lycée charles de gaulle

What does living in the French Republic mean exactly?  It means the same thing that it does in every other republic in the world. People have rights. People have rights, despite their age, race, religion, or gender. And the French, among others decided that they want to exercise their rights a little bit more than other people. More specifically they like to exercise their right to go on strike. But who would think that students, under-aged citizens, can walk out on classes without anyone saying or doing anything? The students, are on strike.

I went to school on Tuesday, looking forward to my love students in 2deDTB, TGEN, and 2deEuro classes. What I found, was empty classrooms, and students rioting outside the school. I was able to get in, via the teachers entrance, and was thenceforth trapped until after lunch. My students, despite being the age of fifteen and clearly unable to understand educational reforms, have decided to walk out on classes in protest. Around the school, Lycée Technique Jules Verne in Mondeville, they have set up barricades and prevented me from exiting despite being a teacher. What did I do? Climbed a fence like a freak, in order to get to Lycée Charles de Gaulle in time. I did, but found students striking there also.

This continued from Tuesday until Friday. I went to classes each day awaiting students, waking up early, having lesson plans prepared, and no students. They have all taken to the streets in protest, and by consequent I’ve got nothing better to do than sit around and read cheesy novels, or listen to people bitch and complain about the current economic problems. In order to better spend my time, I took a walk around the city looking for presents, and organising myself in appropriate manners. What did I find? People throwing cherry bombs at me, interuptions in transport, and harrasment because of the strikes. I wasn’t even involved in them at all and I nearly took someone’s eye out because a cherry bomb exploded near my foot. It took me 1.5hr to get from the train station, to my house, because of traffic problems. A journey that usually takes 15 minutes, took six times longer. I’m not impressed. I believe in expression of freedom, but education is paramount.

In the above calendar, extracted from my iCal, and Google Calendar, outlines my week. Please note that everything in blue are my classes, and I didn’t have a single one of them… at all.

What do I have to say to students? Go back to classes, bitches. I’m bored, and I want to teach you. Otherwise you will become stupid and useless, ’nuff said!

This is my education institution that I work at. It’s modern, and when I say modern, I mean it’s one hell of a lot more modern than even SWMSS was at it’s opening. Everything feels so fresh and new, despite the fact that the school has been open for quite a long time.

I filled in my administration forms and the secretary kept saying how lovely and wonderful I spoke French. All of the other foreign people that she had to deal with didn’t understand anything, or were just rubbish. This made me smile. I already impressed the administration people, who, like other people in offices, are so heinously lazy you have no idea. “I have too much work to do” should replace the national motto. It makes me laugh.

Soon I will being my full time working, having a nice little salary to fill my already existing French bank account at BNP Paribas. Again the woman at the office was surprised that I already had one. Guess I was the uber smart one to keep it open. Take that world, bwhaha!

I met some of my colleagues in the English department, who all speak English on a varying degree of comfortability. Most are okay, and decently equipped with skills, but the thing that has shocked me most is that the entire faculty has been so accepting and friendly towards me. When I am bored I just go to the staff room and hang out and they chat me up, literally. They even are surprised that I can express myself so eloquently. I can’t participate in theological or political conversations (obviously) but I listen and smile as other non-political people do. I truly love them, they make me so happy!