In much better news, I got a definitive yes for the apartment in Saint-Etienne. Move-in day is December 30, the day after I get back from Italy. Thankfully I don't have very much to pack, though I am wondering just how I'm going to do the move... I can't say I really fancy dragging two huge suitcases plus some extra bags 20 minutes to the train station, on the train, then another 15 minutes to my new home. If only I could drive stick shift, I'd rent a car... I guess it's a move that will have to be done in stages, as much of a pain as that may be. The end result will be worth it! I guess I could ask one of the teachers to help me out by using their car, but that really would be an imposition since none of the ones I know live in Feurs, and it would eat a day out of their break.
One piece of advice I got from the past assistant that I've really taken to heart is "débrouillez-vous!", or "take care of it yourself!", since many people (though certainly not all) in the school's administration and the teaching assistant's program could give a rat's ass if something goes wrong. I've learned to resolve my problems myself, even if it's often inconvenient. When I missed my OFII appointment last month, I immediately emailed the program coordinator to see what I should do, since I was having trouble contacting OFII. Her response: "Oh yes, that's a huge problem! ...Make sure you tell me when you get it fixed."
I've also had problems with classrooms. Three or four times a week I arrived with my group of students, only to find there was already another class in my room. I've then had to run around the halls looking for an empty classroom while my students mill about in the hall. The person to talk to about this issue is the assistant principal, but every time I tried to talk to her, she was either in a meeting, on the phone, or told me to come back later since she was busy. After the fourth or fifth "come back tomorrow morning", I decided to take matters into my own hands and went around checking the room schedules posted on the doors and found empty classrooms for my problem hours. One of the profs saw what I was up to, found it absurd that I was still having classroom issues a third of the way through the school year, and only then was I able to get feedback from the assistant principal (who instead of helping just confirmed the schedule I'd already figured out). Yeesh. Moral of the story: débrouillez-vous!
The teaching itself (once I find a classroom ;) is going pretty well. This week it's been pretty relaxed, since with break on the horizon the students are quite unmotivated, and I've had a few classes canceled due to teachers giving tests before the break. I've been sharing some American Christmas songs with them, including Dean Martin's version of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and this absolute gem that I mentioned earlier (listen at your own risk, mwahaha). It's been interesting to see which they prefer, especially when I keep my opinions of the songs neutral. They're not big fans of Dean Martin, but it's usually half and half between Rudolph and Clint Black (except for a couple classes that have hated the country song; one behaviorally-challenged student was so ballsy as to tell me it was con, or "fucking stupid"). For the most part, I've been enjoying getting their reactions and hearing about French holiday traditions.
I've just got three more classes on Thursday, and then it's break and Italy and moving to St-Etienne!
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