I <3 My French Life

November 16, 2009

As you can see by the title of this blog, I'm really loving France :-) For me, it's more than the obvious things that everyone loves about France. Yes the architecture, history, food and fashion are beyond exquisite but I've really taken in the subtle intricacies that make France rich. The smells of the bread baking in the boulangerie, the sounds of people speaking Arabic/French and laughing with one another, the friendly banter i receive from the bus driver who wears Cosby sweaters, and the calming effect of the mountainous country side are just some of the ways France has wooed me.

I think something that has me even more chipper is the fact that Internet has finally arrived at my apartment :-) so far i have been able to catch up on the news, update my Facebook like crazy, and connect via SKYPE with all the people that i love. I've also have been able to watch some of the American T.V. shows that i adore so.... in fact this new found obsession has got me up till the wee hours of the morning... like 4am....So consider me a happy camper.


As promised i mentioned in my last post that i would summarize my experience in my final school in lovely Orange, France. Lycee (High School) Aristide Briand: I'll be honest i haven't taught a whole lot a this school, simply because there has been a little problem with getting my schedule sorted out. It doesn't help that this school is not located in the city i live in and that i don't have a car. However, despite all this things have been coming along quite nicely and i really love the students that i have met thus far. Last Monday was my official first day so I introduced myself and opened the floor to questions and once again the questions were more and more intriguing. Yes there was the usual "how old are you?" and "Do you like Barack Obama?" but this time around i got questions like: "What do you want to do in the Future?", "Do you live in the city or a ranch in the country?" and "What's your younger brother like?".... the last one had me rolling and had me discussing my little brother for 20 mins.... i guess i forgot what it's like to be a teenage girl. The best part about this group is that they were very engaging and very interested in meeting an American. In fact after the whole Q & A session was over a student actually said "she is very American, like the ones you see on T.V." Ok so i kinda really enjoyed that :-) i can't wait to have more classes at this school so far it's off to a great start.... Although there is something else that's keeps me coming back.... I've started a love affair.... with... this coffee machine. I <3 it! for 40 centiemes you get a magically churned cup of a delicious hot beverage of your choosing. So i start my day by sitting in the teacher's lounge, feeling important sipping my 40 cent cappuccino..... ok so I'm lame but i make lame look cool....

As for personal goals, I've decided to mirror the lessons that i do with my students and do them for myself as well. I mean my French has improved SO much in the past month but i still have a long way to go. So I've decided i will check out the Twilight series at the local library. I loved them in English why not in French, plus at the very least i will know the story line. Also I'm watching more French television, which is essentially American T.V. shows dubbed in French but they still count right? and Lastly, i plan to start listening to French music and i just fell in love with the most prefect artist. His name is Corneille and his music is amazing :-) he's like my Canadian French John Legend. I'm also realizing that I'm not traveling as much as i should so next weekend it's off to Gap for Thanksgiving Assistants style :-) (pictures and blog post to follow).... oh and i am so EXCITED to see New Moon or Twilight, Chapitre 2: Tentation, it comes out on Wednesday here... now if i can just figure out if there is a theater that plays it in English :-S

so admittedly this is one of my less interesting post but i promise to write more interesting posts and to write more often from here on out. I have also noticed the lack of pictures, that too will be rectified :-) A Bientot Folks!

Bisous,
HK