So, the last two weeks have been pretty typical. I've been mostly in Soissons but I've been doing a lot of interesting things that you probably want to hear about. So I'm going to throw them at you in a completely disorganized fashion and hope you enjoy.
First of all, the teaching. Maybe some people want to know about that. It's going really, really well! I like working with the kids, and most of them are pretty well-behaved most of the time. There are exceptions, but I haven't had any major discipline problems. I'm a teaching assistant, not a full teacher, so I don't see the students every day. Most classes meet with me once a week, a few every other week, so I go through quite a few students in every cycle. I feel justified for not knowing all their names, although by now I'm getting a lot more faces. My usual class consists of taking a part of the class to do some kind of conversation practice, or alternatively teaching to the whole class while the teacher is in the room. I speak mostly in English, although for some things I have to switch to French. The kids love me, too. It's quite encouraging to hear the whole class get excited when I walk in!
What else has been going on in my life? La foire! There's currently a fair in Soissons, and we went. It's pretty much like an American fair, except there a lot more casino-ish games and raffles and not quite as many rides, although there are still plenty of things to upset your stomach after you've eaten your fill of gauffres (waffles) and barbes à Papa (cotton candy, literally "Daddy's beard"). Sadly there are no funnel cakes. I didn't do many of the rides yet, but there's time; it goes on until December 4th!
I realized the other day that I had exercised one time since I'd come to France. I haven't been able to find a sporting event that interests me, since most sporting clubs here are geared towards children (although there are rumors of adult pickup basketball! Keep your fingers crossed!), so I decided if I wanted to stay healthy, it was time to suck it up and run. You should know this about me: I hate running. I love playing sports--I will play almost any team sport imaginable, with varying degrees of success--but I hate running for its own sake. I do, however, prefer exercising to not exercising, so I got my booty off the couch and took to the streets of Soissons. My route took me to the north part of town, never knowing exactly where I was but always keeping the cardinal directions in mind (and if I do get lost, I can just wander around until I see the Cathedral towering over the skyline. Convenient landmark). I ran, and ran, and ran. I was surprised at how well I was doing. By the time I got back I'd been running for at least 30 minutes and had looped around the north part of town all the way to the river. So I got back, tired but satisfied. Until the next day. My legs have never been so sore in my life. For the first time, having a bedroom on the 3rd story really bothered me. I stretched and stretched, but nothing helped. The next day, I was still sore, but I'd recovered enough to run again (although only about half as far). I hope to make a habit of it.
I also had one of the more amusing experiences of my life last weekend. Orso was playing drums for a community musical, so we made a day of it. Some friends and family came over for lunch (and I tasted the best champagne I've ever had...Ruinart, made by the oldest champagne house in the world), and I met a former professor of oenology. It was very intimidating comparing wine notes with him. Anyway, when we finally got to the musical, I was bowled over by the quality of the production. All but two of the actors were in their 60-70's, and none of them could really sing. It was so bad it was good. Camille and I almost died when a 70 year old lady strutted on stage in a bathing suit.
Today was a big day for me. My final immigration appointment. The final test to see whether the country of France wants me. Of course we had to go to Laon (about a 20 minute train ride away), it'd be too easy otherwise. I frantically got all my documents in order and made it to our appointment without a problem, flew through the appointment with flying colors, and can finally say I'm a long-term legal resident of France! After our appointment we went to lunch with some of the other assistants who were in the neighborhood--all seven Soissonais were there (5 English, 2 Spanish), as well as several from other cities, so we had quite a time. We didn't do anything too exciting, just ate a nice crêpe lunch and had drinks, but it was a really nice day. Laon was much more enjoyable when I didn't have to hike up the mountain (Fortunately, we found the tram. Which is, incidentally, the only fully-automated tram system in the world. It looks like a small, very slow, very low-key roller coaster). Hopefully we're going to meet up with the other assistants some other time. Several of them might be coming to Soissons for a historical conference in a couple of weeks. Clovis, the first king of France, was baptized here, so to celebrate the anniversary of his death the city is sponsoring a free public historical conference. I thought no one would want to go with me, so I threw away the flyer, but it turns out Blanca (who is the Spanish assistant at my high school, and a very nice person) is going and Hector wants to, too, so I'm signing up ASAP. Can't miss the chance for some early medieval history!
And now, for the potpourri section. It's gotten kind of chilly here, but when I went to church at the cathedral Sunday I was expecting a respite from the weather. It turns out I didn't dress warmly enough; I didn't consider that a 13th-century cathedral might not have central heating. Also, on a completely unrelated note, tomorrow (starting at midnight) is the Beaujolais Nouveau festival. Beaujolais wine grapes have just been harvested, and it's become traditional to drink the new wine after about a week's fermentation (France sets the starting date by law on the 3rd Thursday of November). The winegrowers only make their crappiest grapes into new wine, so it's not exactly high-quality stuff (especially since I don't like Beaujolais much anyway), but it's supposedly a fun tradition. Tomorrow my high school is sponsoring a Beaujolais Nouveau party for the staff, which isn't that strange. What is strange is that it takes place during the day (11:30-2:00) on campus. Needless to say, attitudes about alcohol are very different here. Also, I finally borrowed a guitar and have started playing for the first time in ages. I used to play a lot, stopped during my last two years of college, and now with the encouragement of two musical host brothers have taken it up again. We're playing at an open mic night, then we're learning a set to debut at their grandfather's birthday party in December. It feels good to get my fingers all sore again.
My final update: in a sudden flash of inspiration, I decided to come home for Christmas. Originally Mom and Dad were coming here, but after we decided it'd be easier, cheaper, and better for me just to go home. I miss my extended family, my dog, and my diet Sunkist, so it's just going to be more practical for me to come to them than vice versa. But I'm returning to France in time for the New Year, which is never very exciting at my house in Alabama, so I get the best of both worlds: quality family time for Christmas, and fun friends time for New Years. Yay for having friends on both sides of the Atlantic!
First of all, the teaching. Maybe some people want to know about that. It's going really, really well! I like working with the kids, and most of them are pretty well-behaved most of the time. There are exceptions, but I haven't had any major discipline problems. I'm a teaching assistant, not a full teacher, so I don't see the students every day. Most classes meet with me once a week, a few every other week, so I go through quite a few students in every cycle. I feel justified for not knowing all their names, although by now I'm getting a lot more faces. My usual class consists of taking a part of the class to do some kind of conversation practice, or alternatively teaching to the whole class while the teacher is in the room. I speak mostly in English, although for some things I have to switch to French. The kids love me, too. It's quite encouraging to hear the whole class get excited when I walk in!
What else has been going on in my life? La foire! There's currently a fair in Soissons, and we went. It's pretty much like an American fair, except there a lot more casino-ish games and raffles and not quite as many rides, although there are still plenty of things to upset your stomach after you've eaten your fill of gauffres (waffles) and barbes à Papa (cotton candy, literally "Daddy's beard"). Sadly there are no funnel cakes. I didn't do many of the rides yet, but there's time; it goes on until December 4th!
I realized the other day that I had exercised one time since I'd come to France. I haven't been able to find a sporting event that interests me, since most sporting clubs here are geared towards children (although there are rumors of adult pickup basketball! Keep your fingers crossed!), so I decided if I wanted to stay healthy, it was time to suck it up and run. You should know this about me: I hate running. I love playing sports--I will play almost any team sport imaginable, with varying degrees of success--but I hate running for its own sake. I do, however, prefer exercising to not exercising, so I got my booty off the couch and took to the streets of Soissons. My route took me to the north part of town, never knowing exactly where I was but always keeping the cardinal directions in mind (and if I do get lost, I can just wander around until I see the Cathedral towering over the skyline. Convenient landmark). I ran, and ran, and ran. I was surprised at how well I was doing. By the time I got back I'd been running for at least 30 minutes and had looped around the north part of town all the way to the river. So I got back, tired but satisfied. Until the next day. My legs have never been so sore in my life. For the first time, having a bedroom on the 3rd story really bothered me. I stretched and stretched, but nothing helped. The next day, I was still sore, but I'd recovered enough to run again (although only about half as far). I hope to make a habit of it.
I also had one of the more amusing experiences of my life last weekend. Orso was playing drums for a community musical, so we made a day of it. Some friends and family came over for lunch (and I tasted the best champagne I've ever had...Ruinart, made by the oldest champagne house in the world), and I met a former professor of oenology. It was very intimidating comparing wine notes with him. Anyway, when we finally got to the musical, I was bowled over by the quality of the production. All but two of the actors were in their 60-70's, and none of them could really sing. It was so bad it was good. Camille and I almost died when a 70 year old lady strutted on stage in a bathing suit.
Today was a big day for me. My final immigration appointment. The final test to see whether the country of France wants me. Of course we had to go to Laon (about a 20 minute train ride away), it'd be too easy otherwise. I frantically got all my documents in order and made it to our appointment without a problem, flew through the appointment with flying colors, and can finally say I'm a long-term legal resident of France! After our appointment we went to lunch with some of the other assistants who were in the neighborhood--all seven Soissonais were there (5 English, 2 Spanish), as well as several from other cities, so we had quite a time. We didn't do anything too exciting, just ate a nice crêpe lunch and had drinks, but it was a really nice day. Laon was much more enjoyable when I didn't have to hike up the mountain (Fortunately, we found the tram. Which is, incidentally, the only fully-automated tram system in the world. It looks like a small, very slow, very low-key roller coaster). Hopefully we're going to meet up with the other assistants some other time. Several of them might be coming to Soissons for a historical conference in a couple of weeks. Clovis, the first king of France, was baptized here, so to celebrate the anniversary of his death the city is sponsoring a free public historical conference. I thought no one would want to go with me, so I threw away the flyer, but it turns out Blanca (who is the Spanish assistant at my high school, and a very nice person) is going and Hector wants to, too, so I'm signing up ASAP. Can't miss the chance for some early medieval history!
And now, for the potpourri section. It's gotten kind of chilly here, but when I went to church at the cathedral Sunday I was expecting a respite from the weather. It turns out I didn't dress warmly enough; I didn't consider that a 13th-century cathedral might not have central heating. Also, on a completely unrelated note, tomorrow (starting at midnight) is the Beaujolais Nouveau festival. Beaujolais wine grapes have just been harvested, and it's become traditional to drink the new wine after about a week's fermentation (France sets the starting date by law on the 3rd Thursday of November). The winegrowers only make their crappiest grapes into new wine, so it's not exactly high-quality stuff (especially since I don't like Beaujolais much anyway), but it's supposedly a fun tradition. Tomorrow my high school is sponsoring a Beaujolais Nouveau party for the staff, which isn't that strange. What is strange is that it takes place during the day (11:30-2:00) on campus. Needless to say, attitudes about alcohol are very different here. Also, I finally borrowed a guitar and have started playing for the first time in ages. I used to play a lot, stopped during my last two years of college, and now with the encouragement of two musical host brothers have taken it up again. We're playing at an open mic night, then we're learning a set to debut at their grandfather's birthday party in December. It feels good to get my fingers all sore again.
My final update: in a sudden flash of inspiration, I decided to come home for Christmas. Originally Mom and Dad were coming here, but after we decided it'd be easier, cheaper, and better for me just to go home. I miss my extended family, my dog, and my diet Sunkist, so it's just going to be more practical for me to come to them than vice versa. But I'm returning to France in time for the New Year, which is never very exciting at my house in Alabama, so I get the best of both worlds: quality family time for Christmas, and fun friends time for New Years. Yay for having friends on both sides of the Atlantic!
