On commence doucement...

So I have sort of been with classes for the last two weeks. Although it started out with me just sitting awkwardly in the back not saying anything and children whispering about who the strange person in the back is. This moved on to the kids asking me questions in order to find out who I am and what I like. And then in some classes I have actually (sort of) taught something. And by something I mean Halloween. I don't know if they actually learned anything though, but we can pretend they did.

So I will technically work 12 hours a week. As of right now I'll work at the school I don't live at on Mondays for 5 hours, and then every other Friday for 2 hours. Then I work at the school I live at on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about 3 hours each day (although I don't quite have my schedule yet for them). So as you can see, I don't have to work on Wednesdays, and I get a 3 day weekend every other week. Not bad, eh? Also this past week I haven't even worked all of these hours because a lot of classes have big tests before the break and the teachers have meetings. As one teacher put it, "On commence doucement ici," or, "We start slowly here."

Also, after barely doing anything these last couple weeks, I now get a 2 week vacation. So on Saturday I leave to go see my boyfriend in Budapest! I'll be there for the whole vacation, plus we are going to Prague for a weekend. So I am super excited :)

Here is a little mini classroom that I will be using this year at one of my schools. I think it's cute :)

Also here are some of the questions I got from the students (they get more entertaining near the end):

• What is your name?
• What is your nationality?
• How old are you? - I say 21, and then hear them whisper that I'm 31...really?
• Do you have any pets?
• What kinds?
• What is your favorite color?
• Who is your favorite celebrity?
• Have you ever met a star?
• Do you eat fast food every day?
• What is your favorite flag?
• What is your favorite piece of fruit? (lolz)
• Do you  have children?
• Do you have a boyfriend?
• Do you have a lover? 
• Do you have children?
• Do you have baby?
• Do you like baby? 
• Do you speak French? - I say no
• Do you speak any other languages? - I say no again, feeling lame

Then and Now

So this past weekend my friend Angie came and spent the weekend with me in Saumur. She is also an assistant but in Savenay, which is 20 minutes from Nantes (you can check out her blog here). We were talking about how things are so different this time in France than when we studied abroad in Dijon. It's almost as if the magic has faded, and now it's just France. So thinking back to the first time I came to France when I was a mere 13 years old, here are some things that are different.

Then:                                                                            

• Everything was GO GO GO
• Hardly understood any French 
• Spoke English to French people
• When trying to speak French nobody understood
• Always with people 
• Everything was new and exciting    

Now:

• Everything is wait wait wait... (i.e. opening a bank account, getting a work schedule, etc.)
• Can understand most French
• Speak French to most French people
• When speaking French most people understand
• Living alone
• Everything is normal

However, some things never change...