La vie en vacances

Well, it's been a while since my last update, but I have officially been in France now for a month! I am enjoying it a little bit more than I have at points this past 4 weeks, and I am thankful for the friends and the small pieces of familiarity that I've found here in Aix. Last night I had dinner with some friends I met very randomly at one of the grocery stores in town a few weeks ago. Dilly and I (my English friend who is also an assistant in Aix) were in line to buy some groceries and we were speaking English when all of a sudden a woman in front of us turns around and says "oh wow, I didn't know there were other English speakers here!". So that was that, we exchanged numbers, and it turns out her boyfriend is half French, she is Canadian, they live in Aix and we are friends. They are really nice, and he has a two year old boy whom I met for the first time last night and he is the cutest little boy I have ever seen. We're talking full head of blond curly hair, the cutest cubby cheeks you've laid eyes on, and eyes that light up a room. Also he can't really say my name so he calls me "Mini" and he giggles in that baby voice that just makes you smile for days when you hear it. Needless to say I am in love with French babies, Quinton in particular!
In other news, my kids at school are also beginning to steal my heart, though it really depends on the day. Some days I leave feeling so happy to be here and teaching them, and other days I seriously wonder a) why people have kids and b) how people teach for 35 years! But really it hasn't been that bad, and I am incredibly grateful to be teaching younger kids who still listen to authority and are generally respectful. My friend Dilly has high school students and some of her stories thus far have made me so appreciative of my situation! I am teaching in three different schools, five grade levels, and 19 classes in all (I can't remember if I have already mentioned these details), so it is a lot more than I expected or realized it would be, but it gives me a chance to have a very in-depth look at the French school system and the differences between schools. One of my schools is called Tresserve, and it is rather far away and up a significant series of hills (aka on a mountain) so i must take a bus to get there, which means I arrive there about an hour and a half before my first class, but it gives me time to get settled, make photocopies, and just think before I start my day there. I walked there the first time I went and it took me forever, so I decided not to do that again. Anyway, it is a pretty wealthy area (some call it the Beverly Hills of Aix), but a lot of the children still don't know much English no matter where I go. Another school I work at is called Boncelin, and it is also up a mountain, though slightly closer. The kids are good, but they don't know much English at all aside from what the assistant last year taught them, because the teachers don't speak any English, so I speak more French there than in some of the other classes. Finding ways to engage and interest students in learning at the same has been tricky, especially because I have forgotten what elementary school is like (it's been a while) and because learning a new language can be really daunting and frustrating. On my first day at Tresserve, a girl came up to me and asked me why they were learning English. It was a striking question in a way, and a difficult one for me to really explain back to her in French, a language that I have often wondered was worth the investment of learning over the past eight years. I suppose that the very act of responding in her language was testament to the opportunities you gain from being able to listen, learn, and communicate with other people and cultures in a language you do not consider your own, but still it is difficult to communicate that to an inquisitive ten year old who simply wants a logical explanation as to why she has to learn what "dog" and "water" mean. Either way, it was a small moment for me that serves as a reminder to press on and take courage when it feels like you are never going to use something you have poured hundreds of hours and massive amounts of energy into, because you never know how God will use it!
My last school is called "école du centre" and it is in the middle of town, and it is where I spend most of my time during the week. It is a large school, especially in comparison to the other two, and I think I get to work with most of the teachers there. I feel like they have adopted me in some ways, because they will invite me to have coffee with them at recess time or to eat lunch with them. I love the invitations but I want to put a sign on my forehead that reads, "don't talk to me or direct any questions my way because I have no clue what is going on". They are pretty funny to watch though, even if I can't always follow the conversations well. All in all, the schools and kids are great, and I am excited to continue learning from them and building relationships with them. Another lovely benefit to the French school system is that they have quite a few vacations, so I am actually on one right now, and don't go back to school until the 3rd... Yippee!
That said, I am super excited to get to go visit my friend in Nîmes and catch up with him and my other friend doing the program in Cherbourg who will also be there. It feels like forever since we parted ways in Paris last month.
The last update I will leave you with for this time is that I found a small extra commitment on Wednesdays that earns me a small bit of pocket change. Through a few connections centered around the woman who houses me, I got in touch with a woman who has three children, age nine, seven, and four, who wants me to come over and just speak English with them and play with them for an hour. It's great because they don't have school on Wednesdays and I don't work either, so it is a win-win. Last week was my first time doing that, and the two older ones responded well, but the four-year-old didn't want to talk with me at all, she was much happy just playing with her barbies haha.
Anyway, I found this quote and I think it is a nice way to sum up life, and my experiences so far in France so I will leave you with this:

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” -Douglas Adams

bisous mes chéries, et à bientôt!
xoxo, Amy