October 31st, 2020
It’s so hard to believe and to reconcile in my head, but I’m back in France! I’ll be here until May 10th of 2021. I’m participating in the TAPIF program and will be teaching English in French middle schools.
What makes this situation different from other experiences? I’m living on my own, not with a host family. I’ve had to find my own lodging, something that has been super difficult. Additionally, I’ve got a lot more free time. I can explore if I want and do a lot more traveling.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. October 28th, the French president announced a second national lockdown that would last a month. My flight departed the next day. I confirmed with the airline I’d be able to go and started packing. How does one pack for almost a year? I really don’t know.
I departed after an hour or two at Detroit airport, taking off at 7:30pm. I was thrilled I got to watch Little Women on the place, but was dismayed when I was unable to sleep the entire flight. I had a four hour layover in Paris before my flight to Lyon. I slept the hour and a half of the flight, but upon my arrival in Lyon discovered that my checked bag had not made it. I reported the bag missing. However, I keep discovering that so many of my necessary things are missing. My dress clothes, simple toiletries, my pants. Hopefully the bag is successfully shipped to the school by Monday.
Today (October 31) I slept until 2pm because I was so exhausted. I went for a walk to the nearby Carrefour to get a charging cable, because my converter was in my lost bag. It was only about a 20 min walk, but I got to see a lot of cute stuff. I guess this is a medieval village. I’m excited to explore more tomorrow. I hope to take a practice trip to my school on the bus line.
Mary-Est-En-France 