Starting at the start, or beginning at the beginning, is usually "a very good place to start," so that's what I'm doing. Since August is well underway, I've decided to kick off this new blogging expedition with a brief summary of what is going on France-wise, in terms of me getting ready to start my adventure. So here goes:
Visa appointment made at the French consulate in Boston? Check. Paperwork filled out and copied in triplicate? Check. Passport with a blank page for my visa? Check. Requisite goofy photos to follow me to France? Also check. That's for August 19.
Plane ticket purchased? Check. Contract in hand? Check. Housing secured? Not so much. Housing tips coming from our contact-person in France? Also lacking. But hey, when it comes to anything even mildly government-related in France, they aren't so big on the follow-up. In any case, I leave on September 20. Orientation starts October 1.
And what exactly are you jetting off to go do, again? one might ask. I'm going to teach English in France. The French government brings in native speakers of several langauges (English, German, Spanish and Italian) to serve as teaching assistants in their public schools. I've been placed in elementary schools in Metz, so I'll be teaching English to 3rd, 4th and 5th-graders. Metz is a city of about 130,000 in the département of Moselle, in the région of Lorraine. Assistants get a small monthly salary that should be enough to live on. But housing isn't provided for us, and we're usually left up to our own devices when it comes to finding housing. I'm currently looking into studio apartments that are offered through a foyer, a bording-house-like place where students, young workers, and interns frequently live. Apparently teaching assistants regularly live in these foyers without much trouble, so I have that on my side. Unfortunately, (for those trying to conduct business, though not for the French) most of France goes on vacation from the end of July through the end of August, so hearing back from foyers is not highly likely right about now...
But did I mention that I only teach 12 hours per week? And there's no school on Wednesdays? And I get a total of 7.5 weeks of vacation in the entire 9-month contract? Pretty great deal, I say!
Other than housing and visa papers, I'm thinking a lot about packing, and wondering if it's really possible (not even considering necessary) to bring that many pairs of shoes...
No comments:
Post a Comment