So it's the end of my second day at the school and I've been to 40% of my scheduled lessons (yay, if this was a degree, I'd have just passed...). The past two days have been really good, despite the fact that there seems to be a rather large lack in communication.
Yesterday morning, I arrived 45 minutes before my first lesson because I headed up to administration to hand in all the documents for Social Security. I wasn't expecting my school to be doing this for/with me, so that was a nice surprise. After my birth certificate and everything had been photocopied, I sat back and thought, wow, that was relatively painless. This was until the secretary handed me a folder. Not a few pieces of paper, but a folder. It turns out that, just when you think you've reached the top of bureaucracy mountain, you'll be hit by an avalanche. A few hours later, I tried to fill it in, but only got as far as the basic details such as name and address. There's a whole load of sections on the form which I don't think I can fill in, I don't understand, or I don't know where to start (current doctor section, being a prime example). Great.
Also, I gave my ERASMUS forms to my responsable, the problem is, he doesn't think that it's up to him to sign it. Still he walked away with my one and only copy of the forms. I'll chase him up in a few days. I'll cry if they've got lost...
Just before my first lesson, I headed for one of the language staffrooms to find the teacher I was going to be working with, as I got there, she was about to go for a cigarette and invited me to go along with her. We had a small chat, her talking in English as she wanted to practice, and me replying in French. The first lesson went well, the students were given cities in Australia to research for their written assignment. As the class settled in, Mme Mille (not capitalising surnames here, it would look weird), introduced me to the class and gave them the chance to ask any questions. The only two I got were about where I was from and my age. That was pretty much it, until towards the end of the lesson where I used the program which allows the teacher to monitor what is going on at the different computers. That was fun, but you know, simple things...
For the second lesson, there was much less of an introduction, just a 'this is the new assistant, be nice' kind of approach, but I was more involved in the class as I was listening to groups of students doing orals presentations about the website CouchSurfing.com.
Next was lunchtime, and if I've understood correctly, you get a 3 course meal for about £5 and it's good stuff, too! Originally, I was going to eat in the staffroom as I still wasn't sure about how to put money on my lunch card etc, but a teacher took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. What was really bizarre and a difference I'm not sure I like, is that the teachers eat in the same room and mingle with the students. However, what is good is that I can have a good lunch at noon and then just have something simple when I get home for dinner. It's so good to have an hour and a half for lunch, although I can see there are going to be times where I'm just waiting for the afternoon lessons to start.
I was meant to have a class yesterday afternoon, but my timetable didn't tell me which room I was meant to be in, none of the teachers knew and I hadn't met the guy either - I believe he's a trainee teacher.
Today, I went and sat in the main staffroom before my first lesson and had a chat with a teacher, if he told me his name, I don't remember it. He asked me how I was settling in etc and told me that I'll be pretty much fluent in a month. A month?! Can't see it. He was saying how he wanted to try picking English up again but the native English teacher is always too busy to help. I suggested that I was thinking about setting up conversation classes for any teachers who wished to practice their English. He seemed pretty chuffed with that and told me I speak French very well :)
The bell rang and I headed to my first class of the day (at half 2). I got to the classroom to find a different teacher, Mme Bowman, in there (thankfully I recognised her otherwise I probably wouldn't have said anything). I said I was slightly confused and double checked her name, it turns out that she was running late and the other teacher should have been along soon. 5 minutes later there were no students or teacher to be seen. Mme Bowman said that the other teacher was probably ill, and somehow all the students had managed to find out prior to the lesson. I went back to the staffroom to leave a note in her pigeonhole to apologise for not turning up but I would see her soon. I was then taken to the 'Vie Scolaire' office, where I was told that the missing teacher was currently off ill and that she won't be in school tomorrow either. I'm so grateful to Mme Bowman for taking me there as it has saved me going in to the school for 8am tomorrow, only to find the lesson cancelled. As this other teacher was absent, it meant that all my lessons for the day had been cancelled too.
After taking a deep breath, smiling and saying goodbye, I left the school. The afternoon was not totally wasted though as I went to the bank to transfer money into my account. I now have a French bank account that is not in the red! Wahoo.
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