Orientation day

Today was the orientation day for all of the language assistants in this départment (county) of Ille-et-Vilaine. I had to brave the pouring rain to get to a nearby high school (one metro stop and a 10 minute walk) at 9:30. Everyone was soaking wet and FREEZING! They haven’t turned on the heat yet, and it’s so chilly! In the 60s and rainy :/

Some stats from the meeting today to share:
-227 language assistants (English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese) in Brittany.
-5,600+ assistants in France this year.
-Brittany makes 40% of France’s milk.
-Brittany provides 55% of France’s pork.
-Brittany accounts for 45% of France’s fishing industry.
-Brittany is mostly rural with 70,000 agricultural workers but also hosts many high-tech industries.
-Brittany has a population of 3 million, which is 5% of France’s population.
-The Académie de Rennes has the best student retention rates of the country and is among the highest in baccalaureat scores (the final exam French high school students take).

The morning was spent hearing welcoming speeches from all the top officials and language inspectors of the region. A news crew actually showed up, so I’ll probably be on French tv (because I was sitting front and center) and maybe even in the Ouest France newspaper! After that excitement was done, we got info on all the forms we have to fill out to get paid, get our residence permits, get social security, get free transportation, get housing aid… There is so much paperwork in France—that stereotype is definitely true! I have to go take identity photos and copy my passport, birth certificate, and work papers for all of these things.

After shivering in the drafty amphitheater for hours, we had a free, hot lunch in the school cafeteria—with a main course of a pork and veggie skewer, it was definitely higher quality than US public school food. I ended up at a table with Germans, Spaniards, and an Austrian. The common language was French, but I heard them talk amongst themselves as well. We had to play the “Where are you from? Why are you here? Where are you teaching?” questions game, so no cultural insights there for today. And after that we moved to a classroom for coffee, cookies, and more conversation.

The afternoon orientation session was split by languages, so I was with Americans, Irish, and Brits for info on what we are actually doing as assistants. Basically, we need to encourage oral expression as much as possible, so we need to be creative! You can take an advertisement and turn it into a lesson on cultural stereotypes. You have to give them vocab and then give them an opportunity to use it, particularly in comparing their culture with yours. As assistants, we are proof that the language they study is alive and useful. We even give credibility to the scenes they have seen in American movies. It’s really quite cool :)

Tomorrow I will go to the agency to inquire as to the status of my apartment, and maybe I’ll even get the keys! Then, I have to go to work at 1:30 for one class and not again until (maybe) Friday. That gives me two days at least to set up my apartment and go bed shopping.

Bisous!