Cultural Exchanges

Since I usually have free time during the week, I like to find little excursions :) Last week we went to Sète, a city near Montpellier on the coast to eat at a restaurant where we had fresh seafood caught that morning. It was beautiful, and we walked down to the beach to enjoy the weather.

Also, in Montpellier there are many festivals. Last weekend there was a “sister cities” festival that we went to. Many cities from around the world were represented, including Louisville! Each city had its own tent, and the tents had a lot of information on the culture of the city. There was also a food tent with many different delicacies to try! Throughout the day, there were performances, music, dances and demonstrations of traditional dress from various cultures.

This weekend we went to a festival with top wines, cheeses, jams, and other types of food from the nearby region in France. My favorite thing I tried was the honey! There were so many different types, and it was interesting to hear about the differences from the people who actually made it.

Meandering in Montpellier

I LOVE the town of Montpellier. There are two main plazas called la comédie and Antigone, with lots of fun little shops and restaurants/cafés. I live close to both areas, so it's quite fun to explore the city and discover new places. My favorite restaurant right now is called "ma première cantine" and they have the most delicious tartines. A tartine is basically a piece of bread or toast with various spreads, meats or vegetables on top. The other night I went to the cinema and saw a wonderful french film called "les saveurs du palais." It was all about a woman who was the chef for the president of France, and had tons of scenes showing French cooking. I was surprised at how much I understood, and I think my level of French has improved over the past two years!

I've also been frequenting the discotheques with other language assistants and new french friends. The nightlife in Montpellier is lots of fun, because there are a lot of students in the town due to the three nearby universities. Each bar/disco has its own personality, and some even remind me of bars at IU.

I moved into my apartment last week, and I am finally unpacked and settled. I have three other roommates, two French and one from Spain, and they are all very nice and fun to talk to. I have been speaking a lot of French lately, which I love, but it is also quite tiring by the end of the day. I am happy and content, and each day I get to meet new people. There are a lot of language assistants in Montpellier, so I have a good network of American and English friends, but I've also been meeting French friends and people from all over the world.

See some pics below of the town and my new French life!

Life at the lycée

A "lycée" is a French high school, and where I will be spending all of my working hours. I work with the older students, in an effort to help prepare them for the big test they take at the end of the year. It is a bit like the SAT or ACT, as it is required for entrance into a university, however it is more intense. For the English part of the exam, there is a new speaking section that has been added, so my job is to speak in English with the students as much as possible! I plan to incorporate American songs, video clips, and media/news into the lessons as much as possible. The broad theme I am supposed to tie my lessons to right now is "myths and heroes," so let me know if you have any ideas of things in American culture that would fall under this theme! They have been focusing on Steve Jobs, which is an interesting choice.

Last week was the first time I went to my new school and met the teachers and students that I will be working with it. I was welcomed by all, and I really like the school. It was supposed to be an observational week, but that meant that the teachers stuck me in front of the classes and had the students ask me questions in English. At first it took a little while to get them going, but by the end, we were having a fun conversation. They asked about me, where I was from, and how I liked France. They were also very interested in American politics, and many wanted to know if I ever met any famous people. One of the students came up to me at the end of the class and gave me a list of French movies she thought I should watch. I like being in a high school, because the students are connected to American culture through music and American t.v. series. All of them know about Pretty Little Liars, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, and Glee (to name a few). It is fun to have conversations with them. Although we are limited with what we can talk about due to vocabulary, they certainly have mastered the basics and some are very good at English. 

High school in France is different than in the U.S. because students choose an area to specialize in, such as math, literature or science (kind of like how college students in the U.S. pick majors). Also, they are only in high school for three years. Furthermore, the school day lasts until 5 or 6pm, so it is much longer than the typical high school day of classes, but students do have breaks between classes sometimes. To me, french high school overall is more like college.

This week I will prepare my first lesson plans and start teaching!

La plage!

We went to the beach today! It was lovely weather, and a perfect day to enjoy the sunshine. I went with my friends Jenny, and Natalie, and my new roommate Fabrice. We played a little frisbee, and frolicked in the refreshing water. The beach was only about 20 minutes away from where we live :)

Salsa Dancing!

Yesterday I learned how to salsa dance at a local bar! The bar owner, from Guatemala, provides free lessons every Tuesday night. It was quite fun, and we learned 3 different types of dancing. It was a little hard to follow, because all of the explanations were in French, but I did learn a lot of new French vocabulary. Today we are going to a seafood restaurant at a nearby town, and tonight I am hosting a dinner party with two other friends. I have already met a great mix of people - some French, some American, as well as people from other cultures - so my days are always interesting no matter what I do!

After moving into my apartment on Monday, I am finally starting to feel settled. I am almost unpacked, and I can't wait to officially put away my suitcases!!

A bientôt :)

Bienvenue en France

A long overdue first post....

I arrived on Sept. 18 and had a wonderful day. It was non-stop from the time I woke up the morning before (Sept. 17) until 11:30 pm the next day when I arrived...so needless to say I was a bit tired after having been awake for so long. These are my thoughts from that day :

9/18/12 - 32 hours ago I woke up after a sleepless night of anticipation.
               26 hours ago I boarded my flight.
               22 hours ago the plane took off...we were rerouted and delayed due to Chicago weather.
               18 hours ago I landed at CDG airport in Paris.
               16 hours ago I spent a lovely french-speaking day at the Hollister, Incorporated office in Paris.
                8 hours ago I was able to reunite with my host family from high school.
                3 hours ago I remembered that driving in Chicago is like a picnic in Safety Town compared           to driving in Pairs. #motorcyclesHaveNoRules
               2.5 hours ago I saw the Eiffel Tower majestically shimmering away in the night sky.
                1  hour ago it finally hit me that I was here to stay for a while.

9/19/12

The next day, I went to Montpellier to look at potential apartments. I luckily found one I really liked. After exploring Montpellier a little bit and meeting some of the other English teaching assistants, I went to bed to prepare for my long journey to Munich that would involve planes, trains, trams and buses.

9/20/12 - 9/23/12

I arrived in Munich and met up with two new friends. We bought dirndls from a local German department store, and explored the city. Since we were staying with a German friend, he took us to a traditional German meal at a local restaurant near his flat.

The next day we explored the city-center and met up with my friend Inès, who I met while studying abroad in Rouen last time. It was wonderful to see her again, and we had a great time catching up. That night we all went to a club in Munich where they were playing 90's music. I got to rock out to Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Who'd a thought haha.

The next day was the start of Oktoberfest, so we put on our dirndls and braved a rainy city. We found our way into the Hofbräu tent to find a wild crowd of screaming people, and frequent bouts of dancing on the tabletops. It was extremely crowded, and there were Australians everywhere. We met so many people from so many places, and I even met a firefighter from Arlington Heights. Small world. Of course we got a giant sized pretzel to share (the only option) and a jumbo mug of beer. It was sooo heavy. Later that night we went to some other bars/clubs in downtown Munich and had a blast.

After getting home at 5:30 a.m., I took a 15 min. nap, and strolled to the train station to catch my 6:10 train back to the airport. It was an amazing trip, and I'd love to go back to Germany during my time here! It was so fun to experience the culture from the other side of the fence, and not be as touristy as I normally am. Also, I learned a few German phrases, plus I knew how to count from a past German class, so I was able to communicate effectively in several instances in the native language!

9/24/12 - today

When I arrived home from Munich, the contact from my school picked me up from the train station and I stayed at her house that night. She cooked a lovely french meal, and the next morning took me to my school so I could meet the other teachers. It was great, and I am looking forward to starting on Monday!

This past week has been full of signing leases, opening my bank account, setting up my phone (01133648068410 is what you dial from the U.S.), and taking care of other business related items. I have had a lot of time to walk around the city, and I simply love it. I cannot wait to explore more, but from what I've seen thus far, it will be a perfect place to live. There is a great student population, and a good amount of international people, so it's a really cool dynamic. Not to mention there are two fountains in the city center! The wonderful tram system is perfect for getting around, and eliminates the amount of cars in the city center. It is peaceful, yet vibrant and lively.

Today will be another day of exploring and meeting new people. I can't wait to talk to you all, and if you have skype, be sure to add me! (amox13)

Love you, miss you, and hope everything is going well back home :)

Bisous,

Alexandra




             
             

France part deux!

Hello everyone!

I will again be moving to France (for about a year this time), and I couldn't be more excited. I will be living in Montpellier (a city in the south of France), and I will teach English to high school students in Lunel (15 min train ride from Montpellier). I can't wait for this wonderful opportunity to commence, and I will reignite my blog in honor of the occasion. I leave September 17 for France, so there won't be many posts until then.

A bientot !

Alexandra :)