Woohoo! It's March! Spring is right around the corner!
Today was rainy and SOOOO windy, so I've been trapped indoors most of the day, but yesterday was lovely! Laura and I ate lunch at school outside on the front steps and enjoyed some warmth and sunshine. My freckles are getting ready to make their annual appearance! Hip hip hooray!
I wanted to fill you in on a bit on the daily grind, seeing as most of my posts lately have been about travel. When I'm back at home (here in Hyères) there just doesn't seem to be a need for blog posting because things feel pretty normal. But here are some updates on what's been goin' on the last few weeks:
Les Amis = Friends
I made some new friends in the end of January. Basically, stumbled into a big group of awesome French people one night when I was out with the anglophones. Many of them live in the area and we've been hanging out a few times a week. I keep meeting new people (friends of friends), which is really great to feel a bit more established. We've had dinners and parties, gone grocery shopping, watched movies, gone out to the one club in our town...usual stuff, really. It's nice to feel like they've sort of taken me (and my friends) under their wing, or well, extended invitations of friendship...it makes a huge difference in my life here.


I have also been spending tons of time still with Laura and Tessa, my English/Australian friends. They are lovely. We take trips to the Saturday market together, go on adventures to the beach (apparently it's still too cold for much sunbathing), and go to the gym for classes a lot. Last Friday, we went to the circus. It was crazy. Not like any other circus I've ever been to. So bizarre. And definitely NOT for the kiddies.
Le Français = French
One great thing about spending lots of time with French people is I actually have to speak French! I know, quelle surprise?! It is GREAT that most of them don't really speak much English, so I really am forced to express myself in French, ask lots of questions, and try to follow conversations (which I have been doing these past five months, just not as frequently). Yeah, that's right...5 months. I hit the five month mark (since I left the States) last month (Feb 19th). And finally, I'm speaking French on a more regular basis. My new friend William told me last week that he can tell my French has already improved since I met all of them in the end of January. =) Yipee!In January, I (finally) started keeping a list of vocabulary words/phrases I've learned. Writing down the new things I learn is a key step in moving them from short-term to longer-term memory. I love using new vocab words in new conversations (usually followed by: "Je viens d'apprendre ce mot!!"= I just learned that word!)
Quiz Time!!! Brush up on YOUR French!

Let's see if you can match up the words (numbered) with their definitions (lettered)!!!
- une montagne russe--------------A. to wink at
- faire un câlin----------------------B. a jellyfish
- une méduse------------------------C. a runny nose
- un bâillement----------------------D. fabric softener (yep, learned that one the hard way)
- un nez qui coule-------------------E. a yawn
- faire un clin d'oeil à --------------F. to cuddle
- l'assouplissant----------------------G. talented/gifted
- se congner la tête contre--------H. a roller coaster
- chatouiller -------------------------I. to hit your head against
- doué(e)-----------------------------J. to tickle
......1.H....2.F.....3.B.....4.E....5.C....6.A....7.D...8.I....9.J...10.G....
Scores:
0 correct = Well, thanks for playing. Did you try though?
1-3 correct - OK, well at least you're honest.
4-5 correct - Bien joué! (Well played)
6-7 correct - Très intelligent(e)! I'm impressed
8-9 correct - You may have spent too long deciphering the rules behind French parts of speech, or else you already speak French. Either way, I support you.
10 correct - Liar, liar, pants on fire!
L'Argent = Money

Which brings me to my next segment...I've been doing a bit better making healthy choices, with food and exercise. Trying to drink more water, eat more fruit/veg. Focusing MORE on the advantages of living in France such as cheap, fresh fruit & veggies (and tulips to beautify my life) every Saturday at the outdoor market. Focusing LESS on the advantages of living in France such as amazing bread, croissants, pastries, and patisseries that are right down the street at the boulangerie =) Not that I wasn't before, I'm just making improvements, I think. Also, like I said, investing in better quality food -- less basic starches like rice/pasta, more quinoa (found some quinoa pasta at the Organic food store). Going for lean meats/nuts and beans for protein. Lower fat yogurt/less fatty cheese. And Laura and I are eating less chocolate. lol. At least we're in it together.
Many native Frenchies around my age and étrangèr(e)s like me (who are working/studying in France) thank goodness and thank the French government for the following three letters, CAF, for what they represent: FREE MONEY!!! The CAF is a magical fund that gives people like me money back to help pay for rent, sort of like welfare, only minus the social implications that word connotes in the US. Part of the mysterious, magical intrigue of the CAF (besides the fact that it's free) is that the process for obtaining it, apparently, alway requires the following steps:
La Santé = HealthThe Process of Obtaining the CAF (free money)
To be completed in the following order:
To be completed in the following order:
- Fill out mounds of paperwork
- Wait a very long time
- Lose hope in the French bureaucratic system
- Question whether the CAF really does exist, or if perhaps it's a French urban myth told to gullible foreigners just to get their hopes up
- Wait longer
- Receive a letter...wait, this could be a good sign...
- Try not to get your hopes up too much
- Wait longer
- Receive a LARGE lump sum (a combination sum to account for the months they didn't pay you while you were waiting), directly deposited into your bank account
- Experience euphoria. Paaaarty time! =)
I'm loving the classes at the gym, and with better weather and daylight sticking around a bit longer, am usually able to jog down there for a warm-up, then get a lift home from one of the nice ladies (or guys) in class. Let's just say, nicer weather means the winter slumber is almost over (thank goodness)! It also means beach season is coming soon (yipe)!
L'Assistantship = The Assistantship
Teaching...oh yeeeeeaaaah, that's what I'm here for... is going well. This week, we've been working on "Where are you?" (explained with my hilarious skit of calling various students on my hand, aka telephone and asking them their current location..."You're at school?! Oh cool!! Me too!") We've learned nine (how many? NIIIINE, yes, neuf) locations, and thanks to my brilliant drawing skills, the students now (hopefully) know how to say they're at (or are GOING to) school, home, the store, the hospital, the airport, the pool, the beach, the library, and the park.
Tic Tac Toe on the chalkboard is a good game to practice vocab words, pronunciation, and sentence structure. I simply split the class in two teams (X's and O's), magnet the flashcards to the chalkboard in a # shape, student from Team X comes up, I ask "Where are you?" and he/she chooses a space and must correctly answer in the sentence format. The class must listen and determine whether he/she is indeed correct, and if so, Team X gets the X for the space. And so it continues with student from Team O.
Another good game we played this week involves putting the flash cards all around the room so everyone can see them. Divide the class in two teams, one student from each team stands up, I say "I am at school" or "I am going to the airport", the student that points to the correct card the fastest gets the point for their team.
L'Année Prochaine = Next Year
And I wanted to finish off with a bit of an update on where my opinion **CURRENTLY** stands in regard to the future/next year. **Subject to change, aka the following words are not carved in stone so please don't act like they are** I'm in the process of filling out the renewal form for next year, to keep my options open. I'm currently VERY much looking forward to spending the spring/beginning of summer here (until my contract is up, which is June 30), and then returning to Seattle on JULY 1st, 2010. Yes, the ticket HAS been purchased. So mark your calendars! =) I wanted to be back in the States for good ol' Independence Day. This summer, I'm hoping to eat lots of Thai food, drive a car, work at a restaurant for some fast/fun cash, spend lots of time with friends, volunteer in an educational setting (vamp up the resumé), and I'm planning to look into exams/courses which serve as prerequisites for grad school. And then in the fall, maybe apply for grad school, maybe continue working, maybe come back to France...not sure. That's where I'm at. =) Glad you know.
2 comments:
Oh my goodness Tina! You sound like an amazing teacher! Can you be my French teacher this summer? Your games look like so much fun. I'm glad you are making so many French friends, so you can hook me up when I visit France again...someday...soon...I hope.
What is the vibe around the Haiti earthquake there, since it's Frances old stomping grownd?
It has been so nice here lately, this weekend I walked to QFC in flipflops, shorts and a t-shirt. But yesterday there was snow?! What?
CLifton and I are going an a carrabbian cruise next week, so that should be fun. I miss your face and can't wait for summer!
p.s. How was Mardi Gras?
Hallie! Hi!!! I'd love to help you brush up on your French, now that I know all the good slang words and phrases! haha, seriously, I've got some really good ones ;)
There was lots of news/some discussion going around when the EQ struck Haiti, plus I've noticed some donation boxes like at the post office, but not the same kind of "We need to help! Send in the troops of volunteers!!!" kind of response that I get in the States, you know. Not the same kind of "how can we ACT on this, take personal responsibility to DO something" vibe that I get in the US.
And as a result of the EQ in Haiti, I gained 2 new students! A bro and sis who went to Anatole France (one of my schools) LAST year moved to Haiti last summer, but now they're back in France. Luckily their family's safe and everything, and I think they're adjusting back to life here in Hyeres just fine.
Hope you have an amazing time on the cruise!!! Get some sun! ahhhh, sounds soooo nice!
Didn't do anything for Mardi Gras, although Carnival in Nice was pretty cool I guess.
99 days until I come home!!! July 1st, mark your calendar :)
love, Tina
Post a Comment