So how is Paris? Well in short Paris is great!
Week 2
I started working properly last week (before I was just observing) and it’s actually fun. So what exactly do I do? I am a English teaching assistant, and as I am a native speaker the lycée wants me to do exactly that – just talk, which of course I like very much. Basically, the students have an oral exam at the end of the year and it’s my job to prepare them for that or to help them prepare for that and so i need to get them talking as much as possible. However, i have carte blanche and I can do whatever i want as long as i make the students animated and conversational. At first, I was taking whole classes, which I won’t lie was a new and challenging experiences for me; taking an entire class of 18-20 students who are about 18-21 yrs old (yes TINY age gap) for an entire hour.
The French academy doesn’t give you any formal training and so you’re just thrown into the deep end ......HEAD FIRST. But anyway it went pretty well and I handled myself nicely, i got positive reviews from all the teachers who said they were really impressed wiv ma class and the students also said they liked it – the teachers told me so. So that went really well.
But things have changed now, and now I mainly take small groups – 6-8 students from a class and do the same with them, but just in smaller groups in order to facilitate participation. It’s going pretty well to be honest. The students are really nice and so they try hard even though some of them (most) have a really low level of English and so I can only do simple activities like role plays, little games like guess who etc.
However I must say, it feels really good to be in a charge of people. I mean i've had various positions before but for some reason working as a teacher feels completely new. This is certainly a managerial role which will give me LOTS to talk about in the future and I’ve only worked 2 weeks. MAGNIFIQUE non?
What else, oh yeah did i mention that im a bit of a celebrity at school? I’ve got the whole new kid on the block thing going for me. Not only do the students like ma lessons, they seem to like the fact that im not old either lol. Im a cross between a student and a rather attractive young man thank you GENETICS. So i get a bit of attention lol. For example, on ma first day some girl told me she loved me, and since then i’ve been asked for marriage!!! It’s hilarious.
It’s like the girls are for men starved here. Oh yeah i’ve got one class of just 18 girls!! Who happen to be unnecessarily attractive!! Yes sometimes it is difficult to concentrate, especially as they are all rather eager to know how old I am, but of course I REFUSE to tell them that im only a few years older than them and that some of them are OLDER than me. That will be my little secret for the year. Oh yeah the girl who proposed to me was dismayed because I said she was too young for me, but in truth she was older than me. Hahahhaahha
What else is funny at school, oh yeah i’ve been pretending that I don’t understand any French, even got a dictionary out in my last lesson and pretended to look up a definition – that is DEDICATION my friend. It’s because the French mindset is that they llooooovvvveee having things translated, so as soon as they discover i speak French, they will ask me to translate everything or they will, and that will just be rubbish. I’ve almost been caught several times...i wonder how long i can keep up the charade. Bonne chance a moi!
One thing that i really don’t like is that I’ve got about 30-40 students in total, if i count both schools and of course we can’t be ‘friends’ or anything coz that will bypass the student teacher relationship. And well it is extremely rubbish, not only is that a massive social network I can’t use but like i said, some of my students r MARRIAGE material. JEEZ!!!!! Mais c’est la vie.
Apart from at school, i found myself going out way too much and sleeping during the day but it’s really fun. Ive made a massive social network from just being willing to put myself out there – got friends from football, basketball, this one guy from Creteil université and then all the other british assistants around. So if im not invited somewhere to do something one night – it’ll only be because im ASLEEP and haven’t had the chance to check ma mail or text messages. Ca marche alors non?
But although this is all good and well, it leads to one resounding outcome, me being, systematically, categorically, without doubt STINKING BROKE. Even though i get paid from my assistant job (get ma salary at the end of this month, can’t wait), it’s not nearly enough. So im going to get a second job i’ve decided. I need it. Apparently, i already planned on having one when i looked in ma financial plan for 2010-2011 (i’m ahead of ma self haaahahaha) so all will be well. There are lots of opportunities to be an English tutor to kids here but that doesn’t really interest me seeing as im doing that already – i think its best to get a wide variety of experiences while i’m here. So ive asked a friend for a job at a restaurant where she works, and my other friend from basketball who i ran into today said there might be an opening as an interpreter where he works which I think would be invaluable for a linguist like me.....so fingers crossed.
Now what do i not like?
FRENCH ADMINISTRATION, is perhaps the most annoying thing on this planet. These French people love admin too much, it’s like they have a personal vendetta against trees and they just like making you sign documents and read lots of paper!!!! I mean since when do you need a PASSPORT to get a simcard? What in case i fly away with your stupid 5 euro sim you want my digital passport? ARRANT NONSENSE.
And some of these people who work for the state either have the weirdest sense of humour i have ever seen or are just plain STUPID. Can you believe i spent 5 minutes arguing with some dumb woman when I was trying to get my social security number that I AM EUROPEAN. She didn’t believe néérlandais or people from Pays Bas are dutch. I should have slapped her 7 times, one for each day of the week! It was only when she went on the internet to cheack that she believed me. I repeat, STUPID WOMAN.
Anyway that’s just a little steam i had to let off.
What else, oh yeah ma housemates, they are nice, very nice in fact – but everyone is so independent and solitary here. Last year at uni when I was staying wiv ma m8’s, we did everything together – sports, going out, eating, an unhealthy amount of fifa 10. It was like a home away from home, but French people or perhaps just ma colocateurs are not like that. Everyone gets back from wherever and then just goes to their rooms, there is no communal activity. I mean no one is NOT nice or intentionally reclusive, but it’s just a different culture. Im still determined to break the barrier and get everyone out and about together, bonne chance a moi alors!!!!!
So yeah i’ve rambled a bit apologies. But i’ve got everything sorted now in ma life i think. Got ma bank card/account, travel pass, got ma sports clubs (although im injured atm) PUTAIN, i couldn’t handle the deadly (pun intended) training sessions. Got ma social security, work timetable, familiar with student level etc, good social network, going out a lot bla bla.
I just need to get a second job, where i must earn at least 500 euros a month in – yes ive written it down somewhere in my financial planning so it must be like that. I have no idea why at the moment, but as i wrote it i think it's okay to trust myself and so i guess il obey myself (funny right).
On another note, I need to get uninjured and back into sport and gym so im in good shape. And oh yeah, i would like a girlfriend, preferably one that that speaks French, as I think that would be a really good way to learn the language. Not only am i looking, im actively on the hunt. Yes i’ve had little success so far, so what? This stupid language barrier is annoying quand on essaie de draguer les filles (chat up girls). But fear not, i learn quickly.
Anyway so as not to hurt your eyes further i’ll end there for now. Over and out.
P.S. (yes i don’t really care that much about your eyes), started a French dictionary/word book of all the new words/phrases i learned and its already 6 pages long...... front to back. I think the weirdest word ive learned is Nappy, yes I have no idea how that came up in a conversation either.
