The Real World

Right before coming to France two different sources reminded me (or rather told me for the first the time) that what the other assistants and I were doing (especially those who just graduated from college like me), was entering the real world and starting a first job-- just in a different country. I never thought about it in that way, but it is definitely true. Saying that, even though I've only been here a little over a week, there are a few things I have learned (or that have been reinforced) after entering the "real world” in France and here are a few of them:

1. Money makes the world go 'round.

*Of all people, I hate to be the one to say this, but it's really true. Life is made so much easier (especially starting a new life in foreign country) when you have money. It doesn't have to be a lot, but just enough to be sufficient and keep you from worrying too much. Sometimes if we don't have as much money as we would like, we end up trying to go for options that we think may be cheaper by waiting or jumping on an offer and often we end up spending more money because of it.

2. People very rarely have your best interest in mind.
   
   
   *As kind as people may seem, I would say that this holds true in general (except of course for people who you are very close to-- family, friends, etc.) For example, as welcoming as someone may appear when you're starting something new, whether it be a new job, renting a new apartment, starting a grad program at a university, starting a new hobby, etc., usually people are thinking of themselves first. Because of this, even if someone suggests something to you that seems to be a good option, really reflect and make sure it's right for you. What may seem great may just be a way to free themselves of responsibility in some way or make their own lives easier.
   
   
3. Communication is KEY. In matters of importance, know to what point you should be diplomatic without it being detrimental to yourself.

*I haven't really talked to anyone about this but my parents, but I've been having a bit of a problem with the apartment I'm in right now. It's great and the family I'm renting from is great, but it's very lonely at the moment. To save you a long story and prevent having all of my business on this site (if you want the full details email, facebook or Skype me) there was a miscommunication in terms of a roommate and at least for now I'm alone. I'm trying to find someone however I can (from language assistants who haven't arrived yet to students at the university here), but it's definitely a daunting task. I would have been spared a lot of trouble if I was forward and straight up with my wishes up front. Right now, I would say it is better to risk slightly offending someone than ending up in a situation where you're not the happiest.

Okay, enough of the pessimistic post. I promise the next one will be a pleasant one because there has been some great stuff going on this week as well. Pau is lovely but at the moment there is a good deal on my plate. For now send positive thoughts and prayers my way! I think I'm a great person. I don't smoke, I'm friendly, fun, neat but not super freak neat, don't smell, can cook pretty well, can hold a conversation and my French is pretty good if I say so myself. I think I would be a great catch as a roommate! If you guys know anyone else headed to (or already in) Pau for the year please talk me up. :-)

A True Indian Summer

Have any of you ever heard of the expression "Indian summer?" Maybe because I grew up in Florida where it is always sweltering, we never had a use for this term. Since I've been in Pau I've been hearing this phrase a lot by people describing how hot it's been outside. Right now I'm sitting outside in a tank top loving the heat and sunshine. It's been wonderful to experience some of France outside of a huge coat.

What might an Indian summer look like in Pau? Well here is a picture of part of the Boulevard des Pyrenées to give you an idea. This is a main road downtown that you can see the Pyrenees from.

Things have been looking up because I was able to meet some of the other English language assistants who are living in Pau. I'm really looking forward to Tuesday as well because there will be an all-day meeting where we'll meet the other language assistants for German, Spanish, etc.

The rest of this week I'm going to open a bank account, find a bike and try to start some of the paperwork so I can get health insurance and all of that fun stuff. This great weather should continue throughout the weekend so I'm hoping to spend a lot of time outside before the cold and rain come. Work begins next week and I can't wait to get started!

I'm here!

This post is coming a bit later than I would have liked because the apartment where I'm living does not have Internet just yet. My apologies! I'll try to recap as quickly and completely as possible. I promise the rest of my entries will be a lot more interesting to read.

I flew out of Orlando on September 21^st. I used Orlando Sanford International Airport which was a pleasant experience. It's a lot smaller and more manageable than MCO, but not as pretty (I could probably have gotten there at 6pm for my 7pm flight and been more than fine). I flew with Icelandair which was a cool experience. Besides getting a layover in Reykjavik, I got to hear lots of Icelandic from the announcements given which was pretty cool. The worst part of my flight experience was probably watching No Strings Attached, a romantic comedy with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Natalie, usually your movies are so good! What happened?

I landed in Paris on September 22^nd around 12:30 (local time) with a backpack, a big rolling suitcase and a duffel bag, ready to brave the narrow turnstiles, escalators and winding hallways of Charles de Gaulle airport. Needless to say, going through a crowded airport by yourself with so many bags is not fun, so I didn't want to do the same on the RER and the metro and risk losing something (or getting lost myself with all those bags). I opted for a taxi from the airport and had an interesting discussion with a Moroccan cab driver about family, Arabic, cosmopolitanism, the U.S., and various other topics.

While in Paris I was lucky enough to stay with the parents of a friend I made when I studied in Grenoble last year. The apartment is in a great area in Montparnasse, not too far from Luxembourg Gardens. They live on the fifth floor of their apartment building and with the narrow, winding staircases in France I was really grateful that they had an elevator (even if it was so small that it could only fit my bags). I only spent one night there but had such a great time getting to know my friend's parents. It was the first time I had met them and my friend was not there, but they welcomed me with such warmth and hospitality. I didn't get to do much in Paris because I was really only there for the evening, but I did walk a bit around Montparnasse, go the train station and buy my carte 12-25 (a great card for youth traveling in France so you get discounts on the trains!) for the train the next day. The best part about Paris was enjoying the company of my friend's parents-- having dinner with them, having good conversation about a bunch of topics, listening to classical music, Stevie Wonder and Billie Holiday and seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up from a window at the top of their apartment. Even though I'm not super big on the Eiffel Tower as a figure of Paris, it was cool seeing it up close for the first time last year. It was much more impressive still to see it from a distance from my friend's parents' apartment window, knowing that it's what they can see every night and a real piece of life in the city, not just a tourist attraction.

I had to wake up early the next day to take a 7:45AM train to Pau. Even though the train station is probably about a 10 minute walk from my friend's parents place, walking with all of my stuff would still have been atrocious, so I was really grateful that my friend's dad made the walk with me, helping me with my luggage through the streets and even helping me get them on the train. It is five hours from Paris to Pau, which I thought would go by very slowly, but drifting in and out of sleep made it go by pretty quickly. I got to Pau around one in the afternoon and one of the English teachers I'll be working with met me at the train station. After that she and the main teacher I've been in contact with both showed me around the school, had me meet the principal and assistant principal, one of the other English teachers and some of the other staff at the school. Everyone seems to be friendly and helpful and I'm excited to get started.

For now that's pretty much it! I got a few groceries after I put my stuff into my apartment and on Saturday I wandered around downtown, stopped at the office du tourisme to get some maps (a must when going to a French city for the first time), got a SIM card and minutes for a phone and squeezed every second of life out of my netbook and iTouch using Internet at the mall. In general life is good, though I've definitely been doubting my sanity by deciding to do this program for the next seven months. The first month will probably be a bit of a challenge getting settled and starting my position at the school, but I think this will be good experience. I'm a bit lonely for the moment with no Internet at the apartment and no roommate yet, but once things start rolling I'm sure it will look up. In French at times like this they like to say "ça va aller," which means basically that things are going to be okay and I'm sure they will.

Crunch Time

It's hard to believe that the time is almost here. Before summer started I thought that I would have plenty of time to organize, save money and get ready to cross the pond. However, after spending an action-packed, incredible summer in Gainesville that wasn't the case. The one full month I've had at home has been filled with saying goodbyes, visiting with friends and family, studying for the GRE, sending lots of emails to arrange my arrival and gathering together what I want to take with me. As excited as I am to do this, I'm definitely nervous as well. When it comes down to it though, do we ever feel ready in times like these? For now I'll just relax, breathe, pack and enjoy the few days I have left in the States.