March 10, 2021

Wednesday

I love my days off! The sun was shining and even though it was a bit chilly, it was a great day to be outside. I napped for a bit and then got ready for my first tutoring appointment. I met with Nawal last week and discussed the prospect of me tutoring her in English. She would like to get a better job and needs to pass an English exam, so she wants to practice with me. I’m being underpaid, but I know that she’s not super well off so it’s fine.

Our first session was strange. I suggested we walk as we spoke in English together, but she kept stopping every few steps to concentrate. Whenever we passed a bench I suggested that we sit, but she always refused. She kept handing me her notebook to write phrases. I realized once again how frustrating English is. There are such small differences that lead to jumps in sentence comprehension.

I learned that Nawal came to France at 15 from Algeria. She left behind 5 other siblings. She has a husband and 2 children here. Though she is a Muslim and faces discrimination in France, she loves the country. Interestingly, she supports many of the restrictions placed on Muslim women here. She doesn’t support women wearing bodysuits to the public pool, preferring instead that they go swim in a river somewhere where no one will see them. At the same time, she fiercely defends Muslim women who work and told me that she constantly stands up against discrimination from customers at La Poste. We agreed to meet again next Wednesday to practice more.

In the evening, I relaxed and watched TV. I found out that Disney+ just uploaded a bunch of new shows so I’ve been watching a few of them while I work on my newest blanket. I was a bit disturbed by the emails and texts I got regarding my classes on Thursday. Apparently, there has been an outbreak of the British variant at the Charvieu school. Catherine A (the Thursday teacher) told me that over half of one of the classes would be absent the next day. One of my classes was canceled as the teacher was exposed. Just insane. I made sure to prepare my double mask.