('tis the season)

(feasts)

Yesterday's belated Thanksgiving celebration was a total success : ) The food was every bit delicious, and (just as importantly) abundant. The smells, tastes, and company more than made up for the hassles of preparing for the day.

The giant feast of yesterday was the second fête in a series of three assistant get-togethers planned in the span of just a week! Tuesday, Simon hosted a celebration of St. Andrew's Day and treated us to some Scottish specialties--specifically haggis, neeps (turnips), tatties (potatoes), truffles, and some nice scotch (which the Scottish just call whiskey, as it turns out). My contribution was a caramel apple pie, below. Since the pie was so classically American for a Scottish dinner, I attempted to bring it into theme with a little Scottish flag. Can you find it?

Little cooking haggis balls. Click here to read about it--it's surprisingly tasty, and everyone enjoyed it! This kind was in plastic, rather than sheep stomach, though--I guess the owners of the British specialties shop weren't allowed to bring back the stomach-wrapped variety ;)

There's the spread--Haggis, neeps, tatties, and if you look carefully you can see an orange cream-like soda called Irn Bru which is typically Scottish and full of caffeine.

Moving on to yesterday's American Thanksgiving extravaganza! Check out that table--I was totally impressed with everyone's contributions. We had just about everything, which was no small accomplishment! The hardest-to-come-by items were probably the cranberry sauce and the turkey, but they made it! Also, since this is my blog and all, I'm going to go ahead and say that I was pretty proud of the turkey, homemade bread, and pumpkin pies I contributed. Totally worth all the time and effort--even the clean-up afterwards.

Desserts! The dessert "options" were as bountiful as the main dishes. Options is in quotation marks because I think everyone had some of every dessert--there was no need to make a choice! You can see pumpkin pie, haribo gummies, walnut tart, and two apple-plum crumbles in this picture, but there was also panna cotta with fresh raspberry sauce and chocolate coconut truffles. In line with tradition, everyone's entire afternoon was dedicated to slowly wearing through the copious food supply. What a great day's work!

The pictures of the food above this one are the before pictures, this one is the during picture...

...And here's after. Limited space resulted in us storing our plates under the coffee table. Why didn't we just take them to the kitchen, you ask? Let me respond with another question: What would we have done for seconds and thirds between game rounds if we did that?

And finally, the closest to a group shot we could get in the smallish room. Hard not to notice that our choice in pants was not nearly as distinctive as the dishes we all brought, though...

So--two feasts down, one proper English tea party to go. I'm sure it will be lovely.

(turkey toting)

Tomorrow is Thanksmas for the assistants in Rodez, and it's going to be amazing. It better be, anyway--after all the anticipation, planning, and turkey-related goose chases (ironic, I know).

Today I finally picked up the turkey--quite a victory in itself, considering all the butchers I went to and inquiries I made, and even a called-in favor from one of my teachers to procure it! It should be delicious-- unless something goes amiss, of course. But let's hope not--this is a fresh, never frozen turkey that should just fit in our oven. The idea of our apartment filled with friends and the scent of roasting turkey was what I had to think about on my way home (via a school on the other side of town where a teacher had a roasting pan for me to borrow) with the 3 kilo bird. The hour-long walk around town in the middle of a defeating hail/rain/thunder/lightening storm with a turkey in one hand and giant pans in the other, my teaching bag on one shoulder and my jeans soaked up to my knees... it was quite a journey we took, the elusive French turkey and me. I am finally drying out and chilling out for a bit before I start the Thanksmas preparations this evening. And OH so thankful for my warm bed :)

I'm sure there will be pictures soon.

('appy fahnksgeeveeng)

Just pronounce the title phonetically, and you'll get an idea of the "Happy Thanksgivings" I've been getting from my students this week! (Or watch Capucine again and imagine her saying it.)

I have really enjoyed teaching my students about Thanksgiving--none of them had ever heard of it before, and it's refreshing to present such a nice part of American culture to everyone. (There was a brief interlude of guilt when one of my fifth graders asked me if Thanksgiving was to celebrate the European massacre of the Indians for their land...I'm always surprised by what my kids have heard about and don't always know how to respond in the context of the lesson.) The best moment so far was hearing the giggling, amazed 6-year-olds behind me as I put the finishing touches on the hand-turkey I drew on the board for them. I was surprised by how into turkey-drawing they got, energized by this totally foreign art form that American kids know practically from birth. Otherwise, it's been fun hearing what they're thankful for--from red fish to puppies to siblings to winning the race last week to birthday parties (and lots of nintendos).

I'm thankful for things, too--and here's a sample from my life since moving to Rodez:

-Skype
-Packages from home
-Good legs for Rodez transport
-A stranger-flatmate who turned out not to be crazy, mean, dirty or loud
-Mulled wine
-Radiators
-Helpful butchers (I finally found a turkey today!)
-Lots of sleep and free time
-Enthusiastic students (no--seriously, my littlest ones jumped up and cheered when I announced that we still had three minutes left today!)
-Scarves
-Dinner parties
-Did I mention radiators?

And for now, that's it. I've got to get to bed so I can be the best bright-eyed, bushy-tailed American possible for the last round of Thanksgiving classes tomorrow.

Hope you all had a great, grateful day! Think of me when you enjoy that leftover turkey sandwich tomorrow.

(brr)

Here's something I love about winter (which has definitively arrived in Rodez): I love coming home at the end of the day and breaking free from layers. It's a furtive activity, and I usually go about it with as much urgency as the kid who starts taking their pants off en route to the bathroom. It's such a release to dial up the radiator and absorb heat in my hoodie and leggings, rather than bind up every part of me (especially the sad little toes) in a semi-successful attempt to trap the bits of heat I produce on my own.

Today, in addition to the excellent (near) disrobing after a frigid, productive day, I put on a pot of coffee just for me, cozied up on the clic-clac with my knitting (I know, I know), and have been contentedly wiggling my toes ever since; It's as delicious as a cup of mulled wine after hours at a drizzly winter rugby match. :-)

In honor of today's chilly weather, I'm posting some pictures from the first snow in Rodez. For a southerner and a Colombian, even this slight dusting was quite an event!

The town cathedral. It's almost at the summit of the hill/town, and a convenient way for newcomers to orient themselves.

Poor flower market. That vendor must have been a trooper!

Sandra (the roommate) touching the very first snow she ever saw. We had quite the gleeful time that morning as the rest of the ruthénois (people from Rodez) carried about their business with sour expressions and carefully-placed steps.

(infallible logic)

Today I briefly apologized to my class of second graders for a couple of sub-par sentences--something that happens every once in a while as I try to teach in another language. Most of the time it's just a hesitation over article gender or a lazily pronounced "ue" sound (say eeee with your lips stretched apart and gradually bring the corners into a tiny "o" shape while continuing the sound). My philosophy is to be unashamed and up-front about these mistakes, taking the opportunity to remind the kids that I, too, am doing the frustrating work of making strange sounds and that we're all in the same, awkward boat during English class. Today was a bit different though, as I was offered a very simple explanation for my difficulties.

Simon, one of those kids who always has something very urgent and very off-topic to share, bounced up and down with his finger up (French kids raise their index fingers rather than their hands) until I called on him.

-Yes, Simon?
-I know why you couldn't find your word today, maîtresse.
-Is that so?
-Yes, it's because you have an accent.
-I think you're right. Thanks, now moving on...

You can't argue with that kind of logic!

However, one type of logic I would perhaps prefer to dispute was that of the woman at the bakery today. After I ordered my sandwich, she indicated the (I'm guessing) 10-year old boy behind me in line and followed up my order with:

-Et pour votre fils?

That means, "And for your son?" Now, it could just be vanity on my part, but I have always assumed I looked about my age, give or take. It was a shock, being mistaken for someone who could be the mother of a kid who's been around since I was 12!

(orange november market)

Today was a beautiful, bright, and very chilly day, which I started off with my weekly trip to one of the highlights of Rodez life--the Saturday markets! I soaked up the sunlight and wandered from table to table, market to market, conducting pleasant inner debates about which yummy treats I should choose this week. By the end of the morning, I was headed home with far more than I intended to buy--but the produce is all so delicious and fresh and fallish that I don't even feel any buyer's remorse :) As I unloaded everything out onto the table at home, I was struck by the vibrant orange pervading this week's choices: a nice slice of pumpkin, clementines, carrots, sweet potatoes, and a fruit I'd never had before called kaki. And, though it was the orange produce stealing the visual show today chez moi, I'm equally excited about the fresh regional tome fraîche cheese, the "Mona Lisa" variety potatoes, celery stalks, and eggs (which are still in need of a good rinsing, as they've still got hay and feathers stuck to the shells).

I'm going to celebrate by having some friends over for some Pumpkin and Sweet Potato soup tonight...and provided the soup turns out well (new recipe), I think it will be the perfect way to wind up an exquisite Saturday.

(your daily cuteness)

I came across this video of an unbearably cute French girl who's learned some English--and I'm posting it here so you can get an idea of the little accents I hear at school! Oh, and when she says "I'm a miss Capucine" that's her attempting to repeat "My name is Capucine." Trust me, they all say it that way. Until, of course, their extraordinary American teacher helps them out ;)


"I'm a miss Capucine !" from Capucha on Vimeo.

And as a bonus--check out the irresistible cuteness of this kid's story. Don't worry, there are subtitles, and they're worth reading! 


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

So, now that your heart has officially melted, I would like to also remind you that today was a double-whammy, post-wise. That means scroll down and keep on reading! 

(this is not a lesson plan)

No, it certainly isn't a lesson plan, this blog post. Instead, it's a picture update. This is because, true to procrastinatory form, I'm avoiding my lesson plans just as effectively as I ever avoided churning out a research paper or a stack of French Lit journal entries. [Note to Dr. Gregoire, if you're reading this--that was merely an illustration point and should in no way be taken seriously... ;)] So enjoy the fruits of my misdirected labor, all!

*edit: This is a tiny picture update, because loading photos onto blogger is taking a ridiculously long time. I shall thus continue posting pictures, but probably little by little, rather than all in one go. So for now, dive in.

I put a letter in this post box, and to my slight and happy surprise, it did in fact reach it's destination! The French don't have the same drive for constant updates in every aspect of life that Americans seem to--which makes for much more quaintness, in general.

This is a view from a few minutes' walk downhill from our apartment--it's a steep, slippery descent, but once you get down there, there's a lovely park with a 5k footpath along the river. It's nice to have such an accessible outdoors space so close to the "city!" The post box from above was just across the bridge against one of the nearer buildings.

Following are just a few snapshots of some of the pleasures of the park.

As I mentioned before, this picture post is somewhat truncated by my current unwillingness to wait 20 minutes for 3 pictures to load at a time. However, keep checking back, there will be more!

And for those of you who have noticed a recent staunch in the flow of blog posts, I offer a peculiar excuse, something that may seem too strange to accept--but accept you must, because in foreign lands, one meets with very foreign novelties: too much vacation. That's right, I said it. No, perhaps not too much--but a very lot. Since starting classes the beginning of October I've had weekends, wednesdays, 10 days for Toussaints (all saints), a five-day weekend for Armistice day, and learned today that next Thursday the public school teachers will go on strike--so no school again. I don't think I've had a full week (and again, let me remind you that a "full week" is four days) of teaching in over a month. On a tight budget, with so much time off, there just hasn't been too much going on for blog posts. As a friend told me, it's almost like being retired. At 22.

But for those of you who are curious as to how I've filled my days, here's a taste:

I've restarted the same wool scarf four times and think I've finally settled on a pattern and dimensions I like. It should come in handy as soon as it's finished--Rodez can get cold and windy!

I've learned 3 card games, taught one, and a couple of dice games. Then played them a lot with Sandra my roommate and our most frequent friend, Maria (German primary assistant).

I've read A Year in Provence, finally. It had been recommended to me several times before, but I'm glad I waited to read it until I found a cheap used copy at the British specialties shop in town--I appreciated the author's insights into smalltown/southern French life far more than I would have, had I read it in Paris.

I invented a soup and spent an entire afternoon assembling it--because I needed a project!

I got enough sleep for three sleepy College students--which magically provided me with energy and enthusiasm for my classes the first day back after Toussaints despite having stayed up the entire night before following the American election.

I filled out a preliminary Grad school application for a translation program in Geneva. (Haven't decided whether I'll send it or not--it is interesting, however, to note that their entrance exam dates exactly correspond with my spring break...)

I made far fewer lesson plans than I intended. :(

I did more personal writing than I intended. :)

I went on lots of walks and collected chestnuts with friends for roasting back at home.

I hosted a successful, friendship-full dinner party and laughed hard for the first time since arriving in Rodez.

And finally, I struggled my way valiantly through a few rounds in the gladiator arena that is French bureaucracy--a battle that is nearly over, but not yet won. More on that later, though.

I suppose, now that it's 2 am, I should go ahead and post this, so I can turn in. I've got class (I know, shocking, right?) first thing in the morning. That's another thing I forgot to mention--over all of these days of leisure, I've reestablished some terribly unhealthy sleeping habits. Night Owl Emilee is officially back and in need of a good vanquishing.

On that note, good night! Expect more, and soon!

(already?)

It's SNOWING enough for a Chattanoogan snow day! In October! 

That's all for now. 

:-)

(laugh out loud)

Another amusing moment from a faraway classroom: 

Today I surveyed a CE2 class (3rd graders) to see what they had already learned in English. It is their first year, but French kids in general hear a handful of English words through cartoons, advertisements, what-have-you, and in my brief experience, they love sharing those knowledge nuggets with me and their classmates. After hearing the standard "dogs and cats" and "hellos," Matthieu raised his hand and pronounced a word with which I was unfamiliar: "luhl" (imagine a French accent). I asked him to repeat it, and then finally asked him what it means in French. Matthieu responded succinctly, "Well, you say it when something is, you know, funny." 

It then dawned on me that Matthieu was pronouncing "LOL" à la française. I LOLed in response, but quietly, and then took a short rabbit trail with the class where we discussed the difference between words you use in regular speech and words you use in "textos" (text messages). 

Ah, the glories of the English language...

*For those of you who don't know what LOL means, it stands for Laugh Out Loud, and is often used in text messages and online chats.

(what i learned at school today)

According to modest calculation, I have spent well over 18,000 hours of my life watching teachers teach. Between Fall 1991 and Spring 2008, it was, in fact, my principle responsibility in life to listen to them and appropriately appropriate the knowledge that they helped me to discover, understand, and apply.

So you can imagine my state of mind as I walked home from my first day ever as a bona fide teacher and mulled over the fact that, somehow—despite so much time logged in the presence of teachers—I found it so foreign (haha), overwhelming, and even intimidating to step into that position myself.

Don’t get me wrong—I expected exactly as much when I signed up to come teach in a foreign country. I don’t think I realized until today, though, after it was all said and done, just how much meticulous adjustment would be required of me. In a couple short months, I’ve gone from being the taught to the teacher (in theory, anyway). Not only that, I did it while giving myself a crash course in the workings of a school system I never went through and speaking a language that doesn’t always come naturally when I’m nervous before a class full of 20 expectant little French faces. Not to mention that I’ve got no training whatsoever about cognitive development, lesson planning, or classroom management. Even my handwriting is not up to par, as one of the teachers kindly informed me today.

So that’s the part of my new job that is (understandably, I think) quite daunting. HOWEVER, in the face of all the aforementioned scariness, I have a lot going for me, here, too. Such as:

1) I’m quite good at what I’m teaching, if not yet at how to teach it.

2) Experience is a master instructor, and that’s what I’m getting!

3) My students are completely enthusiastic and mostly fearless, and instantly resilient in the face of failure (qualities I’m relearning from them as I build confidence to be a good teacher).

4) Handwriting is an easy thing to practice.

And, as an additional perk, I get to smile at the funny things my students say and do, because they’re pretty damn cute, as it turns out. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of “monster” moments, too—but for now I’m enjoying reentering the world of the primary school student. Oh, and gaining new respect for my old teachers…Now in the course of my day, I frequently find myself thinking “Whoa…someone taught me how to do this. And they had to be creative about it, clear, and patient.” It’s so easy to forget as adults just how labor-intensive it was just to get us all functioning independently enough to navigate daily life.

For your enjoyment, a fun moment from the day:

Upon being asked “Can you guess what country I come from?” one exuberant 3^rd grader raised her hand and declared, “From Obama!”

 

Much more to come…

(first day of school)

Monday was a big day, for sure--my first "first day of school" at a primary school in 12 years! And let me just say that it is quite bizarre to belong with the group of teachers surveying recess instead of the buzzing mass of students on the playground.

For this week, my job is to observe the classes I will start teaching on Monday. I've met tons of kids and teachers in the four schools I'll be working at, and while I feel overwhelmed by the newness and a bit frightened at my responsibilities, I'm very encouraged by the raw enthusiasm of the students whose faces light up as soon as they hear that the exotic American lady will be coming to teach them English. Hopefully, their enthusiasm will make up for the lack thereof I've already sensed in a few of their teachers...

So. Keep your fingers crossed (and your thumbs pressed) that all will go smoothly as I get my feet under me in the classrooms and with the lesson planning for all the different ages and levels--this is a completely new endeavor for me! Hopefully my eager 6-10 year-olds won't notice that I'm just a little terrified of them. I'm going to try my best not to let on, and to have some good, educational fun with them. Deep down, I think it will be great.

(playing catch-up with pictures)

Alright, everyone. I promised myself I wouldn't just throw tons of pictures at you all at once anymore, but would instead post them in a timely fashion, little by little. However, as internet time is a bit scarce, here comes a barrage. I'm sure you won't really mind ;) This picture, by the way, is of part of where the Bishop of the cathedral used to live. Now I think it's the headquarters of the Episcopal church in Rodez, or something of the like.

This is at Place de la Cité, and behind those men chilling under the statue is my bank. That's right, I have a bank account now, which means I'll soon have internet!

Voilà the Foyer Sainte Thérèse, which I called home for my first eight days as a resident of Rodez. It was a very nice, inexpensive place to stay, but I'm ever so glad to have my own apartment now!

This is the view out of our kitchen window at 59 rue Béteille. We don't have access to the gardens, but they're nice to look at, and the sun sets this direction and lights up our kitchen and dining rooms quite nicely.

Look at our kitchen! It's big! It's fully equipped! It has a dishwasher! It has a washing machine! It even has a salad spinner, a meat grinder, a food processor, a tart pan, a pressure cooker, a cast-iron pot, a juicer, and a potato masher (among other appliances)! That's what I mean when I say fully equipped. I don't think I need to tell you that I'm pleased as punch about being able to really cook!

This is our salon (ie, living rom). It has a clic-clac, can you find it? Don't know what that is? Neither did I. It's the futon to the left. When you fold it into a bed, you push up (it makes the clic sound) on the seat area, and then let it down (it makes the clac sound). I love how the French never seem to hesitate to name something after the sounds it makes. The fact that we have this means that you should come visit, by the way--because there's somewhere for you to sleep!

This is my room! It's the smaller of the two bedrooms, and has a smaller bed, but I like it very much--it's quite comfy and I especially like the mini-cabinet going on to the side of the bed--perfect for storing books, stationary, small electronics, etc.

OMG KEBAB NEXT TO MY APARTMENT!!! I measured, it's exactly 32 Emilee steps (approximately 20 normal-person steps) from my door. And it's the best I've had so far in Rodez! Of course, if I get tired of kebab or cooking, I can also easily head across the street to the middle-eastern market, or one door down to the Indian restaurant. A couple doors down is a burger place (haven't been yet, but it's always interesting to find burgers in France), and if I'm feeling truly ambitious, I can head up to the end of the block and buy myself one of the nice, gigantic paella pans they have for sale in the window. I've heard that real estate is all about location, but having such a good location (also about 5 minutes on foot from the town center) has made me realize just how true that is.

We went to Toulouse on Wednesday for assistant orientation. This is all I saw of Toulouse (besides one of its high schools) the whole day. No, seriously. Two hours of driving, hours of lectures, then two tired hours back to Rodez as soon as orientation was over. But I shall return!

The night we moved into our apartment, we had all the Rodez language assistants over for dinner (Sandra wasn't there yet.)! It was a delicious extravaganza of salad, soup, wine, and company--the perfect way to break in the new apartment! The funniest part is, I only sent one text message of invitation in the afternoon, and by dinner time, I'd either run into assistants on the street, or they'd already heard about it and showed up! Rodez is not a big town, as I said.

I think the "kitchen-themed" tiles in our kitchen are funny. My favorite is the timer tile.

Today Sandra (the roommate) and I had a special treat--a road trip! We had a married couple of assistants over for dinner last night who live in a smaller town about 30 minutes from Rodez, and they invited us to come with them on a Sunday drive day trip to Conques--a beautiful medieval town in the hills north of Rodez. On the way there, we accidentally discovered the town of Salles la Source, and its awesome waterfall!

We climbed behind it!

This is Adrianne on top of Jacques, their little Renault who lugged five of us around the countryside today.

Look, it's Sandra (my Colombian roommate) and me at the waterfall!

There's a sign at the top of this cliff-like thing that only says "ICI MIEL," meaning "HERE HONEY." We were intrigued and climbed up to find it.

We never did find the honey, but we did find some delicious wild blackberries (as well as some very picturesque views).

Downhill was a little extension of the village, with an old Romanesque church and pretty changing viney leaves.

The sunlight was really beautiful.

In Conques, mimicking the pig. I can be such a ham. Aaaaahahahaha.

Conques!

Adrianne with a pilgrim. Conques is part of a famous pilgrimage to Spain whose name I don't know in English.

Reflection of the cathedral of Conques in a pool full of 20-centime coins.

New friends Adrianne and Jorge :)

The girls: Emily, Adrianne, Emilee, and Sandra.

More soon, I promise. For now, my café is closing! Hope all are well and enjoyed the pictures!

(blustery days)

For those of you who hear "Southern France" and think "warm weather" (as I did), I would like to share some knowledge that I've recently come by as a resident of Rodez: Southern France is warm if you're not in the Massif Central. 

The Massif Central is a region of South-Central France which is just generally elevated--some mountains, plateaus, etc. 

Yesterday, it was so windy that I saw hail being blown up a steep hill at a high velocity as I tried to keep my balance and to keep my heavy computer bag from blowing off of my shoulders. Today the low temperature is below freezing--in the beginning of October, no less! Of course, tomorrow the high is, once again, in the comfortable range...so I'm learning that weather on the hill is fickle, to say the least. The trick, I've decided, is layers. 

So, now you're all a bit more informed ;) 

I'm going to venture back out into the wind with my produce from the market in hand, my beret (yes, my beret) on my head, and get to making some more soup! 

(moving day)

That's right, I said moving day! 

Sandra and I (my as-of-today flatmate) met with the super-nice landlords of the perfect furnished tw0-bedroom apartment this morning, and...We've already moved in! After well over a month of living out of my suitcases, it is so invigorating to know that I have my own, real place to go home to tonight. I'm enjoying my chocolat chaud more than ever at my favorite internet haunt on this freezing, rainy day as I take a few moments to reconnect with the rest of the world and share my good news! Fortunately, the sun peeked out just long enough for Sandra and I to drag our luggage to 59 rue Béteille without getting soaked. And as Rodez is built on a big hill, I'm also quite thankful that the apartment is downhill from the foyer where we were staying. 

I will post pictures soon (I already have them, but they take forever to load onto the blog). For now, I'm in a bit of a rush because we've got guests coming over for dinner and I have potato soup to make! I'm really excited to spend our first night in our new home having a dinner party! I invited the two American girls and their German flatmate by text, and then invited the other two assistants (English and Scottish) as I ran into them separately while "out on the town" setting up bank accounts and getting the internet ball rolling. 

Hurray! 

Oh, and look! I have real-person contact information again! Here it is: 

Emilee Head

59 rue Béteille

12000 RODEZ 

France

+33614923909

(market morning)

I meandered through the Saturday market this morning, and thoroughly enjoyed taking in the sights, scents, and sounds it had to offer. The produce all looked delicious, and there was even paella at one booth! This is the sale and production of a local specialty from the Aveyron region--gâteau à la broche. After looking it up, I discovered that this is a dessert/cake/pastry made by turning a wooden cone on a spit before a wood fire, dousing it constantly with batter as it turns, building up layers until you have a christmas tree-shaped hollow cake.

So a few pictures from the market as a treat, which will hopefully entice you to read on about the unfolding of my life thus far in Rodez.

Since my arrival on Wednesday, I've enjoyed exploring the town on my own, and attempted to set some of my life in order. This has been a moderately successful endeavor, but there is still MUCH to take care of--most importantly, finding a permanent living situation. Everything here has been a bit last-minute so far--from changing towns to my housing arrangement falling through to getting transport from the Rodez train station--but thus far, all of the just-barely craziness has always worked out, so I'm trying to remain patient as I wonder what I'll be doing tomorrow and next week!

I met the woman who is "in charge" of the assistants in Rodez yesterday, and she seems quite sweet and helpful. She's new to the job as of this fall, so we're both getting our bearings, but upon meeting, she supplied me with the email of a Spanish assistant from Colombia who will be arriving this weekend (whose housing also fell through, so I'm hoping she will be open to apartment-hunting with me). Additionally, Nathalie (the contact person) offered to go to the bank with me, help me look for apartments, and even invited me to have lunch with her and her husband. It's nice to know there's someone here to advocate for me, if I need it!

As for the possible roommate, I haven't heard from her yet, and assume that she's in the throes of travel preparation. Hope of a flatmate is hindering me from really beginning the apartment search, as I'm not sure what I'm looking for at this point. I have a room reserved at the foyer until Tuesday, and hope that I can extend my stay there without any issues.

Wednesday, Nathalie will be driving me and another assistant or two to the orientation in Toulouse, which is about two hours away. There, I'll get to meet more assistants, hopefully find out what school(s) I will be at (another thing to wait for which impacts where I look for an apartment, since feet are my only transportation), etc. I don't know if we'll get to see much of the city, but I'm very thankful that Nathalie will drive us, and that I don't have to buy a train ticket!

So. I suppose that's the basic update. I'll be sure to keep you posted, so don't forget to check in!

*Teaser: I have a post planned, which will be entitled: "A tale of two drivers."