Les plus beaux voyages se font par la fenêtre!

The most beautiful trips start with the window. (Le Roi de Cœur, 1966, one of my favorite movies in any language)

I took this picture on a 2008 trip to France. I had taken a course on Paris during the spring semester and the class took a trip to Paris that summer. A friend, Curls, and I decided to add on extra travel before and after the class trip. This picture was taken on the Île d'If (where the Chateau d'If is located... which is where the Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned). This trip was an exceptional introduction to France. Though I had spent a month in Paris in high school, it was the three weeks that summer that gave me a real taste for the country. From an early age I had felt drawn to French and had the good fortune to begin lessons with a French neighbor when I was ten. It's amazing the sheer diversity of France. For a comparatively geographically small country, it packs in so much history and so much culture.

Nearly nine months ago, I was trying to choose what three Academies to list as my preferences for teaching in France through TAPIF (Teaching Assistantship Program in France). Down to the last hour before the application was due I was still beset by uncertainty. And yet, despite days and days of research and confusion I kept the same three academies as my top three: Strasbourg, Rennes and Rouen. I wanted to be placed in a region with a distinct culture separate even from the French. This thought process motivated the first two, the third choice was the hometown of the woman who taught me French. Though I actually feel very drawn to the south of France (especially after spending four years in the sun in Texas), the added bonus of being in a linguistically diverse region was too much to pass up.

In April (after months of anticipation), I was accepted to the program and was delighted to find out I had been placed in the Rennes Academy! Rennes (and its Academy) is situated in Brittany. Some time after that, I received my placement in the commune of Quéven (or in Breton, Kewenn). I will be working in elementary and middle schools there. Lorient is known for its Festival Interceltique and I hope to gain plenty of exposure to the Breton language (and possibly take classes?). The Breton language has a particular draw to me as a Celtic language. My great grandmother was Welsh and her legacy instilled in me an interest in the Welsh language. Welsh and Breton are both Brythonic Celtic languages and share many features that I, as a Linguistics major, find really fascinating.

I'm happy to be taking this window of opportunity to learn more about another culture and more about myself.

Helpful links for the Lorient region:

Local Transportation around/in Lorient

BreizhGo (in English -- an itinerary planner for the whole of Brittany)