Montargis, my new home.

I do not have internet at my apartment but I'm going to try my best to be a good blogger!

I am now in Montargis, my new home for the next seven months or so. It's a lovely town. The weather is strange and it can be cold and hot and pretty and rainy and hot and cold again all in one day but I guess in a way that is a lot like autumn at home so I enjoy it in a way.

I don't start work until Friday when I have orientation in Orleans and then I start at my school here in Montargis Monday, so I have this week to explore the city. Anthony, the other American assistant in my city arrived yesterday and is getting his life arranged today but hopefully we will begin to explore and go out together soon and I might not spend so much time alone. Everything has been both overwhelming and uneventful since I've arrived, so I'm not completely sure what to write about, so instead I'll leave you with some pictures.

This is my apartment:


complete with a balcony almost as big as the apartment itself:


and from the outside:


I will post more pictures of the city and my life soon!
I hope everyone is well!

paris!

This is going to be short because I am sure to pass out soon, but I am in Paris and it is so incredible. The weather is beautiful, the men are beautiful, everything is beautiful.

Yesterday I arrived and made my way to the apartment where I am staying (one million and a half thank yous to Margaret who is the most amazing and gracious host) and subsequently conked out for a few hours. After my nap Margaret and I went to a friend of hers for a late dinner. He was also an incredible host and had the most perfect views from both ends of his apartment. His bedroom window perfectly frames the Eiffel Tower. Today I slept until noon, and then I got ready and went out to wander. I'm not sure where all I went. Les Halles, Notre Dame... Lots of walking. Lots of beautiful sites. Everything here is pretty and perfect. I took another nap after returning to the apartment (I'm predicting a habit here) and then Margaret and I went out for dinner with her friend Max. Perfection ensues. We went to a little out of the way cafe with delicious food and plenty of wine. I feel like I've barely experienced anything and yet am so overwhelmed with how much I love it all. Tomorrow I will... who knows. Wander?

I am moving into my apartment in Montargis Saturday. I hope I like it there. So far I am so incredibly in love with Paris that I'm afraid I will be disappointed in Montargis. But c'est pas grave. Paris is not far and I can adjust to anything.

When I was in France two years ago, we spent a weekend in Marseille. There I bought a leather bracelet and have only taken it off briefly twice since then. As a symbol of returning to France, I took it off for good last night.

It's the end of an era and I couldn't be more excited.
I'll have more pictures as soon as I can keep my eyes open long enough to upload them.

trials and tribulations

So the big day is fast approaching--Monday to be exact, and MAN have I had a TRYING week. I had some sort of doctor's appointment everyday but today with the kicker being yesterday. I went into the dentist a few weeks ago because I was having bite sensitivity in one of my top right molars. My dentist told me that I had a fracture in that tooth which usually requires a crown, but I also had a cavity in that tooth. He suggest going ahead and trying to fill the tooth in hopes that the filling would seal the crack. So that's what he did, and I was told to monitor that tooth very closely and let him know over the next week if I continued to have any pain. At first I was just experiencing hot/cold sensitivity which I assumed was a normal part of getting a filling, but the sensitivity didn't go away. I was honestly just sick and tired of doctors so I decided not to go back. That is until this past Wednesday. I was on my way to my Wednesday doctor appointment (after having blood redrawn and picking my brother up from the airport that morning) when the whole right side of my mouth really began to ache. I had been having headaches the past couple of days but I assumed they were from stress. Now I know better. I got a quick emergency appointment for Thursday morning which I assumed would involve me getting the crown we had discussed. I was quite wrong.

Upon hearing my explanation of the pain I was experiencing, my dentist and hygienist gave each other rather ominous looks. They did an x-ray of the tooth and confirmed their suspicions. I had an abscess and would need [DUN DUN DUN] a root canal. Now I will say that the circumstances I was in may actually have proved beneficial. I have never had a root canal before but have only heard them spoken of with dread, but as I am leaving the country Monday and was expected in Atlanta today, my only option was to immediately go forward with the procedure preventing me from having too much time to develop too much anxiety over the situation. The plans changed to having a root canal then, at 8 am, and then returning around 1:30 for the crown. That seemed simple enough, and I still expected to be able to spend the afternoon driving to my brother and sister in law's outside of Atlanta in order to get to the consulate at 8 am this morning to pick up my Visa. Again, I was quite wrong.

After digging and drilling and prodding around (I'm not really sure what was going on as I was all nitrous'd out, but there sure were some interesting noises) for what seemed like a good while, my dentist gave me some more bad news. "I'm going to have to send you to a specialist." So they stuffed my tooth with something crumbly and sent me on my way. I went home and napped until my mom came to take me to the specialist. At the specialist I got more nitrous, four novocaine shots, and much more poking and prodding and drilling. Finally the event was over and the pain was gone and I thought I was home free with prescriptions for antibiotics, steroids, and loratab. A pattern is surfacing you see as I was, once again, quite a bit wrong.

The problem I was encountering was that my appointment lasted until just near 4pm. I was still feeling rather woozy, needed to fill my prescriptions, and only wanted to sleep forever. My brother's house in Georgia is 3+ hours away with a +1 hour time change. I needed a little extra recovery time, and I didn't want to be barging in on them and their two toddler children at near midnight. So I decided to change plans (another popular theme here). I went home, dosed up on narcotics (prescribed of course), and set off to nap the day away until 3 am when I would then leave for Atlanta, hopefully arriving at the French Consulate with time to spare. Have you guessed yet that even these plans didn't quite work out?

As it turns out, Loratab does not knock me out but rather just relaxes me into an itchy stupor somewhere on the verge of sleep. So I tossed and turned and played Bejeweled and talked to my cats and soon it was 3 am. I actually felt... energized. Then I got off the couch and the dizziness set in. I put my head between my knees and took a few deep breaths and gave myself a little pep talk. I was taking my friend AJ home on the way out and we headed out to the car. As I started to sit down in the car, my head began to spin and suddenly all I could see was black. "AJ, I don't think I can do this." I asked him to go get my mom and when they returned i was lying on my back on the garage floor wondering if I was going to pass out or throw up. Luckily AJ is a saint and offered to drive me the whole three hours to Atlanta. I am forever indebted to him.

Long story short (haha) we made it to the Consulate safe and sound (save for a near miss with a drunk driver...) and half an hour early. Picking up my Visa was quick and easy, even if they did kick AJ out of the building. We were back in Alabama by 11 am, and I am officially cleared to reside in France until August 2011.

BUT I HAVE MY VISA HOORAY HOORAY.
Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to pack and where on earth I'm going to stay when I arrive in Paris. Packing my life into two bags and then having to be responsible for them is FUN.

Apartments, again

Well as beautiful, stunning, perfect, dream apartment fell through, my expectations for a living arrangement dropped dramatically. I had spoken with the other assistant in my area about possibly rooming together, but out of almost nowhere my contact person at Durzy emailed me telling me she had found an apartment for me. So I guess I have an apartment. It's a studio with what can barely be called a kitchen, a bed, and a balcony (!!), but it's in centre-ville, on a nice main street within walking distance of a lot of things, and generally affordable. I can still change my mind if I arrive and just hate it. But for the most part I'm just satisfied with having a place to go to when I arrive. So. There's that.

two weeks from tomorrow

I leave on a plane for Paris two weeks from tomorrow. I finally received my arrete and finally went to my Visa appointment. I am almost positive I filled out my forms incorrectly and I had to mail them better photos because mine were bad quality, but what's done is done and unless I hear anything else, I will be picking up my Visa September 17. Three days before my flight.

I am still uncertain of what I'm going to do when I arrive in Paris. I have spoken a bit about bumming around Paris for a few days before I head to Montargis. There are several reasons to do this. One, I don't have to be in Montargis for at least a week and I've only ever spent a weekend in Paris. Two, I know a few people in Paris and might be able to score a place to sleep for a few nights saving me the money of staying in a hostel in Montargis. Three, it's Paris!

I have spoken with Anthony, the only other English assistant that I know of in Montargis. We have agreed that, if we can find a furnished two bedroom, it would probably be a good idea to live together. He won't be arriving until the 28, so I will not be able to get a place until he gets there it seems, which is another reason to hang around in Paris. I have a feeling I'm going to be extremely low on money for a bit, as my CD doesn't open up for withdrawal until mid-October. I guess I'll just have to see what happens when I get there. I would be less concerned about where I'm sleeping for the first week or so if I wasn't going to have a large suitcase with me.

Speaking of a large suitcase, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW/WHAT TO PACK.

Sorry this blog is so boring so far. Give me two or three weeks and things will pick up!

some things.

Well, since the last post, the landlord of the perfect apartment has asked me to send him 400€ as a deposit for the apartment, as there have been others interested in it. I just never answered, heartbroken, because I don't know how much I trust that. However, several weeks later, I receive another email from him stating that he never received anything, and he would like to know if I'm still interested. I had kind of already come to terms with not getting perfect apartment, but now that it's back on my mind... My dad didn't seem all that skeptical, actually. Perhaps I'll email him back and ask him if he has PayPal.

Other things:
I STILL have not received my arrete and therefore STILL have not applied for my Visa. I decided today to go ahead and book my flight. My mom will be assisting me with that tonight (my savings is all under her control) and I'm looking at September 20. That is still cutting things a little close on the Visa front, but I want enough time to get settled and my mother will be out of town for two or three days after that.
Having a ticket will make it all so much more real. Lately I've been forgetting completely that I'm even going. Wondering what the hell I'm doing with my life. The waiting is the worst part.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I've finally discovered another assistant in Montargis. This is exciting. I did not want to be all alone.

At this point the whole thing is so far from real.

So I've been lurking apartments in France since I initially started the application process for this program. Then once I was accepted and knew that I was in Academie Orléans-Tours, I started lurking apartments in that area. When I finally found out my placement, I began looking for apartments in Montargis. This was no easy feat as Montargis has a population of 15,000 and no university. But I stumbled upon an apartment that made me tear up with joy. It's a "maisonette" within 10 minutes walking distance from Lycée Durzy with a living room and full kitchen. 400 £/mo utilities included. Five minutes from downtown. And honestly the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I didn't want to get too excited about it, as I knew a lot of landlords are hesitant to rent to people without meeting them, but, with the help of Stacey, I constructed a polite and professional email asking about the apartment.

And I got a response this morning.

I can have the apartment, he said. We can sign a contract when I arrive in September.

I. CAN. HAVE. THE. APARTMENT.

I'm still trying to be calm and skeptical as I don't have anything in writing, but I think this guy is trustworthy. The apartment is behind his house, and I don't have to pay/sign anything until I get there. I cried when I read the email.

Anyway, here it is:

I'm so happy about this.

waiting, waiting, waiting

Lately I feel like all I can do is tread water. I've already had to reschedule my Visa appointment once, because, while I received my placement, I have not gotten my actual contract which I have to have to apply for a Visa. I've been telling everyone that I leave September 14, but I haven't actually bought my ticket yet. That's another thing I am waiting on my contract for. Another frustrating issue is that I emailed my contact person at the Lycée who responded with a long elaborate email in French giving me tiny little bits of information and asking me a million questions. When I had not answered in a few days due to being out of town, I got another email just checking on me. So I responded this time, answering all of the questions as best as I could and trying to to ask too many myself, but now two weeks later I'm the one who hasn't heard anything back.

So right now, all I can do is Google my school and town obsessively. And scout out concerts in Paris over the next year.

Things I know:
Montargis, where I'll likely be living, has a population of 15,000. Montevallo's city population is around 4,800 and the school has about 3,000 students. According to Wikipedia, Montargis is the home of Pralines. There is also a legend about a very loyal dog resulting in a "dramatic statue". Montargis is near a large forest and contains a lot of canals and bridges.

And that's about it.
So instead I'm trying to focus more on my own preparations. I've been struggling with reading a French language version of The Alchemist that Stacey lent me. I've been trying to think of tools to use in my classroom like a map of the US or a popular English TV show, but to be honest, I'm not even sure what the format of my job is going to be and whether I'll even have my own time to spend on things. I just wish someone would give me a few more details. Particularly the contact information of the assistant before me!

And on top of everything, I've been thinking too much about adjustments and how I'm going to make friends and how, with only working 12 hours a week, I'm going to keep myself from holing up in my not-yet-existent apartment and living on the internet. I'm a people person. But an awkward one.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS.

I can finally update, because I finally have more information.

I received an email this morning informing me that I have been placed at Lycée Durzy in Villemandeur. From what I can tell, Villemandeur looks like a a suburb of the larger Montargis, or at least a small town very close to the city. I haven't found much information about Villemandeur online, but Montargis looks like a really lovely place. At this point I'm highly considering living in Montargis proper. I will be an hour drive from Orléans and an hour drive from Paris. I'm not sure the train distance, but I imagine it to be an hour or less for both. Here is an aerial view of my school:

It is a technical high school and I think that its architecture seems to display that.

I've emailed my contact person already, misspelling the name of the town and all, and I am waiting for more information about where I'll want to live, etc.

I also made my appointment with the French consulate in Atlanta. July 2 at 11:30 a.m. meaning that I'll have to leave home at the crack of dawn. I went ahead and went for that date because Mom and I are already driving to Athens that weekend for a wedding. Hopefully she won't be too against leaving a day early. Also, I'm rather terrified of the whole Visa process and the warning they give that it could take up to three months, so I figured the sooner the better. I'm riddled with anxiety over the whole process and can't wait to put it behind me.

Hopefully I'll have more interesting things to talk about soon!

the beginning

Dear Future Teaching Assistant,

Congratulations! We are very pleased to inform you of your acceptance to the Teaching Assistant Program in France for the 2010-2011 academic year, sponsored by the French Ministry of Education.

You have been placed in the Académie d'Orléans-Tours. You will be assigned to one or more schools in the region, however, please note that your school(s) will not necessarily be located in the city of “Orléans” or in the city of "Tours." Some Académies cover large regions and have many postings in smaller cities and towns. Do not assume that you will be placed in one of the the biggest cities in the region. The Académie will make specific city and school assignments this summer and will send you more details regarding your placement at that time. For now, please be patient and keep an open mind! In the meantime, you can find out more information about your Académie at: http://www.ac-orleans-tours.fr/

Your placement in this region is FINAL; we will not grant requests to change academies, nor will we place you on a waiting list for other regions.

Please confirm by e-mail whether you will accept the offered position as a Teaching Assistant in France. If your plans have changed and you are no longer able to participate in this year’s program, we ask that you let us know immediately so that we can offer the post to a candidate on the waiting list. Should you withdraw from this year’s program, we cannot guarantee your future acceptance into the program as deferment is not an option. You must send us an e-mail either confirming your acceptance or withdrawing from the program by the end of the day on Sunday, April 18. If you do not respond by April 18, we will not be able to hold your spot.

If you confirm your acceptance of the offered position, we will send you more information about your next steps after April 18.

We look forward to hearing from you and félicitations!

Carolyn COLLINS

Educational Affairs Program Officer

Teaching Assistant Program in France

Embassy of France

4101 Reservoir Road

Washington, D.C. 20007