God Bless (Apple) America

Had I had an American flag available, I would have gladly waved it running through the streets of Nantes.

This year, I thought I'd sit back on my heels during the first weeks of school and not worry about paperwork or getting a bank account or phone...

Well, I didn't have to worry about the bank account or general paperwork.  But I did manage to drop my phone in a puddle during the first downpour of the season.  After leaving it in a bag of rice for a weekend with no signs of life, I grudgingly made the trip to Nantes (and then the 45-minute tram ride to a huge modern mall called Atlantis on the outskirts of town) to plead my case to the Apple Store people.  Though I'd insisted that I bought Apple Care and that it should be covered just like in the U.S., all my friends had said, "Hah, but this is France...it won't be that easy."

But somehow, after only a tiny bit of finangling and three trips to Nantes in four days, and then some more finangling...thanks to my American Apple Care plan, my new phone had arrived from the U.S. was up and running.

I didn't realize how dependent I was on the stupid thing until my first day of school in Belleville, a small "suburb" of La Roche.  I have an eight-minute train to get there, and then a twenty-minute walk to the middle school.  Getting off the train, I realized there was no direct path; I tried following signs but ended up in a field with lots of cows.  In a downpour.  I stopped at a grocery store to ask for directions, which went like this:

Me: "Where is the middle school?"

Cashier: "Uh...well...it's not here."

After visiting a couple more farms and getting directions two more times, I finally made it to the Collège St. Exupéry an hour late and met with the principal looking like a drowned rat.

Collège St. Exupéry

But after that, it was all smooth sailing in Belleville.  This is the first year they've ever had an assistant, so all the staff and students are really excited.  I work with five English teachers, mostly with 3ème (9th grade) students and some 4ème (8th grade).  Belleville, I've been told, is a rather economically privileged area, so there are very few discipline problems.  My students there also comprehend spoken English better than at any other school I've taught at in France.

Collège Haxo

My other school is called Haxo, another collège, but in La Roche.  I work there Thursday and Friday, again with five English teachers.  It's a "city school", so students are definitely more rambunctious, but they're also very nice and fun.  Haxo also has a huge special education program called SEGPA, and I get to work with their 3ème, 4ème, and 6ème (6th grade).

I've improved my game from last year: I started by teaching my students all the Minnesota sports teams and showing them pictures of the Mall of America.  Between those two topics, I think I have them all hooked on the Twin Cities.

My other new adventure this year is living with a family and working as an au pair for their three kids: Estéban, who's eight, and Adrien and Margot, six-year-old twins.  I help them with homework after school, babysit some nights, teach them English, and help Estéban with piano.

Estéban

Margot

Adrien

They have extended family in the Pays Basque region of France, just north of Spain on the Atlantic coast.  It's one of the corners of the country I hadn't yet explored until we took a road trip over the October break: a beautiful, scenic area with the ocean, forests, and the Pyrénées.