I'd like to apologize for not updating my blog in a couple of weeks, but I wanted to wait till I was in a good head space to update you all on my happening in France. In other words, I didn't want this posting to turn into a giant rant fest. I'll start my blog where I left off, just before Chad left France to return home to the good ol' USA.
After spending 5 wonderful week with me in France Chad had to make his way back to Brussels to catch a flight back home to Nashville. Around the time of his flight Lille had been coated with layers of snow and ice closing off most public transit and making up fearfully of him missing his flight home. In the end we decided it was best if I called in "sick" to work and took an earlier train to Brussels to stay in a hotel the night before his departure. Our trek across the middle of Brussels to the national airport was horrific. We had to change out the tickets we had previously purchased which were scheduled for the next day to instead purchase open ended tickets to get us from Lille to Brussels. The SNCF train conductors were of absolutely no help and only lead us in the wrong directions for the pure fact that they didn't know the answers to our questions, such as: when does this train leave? from which platform does this train leave? etc. After being turned away with wrong information for the third or fourth time, we decided the french were way too incompetent to prove of any help and took the situation into our own hands. Miraculously enough, two americans who have very little knowledge of the train system between France and Belgium answered our own questions and were on our way out of that god forsaken country (this became our new way of referring to France). We were amazed to see the difference in how unhelpful the french conductors were, but how overly helpful the Belgium conductors were. We had to make a couple train changes and on each train when the ticket conductor would move through our car checking everyone's tickets they kept an eye out for us making sure we got on and off at the correct stops. It was on our train from Lille to Gent that we met a man originally from Norway but currently living in Senegal and running his own tourism business. He was also headed to the Brussels airport so we decided to help each other out along the way. This Norwegian man from Senegal also befriended a man from Afghanistan and invited him to join our group since he too was headed to the airport. Now, I'm sure you all keep up with current news and any relevant history to know that Americans and Afghanis haven't always gotten along in the best of times. As soon as Chad and I heard the man say he was from Afghanistan we looked at each other with a look of pure panic. The bad news was we'd already told the Norwegian man of Senegal that we were American. Of the course of the train ride to Gent the Norwegian man from Senegal tried to make small talk with the Afghani man and concluded their conversation by telling him that no he'd never want to visit Afghanistan because he likes his life and doesn't want to die. Probably not the best thing to say in this moment, but that's just a suggestion. As the train was pulling into the station in Gent our rather eclectic gang of travelers collected our belongings to get off the train. Chad and I noticed the man from Afghanistan only had a small plastic bag with minimal articles of clothing in it. This was suspicious to us because most international travelers come with suitcases. We both chalked this up to the idea that he's probably a refuge or seeking asylum and carrying his entire life in that little plastic bag. As we were about to get off the train the Norwegian man from Senegal makes a comment to Chad and I about having lived in the United States and what a great country it is. As soon as the Afghani man process these words and made the connection between us and our nationality Chad and I got the death stare from this man. I knew we wouldn't be traveling with him for the duration of the journey. Luckily Chad and my tickets had us scheduled to go to the airport via a different train station, so we were able to part ways with our fellow travelers. At least it makes for an entertaining story. We safely arrived at the airport and located the rather swanky Sheraton hotel just across the street. Since we had to book the room so late we were left with only the more expensive rooms, but this afforded us access to a snack bar lounge and a nice continental breakfast the next morning. Chad's flights across the Atlantic went well and he his safely back home in Nashville and already hard at work.
The weekend before Chad left France we went with some of my friends to a small city just south of Lille called Lens where a new museum has opened up called the mini Louvre of Lens and houses many works from the actual Louvre in Paris that are in overflow storage. The museum is offering free access for the first year so we figured we seize the opportunity. It only took about an hour or two to take our time viewing all the pieces of art and artefacts in the main exhibit. The only famous piece on display was Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. There were also some giant costumes that are known in this region and used for parades and celebrations year round.
Now for the part of the blog were I will try not to rant and complain too much. Since coming back to school (4 weeks ago) I have grown more and more frustrated with this program by the day. Having already graduated from college my main goal this year was to gain some hands on professional (or semi-professional) experiences in the English teaching realm. Yes, I am also here to improve my french, which is happening, thankfully. I think most everyone has either heard personally from me or read in my blog my utter distress with the lack of communication and organization on the part of my teachers, well in the past 4 weeks this lack luster emotion is growing bigger and bigger. I will now provide you with a couple examples to back up my utter distaste with not only this country but its teaching system. 1. In one of my two middle schools there have been several teachers who have up and quit mid term, they have been replaced, and then the replacements have been replaced. One of these new replacements who has actually been hired as a full time teacher from now on has yet to come to work. For 4 whole weeks. This means all of her classes have gone without english instruction for 4 weeks and this means my work hours I am assigned to with her have also been cancelled for 4 weeks. More often than not I go to that school teach for maybe an hour if I'm lucky and then get sent home. 2. This past Thursday was a regional strike day for all educators who want to participate. I had emailed and sent a text message to my teachers trying to figure out who all would be participating in the strike therefore not going to school and whether I needed to show up the next morning for 8am class. I heard back from only one of 4 teachers. So I woke up at 6am the next morning and made the 45 minute commute to my school to only find out at 8:02am via text message from one of the english teachers that in fact none of them were working today and instead taking the opportunity to exercise their right to go on strike. I had woken up, gone to school, and then left for home. All for nothing. Here in lies a grand example of their lack of communication. They will be hearing from my personally on Monday. 3. This past Tuesday one of my two schools decided to have an english department meeting to figure out how to use me in the classroom and to figure out a work schedule for me, in addition to some other nonsensical matters. Let me remind you dear reader, it is now the beginning of February and I have been teaching in these schools since October (4 months) and they are just now wanting to figure out how to use me in the classroom and maybe outline a work schedule for me. As my mother's best friend Jodi would say, "ARE YOU SHITTIN' ME?!!!!" I was in fact slightly insulted when they were amazed by my array of lessons plans I had already made for my other school and could detail their success in the classroom. What the hell do you think I've been doing for the past 4 months?!!!! I ended the meeting by reminding them that they now have 7 weeks left with me before my contract ends. This of course put them in a tizzy trying to divulge how to use me best in the little time that remains available to them. They even had the audacity to ask me to come into school to help the students work on their end of the year oral exams, IN MAY!!! Uh no! My contract ends in April, so that is that. With all of this being said, if anyone knows a great excuse to get me out of this country and back home I'd really appreciate it! I miss you America... :(
The only things keeping me going right now is the fact that my mom will be here in 13 days and I get 2 whole weeks with her. We will be spending 7 days in London, England one of those days in Cambridge. Just after my mom leaves my best friend and twin Danielle will be hopping across the pond to visit me for a whole week. I still have a couple more trips to plan and adventures to be had before my dad flys over the last part of May, which we will of course be hitting up Paris one last time before I journey back HOME!
I just want to thank all my friends and family who are subjected to my rantings and ravings. It's your love and support that get me through the really challenging moments.
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