Dear friends,
Tomorrow is the beginning of my LAST WEEK teaching in Nevers - I can't believe it! How have 7 months gone by already? The weather is finally gorgeous here (I've actually been getting quite tan), and we're all realizing that we're about to go our separate ways. I'm panicking about packing, as I only have 2 large suitcase and a backpack to get all my stuff home. I did a half-hearted trial run this morning, and I think it's going to take some major ingenuity to get everything in there.
I'm still planning to go to Iceland next week, and I'm hoping that part will all go according to plan!! Let's all hope that the long-name-volcano doesn't erupt anymore (at least, not until after May 8) - how ridiculous would it be to get stuck in Iceland?!?
While I'm looking forward to being back in the US, I am going to be sad to leave all the great people I've met here. (I'm also accepting the fact that I'll probably never live in another apartment as cool as the one I lived in here!) It's been a good 7 months, though, so I can't complain!
I hope you are all well!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Espana!
Hola amigos y amigas!
I'm safely back in Nevers after my 8 wonderful days in Spain - luckily I flew in the day before all the airports closed because of the volcanic ash, so thank goodness I didn't get stranded! I'm supposed to spend 3 days in Reykjavik (on my way back to the US) in a few weeks, so I hope the volcano is in check by then... I'm looking forward to it and want to be able to go!
My trip went really well, even though the weather wasn't always what I'd hoped for. I started in Barcelona, where I arrived last Wednesday afternoon to a cool, grey, rainy day. I spent 3 days in Barcelona, and I really liked it. It's very pedestrian-friendly, so that always wins cities points in my book. It has a lot to see, and I spent tons of time just wandering around, seeing the sights, including lots of amazing Gaudi architecture. I visited the Sagrada Familia (which I walked to from the city center - it's FAR out there!), Casa Mila, and the Park Guell, and I have to say I'm a big Gaudi fan. Park Guell is a gorgeous park on the edge of the city - it was originally designed as an upscale housing development, but luckily for us, that fell through and it became a public park instead! One of the city's main thoroughfares, La Rambla, cuts right down from one of the main squares to the waterfront, and it has lots of street performers, stalls selling things (like flowers and pets!), and TONS of people. It's very lively, and great for people-watching. Barcelona also has a gorgeous cathedral in the old city center, and lots of great museums. Picasso spent several years of his youth in Barcelona, so the Picasso museum had a wonderful collection showing the progression of his work from "normal" to what we now recognize as "Picasso" - very interesting! It's a big city, though, and I did lots of walking - my feet felt like they were going to fall off by the end of each day...
After Barcelona I headed to Valencia, a gorgeous city about 3 hours by train down the coast. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of my trip; it was just such a pleasant place to be! It's not too big, and there's an amazing park that runs through a dry riverbed in the middle of town, which makes it perfect for strolling in the sun and sitting at cafés. I took a walking tour one day, and the city also has a really interesting history... Apparently the city got swapped between the Moors and the Christians several time, and one of the basilicas in town claims to have the authentic holy grail. Likely story, right?? Valencia is famous for its oranges, and I also learned on the walking tour that the orange trees all around the city are treated with something to make the oranges taste awful, to prevent people from picking and eating them all! It was also in Valencia that I discovered my favorite Spanish chain restaurant, which would become a daily staple for the rest of the trip. It's a chain of tapas restaurants, but the food was SO cheap; I never ordered any item that cost more than €1.20, and I would get completely full for under €5 or €6!! (And a beer only cost €0.60. Yes, you read that correctly - SIXTY CENTS.) Why is France SO much more expensive than every other continental European country?? My hostel was also amazing in Valencia - it was in a great location and was just great in every way. Normally you get really rough, crappy sheets and blankets in hostels, but this place had actual DUVETS and duvet covers, AND the beds were already made for you when you checked in!
I headed to Madrid after Valencia via a first-class train - I bought my tickets online beforehand, and the special web price for first-class was one euro less than the normal second-class price, so obviously I went for first class! It was AWESOME. It was almost like being on a plane; I got served breakfast, then sat and read my book while drinking coffee and watching Spain go by. I highly recommend the experience. Madrid was also wonderful, although it didn't feel big at all for being such an important city... I visited the Royal Palace, which was huge and ornate, and even had a peacock on the property! Unfortunately you're not allowed to take pictures inside, but it was a very impressive palace. The church next door to the palace was also amazing, with really gorgeous frescoes. It was pretty different from most grey stone churches I usually visit, and so pretty! I went to Madrid's main park one afternoon to enjoy the weather, and it was very nice to just wander. I spent my last day in Spain going to some of Madrid's best museums - it was a bit kamikaze, as I went to the Prado Museum, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum all in the same day! (I spent 6.5 hours in museums that day...) They all have amazing collections - I got to see Picasso's "Guernica" - but it was A LOT of museum-ing to do in just one day.
I went for a day trip to Toledo on my second to last day in Spain. I wish I could say I loved it, but I'd be lying to you. The cathedral there WAS amazing, but other than that I just wasn't feeling it. It also didn't help that things close for "lunch" from 2 to 4 each afternoon in Spain, so I really didn't have many options as to things to do, and it was too cold and rainy to just wander around town for 2 hours...
Anyways, we're all having a hard time believing that our time in Nevers is really almost over. I only have 8 days of work left before I'm done, and I don't even want to start thinking about how I'm going to be able to pack up 7.5 months' worth of stuff into 2 suitcases! I hope you all are well, and I look forward to seeing everyone in just a few short weeks!!
I'm safely back in Nevers after my 8 wonderful days in Spain - luckily I flew in the day before all the airports closed because of the volcanic ash, so thank goodness I didn't get stranded! I'm supposed to spend 3 days in Reykjavik (on my way back to the US) in a few weeks, so I hope the volcano is in check by then... I'm looking forward to it and want to be able to go!
My trip went really well, even though the weather wasn't always what I'd hoped for. I started in Barcelona, where I arrived last Wednesday afternoon to a cool, grey, rainy day. I spent 3 days in Barcelona, and I really liked it. It's very pedestrian-friendly, so that always wins cities points in my book. It has a lot to see, and I spent tons of time just wandering around, seeing the sights, including lots of amazing Gaudi architecture. I visited the Sagrada Familia (which I walked to from the city center - it's FAR out there!), Casa Mila, and the Park Guell, and I have to say I'm a big Gaudi fan. Park Guell is a gorgeous park on the edge of the city - it was originally designed as an upscale housing development, but luckily for us, that fell through and it became a public park instead! One of the city's main thoroughfares, La Rambla, cuts right down from one of the main squares to the waterfront, and it has lots of street performers, stalls selling things (like flowers and pets!), and TONS of people. It's very lively, and great for people-watching. Barcelona also has a gorgeous cathedral in the old city center, and lots of great museums. Picasso spent several years of his youth in Barcelona, so the Picasso museum had a wonderful collection showing the progression of his work from "normal" to what we now recognize as "Picasso" - very interesting! It's a big city, though, and I did lots of walking - my feet felt like they were going to fall off by the end of each day...
After Barcelona I headed to Valencia, a gorgeous city about 3 hours by train down the coast. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of my trip; it was just such a pleasant place to be! It's not too big, and there's an amazing park that runs through a dry riverbed in the middle of town, which makes it perfect for strolling in the sun and sitting at cafés. I took a walking tour one day, and the city also has a really interesting history... Apparently the city got swapped between the Moors and the Christians several time, and one of the basilicas in town claims to have the authentic holy grail. Likely story, right?? Valencia is famous for its oranges, and I also learned on the walking tour that the orange trees all around the city are treated with something to make the oranges taste awful, to prevent people from picking and eating them all! It was also in Valencia that I discovered my favorite Spanish chain restaurant, which would become a daily staple for the rest of the trip. It's a chain of tapas restaurants, but the food was SO cheap; I never ordered any item that cost more than €1.20, and I would get completely full for under €5 or €6!! (And a beer only cost €0.60. Yes, you read that correctly - SIXTY CENTS.) Why is France SO much more expensive than every other continental European country?? My hostel was also amazing in Valencia - it was in a great location and was just great in every way. Normally you get really rough, crappy sheets and blankets in hostels, but this place had actual DUVETS and duvet covers, AND the beds were already made for you when you checked in!
I headed to Madrid after Valencia via a first-class train - I bought my tickets online beforehand, and the special web price for first-class was one euro less than the normal second-class price, so obviously I went for first class! It was AWESOME. It was almost like being on a plane; I got served breakfast, then sat and read my book while drinking coffee and watching Spain go by. I highly recommend the experience. Madrid was also wonderful, although it didn't feel big at all for being such an important city... I visited the Royal Palace, which was huge and ornate, and even had a peacock on the property! Unfortunately you're not allowed to take pictures inside, but it was a very impressive palace. The church next door to the palace was also amazing, with really gorgeous frescoes. It was pretty different from most grey stone churches I usually visit, and so pretty! I went to Madrid's main park one afternoon to enjoy the weather, and it was very nice to just wander. I spent my last day in Spain going to some of Madrid's best museums - it was a bit kamikaze, as I went to the Prado Museum, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, and the Reina Sofia Museum all in the same day! (I spent 6.5 hours in museums that day...) They all have amazing collections - I got to see Picasso's "Guernica" - but it was A LOT of museum-ing to do in just one day.
I went for a day trip to Toledo on my second to last day in Spain. I wish I could say I loved it, but I'd be lying to you. The cathedral there WAS amazing, but other than that I just wasn't feeling it. It also didn't help that things close for "lunch" from 2 to 4 each afternoon in Spain, so I really didn't have many options as to things to do, and it was too cold and rainy to just wander around town for 2 hours...
Anyways, we're all having a hard time believing that our time in Nevers is really almost over. I only have 8 days of work left before I'm done, and I don't even want to start thinking about how I'm going to be able to pack up 7.5 months' worth of stuff into 2 suitcases! I hope you all are well, and I look forward to seeing everyone in just a few short weeks!!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Already April?!?
Bonjour mes amis,
I'm sorry it's been a while since I last posted, but I hope you have all been well since then! I haven't been anywhere since Paris in mid-March (one reason for the lack of timely posts!), but I'm getting really excited about my upcoming trip to Spain - I'm leaving on Wednesday! There was a big grève (strike) 2 weeks ago, so a lot of us had classes canceled, and one of my friends had her school completely closed because all of the teachers were striking. There have been quite a few strikes since I got to France - this is partly because the French just go on strike a lot (it's a pretty integral part of their political system), but it's also because Sarkozy has passed some educational reforms that are doing away with quite a few teaching jobs. For every 2 teachers that retire, only 1 will be hired to replace them. This doesn't seem like a huge deal to me, as there are many teachers who don't even teach close to a full day of classes, but obviously the schools and teachers are very upset about it. Anyways, we had this big strike 2 weeks ago - I read the next day in the news that 30% of French primary school teachers were en grève that day! - so we all had the afternoon free and ended up going for a coffee at Café l'Agricole, our favorite café in Nevers' town center. As we were finishing up our drinks, a big group of strikers marched into the Place Carnot, where the café is. They had big banners representing their unions, a megaphone, road flares, and they were all shouting anti-Sarkozy, anti-reform slogans... Unfortunately we couldn't really understand them, but it was very exciting (and soooo French) to watch! Of course, the minute they finished this march (which probably started at the Préfecture, one of the Education Nationale's main administrative buildings in Nevers), several small groups broke off from the strike and sat down at the café for a drink! We sat and watched them for about 15-20 minutes; what an experience!
You may be aware of how much free time I have here, and my fellow assistants have the same issue. We've all gotten really good at making simple things take much longer than necessary, but we also now have time for all those ridiculous projects one thinks of but never has time to execute. This means that I can now add "Board Game Designer" to my résumé - a couple Wednesdays ago, a few of us had the brilliant idea to make a board game version of our time in Nevers. So many hilarious and slightly absurd things have happened to us here; it really is perfect material for a board game. It's made on the back of an old pizza box (so it has a huge grease/tomato stain on the bottom), but it's actually a really great game! We played it last week, and it works pretty well. Everyone has a game piece and starts at the Gare SNCF de Nevers (Nevers' train station). After rolling the dice, you can land on "good things," "bad things," "locations," "Il Faut Que," or "travel." If you land on a "good thing," it means you've successfully done something necessary to live in Nevers, and you can gain "dignity" or "frequent-flyer s'miles) cards, or you can move ahead spaces. For example, one of the "good things" is: "You successfully opened a bank account! Gain 1 dignity." (Let me remind you again that opening/closing accounts of any type in Frances is VERY complicated and involves tons of paperwork.) If you land on a "bad thing," it means something unfortunate has happened to you, and you either lose a turn or have to give up "dignity" points. For example, if you land on: "Step in merde (dog poop)," you have to give up 1 dignity point. If "You chose SFR as your internet provider," you lose a turn. As the square says, "You'll probably be on the phone for a while." If you land on a "location," it's just a place in Nevers where we've spent a lot of time, and you just pass that turn "having a drink at Café Ag" or "strolling along La Loire." If you land on an "Il Faut Que" card, you have to do what the card says to gain your choice of dignity or frequent-flyer s'miles cards. For example, one "Il Faut Que" card reads: "Put together a full meal for under €5." Another reads: "Put together a spontaneous lesson plan." There are also "travel" squares, where if you land on them you have to give up a certain number of frequent-flyer s'miles cards to get there, depending on how far the destination is from Nevers. For example, if you travel to Orléans, you have to give up 2 frequent-flyer s'miles. I can't really capture the greatness of this game in a blog post, but hopefully you can all see how wonderful this board game is...
Other than making awesome board games, I've also been teaching some, and my classes have been going really well. I had a really great one this past week - I was working on telling time in English with a class of CE2s (they're about 8/9), and they were all really paying attention, participating, and GETTING IT! It was super exciting, and I finally felt useful!
I hope everyone had a good Easter yesterday; I made brunch with 2 friends at one of the other girls' house here in Nevers. It was wonderful - we had biscuits (made by a real Southerner!), scrambled eggs, fruit salad, Easter chocolate, and mimosas! We also hard-boiled and dyed eggs, but all French eggs have brown shells rather than white ones, so the eggs turned out slightly funny colors, but it worked for the most part!
I'm already on vacation AGAIN - it started on Friday afternoon. As I said at the beginning of this post, I'm headed to Spain for 8 days during this break, and I'm leaving on Wednesday. I'm starting with 3 days in Barcelona, then I'll spend 2 days in Valencia, then 3 days in Madrid (one of those days will be a day trip to Toledo). The weather's been pretty grey and VERY rainy here in Nevers, so I'm looking forward to some sunshine! I've wanted to go to Spain for a long time, and I'm really excited for the trip. It's also going to be my first solo trip (other than a few little day trips), so I'm also excited about experiencing that - I'm sure it'll be an adventure, no matter what!
I can't believe it's already April - I only have 2 weeks of work once I return from vacation, then my contract is over and I'll be headed to Reykjavik, then back to the States for the first time in 7.5 MONTHS! Can't wait to see you all!
I'm sorry it's been a while since I last posted, but I hope you have all been well since then! I haven't been anywhere since Paris in mid-March (one reason for the lack of timely posts!), but I'm getting really excited about my upcoming trip to Spain - I'm leaving on Wednesday! There was a big grève (strike) 2 weeks ago, so a lot of us had classes canceled, and one of my friends had her school completely closed because all of the teachers were striking. There have been quite a few strikes since I got to France - this is partly because the French just go on strike a lot (it's a pretty integral part of their political system), but it's also because Sarkozy has passed some educational reforms that are doing away with quite a few teaching jobs. For every 2 teachers that retire, only 1 will be hired to replace them. This doesn't seem like a huge deal to me, as there are many teachers who don't even teach close to a full day of classes, but obviously the schools and teachers are very upset about it. Anyways, we had this big strike 2 weeks ago - I read the next day in the news that 30% of French primary school teachers were en grève that day! - so we all had the afternoon free and ended up going for a coffee at Café l'Agricole, our favorite café in Nevers' town center. As we were finishing up our drinks, a big group of strikers marched into the Place Carnot, where the café is. They had big banners representing their unions, a megaphone, road flares, and they were all shouting anti-Sarkozy, anti-reform slogans... Unfortunately we couldn't really understand them, but it was very exciting (and soooo French) to watch! Of course, the minute they finished this march (which probably started at the Préfecture, one of the Education Nationale's main administrative buildings in Nevers), several small groups broke off from the strike and sat down at the café for a drink! We sat and watched them for about 15-20 minutes; what an experience!
You may be aware of how much free time I have here, and my fellow assistants have the same issue. We've all gotten really good at making simple things take much longer than necessary, but we also now have time for all those ridiculous projects one thinks of but never has time to execute. This means that I can now add "Board Game Designer" to my résumé - a couple Wednesdays ago, a few of us had the brilliant idea to make a board game version of our time in Nevers. So many hilarious and slightly absurd things have happened to us here; it really is perfect material for a board game. It's made on the back of an old pizza box (so it has a huge grease/tomato stain on the bottom), but it's actually a really great game! We played it last week, and it works pretty well. Everyone has a game piece and starts at the Gare SNCF de Nevers (Nevers' train station). After rolling the dice, you can land on "good things," "bad things," "locations," "Il Faut Que," or "travel." If you land on a "good thing," it means you've successfully done something necessary to live in Nevers, and you can gain "dignity" or "frequent-flyer s'miles) cards, or you can move ahead spaces. For example, one of the "good things" is: "You successfully opened a bank account! Gain 1 dignity." (Let me remind you again that opening/closing accounts of any type in Frances is VERY complicated and involves tons of paperwork.) If you land on a "bad thing," it means something unfortunate has happened to you, and you either lose a turn or have to give up "dignity" points. For example, if you land on: "Step in merde (dog poop)," you have to give up 1 dignity point. If "You chose SFR as your internet provider," you lose a turn. As the square says, "You'll probably be on the phone for a while." If you land on a "location," it's just a place in Nevers where we've spent a lot of time, and you just pass that turn "having a drink at Café Ag" or "strolling along La Loire." If you land on an "Il Faut Que" card, you have to do what the card says to gain your choice of dignity or frequent-flyer s'miles cards. For example, one "Il Faut Que" card reads: "Put together a full meal for under €5." Another reads: "Put together a spontaneous lesson plan." There are also "travel" squares, where if you land on them you have to give up a certain number of frequent-flyer s'miles cards to get there, depending on how far the destination is from Nevers. For example, if you travel to Orléans, you have to give up 2 frequent-flyer s'miles. I can't really capture the greatness of this game in a blog post, but hopefully you can all see how wonderful this board game is...
Other than making awesome board games, I've also been teaching some, and my classes have been going really well. I had a really great one this past week - I was working on telling time in English with a class of CE2s (they're about 8/9), and they were all really paying attention, participating, and GETTING IT! It was super exciting, and I finally felt useful!
I hope everyone had a good Easter yesterday; I made brunch with 2 friends at one of the other girls' house here in Nevers. It was wonderful - we had biscuits (made by a real Southerner!), scrambled eggs, fruit salad, Easter chocolate, and mimosas! We also hard-boiled and dyed eggs, but all French eggs have brown shells rather than white ones, so the eggs turned out slightly funny colors, but it worked for the most part!
I'm already on vacation AGAIN - it started on Friday afternoon. As I said at the beginning of this post, I'm headed to Spain for 8 days during this break, and I'm leaving on Wednesday. I'm starting with 3 days in Barcelona, then I'll spend 2 days in Valencia, then 3 days in Madrid (one of those days will be a day trip to Toledo). The weather's been pretty grey and VERY rainy here in Nevers, so I'm looking forward to some sunshine! I've wanted to go to Spain for a long time, and I'm really excited for the trip. It's also going to be my first solo trip (other than a few little day trips), so I'm also excited about experiencing that - I'm sure it'll be an adventure, no matter what!
I can't believe it's already April - I only have 2 weeks of work once I return from vacation, then my contract is over and I'll be headed to Reykjavik, then back to the States for the first time in 7.5 MONTHS! Can't wait to see you all!
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