As the weeks progress, we encounter more adventures and opportunities. Here are a few that occurred or will occur in the days to come...
In the past few days I've been able to visit both my elementary schools. The first is in a nearby community called Grange aux Bois (or rather in English, Barn in the Woods, though the closest thing I've seen to a barn there is the woodsmen & hunters' community club house). The school (named Jean de la Fontaine Grigy) is fairly large, and I will be instructed 5 classes two times a week. The principal invited me to come and arrange my schedule. It felt like an encounter with Professor Lupin although not in a werewolf kind of way. Her name is Mme Corny, and she is lovely. She arranged my schedule to be very convenient and even helped me plan my bus route to my other elementary school. She seemed to sense my uncertainty on the whole process and offered me a restorative piece of chocolate (starting a new job in a foreign country can make one feel like a muggle who encounters a dementor unknowingly). The chocolate definitely helped, and I'm looking forward to working in a school in such a friendly neighborhood.
My other elementary school is located in a small town called Marly. It takes me 45 minutes to get there because I have to go to downtown and then switch buses to ride out to the 'burbs. The school (named Henrion) is planted in the same building as the music shop and movie theater; it is also in the shadow of the town's cathedral. The children's recess area is where cars park for mass on weekends. Mme Pfaff (with a silent "p") is the principal; she showed me around the tiny building and immediately introduced me to the two classes that I will be instructing. All those little faces with their wide eyes and curiosity made me so excited; what am I going to teach them? I waited until the children had a little recreation to meet one-on-one with the teachers to arrange our schedule. We hung out in the teacher lounge, and the teachers talked about the funny things their students did (one in particular spells everything phonetically despite many corrections). Once recreation was over, it was time for the teachers to head back to their classrooms and for me to head home. I really hope and pray that I am good at this job and that I use my time with the little ones well.
Kyle skipped one class today to embark on an adventure with me. Our American neighbors, Michael and Lauren, have these very nice bicycles. Kyle asked about how they procured them as they are very convenient around these parts. We gladly learned of a salvation army type business in the rural farm town Peltre. It's only 3 miles from our dorm so we figured we could walk there and then (hopefully) ride new bikes home. There were bicycles...of a sort. We determined which would be the best value and went for it. Kyle got a classic yellow road bike while I got a little pink and purple number that I'm pretty sure is for a preteen to teenage girl. Luckily I haven't grown since the sixth grade. My bike is also equipped with a bell and a place on the back to attach a basket. We rode home in style and hid them in our dorm's underground bike chamber. Pictures to come soon...
When Kyle returned to school this afternoon, he found out that there was some misunderstanding with his professor. Kyle had emailed his professor letting him know that he had to accompany me to Peltre because there are no buses that go there, and he wanted to guarantee my safety. Naturally, I could have gone without Kyle; however, 3 miles to the middle of nowhere would have been a bit frightening... His professor interpreted the meaning of his email quite differently and shared with Kyle's class his understanding. It seems that the professor recounted to the class that Kyle has a wife and because he does, he has to go on a walk with her to Queuleu. His name is M. Maufoy, but we usually refer to him and M. Malfoy (now we have a reason to). It's silly because buses run to Queuleu; I wouldn't have needed a man to escort me there--it's not even a mile away. Throughout the rest of the day he and I both have been asked by his peers how our leisurely and purposeful stroll was. Merciful heavens... All in all I think Kyle learned a valuable class skipping lesson. When you are going to skip, just leave and tell no one. Word on the street is that one of Kyle's classmates skipping class to go to Poland for two weeks; I doubt that kid emailed the professor. He probably doesn't have as good of an excuse as having a wife.... Wife beats school every time.
Kyle got in his first fight this week. It was a conversation via skype with our old apartment complex in Atlanta. At one point the water heater busted causing a minor flood. Since the water heater is locked up, only maintenance workers can access it. Well, as any reader can imagine, Kyle's agony over the flood was only exacerbated by the delay in the arrival of the maintenance man (they are just never readily available). Shortly thereafter, the apartment complex had to replace the ruined rug. The carpet installation specialist performed a mediocre job; I'm sure I stabbed my feet several times a week where they left carpet staples exposed by all the door frames.
When we moved out, we were wrongly accused by the same carpet company for leaving pet damage. It appeared as if our pet had torn up the carpet by the door frames. But alas, Kyle has never owned a pet in his life. The carpet guys also officially determined that there was pee in the carpet from said pet. They wanted our whole deposit and then some back at the apartment complex. This leads us up to the point where Kyle explained over and over and over again that there was never an animal in the apartment while he lived there. If there is one thing I've learned about Kyle, it's that he takes it to heart when someone calls him something he is not. This lady called him a liar and last week some teenage boys called him something I am unwilling to type. I don't like it either because he's such an honest and good man. People ought not treat him poorly. Back at the apartment, they are going to conduct a small investigation to determine that there was no pet. I'll let you know if Kyle gets into another fight.
In other news, Kyle and I went 3 weeks and 3 days without doing any laundry. Since today is our 4 month anniversary, we agreed it would be best to celebrate with clean garments. Even though the machines are tiny and you have to use way more detergent, it wasn't so bad. And the big win for us is that the dryers are free to use! We also celebrated in a conventional way with some chocolate and banana crepes for a special dessert.
On the horizon~Kyle is going to Nancy tomorrow for extra schooling with some of his peers. I have an orientation for my job on Friday. The Avett Brothers new album is really good; we listen to it non-stop. I personally recommend "And It Spread" a bunch...the end...sorry there are no pictures today (boring, I know).
9.30.2009
9.27.2009
Paroisse Protestante du Temple Neuf
Our first church visit was a delightful experience. It was a cold morning in Metz as we rode the bus into town and strolled along the river. Though it was very sunny, we had to maintain our pace to overcome the breeze 11 degrees Celsius. The beautiful old church was secured by a purple gate up until 10 minutes before the service was to start. We entered the sanctuary with a few other congregants and began reading the material about the church. From what we gathered, the church has a Lutheran heritage, strong convictions for the reformation and Calvinism, and a history of Huguenot persecution. Currently the church is undergoing changes as the pastor of 23 years has excepted a call in Strasbourg. There is an interim pastor named Jack McDonald, who (as we suspected appropriately) is from England. We discovered quickly enough though that he speaks French very well. If this is the church we choose to attend, it'll be a relief to know there is a pastor with whom we can communicate more effectively if need be. Oddly enough though, he is Anglican. Alas, I suppose there are only so many protestants in France.
The scripture readings were from Jeremiah 30 & 31 and John 11. The other pastor, Christiane Puzenat, preached the message relating God's word to Jeremiah on the restoration of Israel to the consolation that Jesus gives Mary and Martha about the death of Lazarus. Like death of a beloved brother, the grief of the Jews was tremendous when they were exiled from their homes and led into slavery under foreign rule. Jeremiah reminded the people that the Lord wouldn't destroy them, but rather save them from the destruction that he gives all the other nations. Jesus similarly tells Martha that, "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies...." The pastor emphasized that we receive consolation in the promise of restoration even in our own lives and our own sadness. This is my loose translation of what was preached; I may have augmented some of the pastor's original intent. It was a lovely sermon.
Kyle and I had a few details that we didn't like. The order of worship didn't suit Kyle. They didn't list the scriptures in the order of worship so we felt a little in the dark when it came time to read them. The hymns were very challenging to sing (but it would provide a good opportunity to learn). It was also colder inside the church than it was outside. On the bright side of it all, the building is beautiful. The interim pastor was very friendly; he like Kyle's outfit very much and said he was looking very "British". That was a plus for sure. We liked very much that they recite the apostles creed; we need to learn it in French asap.
After church we had to wait for the bus (they don't run as frequently on Sundays). Thankfully there is a McCafe across from our bus stop. We enjoyed some tasty beverages to warm up before we rode home. Happy Sunday!
*We got a picture of us by the river & in front of church
The scripture readings were from Jeremiah 30 & 31 and John 11. The other pastor, Christiane Puzenat, preached the message relating God's word to Jeremiah on the restoration of Israel to the consolation that Jesus gives Mary and Martha about the death of Lazarus. Like death of a beloved brother, the grief of the Jews was tremendous when they were exiled from their homes and led into slavery under foreign rule. Jeremiah reminded the people that the Lord wouldn't destroy them, but rather save them from the destruction that he gives all the other nations. Jesus similarly tells Martha that, "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies...." The pastor emphasized that we receive consolation in the promise of restoration even in our own lives and our own sadness. This is my loose translation of what was preached; I may have augmented some of the pastor's original intent. It was a lovely sermon.
*Temple Neuf~this is the back of the church that faces the river
Kyle and I had a few details that we didn't like. The order of worship didn't suit Kyle. They didn't list the scriptures in the order of worship so we felt a little in the dark when it came time to read them. The hymns were very challenging to sing (but it would provide a good opportunity to learn). It was also colder inside the church than it was outside. On the bright side of it all, the building is beautiful. The interim pastor was very friendly; he like Kyle's outfit very much and said he was looking very "British". That was a plus for sure. We liked very much that they recite the apostles creed; we need to learn it in French asap.
*Kyle looking British with our espresso & cafe mocha
After church we had to wait for the bus (they don't run as frequently on Sundays). Thankfully there is a McCafe across from our bus stop. We enjoyed some tasty beverages to warm up before we rode home. Happy Sunday!
9.26.2009
Jour d'EE-KAY-UH (Ikea day)
Yesterday Kyle didn't have any afternoon classes. We determined the best use of our time would be to transform our dull dorm into a cozy apartment to which we won't be embarrassed to invite friends. We set our budget to equal the fee that agencies charge to find an authentically French apartment. It was a cost we were sadly prepared to pay, but now we feel our investment has been put to better use. After all, we've just been able to make friends; it'd stink to move farther away. Without further adieu, let me present to you our extreme dorm makeover.
*Our twin beds have been converted to an enormous monster bed with a mattress topper, new sheets, and duvet with a fun cover. We also got matching bedside lamps.
*Our drab spare bedroom has been renewed with our sofa for two with apple green pillows, coffee table, funky rug, standing lamp, and decorative candles. Isn't is just fun?
*We also got seat covers for the chairs we already had. It makes a big difference.
*We are still fine tuning the kitchen area (including attaching the other two legs of the table). We now have a better surface on which to prepare our meals.
It's a happy thing to see how this all came together. The process for getting everything was nuts. We left for Ikea around 1:30 in the afternoon. We had to change buses downtown; we got there sometime after 2pm. And then we shopped, and shopped, and shopped....and that was just the first level. We finally completed selecting what we wanted by 5:30pm. From there we were going to try to rent a van to drive everything home, unload, and get back as quickly as possible. Well, all the vans were out and the employees said that they weren't expecting one back until 8:30pm. Yikes! We knew the buses stopped running out there at 8pm so we didn't really know what we'd do. Kyle explained to the employee that we wouldn't be able to get home after bringing back the van. That's when Kevin (the employee) offered to drive Kyle home when he brought back the van. Relieved, we ventured upstairs to the Ikea cafeteria to enjoy a hearty meal of Swedish meatballs and french fries. Apparently it was family night; there were children everywhere with their faces painted like Spiderman and fairies. It was completely surprising to find the Ikea dining hall is the place to be on Friday nights. ALSO, there is a fountain machine for free soda refills!!!! It is generic Swedish cola, but still tasty and still FREE REFILLS. We headed back downstairs, were able to get our truck, load it up, and navigate our way home in the dark. One of our friends, Bilal, helped us unload everything and tote it to our room while Kyle drove the truck back to Ikea quickly before they closed.
Kyle & Kevin (the Ikea employee) became fast friends. Kevin is a university student studying economics. They just talked a lot. Kyle makes friends so easily that it's just nuts. We meet nice people everywhere we go. Bilal says French people are nice. I said that I was surprised because I had a very different impression from my time in Lyon. Bilal smiled and said of course French people don't seem nice; people in Lyon aren't nice. (except Hien).
In other news, this past week has been very good. I visited one of my schools and arranged my schedule to be only on Mondays & Thursdays. I found out that I'll be working with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. I'm praying that God guides me in my instruction for little ones.
Kyle & I have spent more time with his classmates. We went to a cook out for Supelec (Kyle's school) on Tuesday and just talked to folks for a long time. It was my first time meeting a lot of them. On Thursday night we cooked dinner with a bunch of folks in their hall kitchen; it's like they are a big family because the school is small. By the time they get to their last year of college, they all know each other really well. Yesterday we ate at the dining hall with all his classmates; it was really hard to keep up with folks talking in the dining room because it was so noisy. Last night, one friend helped us tote all our Ikea belongings to our room. Then we watched something on t.v. in their dorms like French Survivor. Then we went to a rock'n'roll party in big common room. Everybody swing dances to rock music here~it's nuts! I believe Kyle & I will attend the classes to learn how to dance before I hit the rock party scene again.
Well well...it seems I've written enough....
9.22.2009
La Vie en Rose
*Kyle playing guitar, snack of bread & brie, Lac Symphonie, and GT Lorraine off in the distance
Ah yes, this is what I remembered...
As much as I've had an interest in France and more importantly French, I've never been one to romanticize the culture. Perhaps it was my first visit to France that made me acutely aware the people are people everywhere; nothing particularly romantic occurs at old cathedrals meant to glorify monarchies rather than God or at cafes where thankfully it's not required to tip for the overpriced espresso you receive. Maybe it was even all those years reading French literature; with each novel there is a more tragic ending (seriously, Le petit prince, Les liasons dangereuses, Mme Bovary, Le colonel Chabert, Jean de Florette.....and the list goes on...). Naturally one could look to the films as an indicator for the underwhelming view of humanity, though occasionally you'll find an uplifting one like Les Choristes. Anywho, these examples serve only to illustrate the paradigm of Frenchman. As an outsider, instantly I see a sea of black garments on the street. It seems the most fashionable statement one can make is where the monochromatic scheme in only the darkest noir available. It makes these folks look unhappy for sure. If you happen to catch the eye of a Frenchman on the sidewalk and venture to greet him with a "bonjour" or "salut", you certainly should not expect a response. On the flip side, since there is very little romance in the culture (despite Pepe le Pew's best efforts), you are more likely to be offered a shocking admission of impure desires from an old man in the grocery store or a teenager on the street (or a professor on a study abroad...but I digress). All this is to say that Americans typically get the wrong impression of the cultural atmosphere in France.
So now any reader might perceive that I am unhappy to be here or even dislike French people. On the contrary, I have been very pleased with my encounters in one-on-one interactions. Kyle & I are a young couple so we've been surprised by how many of his classmates are surprised by us. We have had great conversations with them about their curiosity of Americans. Hopefully it will lead into deeper relationships where we can ask them more about their lives. Since they are engineering types, we fit in with them pretty well. Even most of our interactions with strangers are delightful. Kyle especially has a gift to befriend anyone he comes across. From the lady that works in the bakery to the bus driver helping us find our way around, people like to help. Unlike other cities in France, people will tend to say "bonjour" back if you say it first; we'll just have to keep our southern hospitality up.
To actually address some news (rather than recording more reflections), Kyle & I have decided to stay in the dorms and turn this place into an IKEA showroom. We at least want to make it a place where we can cook dinner more easily & host guests whenever. It's a great opportunity to get to know folks our age that are French; not everyone gets to live in a dorm at age 25!
Kyle's classes have turned out to be pretty hard. Surprisingly, he's able to keep up with the majority of the language (plus he has friends who help him with notes). The content of the courses has turned out to be pretty hard. We're hoping for lots of quality study time with peers and that the resources he has will help him outside of class.
As for my job, it won't start for another week or so. I am trying to collect as much information as possible on details/responsibilities for my position. It turns out that the French education system uses all their efforts in the application process for assistants. Then when the time comes, material & content is up to the individual (even discipline may be up to the assistant~yikes!) Though many sites say that they don't expect assistants to be equipped the way a trained teaching professional is, they still say those teaching in elementary schools on nine-month contracts are responsible for all the teaching....so....I'm feeling a little concerned on what they mean. I'm going to get in touch with the administration at each school and see if there is someone who can help me out. Also, I've been trying to get into contact with the person who taught at one of my school's last year. That may be the best way to know what I'm getting into.
Hope all the readers are well. Surely the next time I write there will be a story about an adventure or something fun about being abroad (and there are good things for sure!) Please pray for us while we are still getting the hang of life here & settling into our home!
*Monsieur Le Pew at his finest
So now any reader might perceive that I am unhappy to be here or even dislike French people. On the contrary, I have been very pleased with my encounters in one-on-one interactions. Kyle & I are a young couple so we've been surprised by how many of his classmates are surprised by us. We have had great conversations with them about their curiosity of Americans. Hopefully it will lead into deeper relationships where we can ask them more about their lives. Since they are engineering types, we fit in with them pretty well. Even most of our interactions with strangers are delightful. Kyle especially has a gift to befriend anyone he comes across. From the lady that works in the bakery to the bus driver helping us find our way around, people like to help. Unlike other cities in France, people will tend to say "bonjour" back if you say it first; we'll just have to keep our southern hospitality up.
To actually address some news (rather than recording more reflections), Kyle & I have decided to stay in the dorms and turn this place into an IKEA showroom. We at least want to make it a place where we can cook dinner more easily & host guests whenever. It's a great opportunity to get to know folks our age that are French; not everyone gets to live in a dorm at age 25!
*Our future living room (featuring our "Windoor"~it's a window & a door)
*Kyle cooking in our sad kitchen
Kyle's classes have turned out to be pretty hard. Surprisingly, he's able to keep up with the majority of the language (plus he has friends who help him with notes). The content of the courses has turned out to be pretty hard. We're hoping for lots of quality study time with peers and that the resources he has will help him outside of class.
As for my job, it won't start for another week or so. I am trying to collect as much information as possible on details/responsibilities for my position. It turns out that the French education system uses all their efforts in the application process for assistants. Then when the time comes, material & content is up to the individual (even discipline may be up to the assistant~yikes!) Though many sites say that they don't expect assistants to be equipped the way a trained teaching professional is, they still say those teaching in elementary schools on nine-month contracts are responsible for all the teaching....so....I'm feeling a little concerned on what they mean. I'm going to get in touch with the administration at each school and see if there is someone who can help me out. Also, I've been trying to get into contact with the person who taught at one of my school's last year. That may be the best way to know what I'm getting into.
Hope all the readers are well. Surely the next time I write there will be a story about an adventure or something fun about being abroad (and there are good things for sure!) Please pray for us while we are still getting the hang of life here & settling into our home!
9.10.2009
Tout va bien
Greetings friends & family!
We hope yall are well! A bientot!
Kyle and I have started to settle into our dorm. It's an odd fusion of Woodruff & the ULC if you've ever lived in either of those Tech dorms. Kyle is determined to find us an apartment that might afford us a more authentic experience....anywho, let's recall what we've done up to now, shall we?
We made it onto the 3:20pm flight from Atlanta and flew overseas in class~business style! We couldn't believe our good fortune; it was truly an answer to prayer. Sadly, we weren't able to sleep well on the plane. We arrived in Paris 30 minutes before we were due there at the early hour of 5:30am (Paris time). From there we managed to take the RER from Charles de Gaulle to Gare du Nord and then we walked to Gare de l'Est and enjoyed some much deserved coffee and pain au chocolat. Did I mention that Kyle carried all our luggage down two flights of stairs? He's a champ!
Once we were at Gare de l'Est, we were able to get train tickets and enjoy a ride on the TGV to Metz. It was super quick. In Metz, we took the bus to Technopole (the site of GT Lorraine & other French schools). Before we got down to business with administration, we hiked over to he kabob stand and enjoyed a hearty meal. Sadly we discovered that Coke tastes like Diet Coke here....no explanation for it, but it was gross. Finally, we got keys to GTL & went through a very lengthy process to get our dorm room. Paperwork & jetlag do not mix....bleh!
Other highlights over the past few days~we opened a bank account, explored downtown Metz, went to Cora (like French Wal-Mart) everyday, and got internet in our room. We are ready to skype with friends & family (we prefer video chat when possible!)
We hope yall are well! A bientot!
9.06.2009
Discouraged Departure
Alas, the departure day has arrived. Kyle & I have made a busy run out of the last week; we moved out of our apartment in Atlanta, took a roadtrip to North Carolina to say goodbye to family, and returned to Marietta to wrap up our loose ends before departure. Some of these final tasks were vitally important...Kyle needed to use a full kitchen and prepare a meal for my family before we are limited a mini-fridge and two burners (honestly, how did the French become world renowned for their cuisine when no apartment even comes with a kitchen?). The meal was a hit: green peppers stuffed with risotto and italian sausage. Meanwhile, Anna & I revisited our childhood with the adventures of Sailor Moon. We watched a bunch of episodes online while sipping a delightful beverage that Anna introduced. We call it the Bobby Soxer~it's a bottle of ginger ale, a shot of vodka, and a shot of grenadine. It's an adult Shirly Temple! All in all, these past few days were very productive.
Our flight is supposed to leave today, but Kyle and I are depending on buddy passes. Last night our chances of getting on our flight were great, but we woke to find a horrible surprise. It seems a group of Delta folks (who have seniority over Kyle & me) decided in the wee hours of the night to take an excursion to Paris which would definitely bump dopes with buddy passes into the next flight....5 hours later. Nothing makes a travel day longer than delays in departure. On the bright side, Kyle & I get to enjoy fine American cuisine in the airport one last time if those folks do follow through on their whimsical plans.
On a different note, moving to a new country is a very odd feeling. We were talking about it last night. In years past there was always someone or some program that designated our schedule for time abroad. Study abroads really are as if someone holds your hand through the process from start to finish. Now we are just working out the details mostly on our own with some help from Georgia Tech and some help from folks at the embassy. Kyle has most impressively handled a lot of our paper work. I worked on wrapping up our lives in the U.S. We sort of naturally complimented each other in the process.
Ultimately though I have to give the credit to God; things have come together so perfectly and we know we're not that good. We have housing before we arrive, our visas went through in the right amount of time, we were able to pack enough to last us 10-16 months, we had great friends who fed us while we were boxing up the apartment, we even have friends who have friends and family in Metz who we can go to. Most of our family is hooked up to skype and everyone in our family is supportive to us. We are just grateful that Kyle will get two degrees for a very low expense and receive an invaluable experience. We are so grateful that I got a job that is the same length as his school year where I'll be able to perfect my French and work with children. If waiting for a flight is the only thing we have to do, than I'd say it's been pretty good. We will just praise the Lord for blessing our path.
Alright...from here on out this blog will be devoted to all things french & updates of our experiences. We'll include photos and news...bonne journee!
Our flight is supposed to leave today, but Kyle and I are depending on buddy passes. Last night our chances of getting on our flight were great, but we woke to find a horrible surprise. It seems a group of Delta folks (who have seniority over Kyle & me) decided in the wee hours of the night to take an excursion to Paris which would definitely bump dopes with buddy passes into the next flight....5 hours later. Nothing makes a travel day longer than delays in departure. On the bright side, Kyle & I get to enjoy fine American cuisine in the airport one last time if those folks do follow through on their whimsical plans.
On a different note, moving to a new country is a very odd feeling. We were talking about it last night. In years past there was always someone or some program that designated our schedule for time abroad. Study abroads really are as if someone holds your hand through the process from start to finish. Now we are just working out the details mostly on our own with some help from Georgia Tech and some help from folks at the embassy. Kyle has most impressively handled a lot of our paper work. I worked on wrapping up our lives in the U.S. We sort of naturally complimented each other in the process.
Ultimately though I have to give the credit to God; things have come together so perfectly and we know we're not that good. We have housing before we arrive, our visas went through in the right amount of time, we were able to pack enough to last us 10-16 months, we had great friends who fed us while we were boxing up the apartment, we even have friends who have friends and family in Metz who we can go to. Most of our family is hooked up to skype and everyone in our family is supportive to us. We are just grateful that Kyle will get two degrees for a very low expense and receive an invaluable experience. We are so grateful that I got a job that is the same length as his school year where I'll be able to perfect my French and work with children. If waiting for a flight is the only thing we have to do, than I'd say it's been pretty good. We will just praise the Lord for blessing our path.
Alright...from here on out this blog will be devoted to all things french & updates of our experiences. We'll include photos and news...bonne journee!
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