La Reine est trop Sportif

I had one reader mention that she was disappointed there was no blog post to read this past Monday, so I apologize for slacking a bit…

Sorry Mom :)

We’re back to the grind here in Rezé/Bouaye/Nantes… and as much as I felt like a small child whining about school starting back up again, it was good to get back on a routine. Of course, going back was made easier when I glanced at the calendar and realized I have 5 weeks of work before my “working” weeklong trip to London and the following two week “Winter Break”.  The French  know how to keep their teachers sane… just when the kiddos really start to drive you crazy, surprise! Two week break! Oui! Unfortunately most of my European friends will be returning home again for this February break to visit their chéries, but I hope to figure out some sort of travel for that time as well.

I've had some fun lessons since being back. I'm discussing the idea of an American roadtrip, the mentality of the idea, quotes from Jack Kerouac etc. with my "seniors" here. Today we talked about the importance of music on a roadtrip and I had them choose and explain a song to add to our own class roadtrip playlist. I lent out my ipod to some kids who forgot theirs, and my collection of Justin Bieber songs was questioned... if they scrolled down to the "O"s to see the number of "Original Broadway Cast" albums I have they chose not to say anything. I am obviously an insanely cool American in their eyes.

This blog post is going to be a little bit about sportz. You all know how athletic I am, and how much I love sportz. You are probably not surprised that this past week I went out and got a little exercise, and also attended a World Cup match. 

Did I pick up running? Tennis? No. I went and played LAZERGAMES. Curious as to whether there were any differences between American Laser Tag and French LAZERGAME, I celebrated the return of my foyer friends by donning all black and attempting to shoot them with lasers. French laser tag isn’t much different than what I remember from 13 year old American birthday parties of my past doing the same thing. Really, no big differences, including the language. It was a bit strange hearing “DANGER! DANGER! The base is under attack!” in English while playing. In fact, I am almost sure I paused and was subsequently killed the first time I heard it. Another thing I found bemusing was the list of players’ names… each laser vest & gun truc kept track of the players’ stats and you had to remember your assigned name to see how you performed. I was Batman. Some other random (mostly) American names included: Terminator, Pikachu, Chuck Norris, Yoda, Legolas, Frankenstein, Shrek… odd yes? 

I’m sure you’re all at the edge of your seat waiting to know just how well I compete in laser war. Round One I ranked 14/16. Yikes. I was consoled when I realized our little group of foreigners took places 13, 14, 15, 16. I picked up my game and dominated Round Two ranking 8/16.

The weekend brought on the second sports venture… the COUPE DU MONDE BABY-FOOT. What, you may ask, is Baby-Foot? It is the French’s adorable way of saying “Foosball”. In England they call this Table Soccer, in Spain they call this Futbolín, in Germany it’s probably something with a ridiculous amount of consonants… but I think France takes the cake for best word here. I figured: “When else will I ever get to personally watch a world cup event?” “When else will I get the chance to watch a serious foosball game?” “I brought all this left over 4th of July stuff with me, when else can I wear that sparkly star crown and the mini American flag in France?” I am not one to let an opportunity like this pass me by. And thankfully, despite having about 4 hours of sleep the night before, my friends thought the same. 

I was disappointed to find that America was no longer in the running (but that didn’t stop me from chanting USA USA, waving my tiny American flag, when I walked past the team sporting their uniform USA windbreaker jackets). Sometimes I think it’s the French that don’t know how to handle my at-times-overwhelming enthusiasm, but I got some weird looks from the American Foosball team as well. Sorry for supporting you when you are in a foreign country ‘Merica, geez. 

So the game I did get to watch, the women’s finals, I cheered for La France. France vs. Germany. A professional foosball game, by the way, takes 2+ hours. That’s a lot of sport for me… but the occasional camera shot of the crowd and the desperate attempts to get on some obscure EuroSports TV Channel pulled me through. One thing I found interesting was that they played one round of the match on a French made table (wood), and the next on a German made table (plastic). The rules were surprising more extensive than I imagined… and were upheld by two, that’s right TWO referees. Deutschland took the gold which made our German friend quite happy.

All in all an oddly positive experience. It was fun to spend a Sunday afternoon cheering “Allez Bleu!” while waving around those inflatable extendable-arm noisemakers. To top it off I got this poster…a little baby-foot guy, telling you to stop messing around. You better believe this will be framed if someday Joe wants a sports-themed room in our home.

On a non-sports related note, France celebrated the Epiphany with a tradition I was quite happy to take part in, and one that I will bring with me to the United States when I return home. KING CAKE. Mmm.  It’s a puff pastry cake filled with apple compote or frangipane with a tiny porcelain figurine baked in. Whoever gets the slice with the figurine is the king or queen, gets to wear a paper crown all night, and chooses his or her king/queen. I got to be the Queen (at the school cafeteria, and yeah, I wore the crown through the cafeteria as well as into the teachers’ lounge). Being named the Queen wasn’t too big of a surprise considering I had about 5 pieces of King Cake at different points throughout the week. 

My Spanish friend calls me “The Queen” often because of a long standing joke from a time she accused all Americans of thinking they are the “Kings or Queens  of the World” because of our expectancy to find English speakers throughout the world. This Queen idea was only reinforced after Joseph proposed, adding quite a bit of sparkle to my Miss America/Queen wave. Which I do quite often.

Seriously. Look at this Pastry Saturday Find.

Are you wondering how I am doing with my Resolutions? We’ve been hanging out with some French people from the foyer lately, even meeting up with them this past weekend at the bars… so while I don’t have a language tandem (this is proving more difficult than I imagined), I feel I am still integrating a bit more already. I didn’t start reading anything in French yet, but I did go see another movie (Les Lyonnais, a French “gangster” crime film with a lot of violence and a plot I am still not sure I really understand). I also researched and found a French-American organization in Cleveland. Once I make the big move home it will be easier to pretend I still live in the land of extensive vacations, grèves, and Macarons the size of your face, but with the added bonus of my own chérie located geographically closer. 

Bises and Love from this Queen

Steph

Almost forgot, if you happen to be looking for a great read, I recommend “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. It’s a wonderfully magical book with a love story and a hint of darkness that is just perfect. 

Also, to those of you who have been lighting up my mailbox here with holiday mail and engagement congratulations... thank you. So much. 

Bonjour December!

It's December, which means Christmas, shopping, mulled wine, beautiful decorations, and a countdown to Joseph's visit. <3

A quick American moment: Did anyone else see Glee this week? I know that it’s been a little on the downer side, and definitely not as good as what it once was, but I am trying to keep up nonetheless. The Glee version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun has got to be one of my favorite Glee moments ever.  Mmmmmm. 

Onto the French world:

This week I stepped in dog poop on the sidewalk. This is a monumental move in becoming a vraie Française, because unlike in America, people let their dogs poo all over the place here without cleaning it up. Dealing with dog shit everywhere is truly a part of living in France. So, after two months, and after being declared legally an immigrant here with an official looking stamp in my passport, I feel like I’m really a French citizen because of dog poop on my boots.

I miss Mabel the Dog. 

I played a whole lot of celebrity in my classes this week. Celebrity is a game well known and loved to my 2240 friends, but for the rest of you real quick- The game involved the students writing down two places/people/things that everyone in the classroom knows. The class was divided into teams, and students took turns coming up to draw from a pile of papers and using ENGLISH and gestures, had to get the other kids to guess what was written. They had 40 seconds to get as many as possible before the other team took its turn. There are other rounds that involve only using gestures (still ok for language development because kids are guessing in English) and one round where the student could only speak one word to describe what is on the paper.

We did final projects and I have a lot of grading to do now… so I gave myself a break by letting the kids play this wonderful game after we had finished recording their presentations. It actually turned out to be a really good exercise that the kids loved, and they were screaming guesses, IN ENGLISH, because I told them if they spoke in French the point wouldn’t count. Fun in an English class? C’est possible! 

I saw my very first movie in France. Despite this being my 4^th time here, my 2^nd time truly making a home for myself here, I had never been to the movies in France. My friends and I went to see “Intouchables” which I heard about in many of the “Hollywood” themed class presentations. We laughed. We cried. We understood what was going on without subtitles. I can’t help but be a little proud that I saw a French movie, in France, in French, with no subtitles, and I not only understood (most of) it, but loved it. If you get the chance at all to see it… please do. It treats the very serious subjects of racial and handicapped discrimination with an incredible sense of humor. And it demonstrates the utter beauty in the simple act of friendship. There is love and friendship and bad luck all over the world… no matter where you come from. If you need more convincing… the movie had been out for a month when we went to see it, and we had a hard time finding 5 seats together. 

On Friday I went to the market with my English friend, and, feeling courageous bought something from one of the seafood stands. As my friend said “well… Let’s go make a fool of ourselves, shall we?”  It’s easier to buy vegetables from the market, because you can say I want one aubergine, or 4 tomatoes, or 2 potatoes quite easily. When it comes to cheese, to olives (both of which I have conquered), or to meat/seafood it’s all so fresh you must specify by the gram. Thankfully I was with an English guy because I am nul with the metric system (thanks America).  I purchased all my vegetables for the week and then braved it and bought 500grams of Mussels. Let me remind you now that I live 30 minutes from the ocean… the seafood part of the market often features living creatures, fish with heads still attached on a bed of ice… I had to “profiter” from this closeness to the ocean. So fresh.  So awesome. So nothing I get to have in Ohio. Mussels are step one. Someday I hope to buy actual fish. Friday night I cleaned and “de-bearded” all my own mussels, steamed them in a concoction of garlic, shallots, white wine, and crème fraiche, and enjoyed with some baguette from the market’s local bread man. Mmmmmmm 

While my mussels were cooking, I took the time to decorate my Christmas Tree. If you didn’t know, I am here for Christmas… I don’t know yet when I am coming home, but I know it has to be before July 20^th (because that is when that tiny paper in my passport tells me I have to leave). I feel really good about dedicating this year to myself, about truly figuring out what it’s like to do just about everything, even the holidays, on my own. It was really nice decorating my small Christmas Tree alone. I smile every time I look at it. I bought a beautifully ugly sparkly bird to go on the top, some French red toadstool ornaments, some feather baubles, and a lovebird ornament to celebrate Joseph and I’s first Christmas together, just us. It’s lovely. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster, this adventure here. And while Thanksgiving was hard, and I know Christmas may be harder when it comes to homesickness, I am proud of my commitment to spend the year in France.

Chocolate Christmas Art

We have some really great activities at the foyer planned for the month- paired with Christmas shopping for family and new friends here, and the promise of the gift of Joseph’s presence in my favorite place in the world, I am anticipating un Joyeux Noel. 

Bises,

Steph

Faites-moi un MAX DE BRUIT!!!

Loosely translated « Make Some Noissssse ! »

It was no UD Timothy’s Bar & Grill, but it was a bizarrely wonderful evening at Hangars Bananes with DJ’s shouting this phrase.

Un Max de Bruit is what happened in some of my classrooms this past week.

My friend and I made a Max de Bruit when we saw a man with his finger stuck in the tram door.

… all in all a good theme for the week

What’s been going on in Nantes/Rezé/Bouaye you say? Well I’m officially out of my little “womp womp I’m homesick mood”.  And here’s what else:

This is a real life metro sign in Paris, not in Nantes

Let’s just start with the tram incident shall we? My friend I were walking through the tram looking for a place to sit, happened to glance at a door we were walking past, and saw a little finger attempting to wiggle its way free. The man outside the door with his finger stuck appeared quite calm, held books or something in his other hand, and was smoking. The tram started to leave the stop. The man ran next to the tram because he could not free his finger from the door! We pulled the emergency stop handle. The man freed himself and ran off. We then had to explain to the conductor that we were not just joking, that this event had really happened, and that the disappearance of this man was as big a mystery to us as it was to her. 

The alluring glowy rings of Hangar Bananes

German birthday celebrations were fantastic and took us to the elusive and mysterious Hangar Bananes. We walked for about 30 minutes to get there… which is good because earlier in the night we were eating birthday cake that looks like this …  The bar we wandered into was some sort of Reggae bar, and I think I recognized the Jamaican flag from Cool Runnings. Someone else said it was South Africa’s flag. We may never know what kind of music we were actually dancing to. Like I said… a bizarrely wonderful evening. 

I saw a wild hedgehog in the field next to my building. It. Was. Awesome.

The man at the kebab shop asked me if I wanted a rewards card. Perhaps I should lay off the kebabs for awhile.

I used the new Twilight movie trailer as an introduction in my “Hollywood” classes. The girls were fou for it. Who doesn’t love a good steamy vampire-human-werewolf love triangle? 15 year old French boys that’s who. They were quite displeased with my choice.

I told students to get into groups of three for an activity. When they stared at me blankly and did nothing I told them in French to get into “équipes (teams) de trois”. They giggled uncontrollably & there was an awful moment where I feared I had referenced a sexual threesome. (I know the expression is obviously ménage à trios… but there’s a lot of slang I don’t know as well). Upon asking French foyer residents they confirmed that I did not say anything inappropriate and that students were giggling because that is what 15 year olds do.

I threatened 3 different classes multiple times to stop class and do grammar exercises because of the noise level. (I also just embarrassed noisy kids by making them move to sit by me). I hate grammar. (my classes are meant to be primarily conversation classes, so the students can “profiter” from a native speaker). There is only one class I dislike enough for this grammar threat to perhaps become a reality.  But I hate grammar so much maybe I will just tell their teacher that they are noisy loud disruptive students.

My older kids took a “Are you a Democrat or Republican” quiz to start off our discussion of American politics. They were Democrats. Every one of them. I was not surprised. In a discussion of “hot political topics” the legalization of marijuana came up (of course it did, they are 18)… Amsterdam was mentioned as an example for legalization for what they call “space cakes”. I then had to teach them “special brownies” as a vocabulary word. I was happy they were speaking. A lot of them were. In English.

To teach a lesson about American & French Stereotypes, I dug up an episode of The Simpsons called “The Crepes of Wrath” (HA!) This is the episode where Bart goes to France on an exchange program and ends up having to work at a winery with terribly rude French people who smoke and wear stripey shirts (stereotypes!). My brother has mentioned that this is the first thing that pops into his mind every time I tell him I am going to France. I can assure you all- I am chain smoking right now, wearing a beret and eating baguette, and have plans to ride on a motorbike in order to stomp on some grapes for wine tomorrow. Vive la France!

Ironically, one of my favorite classes is the one that originally skipped my first week. Boy was I angry at them then. Boy do I now love that they are silly, fun, eager to talk, and laugh at all my jokes. One boy asked me where I studied because my accent is great! I am not sure he understood that I am American and that my American accent is so great because English is my first language.

Upon evaluating my week and discussing it with some friends, I am quite pleased I was placed in a high school. My friend in a primary school spent a significant amount of one day with two flashcards yelling “repeat after me… this is a horse! This is a dog!”

I am really enjoying teaching. Lesson planning is definitely a lot of work, but the discussions and antics of high schoolers make it worthwhile.

And now, a little dose of awkward, because it’s me…

I got a French haircut, really just my bangs. Good thing I knew the vocab word “fringe” and had a photo with me, because this was my conversation with the hairdresser.

Please excuse the MySpace style photo

*he examines my hair, picking at it and looking at it strangely, and then says something that means nothing to me.

Friend who came along for moral and linguistical support “I think he just said your hair is frizzy!”

Me “Oh the water is different in France. I just recently bought French shampoo to replace my worthless American shampoo. I think my hair is still adjusting to the change”

Hairdresser: “the water should have no effect on why your roots are lighter than the rest of your hair.” …Which is what he was commenting on in the first place.

Oh yah… I dye my hair a lot. Can you give me fringe now? Just like the picture. I promise I won’t try to talk to you anymore.

And drumroll please, for my final bit of news… I am going to London in February with school! I was just invited this week and will get to see all of London’s famous sites, Chaperone style, for 5 days, for FREE. Merci Beaucoup Lycée! 

Bises Bises,

Steph

PS. A quick note on strikes… one of my friends didn’t have to work on Monday because of a strike at her middle school… why were they striking? The heat had not been turned on in the building yet. Teachers refuse to teach in a cold building! Students refuse to learn in these barbaric conditions! No school on Monday! This has been my favorite strike reason to date.

Officially a “prof” in France

…which sounds so much fancier than the English “teacher”

I have been observing classes, but this week was my very first to lesson plan and interact with the kids on my own. It’s been a big learning week for me… here are some questions that came up…

What do you do when your entire class of kids doesn’t show up?

Day 1 of teaching, Class #3 just doesn’t show up. Not even one student who was too scared to get in trouble for skipping. I didn’t know what to do so I waited for about 10 minutes, memorized my schedule because I looked at it so much, then went down to the teachers lounge hoping to run into one of the English teachers. No such luck. I stood awkwardly on the outskirts of a conversation between two profs I had never met until one of them asked me if I needed something. Yes. I need my students.

I was sent to speak with “la vie scolaire” (counselors/attendance office) and they said that sometimes the kids need to be reminded that my classes are not an option for them, they are compulsory. Well. Ok.  Stupid kids. I waited around for you. And now I’ve missed the bus and have to wait another hour. Needless to say- they do not get the option of voting on the topic they would like to study. And I will tell them that. And pick something that I want to do instead.

What do you do when you unlock your classroom door to find another teacher already using it?

You tell your students to hang tight and then run and bother “la vie scolaire” again. They send you to another room that is also being used. Run back to office. Finally they will send you to a tiny room with no technology…  Since I couldn’t use my planned lessons I instead discussed the crazy zoo event that happened in Ohio this week. God Bless you, interesting current events.

What do French kids immediately think when they hear the word “USA”?

I wanted to know what the kids knew already about America, so I put USA on the board in a circle and asked them what comes to mind right away. McDonalds was always in the first 3 things mentioned. One brave soul said “eunh, fat people”. New York always made the list. And Obama.  Also The Simpsons. And that’s how the world knows us, folks. 

What do you do when the fire alarm goes off in French high school?

Thankfully, you do the same thing you do in America. You get the kids out of the building and you shut the door behind you. You are also supposed to remember the attendance sheet- which I forgot. You should also probably know what the alarm sounds like, or else something like this will happen

Me: “ok! Whose cell phone is going off?”

Kids: “eunh Madame, we have to leave”

Me: “Wait what? Oh my gosh is that the fire alarm!”

Thanks to all who offered suggestions for my chapter themes with the kids…  here are the topics chosen by my 9 classes of First Years

American High Schools: 1

Hollywood & PopCulture: 4 (one of these groups is also interested in American sports. Ughhh. Fake it ‘til you make it right?)

French and American Stereotypes: 1

American Holidays: 1

*I did not see two of my classes of kids this week- the class that skipped and one that was cancelled for a meeting*

My 2 classes of “terminales”/ seniors are more serious and want to talk about American Politics and Government, Social Classes in America, Travel in the US, and Stereotypes

I will have two classes where I will be working with teachers who want to improve their English. Most are doing this for fun, some are doing this so they can practice to take an exam so they are certified to teach their discipline in English. The amount of language learning that goes on over here is incredible to me… bah American Education you are so far behind.

I asked all the teachers why they were taking that hour with me and one said “I want to improve my English so I can speak to tourists and people that I meet from other places.” Immediately a bumper sticker I once saw in America popped into my mind “Welcome to America, Speak English!” (Miraculously I somehow resisted the urge to rear-end the vehicle) … If everyone instead thought like this Frenchman, our world would be a better place. 

But I have survived my first week of teaching with many ups and downs.  And now I have a two week vacation!

Interesting social life tidbits from the week:

Crepes and cider in Trentemoult, which is a lovely little once-fishing village at the end of my bus line. We ate at a restaurant right on the water and it was quite charming.

Salsa dancing. We thought there was a lesson in the basement of this bar… nope, it was just in the middle of the bar. This tiny Latin American man led us speaking a mix of Spanish and French, Salsa music was cranked up loud, French bar patrons looked on, and we all stepped on each others’ feet as we “danced” for an hour. Kaitlin and Tracie- the way this man danced reminded me a little of UD Intermediate Jazz Dance with Gary 2007… figure eights? Still look real awkward when I attempt them.

Devoured Oysters (not just by me)

There are always evening activities at the foyer where I live and this week was themed “Energy Week”. I had a lot to do with lesson planning, but on Thursday I went on this odd little field trip: drove to a wind turbine about an hour away, looked at it, and then had a sampling of oysters in the middle of the wind turbine field by the glow of car headlights. First time with Oysters- and I think I was a little overenthusiastic… it was delicious but by the time we got home all I wanted was some bread and water. What do oysters taste like? My friend’s first reaction was “Oh Gahhh it takes like something you would accidently swallow when you are swimming in the sea!” I liked ‘em. They are salty. And you slurp them right out the shell. 

I’m leaving tomorrow to meet my parents and my aunt in Rome. We will then explore by cruise Rome, Sicily, Athens (as long as the political situation has calmed), Crete, and Ephesus Turkey. I am so excited to see my family, but am especially proud of my dad for braving that transatlantic flight for the first time. I am so excited to share this big travel experience with him, and also share it with my wonderfully adventurous mom and aunt.

Bises,

Steph

Lycée Bouaye

I had the day to myself today and it's been very productive! I got a French cell phone! and picked up my French bank card! and got some groceries.   I have my big “Nantes High School English Assistants” Orientation Thursday, and I will be back at school Friday to (hopefully) have my teaching schedule!

I’ve done observations of English classes all week.  I saw a student wearing denim shortalls- again 224, particularly you Grace… love you! Rockin style choices. I’ve also seen a pair of purple sneakers that I am dying to find for myself… But school stuff: One class is learning about Native Americans and they were watching excerpts from Dances with Wolves, another class was learning family vocabulary and used “The Simpsons” to create a family tree.  The students are quite shy with me and afraid to make mistakes in front of a native speaker, but I’m sure once I say anything in French they will realize that I have an accent and make some mistakes in their language too. As a language learner you are going to make mistakes. Always. And it’s hard to shake an accent. Corrections are very important but too many too fast can be disheartening. I will have to balance encouragement and corrections (especially pronunciation) with zeez kiddos.

When I studied abroad I heard the most encouraging thing from a teacher, asking us to think something along the lines of:

“Yes, I am trying to speak French. No I am not French. I am American. I will probably never really sound like I am French unless I live here for many consecutive years. Oh you can understand me? Even with my accent? Oh you think my accent is charming? Yes it is isn’t it?”

She reminded us that an accent is part of who you are, and it’s very difficult to lose it completely. It’s not something to be embarrassed about.

French are typically taught British English, so my accent and some expressions may be hard for some of the students… but at the same time I am a Midwesterner and have the most desired American accent out there.  They should probably consider themselves lucky to have an Ohioan (even if they have never heard of my state).

I already noted that most high schools have longer school days than we do in the good ol USA, and that some hold classes on Saturdays. Another big difference is that students attend high school only for 3 years.

For this first part of the year I will be working with “les secondes” who are in their first year of High School. I will have small groups of students 1x per week for a month. Then I get all new students. The English teachers want me to basically create chapter ideas with a final project for the students to present to them at the end of the month. The students in each group can choose what they would like to learn. I have a couple ideas and I am hoping that the students this first session will have ideas of what they want to learn as well. Obviously my first class with each group will be an introduction class, so I can’t get too elaborate with my “chapters”… no time for the beloved syllabus day!

At the same time, this blog post is to shamelessly ask your opinions- What do these French kiddos absolutely need to know about America? English Language?  Email me if you want to hear about what I’ve got so far…

No matter what topic/chapter the students choose to do, I would also like to give them some common language/slang vocabulary… but it has to be appropriate for 15 year olds. Some kind of “word of the week”. Any suggestions for that vocabulary list?

I will also have a group of 6 teachers from school 1x a week so they can practice their English... a little intimidating!

When the semester changes we are going to try and make a yearbook- which is something they don’t do here. That will be an interesting challenge of course and in no way can it be as elaborate as ours in the states, but I think it could be a great way to really make normal American high school life something personal and easy for them to understand.

I’m kind of working from scratch here, as I’ve never really done my own teaching and I don't have a course book to follow. Suggestions are welcome… I am very excited to have my schedule, really hammer out some plans, and get going!

Why Love France?

Sometimes people are confused just why I love France so much, and why I always want to be there.  So here’s a little something something I put together to let you know just what I am specifically excited about for the next couple months of my life, and some things I am not so excited about.

Things I love…

• Let’s get it out there right away: The Food, the Drinks, the Desserts, the Wine…The food is brilliant. I can’t wait to discover a local boulangerie for my everyday baguette, try many patisseries for macarons and bonbons, go to the market for fresh veggies and fruit, and pair a good stinky cheese with even better glass(es) of red wine.

• Being a Pedestrian. All the time. I won’t have a car in France. No big deal. I’ll have public transportation, hopefully a bike, and my own two legs. This will suffice. .. and will hopefully counterbalance my love of French food.

• Foreign Language I make mistakes. But I love love love this language. And I can’t wait to see just where my language skills will go after such a long period of time listening/speaking/writing it.  And the funny stories I will have from language miscommunications. These situations can breed awkward, and I tend to thrive in that. Bring it on.

• Teaching I know I belong somewhere in the education field, and I feel lucky that I have had a lot of different opportunities to see just where I want to fit in. I am excited and terrified to have a classroom of my own.

• Travel There is a Mediterranean cruise planned for October with my parents and my aunt. I’ll probably be in Spain at Christmastime. I want to get to Morocco to see my college roommate at some point. And my very first friend ever is planning on coming over to backpack. Top it all off with the possibility of working camp again this spring? Family, Boyfriend, Friends… the world is ours. I can’t wait to explore more of it with you

• A Slower-Paced Lifestyle They work a shorter work week, take longer lunch breaks, and close their shops up when they need to. Americans put so much value on ambition and convenience… which can be great. But I think that some days it’s harder for us to take a step back and enjoy everyday living.  

• New People + New Perspectives One of my favorite parts about study abroad was the class of kids I studied with. We had about 17 kids in class, representing about 9-10 different countries. Living in the Midwest, this is not something I get to experience often. I’m excited to learn more about France and will have most of my interactions with French people, but there is also a German language assistant and a Spanish language assistant placed at my school. And I’m sure multiple nationalities will be living at the “foyer” that I will be calling home

• Pretending to be Belle from Beauty & the Beast It’s too easy. Life over there is so picturesque. I just want to sit on a fountain while people sing a song about me, read a book, and have a sheep take a bite out of a page.  I can skip the whole locked up in a castle for a spell of time. 

Things I can handle but wish I didn’t have to…

• (The lack of) my American life + Time Difference  I will miss you, and you, and you… I have a lot of wonderful people to miss. This will not be easy. I know that. I love you. I know that the time difference makes it hard to keep in touch, but let’s try. And if you ever are wondering what life 6 hours into the future is like, chat me up…

• Dog Poop. Everywhere. The French are not the most responsible dog owners when it comes to picking up their pups’ messes. When I studied abroad I had one particularly terrible day. And on my way to my program director’s office to discuss said day, I stepped in Dog Poop for the first time that semester. He congratulated me and said that meant I had truly lived in France for a significant period of time.

• Greves (Strikes) True Story, I was once tear-gassed in France.  Because I was outside eating my lunch at the wrong place wrong time, and the middle schoolers were striking. While I love that the French really work for what they believe and act as an important part of their government processes, this can be very inconvenient. And make you cry. And they are very common.

• Neutral Colors Goodbye bright colored clothing and prints. I used to think I was so worldly and people would mistake me for European all the time. Nope. I am so… American.  I don’t need to be drawing any excess attention to myself so I try as hard as I can to dress like the French when over there. So I’ll be donning black, brown, beige, grey etc clothes for a good spell of time.

There are good and bad things about everywhere you can live. But since I try to live my life a little more on the optimistic side, I think my list of great things about France outweighs my negatives.  My lists could be far more extensive, but you get where I’m going. I love France.  I’m excited to live there, and maybe now it’s a little clearer why. I'm only 10 days away!

Bises, 

Steph