drives me up a wall. i think last night, i made progress with the italians and a french guy who i had met a week ago and wound up seeing, because i finally said (in french) "leave me alone. you're judging me all the time. i feel like i can't do anything right, and all i want to do is get to know you people." and they did. they left me alone and treated me like a person. FINALLY. we talked, we hung out. it was nice.
i expected for there to be some friction because i'm american. but i wasn't prepared for it.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
also:
the stereotypes these young ones have, and what they know of the U.S. (just for fun)
"do all of the Americans eat hamburgers? because I was eating one once, and my mom told me that i shouldn't eat a lot because I'll get fat like the Americans."
"the white house!"
various animals, colors, and days of the week, although the order I was given was: "Wednesday, Friday, Saturday"
"statue of liberty"
"world trade center"
"empire state building"
various greetings, and ways to say good-bye
"do you all eat pancakes?" - to which I said 'YES, AND WITH TONS OF MAPLE SYRUP, MY FAMILY MAKES OUR OWN!' "what's maple syrup" (my heart broke, they probably don't know cheddar cheese either)
"do you like France or the US better?
"Is it easy to learn all of those French words in three weeks?"
"So do you live in Tours or do you travel here from home every day?"
"Which state is Canada?"
"Does the Czech Republic border your state?"
"Does your family speak English"
"Is England the capital of the US?"
And many others
it was cute.
"do all of the Americans eat hamburgers? because I was eating one once, and my mom told me that i shouldn't eat a lot because I'll get fat like the Americans."
"the white house!"
various animals, colors, and days of the week, although the order I was given was: "Wednesday, Friday, Saturday"
"statue of liberty"
"world trade center"
"empire state building"
various greetings, and ways to say good-bye
"do you all eat pancakes?" - to which I said 'YES, AND WITH TONS OF MAPLE SYRUP, MY FAMILY MAKES OUR OWN!' "what's maple syrup" (my heart broke, they probably don't know cheddar cheese either)
"do you like France or the US better?
"Is it easy to learn all of those French words in three weeks?"
"So do you live in Tours or do you travel here from home every day?"
"Which state is Canada?"
"Does the Czech Republic border your state?"
"Does your family speak English"
"Is England the capital of the US?"
And many others
it was cute.
ohhhhhhh children
Again updating in chunks... this is Wednesday....So. Here we are. The day before I start my first day of work. I have a lesson plan, but I’m lacking in supplies, because it’s impossible to get things here. I think I may need to do some talking with the teachers, although some of my schools don’t have a whole lot of "affiches" on the wall. I figure I’ll hit up an art supply store on Friday afternoon when I’m done with work.
All in all I’m pretty nervous about the whole thing. It’d be nice if we had some more information, or if this information had been given to us a little bit earlier. Because this is so close to when we start. Maybe, a week or so before the first day, not two days. But what do I know. Besides, two of my schools are in a dispute over which days they have me, and I’m just going to tell them to call each other and sort it out. Because I’m sick of trying to be the middle man for principals and having to do mediation in my second language. Although one of the directors of the conseills pedagogique helped me out a lot, because she’s really sweet. So that’s good.
I had a ridiculously homesick night on Wednesday. I think it’s because I was home alone, making lesson plans, listening to music, and watching the slideshow go on my computer. Songs and pictures that make me think of home kept popping up. So I got a little sad.
But Cody came over, another assistant from the Texas-land, and he’s a good friend and a sweetheart, so that seemed to work out for the best.
And now it's Thursday. The first day down, two schools and three levels per school, which means six classes and SOOO MANY students. I forgot how tiring it is trying to speak to small children, especially the smallest level that doesn't speak English or really communicate at all. Although we had fun playing the what words do you know, what facts do you know, what questions do you have for me, and for me, trying to see what they know. It's amazing that "How are you?" and "How old are you?" get so mixed up, with being only one word apart. They get "How old are you?" better than "How are you?", and it's impossible to stop one another from translating for each other. I had to keep repeating that this was not a translation class, and that I didn't want to hear French. But it was good, and I spoke in French from time to time, and the last teacher I was with in my last class of the day said: "I hope to speak English as well as Hilary speaks French" and that made me feel really great. Also, all of my teachers seemed to have a positive response to me, and I think the kids liked me for the most part. I think some of them got bored in the combined classes, because the younger kids were confused and I had to slow down a bit from time to time. I guess the intelligent thing is to speed up so the older ones don't get bored, but I don't want to lose the younger ones completely.
So after a long day working with my six classes, Aly called and she and I found our good Scottish friend (also an assistant) and spoke with him for a while, then Jen called, and the four of us went for coffee because we were all exhausted and feeling the stress of a full work week for the first time since arriving three weeks ago. Grahame left to go home, Aly and Jen and I decided to find cheap chinese food rather than cook. It was amazing, and cheap, and fantastic. Note - Aly and I need to find a cheap microwave. Our kitchen is only two burners and a sink, and it's hard to reheat leftovers.... oh well.
Tomorrow afternoon after I finish up at school, I'm going to call our landlady to try and see about activating the phone line so we can get our high speed internet, and run some errands to get cardboard and posterboard and make photocopies and be a teacher. Oh snap.
So tomorrow is my first day of teaching at my last school. So far, the directors (principals) and other teachers have been fantastic, and so supportive, and so encouraging, it's really quite fantastic.
Oh - Aly and I have house insurance and liability insurance, in case we accidentally push someone over and they break a hip. Thank god. We all know that the two of us have wild, violent tendencies.
Stimmer (or Christine) is coming to visit over my long break of Toussaint. It's a week long, and it's long long long overdue.
Salut mes amis,
Je vous aime....
vous me manquez beaucoup.
-hilary
All in all I’m pretty nervous about the whole thing. It’d be nice if we had some more information, or if this information had been given to us a little bit earlier. Because this is so close to when we start. Maybe, a week or so before the first day, not two days. But what do I know. Besides, two of my schools are in a dispute over which days they have me, and I’m just going to tell them to call each other and sort it out. Because I’m sick of trying to be the middle man for principals and having to do mediation in my second language. Although one of the directors of the conseills pedagogique helped me out a lot, because she’s really sweet. So that’s good.
I had a ridiculously homesick night on Wednesday. I think it’s because I was home alone, making lesson plans, listening to music, and watching the slideshow go on my computer. Songs and pictures that make me think of home kept popping up. So I got a little sad.
But Cody came over, another assistant from the Texas-land, and he’s a good friend and a sweetheart, so that seemed to work out for the best.
And now it's Thursday. The first day down, two schools and three levels per school, which means six classes and SOOO MANY students. I forgot how tiring it is trying to speak to small children, especially the smallest level that doesn't speak English or really communicate at all. Although we had fun playing the what words do you know, what facts do you know, what questions do you have for me, and for me, trying to see what they know. It's amazing that "How are you?" and "How old are you?" get so mixed up, with being only one word apart. They get "How old are you?" better than "How are you?", and it's impossible to stop one another from translating for each other. I had to keep repeating that this was not a translation class, and that I didn't want to hear French. But it was good, and I spoke in French from time to time, and the last teacher I was with in my last class of the day said: "I hope to speak English as well as Hilary speaks French" and that made me feel really great. Also, all of my teachers seemed to have a positive response to me, and I think the kids liked me for the most part. I think some of them got bored in the combined classes, because the younger kids were confused and I had to slow down a bit from time to time. I guess the intelligent thing is to speed up so the older ones don't get bored, but I don't want to lose the younger ones completely.
So after a long day working with my six classes, Aly called and she and I found our good Scottish friend (also an assistant) and spoke with him for a while, then Jen called, and the four of us went for coffee because we were all exhausted and feeling the stress of a full work week for the first time since arriving three weeks ago. Grahame left to go home, Aly and Jen and I decided to find cheap chinese food rather than cook. It was amazing, and cheap, and fantastic. Note - Aly and I need to find a cheap microwave. Our kitchen is only two burners and a sink, and it's hard to reheat leftovers.... oh well.
Tomorrow afternoon after I finish up at school, I'm going to call our landlady to try and see about activating the phone line so we can get our high speed internet, and run some errands to get cardboard and posterboard and make photocopies and be a teacher. Oh snap.
So tomorrow is my first day of teaching at my last school. So far, the directors (principals) and other teachers have been fantastic, and so supportive, and so encouraging, it's really quite fantastic.
Oh - Aly and I have house insurance and liability insurance, in case we accidentally push someone over and they break a hip. Thank god. We all know that the two of us have wild, violent tendencies.
Stimmer (or Christine) is coming to visit over my long break of Toussaint. It's a week long, and it's long long long overdue.
Salut mes amis,
Je vous aime....
vous me manquez beaucoup.
-hilary
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
its been a long time comin
Seeing as the internet situation here is a bit limited, I figured I’d update in word and paste myself a long blog when I have the chance.
It is now Monday, September 24, 2007. I have yet to have a house, although Katie’s host family has been and is being very generous by letting me crash here and stay here until I do find housing. I owe them. Big time.
But the trip started, with a 6pm flight out of Boston, landing me at London Heathrow at about 5:15 in the morning their time. Which was about 12:15 am on the east coast of the U.S.A. After that, a brief plane ride where I passed out against the window pane to CDG airport in Paris, finding my bags, getting a phone card, and getting a cab. Where I spoke with the cab driver, in French, because he didn’t speak much English. He told me that my French skills were pretty good, especially considering how few people know French these days. So I had myself a nice cab ride where I was shown the stadium where they play all their sports, and the big one right now is Rugby. Go figure. He then brought me through the heart of Paris, where we discussed how the Eiffel Tower is the romantic dreamer’s symbol of the city. I saw the Assemblé Nationale, and then was driven to the 6th arrondissement to meet none other than Katie Banaszak. I got there a little before here, and my cab driver told me that had it not been Ramadan, he would have invited me to have a coffee while I wait. But, no worries. She was there within 5 minutes.
Then I was taken inside of the building for international students in France, part of some FAC but I forget which one. And up into the Sweet Briar part of the building, where Katie and I sat on a terrace and ate sandwiches and talked about going to Tours and where I would live and how all of that would work out. Despite being up for 29 hours straight, and only sleeping for two of them, I considered myself pretty high functioning. I was able to have conversations with her, and with the professors who insisted we speak in French. One commented that my accent was quite good considering how tired I must have been. The he told me to take a siesta on the terrace. I almost did. But then we went inside, and I saw another MoHo student pal of mine, who was also studying abroad. Then came the time for Katie to have class, and I killed some time by searching on the internet for housing and looking up phone numbers and all of that business. Where I again met a MoHo studying abroad. WE’RE EVERYWHERE!!!! Hooray Mount Holyoke.
After this, Katie and I had the joy of taking all of my luggage through the metro, getting on the train, and landing at the train station commonly known as Austerlitz, where we waited patiently for our train to take us to Tours…
Note – there is a 6-month-old kitten that seems baffled by my computer. She is staring at my hands while I type and she keeps standing on my knee trying to see what the deal is. I also don’t think her parents would like her being on the bed, but I’ll let that go.
… So we waited. Katie got a pain au chocolat that was delightful. I took a half hour nap on the train. When I woke up, I watched the countryside go by. In New England, when you ride the train through the country it’s really through the forest. Especially when you’re following the Connecticut river. Here, you follow the Loire, and you go through real countryside. And you see castles in the distance. And it is incredible. And so different. And pretty.
We arrive in Tours. We lug my luggage (oh alliteration) from the train station in Tours, in the center of the city, through fabulous side streets and down through a garden to Katie’s host family’s house. Which has three stories, a beautiful living room, and garden, classic heavy wooden French doors with the doorknobs in the middle of the door as part of the entryway, a two story studio for the artist/graphic designer father, and a sweet little kitten (see above note). I’ve been staying with these people for four days now, and they have fed me fantastically and treated me unbelievably well. I am going to bring them flowers when I finally get my own place.
The next day, Katie and I got up and started house hunting and apartment hunting. I saw one apartment that was at the opposite end of my city, by the other river, which was not what I wanted. I found another, which was actually a house with a spare room with a military productions manager, but it was in a different little village and was also incredible far away, and 500 euro a month. After this, we went to Place Plum (Place Plumerau) that has a fantastic amount of nightlife, and is terribly old French in terms of buildings and layout. This is contrasted with Place Jean Jaures, where all of the official looking buildings and touristy restaurants are.
Saturday, nothing here is open, except bakeries. Although I found one real estate agency, and this is where I learned that when you haven’t started working, getting a place through agencies is almost impossible. The family was at a wedding Saturday night, and Katie and I spent our night making pesto, and watching the little mermaid. The man in the store told us that we had Canadian accents, and that we were “formidables”.
Sunday, there isn’t too much open either. Except bakeries, again. So Katie and I took a walk around the city, up to the cathedral and the Musée des beaux-arts, and through to Place Plum, where we got ourselves some gelatos.
Monday, Katie leaves, and I think the frustration level kicked in. I got back to the Bordet’s house and my parents called and I just started crying. I just felt way too overwhelmed, and frustrated. I felt like nobody who was supposed was helping me. But, after speaking to the Bordet mother, I felt better, and then she fed me, and then both she and her husband are so awesome that I just had to stay here.
So Tuesday, I decide to get smart and head to my school. Here is when I realized that the girl who sent out information, although some was helpful, left out the fact that the people in charge of the language assistants in each district took care of each assistant personally. So I show up at my school, feeling all school-y and preppy, only to realize that I was given that school simply for administrative reasons, and because it’s an okay address on the paper. The two women at the center who I was supposed to see were so incredibly nice and sweet to me that I almost died. They told me how to get to their school, then one picked me up in her car when I was at the bus stop, and they very nicely explained that I should have contacted them first, because they had already made arrangements for me to go get my carte de sejour, and that I had to do NOTHING for them until the date of October 2nd. And even then, they are going to meet all of us at the train station and guide us through Orléans when we get there. So really, all I need to do right now is get a house and a bank account. And buy a train ticket. And the house thing is looking up. Vaget, in all her glory, has agreed to be my guaranty here, so I have a French person that I can say will vouch for me and support me even though I can support myself. That means I can get a house through an agency. FINALLY. Also, there is a guy who is renting out a room in his apartment that is near my schools, a little ways from the nightlife…. But the thing is, the city is so small, that it’s really not a big deal. I’ve been walking all over it. It’ll be about 10-15 minutes on a bus, and about a 20-30 minute walk, depending on where I want to go in the centre-ville of Tours. It only takes about 30 minutes to get from one end to the other on the bus. I had to do that Tuesday. And this guy is gone from Friday to Sunday, so I get an apartment to myself on those days. I have a good feeling about this guy.
I have better feelings about this place on Tuesday, and about my situation than I have in a while. I shouldn’t say this place. I like this place, a lot. And I’m learning how to navigate it pretty well. So that’s good.
Although I must say that I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of the people around me. First off, my parents have been awesome, offering support and talking me through fits of crying and reminding me that I am a big girl who has made it here so far and that really, I can do anything. The Bordets have been incredible, especially during my mild state of depression, they offered their house to me and accepted me into their home and have fed me and been fantastic. So then I have to thank Katie, for meeting me here, bringing me to Tours, and introducing me to these people so that I would have a place to stay, and guiding me around Tours for the first few days I was here, and overall being an awesome buddy watching The Little Mermaid and eating two things of cheese and a baguette. Whatever, I’m in France. It was a huge help. And everyone else, you all have been incredible support and I smile when I think of you all, and I wish I could describe to you the city in the most perfect words, and explain throughout each moment what it’s like, but that’s all too hard. Although I will say this: I have seen more beautiful, thin, well dressed women here than I have ever seen in one place. It’s incredible. I also don’t know if this is a result of me being in France, but all of a sudden my tastes have soared from the reasonably priced to “oh my god that’s soooooo cute and expensive and FRENCH”. I really just don’t know.
Update:
met the other assistants in Tours. and they are AMAZING. Found a fantastic roommate and a fantastic apartment with a courtyard and fresh mint growing in the garden for my lovely little texan and i to share in the next few months. Alyson is awesome, cute, and has a sweet little accent. Jen is another assistant that lives above us, and there are several other scattered around the city. Since I've met all of these guys, the life has gotten better. Its amazing what having a social life can do. We've done a bunch of late dinners and explored the old parts of the city, which seem to have a great nightlife, and have all bonded over the ridiculousness of trying to get a house when working this job. (side note: you can buy beer in the mcdonald's here, and while i watch this guy drink his across the way, i'm using mcdonald's free wifi). We all had our first orientation today, and 7 of us along with 6 British english assistants went. It was all in all, an adventure.
So, now i'm slowing down and settling in and things are good.
I love and miss you all
I'll send a link for pictures when they're posted
It is now Monday, September 24, 2007. I have yet to have a house, although Katie’s host family has been and is being very generous by letting me crash here and stay here until I do find housing. I owe them. Big time.
But the trip started, with a 6pm flight out of Boston, landing me at London Heathrow at about 5:15 in the morning their time. Which was about 12:15 am on the east coast of the U.S.A. After that, a brief plane ride where I passed out against the window pane to CDG airport in Paris, finding my bags, getting a phone card, and getting a cab. Where I spoke with the cab driver, in French, because he didn’t speak much English. He told me that my French skills were pretty good, especially considering how few people know French these days. So I had myself a nice cab ride where I was shown the stadium where they play all their sports, and the big one right now is Rugby. Go figure. He then brought me through the heart of Paris, where we discussed how the Eiffel Tower is the romantic dreamer’s symbol of the city. I saw the Assemblé Nationale, and then was driven to the 6th arrondissement to meet none other than Katie Banaszak. I got there a little before here, and my cab driver told me that had it not been Ramadan, he would have invited me to have a coffee while I wait. But, no worries. She was there within 5 minutes.
Then I was taken inside of the building for international students in France, part of some FAC but I forget which one. And up into the Sweet Briar part of the building, where Katie and I sat on a terrace and ate sandwiches and talked about going to Tours and where I would live and how all of that would work out. Despite being up for 29 hours straight, and only sleeping for two of them, I considered myself pretty high functioning. I was able to have conversations with her, and with the professors who insisted we speak in French. One commented that my accent was quite good considering how tired I must have been. The he told me to take a siesta on the terrace. I almost did. But then we went inside, and I saw another MoHo student pal of mine, who was also studying abroad. Then came the time for Katie to have class, and I killed some time by searching on the internet for housing and looking up phone numbers and all of that business. Where I again met a MoHo studying abroad. WE’RE EVERYWHERE!!!! Hooray Mount Holyoke.
After this, Katie and I had the joy of taking all of my luggage through the metro, getting on the train, and landing at the train station commonly known as Austerlitz, where we waited patiently for our train to take us to Tours…
Note – there is a 6-month-old kitten that seems baffled by my computer. She is staring at my hands while I type and she keeps standing on my knee trying to see what the deal is. I also don’t think her parents would like her being on the bed, but I’ll let that go.
… So we waited. Katie got a pain au chocolat that was delightful. I took a half hour nap on the train. When I woke up, I watched the countryside go by. In New England, when you ride the train through the country it’s really through the forest. Especially when you’re following the Connecticut river. Here, you follow the Loire, and you go through real countryside. And you see castles in the distance. And it is incredible. And so different. And pretty.
We arrive in Tours. We lug my luggage (oh alliteration) from the train station in Tours, in the center of the city, through fabulous side streets and down through a garden to Katie’s host family’s house. Which has three stories, a beautiful living room, and garden, classic heavy wooden French doors with the doorknobs in the middle of the door as part of the entryway, a two story studio for the artist/graphic designer father, and a sweet little kitten (see above note). I’ve been staying with these people for four days now, and they have fed me fantastically and treated me unbelievably well. I am going to bring them flowers when I finally get my own place.
The next day, Katie and I got up and started house hunting and apartment hunting. I saw one apartment that was at the opposite end of my city, by the other river, which was not what I wanted. I found another, which was actually a house with a spare room with a military productions manager, but it was in a different little village and was also incredible far away, and 500 euro a month. After this, we went to Place Plum (Place Plumerau) that has a fantastic amount of nightlife, and is terribly old French in terms of buildings and layout. This is contrasted with Place Jean Jaures, where all of the official looking buildings and touristy restaurants are.
Saturday, nothing here is open, except bakeries. Although I found one real estate agency, and this is where I learned that when you haven’t started working, getting a place through agencies is almost impossible. The family was at a wedding Saturday night, and Katie and I spent our night making pesto, and watching the little mermaid. The man in the store told us that we had Canadian accents, and that we were “formidables”.
Sunday, there isn’t too much open either. Except bakeries, again. So Katie and I took a walk around the city, up to the cathedral and the Musée des beaux-arts, and through to Place Plum, where we got ourselves some gelatos.
Monday, Katie leaves, and I think the frustration level kicked in. I got back to the Bordet’s house and my parents called and I just started crying. I just felt way too overwhelmed, and frustrated. I felt like nobody who was supposed was helping me. But, after speaking to the Bordet mother, I felt better, and then she fed me, and then both she and her husband are so awesome that I just had to stay here.
So Tuesday, I decide to get smart and head to my school. Here is when I realized that the girl who sent out information, although some was helpful, left out the fact that the people in charge of the language assistants in each district took care of each assistant personally. So I show up at my school, feeling all school-y and preppy, only to realize that I was given that school simply for administrative reasons, and because it’s an okay address on the paper. The two women at the center who I was supposed to see were so incredibly nice and sweet to me that I almost died. They told me how to get to their school, then one picked me up in her car when I was at the bus stop, and they very nicely explained that I should have contacted them first, because they had already made arrangements for me to go get my carte de sejour, and that I had to do NOTHING for them until the date of October 2nd. And even then, they are going to meet all of us at the train station and guide us through Orléans when we get there. So really, all I need to do right now is get a house and a bank account. And buy a train ticket. And the house thing is looking up. Vaget, in all her glory, has agreed to be my guaranty here, so I have a French person that I can say will vouch for me and support me even though I can support myself. That means I can get a house through an agency. FINALLY. Also, there is a guy who is renting out a room in his apartment that is near my schools, a little ways from the nightlife…. But the thing is, the city is so small, that it’s really not a big deal. I’ve been walking all over it. It’ll be about 10-15 minutes on a bus, and about a 20-30 minute walk, depending on where I want to go in the centre-ville of Tours. It only takes about 30 minutes to get from one end to the other on the bus. I had to do that Tuesday. And this guy is gone from Friday to Sunday, so I get an apartment to myself on those days. I have a good feeling about this guy.
I have better feelings about this place on Tuesday, and about my situation than I have in a while. I shouldn’t say this place. I like this place, a lot. And I’m learning how to navigate it pretty well. So that’s good.
Although I must say that I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of the people around me. First off, my parents have been awesome, offering support and talking me through fits of crying and reminding me that I am a big girl who has made it here so far and that really, I can do anything. The Bordets have been incredible, especially during my mild state of depression, they offered their house to me and accepted me into their home and have fed me and been fantastic. So then I have to thank Katie, for meeting me here, bringing me to Tours, and introducing me to these people so that I would have a place to stay, and guiding me around Tours for the first few days I was here, and overall being an awesome buddy watching The Little Mermaid and eating two things of cheese and a baguette. Whatever, I’m in France. It was a huge help. And everyone else, you all have been incredible support and I smile when I think of you all, and I wish I could describe to you the city in the most perfect words, and explain throughout each moment what it’s like, but that’s all too hard. Although I will say this: I have seen more beautiful, thin, well dressed women here than I have ever seen in one place. It’s incredible. I also don’t know if this is a result of me being in France, but all of a sudden my tastes have soared from the reasonably priced to “oh my god that’s soooooo cute and expensive and FRENCH”. I really just don’t know.
Update:
met the other assistants in Tours. and they are AMAZING. Found a fantastic roommate and a fantastic apartment with a courtyard and fresh mint growing in the garden for my lovely little texan and i to share in the next few months. Alyson is awesome, cute, and has a sweet little accent. Jen is another assistant that lives above us, and there are several other scattered around the city. Since I've met all of these guys, the life has gotten better. Its amazing what having a social life can do. We've done a bunch of late dinners and explored the old parts of the city, which seem to have a great nightlife, and have all bonded over the ridiculousness of trying to get a house when working this job. (side note: you can buy beer in the mcdonald's here, and while i watch this guy drink his across the way, i'm using mcdonald's free wifi). We all had our first orientation today, and 7 of us along with 6 British english assistants went. It was all in all, an adventure.
So, now i'm slowing down and settling in and things are good.
I love and miss you all
I'll send a link for pictures when they're posted
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