So for anyone who has actually been reading this, I'm REALLY sorry that I have been sucking so terribly at updating it. I didn't realize it had been nearly a month! I'll try to make this post long enough to make up for your time.
First off, you may have heard or read about the protests here. They were definitely happening, and in some cases were kind of a huge nuisance. I had to miss work one day and get a ride from my conseiller pedagogique (it's kind of like a manager, I guess) another day. Then I got stranded in Grenoble, about an hour train ride away from home, because the trains apparently stopped two hours earlier than normal. Fortunately I had a floor to sleep on, thanks to some incredible assistant friends, but it was still convenient at the very least. My city was especially bad at having what would be called "les manifestations" in addition to your typical and regularly seen "greves". That would be the difference between a protest and a strike, to translate into English as well as I can. I saw in one day: a bus stop window smashed in, two older ladies running away from the riot police's tear gas, and something burning in front of one of our only landmarks here in the city. These were all due to younger people who almost definitely did it just for the fuck of it, and not out of a sense of concern over the issue at hand, the extension of the retirement age by two years.
I taught my classes for two weeks and then had a two week vacation. It was ROUGH getting accustomed to teaching, but I finally got into something resembling a rhythm. Now that I'm back after the long break, though, I'm finding that the experience really didn't help all that much! I'm still running out of material early, but I imagine that this is all a part of teaching. No one ever goes into teaching already good at it. Lesson planning is HARD. That said, I already have students that I can tell are really good at English, and in some of my classes the kids are all kinds of good at it already. I have one particular class that it really is fun to go in every day, even though they're the ones who make me finish way before I'm supposed to (they're super smart).
During the break I went to Paris. It was incredible! I didn't really dig it too much the last time I went, but this time I had zero time conflicts and I was there for longer, so it was much better. I also got to visit several gay bars and clubs, which was awesome. By the way, if you're freaked out by any of the following, don't go to gay bars and clubs in Paris: having a creepy old guy watch you pee, creepily, and then follow you out of the bar, where you have to walk very quickly to lose his drunk ass in the street; watching a guy shower IN a bar; getting your ass and junk grabbed by strangers as you walk past; and seeing two shirtless dudes dance in a cage. I got to be a super tourist and take a shit-ton of pictures, which was perfect. Next time I go I don't need to take a camera at all, which is super convenient because mine is really big. I took just over 300 pics... which although that seems excessive, it really isn't too bad. I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Sacre Coeur, Pere Lachaise, Tuileries, the outside of the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, and the Notre Dame. Not
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