J’ai réçu mon arrêté de nomination!! Je sais à lequel écoles j'enseignerai!
Translation: I recieved my letter of nomination!! I know which schools I'll be teaching at!
I will officially be working at Ecole Elementaire Mendes France in a suburb of Chartres called Luce. The school is about 5 miles away from my apartment and according to the paper it is the only school that I'll be teaching at. The could me good things for me, like a less confusing schedule and possibly a better schedule (AKA: Only working 3-4 days per week so I can travel more.)
And I have official documentation that our Orientation will be on October 2nd in Orleans. The packet of info also came with Guidlines for language assistants and a form I have to fill out to get my physical exam. That's right, in order to get my carte de sejour (long stay visa) I have to take enough paperwork to fill several boxes and get a physical that includes a chest x-ray.
Good times. More info as soon as I have it.
30.7.07
19.7.07
New Jobs... for a little while
So my current job on campus ends on August 15th. I don't leave for France until September 22nd. I had really been hoping to stay in Ada to spend some extra time with Jared before I left, but financially I didn't think it would be possible. Luckily, the past two days have been a blessing from the long distance relationship gods and I'll be able to stay. Starting tomorrow I have two new jobs!
1) McIntosh Information Desk Worker - This is the main desk in our university's main building. Essentially I sit on my butt for 4 - 5 hours a day and answer the phone or help anyone who comes to the desk with problems. Usually it's a pretty cake job; I sit and read or crochet and watch movies, but every once in a great while a catastrophic event occurs and you get to run around like a chicken with its head, wings, and feet cut off.
2) DJ at 94.9 WONB the Beat. That's right, yours truly is now a DJ on a college radio station. How incredibly cliche of me isn't it? Starting August 1st I will be on over the lunch hour 10am to 1pm Monday through Friday. I get to play the best of the 80s and 90s. AKA music I don't remember and music that haunted my puberty. Good times, eh?
But I have that job through September and the desk position until the end of August, so I really can't complain at all. If you're brave enough (or stupid enough) to want to listen to me on the radio check it out. But let me remind you... you've been warned. :)
PS - Even if you don't want to listen, please call in with requests so I don't sit there for 3 hours totally bored! Thanks!
1) McIntosh Information Desk Worker - This is the main desk in our university's main building. Essentially I sit on my butt for 4 - 5 hours a day and answer the phone or help anyone who comes to the desk with problems. Usually it's a pretty cake job; I sit and read or crochet and watch movies, but every once in a great while a catastrophic event occurs and you get to run around like a chicken with its head, wings, and feet cut off.
2) DJ at 94.9 WONB the Beat. That's right, yours truly is now a DJ on a college radio station. How incredibly cliche of me isn't it? Starting August 1st I will be on over the lunch hour 10am to 1pm Monday through Friday. I get to play the best of the 80s and 90s. AKA music I don't remember and music that haunted my puberty. Good times, eh?
But I have that job through September and the desk position until the end of August, so I really can't complain at all. If you're brave enough (or stupid enough) to want to listen to me on the radio check it out. But let me remind you... you've been warned. :)
PS - Even if you don't want to listen, please call in with requests so I don't sit there for 3 hours totally bored! Thanks!
15.7.07
More Information
The euphoria has worn off, so here's some more information for those that may be wondering.
I did buy a plane ticket for September - December. For some reason that was cheaper than buying a one way... don't ask, I don't understand it either. The plus is that now I'll definitely be home for Christmas and I know that makes certain people very very happy. I'll have to buy my January - July flight closer to the end of the year because you're only allowed to purchase tickets for 330 days in advance. Did you know that there's a "September 11 Tax" on all airline tickets now? I did not know that and find it funny. It seems like a ploy to get people to pay a tax and not complain about it. Anything with September 11th attached to it is untouchable (God I hope that doesn't mean Rudy Guliani is a shoe-in for president.) so why not rename a tax to cover the fear people have about terrorist attacks? Irrational American fears are a completely different subject that I won't go into here... let me continue. My ticket is with US Airways, who were by far the cheapest ticket I could find. I know that a recent study put them in the bottom 3 airlines, but I'm hoping that was motivation for them and that by the time I arrive at the airport everything will be fine.
Next is the apartment. When I got the first email about my position from Catherine Ferant, she's in charge of the Eure-et-Loire region, she gave the name and phone number of a man who "rents to all assistants". I wasn't sure, but I talked to some past Chartres assistants and they said he was great and spoke English so I called him. He's fabulous. An older Frenchman who was an English teacher most of his life and now enjoys renting small, totally furnished, apartments to language assistants. Very exciting. Deborah, the assistant who lived in Chartres last year and has been my saving grace so far, sent me the picture below. That's my new landlord, M Roques, and another assistant from last year. How cute is he?
He has a few apartments available, three different sizes, and therefore three different prices, so he's sending me more information via actual mail, he doesn't have email, and when I arrive I'm supposed to go to his office and he'll show me what's open and I can move in right then. Deborah also sent me a link to pictures of the apartment she rented from him. The pictures are a little hard to figure out, but it gives you a general idea. If you'd like to look here's the link. He owns two different buildings, but they're fairly close together. Here's a little map. You'll have to hit the plus sign once or twice to zoom in a bit. #1 is the train station. #2 and #3 are the two buildings that I might be in. So it's in a great location. The famous cathedral and downtown area is the large open looking space to the right of everything.
Now I'm just waiting for that little piece of paper from France so that I can go to Chicago and get my visa. Hope everyone else is having a great summer!
I did buy a plane ticket for September - December. For some reason that was cheaper than buying a one way... don't ask, I don't understand it either. The plus is that now I'll definitely be home for Christmas and I know that makes certain people very very happy. I'll have to buy my January - July flight closer to the end of the year because you're only allowed to purchase tickets for 330 days in advance. Did you know that there's a "September 11 Tax" on all airline tickets now? I did not know that and find it funny. It seems like a ploy to get people to pay a tax and not complain about it. Anything with September 11th attached to it is untouchable (God I hope that doesn't mean Rudy Guliani is a shoe-in for president.) so why not rename a tax to cover the fear people have about terrorist attacks? Irrational American fears are a completely different subject that I won't go into here... let me continue. My ticket is with US Airways, who were by far the cheapest ticket I could find. I know that a recent study put them in the bottom 3 airlines, but I'm hoping that was motivation for them and that by the time I arrive at the airport everything will be fine.
Next is the apartment. When I got the first email about my position from Catherine Ferant, she's in charge of the Eure-et-Loire region, she gave the name and phone number of a man who "rents to all assistants". I wasn't sure, but I talked to some past Chartres assistants and they said he was great and spoke English so I called him. He's fabulous. An older Frenchman who was an English teacher most of his life and now enjoys renting small, totally furnished, apartments to language assistants. Very exciting. Deborah, the assistant who lived in Chartres last year and has been my saving grace so far, sent me the picture below. That's my new landlord, M Roques, and another assistant from last year. How cute is he?
He has a few apartments available, three different sizes, and therefore three different prices, so he's sending me more information via actual mail, he doesn't have email, and when I arrive I'm supposed to go to his office and he'll show me what's open and I can move in right then. Deborah also sent me a link to pictures of the apartment she rented from him. The pictures are a little hard to figure out, but it gives you a general idea. If you'd like to look here's the link. He owns two different buildings, but they're fairly close together. Here's a little map. You'll have to hit the plus sign once or twice to zoom in a bit. #1 is the train station. #2 and #3 are the two buildings that I might be in. So it's in a great location. The famous cathedral and downtown area is the large open looking space to the right of everything.
Now I'm just waiting for that little piece of paper from France so that I can go to Chicago and get my visa. Hope everyone else is having a great summer!
13.7.07
Leavin' on an Airplane...
Well I have officially purchased my plane ticket. And it's officially the single most expensive thing I've ever purchased (yes the ticket was more expensive than my new laptop). My credit card is huddling in a corner crying right now, but I have dates! I will leave the US on September 22nd and arrive in Paris, France on September 23rd!! Now I just need to get everything else in order and stop getting busy signals on the telephone! Garg.
That's all for now! :)
That's all for now! :)
10.7.07
Boston Trip
Just got back after a great vacation in Boston, Massachusetts. Jared's uncle lived there and was a tour guide most excellent. Here's a few pictures from our great adventure.
We made it to the Samuel Adams' brewery in Boston, probably the most touristy thing we did during our trip. Cool tour, but really scary part of town. Here's Jared tasting the wares.
View of the skyline from the top of the Bunker Hill Monument. Cool view, but...
The 294 stairs to the top make it a difficult view. Three days later my calves still hurt!
Cemetaries in New England are so cool! And a lot of them are incredibly well-preserved. The skulls and other art on the tombstones are neat. And the dates blow your mind.
Boston Holocaust Memorial. There are 6 columns, each etched with the numbers of prisoners in them. And at night they're lit up and have steam running through them. Very moving.
Dunkin' Donuts is a Boston thing. There's one on EVERY corner. It's ridiculous! Jared liked this one because it was kosher. It's in Priya's new neighborhood too!
Jared and his uncle Jerry waiting outside the Old North Church. That day was really fun, we followed part of the Freedom Trail and saw some of the old sites and then spent some time in Little Italy. Can we say cannoli?
The "Make Way for Ducklings" statue in the Public Gardens.
I highly recommend Boston to anyone looking for a great trip! :)
You know that brand "Life is Good"? Well I guess it started in Boston and there are stores everywhere and we thought we should make a counter brand... but apparently someone already beat us to it. Pretty funny.
We made it to the Samuel Adams' brewery in Boston, probably the most touristy thing we did during our trip. Cool tour, but really scary part of town. Here's Jared tasting the wares.
Lola (left) and Sophie (right) are Jerry and Steve's dogs. So funny. *Where's the big dog?*
View of the skyline from the top of the Bunker Hill Monument. Cool view, but...
The 294 stairs to the top make it a difficult view. Three days later my calves still hurt!
We headed east to the beach and a little New England town called Rockport. It was so much cooler on the water, but there were a lot more people (and some REALLY good ice cream).
Cemetaries in New England are so cool! And a lot of them are incredibly well-preserved. The skulls and other art on the tombstones are neat. And the dates blow your mind.
Boston Holocaust Memorial. There are 6 columns, each etched with the numbers of prisoners in them. And at night they're lit up and have steam running through them. Very moving.
Dunkin' Donuts is a Boston thing. There's one on EVERY corner. It's ridiculous! Jared liked this one because it was kosher. It's in Priya's new neighborhood too!
Jared and his uncle Jerry waiting outside the Old North Church. That day was really fun, we followed part of the Freedom Trail and saw some of the old sites and then spent some time in Little Italy. Can we say cannoli?
The "Make Way for Ducklings" statue in the Public Gardens.
I highly recommend Boston to anyone looking for a great trip! :)
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