Previously on Franny's Belle Vie

Sorry for the disappearance from the blog; it was not for lack of desire. Hessina and I have moved into our little “appart” but have yet to get the internet box installed. France Telecom is supposed to come next Wednesday, but the sheet of paper they gave me also mentioned something about 3 weeks to get internet… I don’t really understand and will have to bring these things to school to get some of the English teachers to help me out.

Along the same lines, I opened my bank account last week. I had the pleasure of having a rather attractive banker who has actually visited Virginia and did an exchange in a school near Richmond. We chatted about Virginia and the difference in school systems between him spouting off banker French which I had no hope of understanding. Never in my 14000 lit classes did they teach me how to open a bank account, etc. But, from what I could understand the French banking system is strange (as is everything else). For example, I can only have upto 1600 Euros in my bank account at a time??? Je ne comprends pas. But alas, I will have to find more reasons to go to the bank and practice my French with William.

My job seems ideal so far. As I mentioned before, the teachers are really great. Marylene and I became fast friends and she invited me to her appart for dinner last Friday. She had 2 other English teachers (from different schools over as well as a friend from home, and I found out this is only her first year teaching. We had fajitas and her friend Seb did card tricks. Then, we went to see the Informant in French, which was just as confusing and complicated to the French as it was to me…..

But, I was talking about my job… The other teachers are super nice too and Simona took care of my schedule and has really taken me under her wing. She now signs her emails with “bisous”—French for “kisses” but in the French manner of 1 per cheek. The students like coming to work with me so far. For the most part I take 6-8 students from their normal class and hold ‘intensive conversation sessions’ with them. So far it hasn’t been so intensive, but later I will work on themes such as violence, fashion, addictions, etc. This is all to prepare them for their oral Bac (baccalaureate exam) at the end of the year. Ps. Every(both) times that I’ve come to France I can immediately do the French-speaking-English accent amazingly, so you’ll have to ask me when I come home.

One thing I have yet to catch up on is the gates. My school and all other schools are surrounded by gates that remain locked. Students and teachers function on a weekly schedule that is similar to American colleges as they show up when they have class and don’t show up otherwise. But, the gate remains locked except for between bells (as far as I can tell). So, in order to get in and leave each day I have to get the guardian to let me in and out. I think teachers have some sort of key/something to let themselves out, but their exit leads to the parking lot within the gate, so that doesn’t interest me. I hope that I’m not inconveniencing anyone by needing the door opened for me.

As not to lose reader interest, I will have to conclude for now. Oh, and I have fixed it so that you can leave comments now without signing up (thanks mark) so…
A bientot!