Mary-Est-En-France

Sunday

I slept in today. My goal was to work through rough drafts of my law school application materials.

I worked through a draft of my resumé, personal statement, and diversity statement.

Saturday

My first task for the day was to go to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Many of the restaurants here are closed because of COVID restrictions, so I’ve been cooking in the apartment every day. It was about a 20 minute walk, but it was really nice to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. The weather has been overcast this week, so I’ve been appreciative of blue skies.

The Carrefour was absolutely packed. It was challenging to navigate the aisles because so many people were there. I noticed that the French tend to leave their carts in the middle of walkways and just wander away. I did manage to pick up some meat, eggs, fresh bread, and soup supplies before heading out.

I spent the day cleaning up the apartment and making presentations for the students. I am presenting on Halloween, MLK day, 4th of July, and a few others.

I took a little break to go walk around town. I tried to find my way up to the local castle on the hill, but I kept getting turned around. Instead, I saw the remains of an old church and the old ramparts.

I got dinner on the stove as I watched election results. It was really thrilling to see that Biden was officially the winner of the race. My French coworkers kept texting me to say congratulations.

In the evening I had some video calls with family before I went to sleep.

Friday

Started the day late. Had to search around the neighborhood for a place to take out the trash. I never know what’s recycling here or what’s trash because all the boxes are different colors and have no labels. I think I managed to figure it out though, so yay!

I still had time left on my 1 hour out of the house so I decided to make the hike up to the old abbaye on the hill. It was a steep and slippery walk because the path was covered in old paving stones.

I was 100% out of breath when I reached the top of the hill (both from the view and the general out-of-shapeness). There were broken walls and winding paths all around me. I could see across the entire village and out into the surrounding countryside.

As my podcast ended and my attestation time ran up, I decided to head back down the hill. Definitely a little more dangerous as you’ve got gravity pushing you!

Thursday

I was nervous. This was my first day at the Collège Martin Luther King in Charvieu. This is a small village near Pont-de-Chèruy. I wasn’t sure if they knew I was coming because no one had responded to the email I had sent to them weeks before announcing the day I was arriving in France. Still, I thought I might as well go and they could send me to the Airbnb if they didn’t want me for the day.

I took the bus to Pont-de-Chèruy and walked about 20 minutes to Charvieu to avoid using the bus (asking about the price of a ticket and using change makes me super nervous). It was cool because I got to see their Hôtel de ville (their town hall) and I got a few miles on my step counter. I listened to the Daily and their analysis of the Bush v. Gore election on the way over, which was fascinating.

I arrived at the school, buzzed to be let in the gate, and asked where I could find Mr. Vittet (my first class of the day). I found him in the staff room and he was shocked to see me. No one had any clue I was coming! Yikes! He was very nervous because his classes for the day were rather rambunctious. The first group was 6ème (just starting English) and they were being sorted into Harry Potter houses. Their theme for the year was the House Cup! I thought it was super cute, took the quiz with them, and introduced myself. They did a grammar exercise on how to use “can” and “have to.” I helped the students around me fill in their sheet and helped them with some pronunciation.

The next class was too rowdy, so Vittet referred me to the office so I could get some paperwork done. I met the secretary (super super sweet, very patient with my French) and filled out an attestation to come to work. She and I chatted about the pandemic and she said how bad she felt for people in the US. She introduced me to the head secretary who gave me a tour of the building and explained the difference in the levels of the students. I finally understand the grading system!!

We met with my contact Madame Catherine as we got back to the office. She speaks with a cute British accent. We got a cubby set up and a mailbox for me. We grabbed her 3ème class from the morning break and the entire class was spent getting to know me and asking questions in English. Wow! They were having so much fun. There were a lot more students in these classes, almost 30 compared to the teens and low twenties at Pont-de-Chèruy.

Our second course was full of 6ème students. They were very cute. I showed them a map of the US, showed them Michigan. We spend the hour seeing pictures of my favorite places in Michigan and having them ask me questions about the state. They speak so quietly it was impossible to hear them.

Because the busses weren’t running again until the end of the school day, Catherine drove me back to Crémieu. She showed me the entrance to all the trails around town. We decided I’d come later in the day next week so I could eat lunch with the staff and have a ride back to Crémieu. I’m very excited to get to know everyone there!

Once again, I spent the night watching election results. I was happy to have some work to do though! I finished all my lessons for next week and sent them out for approval. All the teachers got back to me and loved them! I am feeling a lot better about this!

I have an apartment tour set up for Monday, I am going to get help with the bank account as well.

Wednesday

My first day off! My contract stipulates that I only teach Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I decided to use the day to apartment search and to get banking set up. Truly, easier said than done. Every bank I contacted refused me because I’m an American, or because I don’t have an apartment, or because I won’t be here a full year. Many refused to even set up an appointment with me. When I went to the Banque Postale down the street, I must have met the worst low-talker in France. Not only did she speak at a whisper, but she wore a thick mask and sat behind a face shield. I couldn’t hear her and she couldn’t understand me through my accent haha. She said they would email me about setting up an appointment for an account, but I’m still waiting. I plan to ask a french professor to come with me to open an account. Another big hurdle is that I have limited service on my phone because it is locked until the 21st. I can’t make phone calls after a certain point so I can’t sit on hold for long periods of time. I emailed one of the professors for help, so we’ll see!

I ended up staying up until 4am French time to watch the results with some friends. Obviously, Wednesday they remained unsettled. I felt overwhelmed and nervous. I thought about the consequences surrounding climate change, gay rights, and international relations with dread in my heart. I really felt that a Biden win was slipping away. I did consider if I was ready to start the asylum process in France haha. Other than my brief walk through town I just crocheted, worked on lesson planning, and wrote some drafts of law school essays throughout the day.

Crémieu is famous as a  Medieval village. There are ramparts, old churches, and castles throughout the town. I took a brief walk to explore, but as it began to rain a bit heavier I decided it was time to go home. I love the winding streets, the feeling of security I have here, and the wonderful cobblestone streets.

I had to laugh because Tuesday night I went to the Casino (a small chain convenience store) on the corner for wine and ice cream. As I was checking out, the clerk gave me a strange look. I had to explain that I was self-soothing because of election stress. She laughed and asked if I needed to grab another bottle of wine.

My second day at Collège Grand Champ started with some drama. I had asked a lot of questions about my move and getting started the day before, mentioning my concern that my contact professor was taking a leave of absence until January. I received a nasty email from her the night before which had also been sent to the entire department. I sent her an email to smooth things over and arrived at school feeling extremely anxious. Thankfully all the teachers I met the day before rallied around me. Corinne told me the email had left her shaking with rage, Christel said the contact had a pattern of starting problems with other staff members and let me know the principal was not fond of her.

I spent two hours with Viri’s classes. They were really energetic and it was a little overwhelming. Corinne took me to look at bank accounts and apartments online after class. I was a little frustrated she did it in French because I’m not sure I entirely understood, but it was very nice of her to take time to do. Before I left for the day we also got some paperwork started with the office so I could get paid.

I missed the bus that left directly from the school, so I walked about 12 minutes into town through a slight drizzle. I got to see some lovely flower and fountains while I waited for the bus.

I walked back to my apartment through Crémieu. I passed a monument to the soldiers of WWI, WWII, and those of the 1870-1871 war as I entered town.

I spent the night watching the US election and calling my friends and family. It was incredibly stressful. It felt incredibly isolating to be an ocean away from everything that was happening. No one in France would care about the election to the same extent and it was hard to be going through so much while I was alone. Some of the professors did send me emails in support of Biden. Corinne texted to say how happy she was when Michigan turned blue- I had to laugh because she hadn’t known where Michigan was before Monday.

November 2, 2020

This was my first day at the Pont-de-Chéruy middle school. I was pretty anxious. I had to figure out how to navigate a new bus system, find my way to the school, and hope that I would be able to effectively communicate. I was still missing my suitcase, so I had no professional clothes and had had to hand wash my mask from the day before in the bedroom sink. I filled out my attestation, made my way to the station, and was allowed on the bus for free.

I arrived an hour before class and was greeted at the door by a member of the staff who was excited to practice her English. They had been uncertain I would arrive because of recently tightened COVID restrictions in France. I was introduced to the office staff, the principal and vice principal, and finally the rest of the English staff (Corinne, Viri, and Christel). We gathered in a little huddle and worked together to devise a schedule for the day, writing it down on a sheet of tiny paper.

I spent the first two hours of the day with Corinne and her 3ème classes. These students would be the equivalent of 8th graders in the US. They would have had roughly 2-3 years of English classroom experience. I was impressed. They were really excited and engaged. I was shocked throughout the day at the excited my presence elicited from them. Kids waited to talk with me individually after classes, one girl looked for me in the hallway to give me an elbow bump, and others waited to tell me how beautiful I was.

There was a 20 minute morning break which surprised me. All the kids went outside and all the teachers went into the staff room for a coffee. Corinne was super sweet and bought me one. I met the Italian professor and we exchanged phone numbers. She was excited to practice English and offered to travel through Italy with me when confinement ends!

At noon, we went to lunch. I ate with Christel in the cantine (lunchroom). We had loaded up a little card with meals for me earlier in the day. Everyone received a fruit, a piece of cheese, a main plate with meat and veggies, bread, and a choice of dessert. I was surprised to learn everything was made fresh in the school each day from local ingredients.

We ate quickly so that we could make it to the environmental club she hosted during the lunch break. The students worked on clearing a small garden and taking compost to new boxes located behind the school.

After lunch I worked an hour with Corinne’s 6ème students. Though they were less advanced (they are the equivalent of 6th graders and it is their first year of language) they were much more enthusiastic than the older students.

I ended the day with two 3ème classes with Christel. These were the “euro” classes. They are considered the most advanced in the school. They were learning about the British monarchy in English. At the end of class we had a few minutes to talk and get introduced. They asked about the US election. All of them thought Trump would win, but thought it was a bad thing. Their parents said it wouldn’t be safe to come to the US anymore.

After classes I got to pick up my suitcase, which had arrived during the day. What a relief!!! Christel introduced me to another teacher who lives in Crémieu, where I’m staying, and she gave me a ride home in her car. She offered to help me look for an apartment and to lend me some books, which was awesome!

I was exhausted from all the French and wanted some comfort when I got back to the Airbnb. I made some Kraft mac and cheese and boiled some potatoes for later in the week.

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.

Grenoble

I was up and out of the house around 9:30 to meet other students at Pain et Cie for breakfast and homework. The sky was grey, there was a breeze, and rain was falling lightly. I ordered a hot chocolate that came in a bowl and finished my bookwork for the semester while I chatted with some classmates. I was amazed because Eva made our professor Cathy a card in watercolors while we sat there! It was gorgeous. We ended up staying to have an early lunch. I shared some eggplant tartines with Ruby. It was so tasty! I didn’t know that I would actually like eggplants.

When everyone had finished their snacks we moved across the square to French Coffee Shop where we could continue to work in peace. We passed the little market by my house in full-swing for Sunday. I got a latte and a small cinnamon roll.

Ruby and I decided that we wanted to take advantage of the rainy day, so we headed over to the Grenoble art museum we had visited with the art visual class. We started off with a visit to the modern art exhibit. I found the entire thing to be creepy and disturbing. I felt almost sick to my stomach during some parts. One piece included five black and white photos of a naked man hung upside down by his feet. Another was a sculpture that resembled a person from one side and a sick cancer on the other. One room was painted entirely black and had a flashing lightbulb at the center, the room pulsed as the bulb flashed. Before the exit, one had to pass through a dark hallway and room full of fog from a smoke machine.

We left the exhibit for those we actually enjoyed. There were Monet paintings, Matisse, and other impressionist works. I enjoyed more historical portraits and sculptures.

When we were finished with the museum we returned to the center of the city for a walk. I enjoyed our conversation about politics before she left to catch the bus home.

I returned to my own house to wait for dinner and do some work. I was thrilled because that night we had duck, potatoes, and yellow beans of some type. I was so so good! I thought it was really adorable, I had mentioned a couple weeks ago that I like duck and my host parents turned to me and then each other saying “she likes duck.” They were really excited to cook it for me because it is one of their favorites. I thought Gilbert did a great job cooking it. They told me that they had gone out for the day because it was so easy to fall asleep on rainy days and they didn’t want to waste the beautiful weather.

Over dinner we talked about my trip to Italy. They warned me about the counterfeiters there and said that it was good we plan on staying in hostels because you get to see more of the area. They asked if there were any recipes I liked or would want them to make before I leave and I told them I loved everything they made here.

Grenoble

I slept in Saturday morning after a late night out, but ended up having to rush down the street for a cooking class with other UM students. I was happy because Joyce and Clarissa were there with me. The class covered how to make lemon tartes, lemon frosting, and chocolate mini-cakes. We had to write down the recipe that the bakery’s owner recited for us in French, then we got to work as a team to make the items. It was interesting that the ingredients were measured using a scale, not a measuring cup. At the end we were able to enjoy our treats together around the table.

The class finished around noon, so Joyce, Clarissa, and I decided to head out for Thai for lunch. It was delicious! I got pad thai with shrimp inside it. We wanted to sit outside, but the weather restricted us. It was great to sit and talk with them about our experiences in college for an hour or so.

When we parted ways, I headed home and got started on my homework. My goal was to be done with all of my small assignments before the week started so I could focus on my paper and spending time with Gilbert and Janine. I managed to get a few things done before Jillian came over to plan for our trip to Italy. I’m really excited to go, but dang, my wallet hurts! We’ll be staying in hostels in Venice, Florence, and Rome before flying home on the 9th.

Jillian headed home so she could get ready for dinner and I sat down to eat with my host family. We had pizza for the first time because the temperature had fallen so far. This was the first day that we were able to wear jeans in Grenoble for the entire summer. The pizza was filling and satisfying.

Despite the relatively heavy rain that was falling, I decided to ask the group to go out for the night. I couldn’t stand staying home on my last weekend here! Clarissa, Jillian, Tara, Joyce, Brenna, and Sajini were all willing to brave the storm. I’m so happy they did! We drank wine together and danced at Tord Boyeaux before heading over to Barbarousse where we were able to dance to some American classics. We didn’t take advantage of the saucisson deal, but we did enjoy some blueberry wine and a vodka flamingo. I had such a great time with them! I’m so glad that we were able to meet and spend time together. They’re all so kind.