A Week of Firsts

Last week was, unsurprisingly, very exciting but also tiring and scary. It began with my first day at school and I have to admit it was the scariest first day of school I’ve ever experienced. Sunday night once again became a time for preparing my lunch, picking my outfit, packing my bag and an early night. I went to sleep full of apprehension and woke up when it was still dark at 6.45am.

My timetable! V.busy but just 3 days!

I had to be at school for 8.30am but had no idea where it was or who I was supposed to be meeting with. Luckily, the school is a short 20 minute walk away and the first man I introduced myself to happened to be the Head Teacher. I was given a tour of the school and it’s massive: 12 classes of 30 and I have to work with all of them!

The children are between 6 and 10 years old so their English is pretty basic. I initially thought that younger children would be easier to teach but it actually makes things harder. How do you teach someone another language when they’re still getting to grips with writing and reading in French? The teachers are nice enough, some more than others and I’m sure once I’m all settled that we’ll get along just fine. The students are absolutely lovely (mainly because they all tell me I'm pretty)! They want to learn and show off their English so much, which is nothing like children’s attitudes to languages back home.

I won’t bore you with an in depth description of the three days I spent at the school observing the classes: it was boring enough for me to do! Something that might interest you though: I fell over. Yep. In front of an entire class, I slipped and fell flat on my face. I nearly died of embarrassment and I sincerely hope that’s the last time I trip up while I’m here. Also, some of the things the children have written by mistake make me giggle: so far I’ve seen ‘pupo’ instead of ‘purple', ‘my favourite food is my dog’ and ‘I’m fine thank you’ as a response to ‘What’s your name?’.

Me and Clémence!

It was a difficult first few days and it has really tested my resolve and my French but I’m sure it will get easier (or at least I hope it will). I’m certainly not loving my 11 hour days three days a week with school then babysitting. Monday night was also my first time looking after Clémence – yet again I had to go to a brand new school and find someone new. Luckily, it started relatively easy; I found the school, found Clémence who seemed relatively pleased to see me and remembered the way to her flat.

I look after Clémence every weeknight from 4.30

-7pm and so far I love it, but she, like most 4 year olds, can be hard work! We’ve had our fair share of tantrums but I think she’s slowly learning that she won’t get away with much. Our 5 minute walk home normally takes us 45 because Clémence insists on walking on all the walls, crawling ‘comme un chat’ and walking backwards! By the time we get home there’s just time for a game, some songs, a bath and a couple of tantrums. I've already taught her the word ‘leaves’ because she likes to pick them off tress and hedges, so teaching English is going well, if slowly.

Enough boring work talk. Saturday, I went to Montmartre for the first time,which was absolutely beautiful even if there were a few thousand steps! We went to see a Salvador Dalí exhibition, which I found quite interesting as I studied Surrealist art last year in one of my French modules. After the museum, we wandered the streets which were packed due to a food festival. I got some churros (deep fried doughnut sticks covered in sugar), tried some bright green, pesto cheese and some bright blue, lavender cheese. Everything was delicious. I can’t wait to go back to Montmartre and explore it properly on a quieter day.

Us partying on the metro!

Saturday night was my first proper (successful*) night out in Paris and it was amazing. We didn’t leave our flat until midnight which is a little later than I’d normally like to go out but it seems normal here! We went to a club/bar called Café Oz at Grands Boulevards and it was fab! We danced all night which, of course you all know, is my kind of night. The only dampener was avoiding the creepy French men, though I did find that firmly shouting ‘non’ at them did the trick. The craziest thing was that we stayed until the place shut at 5am! Yep. 5am. We decided to wait for the metro to start back up again and go home that way which meant I didn’t get to sleep until half 6 in the morning. Best thing about this 6 hour night out? It cost me 3 euros! I jumped the barriers on the metro like a true Frenchie, snuck into the club like the badass Brit that I am, and drank only water because drinks were 10 euros each. The 3 euros I spent went on chips and a diet coke: priorities. 

Yesterday was a complete write off which is why I’ve had to write this post today instead! I’m still tired from last week and am now having to do it all over again. Thank God it’s the holidays on Friday: two weeks of work then two weeks off. Sounds good to me.

Bisous à tous!
*The very first night out involved a metro trip to the Champs Elysée and back so I'm not counting it.