Paris - Je t'aime

Well, it’s been over a week since my last post and the last post was actually about a week old by the time I posted it so there is a bit to talk about.

And what a week it has been!!!  All I can say is I think I’ve just had my 15 mins worth of fame and then some!!

Let’s go back to the beginning, since my last entry, the All Blacks won the semi-final, I was then off to Caen for my  orientation.  On the way there I passed French people wearing All Blacks jerseys and others had commented that the French would be smashed by the All Blacks, others had said the French like being the underdogs so expect the unexpected – so a varied response. I personally was agreeing with the latter opinion and as it turned out, that was what happened.

In Caen a colleague kindly put me up in her apartment.   The next day I enjoyed meeting other people doing the same thing as me here in France, we exchanged details and experiences.  I realised I’ve been put in the perfect spot.  Our town where we are is one of the most rural in France and lots of people are in towns on their own with no transport (public or private) and absolutely nothing to do.  At least I have a flatmate, accommodation provided, a town on a train line to Paris, which has shops, supermarket, even McDonalds, sports clubs etc.  So even if it is quiet in the weekend it’s not far to go somewhere to visit.  We really have got the best of both worlds I think.  While travelling around I have also noticed many people travelling with their cats in cages – the cats aren’t phased by it at all.  If only I’d been able to train Bella like that? Maybe I could have brought her! Haha, although one of the assistants from America has brought their cat!

So this week was week 3 teaching and week 4 since I left – I can’t believe how fast the first month has gone, I’ll be back in 8 months before you even know it.  In some ways, I feel like I’ve always been here and being here a second time round helps with that, as a lot of things are familiar or I know how it works/what to expect.  I’m settling into the school and routine.  It’s not much different from work back in NZ expect it’s in English, not French, and I only have to go for 12 hours, teach a lesson/run an activity, then walk away – no reports, marking, meetings etc etc.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen the staff have one single staff meeting the whole time I’ve been here.  Important information is sometimes emailed, or else it’s written on a bit of paper and stuck on doorways where people can’t miss it, notice-boards and on the tables in the staff room.

I’ve also started running again with some of the girls from work (have to make sure I keep off all this amazing food I’m eating!).  We have been running in a little wood not too far from here, that was once an old manor home (I thought it was a chateau and was corrected that it was definitely  not a chateau but a ‘grande maison’).  We’ve decided to start some training and compete in some 10/15km fun runs and maybe a half-marathon (I’m eyeing the Paris one for beginning of March).  It will be a great goal and a way to see some more places.

Speaking of seeing more places, it’s the holidays at the moment, and we (friends from school and flatmate) celebrated by going out to dinner Friday night, it was a really fun evening and great to hang out with the new people I’ve met in the last few weeks.  Tomorrow Janet comes over from London so we are hitting Paris for the next few days (as if I haven’t hit Paris enough this week!!), then she’ll come back to my little village to check it out and, if all goes to plan, we are going to go to Mont-St-Michel (link of pics below) on Monday/Tuesday.  Mont-St-Michel is on my bucket list so I’m very excited about this – and it’s my birthday week so good timing!!

http://www.google.fr/search?q=mont+st+michel&rls=com.microsoft:en-nz&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=fr&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1093&bih=538

I’ve just booked a trip to see the Christmas markets in Strasbourg for the end of November and I’m hoping to go somewhere for the long weekend of Nov 11 – possibly Lille.  Then it will be Christmas in the South of France!!  My 9 months here is fast filling up with a rough plan of what I’m doing for nearly the rest of my time here!

So, on to the exciting news of the rugby.  Before the big game on Sunday I was actually interviewed by the local French radio station, because I had missed some details on their bulletin about where the final would be screened, so I emailed them.  When they realised that I was a Kiwi they asked to interview me about the upcoming game.  So I did a phone interview in French which apparently was played at some point – but I don’t know when.  I thought that was my 15 mins there but there was more.  Sunday, got up at 5.50 to get the train to Paris to watch the game at the Hotel de Ville (Paris town hall).  Turned up to realise I was the only Kiwi there and suddenly freaked out. Waving my flag I found some other Kiwis and French All Black supporters.  Then the TV 1 guy came over and interviewed me and said to come see him after the game if we won, so the bit you’ve all seen was after the game.  Plus, lots of photographers were taking our photos so who knows if the photos are out their somewhere??!!

Here’s the link if you missed it. 

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/thousands-in-paris-supported-les-bleus-video-4481762

and another one on Stuff.co.nz (think this was before the game cos they came then.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/5842792/Highs-and-lows-of-a-World-Cup-final-in-Paris

Celebrated the win (not by getting drunk in the morning in Paris – yes, it is too early.  What’s-more, when I asked the girl so are you off to the pub then?, she was like nah, off to see the Notre Dame), so celebrated the win by going to the chocolate festival in Paris.  Check out Facebook for pics of the day.  Since then have spent the last couple of days relaxing quietly at home and organising future travel plans until the next trip to Paris tomorrow!!

L'Aigle continued...

Well, I’m writing this and have just finished stewing some apples and some pears.  Normandy is known for growing lots of apples and pears and now is the season – autumn.  They are everywhere and everyone is trying to give them away, there are so many.  That’s why Normandy is famous for its cider and apple and pear liqueurs, one of which, Calvados, is very famous.  Haven’t tried any yet but it will probably be the next aperitif purchase.  I’ve cottoned on quickly that we need to stock up our aperitif cupboard as it was empty and people always start their dinners here with an apero, so if I’m to have people around for dinner I will need to be able to offer them something.  Our first purchase was Pommeau another apple based liqueur from the region.  Seriously, I am eating enormous meals here it’s crazy.  Nonetheless, my clothes are getting looser not tighter, which probably has to do with the fact I don’t have a car and have to walk EVERYWHERE! Plus, our apartment is on the fourth (and top) floor of the building and I am up and down those stairs several times a day.  I’m loving the cheeses and the bread and am indulging; I’m saving the pastries for the weekend for a special treat.

This weekend just been was my friend Laure’s birthday so I headed back to Paris for the Sat night/Sunday.  It was a surprise that her sister had organised.  She was performing in a little show and all her friends turned up to watch it and then we went out for dinner afterwards.  The show was at 9pm and the dinner 11pm so it was a late night.  The next day I headed off to Hillsong Paris to check it out.  I was meant to be meeting up with a friend of a friend afterwards and I did see them briefly but then there was a bit of a mix-up and to cut a long story short I ended up having lunch with a group of complete strangers and not with the person I was meant to be meeting.  It was quite hilarious and the people I had lunch with were lovely and really friendly.  There was a kiwi girl and her Fijian husband and we hit it off well, and some American couples.  While in Paris I was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t been placed in Paris, where there are people I know, always something to do, a church I think I could have seen myself getting hooked in with, but I was thinking that things never happen by chance and I was placed in L’Aigle for a reason, and then while I was having lunch with these people, speaking English the whole time I realised that that’s exactly how it would have been if I’d been in Paris, I would be speaking a lot more English and not immersed in French as much as I am here in L’Aigle and one of the main reasons I am here is to improve my French.  I have met some great people here in L’Aigle, and who knows what I will do with my weekends (no probs socially during the week, the problem is the weekends when all the teachers who live at the school go back to their home towns) but this is where I am and it’s up to me to make the most of it.

I have things planned coming up in the near future (visit to Paris with Janet late Oct, Miriam in Paris in Dec and Christmas/New Years in the south of France with Miriam and Laure’s family) and I’ll probably invite people around to watch the rugby this weekend (always a good conversation starter for me in the staffroom – thank you world cup!).  I think I’m going to a movie with people Wed night. So that’s all good.

Last week my roommate arrived from Scotland so it’s good to have someone else around.  So far I’ve been able to understand what she is saying except for one time, so that’s pretty good.  I started my lessons, introduction of myself so they could get to know me, and week 2 starts tomorrow.  The staff I work with in the Language department are great, one has even lent me a coffee machine.   I’m feeling good about the work I need to do.  I may have picked up one or two students to tutor and am looking into an exchange of my receiving French lessons in exchange for me giving English lessons.  The normal weather for this time of the year has returned and I haven’t seen the sun in days, and I had to go buy an umbrella.  It’s a lot colder and the heating hasn’t been turned on yet, not until this weekend, so my flatmate and I have been wrapping up with extra layers, I had to go buy some slippers.  J  Still working on getting the internet set up so by the time I post this it will probably be a week old, hoping to have it sorted by the end of the week.  It will be great once I do as I will have unlimited phone calls to NZ (will just have to get a phone!!)

Next Monday I have my orientation in Caen which is proving harder than I thought it would be to get transport there – fortunately it will be reimbursed but just trying to work out when and how to get there is a challenge.  It will be good to get ideas for class activities and to meet other assistants, especially those I’ve been in touch with via the Facebook group.

While in Paris I also went up the tallest building in Paris, Montparnasse Tower.  Here is a pic of the view. 

L'Aigle

Well, to my horror people aren’t really into Zumba here – just as well I brought my dvd’s with me.  However, I got to talking to a PE teacher and apparently there is a group that meets once a week in a village 30kms from here, he was going to find out for me and see about how I can get there, as I have just found out there aren’t any buses either.

One positive though is that I have qualified for the major discount card on train travel for 12-25 year olds.  And yes, I’m aware I’m a bit older than 25 but because it is the celebration of the TGV’s 30^th birthday the card has been extended to include up to 30 year olds (and it doesn’t matter that I am only 30 for one more month – it will be valid for the whole year). I’m stoked as I had this card last time I was here and most of the train tickets will be 50% off for me now and some even 60%. Awesome!!

I found out there is a protestant church here so I went to check that out this morning.  It was actually a lot more intense than I was expecting, quite Pentecostal which I’m not really used to.  There aren’t any others to choose from so I’ll keep going for a bit and see how I feel.  The people were really friendly – a mix of ages but I didn’t meet anyone my age today.  I’m definitely looking forward to checking out Hillsong Paris.

I’ve spent the last few days walking around this little village (it really doesn’t take long) and it’s quite cute, although the locals don’t really rave about it – but as an outsider I like it.  It takes about 20 mins to walk from my place to the other side of the village (where the train station is).

I’ve got my timetable for the first half of my time here, at this stage it looks like I’ll have Mondays and Wednesdays off, with a few classes on Tuesday and the rest of the classes all packed into Thursday and Friday.  So the end of the week will be intense but it means I can have a 3 day weekend to travel, Tues and Wed to prep my lessons and hopefully pick up extra tutoring work (am working on that at the moment). Plus, 4 of my 12 hours will be using roughly the same material so that’s good too.  Having a light load Tuesday also means I get to check out the markets which are apparently the third biggest in France – ironic for such a small and, according to the locals, seemingly insignificant place.

I’ve also successfully opened a bank account which in typical French style required so much paperwork I think all the papers I signed made up the equivalent of half a tree.  I’ve discovered the school canteen which serves a HUGE amount of food for 2€50 a pop and they serve you so much I’m still not hungry by dinner time so that looks like the economical way to eat a balanced meal around here (cheeseboard included!!).

Some photos - first L'Aigle town centre, then my appartment - the lounge looking through to the kitchen, then my room - all a bit clinical really but thats the school environment here. Still its a good little place with all I will need for the next few months, my room mate arrives this week and I'm looking forward to having another person around the place.