Giant Update

So, sorry I've been kind of neglecting this blog, but we just got internet in the apartment over the break (yes, we already had a break), and I wanted to travel on my days off. I didn't talk about the second week of work in my last post, but it flew by. I've been accumulating ideas and material in my bag of tricks for the students, and I'm feeling more and more comfortable reaching the kids and finding out how to help them learn and have a good time all at once. We ended school just before Halloween. Benedikt went back to Germany to find out about job options for next year and Mirna went traveling to Lyon with some other assistants. As I had taken a big trip before school started and we hadn't been paid yet, I opted for staying in the apartment and hoping we got paid, haha. Speaking of my roomies, we get along great and enjoy cooking together, playing games, and watching movies, cuz there really isn't much to do after dark in Joigny. Here's some pictures of us together:

Here's Benedikt making Apfelpfankuchen (sp?)
Here's the finished product :)
This is me helping Mirna make tortillas
Mirna with a tortilla :)
Burritos, guacamole, beans, salad :) :)




Anyway, I spent a couple of days in Auxerre, because it's only 3 euros and 20 mins by train, and there was a spanish assistant from Argentina there in the same situation as I was in. We had a good time wandering around the city and hanging out. Then, we got the internet installed in the apartment, WOO!!!! It's super to have all the information and videos and movies and music at your fingertips, but I feel like I'm also stuck to my computer screen a lot more than I was. Give and take. After speaking to Mirna in Lyon and her inviting me to stay with another assistant in Le Mans, I decided that even though I hadn't been paid yet, no one had, I couldn't just stay in the apartment alone for Halloween. Everyone was hurting in the money department, but we were eating apples and crackers together at least, haha. Alma and Walter (mexican and canadian respectively) were super hosts in Le Mans and we had a super time discovering the city. The day after I arrived, we all got our paychecks and we celebrated by donning costumes and drinking in a local Irish Pub. It was a blast! After that we hopped on a train to Paris and spent more time together with Alma's sister Manse and Walter's friend from Canada, Julia. We all slept on the floor in Manse's studio, haha, but it was great to be with so many cool people and in a fun city like Paris. I have a VIP pass to get into all the national museums for free, so I thoroughly enjoyed spending a day in the Centre Pompidou: the modern/contemporary art museum :) :) I was also planning on visiting the Catacombs, but apparently they're closed for the year for renovations...oh well. It's still a blast just to walk around and enjoy Paris for what it is. And, I got replacements for my holy shoes, and a belt! haha
On the 4th Mirna and I ran back to Joigny to celebrate Benedikt's 30th birthday. Mirna made a chocolate cake and we went out for dinner for the first time together; we might do something else this weekend to keep the good times rolling. I didn't have any courses on the first day back to school, and I have to go to Dijon for a medical exam to validate my visa on Monday, so I'm kind of enjoying an extended vacation. But it doesn't feel right, haha. I feel like I should be working more...and working on grad school apps...
That's all for now I think. I'm going to try and figure out how to share my full photo albums with you all, any suggestions besides facebook?