Well, it's over. 7 months in France completed (well, 8ish but who's counting?) I learned a lot: about other cultures, the french language, how to live in a foreign country, that I don't ever want to be teacher for real, etc. My last days of class flew by. By the end I had a normal routine and so there was nothing new and exciting to post about. My last week of classes where a bit sparse as one of the teachers had left for New York and some of the students were busy taking exams. We ended up spending at least 3 class periods on 'degustation' for me. This is a french word meaning 'tasting' and indicating that we spent the class period snacking. It is supposed to mean that I was introduced to new french foods but that didn't really happen. Some students made cookies or cake but most brought chips or soda. I put in some effort and made a couple of rounds of pancakes for the students as most had heard of them but never tasted. In the end it was a very easy last week of classes. I spent my last week in France with my grandparents in Paris and then back in Le Touquet packing and cleaning my house. The Paris trip was fun and relaxed and the cleaning and packing was relatively painless. I got the whole deposit back on the house!
I spent my last week in Europe in Germany with my ex-roommate Charlotte. We visited Würzburg, Herrsching, and Bonn. It was a lovely stay with lovely weather and I loved it. Being in Germany was a whole different experience to France, sure it's a different country, but the biggest difference for me was that I don't speak German so everything was either in English or immensely impossible. I have been inspired to learn German and I hope to enroll in German classes in the fall, and I hope to come back to Germany when I can speak the language.
I got my last month of living assistance, my last paycheck, and my reimbursement for my required voyages to Lille. I am one of the lucky few as most are still waiting for living assistance, reimbursements, etc. I am not expecting any more money to land in my french bank account (but I'm leaving it open for a month or two just in case) and I have all my money in euros waiting to be exchanged for dollars.
I am currently sitting in the Frankfurt airport after a lovely night at a lovely Frankfurt hotel. Boarding is in one hour.
What I got out of this experience:
-Some spending money for this summer.
-7 months work experience as an assistant teacher.
-A better grasp of French.
-My living abroad quota.
-Lots of new friends all over the world.
