I had a great second weekend here in France. On Saturday morning I got up early (9:30) and went to the market with Thierry. It's just down the street and they have tons of fresh vegetables and fruits - and it's open all year! We walked back to the apartment on a walking trail that was really pretty. Then Laurie and I went to a friend's apartment to eat lunch and they wanted me to teach them an American cheer so they could film themselves and send it to another friend who's studying in Sweden as a joke. It was really [View Full Entry]

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Well I finally started work - the real reason I'm here! I went to the high school on Wednesday all dressed up and ready to go. After I got there I learned that it really is true that French teachers don't have to dress up - jeans and casual pants are fine. I'm very excited about that rule! I waited in the teacher's lounge for an English teacher and Cathleen was the first one in there. She was really nice and took it upon herself to show me around and set everything up. I met the principal and when I told [View Full Entry]

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I'll have been here one week tomorrow already! Wow, time flies. Let's see...Saturday I saw an apartment and it was very nice. It was a one-story building on the property of a residence in the south of Lyon. The family that rents it out was so nice and the apartment had not only a bed but a "clic-clak" (pull out couch/fouton). The only problem is that it's pretty far from my school and the ice rink and it's also not very close to public transportation. I haven't heard back from the girl renting the apartment yet and I'm not sure if [View Full Entry]

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Well I've been here three and a half days and I think I'm beginning to really settle into the rhythm here. I absolutely love it - I'm so happy to be here. I'm not quite sure what I explained in the last entry since I was pretty tired so I'm sorry if I repeat something. As I've said, I'm staying with a French family - the mother: Marie-Suzanne, the father: Thierry, the little brother(almost 20): Bastien, and the sister: Laurie (they have an older brother who lives with his girlfriend in Paris whom I haven't met yet). Bastien took me to [View Full Entry]

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Well I'm finally here! I left Monday the 22nd after a two hour delay at the Chicago airport and flew safely to Amsterdam where I had a short flight to Lyon on a very small plane. My friend Laurie picked me up (my bags just barely fit in the car!) and we drove to her family's apartment. They had balloons on the door and welcomed me with kisses on both cheeks (last time I backed away at this - I forgot that French tradition!). We talked about my trip and various other things and then we ate the best au gratin [View Full Entry]

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I've received the information from the French government regarding my placement in France. I will be working for 7 months in a general/technical high school in the city of Lyon. I was mistaken in my first post and the work week for an assistant is only up to 12 hours. Working in the city of Lyon is a best-case-scenario since it is an actual city. My school is called Lycee Lacassagne and the students there are 15-18 years old. The school is in the third arrondissement (arrondissement is the word in French for a "section" of a city - in Lyon, [View Full Entry]

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Well not much more has happened - there's a lot of waiting involved when dealing with the French government! I have, however, bought a one-way plane ticket to Lyon, France departing the evening of September 22nd. I'll have one week between arrival and the start of my job which I'll spend finding an appartment, buying a cell phone, and opening a French debit account. As I mentioned before, I know a family that lives in Lyon and they have informed me that the whole family is planning on being at the airport to pick me up when I get there and [View Full Entry]

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As you must know if you are visiting this site, I have been selected for an English Teaching Assisantship in the Lyon region of France next school year - 2008-2009. To give those of you who are not familiar with this program some insight, I'll describe what it is here. Each year the French Ministry of Education offers Teaching Assistantships to about 1,200 Americans and numerous other English speakers (from England, Australia, etc.). A teaching assistantship is a 15 hour per week job where one aids a school teacher in teaching English (or in the case of primary school, they might [View Full Entry]

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