What a day!

This morning started out... badly. I woke up two hours before intended with stomach pains. Evidently, munching on lettuce before bed was a bad idea. I spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out if things had stopped enough to make it to my last day of classes at the collège. I was dehydrated, a little faint and not all-together. Still, it was going to be my last day and I couldn't miss it. I left my apartment a minute before class and thanked my lucky stars that I live on campus. For the first time ever, my students saw me in a t-shirt with more disheveled than usual hair. I told them I was dressing comme une américaine (sorry USA...).

First surprise of the morning: a teacher had made a mistake and my 4emes became 6emes. Not gonna lie, I loved this change. I love 6emes. Following the adorable 6emes who gave me thank you notes from all the students of their teacher (aaaaawwwwww) was my worst class. Rather my worst half of a class. I dreaded the thirty minutes I spent with the students every week. We made it through with minimal discomfort. I actually had a lot of fun with the second group (I usually do, it's just the first group that was penible). It might have helped that the second group came in with a paper they had all signed. (Granted.... one of the things written on there asked about my sex life.... er.... Well, the nice thing is knowing that this paper came from them and had nothing to do with their teacher.) I had planned on going to lunch with the teachers after that, but my stomach was protesting loudly even to the idea of water so I sat and waited for my last class ever at the collège.

My last class ever was with 5emes. 5eme is a funny age where some kids are still adorable children and other are awkwardly on their way to teenage years and others yet are all-growed-up. I made the hour into a Q&A session whose success was varied but overall positive. It was a good finish.

Second surprise of the morning (er... I guess I should say day. One week in Spain and already I think everything before 3pm is morning): I got called to see the gestionnaire. Whoops, I assumed, I should have told someone when I'd be quitte-ing the apartment. Mais non. It turned out the administrative team at the collège wanted to thank me and give me presents! So sweet! They told me that all the students and teachers had just been so happy with me. It was wonderful to hear as I had at times doubted my really being helpful to the students. I'm also not going to lie, when I was brought in to the principal's office, I thought I was in trouble. My mind is extremely inventive in times like these.

I'm gonna miss my little big monsters.

One more day at the primary school and I'm done. So sad, so sad, so sad. I've got quite the day planned out, however. My little monsters are going to have an English treasure hunt and taste PB&J. I'm pretty excited.

Much love,

MCJ

Back for the goodbyes

It's really weird coming back from vacation only to be saying goodbye constantly to everyone. Spain was fantastic, but I'll probably save talking about it for this summer when it seems like I'll have a looot of free time.

This Monday, I took the TCF exam (test de connaissance du français). I don't think it went as well as I would have liked after dominating my practice exams, but I'm reasonably confident I still got at least a B2 that would allow me to study in France. We'll see... in like two months. The only way I could see it turning out to be less would be if the optional tests weighted into the final score and my scattered responses to the oral expression were completely unsatisfactory. ANYWAY, not worth thinking about now. What will be, will be.

The test, despite its late beginnings, actually finished nearly on time, meaning I was able to make it to work on time. Yeah! Well, technically a minute late, but I had warned I might be much, much later so let's say I was early. What I walked into was my 9-11 year olds' spontaneous sex talk. It went somewhat overtime, so basically I sat in the back of the class for an hour and a half listening to my lil kiddos say what they already knew and learn what actually happens. (They anonymously wrote down what they knew and what questions they had and placed them into boxes at the front. The teacher then went through them all aloud.) These kids were actually pretty savvy. Unlike in America, you didn't hear anyone spouting off nonsense about storks. I was so impressed with how the teacher handled the subject and the class. It probably helps that the subject is not so taboo here (one discussion I overheard at a teacher lunch table here was on different foods' effects on erections). At first, some kids would giggle when hearing zizi or pénis or foufon (I'm not sure of spelling here since it's kiddy slang) or le sexe, but the teacher said "Okay, we're going to hear another word that's going to make you giggle.... Foot. .... Ear. .... Penis. See? It's just a scientific word for the anatomy. It's okay if you say zizi, because we can use words even like zizi to speak about things scientifically."

My kiddos also discussed periods which meant at recess, this conversation occurred:

Girl A: Mary, do you have your period?
Mary: Yes.
Girl B: Duh she has her period, she's not a child.
Girl C: Yeah, but she could have problems and then she wouldn't be able to get pregnant.
Girl A: Would you be sad if you had problems and couldn't have kids?
Mary: Well, yes, perhaps at first, but there are so many children without parents and I think it'd be a good thing to adopt. I could still have kids.
Girls ABC: But still....
Girl B: Have you got an amoureux?
Mary: No.
Girl B: Oh, that'd be nul to not have an amoureux.(N.B. Nul means lame here.)
Mary: hahahaha

Sadly, my next work days were less exciting. I had my last 3emes class (those are the oldest at the collège, freshman in high school aged) and just had a charming bunch of 5emes. We discussed differences between France and the US. (YOU DON'T DO THE BISE???) Apparently I say bisou funnily.

Last night was my last Breton class. The next two Tuesdays are French holidays (oh France...). We've decided to organize a little goodbye soirée which is nice since not everyone was able to make it to the class yesterday.

ELECTIONS!!! My goodness, they have been so much fun to watch. Perhaps I'll write something more about that later, but right now I need to prepare for 5emes, round 2. Wish me luck....

Bisous (said funnily) and hugs (said and executed properly),

MCJ

Heading to Spain tonight

And now for a ramble:

As it is now the Tuesday after Easter (and a day when people are no longer 0ff-work, the exception being us with les vacances already), I am on the receiving end of a lot of rejection. I knew that a lot of replies would come from universities that only accept lectrices from other universities with whom they have an agreement, but it's still le suck to get them. Ah well, I will keep on keeping on (and my info will still be on file at those places if one of their agreed upon candidates dropped off). Okay, so, there have only been two rejections so far, but they were rejections from schools I was really hoping to work for.

Project for the Spain trip: writing a Masters application.

I feel positive still, however. Where there's a will, there's a way. Talking with EU friends can be a little maddening though. Their only concern is finding a job, they don't have to find a job that will sponsor a visa. I was speaking with one who was telling me to go to the pole emploi to look for a job "and then you can also apply for unemployment benefits!"

Me: "Uhhhh I'm pretty sure that's not possible, given I'm an American and once my visa is over I'm officially a tourist."

"Oh, right."

Life has been exceptionally great, however. Lots of celebrations, lots of meeting new people, lots of saying goodbye. Saying goodbye is not great, but discovering that these people you just met a half year ago care about you and want you to stay a part of their lives is great.

MCJ

A million emails

My head is full of things like:

En espérant..., en attendant..., dans l'attente de votre réponse....
je vous prie d'accepter... agréer... l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.

School's out for... easter! I'm the last person in the school, save one. I've got to get in -- or rather OUT-- my last emails and print out last letters and CVs. Phwew.

This last week has been utterly amazing and a constant reminder that I am going to miss this place

And now I've got to leave before the alarm