life in chauny

I'm one of 12,958 residents of the quaint Picardie town called Chauny. I am a language assistant at Lycée Gay-Lussac with a 7-month contract. I AM LIVING IN FRANCE AND SURE IT'S A CLICHÉ TO SAY THIS BUT IT'S AMAZING!

My arrival was tiring and lonely, but now, two weeks in, I'm very happy and comfortable. On Saturday, September 25, an English teacher from the high school unexpectedly met me at the train station in Chauny, brought me to the nearest grocery store for milk and tea and cereal, invited me to dine with her family, and lent me sheets and towels for the first few weeks.  Her friendliness and hospitality really helped, especially because I was the first of three assistants to arrive at the high school and therefore had no one to chat with.  It was especially hard to lack any outside communication (no phone or internet), but this lovely teacher also invited me to use her computer and her husband's mobile to check in at home! So those of you who think the French are snobs... it is not true. 

The first few days were very hard because of the above reasons and also because: it was very cold in my new home, I saw a huge spider in the laundry room (much larger than American spiders), and I was very jet-lagged. Things improved rapidly though.

I spent the first evening and the following afternoon with the English teacher's family (a husband and three children, plus two cats who were forced to wait outside due to my allergies).  The French children (4, 8, and 11) were very sweet and funny, although they spoke so rapidly that I had trouble following.  The youngest boy laughed whenever I looked at him (his laugh resembled that of an old man; a fast and throaty chuckle) and repeated "Eli. Za. Bet!" many times (although bête can either mean 'stupid' or 'livestock' in French so perhaps that explains all the laughing). We ate a very large meal. With red wine. Then we ate cheese and bread. And then we ate dessert (a caramel custard with cookies). And then we drank some coffee to top off the meal. It was all delicious. 

We visited Laon the next day, a neighboring town. We walked around an old cathedral and ate lunch at a crêperie. The kids each had a huge crêpe salée (savory) and then each had a huge dessert crêpe! I have noticed that people eat very large quantities here, yet they are all quite thin and limber. 

It was a chilly rainy day but we decided to visit a book festival nearby.  People seemed to have come from all around to buy books.  There were a few French authors present to sign books and chat with customers.  It was nice. 

On to the accommodations...

Because I was the first assistant to arrive, I have the largest bedroom (chin chin!). High ceilings, huge windows, cozy radiators, a large bathroom... and so forth. It is very, very nice. And only 250 euros per month! The best part is that my school is a 30 second walk from my front door.  I feel very lucky not to have to take a train every day. The odd part is that high school students loiter in front of my kitchen window, so I try not to spent too much time gazing out at the street.  

 

I have two wonderful apartment-mates: Norman from Germany and Ruth from Spain.  We only speak French together although they both know some English (however, I know neither German nor Spanish). Except Schlaf Gut and De Nada.  We each have a room but we share a quaint little kitchen.  Many handy things were already here when we arrived (some purchased by former assistants) such as a coffee maker, tea boiler, silverware, dishes, pots, pans, and even a half-empty box of pasta or two. It is a very, very nice place. And there is a (free) laundry room! Who cares if it's also the garbage room! But honestly, it is very nice here and I feel very much at home. 

Ruth and Norman in the kitchen

I have been spending a lot of time with my new friends. I have met a few others who work at another high school in Chauny (two English guys and a N. Irish girl) as well as others who live in nearby towns (such as Noyon).  Last weekend, we all took the train to Paris (about 1.5 hours) for La Nuit Blanche, 12 hours of modern art madness (7pm until 7am).  Although I enjoyed the beginning of the night at the Centre Pompidou seeing Picassos and Matisses, the other 9 hours of seeking out modern art in the middle of the night were tiring.  I think we walked for about 8 hours. One week later, I still have a problem with my foot. I met a few of Norman's German friends who spoke very wonderful English.  It was a very strange evening and morning and we did not sleep. I don't think I have ever been so tired.  We left Paris around 7am to find that something was wrong with our train, so we moved to a bus about halfway through. I saw a nice French sunset from the bus window (actually I was trying to sleep but I did see some light for a few seconds). 

My neighbor Ruth, me, and Katherine (who lives in a 
nearby town) in Compiegne

Norman has a car (he drove to Chauny from Germany), so we took a little trip to Ikea the other day.  On the way home we almost ran out of gas in the pitch black countryside.  I could not think of a reasonable solution to that problem so I'm very glad we made it to a gas station in the nick of time.  

Because we are mostly speaking just French, the conversations between Ruth and Norman and myself can become a bit odd.  Norman brought up the Itsy Bitsy spider, which he referred to as the Mighty Tighty spider.  I then used the phrase "tighty whiteys" which I tried to explain in French. Norman became very confused and asked me very seriously, "Is it old underwear? Like from the Moyen Age?" (Middle Ages). I died laughing. He went on to ask, "Is it very dirty underwear?"

As for my job, I have just spent a week observing the English classes, which means that I stood in front of the class as the students asked me questions in English. I wrote things on the board to help them understand.  Their language skills really vary so I just have to gauge how much each class understands.  I have never been asked "Do you have pet?" so many times! There were also a few brave young men who asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?" or "Are you single?" I was warned this might happen but it was still very funny.  I was observing a group of older students (19 and 20 year olds) and one guy was giving a presentation on why he liked cars. He said something like, "I like to play with my fingers" and everyone, including the teacher, laughed for about five minutes.  One student was wheezing and coughing. There seems to be a lot of humor and laughter in these high school classes, which I appreciate.  Some aspects are very formal (students stand until the teacher says to sit down) but other parts are very laid back.

Depending on the class, I will either assist the teacher in lessons or take small groups out for conversation and activities.  I have been told that my main job is to get the kids to speak English. I can do that. I start (more officially) on Monday.