It's Gonna Be May

I couldn't resist

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, somehow it is already May. What have I been doing with my life these last two months, you ask? Here's the Top 10 highlight reel, because this is the internet and people love lists!

10. I have been working a lot. March was a lot of 30-hour weeks. I know that seems silly to say after my 60+ hour work weeks in Baltimore, but it's different. I get paid hourly so those are actual classroom teaching hours. This doesn't count planning, commuting, grading, or the excessively long breaks that I am required to take. (I only teach 6 hours but I am on campus for 9.) I was teaching six different courses (not sections, not groups... COURSES) at the same time and giving private "lessons" (conversations) and it was intense. I forgot just how much work goes into establishing a curriculum and adjusting to a new system, all while pretending to have it all together. It is difficult to not be an expert in something after being the go-to person for all problems in my recent past. I am learning. Even though my relationship with my students is very different here, it was still hard to say goodbye to my three groups who finished up in April. They were my first groups and I had them all year so they definitely have a special place in my heart.

9. I am still drinking the TFA Koolaid. In addition to my normal job, I was also interviewing Teach For America hopefuls over the phone. It sounds kind of lame but it was surprisingly awesome. I got to talk with really passionate people who are just looking for a chance to change the world and that was really exciting. I went from teaching some of my country's most disadvantaged youth to teaching at a private business school in one of the bougiest cities in France so sometimes, it is difficult to feel like I am making the difference that I set out to make in the world. By doing these interviews, I felt like I was still part of the mission to give all children in America access to a quality education by choosing the teachers that were going to give it to them. That's pretty powerful. I also learned a lot about myself by doing the interviews. I think back to what I must have said in my own interview back in the day and I am SHOCKED I was admitted into the corps. I wasn't particularly special at 22 years old and I am incredibly grateful that someone saw my potential and gave me the opportunity to get out there and do good things for people.

8. I am still drinking a lot of wine. It's hard not to feel like a snob when you have a favorite Bordeaux appellation, even more so when you have a favorite château and vintage year but I don't even care. Château Les Haldes de Luchey (AOC Pessac Léognan 2009), you are delicious and I love you. And sometimes you drink a bottle of wine on the couch by yourself but realize that if your friend 4000 miles away is doing the same, you're not really drinking alone. I miss you so much, Erica.

7. We went to Sarlat. France loves medieval towns and with good reason. They are everywhere and they are all adorable. The Périgueux region would be even nicer with transportation to go see the prehistoric caves and 14th century castles along the river. We'll be back, next time, with canoes.

6. I miss having girlfriends. Our monthly PACT chats are really wonderful but they serve as a constant reminder that I don't really have any lady friends here. I have a few girls that I get coffee/wine with from time to time but we all have such different lifestyles/interests/schedules/responsibilities that it's hard to have a relationship beyond occasionally meeting for beverages. I don't know if that's a Bordeaux thing or just an adult thing.

5. I miss having friends that are not my husband. Don't get me wrong. Jason is my closest friend and I love spending time with him, but I know that it is also important to maintain a sense of individuality in a relationship and I don't think either of us are doing a very good job of that right now. We do everything together, yes, because we get along so well and we like to hang out with each other but also for lack of another option. We don't know a lot of people here and we're not really involved in anything outside our jobs which is a big adjustment from back in Baltimore. It wasn't so bad at first when we were still getting settled and didn't have time to think about doing anything but our jobs but now we have found a bit of a groove and I just don't want it to become a rut.

4. We had visitors! Janice, Jon, Ethan, Andrew and Julie were in town for four days and it was delightful. Rugby game, strolling around Bordeaux, Cap Ferret, Dune du Pyla, St. Emilion... We did it all. It was a bit stressful trying to make sure five other people were happy and fed and having a good time but I think we pulled it off pretty well. It was Julie's first time in Europe and she just had that star-struck look on her face everywhere we went. That in itself was worth all the planning and preparation that went into their visit. It was also good practice for June when THE ENTIRE WORLD is coming to see us.

3. We did spring break in the Rhône-Alpes/Savoie. We spent a couple of nights in Annecy, which I LOVED and even drove up to Chamonix for a day. I wish we could have had better weather and seen the mountains (Mont Blanc, in particular) but it was still pretty spectacular nonetheless. We did get to go into a glacial cave, after all. We also spent a night in Lyon, which was not my favorite place that we have visited so far but I am glad we got to go. Jason does a really great job of making sure that we get out and see this beautiful country we're calling home for the moment.

2. I partied like it's 1999. Jason works with this girl named Olivia and she was having a big 30th birthday party for her and her fraternal twin sister Victoire, at their family's giant beach house in Royan. Jason has a big presentation coming up and he had a lot of work to do on it so he wasn't able to go but I was sent as his representative (?) along with our friends Rick, Guillaume and Alexia. We had tons of food and tons of wine and danced for literally 8 hours straight. By 5:30am, I had to call it a night, not so much because I was really drunk but because my legs were going to fall off. All of their friends were really fun and I got to speak a boatload of French and also 8 HOURS OF DANCING so it was a lovely time in my opinion.

1. We're so official. We got our new cartes de séjour so we can stay in the country for another year. I suppose if we must be subjected to another year in Bordeaux, we'll try to make the most of it. It has been nothing but misery so far, as you can see, but somehow I think we'll make it through. More wine will help.