School Daze Update

Things have been going pretty well at my so-called “job.” This position has given me a much better understanding of how much of a high school teacher’s day is taken with meetings, how many class periods can be eaten up by tests or illnesses. When you consider that all of the students have two hours of English per week, one or two missed periods can really throw off the curriculum. While the frequent vacations are nice, they don’t necessarily help the students to retain the information for the bac professionnel in June. I’ve been encountering some resistance, but I’m not personally offended by it. Most of these students aren’t interested in school period, and are quite upset that I insist on speaking English to them (quelle horreur!). I use lots of fun activities to promote conversation, but it’s like herding cats towards a pool. Today, for example, we worked on possibilities and permission (can, can’t, must, mustn’t, could, would, should). I asked them what they’re allowed to do at their own homes, how they would ask a friend’s mother for permission, and to write down 5 new rules for the school. Lots of: “You can smoking” and “You must love the drinking.” They know that my French is far better than their English, so they demand instructions in their native language. I usually refuse and repeat slowly with hand signals, sometimes while looking at a more competent student to help translate for her classmates. Even though they don’t enjoy it, they are learning. Several have had “a-ha” moments when they understand something I say. Back when I was learning French in high school, my amazing teacher used it all the time in the classroom. I didn’t know what every word meant, but as I acquired a better grasp of the language, I was able to recognize directions and objects more easily. Most of the professors here use French as the teaching language: “Vous mettez le ‘you’ avant le verbe” (“You put the ‘you’ before the verb”). That’s fine for basic rules, but it doesn’t help the students to understand spoken English. For the classes that will be going to England, we’ve been creating phrasebooks so they don’t feel so linguistically isolated. I teach them some new things (like how to say “straight ahead” for “tout droit”) and calling up some long-forgotten nouns from earlier grades (“fork” for “fourchette). These classes are a joy to work with: they’re respectful, dynamic, and not afraid to make mistakes. I certainly have a much better idea about what it takes to be a foreign language educator and I’m constantly exploring new ways to make the classroom a more stimulating (while controlled) environment. I’ve promised a few of the classes to do a song translation later in the year if they can agree to get through our scheduled program without too much fuss.

Latin Nights, Las Vegas Lights: Rome Days 2 & 3

Our second day in Rome started early with a metro ride to the Vatican. While Paris has an extensive, efficient metro system, Rome’s has only two lines and locals seem to prefer busses. Our passes allowed us to enter the Vatican Museum without waiting too terribly long and we set about exploring all of the religious artwork. Pre-twentieth century French literature references a LOT of saints and their associated symbols/significations. For example, Saint Sebastian was pierced by arrows and is the patron saint of protection from the bubonic plague, soldiers, athletes, and archers. He was also an early gay icon. Saint Jerome was a big hit with medieval Italian painters and featured throughout. My father tried in vain to follow his pre-planned route but eventually had to give up and follow the crowd heading towards the Sistine Chapel. The museum’s curators had anticipated this and had conveniently placed several of the more popular exhibits (like Ancient Egypt) on the way to the Chapel. After feasting our eyes on centuries of religious art, we were ready to gorge ourselves on the wonders of Michelangelo. It was…underwhelming. Perhaps because the images have been reproduced so often that one no longer feels the need to spend hours gazing at them again, perhaps because it was so crowded one could only crane one’s head up for a moment before one was shoved along. My sister found the secret exit that would lead us to St. Peter’s Basilica and used her charm on the security guard. “Can I use this door?” “St. Peter did!” The Basilica was awesome in scope and we spent quite a bit of time exploring it. My parents also spent quite a lot of time in the gift shop looking for angels, Last Supper scenes, and other gifts for the extended family. On the way home, we dropped by the Pantheon to marvel at its immensity.

Our last full day in Rome and the last day of 2009 started bright and early with a trip to the Coliseum. The warm sunny air was doing wonders for us as individuals and as a family and we took lots of photos in between reading the very informative placards. We strolled up on Palatine Hill, admiring the gorgeous gardens. I also feel at peace in an espace vert no matter where I am and I easily could have whiled away the afternoon in contemplation. Keeping to schedule, however, demanded that we head over to the Roman Forum. Seeing the ruins of old was amazing and I appreciated the city’s ancient history even as I grumbled about parts of its present. Getting back to the hotel was a challenge. The police had shut down certain public transportation stops in order to prepare for a large concert on New Year’s Eve. We took a series of buses to San Giovanni, the Pope’s church. It had a gorgeous interior with soaring ceilings and plaster angels everywhere, more vigilant than Santa Claus. Across the way, we stopped at a small parish which holds the sacred steps. Jesus walked these stairs up to Pontius Pilate’s house in Jerusalem and, as the story goes, Constantine’s mother Helena had them brought to Rome. We elected to see the chapel and read the handout rather than ascend the stairs on our knees in prayer at 5:00 pm. Though we had intended to celebrate, my sister played Sleeping Beauty and my father and I got some take-out sandwiches. Back at the hotel, we watched some pretty crappy ABC Family movies on the English-language channel and poked our heads outside to see the fireworks.

My family left at 4:30 am on New Year’s Day to catch their flight back to America. I explored some more of the city by foot, walking to the river and back. My journey home was filled with shuttle buses and metros, but I made it back to Nancy safe and sound on January 2.

Las Vegas Lights : Paris Day 5 & Rome Day 1

After our little jaunt into Germany, we returned to Nancy, packed up all of our belongings, and hopped on a train to return to Paris. While this was originally scheduled more for flight convenience rather than a need for more sightseeing, the cold weather and jet-lag we encountered the first few days prevented us from seeing everything. After checking in at the hotel, we hopped back on the Métro to see l’Arc de Triomphe. We decided not to do spend lots of money and wait in a terribly long line to reach the top (for THIS attraction – see below), but there were plenty of inscriptions, reliefs, and tombs to see below. The balmy weather lifted our spirits as we strolled down the famous Champs-Élysées. It didn’t quite feel like the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology – we saw lots of McDos and Quick’s interspersed between Mercedes stores and luxury shopping centers. We popped into Starbucks for some cappuccinos before buying some souvenirs. After a quick nap at the hotel, we went out again to see la Tour Eiffel. It looked amazing atop the grassy field, but as we descended the steps from the museums, all we could see was the long lines of people. Since it was the dream of a family member (who shall remain anonymous) to go up in the Eiffel tour, we stood in line for over five hours. Les beaux temps quickly gave way to cold and darkness, yet we held our places. After a quick ride up, we spent roughly 15 minutes on the second level (5 of those were spent trying to warm up in the gift shop). Tired and cold, we stopped at a French café near the hotel. We mistakenly sat in the “bar” area and ordered some drinks before moving over to the restaurant area and eating some delicious sandwiches.

Le lendemain, we got up to take the first metro out to Porte Maillot on the other side of the city. We took the shuttle bus to Beauvais Airport (conveniently located over an hour away from Paris) to catch our RyanAir flight to Rome. Check-in was quite simple, but waiting in the common salle d’attente was an experience. As planes pulled up for boarding, a throng of humanity stampeded towards the appropriate gate. Our flight was 15 minutes late, but we managed to land in Rome five minutes early. Perhaps RyanAir is able to subsidize its time-saving maneuvers with proceeds from its in-flight sales: smokeless cigarettes, various liquors, perfume for the gentleman who realized that he didn’t bring his wife anything back from Paris. Campino Airport isn’t bigger than Beauvais and we took another bus into Rome after forking over more money for tourist passes. If Paris looked like glittering New York, Rome resembled a seedy Vegas which reveled in its lusty past. The humid air weighed on us as we trudged to our hotel (thankfully located only a few blocks away from the main metro station). After a quick check-in to our single room (queen bed for the ‘rents, twin bed for me, made-up couch for sister), we went to lunch at a pizzeria. Latin countries like France, Spain, and Italy are known more for their sites than for their service and Rome was no exception. The National Museum had a great collection of sculptures and mosaics, but part of the fun was watching foreign tourists try to touch the naked statues and set off the alarms. That night, we went on a walking tour suggested by Rick Steves which was also marked by numerous signs. This meant that a) one could easily follow the path and b) everyone did. My favorite sights were the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps – the churches were beautiful but not particularly unique. On the next edition of Traveling A La Française: Rome Days 2 and 3.

More Than This Provincial Life: Nancy Days 3 & 4

Christmas passed quite uneventfully in Nancy. Like most of the Christian-influenced West, there really wasn’t much open. We hung out, watched a few episodes of the Tudors, had some discussions, and ate spaghetti for dinner. We did go out to see some of the town sights: the Place Stanislas (declared the Most Beautiful Place in Europe – place meaning “square”) due to its ornate fountains and gold everywhere and the adjoining Parc de la Pepinière. My family enjoyed the gardens, but LOVED the little zoo. There’s a sad chimpanzee who’s been living alone for over 30 years who perks up for all of his visitors, but the real stars were a family of monkeys huddling together in the cold on their rock exhibit. The ever-so-spacious “mixed outdoor” enclosure included deer and African cranes.

Le lendemain, we went to Trier, Germany (known as Trèves in French). Not only is it close by, it’s also the hometown of my German colocataire S so I knew that there would be some interesting things to do/see. Getting there was pretty simple – train from Nancy to Luxembourg, then connection from Luxembourg to Trier. Three countries in under 2 hours! My family was impressed a) by how much English German people spoke as opposed to the French b) the gorgeous cathedral and c) the delicious hearty food. Trier is the oldest city in Germany and has some Roman ruins lying about, such as the Porta Nigra (Black Door). The cathedral is huge in scale and includes a courtyard, a cellar with some reliquaries, and a sacred tunic worn by Jesus and brought to Trier by Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine. To escape the cold, we ate a delicious Weinstub with multilingual menus and friendly staff. I had some dumplings stuffed with meat and we all watched as my sister made her own lemonade at the table. In Luxembourg, we stopped at McDo for a café before heading back. Next up: Paris Day 5 and Rome!

More Than This Provincial Life: Nancy Days 1& 2

Our next stop was my lovely home base in France, Nancy. We woke up at 6:30 in order to check out of hotel and catch metro to the Gare de l’Est for our 9 am departure time. During the hour and a half train ride, I studied some German and took a nice nap. Paris may be more exciting, but I find Nancy to be eminently more livable. My family bought transportation passes at the gare and I discovered that the apartments where we would be staying were on the tram line. This meant more frequent service with shorter rides – score! After check-in, we returned to the city center to lunch at Flunch. It’s a cafeteria-style dining experience but with the French definition of “fast food” – made-to-order steaks are delicious, but waiting 15 minutes for them with a tray of hot food is slightly annoying. At the attached mall, we bought train tickets to the city of Trier, Germany on Sunday. Since it’s part of a Euroregion (Saar-Lor-Lux), we were able to get cheap weekend tickets designed to promote regional tourism. Spending hours trying things on isn’t as common in France – if you go into a store, you probably know what you’re looking for and can make a quick decision. While family members took naps, I went back to the lycée to clean things up and have some alone time. My family caught up on the Tudors while I caught up on YouTube videos and Internet chats.

We had a quiet Christmas Eve, spent hanging out in the hotel room. In the afternoon, we wandered downtown to meet my very lively conversation leader at his art gallery. I was the first one of my classmates to franchir le seuil (cross the threshold) and was surprised at what a wide variety of objects he had accumulated. Upon hearing that my sister is studying business, he jokingly asked her to draw up a business plan for him. His English was OK, but broke down after 20 minutes. This is understandable – when you only use a language to order food and ask directions, you aren’t use to speaking it fluidly and confidently. Then, I gave my family the tour of my living quarters and we spent about 20 minutes talking in the TV room before heading across the street to Christmas Eve mass. My choir was there and I was able to join in the last-minute rehearsal (I had missed the previous one due to travel) and sang in the choir. As can be expected, Catholic Christmas Eve services are much the same everywhere and the priest talked about how being with family is the most important thing. Some kids put on a play about the rewards of being nice to your neighbors, which explained why the church was packed with their adoring parents and grandparents. A bus trip home and some soup later, we were ready for bed.

Land of Lights, Lovers, and Lines: Paris Days 3 & 4

This was not to be intended to be a relaxing vacation to get away from it all, but rather a sight-seeing trip. To that end, we woke up at 7:00 am to get to the Louvre by 8:00 am. Once there, my parents were determined to follow a walking tour podcast they had downloaded. Unfortunately, some time had passed since the recording and it proved to be of little use in the overwhelming museum. We passed through several rooms of Classical and Italian art – the Mona Lisa looks FAR smaller in real life, especially when one considers that she faces a giant wall-size tapestry. The others were tired after the Egypt exhibition so I explored the Africa, Oceania, and Americas collections by myself. We ate a quick lunch at the attached mall and took the métro back to the hotel. My sister and father weren’t feeling to well and slept the rest of the day. There were some interesting issues with the hotel rooms – heating issues (someone had fiddled with the settings on the heater) and a strange smell emanating from the bathroom (room change within 15 minutes). That night, my mother and I tried to find some dinner in the area. The charming restaurant/bar didn’t serve stand-alone meals (though their window read “à emporter” take-away) so we went to an OK Chinese place. On the way back, we picked up dessert and breakfast at a nearby café.

With everyone feeling better, we all caught a quick, early, quiet RER train to Versailles. The chateau wasn’t terribly well presented – we should’ve sprung for audioguides and done it before, not after the immense Louvre. Moreover, to fully experience the grounds of Versailles, one needs to see the gardens and the Domaine de Marie Antoinette. We didn’t make the hike across the acres of sculpted nature to find the charming pavilions because it was VERY chilly that day. After an RER ride back to Paris, we went to Les Invalides, a complex which combines the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb. It was surprisingly more engaging than I’d imagined with really great exhibitions on WWI and WWII. I found the inscriptions to be more fascinating than the tomb, but to each his/her own. We hopped off the métro at the Gare de l’Est to buy sandwiches and pastries. Lo and behold, my family started to realize that their “helpful suggestions” were just stressing me out and that if they indicated their preferences before I started ordering, the transaction went far more smoothly. A few Tudors episodes provided a nice end to our last day in Paris before going to Nancy.

Happy Trails!

Much like when speaking a foreign language, I often derive greater joy from the rewards of running than from the act itself. I can make numerous mistakes (wrong conjugations, poor breathing rhythm), which leads to problems (misunderstandings, feeling winded) that don’t necessarily prevent me from reaching my ultimate goal (having a conversation, jogging 5 km). Running is a purification ritual for me: it relieves stress, jumpstarts my circulation, and helps me sweat out any bad energy. Furthermore, my after-run shower provides yet another cleansing experience. Running has also made me more aware of my body: its functions, its impulses, how/when to satisfy them. Students and scholars aren’t “brains on sticks” and literary analysis often demands that they make inferences based on normal functions. For example, in one of my French courses, an observant student noticed that the poem referenced “cold tears” instead of the warm sensation one normally feels when crying. Going forward a level, I’m currently reading L’enfant noir by Camara Laye. The author’s sensory descriptions of his childhood homes, family members, and cuisine add another layer of richness to a great story. To extend this argument further, my own interests have shifted more to studies of race and gender. These intellectual constructions have strong, unstable relations to the corps physique. It’s while running that I often see the connections between facts and experiences – may you find some inspiration of your own today.

Land of Lights, Lovers, and Lines: Paris Days 1 & 2

One chilly morning in late December, I logged onto my Gmail to discover that my family’s flight had been delayed but that they wanted me to go to Paris anyway to keep hotel rooms for our reservation special. The train had a slight delay, but was pretty pleasant. Once at the station, I hopped onto the métro and found my way to the hotel without a problem. A quick nap and a kebab later, I was ready to see more of the city. Knowing that Le Musée de Cluny wouldn’t appeal to other family members, I went there by myself and took advantage of their free entry day. I had taken a course in French medieval history at my university and was excited to take pictures of St. Barbe (she of the mal-mariées signing for a chevalier to rescue them), Lady with the Unicorn tapestries (the monkey is key to understanding it all), and the lovely fragments that characterize so much of medieval history. On the way back, I got off at the Opéra Bastille stop, walked around for a bit, grabbed a salad and a beer and headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, the wireless internet wouldn’t work with my laptop and I spent some time at an Internet café.

Sunday morning, I woke up bright and early to fetch my family at Charles DeGaulle airport. I arrived 30 minutes after they did and helped them buy our museum passes (VERY useful). We took the RER (Réseau express regional) back to Paris, where my family experienced their first ride en métro to the hotel. After check-in, we went to see the Deportation Memorial and the difference in French fluency was quite noticeable as there were no English explanations. Next, we blazed through Notre Dame without stopping to buy a candle and the towers closed due to snow. Then, we traipsed over to the Centre Pompidou, the innovative modern art museum. My family was a little weirded out by 4th floor conceptual, but I really enjoyed a lot of the 5th floor (Matisse, furniture). On the way back, we stopped at Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre – a very moving experience with silence and prayer service. I became quite frustrated at my family’s inability to realize that a) I hardly ever translate in day-to-day life and b) I can’t practice this skill when one of them is hovering over me while a service person is trying to give me instructions. Back at the hotel, I watched an episode of the Tudors while my family collapsed. Look forward to an update per day of the trip!

It Won't Cost Much, Just Your Voice!

My concert’s choir took place the week after my visit to Strasbourg and the day before I was to meet my family in Paris. I was quite nervous as we had an entire day devoted to choreography to accompany all of the songs. Singing had been enough of a challenge for me – now I had to do dance moves and smile as well?! Thankfully, the bass section is usually the support and I was able to perform decently in the dress rehearsal which lasted until 1:00 am. I didn’t understand the French system for arranging rides, which resulted in a desperate plea sent at 3:30 pm for a 6:00 pm departure. D and her husband came through for myself, V (the teacher with whom I work), and E, a very nice French student who was embarrassed about her English skills. The concert went quite well – I made some mistakes, but kept smiling and didn’t disrupt the harmony of the choir. Afterwards, my choir director M gave me a big high five and said that she was proud of me for giving my all. M is quite demanding, so her unexpected compliment was a nice surprise. The perfectionist in me holds back all too often, but one of the things I enjoy most about singing is that it’s NOT my day job and it doesn’t have to be perfect all of the time. That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more updates!

Je Recommence

Bonne année (Happy New Year!) Sorry for the blogging silence recently. I could make up some excuses about being busy with the choir and preparing for my family to visit, but mostly I just wasn’t in a blogging “mood.” However, I have returned and have many interesting details to share. I’ll start by filling everyone in on my wonderful weekend in Strasbourg with G and the choir concert. Expect more posts related to the Great Destination Vacation of 2009!
The last weekend before break, I headed off to reconnect with my college friend G in the local metropolis of Strasbourg. Our regions are always linked together as “Alsace-Lorraine,” but Alsace is definitely flashier (and more expensive) than quiet Lorraine. I arrived on Friday night and G was able to find me at the gare thanks to my height. She lives with C, a very charming French pharmacy student who made me feel right at home and also helped me to practice my French. After a lovely dinner and some drinks, we went to a party thrown by one of the other English assistants in Strasbourg. Listening to French music, surrounded by Colombian assistants, and drinking German beer was a fun and multicultural experience.
Le lendemain (the next day), we went to look at a piano for G and yours truly was able to move it. Though I’ve worked with mechanical systems before, they are still slightly confusing to me and I was thankful that the “assembly required” consisted of a few screws. Seeing the look on G’s face when I helped her assemble her new piano was priceless – she was so excited to be able to play music at home again! Then, she played host and led me around to the cathedral and Petite France, a charming section of town with a marché de Noël and quaint shops. I watched her play piano with her local orchestra, which provided a nice example of another musical ensemble besides my own choir. After some coffee and rest back at the house, we headed out for a night with her friend B and other French étudiants (college students) who showed me a great time at their favorite local spots.