This was going to be one of my busiest days in a while and I was so excited!
I started off my morning with a brisk walk around the village. I got to listen to the news and all my favorite podcasts. I stopped by the little store to pick up wine, cheese, and tomato sauce for pizza. I was also able to send off some postcards!
My first task of the day was to record some video interviews for a law school I’m waitlisted at. I got all dressed up in my little plaid blazer and recorded for about an hour. Finally! All the tasks complete for that school. All we can do is wait with our fingers crossed now.
I made lunch before logging onto the main event of the day- Admitted Students Day at my leading school. I was so excited to meet people that I might be going to class with and to learn more about the school. I got to attend a mock class on a court decision relating to trade secrets. It was so fun to run through hypotheticals! There was a panel in the afternoon with 3L students, a trivia game where we were placed in teams, and a session just for questions with current students. It was an exciting day! I loved getting time to think about something that I am excited to do.
The calls ended at midnight and I was pretty exhausted afterward. I went immediately to bed so I could be up early for my trip to Lyon the next day.
Catherine A picked me up in her sporty little car and immediately began telling me about the outbreak of COVID threatening Charvieu. She was so blasé about the entire thing, not seeming to register that there was a deadly disease stalking the halls of her school. Mme Mille (the principal), the head secretary, a math teacher, everyone who ate lunch next to the math teacher, and many students were all either infected or contact cases.
We arrived at the school to find a crowd of teachers huddled around the table. They were all wondering allowed who among them should be considered a contact case and get tested. They argued that because they weren’t sitting directly beside the man who had the British variant they shouldn’t. Um… are they not aware that it has been suggested this variant is 56% more contagious than the original variant? I wanted to run out of the room, I felt so gross knowing that there’s going to be at least one of them that is sick and that they were just standing there doing nothing about it. You can get tests now anywhere in France. It’s not hard, you don’t even need an appointment. You just show up to the pharmacy and get one.
I relaxed in my empty classroom during my canceled first session. My second class was with Noury. We discussed Detroit and I showed them a bit of history before I gave them my Detroit sales pitch. I always feel so much better about myself after his class because he compliments my lessons and tells me what a great job I’m doing. It is so nice!
My next class was Catherine’s 5eme. They’ve been proving troublesome in the past few weeks as well. She pops in and once in a while to check on them. They’re no longer allowed to sit with their friends, instead every student sits at a desk by themselves. I have to mark at red or a green dot beside each student’s picture at the end of the day to indicate their behavior. Honestly, a pretty good system. The best one I have experienced.
My last group of the day was the 6eme. They are always a treat. We talked about national parks again. They loved hearing about all the animals that live in each park. They were shocked to learn that wolverines are an animal.
That evening, I ate with the Bodet family. Before dinner, Daniel made us all rum beverages. They were delicious and refreshing. We had colorful pasta, roasted carrots, and fried meat of some type for dinner. I thought it was a perfect meal. Now I want to buy some fresh carrots for myself this week. After dinner we sat and watched the news together.
When I went home, I got to have a call with one of my friends. It was a nice way to round out the week.
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.
I got up and caught the 7:20 bus. It was absolutely freezing outside. Goodbye, beautiful weather! I arrived and got my classroom all set up. I sat and had my two coffees so I could emotionally prepare for the emotional tension of the day. I knew the Viri would not be nice to me. She can be so so stubborn and petulant. Her behavior really contributes to the toxic work environment that I’m experiencing here. It makes me miss the offices that I worked for in college. Both of my bosses were wonderful and communicative, there were clear steps for resolving workplace conflict. What a dream!
My first class of the day was super chatty. One girl argued with me about wearing a mask, so I made sure to write down her name for Viri. We were able to talk about buffalos and geysers together. The next group wasn’t as bad, but it was still a hassle to be heard. I felt absolutely exhausted. Viri told me in the hall that I would be taking the room directly next to hers for the third group. I agreed, but was frustrated because I knew that meant I would not have internet for the first half of the session.
Sure enough, the internet was not loading my slides. The kids were being insane and I could not get them to calm down. Suddenly, Viri walked into the room and declared she would be watching the lesson today. The children were SILENT. They responded when called on, the spoke in English, they participated. I have NEVER seen them behave that well. It was shocking. Viri left the room, apparently having seen enough. I asked the students why they behaved so well with her in the room and never that well for me. None of them had an answer.
After class, Mme Kiel (the vice principal) came in to talk to me. She asked how things went and wanted to make sure they were better. I explained that the students seemed to scared to participate when it was just us alone now. They were quiet, but they refused to speak for me when Viri was not in the room. She offered to have me teach the full class with Viri, but I explained that her teaching style put my nerves on end and I would not be able to do that. Kiel explained that I needed to just give the kids another chance, they’re babies after all and we’re approaching lunch time.
Thankfully, Mme Bodet picked me up that day. I am fully confident that I would have been crying on the bus if she hadn’t. I felt absolutely crappy. I couldn’t believe that after all the drama of the past few weeks, the stress, the meetings that nothing had changed for the better. In fact, I feel that my position in worse now. Viri refuses to talk to me and makes it hard to be in the break room with the other teachers. Going to work next week will be rough.
At home, I had to rush to make something to eat before my call at 2pm. I was attending a class at a law school that I’m considering. It ended up being really interesting. We talked about laws regarding milk and what qualifies as a protectionist market. I’m getting really excited for law school! The idea of getting involved academically again makes me really happy. I can’t wait to figure out where I’m going and to start planning my life for the coming year.
Tuesday night I got to have a call with some of my close friends which made me feel a lot better about everything that is going on.
I got to school early with the 7:20 bus and was feeling really hopeful. I had a meeting set up at 8am with the vice principal to find a solution for the naughty class on Tuesday. When the time came, I met her in her little office. We spoke in French and I described the class’ behavior and their antics. I told Mme Kiel that I did not think I could continue with the class because their behavior was so bad. I made sure to mention that I talked with the teacher each week about the problems that I was having and nothing changed. She told me that it was unacceptable for the children to treat me like that and that she would have me removed from the class by tomorrow. Mme Kiel also promised that she would be the one to talk to Viri so I didn’t need to worry about her reaction. I was so grateful. I felt like there was finally a chance for change.
My first two classes of the day worked on St. Patrick’s day. They actually don’t celebrate it in France. I thought it was really funny because they were very concerned that this is not a “jour ferié” or “paid holiday” in the United States. I showed them pictures of the green river in Chicago and they asked if they could swim in it. Gross!
When it came time for lunch, I realized that I forgot my lunch card. I couldn’t eat at the cantine and was really hungry, so I walked the 20 minutes into town so I could get lunch at my favorite bakery. I got a heated up sandwich, a caramel éclair, and a Coke. I ate beside the river for a while until a bunch of teens came by and started smoking pot nearby. I decided to make my way back so I could chill out in my classroom and watch Youtube.
My spot on the river
The main parking lot in town
All the trees around me are flowering
I presented national parks to my 4ème and my 6ème groups. They both loved the pictures and were shocked to find out how big bison are. I’m getting a bit concerned for their level of education in science. They keep asking me how volcanos work and how earthquakes happen. These kids are late in their middle school career and I remember doing work on these subjects in 6th grade.
At the break, I did my best to avoid the staffroom. Things have been uncomfortable for me in there because the other English teachers are unhappy with me for sticking up for myself. Instead, I wandered the halls and looked at posters on the evolution of women’s rights in the western world. The English teacher has clearly gone through and marked up all the mistakes. I don’t know about you, but I would be super embarrassed to have my marked up poster up in the hall for everyone to see the mistakes that I made. Sometimes the French are brutal.
I loved the style on this one
By the end of the day, I still hadn’t heard anything from Viri about switching the classes. Christel hadn’t heard anything either. I decided to email Mme Kiel when I got home to see what was happening. My last class of the day was quick. I presented on Detroit. The kids were in too much of a flutter about their posters in the hall to really care, but that’s okay.
When it was time to leave, I followed one of my neighbors to the bus. He suddenly disappeared, so I assumed he was on it. I got on the bus and found a seat. I looked up and realized that the bus was making an abnormal turn. Thinking at first there was just construction, I didn’t get off. After a few minutes, I realized I had gotten on the wrong bus! Thankfully, Mme Bodet (my neighbor across the street) was willing to come get me. I waited for her outside the library in Villette d’Anthon.
That night I ate dinner with the Bodet family. We had some leftover dishes from the previous week and some wine. It was a tense dinner because it seems like Janja is continuing to do poorly on tests. I did my best to get out of there as soon as possible so they could have their private family time.
When I got home I saw that Mme Kiel responded to my email asking for an update about Tuesday courses. She told me that she spoke with Viri (the Tuesday teacher) and decided that I would stay with the class permanently and that it was too much of a struggle to change. She promised that she would speak with them and see about changing my room so it was closer to Viri’s. I felt absolutely hopeless.
I started my day with a hot cup of coffee and a bit of work. I got caught up on some work for law school applications and got everything I needed to sent out.
In the afternoon, I didn’t have much to do so I headed out for a run. It was a beautiful day outside and I took the long route through the countryside. On my way back, I enjoyed the wonderful view of the village.
And I had to stop and take a peek at the river as well.
After I made my little pizza for dinner, I spent some time preparing my lessons for the next day. I would be teaching about St. Patrick’s Day, the national parks, and Detroit. I also needed to prepare for my meeting early the next morning with the vice principal at Pont-Chéruy. We were going to discuss my most difficult class on Tuesday. I hopped that she would be willing to let me change classes that hour. I felt very anxious about it.
A beautiful weekend day! I met up with Mme Bodet around 10. We dropped Janja off at rugby practice before heading to get groceries. We went to Intermarché in the Villette d’Anthon. The store was absolutely hopping. Something that makes me feel so weird in France is the different conception of personal space. Americans have an absolutely huge bubble of personal space. The French however, are willing to get much more up close and personal. I felt like everywhere I went there was someone rubbing elbows with me. We finally escaped the store and I was able to go home and put away my foodstuffs.
I spent my afternoon relaxing. I wrote letters to my friends, I read for a bit, and I watched some really bad movies from the early 2000s. By the end of the day I was able to finish my second blanket.
I went over to the Bodet house for dinner. There’s been a bit of drama lately, as it seems uncertain Janja will pass his classes and move onto high school. He tried to say that it was my fault that he doesn’t practice English, but Mme Bodet cut him off and told him it was his fault for never speaking to me even though I’m around all the time. I felt a bit awkward, so I headed home after dinner.
When I went home I got to talk to both my mom and my cousin for a bit. It was nice to hear from both of them.
Started my day off early with some letters to friends and family. I packed a little bag and headed off to the bus stop- I was on my way to Lyon for the day. At 2:30 I had scheduled a haircut. I was super scared to get a haircut in France! It seems like every 20-something man had the same haircut and it just screams “I’m an asshole.” It’s long on top and shaved almost completely on the sides, it is incredibly rare that it actually looks good on anyone. I’ve been getting men’s haircuts in the states, but I was really worried about doing it here.
I had about an hour or so to spare before I need to be at the salon, so I took my time wandering there. I grabbed sushi and ate in a park next to a church.
Chapelle Sainte Croix. A Byzantine style church in the 6th arrondissement. It was constructed in the memory of the victims of the 1793 siege against Lyon during the French Revolution. There are monuments inside dedicated to the victims.
Side view of Chapelle Sainte Croix
View upon entry
Monument to the victims
The alter. There is a small door to the right where you could tell there was a Mass taking place.
Wing to the right of the alter featuring Jesus and the confession booths
I encountered some beautiful flowers on my way to the salon.
Finally, it was time for my appointment. The man I spoke to on the phone greeted me when he arrived (I was a bit early). I learned that he had lived in London in the 80s. He enjoyed the rock music scene there and laughed recalling how he thought the city was expensive then and couldn’t imagine living there now. It was super easy to communicate what I wanted and to make adjustments along the way. We chatted about why I came to France and where I was teaching. I told him that I lived in Pont-Chéruy and he told me that he thought it was a disgusting town. When I asked why, he said thought that because the town was full of Turks. Yikes. Just another explain of casual racism from the French. At the end of the appointment, he charged me the student rate (which is about half of the normal one).
The entire salon was 60s/70s themed. There were old rock groups on the wall and English rock music was playing. Though I could tell most of the customers spoke French, they were catering towards the English loving crowd.
It had been my goal to do a bit of shopping before I went back for the day. I was meeting my neighbor, Catherine J, around 5 because she had an appointment in the city and agreed to take me home. I didn’t have much time in reality, so I went in the direction of where we were meeting.
The “hôtel de ville” for the 6th arrondissement.
Paroisse du Saint-Nom-de-Jésus. Opened in 1863 to service Dominican Catholics. It apparently houses the most beautiful organs of Lyon.
You almost never seen red brick in France. I took a moment to savor the sight. I love some good red brick work.
Grand Temple of Lyon. A Protestant church on the riverbank.
Jardin de Charles Delestraint. He was an organizer of the Resistance army during WWII and was killed in the process of deportation to Germany.
Préféture du Rhône
Hôtel Dieu de Lyon. A former army hospital.
Chapelle de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon
The space on the left has not been restored after years of exposure to smoke from candles. The space on the right has been.
Clocher de Hôpital de la Charité de Lyon. There used to be a charity hospital for children here. However, it became destitute and was torn down. Only the bell tower (seen here) remains.
Beautiful flower sculpture
Catherine J picked me up from the clock tower after her appointment. It was about an hour and a half ride home in the rush hour traffic. I felt absolutely exhausted after several hours in the wind and cold (definitely did not wear the right coat for this outing). It was difficult to keep up a conversation in French, let alone the ones she kept choosing. Catherine seems really focused on my dating life here. She asked me why I don’t date French boys. I told her I just don’t find the way they dress attractive. Most of the guys here wear joggers, huge sneakers, and hoodies everywhere they go. Just not my style- not a big deal. However, Catherine thought it was and that I was being too choosy. She insisted I be more lenient with men because surely I liked to wear cozy clothes around the house 🤦🏼♀️ Next, she wanted to know what food I planned to make for dinner. I said pasta because it was all that could come to mind. She inquired about sauces and cheeses I would put on it and I said I didn’t know. She wanted to know what French cheeses I liked and of course I couldn’t list any. She went one by one to see what I said and launched into a lecture on the ethics of goat cheese farming. Finally, she said that I shouldn’t ever order food from take-out places because it was full of chemicals. When I tried to explain that I don’t like to cook and sometimes I am just too mentally exhausted to even crack an egg, she INSISTED I come over whenever I needed to eat. Very kind, but missing the point that if I’m eating out I do not have the strength to talk in French. OOF what a car ride! It felt like an uphill battle all the way through the conversation- nothing I said could be right.
When we arrived home I passed out and napped for a few hours. After a good rest I felt ready to make some food for the evening. I put on some crappy movies and enjoyed a glass of wine while I revised some letters of continued interest for law school.
Picture of my snazzy new hair. Forgive my super rusty mirror.
A whirlwind of a day. I met Catherine at Place des Platanes around 8. I had already made up my mind to tell her what was going on in my other school, so I did. She agreed that something needed to be done, so when we got to school she set up an appointment for me with the principal for later that morning.
I was presenting on the national parks with all of my classes and was pretty excited to show them the cool pictures I selected. Surprisingly, they really struggled with the concept of national parks. They kept comparing them to the “parc tête d’or” in Lyon, which is one of the largest municipal parks in France. They simply could not conceptualize how much larger the United States were compared to France. I continuously had to remind them that Texas is the size of France and that there are 49 other states outside of Texas. Either way, they absolutely loved the pictures. I showed them videos of bison and Old Faithful in Yellowstone, we looked at pictures of the Death Valley Pupfish, and we looked at pictures of grizzly bears eating salmon in Alaska. It made me miss adventuring with my friends at home! I can’t wait to get out there and camp this summer!
At the morning break, I escaped to talk to Mme Mille (the principal in Charvieu). She loves speaking English because she spent five years in the states so it was easy to communicate with her what was going on. After I let her know everything, she called up Mme Kiel (the Pont-Chéruy principal) and let her know what was happening. We set up and appointment with her for Monday at 8am. It made me feel better to be listened to about the predicament that I am in. I hope that things can be resolved on Monday.
After my classes, Catherine took me back to Anthon. I was making my lunch when I got a text from my neighbor, Catherine J. She invited me out on a walk in about an hour. I wanted to go because I needed the exercise anyway, but I asked for a bit more time so I could eat and be relaxed.
Check out that river!
We met up around 3pm for our walk. She showed me an awesome path beside the river that I plan to take in the future. Her little doggo Frimousse came along with us. She darted ahead of us for most of the trip. When we came across an adorable little beach, my neighbor let me know that it was the perfect spot to come with a boyfriend for some privacy. (So awkward!) She proceeded to question me as to whether or not I thought French boys were cute and why I wasn’t dating in France. I tried to explain that dating in a foreign language really didn’t appeal to me, especially with the GLOBAL PANDEMIC! She thought I was just being funny and laughed me off. We continued on our way at an incredibly brisk pace. We went for four miles and I was completely out of breath by the time we got home.
Puppy enjoying the little beach on the Rhône
My French social battery sufficiently exhausted, I settled in for some crochet and phone calls with friends back home. I got to hear from folks in my hometown and my friend from up north. It was a great way to lean back and start the weekend.
A day without kids! Woo! I had a bit of a lazy day because I felt so stressed about everything that was going on at work. I felt really wracked over what I should do about my most difficult class. I asked Christel for advice and she offered no solutions. When I told Viri how bad the kids were once again, she seemed to side with them. She told me, “Oh, well the kids said the class was really good yesterday. I suppose I can talk to them.” I knew that she would be no help. I decided I would approach the principal of my Thursday school the next day and ask for advice.
I had a few calls lined up for the day. One was with a current student at a law school I was accepted to and am considering. I’m really concerned about building community wherever I go, especially if I’m moving out of state so that was what much of the conversation focused on. It was really interesting because he also went to UM and has family in the Shiawassee county area! It was very comforting to learn more about the law school experience from someone currently going through it. Definitely made me feel more comfortable with the idea of attending that school.
I made some pizza for a late lunch and then headed out for a short walk around the neighborhood. I’m loving all the flowers and birds that are out now!
When I came back from my walk I got to talk to my good friend Riley. It is always so fun to catch up!
I relaxed the rest of the evening and got ready for classes the next day. I made a presentation about the National Parks in America, so I was excited to share it. I enjoyed a glass of wine while I watched some comedy shows.
Mary-Est-En-France 