Monday
Only 3 hours of lessons, but unfortunately, working at 11, 2 and 4 doesn't leave much room for doing anything interesting in between. I usually use the time to plan lessons to free up bigger blocks of time later in the week. No early start on Tuesday to me means a night out on Monday, but some of the others have shown to be a little disinclined to go out in general. The two other Brits, my Russian flatmate and I have usually ended up in the same bar in Bourg, but a few issues involving some mecs a little too insistent on chatting me up (and there's really nowhere to hide in this tiny place..), a guy who described himself as racist (!) and the fact that my idea of a good night out doesn't really involve playing back-to-back games of pool with this kind of clientele have left me reluctant to continue the habit. Keep reading to see what the future holds for nights out in Bourg... but I don't have high hopes.
Tuesday
My day off! This week I went into Lyon to find out if I could take a course in the university; no luck, but I met up with a girl who was a French assistant last year for coffee and she gave me loads of great advice about France, the job and Lyon. I would advise any assistants past or present to send an e-mail out to all the addresses of past assistants that the British Council send out as I've met and spoken to some really lovely and helpful people (in French!) this way. It's called 'FLA Buddy Scheme', and I received the e-mail around mid-October. I did it because I was worried I wasn't talking enough French with French people, and it's really paid off!
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| Passarelle Saint-Georges, Lyon |
I ended up doing a lot of aimless wandering after the girls I met went back to class, as the train I had planned to take was cancelled due to strike action with no replacement service... No idea how the French get to work on time in the morning!
Wednesday
Every other week I start work at 7.45am in town half an hour's walk away. Give me an Exeter 9am any day; walking to school when it's still dark is miserable! It's also my youngest class, so I really can't be tired, hungover or look like I just rolled out of bed (although sometimes the wind on the way there will do that for me anyway..) The flipside to this is that I'm free from 11am onwards, and that every other week I have another day off. This week I went to the Parc de la Tête d'Or in Lyon with a few of the other assistants:
When we got back we had a meal planned with another French girl I met through the FLA Buddy Scheme in Bourg. We had booked for nine but it ended up being only four! It's occasions like this that I wonder whether it's a case of the individual or the culture; I've certainly never been in the situation where someone cancels on a dinner which has been booked for anything other than unforeseen circumstances, but luckily the restaurant didn't mind and the four of us had a lovely evening speaking almost entirely in French.
On my days off I also usually like to take a walk around Bouvent lake, which is a good hike away but well worth it for the calmness. (I'm slowly but surely turning into my mother, aren't I...)
Thursday
Usually I have lessons 8am-5pm on Thursdays but this week my six hours were reduced to one due to various tests and absences, giving me time to... sleep and do nothing. Good one, Fiona.
In the evening, though, we went Bowling with the Lycée Quinet 'Amicale' (a kind of social society for teachers). I'm not the best bowler in the world (two strikes and two zeros.. what's wrong with me?) but it was good to get to know the teachers in a more social context, and I'm already noticing the difference in the staffroom; no more awkward break-times, I hope.
Friday
A busy but enjoyable one: every other week I have to make two separate journeys to Péronnas (the other school) with a class and a choir rehearsal in Quinet in-between. Technically I shouldn't really have time to go to choir, but if I leave ten minutes early and eat a sandwich en-route it works.
In the evening I have a rehearsal with L'Ensemble Vocal de l'Ain in town (Bourg inexplicably being the capital of its region). I auditioned just to fill some spare time but luckily for me they're a really good choir with a busy schedule which suits me to a T.
(If anyone was interested: the chorus parts of Mozart's Don Giovanni, Gounod's Requiem, Duruflé's Requiem, Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine, César Franck's Les Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix and Duruflé's Notre Père.)
Friday is also, of course, an opportunity to go out, but so far early starts for travelling have put paid to anything particularly exciting.
Saturday
So far we've used our Saturdays to go to Annecy and Lyon, with more plans for travelling in the pipe-line (including a festive Paris trip in December). Again, Saturday night is for going out, and we've managed to have one successful night out in Bourg on a Saturday (following a disastrous one in Lyon) involving the almost authentic Irish 'Pub', flaming shots and great company. Hopefully more like that to follow!
Sunday
As you might have already known, or read here, the 'day of rest' is very restful here in France. So far - apart from that one time we went to the rugby and the cinema - it's been an opportunity for lie-ins/hangovers, lesson planning and laziness which is gratefully received by my lazy alter-ego, but I'm sure after the holidays I'll be back on form with not a moment spare - or so I hope.
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