Vacation time

This week has been relaxing (a polite word for boring), lots of sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. Actually, I'm working my way up to running a 5K. While this isn't exactly my idea of fun, with all of this free time and such beautiful weather I really don't have an excuse not to leave the house. And it's free. Maybe that's what I'll do when I come back to the US: start a new career in running, running, running.

I found this picture on Facebook of myself that my friend Danielle took when we went down to Biarritz together, I thought I'd steal it and put it on my blog.

And yet another.

Yet another 8AM encountered for nothing

Today, once again, the teacher was not present and failed to tell me about it. There was one student there who missed the memo. Sigh. On the bright side, I have been awake for the entirety of my unexpected day off, whereas if I had known, I might have slept at least until, oh, I don't know, say, UNTIL THE SUN WAS UP.

I heart my job.

Last week, my week started at 4 PM on Monday and finished at 4PM the following day. I took the opportunity to get out of dodge and run around in Pau with other assistants as well as the teacher who escorted me around Paris. Cool!

I'm back at school awaiting the end of the week which marks the beginning of a two week vacation. Yay! My official return to the United States is now June 20th. See you then!

Today in one of my classes, my students spent 10 minutes describing the type of odor that comes from one of their classmates. 'He smell of cheese' or, 'Stand at 2 meters and your face become red, white, green, blue,' and, 'He and shower, not friends.' 'We are with him for two years now. We are (insert the French motion for 'had it up to here' which is more like our motion for 'better be quiet, the person you're badmouthing just walked in the room behind you'),' 'At first, we try to explain him, Take a shower!, but he not listen and change nothing.' I told them they were mean, but it was a good oportunity to teach them some expressions, not to mention hilarious to listen to them trying to articulate it in Engligh, so I let them go at it. I suggested maybe it was a medical problem and they should give him a break, but they insisted it was a simple not showering problem. Fortunately, this student was not in the room.

Today, I am going grocery shopping. HOOORAY. Yesterday, I topped my speghetti noodles with an egg.

Just another weekend.

I ran into the Dorm Nazi today, and I have decided she doesn't hear very well. I had just come in from a jog and I was red in the face and still huffing from the stairs. This is how our conversation went:
Me: 'Bonjour, Madam,'
Dorm Nazi (DM): 'You look hot.'
Me: 'Yes, you're right, I've just come from running a rather long distance.'
DM: 'Actually, I didn't mop up to your door, just in this hallway.'
Me: With bewildered look, 'Ok, thanks.'

She is the only person who can't understand a SINGLE word that I say, EVER. Frequently, she'll engage me in conversation and when I respond, she responds with something completely out of left field. At first, I was a bit distraught and it actually inspired me to visit one of my neighbors and say, 'Just tell me if you can understand me,' and then repeat whatever sentence it was I said to 'La Femme' to see if it was me or her that was somehow causing the communication breakdown. Each time, it was decided that even though I may have made a minor gramatical error, in general the phrase was valid and effectively communicated what I was trying to say! My conclusion is that she is half deaf, and of course she is going to be cranky when the world is spinning around her in half silence. Poor Dorm Nazi.

Hey Mom- could you get Mark to look for my resume on my computer? I really need it. The sooner the better! Thanks!

The Dorm Nazi

This week, every teacher was where they were supposed to be -- no strikes, no conferences, no 'oops I forgot I had class.' It was a little trying, but I got through it!

The other day I had my first unpleasant run in with 'La Femme,' otherwise known as the Dorm Nazi. She used to love me, but apparently her loyalty is fleeting. One of the gentlemen down the hallway had a big party last Thursday night that lasted until 4AM and someone complained. I had been there for an hour or two at the beginning, but I'm sort of a teacher, so I make it a policy not to stay too long. Well, the woman knocked on my door Tuesday night and asked about this party. She seemed convinced that it had been in my room. (?) After I assured her it was not, she asked me if I had been with them, and since I had been for a little while, I said yes. So, she began what is probably her typical speech about quiet hours starting at 10PM and 'no partying' in the dorm. Ok, fine. As she left, my very quiet neighbor returned home, so I took the opportunity to say 'Désolée Benoît' to apologize if we had bothered him. 'La Femme' heard me say this, or rather heard me say something, and did a 180° turn and came back and went into Phase Two Reprimand Mode. 'I can call the head director to come talk to you if you would like, and if you don't like the rules you can move out. Besides that, you are responsible for these boys.' I honestly could not even begin to explain where this hostility was coming from, or for that matter how it is at all my job to be responsible for the 20 somethings living in my hallway. Then she stormed off and hopefully this is the end of this story!

This weekend I'm going to a tractor festival. Woo!