Photo time 2

Family Dinner

We had family dinner again last night. Here's our teeny-tiny shared kitchen, and my roomies: Austin, the Brit, Emmanuelle, the Frenchy, and Dani, the Spaniard (in back). Note the baguette.

And, below, a better photo of the view from my bedroom window.


Castle Climb with Laura and Matt

Here's Hyeres - the view from the top of the
big hill by my house.Last week, Matt (Laura's
boyfriend) was visiting from England and

we hiked up to the top.

Unrelated, but nonetheless...
I'm currently posting these photos from the comfort of my own bedroom :) That's right, we got internet today...no more MacDo's! I'll be attempting to set up Skype soon.

Reality Sinks In

I Guess This is Autumn

Yep, the summer weather is definitely a thing of the past. The arrival of storms, wind, and rain has triggered a yearning to just be back at home in Seattle, where I have these gloriously comfy things known as sweatshirts and sweatpants* to help cope. See, I was foolish enough, somehow, to believe that since I would be in the south of France, with it's classic reputation as a holiday destination for European sun-worshipers, I would be experiencing an Indian summer that would miraculously continue throughout autumn and winter. I was wrong. And I didn't have room in my suitcase to squeeze in an umbrella. Oops.

Maybe its the arrival of rain that's washing away some of the original nostalgia of being here. Or perhaps it was the "one month" mark that I hit this week; that's right, one month being away from home...eight more to go, contractually speaking. Now, now, don't get me wrong, I'm having a good time and all. This week has provided me, though, with a few important realizations about my life (as it currently stands) here in Hyeres:

Realization #1. Money does not grow on trees. Yep, we've all heard it a thousand times, and realizing my pre-loaded euro debit card is almost out of money (by being "denied" more or less when trying to purchase a train ticket...) has reminded me of this nugget of wisdom. My perspective on money remains that it is simply a tool to use to get what I need (or want), and I'm not stressing about it or letting it rule my life. (And I might mention I have access to my American funds, so it's not like I'll be out on the street or anything.) All I'm saying is, this week I had a good reminder that budgeting is an important lifeskill, one that I will most definitely need to develop a bit more this year.

Realization #2. Hyeres is the type of place where a person constantly has the opportunity to develop another lifeskill, which is: making your own fun. Yes, when I say there's not a whole lot to do here, I really am not exaggerating. And it's been confirmed by all the locals I've talked to -- there really isn't much going on. In the summers, when there are tourists milling about, the cafes stay open, there are even concerts every once and a while, etc. But once October rolls around, cafes literally close by 7...even on Friday/Saturday. (Cue me playing my mini violin.) A few examples of how we've been making our own fun thus far: #1: Last night, gathered 'round our tiny dinner table, Laura, Austin, Emmanuelle, and I made our own band so-to-speak, making sounds to a common beat of finger-tapping. A musical spectacle to behold, let me tell you. #2: Today was our day off, so we ventured down to the Mediatheque (aka library) and checked out some books! Laura and I spent the rainy afternoon indoors, under my covers, reading and drinking tea and eating chocolate. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

A few more updates:
--Still no internet. Yep, back at Macdo's. Disco Stick is playing right now. What would the world do without Lady Gaga?
--Vacation is coming up this weekend! We've got a week and a half off (Vacances de Toussaint), so Nikki, Adam, and I will be going on an EPIC adventure! We've booked our (expensive) train tickets up to Paris (hence the debit card denial I spoke of earlier). Then we will be BUSSING it to Amsterdam! wooohoooo! I'm excited to explore a new city! Not sure what we're going to do about hostels (apparently all of Europe is on vacation, not just us, and hostels are filling up...) but that'll just be part of the adventure I suppose. Ah, the joys of traveling.
--It is pouring out. Some serious rain going on right now.
--Teaching is going well. Taught the Itsy-Bitsy Spider this week, in honor of Halloween, of course! It's way too hard --too many words-- but they follow along with the hand motions, and everybody loves when the rain "WASHED!!!" the spider out!
--Quick story about 2 boys at school who came up to me and told me they're "freres de coeur" (literally "brothers of the heart", best buds). They came up to me again this week when I was out on the playground and the conversation went something like this: (forgive me that I don't know their names)
Boy #1: Il veut te dire quelque chose! (He's got something to tell you!!)
Me: D'accord, oui.. (Ok, what is it?)
Boy #2: Tu es tres gentille et tres jolie et je t'aime bieeeeen! (You are so nice and pretty and I like you a lot)
Hahaha it was so cute! I have a little admirer. All the students really have been so nice and get really excited when they see me.
--I eat lunch 3 times a week with the teachers at Anatole France. I get free food (woohoo!) and I get to listen to them speak French - it's really good for some listening comprehension. There are usually about 6-8 teachers there and they've all been really welcoming and helpful. I really enjoy eating with them.
--I'm taking a beginning painting class in Toulon with Nikki! I've been twice so far and it's going great! We're working on different brush strokes and learning about the color wheel. Yay! A hobby!

*Or as Austin and Laura would say "hoodies and joggers, or trackie-bums." They are so convinced that they're better than Americans since we "stole" their language and their ONE hit TV series, The Office. I try to talk sense into them by pointing out the good things about America, but it's easy --since there's two of them and only one of me-- to loose sight of any valid arguments vying for the US, especially when they poke fun at my accent, which, by the way, is really starting to sound ugly. So don't be surprised when I come back to the US trying to sound like a Brit.

Teaching

Teaching

Starting off...
I just started teaching this week and things are going well so far. The first class was a little uncomfortable because I'm not used to being up in front doing whatever I have planned, but the more classes I've taught, the easier it's getting. It's nice to have some new challenges, like making lesson plans that the kids will enjoy. They really like singing songs and playing games (they're 7-11 yrs old), so it's fun for me to be up in front of them singing and acting silly, trying to get them to smile and, most importantly, stay engaged in the material I'm teaching!

What we're working on...
This week, we're working on simple introductions. We're learning the song "Helloooo, how are you? (3x) How are you today?" And let me tell you, after doing it in 8 different classes, I've gotten quite good at it :) I like being up in front and trying to get them excited. I like being creative, getting them to sing it once "veeeeery quiet" then the second time "VERY LOUD!!!" They like that a lot. I try to think back on things from camp when I was a kid...acting silly, acting things out, adding hand motions, being overly expressive/dramatic...like I said, whatever I can do to get them comfortable with me and keep them engaged. The focus of the program, aka my task, is to work on oral comprehension and production. So the students need to feel like English class is a safe place to try speaking!, where it's OK to make mistakes. I'm starting to understand the sacrifice many teachers make: sacrificing being "cool" in order to act a little silly (while still maintaining that professional balance) in order to keep students engaged. Sometimes I think I'm turning into my mom more and more... :) I think I'm starting to do the types of things she would do that would always embarass me when I was a kid. :)

Meeting some students...
On my first day, I had a few minutes between the kids' lunch break and teaching my very first class, so I sat outside on the steps near where they were about to line up. A dozen students came up to me and asked me lots of questions (in French): "What's your name? Are you our English teacher? When are you coming to our class?!" It was so fun talking in French with them; they're excited to see a new face! The next day when I went through the cafeteria to get lunch, about 2 dozen kids were calling out my name and asking if I was coming in to teach them today! It's easy to understand them when they ask me questions, and I've been responding in French. In class, I've been explaining things in English and French so they can all follow, although I need to try to stick more to English in English class!

The name game...
One thing that's a little tricky is understanding when they say their names. This is a new challenge for me because I'm usually pretty good with names, so I really want to memorize my students' names so I can call on them by name! But when they say their own names, with their French accents, some of the names just don't translate to my English speaking/spelling brain. I need to see their names written, but when we made name tags it was still tricky because they ALL write in French cursive, which is hard to read! I think I might ask the teachers for class lists.

Outside of class...
I've already seen many of my students around town outside of class. It's so cute because several times I've been walking and have heard "C'est notre prof d'anglais!" Then I see them, smile and wave, and say "Hello" (or "Salut") :) They are so cute playing with friends or walking around with their parents. I was standing in my doorway last night with my roommates and 2 boys walked up the road past us and, again, noticed me and said "Hey, that's our English teacher!" So I smiled at them, said "Hello" then started singing "Hello, how are you?..." like I had taught in class. They thought it was funny, and probably also think I'm a weirdo.


Other details about my life in France:

-- Peanut butter is hard to come by, but I found it in Toulon at a larger grocery store. Neither my French or Spanish roommates had EVER tasted it (I know, such a travesty), and I've created 2 peanut butter converts! They've seen the light.

-- After a whole week without gas (i.e. cooking ONLY with our microwave) our landlord replaced our gas tank for the 2 stovetop burners. This opens back up a world of culinary opportunities!

-- I wash my laundry in my sink. I have a clothesline out my window with 7 clothespins. Just in case you happened to be wondering, I do have a way to clean my clothes.

-- Getting the internet at home is still a problem, issues with wiring and all. Apparently the people who lived here last year didn't want to pay extra for it, so it's never been set up. It's a bit unclear though, because I sort of have 2 landlords (the guy that lives downstairs in the connected house, and then also his brother, who is the actual owner, I think). There's been inconsistencies in information given to each of us though as to whether or not we'll have to pay...

-- It's been windy! I tried to go into a park the other morning, and a security guard man told me I had to leave because of the wind.

-- My English roommate Austin has been teaching my Spanish roommate Dani slang phrases in English. Some of them I don't even understand. And some I will intentionally not repeat on this blog. I'm pretty sure English-English and American-English aren't really the same language.

-- I went to a hip hop dance class last night! It was pretty fun! I was thinking it could be a good way to meet actual french people, except that really everyone there (besides the instructor) was younger than me. Apparently there aren't (m)any locals here my age...or maybe they're just all hiding. It seems to me that everyone is either a child, high schooler, parent, or retiree. Or else they're my roommate. The search continues for things to do outside of teaching...today I searched for more information on ceramics, painting, choirs, dance, and general information on what people DO here!

Treasure Island

Poquerolles

Yesterday, I met up with some language assistant friends and we took a day trip to one of the nearby islands of Hyeres. There are 3 small islands off the coast which serve as the biggest tourist draw to the town I'm teaching in. Hyeres is not very big and is not very well known as far as tourism goes (good luck finding it in Rick Steve's), but these islands, which are a small ferry ride away, are quite lovely*. We went to the "big" one, Poquerolles, and explored the island on foot. (Many tourists also rent bikes. There are no cars and most of the island is a nature reserve.)

Here's what we did!

-The other assistants (Nikki, Adam, and Victoria) live in Toulon, so they caught the bus at 7am to meet up in Hyeres. We caught a bus** to the coast, where we hopped on the ferry to get to the island around 9:30. The weather was a little iffy, and riding the ferry (no cars, 80 passenger max) reminded me of being in Seattle so much! Despite the wind and clouds, we rode on the top deck in the breeze and were excited to get out on an excursion!

-When we arrived on Poquerolles, we walked around the deserted town, climbed up to the windmill and the fort overlook, then hiked down to one beach area. We wandered through an olive tree orchard and I chased after some pheasants (I get so excited about wildlife we don't have at home.) After a picnic lunch on the beach, we decided it was a bit too windy for kayaks, so we walked back to the port for some coffee.

-As we enjoyed our cafe au laits and discussed the British university system, the sun decided to come out. Hooray! We walked over to a gorgeous beach and spent the afternoon relaxing on a rock formation overlooking beautiful aqua water leading up to the sandy beach area.

-As we stood in line for the boat back, eating cookies (with chocolate bits, of course), we joked about the lack of urgency in French have when it comes to any form of customer service***. We decided if the boat sank due to too many passengers (likely, considering how many people wanted to get on) that we would be the only 4 who would survive because we would swim to shore, realizing the futility of floating until the arrival of any French search and rescue. "Headline: 80 ferry passengers drown over a 8 day period. French aide still thinking about taking action."

- The boat ride back was really fun, and luckily we didn't sink. I was acting like such a child, throwing my hands up in the air trying not to hold on when the boat went over the big waves. I also managed to get the theme song from Titanic stuck in all of our heads, after pretending with Nikki that "I'm flying!!!" just like in the film. It was a great adventure!

*Might I just mention also that 10% of the third island, Ile du Levant, is a nudist colony, established back in the 1930's. (Un?)fortunately, we didn't make it there this time...

**Highlight of the bus ride: passing by a marshy area with wild FLAMINGOS! There I was, riding the bus, I turn and look out the window and there are a bunch of pink birds wading in the water! It's like at the zoo!...only not.

***Try waiting in line at the grocery store, where the cashiers are allowed to sit in chairs...plush, huh? Their relaxed physical position serves as an indication to the relaxed demeanor with which they will scan your items, wait as YOU bag them yourself, pause mid-way to talk with other employees, and wait as you fish through your wallet, just as all the Frenchies in front of you did, in order to come up with exact change because apparently cashiers get an attitude if you hand them just bills in an attempt to expedite this whole process; clearly it's more efficient for them if you fish for the proper change no matter how long it takes, instead of them just giving you all the change from their organized drawer. Good thing I don't shop when I'm in a hurry.

More photos from our day on Poquerolles

Visiting the Schools

Touring the Schools

Today was a big day. Laura and I met with another assistant (Dominique, from Seattle!) and Philippe, the Conseiller Pédagogique (he has an administrative position where he trains teachers and helps the assistants get situated.) He is basically every language assistant's answered prayer in the flesh and at our disposal. He is so helpful it's ridiculous. He helped me find my amazing apartment. Today he helped us fill out a bunch of forms (when we get to France it's like a giant paperwork inferno*). He gave us our schedules and took us all on a tour of the schools we'll be working in! It was great saying a quick "bonjour" to the teachers, although I'm afraid it'll take a few more introductions before I'll remember all their names.

Specifics on the Program

I am hired to work 12 hours per week. Each class period for English is 45 minutes, so it works out to be 16 class periods. I teach each group of students twice weekly, so I will have 8 separate classes of students. I hope that wasn't too tricky to follow. Let's see, I'm estimating about 20 students per class, maybe 25, so about 150-200 students to meet next week...wow. Nametags that sit on the desks will be a priority. Since I'll be here for the full 9 months, I will be in charge of the classes each day**.

Age of the Students

I'll have 1 class of what we (in the United States) would consider 2nd graders (CE1 = 7-yr-olds), 3 separate classes of 4th graders (CM1 = 9-yr-olds), 1 4th/5th grade split class (CM1/CM2 = 9/10-yr-old combo), and 3 classes of 5th graders (CM2 = 10-yr-olds). So yep, that works out to be 8 classes of students!

Day to Day Life

I'm still getting acclimated (or as my British roomie Austin says, "acclimatised"), so I'm looking for "extra-curricular" activities to get involved in. Laura and I have been searching (no luck so far) for a gym where we could take an aerobics class together. I've also got a booklet with community associations, and I'm looking into the possibility of joining a choir and/or taking art classes. I'm thinking about enrolling at the nearby university*** for some French classes. I passed by a couple dance studios and am really eager to see if there are some good classes that aren't too expensive.

Other Very Important Things You Must Know

-- I bought an orchid at IKEA. It lives in my bathroom and is beautiful.
-- Our 4th roommate moved in, Emmanuelle, which balances our happy home: 2 nice boys and 2 nice girls. Countries represented: Spain, England, France, US. We are a multi-cultural family.
-- Mina, I bought a big pot (not cheap, I might add) at IKEA especially for making rice, because we didn't have one and it was obviously a serious issue. Also, I bought basmati and tortillas (which were in the foreign foods section at the Carrefour...lol) AND I got salt, and also we have butter. Yes, yes...you see where I'm going with this...
-- My nose is runny because I have a cold, but I am happy so it's ok.
-- Everything is closed in France all the time (a slight exaggeration, but still), which means planning ahead is important. Meaning, if you want to get anything done (errands-wise) on Sunday or Monday or between the hours of noon and 2pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...good luck. Saturday morning is the market, so you can get veggies, but you can't go to the bank.
-- There is no elementary school on Wednesdays. Day off mid-week, go figure. Don't ask me what parents do with their kids, I didn't come up with the system.
-- I eat more chocolate in France than you can believe. I ate chocolate cereal 4 times yesterday. Also everywhere: chocolate croissants, chocolate cookies, chocolate-chip bread, oh and also some cafes give you a piece of chocolate with your coffee. It's rough, let me tell you. Good thing I live up a hill.

A plus!

*applying for social security, opening a bank account, getting housing contracts/renters insurance, applying for a worker's permit separate from the workers visa from the US, applying for the CAF--money from the gov't to help with rent....the list goes on and on.

**My friend Laura is here on a 7-month contract, so she will be more of an "assistant," working with the existing teachers in the classroom. On Tuesdays we will be working together all day, teaching all of our classes as a two-person team!

***The university where 2 of my roommates are taking classes is only a bus ride away. Nicole, who did this same program in Hyeres last year, highly recommended taking French classes there. I am considering it; I would get a diploma when I complete the year (good for the resumé, you know), plus I would probably meet some cool people my age (most people in Hyeres are retired, apparently). The downsides: takes up a lot of time (which I have...but could be spending doing other things too...) and is rather costly (in US$ it figures to be about...$800, not bad tho I guess when comparing it to university tuition at SPU...).

Photo time

Some photos of my adventures in France!

Here's my British friend Laura with me one of our first nights in Hyeres, near the bus station.

Nikki and me on the "boat bus" from Toulon to La Seyne. She's living in Toulon and will be taking the 20min boat ride (part of the public transit) each day to teach in La Seyne-sur-mer.
Here I am sitting on my ledge connected to my bedroom. I sit and enjoy breakfast or a cup of tea on my ledge and can look out over Hyeres each morning. This is the view from my bedroom that I was talking about!!
Nikki, Romain, Clara, and me...our friends from Couchsurfing who hosted us in Toulon! This was when they drove us up the mountain where we could look down and see all of Toulon and the surrounding towns.
Here I am, day one in Hyeres, the old part of town. There are cool passageways like this one right by where I'm living, plus lots of tiny streets with veggie markets and boulangeries, right outside my door! Somebody pinch me!
The group of people from Seattle Pacific University who will be in France for the year - most of us are doing the same teaching program, but in separate regions all across France. We all met up and hung out in Paris. Notice the crazy trained bunny I'm pointing at. It was hopping around in the park and belonged to a guy there who was whistling at it. It had a haircut like a lion. Awesome.
Nikki and me on a bench at Les Place de Vogues in Paris...so happy to be in France!

Knackered

I'm sorry for all the kids out there, but as I sit here, still at MacDo's mind you, I was reading over my post to Laura and Austin. Yeah, they're waiting for me and we're supposed to go to dinner. But as I was telling them about my new vocab word of the day and how I typed about it, Laura was like, "wait a second....you know the other meaning, right..?" well, sorry. Turns out they're teaching me dirty words. whoops.

As I sit in MacDo's

At last! An internet connection! I'm at McDonald's of all places in order to get a little WIFI ("wee-fee") to write you a little update! I don't have a ton of time, unfortunately, but I'll try to type my fastest....

Things are going great.

Getting Acclimated
Hyeres is a lovely little town. Very charming. I'm living in the old part of town, with cafes/boulangeries/tiny little streets to wander up and down and around. I feel very safe here, too. I've been on a few early morning jogs: watched the sun rise from the highest point in town....my goodness, it's amazing. I've also walked around a little at night and feel very safe. It's a little place (pop: 57,000) but has about everything I think we'll need (except night life...but that's not why I'm here...) My house is in the old part of town: perfect location. My view is unbelievable, overlooking the town. I've been sitting on my little sort-of-balcony for breakfast...I'll try and post a picture for you to see. I've visited the Town Hall (Hotel de Ville) for community information, signed up for a membership at the Mediatheque (awesome way to check out books/dvds/cds, similar to our awesome King County Library system). I passed a dance studio and might check out a class. I've set up a bank account with help from my banker, Fabian who gave me his # just in case.... It's not what you think...hahaha. I am basically just getting myself acquainted/acclimated to my new home! I love exploring and have a good feel for where most basic things are. The bus system is quite good, so I'm learning how to get around to other towns as well (like Toulon to the bigger train station). My town is small enough, though, that I can walk just about anywhere (including my schools where I will be working, which, trust me, is more than many other assistants can say) and I can bus to the beach (which we did today....that's right, swimming in warm, salty seas with sandy beaches in October!!!!) We checked out the marked today, it's each Tuesday/Saturday morning -- got lots of inexpensive fruits and veggies, way cheaper and way better than at the grocery store. I made a big trip to the Carrefour as well to stock up on foods for our kitchen, as well as other goodies to make home feel more livable (laundry detergent, bath towels, pillow case, etc).

"Who's this 'we' you're referring to?"...Who is Who
Ok, a bit about who I've been spending time with. My living situation is basically, perfect. The man who is sort of in charge of helping train me helped me find this apt. I can't remember exactly what I said in the last post, but it's a house with 4 rooms for students and one small shared kitchen (two gas burners, one microwave, a fridge...no oven/toaster..boo). It is SO great to have my own, nicely but modestly furnished room with my own private sink/standing shower, but then to also have awesome roommates! Austin, from London, and Dani, from Malaga Spain, are two really nice lads who've welcomed me in. Sharing the space with them has been great so far. It's perfect to have others to chat with so I'm really not alone. Austin is sitting across from me at MacDo's right now and is dancing a dorky dance to the song that is playing. He's super super nice and we've been hanging out quite a bit. The other important person to whom you must be introduced (ok grammar, mom?did i pass?) is my friend Laura. We emailed a bit over the summer, seeing as she is the other assistant at primary schools in Hyeres. There are around 6 assistants in my town total, about a dozen in Toulon, and 187 in our entire district (l'academie de Nice), 111 of which are English assistants (other languages taught include Spanish, German, Italian, and a few others). Ok, so Laura. She's from Manchester, so apparently she has a different accent from Austin (I'll talk about language in a moment). Laura and I have been spending lots of time together the past few days and she's a really lovely girl.

Parlez-vous Francais???
Um...not really. Yikes, I know. I keep saying that if I go back to the states after nearly a year here and I can't really speak French any better than everyone'll think I'm an idiot or something. haha. Well, here's the thing....I've been speaking some French, but where I've REALLY been improving these past few days is in my ACCENTS speaking the English language! I have learned many new vocabulary words, in French, oui, but also in English! Austin talks quite quickly, and sometimes I can't understand him at all. It's fabulous. Today I learned "knackered" which means very tired. Being around Austin and Laura makes me want to speak with an English accent like them, which I do. haha, I would, right? My intonation when asking questions is already changing, and I'm adapting to use their vocabulary instead of my own, just because it's fun. Did you know jello is jelly and jelly is jello?? Yeah, I know, right? And maybe sometime we'll have an outing to the cinema to check out a brilliant film and bring the sweets of the make that Laura really fancies. Yeah, yeah. And another thing about language, can I just say that it is lovely walking through Carrefour doing my grocery shopping singing along to the songs that are playing...Maroon 5, Sarah Bareilles. Right now at MacDo's Pink is playing, right after a Coldplay song (of course). American pop culture is such an amazing beast. When french people ask me where I'm from, I say Seattle and ask them, well if they know Starbucks/Microsoft/Boeing/etc, which they do...but they also all know Grey's Anatomy...haha. But yeah, the French is coming along. I figure, I'd rather have friends than isolate myself because I refuse to speak English with cool young people.

I've gotta run, we're headed to dinner soon. Hopefully my apt. will get internet soon so I'll be able to be in touch a bit better.
A bientot!

Tina's Address in Hyeres!...i.e. write me! ;)

Tina PULLIAM
9 Rue du Vieux Cimetiere
83400 Hyeres FRANCE