Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Back and Forth
Like Bourne I go from Gare du Nord to Waterloo. Except unlike him, I also go back three days later and then repeat the operation a few days after that: Mon-Wed in Paris and the rest in Reading isn't a really good schedule for an agent. So it's good that I'm not one, but it's still crazy stuff! 3 days of intense professional and friendship time for 3 days of private bliss. Well almost, because I do have to work when I'm over in Reading. It does feel weird to be split like that. It's funny how common taking the Eurostar and the train from Paddington to Reading becomes though. The trip felt really big when I used to live there and I came back to Paris every other month at best, but now it's just my usual commute. Of course it's not easy on the wallet but then again I'm feeling rich since I'll soon get a salary for the first time of my life so I guess it's ok to be sort of blowing it on trips. For now. Until I go uh oopsy maybe I should save in case of problems, like needing new glasses (fucking expensive for me!!).
So da big question: how's teaching going? Is it indeed what I wanna do with my life? Or IS it da big question and d'you all really wanna know? Well you're stuck here so now you gotta read. And it's a quick answer: I get a kick out of it :D So yeah I can see myself staying in that field for a very very long time. It's really nice. Of course I've only been doing very little teaching because of the strike that's going on at my Uni, but the little bit of teaching I've been doing was groovy baby. And I don't even need the fancy clothes I was wearing at first to feel like I have the authority to teach now: I showed up in sneakers and normal trousers and it all went real well!
I've also started a new job, a complement that I thought would cover the Eurostar tickets (but I'll only get paid in Feb if then... so much for that) which consists in having preparatory class students pass mock oral exams with me. I was kinda stressed out at first before going but it was nothing compared to how stressed the poor little babies were! I had to tell two of them to breathe and relax and that it was fine! Fancy me reassuring them when I was strangely anticipating being really strict and bitchy to them. Ok so maybe it was just the strict part that attracted me and maybe that's not strange for me...
As for life in Reading... it's odd because I expected it at first to be a complete break, kind of like a vacation, and I'd try and do as much of my work as possible during the few days in Paris to free the time, but even doing that there's stuff to take care of there, like shopping and folding laundry and helping David with settling down etc that really make it another home, not just a go away for a vacation place. And of course there's D. Which makes it hard to go away and be back in Paris but also wonderful to be over there.
Maybe at some point my brain will be able to process this divided life-style and think of only life in the UK when I'm there and only life in France when I'm here but at present it's still all really bizarre...
Neeways, all good. No complaints except the eurostar + train to Reading is expensive.
Ah materialistic me!
Oh yeah, and it doesn't help aikido to go back and forth like that but at least it gives me a chance to train with my dojo sometimes; and it was great to be back there on Sunday :D (Some would see in that a tricky manoeuver according to which I'd have manipulated D to go to Reading and allow me to train at my dojo... Some have already been known to accuse me of that in fact! :o)
# posted by V @ 11:36 PM 
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Okay,
Just as a side note for all non French readers here, I am sure there are many of you and we wouldn't want you to conceive a biased opinion of France and of work there: let me just tell you that people don't go on strike all the time and some teachers work more than three days a week.
Just as a side note for all non French readers here, I am sure there are many of you and we wouldn't want you to conceive a biased opinion of France and of work there: let me just tell you that people don't go on strike all the time and some teachers work more than three days a week.
# posted by 
: 10:24 AM
: 10:24 AM
OK it doesn't happen ALL the time, but isn't it quite funny that my very first AGM with the teachers was to ask the question "so when are we going on strike??" ?!
You gotta admit it sounds stereotypically French!
And believe it or not, a lot of teachers do work only 3 days a week, they just concentrate all their teaching hours in a few days. I personally do 19 hours of teaching in these very 3 days. You then seriously need at least one other day to take care of all the class prep, and that's when all you're doing is giving work and correcting it because there is a strike. When the strike is over I seriously doubt I'll be able to chill over the weekend...
You gotta admit it sounds stereotypically French!
And believe it or not, a lot of teachers do work only 3 days a week, they just concentrate all their teaching hours in a few days. I personally do 19 hours of teaching in these very 3 days. You then seriously need at least one other day to take care of all the class prep, and that's when all you're doing is giving work and correcting it because there is a strike. When the strike is over I seriously doubt I'll be able to chill over the weekend...
Ha, accuse is such a strong word :-) It was more a comment in admiration of how deftly you had arranged.., erm how neatly things had worked out. Either way, it was lovely to see you on Sunday.
Oh my, how clever of you to notice I was talking about you :p
Very nicely put and indeed, it was lovely to see you guys!!
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Very nicely put and indeed, it was lovely to see you guys!!
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