Mary-Est-En-France

Saturday

Catherine, the head English professor at Charvieu middle school, has decided to take me under her wing. She proudly declares that she is my French mom. I’m pretty happy with that. She’s done a lot of looking out for me. Late Friday night, she sent me a text asking if I’d like to take advantage of the decreasing COVID restrictions to go shopping with her on Saturday. Not having any other plans and excited to get out of the house for the first time, I said yes!

She pulled up in her sporty blue car and I got to meet her daughter, Célia. Catherine informed me that our first task of the day was to get me a French SIM. She said that she was charged 10 centimes (10 cents) every time she texted me, so she wanted to the fix the issue. Fortunately, Verizon had just unlocked my phone on Monday, freeing met to get the SIM switched. We were sad to discover there were no month to month plans available. I was ready just to bite the bullet and pay for a full year plan so I could use my phone outside the confines of my apartment, but Catherine insisted on adding a line to her account that she would simply cancel when I left! Because French stores are also promoting Black Friday sales now, she got a new iPhone out of the deal.

I can’t tell you what a relief it is to finally have a working phone again. It feels so scary and isolating to be without a landline when you’re in a new place. I worried when I took the bus to Meyzieu that I would get lost and be unable to let anyone know. Thankfully, now I’ll be able to get ahold of folks. If anyone is interested in communicating via text, send me a message over Facebook and I’ll share my French number with you!

Our next stop was the International Discount Store. The shop reminded me of a Dollar Tree, but it featured discounted products from countries outside of France. There were candies from America, Christmas decorations from Britain, household supplies from Italy, etc. Catherine insisted on buying me a slew of items (mostly candy). I was thrilled to find a 5 euro pan and a spatula for .50 euro, which will be helpful when I make my morning eggs.

The store was absolutely packed with people. Everyone was DESPERATE to get out of the house after a month of confinement. I felt gross being around that many people after spending my summer avoiding them. I was grateful to get out of the store.

Our next stop was the hypermarché that my landlady had driven me past on Friday morning, E.Leclerc. I’m not sure how best to describe this store. The majority of the interior was a simple grocery store. However, it also featured a string of higher end stores beyond the cash registers. I imagine this is what Meijer was like in the past.

Inside the grocery section, absolutely everything was done up for Christmas. There were huge Christmas tree displays, advent calendars, and stockings.

Catherine was going to a friend’s house for dinner later in the evening to eat Foie gras. Her daughters thought that it sounded good and would be nice to have for dinner themselves. We went looking for some. They showed me that a single tube can cost up to 32 euro.

Something I also find peculiar is the French penchant for yogurt. They often have some after dinner as a dessert. I’m personally not a fan of French yogurt because it isn’t sweet. I once purchased some lemon yogurt in Paris and had to spit it out immediately because it tasted like liquid cheese.

Before we left the store, Catherine happened to ask me if I had a cup of coffee before I came. I said no, because I have no coffee maker in the apartment. She stopped in her tracks- absolutely shocked. She loves coffee and can’t go without it, so she wanted to rectify the situation. We turned around to find an “Italian” coffee machine that functions similarly to a percolator. We grabbed some grounds, a nice cup, and headed home.

I had casually mentioned that Mme Bodet made some delicious cornbread Thursday night, so of course Catherine insisted on driving me to every bakery in town so we could find a loaf for my Sunday breakfast. We found some after the third bakery.

I was absolutely exhausted after our adventure. Still, after putting my things down inside, I headed over to Chez Bodet see if Yanza still wanted to practice for his English test. He said no because there were some boys over, so I promised to come back Sunday when the timing would be more ideal. I got to spend the rest of the evening watching Schitt’s Creek.

Things are starting to feel a little more comfortable. I have coffee, a phone, and a Christmas tree all my own.

Friday

Started the day with a 10am trip to the store in Pont Chéruy with my landlady. As with many French folks, she’s very brusque and matter of fact. She made sure to let me know that the store we’d be visiting was actually a very little one and that normally she did her shopping at the “hypermarché” down the road. I’d compare the Carrefour we visited to Kroger, pretty average. I was able to grab some items that I forgot the day before and search out others for future purchases. I was relieved to find purple shampoo so I can keep my hair a nice silvery tone. Before we left I also grabbed some comfort foods.

I took some time in the afternoon to meal prep! I made ramen noodles with a spicy honey sauce.

I spent the afternoon reading my book about the FBI Behavioral Science Unit. I’m about 100 pages until the end, so I’m getting a tad concern about how I’ll be occupying my time when it’s done. I’m really not a fan of digital books, so I’m hoping I can find a store that sells English titles.

I almost had a heart attack after hours of reading when my neighbor’s son knocked on my door. He has an exam on Monday about detective stories and he came to ask me to help him practice. I said I would be happy to help on Saturday.

I ended the night speaking on the phone with my friend and watching some TikToks.

Thursday

Thanksgiving day! It was so strange to be away from home. I’ve never missed a holiday with my family before. Thankfully, the people in my life here went out of their way to make it a really great day.

Catherine picked me up for my day at the Charvieu school at 8am. As we drove along, she let me know that she planned to take me out for a Thanksgiving lunch and that she had purchased some New York candies so the staff could help me celebrate.

I spent the morning teaching students about Thanksgiving. It was hard for me to know how much I could actually teach them about the subject. How much US history do they know? How much English do they actually understand? Is it appropriate to discuss genocide with middle school age children? All questions I really pondered throughout the morning.

I went with an incredibly simplified telling of the popularized history. Native peoples assisted English religious separatists with their first successful harvest in the Americas. After a brief period of peace, the Pilgrims violently stole Native land and forced tribes out of their homeland. I also tried to encourage students to use terms like “indigenous” or “native peoples” instead of terms like “Indian.”

One of my students was shocked to hear that people lived in the Americas before Christopher Columbus arrived. He pondered, “Why did my history teacher say Columbus discovered America if there were already people living there?” My jaw almost hit the floor. Good question, kiddo! I didn’t realize that French students were fed the same (or similar) lines that American students were about our history.

Other classes were less interested in Thanksgiving history and more interested in learning about food. We talked in detail about the dishes served for the Thanksgiving meal, what pies were most popular, and our own favorite foods. One student made sure to tell me she would want a blueberry pie at her meal.

Catherine took me out to lunch and bought me a meal from the boulangerie in Pont Chéruy. I had a toasted ham and cheese with a Coke and a raspberry cake. We took our food to eat by a nearby lake. It was good to chat and learn about her career in teaching. She’s been the head English teacher at MLK for 8 years and plans to request a transfer in 2 years to teach in one of the former French colonies. She was very excited to tell me that she planned to take me shopping on Saturday when the stores reopened.

I was finished with all my classes for the day, so I parked myself in the staff room to wait for Mme Bodet to pick me up. When she arrived around 3, we zipped through the countryside to the Villette d’Anthon to go for groceries. I learned that in the past the Villette was smaller than Anthon (my village of 1,000), however because of its proximity to Lyon it has quickly outpaced Anthon in growth. The population of the Villette is approaching 12,000! I was able to pick up everything I needed for the apartment. I got some cooking supplies, fresh fruit, ground beef (finally!), and some hair supplies.

For dinner Mme Bodet prepared a Thanksgiving meal! She invited my landlady and her husband Luc over to celebrate as well. We started with drinks in the living room before moving to the table to eat.

The first course included a wonderful cornbread and a cold corn, tomato, and beet salad.

The main course included turkey, sweet potatoes, candied pecans, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. I think this might have been the most traditional Thanksgiving meal I ever had! My family typically has mashed potatoes, baked beans, yams, corn, and baked ham.

For dessert there was a selection of sweet treats!

It was a great night and a great meal! I am so grateful for the kind and thoughtful people that I’ve met here. They’ve really made life so much easier.

Wednesday

My day of rest and recovery!

My challenge of the day centered on my remaining food. I had purchased food assuming I would be going to the market every Wednesday with Mme Bodet or my landlady. However, the night before, Mme Bodet informed me that would not be possible. She and her husband would be spending the day insulating their rental house across town and she would be unable to take me to town. I knew my landlady was in Lyon visiting her grandchildren for the day, so that option was also off the table. I eyed my rations and realized I would be having sleep for dinner that night.

To ameliorate the situation, I took a stroll down to the Tobac to see if they had anything I could turn into a meal. Luckily, I arrived before they had run out of bread! I bought a loaf and a jar of Nutella spread. It made for some good snacking.

I headed outside in the afternoon for a walk. I’m missing the phone calls I was able to have on my long walks this summer! I loved getting to chat with all of my friends as I explored nature. For now, I’m trying out some new podcasts. I always listen to The Daily, but I would love some suggestions if you have any! I love true crime, history, and politics podcasts.

I started out the walk by exploring near the Rhône. I discovered there’s a little beach you can walk down. It was a little chilly in the shade so I decided to put a pin in that adventure and come back to it on a better day.

On my way back up the hill, I was able to take a peek at the front of the house I’m living in. It’s absolutely huge!

My goal for the rest of the walk was to see if I could find the horse pasture visible from the road upon entering town. I made my way towards the edge of town and made it into some fields.

I didn’t end up finding the horses, but as I made my way home at the end of my hour I did meet a little friend!

We sat together on the side of the road for a while as I scratched his ears. He purred super loudly and tried to follow me back home as I got up to leave! I found out later that he belongs to my neighbor. I’m excited to see him again!

I spent the rest of my day reading and on the phone with different friends.

Tuesday

Today was my first day taking the bus out of Anthon. Though I started work at 9, the last bus for the morning was at 7:30. I hopped on and my students were thrilled to see me. I sat in the back so I could listen to The Daily podcast.

Luckily, I had brought my book along. When I arrived at the school I got an hour or so of morning reading in and enjoyed some vanilla coffees.

As you may recall, Tuesday is my most difficult day. I have three classes that are absolutely wild. The task for the day was to teach about Thanksgiving. None of the students had any idea what it was! I told them about the help that Native Americans gave the Pilgrims that allowed the first Thanksgiving to transpire, but I also told them about the Pilgrims’ disrespect for Native land. We covered different dishes that are popular at Thanksgiving tables and voted on the most popular. Mashed potatoes, turkey, and rolls were their favorites.

Today was a battle. I discovered several of my students don’t speak French because they had immigrated with their families. I was shocked that none of the teachers had thought to share this information with me and that the students had no helper there to translate for them! I’m not sure how I’m supposed to teach them English if we share no common languages.

I was also really frustrated because I had a student making a show of not wearing his mask. Every time I see him, his mask droops below his nose. It is clearly meant for an adult and has never been washed. As with my other students, I quietly tapped my nose to remind him to pull it up. However, unlike others, he was defiant. He took the mask off and waved it around at his friend. The class was ending so I asked him to stay after and write down his name for me. Writing down your name for a teacher is a pretty big deal here. If a teacher writes down your name, you can get a note sent home in your “passport.” I asked him why he was misbehaving and he claimed that he was just too excited to see me. I told him that I was not excited to come to class because he was being so rude to me. I explained that he needed to be a lot more polite next time if he wanted to return to my class. He apologized and I sent him on his way.

Finally, it was time to take the big bus ride back to Anthon. In the middle of the day, there are no buses that make the 15 minute trek to Anthon from Pont Chéruy. Instead, there is a 20 minute ride to Meyzieu (outside Lyon to the west) and a 25 minute ride back east to Anthon. I was thrilled to find the right buses, but was really annoyed because my bus card didn’t work in Meyzieu. I discovered it was outside of the zone that I had paid for with the card. I’ll need to figure out how to add a zone so I can take the bus home everyday!

For dinner, Mme Bodet served one of her mom’s recipes. It was a lamb stew with carrots and gravy over white rice. I really liked it. The dish reminded me of something my grandma Jean used to make.

Tomorrow is my day off! Very excited to get some rest before I go back to my students.

Monday

Today was one of those days where you wake up exhausted. I could feel the bags under my eyes. Naturally, I was running behind my usual pace. I heard a knock at the door at 8:30 and discovered Mme Bodet standing outside. She asked if I was ready to leave for school, the boys had to be there by 9. I had thought we were leaving at 9! Oof. I ran to grab my shoes and my bag (luckily I had packed it on Sunday) before hopping out the door.

We zipped through the countryside at that terrifying pace all European cars seem to have. A thick fog enveloped the rolling hills. The leaves of all the plants were crisp with frost. The temperature hovered around 30 degrees.

We piled out of the car and marched into school together. I went directly to the staff room while the boys found their friends. When the bell rang at 9, I marched confidently down the hall and found my class. I kept waiting for Corinne to arrive and to allow the students into the room, but she didn’t. I let them in and told them to sit down, only to have a male coworker approach me to ask if I was in the wrong classroom. He told me he teaches science at 9 in that room every Monday. I realized that in my morning haze, I thought it was 10am and that I had stolen another professor’s class! Whoops! Not my finest moment.

I apologized profusely and scurried down the hall to the staff room. It was empty, so I took the opportunity to try out the coffee machine. It allows you to choose a drink, your level of sugar, and your type of flavoring. I accidentally poured two straight espresso shots, but on my third try I was successful in getting a vanilla cappuccino (I did pour in my extra shots). I got to sit back and read the book I brought along! It was a great way to turn on my brain.

My book was on theme for the day. Both of Corinne’s 3ème classes were preparing for the oral exam on detective stories. They all have to be able to answer questions as detectives and witnesses at a crime scene. I took the opportunity to get a little creative. I had two students from each group come to the front of the room to act as detectives. Their job was to interrogate their classmates because they were all suspects in a murder investigation. By the end of the class, we would find the killer together. I had 4 groups at this level. Each had a different story. One said the victim Cathy Christophe was poisoned in her swimming pool by a jealous lover, another said that a Mr. V was killed by his boyfriend for money.

I thought it was interesting, both groups suggested that one of their classmates was in a homosexual relationship with the fictional victim of the crime. They all laughed at their classmate because they thought suggesting someone was gay was funny. I made sure to step in and confirm that we shouldn’t make fun of someone for being gay and that it is alright to be in a gay relationship. It felt strange seeing kids have the same conversations I saw in middle school, but instead I was able to step in and say something about homophobia.

I spent time with my two 6ème groups talking about Thanksgiving. These students are pretty young, so they really had no idea what it was. I had to explain the meaning of Native Americans and how they were different from the Pilgrims. I tried to explain that “Indian” is an outdated term for a Native person and I think they got it, so I was pretty proud! We talked about movie premiers on Thanksgiving and we watched the Frozen trailer (because it came out on Thanksgiving).

For lunch, one of the 3ème groups prepared a “Thanksgiving” meal. It was definitely a mix of the two cultures. We started with “carrot cake” that was more of a bread (but yummy). There was coleslaw, but I am not a fan. We had a small cheeseburger with a side of green beans. For dessert there was “pumpkin pie” that was more of a tarte with a custard dipping sauce. We finished with coffee. I sat with Christel, Corinne, another professor, and the two principals.

I ended the day with the Euro class. One group talked about the United Nations Sustainability Goals. I thought this was really hard for them and they didn’t seem very interested. However, they are preparing for a meeting with Italian students online where they will be talking about the goals in English. They second group is not as strong, so we talked about how to bake pumpkin pie. This was really hard for me because I hate cooking. I also have never been taught French baking vocabulary. A tough mix. We struggled through and one of my students offered to show me to the bus because we live in the same village. I hopped on my first bus ride with my card and headed home.

I had a few hours to chill before I went to the Bodet’s for dinner. I didn’t go Sunday night and when I climbed in the car this morning Mme Bodet made sure to ask me to dinner tonight. I guess I’m officially booked at 7:30pm, folks! We watched the news, had a glass of wine, and sat down at the dining room table. We had fried noodles with veggies and chicken. For dessert there was an apple crisp.

After dinner, Yanza told me that his class was taking a trip in March to Auschwitz. I was shocked! It’s so strange to hear someone, let alone an 8th grader, say that they would traveling to a concentration camp. This year the students are learning about WWII, so they’re taking a field trip there to gain a better level of comprehension. Daniel took some time to go over the basics of WWII with Yanza before he headed off to do some math homework.

I walked home to chat with friends and get ready for the morning.

Sunday

A day with absolutely no commitments. Not many times you can say that in life right? My law school applications are officially done! I feel a mix of relief and utter disbelief. All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed 🤞

I did nothing on Sunday. I lounged, I napped, I started watching Schitt’s Creek (it is a masterpiece), and took a walk around the block to the Tobac (a convenience store).

I don’t have any other content for this post, so I thought I’d take a moment to talk about my shower. French bathrooms tend to be a lot smaller than ours in the States. Showers usually lack any barrier to keep the water from spilling out into the room. People turn off the water while they soap up and do their shampoo/conditioner. I’ve seen some apartments keep a squeegee next to the shower so you can sweep the excess water back into the drain. This year, I’ll be living in luxury. I have a fourth wall on my shower! I won’t need to turn off the water.

Saturday

We love the weekend!

This morning Mme Bodet took me and her son into town to run some errands. In the car she tried to insist that he talk with me in English, but he is super stubborn about not talking at all. I totally understand. What 13 year old wants to sit and feel embarrassed in a foreign language? When we got to town he had his glasses adjusted and he headed off to sit in the car to listen to his music.

Mme Bodet marched me over to the bank and informed the teller that she had done some research and Americans are indeed allowed to use their social security number to open a French bank account. We dropped off all my paperwork and she told them to call her if they had any information or problems.

I was super excited because our next stop was the Charvieu farmer’s market. I was so surprised to see how big it was and the wonderful variety of foods that were available. Mme Bodet let me know that Charvieu has a really large population of north African immigrants, so many of the stalls offered unique spices and dishes.

The day has been uneventful otherwise. I got a fresh load of laundry back from my land lady. I know it’ll take three days to dry because the French refuse to use their dryers. Instead, I have a nifty drying rack and get to smell the scent of fresh clothes the rest of the evening.

I had already used my hour outside, so I was stuck in the apartment throughout the afternoon. I was able to finish my applications today though! I’ll finally have more time to write and read for myself.

I have dinner with the Bodets in a half an hour, but I’ll leave the post here for today! I hope everyone is doing well. If you’d like to talk, reach out and we can schedule a call!

Friday

I was really excited to get the day started because I finally had my appointment at the bank. My lovely neighbor, Mme Bodet, insisted on coming with me as my translator. Thank goodness she did! We arrived with all of my paperwork ready, only to discover that I would not be allowed to open an account. The bank manager insisted that I needed a NIF (numéro identifiant fiscale) to open an account. However, these numbers are only available to Europeans. I’m not sure if anyone is aware, but I am decidedly not European. We offered her my American social security number, but it was refused. This was really frustrating for me. I’ve really struggled to open a bank account here because they don’t want to deal with an American. I’d be okay with it, but I really want to get paid so I can eat!

Mme Bodet spent the car ride home on the phone with the headmasters of both schools, the rectorat of Grenoble (the organization that oversees all the schools in the region), and others to see if she could get something sorted out for me. It seemed to be to no avail.

I spent the day finishing up my applications and headed over for dinner. We had a shrimp, carrot, and pumpkin soup as a starter. The main course featured a shrimp pasta and a pasta baked with duck juice. All the dishes were amazing.

It was a bit of a disappointing day, so I just headed home to curl up and watch some movies. Disney+ has really stepped up their game!

Thursday

Mme Bodet and I hopped in the car Thursday morning to drive over to Charvieu. She brought a plate of coconut meringues for her friend, Mme Mille, who is the principal of the school. When we arrived the two of them sat down for some tea while I headed off to meet Catherine. She was very excited, because she had brought me a gift! She said that she felt bad my locker in the staff room was empty so she brought me some goodies to fill it with.

I worked with a 6ème (5/6th grade) group of Catherine’s that had better English comprehension skills than some of the 3ème (8th grade) at Pont-de-Chéruy. We got to talk about Michigan and the United States together.

At the morning break, I enjoyed a little apple by myself before walking into the staff room. Catherine caught my arm and told me that she had some big plans for us after quarantine. She is excited to show me castles in the area and to go on historical walks together. She also told me that she gave my number to her niece who studies hotel management and speaks English. I guess the girl really wants to practice and is excited to travel with me.

My second group was the usual 5ème group. It was a bit of a struggle with them because Catherine had asked me to talk about American sports. For those of you who know me… I’m not really a sporty individual. I stuck mostly to football. We talked about the Superbowl, the food we eat at Superbowl parties, the commercials, and the artists that preform. We watched some Doritos ads (they’re my favorite) and watched some of the Beyoncé/Bruno Mars halftime show together.

My final group of the day was with Mr. Addout. He had been gone for several weeks for health issues, so it was my first time working with the group. They seem to have a lower level in English, but I’m excited to work with the group. The teacher lived in Kansas for three years because his sister is a professor at the university! He told me that he’s teaching the kids about the history of race in America. They’re starting the unit with slavery, moving into the Civil Rights Movement, and coming to the Black Lives Matter movement. I was so surprised! The French never talk about race. In France, you are French before you are any other identity. The nation comes before the individual. I’m so excited to work on lessons like this with the kids, they are so so important.

I was able to head home early with Madame Bodet around 12:30 after signing my official paperwork saying that I had taken up my post. We zipped through the country together and chatted about family farms in the area. Apparently, there used to be quite a few and they’ve slowly been conglomerated. When we arrived back in Anthon, we parted ways so I could go work on essays. I agreed to come back for dinner at 7:30.

I returned to chez Bodet for dinner. I sat with Daniel and Mme Bodet to watch the news for a few minutes and we popped open a bottle of wine. They both really enjoy reds. The news talked about the decrease in COVID cases following the lockdown. There were interviews with several hospital workers that encouraged people to stay vigilant as the weather gets colder.

For dinner we had “raclettes.” Which included potatoes, duck meat, pork, chicken, beef, and assorted cheeses. Everyone had a little pan that they would fill with a mix of these items. I chopped up a potato, put duck meat on top (it’s my favorite thing to eat in France), and covered it with cheese. Then, everyone put their little pan into the raclette warmer, where it would cook everything. The cheese became melty and the meat became crispier. It was delicious. We repeated the process with a different mix of items until we finished everything on the table. Mme Bodet said it is meant for special occasions where there is a lot of time to sit and talk.

After dinner we sat and watched some of Inglorious Bastards together while we had some tea. I went home before I got pulled in and had to watch the whole thing.

I submitted a few more applications before having a wine night with one of my friends!