Bring on les vacances!

Three weeks of work and then a week and a half of vacation? Sounds good to me. But I can definitely use it. Children are exhausting. And loud. And germy. Why did I decide to teach kids again? Ok, I have to admit that some of them are pretty cute. Today, my class of 5 year olds greeted me with hugs and bises and presented me with drawings. Adorable. All of the kids are still very excited to see me, which is sweet. At some schools they start peppering me with questions as soon as I arrive. The strangest question so far was when a girl asked me “do you eat mice in America?” Ummm….no. Then “but there are really huge spiders in America, right?” Well…I guess in some places there are big spiders, but generally it’s the same as in France. And then: “but you eat spiders, right?” NO. Where is she getting her information?

I also get a lot of: “are you married?” “do you have kids?” “do you have a boyfriend?” I think I won’t be discussing my love life with a bunch of 8 year olds, thank you very much.

They’re very excited by the fact that I’ve been to New York (“you mean, you’ve actually BEEN to New York? You’ve really been there?!). And they want to know if I’ve seen any celebrities (which they call “les stars”). I figure if by the end of the year I can get them to understand that America consists of more than Hollywood and NYC (and that these two places are nowhere near each other), I will have accomplished something.

But until then…les vacances!

Comment dit-on "awkward" en francais?

I’m bringing “awkward turtle” to France. There is no good translation for “awkward” in French, and Americans (well, me) use it all the time. Whenever I discuss the word with les Francais, I of course have to teach them awkward turtle—it’s the logical next step. And they find it to be quite amusing.

Being in a foreign country brings out my awkwardness, which is nowhere more pronounced than when I am forced to greet people. This is largely because of…la bise (the double cheek kiss). Even though I’m not new to this concept, I still find myself uncertain of what to do. When I first met my 2 French housemates I tried to shake their hands but they went in for la bise. The next night I met a French guy at another assistant’s school and, attempting to be French-like, I tried to give la bise but he went in for a handshake. Then he said “oh, comme tu veux” (as you like). NO, I don’t like—I thought that’s what we were supposed to do!? I think some of the French realize that la bise aren’t common in America and so are unsure if they should attempt it. This only adds to my awkward moments. Recently I’ve resorted to giving a sort of half wave from a safe distance.

I can’t fully blame France or la bise for my awkwardness at greetings. Even in America I have issues. I’ve actually injured myself giving somebody a hug. Another person gave up on me halfway through a salutation because we couldn’t decide if we were hugging or shaking. 

So add la bise to my pre-existing awkward greeting condition, and I’m pretty much a lost cause. 

Hello...my...name...is...Hannah

To French school children, I am a superstar. Some of them actually cheered when I entered the room. I spent today observing in 2 different French primary schools. The first one is kind of unorganized, which makes me a little nervous. I think I’m supposed to be teaching 5 different classes, but today I only observed 3 and only one of them was an English class…so we’ll see. They also didn’t seem too concerned with telling me what the kids were learning in English and what I should prepare for next week.

I’m only teaching one class at the second school, and that teacher was really excited to have me there. We also thankfully discussed what we’d be doing next week when I actually start teaching. It made me feel much calmer after the craziness in the morning.

The kids found me to be fascinating. Whenever I entered a classroom all eyes were on me, and if I sat at the back of the class their heads would whip around to stare; if I caught them looking they would grin and turn quickly back around. There was also a lot of pointing and whispering. This was partly cute, partly funny, and partly unnerving. I wasn’t offended at all, but it’s weird to be constantly watched and to feel like an object of wonder. I was really glad when I had a moment alone in the teachers’ lounge (well, room). When I walked up to the second school, kids started shouting “Hello!! Hello!! Goodbye!” The teacher said the kids were “ravi” to have me there. One boy asked me if I was Hannah as in Hannah Montana. When I told him yes, his level of excitement made me think that I had just told him I was Hannah Montana. I clarified that we merely shared a name, but he seemed equally enthused…go figure. I showed one group of students some dollars that I still have in my wallet, and they nearly jumped for joy. A couple of them suggested that I make copies so that they could have a souvenir. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything illegal.

Since I’ve never been to public school, it’s kind of hard to compare French and American student-teacher relations. Some of the teachers joke around with the kids, but in general, they all seem pretty strict. I’m going to try not to look scared when they start scolding/yelling at the kids. 

"Un 'ot dog, s'il vous plait"

I went to my French housemate’s soccer game yesterday and was thoroughly amused to discover that instead of a concession stand there was a bar where you could order wine and beer. The spectators stood around smoking, drinking and chatting before, during, and after the match. To top it all off, the concession stand/bar sold hot dogs. But they did not come in hot dog buns; oh no, they came in baguettes. Obviously I had to get one. 

 

They won the game!