Back to Châlons

Back in Châlons, I noticed the leaves turning and falling. It's been getting colder (and rainy). To me, it seemed so odd to come "home" from vacation and still be in France. 


But, my life has been getting less odd because after the vacation (and after my first paycheck), my work finally started to take a regular form! My week was full of early mornings and English courses. Some went surprisingly well, and others did not work out as envisioned. Like the one where I told students to introduce themselves and they told me they already had, last week (oops!). There were highs and lows. I feel unprepared, not only because I haven't been trained in teaching English but also because I don't know what the students know (how to speak to them, what level activities to give them, what they will respond to...). I think being flexible and willing to improvise is important, but it also helps me a lot to have full-out lessons planned (with backup plans--because sometimes cool ideas flop!). After getting organized and arming myself with activities, I feel much less distraught. :)

I got to come along on a field trip to Paris on Wednesday and Thursday. One of the English teachers is participating in government-funded program bringing together high schoolers from six European countries (France, Germany, Spain, Romania, Turkey, and Poland), and selected students come to meet the others in each country--this fall, France took the first turn. It was a lot of fun to have a free ride to Paris and do some sight-seeing! I also got to make the acquaintance of another assistant, a Londoner teaching English in Germany, and we were pals for the trip. I enjoyed shopping around with her at the Galeries Lafayette, and of course chatting in cafés when the weather was uncooperative. :)


In other news, I stayed the weekend with the host family, met the four girls and three huskies -- and after the work week, I moved out of the foyer on Friday November 12th! =D