The French Experience: October 2009

I have sent off an evaluation to AFS, which in essence is for the Ministry of Education. Overall I was pretty positive about everything as it was an amazing experience. I mean, wouldn't living in France for a year (and getting PAID!!!) be on just about everyone's Bucket List? It was certainly on mine. And still is really. Another year would be rather pleasant.....
But of course when one evaluates according to set questions one can't always say what one wants to. So here goes. I haven't made any notes, so we'll just see how this flows.
Hearing about the award was fantastic. I was thrilled to bits and couldn't wait to start planning. But for pretty much all of the year leading up to my departure there was a big vacuum, and it was hard to sustain the momentum and even interest at times. I KNOW that AFS can't do anything till they get info from France (or whatever country the teacher is going to), but we still needed regular updates. A fortnightly newsletter, (or even monthly,) which was specifically for us, the teachers, would have been great. Even if it was of the "Sorry, no news yet" variety. And checklist reminders would have been good. For example, "By now you should have done this, this and this." Also, I personally found it hard to know what resources to take when I didn't know what school level I would be dealing with.
It all seemed a bit unreal when we actually did leave. But we did, and that was great. (Although it would have been better if we could have all sat together.) The arrival in Paris was very difficult. After 36 hours flying we were thrilled to have a day in Paris to regroup and adjust to the jetlag a little. It was also nice to meet the Paris AFS people, but a slide show on the French education system wasn't quite right for us, straight off the plane. Then we had to get back into the city with our suitcases, laptops, carry on luggage, handbags.... I don't know about the others but I was VERY close to tears doing that. It was very very hard!
I had to then get to Paris Montparnasse railway station and get the train to Poitiers. Now, I could do it blindfolded. (Nah, not really. :-)) But back then it was a hugely daunting task. One of the other teachers who was leaving from the same station, but several hours later, took pity on me and came with me in time to help me navigate my way around this massive place.
So I arrived at the station and was met by a wonderful reception committee, including Mr AFS from Poitiers. That was the only contact I had with him in the year I was there. I stayed for a month with a fabulous family and met many of their friends. I was sooooo lucky. They were all such wonderful people.
I then moved into a studio which had been found for me. As you know, that was a VERY difficult transition. It was always going to be hard, suddenly being in one room with no TV, no internet at first, no phone apart from my mobile, not a huge grasp of the language..... I lost the plot a bit as you know and really really struggled. Once again I was incredibly lucky that my landlords were such terrific people and they became my best friends there. They helped me through that tough time, and one way was by lending me their English speaking son who helped me to get the internet set up. What a difference that made! (He also took me to a volleyball game which was really cool. :-))
The 'not being fluent in French' thing was interesting too. I got the feeling that my host family had been told not to let me speak in English, and great distress was shown and I felt a failure if I did. In fact, what I needed was help to improve so that I COULD speak in French all the time. I wonder if it was assumed that we were all fluent speakers already? I also wonder if a mentor would have been a good idea. Especially at the start. Just to check and make sure I wasn't going to have yet another long, lonely weekend on my own, to help show me how to get the bus, enrol at uni etc, to set up someone with whom I could have one on one conversations, and to generally keep a beady eye on me. Then again, perhaps I benefited more by going through the really really hard stuff. I don't know. Certainly, once I got through it all I was pleased to be in control of what I was doing and not having to check with someone all the time. I wonder what the other gals think?
I think I have already said this, but being a local and making friends was absolutely the best part of things. I just loved living in Poitiers and feeling as if it were home. I still haven't lost that feeling! I loved uni, and I really enjoyed school too. I liked the kids, and the teachers, once they warmed to the idea of my being there, were just fabulous.
I tried to see as much of France as I could. I was happy not to drive as I would have struggled with the right hand thing I think. But I was lucky that my friends didn't seem to mind coming to pick me up. So I saw quite a bit locally, and for further afield the wonderful French train system was just the ticket! (A little pun - geddit?)And then for longer holidays it was just terrific having Louise in Belgium. I wouldn't have done nearly as much had she not been available as a Travel Companion! Suzanne too at times.
So things got better and better all the time. As I knew they would. I wouldn't have expected or wanted it to be brilliant from day 1. You don't appreciate things the same if that happens. So I'm sorry I moaned so much at the start, but it was just like depression. I knew what was happening but I couldn't do anything about how I was feeling!
Highlights include: (and after I publish this I will think of many more I'm sure)
* Just being there
* Having the chance to study at uni and meeting some great young people there, especially Gi, Anna, Abir and Yun
* Being made so welcome at the Lycee
* Meeting Guy in the toilet at uni then meeting his family and becoming good friends with all of them
* Having a few trips to Paris
* Going to heaps of Art Galleries
* Meeting Jenny and Laughton Pattrick in Menton and having roast lamb, and singing with them both
* Monet's garden at Giverney
* Catching up with the other one year teachers in France and Belgium
* Finding a good hairdresser who has now become my friend on Facebook!
* Les tartelettes au chocolat (I think I should have put that first)
* French and Belgian chocolate in general
* The friends I made, including John right at the end
* Just feeling the amazing history which envelops your senses in Europe
* The very welcome and hot summer when it finally came
* Weekends with Claudine and Francois
* Marie-Helene and Christian, my landlords and wonderful friends
* Valerie's husband telling me I had l'air francaise! In other words, I seemed like a French person!
* Feeling extraordinarily proud to be a New Zealander in France. I felt nothing but amazing warmth from everyone when New Zealand was mentioned. They love New Zealand (although they think it is too far to visit!) and they adore Les All Blacks. Many a time was my hand pumped up and down by a rugby enthusiast when he discovered where I was from.

So, as far as success criteria go - using educational jargon.... I do think I made a success of my time in France. If it was only judged by the language, then no, as I still have a way to go. But I believe that culturally it worked well. I met lots of people, I promoted New Zealand, I made a case for learning being a lifelong experience, I was inspired and will continue to promote the Learning Languages programme back here and also encourage teachers to apply for the Immersion Award.....
And as you know, I'm going back for a wee holiday in January. I would like to go back there to teach but I don't have an EU passport so I don't think I can. C'est la vie!
Have I left anything out? What else should I say? I have so enjoyed writing my Blog and am reluctant to stop, but I think I have written all I can now about my French Experience. Perhaps I will have to move on to something else. I have loved that you have been reading my blog and and as you know I have relished reading any comments which were made. Thanks for sharing my journey.