Today I was invited to lunch with one of the teacher's I work with at my internship. I was invited to his home to eat with his wife and daughter. It was a very lovely lunch with tons of food. We started with some cheese pastry appetizers then had tuna on top of tomato. The main course was a delicious ham with pureed garlic and sweet potatoes. We had three cheeses for dessert: comte, a blue cheese and one other that I cannot remember the name of. It was delicious!! It was also a very nice experience for me to dine with a French family since I don't have a host family. Though I was very nervous, I think everyone had a nice time. I talked with them about many things, especially politics. The teachers wife remarked how he often makes fun of her politics because she is a socialist which I found amusing. It was very cool to hear their opinions, in general most French people I have spoken to are big fans of Obama. I have also noticed how we do have similar problems even though we have somewhat different political systems. Just like in America, education has a lot of problems and there is a lack of respect for teachers. The French do pride themselves on how they train their teachers and though I have only worked with two, the teachers do seem very good. As I've discussed, the real challenge for me at the middle school is the lack of respect the students have for the teachers. I think I will be writing my final paper for my internship seminar on the issue of the rapport between administrators, teachers and students. Though it certainly has been challenging, I still feel this internship was a great experience for me to practice teaching and my French.
As the time is winding down, I have been reflecting on my time here. It really has been quite an adjustment for me to live in a city. I have mastered the metro but am still not quite comfortable with being pushed or told to hurry up or having someone try to go in the turnstile with me so they don't have to pay for a ticket. I still cannot definitively say whether or not I can live in a big city but I do have a taste of what it's like. I was regretting not having as much time to travel as my friends because of my internship but, I am actually glad I have stayed in Paris so much. It is impossible to do and see everything in three months I think. There is just so much! But I feel like I have really lived here as a real Parisian rather than a tourist. I have explored tons of different areas with my friends and alone and have re-fallen in love with the city. It is certainly not an easy place to live all the time but I truly believe it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I am so grateful to have gotten to live here!
Enjoy my pictures on Facebook!
Au revoir for now!
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