We started the last day of our adventure slowly. Luckily, we were approved for a late check out. The host allowed us to leave our backpacks in the apartment while we walked around town. After cleaning up and taking out the trash, we headed in the direction of the boulangeries we saw the day before. Church bells tolled and it seemed that everyone was streaming in and out of Mass. On our way down the street, we noticed that the Chapelle des Pénitents Gris was open! It was necessary to stop and peek inside. The interior was much bigger than the tiny front door hinted. There was a long hallway that led to a small entry room. The room branched off in two directions- one that led to the priests’ quarters and another that led to the main body of the church. There was an alter room, a room full of pews, and another that contained a smaller room for prayer. We did not enter the room of pews because a sign indicated that Mass would be starting in a few minutes.
The long hallway that leads to the entry room.
Decoration on the ceiling of the entry room. It depicts two hooded penitents praying in front of a crucifix.
The main body of the church and the small prayer room beyond. The alter sits to the right.
A life size crucifix hanging on the wall of the hallway.
We left the church and bought our breakfast at the same boulangerie as the day before. After eating, we wandered aimlessly through the city. We went toward the Hôtel de Ville and discovered a wall decorated in murals. Each window is a scene from a famous movie.
The beautiful Hôtel de Ville.
We continued walking in the direction of the Papal Palace.
The Banque de France.
When we’d taken our last look at the Papal Palace, we decided to head down to the main street to explore the shops.
Beautiful building downtown.
I loved this door knocker!
The museum where I’d eaten my pizza on Friday
We were hungry for some lunch by this time, so we perused the restaurants. I was thrilled when we found a sushi place that had reasonable prices! I decided that’s what I’d get for lunch and some of the others joined me. We took our snacks and made our way back to the park we’d discovered earlier.
The front door of the Église Reformée Évangélique. We went inside for a moment, but realized the service was about to start.
My lunch! I thought the soy sauce bottles were so cute.
The Église Reformée Évangélique. The church is behind the Tourism Office. We ate our lunch where the person sits to the left of the picture.
The ruins of an ancient church below the Église Reformée Évangélique.
Statue in the little park
A memorial to the victims of the Rwandan genocide.
When everyone finished eating, we wandered back to the Airbnb to grab our things.
I’m not sure what this was, there were no signs to indicate.
Looks very Roman!
We grabbed our things and headed out to the station.
A final goodbye to our little street!
The Avignon train station.
A station we passed on the way home.
We rode the train back until the others got off at Valence. I rode the rest of the way to Lyon, grabbed the tram to Meyzieu, and was picked up by Mme Bodet at the bus stop. I got back to my place around 6pm. It was disappointing to have to go back to reality. Monday I would be teaching the 3ème about sexual harassment, the 6ème about folk tales, and the 4ème about music styles. The various lessons felt completely overwhelming. I did my best to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening, telling myself that I only had a few days left until vacation really started.
We had a slow start in the morning. Our first item on the agenda was some breakfast. We decided that croissants and coffees sounded good and set out to find some. There was a steady drizzle throughout the morning. Within minutes we felt chilled. We set a brisk pace for the boulangerie Maps suggested, making our way through the fashionable shopping district.
La Mule du Pape. Anyone want some Pope slippers?
Breakfast curtesy of TrOpézienne
We located our breakfast croissants and walked around the corner to a café. They sold hot drinks à emporter (to take away). For 2 euros I got an amazing cappuccino. The shop was particularly cute because huge stuffed teddy bears sat at each table with their own empty coffee cups. A nice social distancing measure! The shop manager was an adorable little French grandma. We took our breakfast and ate on the steps of Église Saint-Agricol, where I had stepped in on Mass the night before. Our next goal was to see the Papal Palace. I’d gotten a pretty good chance to walk around on Friday, so I steered us in the general direction. On our way, we noticed that the doors to the Basilique Saint-Pierre were open. We decided to head inside.
The church was divided into two major parts. There was a small hallway and little alcoves upon immediate entry. To the right, there is the central body of the church. You can see the alter and the pews in the center lane.
The end of the hall upon immediate entry.
Alcove featuring wonderful paintings and designs.
A hand stitched tapestry.
Mary Magdalene a skull and an overturned vase sit at her feet. The statue stands across from one of the Virgin Mary.
View of the corridor upon immediate entry. There are three alcoves on this side.
The wonderful central alter. When we first arrived inside, there was a priest giving the blessing. We wandered around a bit while he spoke. Once everything was finished, he removed the ropes and let us over to see everything.
View of the back of the church as we walked away towards the Synagogue.
We exited the church and noticed the Synagogue sitting across the plaza. We moseyed over to read the plaque in front.
View of the Avignon Synagogue.
Feeling hungry and damp, we walked in the direction of Les Halles. Inside, we discovered an absolutely huge market. I don’t know if I’ve ever that much fresh food in my life. There were stalls devoted to beautiful little pastries, fresh seafood, butchered meats, colorful spices, and more. It was a sensory delight.
Au Panier des Halles, a vegetable stand. Everything here was so colorful!
A stand that sold different salts and spices. You could get oils infused with different herbs.
Fresh seafood!
Selection of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We stopped at a wine stand that usually sells just to restaurants. Since the pandemic, they have been selling their bottles at the market. The wine seller noticed our accents and started speaking to me in English. She told me she used to sell in New York! When the others joined the conversation, she moved back to French and told us about the quality of each year and the different prices of each bottle.
After buying the supplies for our dinner, we headed back to the Airbnb to drop them off and get some rest. We enjoyed the chance to get out of the rain for a few minutes and to rest our feet. When we’d all sufficiently warmed up, we ventured back out. This time, we went directly to the Papal Palace. I led everyone down the same little street I took the day before, so they could see the Palace peek through the rooftops.
Venturing toward the Papal Palace’s plaza. Look how the palace is set directly into the cliff!
Just hanging out, being a tourist! Don’t worry, just took off my mask for the picture. The place was deserted because of the rain.
As we finished enjoying the plaza and the sweeping views of the Papal Palace, we made our way up to the Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon. I was excited to spend some more time looking at the detailing inside the cathedral.
Inside Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon, to the left of the alter. There is a little chair for the presiding priest and above it there is an organ.
I noticed that the ceiling was completely white washed except for this small band of paint inside the semi-circle. I wonder if the rest of the ceiling used to be painted like this? It made me think of how Roman statues were once decorated in vibrant paint, but have become white washed in our collective consciousness because we discovered them bare.
The main door of the cathedral. Notice that wardrobe looking thing? That’s the entry way!
Paintings of angels near the entry way.
Are these knights, religious figures, kings? I wish I was an art historian!
Back out into the rain we went! We walked toward the left end of the plaza, up and into a garden area. There, we encountered a group of English speakers. One of the members of our group plucked up the courage to start a conversation with them. It turns out that one girl was from Georgia and one was from Pennsylvania. They were both au pairs for the year. We all were in Avignon because we believed there would be another confinement within the week. Everyone wanted to see a bit of France before we were stuck in our own houses again. We said goodbye and took a glance over the town from the scenic overlook. It was breathtaking.
Marianne mourns fallen soldiers.
Paul V.
Tourist checking out the view.
There’s another castle across the river! Wish that I could’ve seen it up close!
Our next stop was the Saint-Bénézet Bridge. There was a bit less traffic, so we were able to get a better look at it Saturday than I was able to on Friday. We crossed the street to get a better view after we went in the opposite direction to see the church of the black penitents.
The Chapel of the Black Penitents. There’s still Mass here every week! Founded in 1586. The Brotherhood was devoted to helped prisoners sentenced to death. It was enlarged in the 17th century and the facade was decorated in the 18th. The carving at the top of the church depicts the Glory of the Decollation of Saint John the Baptist carried by angels.
Doing my best to hold up what’s left of the bridge!
Clear view of the broken bridge. The water level was high underneath and moving fast!
By that time it was nearing curfew. Every member of our group was exhausted. We realized almost simultaneously that we forgot to eat lunch. On our way back, we stopped to get a few last ingredients for our dinner that evening and some snacks to eat while we cooked.
Delicious home cooked meal!
That night we had a delicious French onion soup with a side of roasted vegetables. We enjoyed a red and a white Chateauneuf-du-Pâpe, the region specialty that we splurged on. When we finished eating, we got out cards and played until everyone was tired. It was a great day.
I was nervous all week long about Friday. I was excited to be traveling to Avignon, but felt a little concerned about meeting the other assistants. My anxious brain wondered if we would get along, if we would travel well together, and if they would want to see the same things as me. I stifled the nervous energy and left my house to start my trek across the country around 8:15 that morning.
I took the 1980 bus to Meyzieu, hopped on the ZI Tram to Lyon, and had about 30 minutes to wander about the train station before my train was assigned a platform. I have never had to locate a train platform on my own before, so I asked one of the orange-clad conductors to explain the system to me. He was really sweet and helped me out immediately. I forgot to bring a book with me on the trip, so I used my spare time to pick one up in the station’s bookstore. I grabbed two pain au chocolat before heading to the platform.
Walking up to the train platform in Gare Lyon Part-Dieu. Love the tiling.
The TGV pulled up in just a few minutes and I found a comfortable seat on the second floor. It was the perfect spot to stare out the window. My ride was roughly 2.5 hours long. I was very thankful that I wore two masks the entire ride, as many of the other passengers were lax about theirs. When the conductor came by to scan tickets, two men nearby declared they didn’t have any. They were fined 150 euros each and the conductor took their passports. Yikes!
We passed by a huge château!
Four smokestacks beside the river. The one on the far right has a child holding a cup of water on the side.
Dramatic cliffs. At the top of the central mount there was a large stone cross.
Beautiful bridge spanning across the river.
Gare Avignon Centre
I arrived in Avignon at roughly 13:00h. The sun was shining overhead and the air was warm. It was about 60 degrees. I walked out of the train station and immediately saw the famous wall that surrounds the historic inner city. Anxious to get out of the crowd and sit down for a snack, I wandered beyond the wall and along it until I found a place to sit down. I removed my masks and enjoyed my pain au chocolat in the shade of a beautiful Haussmann style building.
The Avignon walls as you leave the train station.
Centre des Finances Publiques. Center of Public Finances.
The Avignon wall. I ate my pain au chocolat here with some pigeon friends.
I found my Airbnb, but had some time before I could check in. I wandered around the neighborhood until about 14:30. It was so cool to be out of the house and seeing new things for the first time since my arrival! I passed an adorable bookstore beside the river, I saw ornate sitting stones outside a row of stores, and I noticed some old churches.
Adorable bookstore on the river. The “Atelier des curiosités.”
The Chapelle des Pénitents Gris. “Built on the site of the former Sainte-Croix Oratory, the many parts of this chapel come from different periods. The entrance vestibule with a panelled ceiling was built in 1631, the hexagonal room dates from the late 16th century, the vintners’ chapel was built in the 18th century, the Notre-Dame-de-Délivrance chapel dates from 1708-1709. The primary nave, called the “miracle nave”, rebuilt between 1816 and 1818 is where the liturgical services take place. 19th century stained glass windows.”
After dropping off my things, I wandered aimlessly throughout the city. I had a few hours before everyone was supposed to show up. I put in my airpods and started listening to the Jane Eyre audiobook.
The Couvent des Cordeliers. The first structure on the site was completed in 1233 by the Cordeliers. There was new construction in the 1300s and increased the size of the church. Jean XXII and Clément VI were patrons of this work. Tombs of great Avignon families were places in the chapels. The cloister was reconstructed in the 1600s.
A beautiful door in the city.
A lovely little flower shop. @legardenavignon on Instagram
Le Pubz. A bar downtown. This little street was full of bars and shops that would have been so fun to visit in normal times. I’d love to go back with things open up. Graffiti on the door says, “A man without culture is like a zebra without it’s stripes.”
I’m not sure what this building is, but I am in love with the facade.
Les Halles. There’s a market inside! You can buy seafood, cheeses, veggies, spices, and wines.
Tour Saint-Jean was home to the “Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean” of Jerusalem. The knights settled here before joining the Templars when their order was abolished.
I love Haussmann style buildings. I hope you do too! This one sat next to an amazing church. I’ll show a picture of the doors later in this post and feature the interior on the Saturday post.
What can we see peeking above the rooftops?
Here’s the Palais des Papesor the Papal Palace. The tower is shockingly tall! It reminded me of something from Lord of the Rings. Construction on the palace started in 1335. It was finished in under 20 years. Benedict XII and Clement VI led the construction efforts. It holds the record for the largest Gothic palace in Europe!
A cat sitting near the Papal Palace- not very excited to make friends, but still cute. He disappeared the next day when there was some rain.
The side arm of the Papal Palace.
Le Palais de la Commune or the Palace of the Commune. Originally constructed in 1129. The Commune remained in power until the 13th century.
Remember the Haussmann building from earlier? This is its neighbor the Basilique Saint-Pierre. It was built in the 7th century and then reconstructed in 1385. At the later date, canon buildings and the cloister were added. Pope Innocent VI insisted it be used as a “collegiate church.” The wonderful facade was completed in 1512. It has been an historic monument since 1840.
The Synagogue d’Avignon. The current building was built in the 18th century, replacing one from the 15th century. Jewish communities were exiled from France in 1394, so many Jewish families took refuge in the Comtat Venaissin which was an independent state controlled by the papacy. By the 15th century, they were restricted to a ghetto which closed each night. The segregated neighborhoods were abolished during the first French Revolution in 1789.
Beautiful jungle mural on a backstreet.
I went back to the apartment for a bit to sit down and rest. I drank some water before heading back out into the street. I decided to explore around the edge of the wall. To exit, I took a little staircase underground and popped out on the other side. I was surprised to see an entirely different world sitting on the other side. A five line street surrounded the wall and huge, modern buildings decorated it.
The outer side of the Avignon wall.
The Tribunal Judiciaire.
Modern art outside the Tribunal.
The Vaucluse Prefecture.
Stairs outside the wall that lead to the Palais des Papes.
An opening in the Avignon wall. I noticed that the palais and wall are built into the cliffs.
The Saint-Bénézet Bridge. Construction on the bridge started in 1177 and finished in 1185. It was one of the only places were travelers could cross the river on foot rather than by boat. Trade routes were redirected through Avignon because of the ease of using the bridge. A long stretch of the bridge was destroyed after the 1226 siege by King Louis VIII. The city did repair the bridge at that time, despite it being technically forbidden. Costs of maintaining the bridge became difficult to bear after a series of catastrophic floods in the 1600s. Relics were removed from the St. Nicolas Chapel in 1674 because of the threat of imminent collapse.
The broken bridge of Avignon.
The plaza in front of Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon. First mentioned in written sources in 1037. The building that currently exists was built in the 12th century. Many elements were influenced by Roman architecture. The cathedral was enlarged in the Middle Ages.
The Palais des Papes.
Memorial to “our dead.” Devoted to both World Wars.
Side view of the Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon.
Four crying angels surround Jesus on the cross. The Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene stand at the base of the cross.
To enter the Notre Dame des Doms d’Avignon you must walk through a space that is like a huge wooden closet. Upon leaving that space, this small archway stands to the right. In the corner, there is a statue of St. John the Baptist. The ceiling is painted a deep blue with stars. You can see the remains of painted angels and trees on the far wall.
The alter of the church. Behind the alter, there are portraits of cardinals and former Popes.
The second alcove on the right hand side of the church is devoted to the Virgin Mary. On the left there is a statue devoted to Joseph. On the right is an unnamed religious figure.
It was an almost magical moment. I was alone in the church and could hear deep rhythmic chants. I made my way to the third alcove on the right of the church and realized that a trio of nuns were praying the rosary together in front of the Virgin.
I exited the cathedral as the sun was setting. Teens were playing music and dancing together in front of Jesus and the angels. I walked down the opposite side of the church into the main courtyard.
From the courtyard, I was able to see the entirety of the Palais des Papes. If you have reservations, you can enter through the center door and see the palace and the gardens beyond.
The Hôtel des Monnaies. Constructed in 1619. It housed the police from 1790 to 1840. The mayor’s office occupied the building from 1846-1852. It currently is a “boutique-hôtel.”
Opéra Grand Avignon. First built in 1824-25. The opening performance there was in 1825. The original building burned down in 1846 and was rebuilt the following year. It has been in operation since that time.
Hôtel de Ville. Built between 1845 and 1856 around the Tower of Jacquemart. It is the last vestige of Cardinal Albano’s livery.
Église Saint-Agricol. Established in the 7th century by St. Agricol. Became a collégiale church in 1321 at the hand of Jean XXII. Classified as a historic monument in 1980. I walked in to take a look around inside and realized I’d arrived just as the church service started. I had to scoot back outside in a hurry.
Musée Calvet. The main museum of Avignon. Collections are are divided between two buildings. They include goldwork, tapestries, ironwork, and porcelain.
Walking onto the main street of the inner city, I saw my first Pride symbol in France. Woo! This week there were manifestations in Paris for Gay Rights.
Musée Lapidaire. A museum housed within a 17th century church. It contains Greek, Roman, and Etruscan sculptures, vases, and glass.
On my way to the Airbnb for the night before curfew started, I stopped for a slice of pizza and ate across the street.
Église du Couvent des Célestins. Built in 1395 by Clément VII and Charles VI of France. It is near the tomb of Pierre de Luxembourg. There are numerous religious relics inside. It is the only royal building within the city walls. It was once the most sumptuous church in the city.
Église du Couvent des Célestins. I stopped across the street to pick up wine for the night.
Église du Couvent des Célestins. Beautiful artwork above the door.
I got back to the Airbnb and waited about 30 minutes for the other assistants to show up. They brought burgers and sodas with them for us to eat for dinner. We chatted and got to know each other. It was really great to speak English with people and to have them understand. The girls were from Ohio, Nebraska, and Kentucky. I’m excited to learn more about them and their states! We made a plan for what we’d like to see the next day and went to bed pretty late. It was so fun getting to chat with them.
Mme Bodet drove me into school around 8am this morning. It was drizzling and a little chilly outside. Fog hung over all the fields. She volunteered to pick me up from the Meyzieu bus stop on Sunday when I get back from my trip, so I’m pretty happy about that! It makes things a lot easier for me and will let me stay in the city a bit longer.
I arrived at the school around 8:15 and went to meet Mr. Vittet in his classroom. He helped me secure some speakers for my lesson from another room. I think that he’s getting to know me pretty well. He told me I need to relax a bit and just “do whatever” with the kids. I have to laugh- I’m really just so high strung I’ve been told to relax in every language I speak. That’s on anxiety, folks! I decided to work on musical styles from the US with the kids. We listed to some jazz, country, and rock together. They really liked Dolly Parton and Ella Fitzgerald. I was happy because a lot of problem kids were absent. Though, now that I look back, I’m worried that they were absent because of COVID. We don’t get notified when a student is sick.
My second group of the day is with Noury. He decided to show the students “12 Years a Slave.” I think this movie is way too mature for the kids. They’re about 12 years old. I don’t think they’ve developed enough empathy or the reasoning capacity to really appreciate the content of the film. There is also a fair amount of violence and nudity in the movie. Students spent most of the class period goofing off. They laughed and joked at some of the more serious moments, obviously not appreciating what was going on even though we were watching in French. Noury asked afterward if they were a bit too young to be watching and I had to agree.
Catherine was still out with COVID, so I was done for the day around 10:30. I left the school and walked about 30 minutes over to Pont-Chéruy. I wanted to accomplish some of the errands I didn’t get to on Wednesday.
Abandoned (?) building on the way to Pont-Chéruy
My first stop was the pharmacy. I needed to refill my birth control prescription, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to. I’ve heard mixed reviews as to whether or not you can refill American prescriptions without approval from a French doctor. I figured the worst they could tell me was no and if that was the case I could ask Mme Bodet for some assistance with a doctor’s appointment. I brought my empty pill packet with me and the Walgreen’s prescription sheet so they could see dosage and drug info. Of course, I ended up getting the only male pharmacist in the place haha. I explained the situation and handed over all the items I brought along for him to examine. I was shocked when he said they’d be able to fill everything without any doctor’s note! He brought over a colleague to make sure they got dosing right for me- I guess French birth control doesn’t necessarily have the fourth placebo week at the end of the month! Neat! Within about twenty minutes I walked out with a box of masks and my new 3 month supply of birth control for just 7 euros.
Little farmer’s market in downtown Pont-Chéruy
My next stop was the La Poste for some stamps. I got in line and waited for about five minutes before I was helped. I bought 12 stamps so I can do some writing over break. Sorry- no letters going out this week!
La Poste! Everything inside looks like it’s from the 80s.
Someone has some interesting taste.
I went to my favorite boulangerie for lunch and got the exact same thing I did on Monday. Sadly, by this time it was raining pretty hard. It was difficult to enjoy a good meal while I was getting soaked from head to toe. It was just cold enough that the added rain made things absolutely miserable. My bus arrived at 12:25 to take me to Meyzieu, where I got on the 1980 to Anthon. When I finally got home, I was able to take a really long nap.
Yummy treats in the boulangerie
“Here Joannès Mezin was killed for the Liberation of France the 31st of August 1944 at 20 years old.”
I spent the night doing chores and packing for my trip. I made sure to clean the entire kitchen as much as possible, put away all my books and paints, and tidied up my laundry. I’m worried that I’ve packed too much to carry, but there’s really nothing that I can unpack at the moment. I’m seeing that rain is predicted for much of the weekend, so I do want to pack an undershirt for some extra warmth.
There were a lot of errands that I wanted to run during the day that would have been great to get done before my trip this weekend. I planned on taking the bus in and making a mad dash around town so I could get the 12:25 bus back to Anthon. I was in an absolute fog all morning. I woke up three or four times during the night and felt like I didn’t get any rest. I almost decided I felt bad enough to skip the store, but Mme Bodet texted me and asked if I’d want to go into town with her. I had about 20 minutes to get ready and we were on our way.
Our first stop was the bank. Mme Bodet checked on the status of a loan she wanted to take out for a new car. We also asked about getting me a debit card because I still haven’t gotten one in the mail. If I understood correctly, they’re sending me one now. I did find out that this morning, I finally got my pay deposited!!! I was so excited. I took out enough money to pay for rent and my bus card.
Prices for some bus cards!
We walked down the street to get my bus card refilled for February. When we originally filled the card, it was 43.5 euros for the month. However, the last time I filled it up, the clerk charged my 61 euros. I didn’t have time to argue and wasn’t sure I knew the words at the time, so I let it go. This time, I had Mme Bodet and a booklet of prices with me. I indicated on the page which plan I wanted and the 43.5 euro price next to it. The clerk said that the machine would only allow her to charge me 61 euros. Mme Bodet got in there and spoke up for me, repeating the story above. The vendor said the difference in price was likely because they don’t have the same clearances to sell TCL (the Lyon metro line) tickets that the main office does. I would either have to go to Lyon or the Crémieu office to recharge my card.
We headed out without a recharged bus card and went over to ELeclerc to shop for some groceries. I found a lot of the things I kept forgetting. I got syrup! There’ll be pancakes tomorrow, folks! Sadly, I forgot to buy some disposable masks. I want to start double masking at school because the kids refuse to wear their masks on their noses! It grosses me out so much to know that they’re all breathing on me. I see so many of them with their hands in their mouths all the time, ugh!
Pancakes here I come!
When I got home I went for my daily walk. The weather was grey and pretty dreary. I walked along the little path by the Rhône and enjoyed the sound of the river. I wandered through town and did some laps around the inner neighborhood. I have it clocked out so that I know each lap is about .75 of a mile. Most of my podcasts talked about the limited efficacy of Biden’s private prison policy that recently came out. While it is certainly a step in the right direction, it is not nearly radical enough to put even a dent in the private prison problem that this country faces.
Because I’m STILL struggling with post-COVID fatigue, I took a lovely two hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. I woke up and made myself a pizza before I went to dinner at the Bodet house.
I went over for dinner and Daniel and I chatted about the calming effect Biden has seemed to have over the US news. He repeated that he’s feeling quiet relieved regarding the future of the US. He isn’t very concerned about the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate. There isn’t much coverage on it over here. They are more concerned about climate policy and COVID policy. Bernadette, Daniel, and I enjoyed some champagne flavored with a bit of raspberry syrup. We had shrimp and risotto for dinner. Janja does not like shrimp so we had a big discussion about how healthy it was as his mom cajoled him into eating a bit.
I ended the night with a phone call with one of my friends and some internet searching for Avignon train tickets.
After classes on Monday, I found out that I would only have one of my usual classes on Tuesday. The later two groups would be gone skiing. Instead, I would be working with two entirely new classes during my last two hours of the day.
Photo featuring me and my favorite colleague- the coffee vending machine in the staff room.
My first class behaved pretty well. We did a lesson called “Civil Rights in Media.” I started with a brief review of everything we discussed in the Civil Rights lesson from the week before. Then, we moved onto a discussion of each different period through different movies. It went pretty well. It took some work to explain the clips to them because their oral comprehension isn’t amazing, but we got through it together.
The next group was a new 6ème class. I did my “Introduction” presentation with them. They got to ask a ton of questions about the US and were really curious about Michigan. It was fun to answer their questions. A lot of them said “thank you” after class, which I appreciated.
The third class was a 3ème group with a pretty low level. The teacher told me to refuse to speak in French to them, which made my lesson a lot more difficult. They refused to raise hands and would shout of their every thought or reaction to something I shared. This group was shocked to learn about the history of the KKK. They did not know that white supremacist organizations existed in the US.
I was happy to go home for the day. I got a ride back to Anthon with another neighbor and her son. She was really nice. She wanted to know a lot about the US election and the atmosphere back home. She asked if I knew any Tr•mp supporters and commented that she was aware that a lot of families were divided by the election. I felt a bit uncomfortable admitting that I did know some of his supporters and that my family was one that experienced a rift after the election. My neighbor was happy that Biden finally entered the White House and seemed pretty thrilled with his level of competency. The French are generally overjoyed with the Biden presidency. They’re glad that we’ve rejoined the Paris accord and seem to be taking COVID more seriously. There’s a pervasive attitude that the US has been missing on the global stage for some time now and they’re happy to see us return.
The day really tired me out. I struggled to concentrate throughout the evening and ended up just napping. I’ve been getting really poor sleep since I arrived. Mattresses here really are not as comfortable as any I’ve slept on back home. Hell, the fold out couch in a lot of hotels would feel better than the bed in my apartment.
I started to plan a weekend trip to Avignon with another assistant. It was a pretty good deal and I really want to see at least one new thing before we experience a third lockdown here. It seems like the announcement is looming over us like a heavy raincloud. Everyone knows it is coming, but we don’t know when or exactly how intense it’s going to be.
I got to have a call with some of my friends in the evening before I headed to bed which greatly improved my day.
I got a text late Sunday that let me know I would not have any of my morning classes on Monday. All the kids were taking exams before the conseils de classe that would be taking place later that evening. I decided to sleep in and take the 10:16 bus to town.
I arrived in Pont Chéruy around 11:30. I walked over to the boulangerie and got a little snack for myself. I wasn’t really in the mood to teach that afternoon, so I also treated myself to a coffee éclair. I sat an ate my snack by the river and watched cars pass over the bridge. An old man walked by with his mini-poodle and told me, “Bon appétit!” I thought it was pretty sweet.
By the time I finished eating, most of the shops I wanted to visit downtown were closed. In France, it’s really common for shops to close from 12 to about 1:30 or 2pm. Workers can take a long lunch or go home for a little nap. I decided to head up to the school and have a coffee while I got my slides ready. I had enough time to read a bit, as well!
My first class of the day was my new 4ème group. They’re pretty rambunctious, but their English isn’t bad. I started by introducing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They were convinced that Kamala was Joe’s wife. It took longer than I would’ve liked for them to finally understand that Harris was the Vice President and what that meant. Finally, we were able to get started on the Civil Rights discussion I’ve been sharing with other groups. They were really interested in the KKK, so I shared some resources where they could learn more about the group and the historical context that surrounds them.
The second group is my new set of 6ème students. They’re also a little more difficult. We worked on folk tales together. Their English level is lower, so it was a challenge for them to understand the short clips that I shared. I did my best to have a conversation with the class after each one so we could make sure everyone was on the same level of comprehension.
My last class of the day was the 3ème euro group. We did the Civil Rights lesson together. I was surprised, but it really did not go over well with them. They didn’t ask many questions at all and really weren’t involved. Either this class really doesn’t care for history or they’re just too tired at the end of the day to do any serious work in their second language. While I was a little disappointed, I do understand.
I took the bus home with all the students and walked the half mile home from the bus stop in the rain. I felt completely exhausted, despite it being just a half day. I took a two hour nap before dinner. I ate with the Bodet family and we popped some champagne to celebrate good news I’d received over the weekend.
When I went home, I enjoyed a phone call with my family.
I won’t lie; it’s getting to be a challenge to keep myself occupied. I decided I’d start my day with an ~extra~ long walk. Unfortunately, about twenty minutes in, I realized that none of my favorite podcasts had new episodes because it was the weekend. I also discovered that all my Spotify music had mysteriously undownloaded itself. I ended up listening to a good two hours of a not-so-enjoyable audiobook about revolutionary movements of 1968.
Something that no one ever talks about in France is just how poopy it is. Literally. There’s poop everywhere. If your eyes are not on the ground, you’re stepping in it. In the countryside, you’ve got mostly just horse and dog droppings. In cities, you might even encounter the human variety (we did in one particularly shocking incident in Chartres circa 2016). Picking up after their pets is just not something the French are as prone to do as we are in the States.
The barrier that used to protect and contain our little slice of paradise. The Rhone! I didn’t see the two swans that usually sit on the opposite shore. Those white clouds to the left? Steam from the nuclear power plant nearby.
When I got home for the day I sat down to plan some lessons. Most of my work was already mapped out, but I wanted to get the Folk Tales lesson ready for my new 6ème class. They’ve been a bit of a rough group so far, a new road bump in my Monday schedule. I decided to share Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and John Henry with the students.
I finished the day with calls to family and friends.
I was pretty stoked to see the sun shining when I woke up for the day. I listened to the news while I enjoyed my coffee on the little stoop outside my door. Determined to get out of the house and profite-bien, I pulled on my sneakers and headed out for some neighborhood exploration. I went through all of my favorite NPR podcasts on my big lap around the village. I made it through The Daily on my lap around the outer neighborhood loop. Finally, I listened to an episode of Teaching History that covered slavery and the Jim Crow South as I started my set of four laps around the inner neighborhood loops. I rounded the last bend right as the gentle drizzle became pounding rain.
I spent the rest of my day laying around the house. I tried to read a bit, but couldn’t really get into Simone de Beauvoir’s work. I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t start an afternoon with French gender theory in the future. Either way, I’m really learning that taking it easy does not come naturally to me haha!
In the evening, I put on a few movies. I enjoyed “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Trial of the Chicago Seven.” Also, can we go back to movies being an hour and a half? These Lord of the Rings length movies are impossible to get through.
I’m so incredibly thankful that I had a good recovery day. I was absolutely exhausted after the week’s classes. The weather was iffy throughout the day, but I did get out for a good walk around the neighborhood. I spent some time listening to history podcasts on my walk. After my time outside, I put on some movies and sat down to write letters to folks back home. Pretty uneventful, but that’s okay!
Mary-Est-En-France 