Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Sharing is Caring!


This is a perfectly rendered account of how I spent last weekend (it even includes photos!). Thanks Jennifer Shannahan for taking the time to document!
http://jennifershannahan.blogspot.com/  (See the post titled 'Touring')

As authentic as it gets

Before I start, I am safe, happy and healthy. No one has any need to worry.
As most of the world knows, France is on strike. The government is trying to raise the retirement age from 60 to a mandatory 62 years old. In response, the French people have been protesting for over a week now. It seems like almost all of the unions support the strike and therefore are involved. It's actually a really unique thing to witness... especially for an American who has no concept of nation-wide protest.
That being said, I'm kind of over it. I mean, I think it sucks that the bill will probably pass without the people voting on it (because you know, that's how democracy works). But, there is potential for France to come to a stand still like it did in 1968 with the student protests which ended up turning into, well the same situation we have now. I think the biggest problem is that the workers in the refineries have been on strike as well. So, there is no gas. In Les Herbiers there is one gas station (and its the only one for something like 50K) and it is entirely out of gas. A teacher told me yesterday that there might not be school on Friday because that way they can save the gas used from all of the buses students take to school. In Nantes, the tram system is working (sometimes) but will stop at random places on the line and say, this is the last stop. Which, I imagine makes getting to work quite a pain.
Along with all of this, the students are protesting too. I mean a good protesting attitude is inate for them, so they start early. At my school the protest was a couple houndred students sitting in the quad and parking lot not going to class and holding signs and chanting occasionally. In Nantes, its a different story. When Melissa and I left Monday morning from our friends' apartement we turned left, the way we usually walk towards the tram. When we were about half way down the block we noticed about 15 students lingering in the street. No biggie, there is a catholic school just around the corner. About 30 seconds later, a swarm of emotionally charged, angry at the world, teens came flying around the corner. Luckly for us, they stopped and started abusing a store front by kicking the windows. Needless to say we went the other direction and passed the Police on the way. Before we left at 12:20 we could hear small bombs going off (nothing crazy, like in trash cans... just to make a mess and noise).
All I could think the whole time was, this could never happen in America. I keep expecting parents to come drag their irrational adolecent children away by their ear or facial piercing but they never come. This behavior seems to be supported by the older generation. As if, its ok for the youngsters to do it so they don't have to. I wonder what happens to the rioting teens. A slap on the wrist? I'm sure the police are pissed that they have to work later into their lives too.
Ok, enough rambeling on about someting that has nothing to do with me. Except, maybe if I can't fly to Poland on monday because there is no gas. Then I'll be really upset.
One thing I am loving is that everyday I get to see something that is older or more historic than almost anything we have in the US. Keri Ann told me that in the school she works at in Nantes there is German written on the walls. She asked about it and the teacher told her it was from when the Nazi's used the school during WWII. Excuse me!? That is insane. In the US we would have whitewashed over that within a week. Also, there are beautiful buildings that have lost matching tower etc. due to bombs that dropped during the wars. I think its pretty cool to be able to see the effects of history shown on a city.
Here's to hoping that the bill doesn't pass tomorrow and that there are not riots in Paris this weekend! 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Strike!

There is a strike today (what's new for France)! So, I only had one of my four classes. In my class, I asked the students if they played any sports (rugby and soccer are huge here). The only responses I got were:

Yes, madame. I can play table tennis. Yes, I can do the twirling (batons). And, yes, miss. I can play the handball.
Not very aggressive now, are they? Aside from one student asking for my phone number the class went very smoothly.
The sun is out, the sky is blue. A beautiful day in western France.

Monday, October 11, 2010

And there will be sun, sun, sun...

The weather here has really improved! It has been mostly sunny for the last four days! Every morning I open my window and am greated by a light breeze of cool fall air. It's been nice. The more I discover this town the more it reminds me of Kirkland (where my grandparents used to live). It smells the same. Also, there is a small forest/park right next to my apartment that is very much the same as the parks I used to play in when I was little. So, I've been very content the last few days.

With that being said, there are a few things I would like to comment on... there always are, I know.

Planning the trip to Poland:

So, I thought, Hey! let's use our French and buy our tickets from a French travel site! Great idea! NOT. It turns out that you can't use a debit card to purchase flights from the French site. They wanted us to send all of this official bank paperwork to them within 24 hours (on a Sunday). Psych. Not happening. So, we just let our ticket offers lapse and then I continued to buy the exact flight from Travelocity. Thanks for making it easy!


The bus:

In this little town, there is only one mode of transportion that links you to the outside world... bus 270. Through out the week it leaves Les Herbiers at 5:55, 6:50, 12:05 and 17:40. But, on the weekend, the last bus out is at 12:05 on saturday and does not return until 14:10 on Monday afternoon. Not very practicle for us workin' folk now is it?

Writing lessons:

I'm finding it difficult to write amazing first lessons because I have no idea what level these students are at. I mean, at the high school I only have students in either 1ere or terminale (juniors and seniors) who have been taking english for six or seven years. That being said, in class they are horrible shy. I guess, I will just have to wait it out and see how it goes!

Meals (lunch or dinner parties):

My French is improving everyday...but, I am so lost when it comes to multiple people speaking at the same time about a subject I don't know any vocabulary about. Yesterday, Emma (one of the French girls I live with) made a delicious lunch for the flatmates and some of their friends. There were ten of us sitting around the tables hanging out and talking. Then, everyone would get excited about a subject that I didn't understand and I couldn't contribute at all. Lame. Also, my brain was freaking out because I was trying desperately to concentrate in French and finding it rather difficult because there was loud American music playing in the background. It was hopeless.

My future as a Sitcom writer:

My life here is very amusing when I look at it from an outside perspective. I am going to start writing down more and more details of the silly things that happen. I mean, in our apartement there are three french post BAC students, me (the American) and Melissa from Costa Rica. Then across the hall is an Italian man named Mattia. We live in the country in France in a posh little town where everyone who lives here is loaded. Watch out "How I Met Your Mother", I may have stuck gold!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

When in France...eat like the Italians eat

Meal times have become my favorite part of living here! We have a small round table and tonight we had eight people around it eating together. It was fabulous. Mattia made pizza (the Nappoli way!) which was delicious. We just sit and joke and talk and tonight we bonded over The Clash and other American music. I love that these people are so knowledgeable about American pop culture. It really gives us something to talk about. I was thinking when I left that I'd be sarving to death here or just eating whatever was least expensive because I'd be cooking for myself but it happens to be the exact opposite. I'm eating like a king (or queen)! At school we can buy lunch and dinner during the week. The food is very good considering it comes from a school kitchen. But, they do serve things that I am really not used to. Interested in some examples? Here we go: as an entree an option was a halved peach with a scoop of tuna in the divits where the pit would go, also, I had (at least tried) vegetables which were patee'd then placed into a pan in spereate layers then sliced and served. It looked like a spongy slice of neopolitain ice cream but in orange, white and green. Those were the strangest things I have encountered thus far. But, I'm sure there will be more. Since I've been here though Mattia has made us three meals. So I've been eating Italian more than French and I prefer it that way. He made us Safron Rizito with mushrooms that someone in his family grows in Italy, and Crab Spaghetti and now pizza. He says its a good thing he is going back to Italy for Christmas that way he can bring back more provisions...because the French "can not do pasta!"
I have my first class tomorrow! Let's pray it goes well!
 à plus tard!