22/09/09

This morning I got up quite early, had breakfast, and checked out of my hotel. My luggage was a bit cumbersome to walk with, but I ended up pushing the little red carry-on suitcase in front of me, while wearing my backpack, and dragging my Blue Whale of a suitcase behind me. The train ride was quite agreeable and not nearly as long as I expected it to be. Robert D’Ambrosios (the director of the English Department at the high school in Fumel) met me at the train station and drove me into Fumel. We went straight to the school and ate lunch in the cafeteria (or “canteen” as it is referred to here). After eating and then being introduced to a few key individuals at the school, I was shown the apartment where I will be living. To say that is simple, is to give it high praise. I can’t complain though really, since it will afford me so much more money to do extra things on the weekends than if I were to rent a place in town….*sigh*


None of the other English instructors were at the school this afternoon, but I was able to observe two of Mr. D’Ambrosios’ classes. It was fascinating to be put back in an environment just like my high school French classes, except backwards….french teenagers bashfully trying to pronounce English words and put together phrases instead of Americans murdering the French language. I circulated through the room while they were doing excersizes and tried to help with little hints and suggestions. I hope that as they become more accustomed to me, they will be more apt to participate. Honestly it was like pulling teeth to get answers out of them….but I guess that’s how most classes are.


I learned this evening that I may be moving to a different apartment. There are usually two assistants working at the highschool and middle school, one English and one Spanish, but appartently there are three assistants this year. One English (me), and two Spanish (one from Guatemala and one from Spain). The school would prefer that we were all living together, so they want to find an apartment with three rooms, instead of two. The other apartment would be over in the college (middle school), whereas right now I’m in an apartment in the lycée (high school). We’ll see what happens with that. Unfortunately though since I may be moving again, I can’t unpack my things quite yet. Living out of a suitcase is quite a nuisance and I’m anxious to put a rest the constant zipping and unzipping of my bags.



23/09/09

The windows in my room have these metal shutters that keep out not only the heat, but also the light, of the sun. I’ve never lived with room-darkening blinds, so I tend to be awake when it is light outside and asleep when it is dark. So, long story short, I didn’t wake up until around noon! Since nearly everything in France is closed between 12h and 14h, I decided to walk into town and get my bearings. Fumel is quite tiny with just a few shops and stores, a church, and a Chateau (which I have yet to explore). I ended up having some lunch at what seemed to be the only hotel in the downtown area. The woman at the front desk was very friendly and very enthused about meeting me. Looking back, it’s funny that we were speaking in French since she told me she was Irish. It probably would have been easier to break into English, but it never even occurred to me until just now. Hmmmm. The downtown area is a good ten minute walk from the school. Oh, and the school sits on a hill, so no matter where you go it’s always easy to get there and hell to get back!

I returned to the school and went looking for the lady who had given me my key to the apartment in order to inquire about moving to the other apartment. She wasn’t there but I spoke to another woman who told me that indeed I would be moving. Apparently the water has been turned off in the apartment though due to some plumbing problems. Once that gets fixed, I’ll be moving over there. It may be a little nicer than where I am right now too…we’ll see.

Later this afternoon I decided it was time to buy some food. Walking in the opposite direction of the town (and down the steeper side of the hill) for maybe 20-30 minutes, I ended up at Casino, the closest super market. I couldn’t buy a lot of food since I had to carry it all back in my backpack. I ended up with a very quintessentially French spread…two baguettes, cheeses, and a bottle of wine. (I also got some tic tacs, a towel, iced tea, and lemonade.) I was in sticker shock at the supermarket. Even if the euro were equal to the dollar (and not approximately currently worth a dollar and a half), the prices would’ve been nothing special. I needed to buy a set of bath towels but only ended up buying one since they were so expensive. The one that I did buy is between a hand and bath size and was 10 euros! That’s like 15 bucks for one small towel! Everything here is really expensive though. I think that’s the real reason that French people are so skinny. The food is so expensive that they can’t afford to buy more than they absolutely need!


The walk back to the school was quite arduous. The hot afternoon sun was beating down on me and by the time I got back, I was drenched in sweat. One thing is for sure though, I’m going to have the most gorgeous legs by the time I come back to the US. I’m sure all the walking will only do me good.


Tomorrow I will be sitting in on some more classes and hopefully meeting the rest of the English Department. Also, I have some forms to fill out at the school so I will be meeting with the headmaster’s secretary.




24/09/09


This morning I went over to the Headmaster’s secretary’s office to sign a million forms (and each form in triplicate, quadruplicate, or quintuplicate…wow, that’s a great word). My next task was to go into town in order to open a bank account and get some papers from the town hall. So off I went, hoping to get to both locations before noon when EVERYTHING closes in France.


So, you know how in the US if you go to a bank and say that you want to open a new account, they get all excited and take care of you right away? Yea…not in France. I walked into the Banque Populaire and was told that the earliest appointment to meet with a banker would be next Tuesday! I said that that wasn’t going to work so the receptionist dained to ask a banker if they could see me today. After a bit of finagling, I got an appointment at 5pm. I went to the Town Hall and the receptionist there didn’t know what forms needed to be exchanged between us and asked me to come back in the afternoon. So, back up the hill I trudged, feeling the acid burn of my shins traveling up into my quads as I switched gears from walking downhill to walking uphill.


When I made it back to the school I was able to sit in on another one of Mr. D’Ambrosios’ English classes. The French school system is quite different from the American one. By the time the students reach what would be the equivalent of the American high school, they’ve already decided what subject area they will be pursuing in college and their careers. They get separated into groups such as “sciences”, “arts and literature”, “general studies”…etc. The class that I sat in on today was in the general studies category and honestly I couldn’t believe what I was seeing (and I don’t mean that in the good way). I always thought that the French school system was a lot more rigid, strict, and academically focused (even at the primary level), but this class was as undisciplined as they come. I almost couldn’t stop myself from screaming at them to stop talking to each other and start paying attention! It’s going to take a lot of effort for me to make myself have enough patience to deal with these kids. The other classes that I’ve observed were much more serious, but seeing as I will definitely be working with the class I met today, I will just have to come up with some way of making them more fascinated in what I’m saying than in stealing the pencil case of the girl in the front row….


I went back down into town and found out at when I went back to the Town Hall that I have to go to the Prefecture in Agen (the regional seat of government) to do my paperwork. Then I went back to bank and was there for over an hour and a half! Just to open one account! Crazy! (Plus, the conversion the Euro is worth 1.59 dollars right now so my American Money didn’t really add up to much in my account…)


One of the ladies who takes care of something having to do with the appartements (honestly, I just say Bonjour to everyone and hope they know who I am, because I can’t remember who they are! I think I’ve met at least thirty faculty and staff members and I maybe remember two names!)…anyways, she stopped by my apartment and said that some guys would be coming tomorrow afternoon/evening to move a bed, armoir, and desk from this apartment to the other one. I’ll be moving over there tomorrow then. Everyone that I talk to about moving says the other apartments are so much better. So hurray!


Also, instead of just one roommate, I’ll actually be living with two other people. They’re both Spanish language assistants. One, a girl from Guatemala I’ve already met via email; the other, a guy from Spain, I know nothing about. Maybe he’ll bring his car up here though and then I won’t have to think about leasing one of my own!


O, I forgot to mention that a lizard came to visit me today. I was sitting in my room eating lunch with the windows wide open when this cute little green lizard crawled down the outside wall and peeked in at me. I actually thought he was going to come inside but then someone pulled up in a car and scared him away! He was cute though and most likely well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand like a lizard on the windowpane should be!


26/09/09

Uhoh, I guess I didn’t write yesterday. Now I get to play catch-up! Well, I moved into the new apartment and it’s SO much better! It has three bedrooms with a good size bathroom, a living room, kitchen (with a brand-new, just out of the box stove and oven) and foyer. The room I chose is a soothing pastel green and it faces out onto a hill with a few trees on it. The other assistants and I will have to work on getting some other furniture (like a couch for the living room and a dining room table).

This evening, Sophie, one of the English teachers, offered to drive me to the grocery store to buy bulk items that I couldn’t possible carry myself (like a case of water). We went to a German grocery chain somewhat akin to Aldi at home. In addition to some groceries, I was also able to pick up a bed comforter and pillows. I’m going to sleep so well tonight!


27/09/09

Wow, what a day! Robert invited me to come have lunch with him and his family at their house in the village in St. Sylvestre, a neighboring town to the larger village of Penne d’Agenais. I was to take a train leaving around 11:45 but since the train station is quite a walk (about 35-40 minutes) from the school, I decided to take a bus from downtown Fumel (only a 10 minute walk). Although I thought I had left early enough to reach the bus stop, I must hve been too late, since the bus was nowhere in sight. When inquired as to maybe getting a taxi, a native Fumeloisienne told me that taxis really don’t exist in Fumel but that the train station was only a kilometer up the road so should have to problem walking there. I was surprised by this, but I believed her and started walking. About a half hour later, I stopped in at a florist’s shop where I was told that the train station was about two kilometers up the road (that crazy Fumel girl lied to me!). So after about an hour and a quarter of walking (in non-walking shoes nonetheless) I finally found the train station. Needless to say, I have some wicked blisters!

Robert and his wife, Jane picked me up at the train station in Penne and together with their three children we had a very lovely lunch. The entertainment of the meal was most definitely the youngest boy’s endless chattering about snails and caterpillars. After lunch, Robert, Jane, Sean (the youngest boy), and I went for a walk to explore the village of Penne. First off was a climb to the very top of the city upon which rests the ruins of a Roman structure (we couldn’t decide if it had been a church or a fort). Then we visited the Basilica of Notre Dame just below. Entering the old city, remnants of which date from Medieval and Roman times, we wound our way up and down the tiny paths and streets, finding picturesque views around every corner.

We came upon the tourist office and I spied some lovely hand blown glass ware and pottery made by local artisans, so we went inside. As I was looking over the selection of items for sale, Robert started talking to the lady behind the desk. (On a side note, Robert knows EVERYONE he comes across. If he doesn’t know them, they must be a tourist!) I introduced myself to the lady, Madame Maria Garrouste, and as soon as she heard I was an American, she insisted that I accompany her to the local foie gras museum. Eventhough I despise the practice of over stuffing ducks so that their livers can be harvested, I accepted the offer. Foie Gras is a specialty of the region and it would’ve been wrong to not even learn about it. So Robert left me with Maria ad she and I drove out of town and into the country-side. The museum is part of a large duck farm which sells all kinds of duck products (and also some wine and cheeses). Maria informed me on the ride there that she is a member of the Conseil Regional (a political committee somewhat akin to a city council- except for a county, instead of a city). In addition to working at the tourist office, she also runs a bed and breakfast and gives tours of local sites to tourists. Her reason for going to the Foie Gras museum was in fact to meet up with a group of Americans and lead them to an Old Romanesque church. The Americans were a group of retirees touring Southern France. I watched the end of a duck video with the Americans and then toured the museum. From Egyptian times to today, ducks have been a pretty big deal apparently. I came out of the museum to find all the American marveling over a tray of sample pieces of what the shop-lady was calling “jambon du canard”. Now “jambon” is ham and “canard” is duck…so duck ham, right? I figured that since I technically do eat poultry and since the tray was being pushed in my face that I could probably swallow one piece without dying. WRONG. It was awful! Dry and salt and tough and fatty. Wow. So bad. I managed to choke it down and ask for a glass of water…..

Before leaving the den of duck disgustingness Maria told me that the American’s tour director had a “proposition” to make to me. He came over and told me that tomorrow the group would be taking a day trip to the Dordogne valley and that I was welcome to come with them! Imagine that, a free luxury bus coach tour into one of France’s most gorgeous regions! I was thrilled and accepted immediately. Maria even offered to come pick me up in Fumel to drive me to their hotel in the morning to meet the bus. I was completely overwhelmed by their kindness.

We continued on deeper into the countryside to get to the Romanesque church. No longer used for services but having undergone some very recent renovations, the 13th century church was in very good condition. In the chapel, the walls were covered with 15th century paintings illustrating the crucifixion and ressurection. Maria explained all the paintings and the history of the church and then treated us to a performance of an old latin processional song. The church had amazing acoutistics so it was impossible for me to resist singing a few choruses of Donna Nobis Pacem :) Maria and I drove back to Penne where Robert picked me up and, after having a quick dinner, drove me back to Fumel.

The night still wasn’t over though. Sophie had arranged for me to go to a show at the local performing arts center. It was a celebration of 20th century French Poet, Boris __________. As a school outing, most of the attendees were students, but there were at least twenty school faculty members there as well. The performance was quite free-form and very well done. Three incredible performers used the poetry as lyrics for all types of musical compositions. Although it was all in colloquial French and preformed at quite a rapid speed, I was able to catch enough of the lyrics to understand the jist of each piece. After the performance all of the faculty and staff stood around socializing and had plans to go out to the bar. Unfortunately by the time we got out of the show and waited for all the students to be picked up by their parents, it was after 11pm. Fumel has almost no night-life to speak of, so looking for a bar or restaurant open after 11 is pretty much a wild goose chase. Being that I have to be ready to leave by 8am tomorrow, it’s probably best that the night ended so that I can get some sleep.


27/09/09

My goodness, another great day! If my weekends keep being so incredibly active, I don’t know if there will be any part of France that will have been unseen by me! Maria dropped me off at a hotel in Montflancan (a town near Penne) just in time to have a qick coffee with the bus driver and the tour director, Jean-Bernard (or “JB” as the Americans called him). As soon as Michel, the tour guide for the region, arrived, we set off into the Dordogne. Our first stop was quick visit to Villeréal to see an old Medieval covered market. We then drove to Rouffignac to take a tour of caves in which there were prehistoric drawings and etchings. Dordogne is home to the famous Lascaux caves, but since those have been closed to the public for preservation purposes, our tour guide decided to take us to the Rouffignac caves instead (which are actually older by several thousand years.) On a little train, we all traveled about a kilometer inside the cave to get to the area which had been visited by the prehistoric artists. We saw etchings of mammoths and drawings of horses, ibixes (sp? They were prehistoric goats, basically), and more mammoths. One of my objectives on this soujourn in France was in fact to visit some prehistoric caves, so I was very happy that we started the morning off in that way. Although it was a chilly 40 degrees in the cave, once we exited, the sun was out in all its glory and was more than happy to thaw my frozen nose and ears.

We made a few stops in small villages before making our lunch stop in the picturesque village of Sarlat. We had three hours to find something to eat and then get lost in the beauty of the city. Jean Bernard, the bus driver and myself found a quiet little creperie and had a great lunch topped off with giant pieces of Gateau Noir (a walnut cake topped with dark chocolate!…..walnuts are another specialty of the Dordogne). After lunch, we walked around the city. To say that it was beautiful seems a bit redundant. Each village is gorgeous, but each in a different way. Penne was beautiful because of the jumbled, crisscrossing streets that climb and descend down the steep hill of the village, but Sarlat was much more open. Still ruled by medieval city planning, Sarlat seemed more like a cross between a city and a village, than just a village like Penne. It’s hard to categorize the differences between all the cities, but I know that I really loved Sarlat.

In the afternoon we made a few more stops in other villages. Some, like Les Eyzies and Roque ______ have houses that are actually built right into the cliff face. It’s pretty crazy to see a house just melt into a wall of solid rock but you have to admit that it’s incredibley smart to use the solid cliff wall as the anchor of a house. We also got to see some lovely views of the Dordogne. The river was so clean and clear, just gorgeous.

That pretty much completes the story of my amazing weekend. I can only hope that more amazing weekends lay ahead of me!


28/09/09

Back to reality. Well, I’m still in France, so it’s not really a bad reality at all. I really do think that once I get into the swing of things here, I will love it. The only thing that I’m struggling with right now is getting a phone and getting some kind of reasonable internet connection. The story is too long and too boring to explain all the details of why the phone and internet connection are delayed if not entirely impossible.

I have finally met all of the high school English teachers. One was a bit hard to track down, but now I think that my schedule should be finalized within the next couple days. I still have to track down someone in the college (middle school) to see for what classes they want me to be assisting.

Tonight I went with Sophie to a gym class at the school gym. Basically a bunch of French women (and then me) being shown how to work our glutes by a sculpted French guy….pretty crazy, but fun nonetheless.

One of the other assistants was supposed to show up today, but I’ve had no news of him/her, so I guess I‘ll just keep waiting.


29/09/09

Everything in France is SO expensive. I’m kind of losing my tolerance for the prices here. The cheapest pay-as-you-go cellphone that I saw at a store today was 42 euros plus you have to buy a 14euro card each month. So right off the bat I would have to spend 46 euros…that’s like 70 bucks! Also, I wanted to buy a thumb drive (I know, I should’ve brought one from home…) so that I could transfer these blogs from my laptop to one of the school computers in order to upload them onto the blog page. There were no thumb drives under like 17 euros though! Holy crap! At home I could get a 10gb one for like 4 dollars!

I wish I was made of money :/


30/09/09

The other assistants have arrived! At about 9 this morning, Caesar came to the appartment and after having settled in a bit, I took him on a little tour of the school. We ate lunch in the canteen and then decided to head back to the apartment to wait for Rosa, the other Spanish assistant. She was supposed to arrive around 1pm but as 2pm came around and she had still not arrived, we decided to go out without her. Caesar drove us in the center of town (yes…he brought his car!!!!) and we walked around for a bit. Then we drove about ten kilometers to the north of Fumel to visit the Chateau de Bonaguil, which is a 13th century castle in surprisingly good condition. The self guided tour of the chateau took about an hour to complete. The chateau is complete with four towers, lots of open areas for promenading, and uneven cobblestones floors and stairs. Really, it’s a very nice visit, more interesting than some other chateaux in which you just go in and take one look and then walk out. After visiting the chateau, we went to the supermarket. The professors at the school are having a picnic tomorrow and we needed something to take to it.

Rosa had apparently arrived shortly after we had left the apartment (of course). I think the group will get on very well together after we all get used to eachother and become comfortable living together.

Time to make dinner! We bought some chicken breasts at the market so I think we’ll serve those up with some salad or something.


1/10/09

Today is the first official day of my employment, but really I won’t start teaching until after an orientation on the 6th in Agen. So, business as usual for me. I sat in on two classes today, both of which were very inquisitive and talkative (I like “talkative” when it’s in English to me, just not when its in French between the students).

The society of professors at the lycee had a picnic during the lunch period. Everyone brought a dish to pass and stood around just socializing for two hours. It was pretty fun. For some reason I’m in no mood to write right now, so that why I’m explaining everything so dryly. Sorry.

Rosa and Caesar signed all their papers today. There’s a lot o boring secretarial stuff to get out of the way.

This evening I went to the gym with Sophie again. The Monday and Thursday classes basically follow the same ciriculum, but the groups are different. There are very few people who go to both. Sophie goes to both, so so do I. Rosa was going to join me, but she’s still pretty jet-lagged and decided to stay home and rest this evening. Caesar goes running a lot but since I’m not much of a runner, I can’t really join him (especially because he runs for like an hour!). I prefer short bursts of cardio punctuated by floor-work (which is what the gym class with Sophie is).