Finally! I have everything I need for my visa application in order! I booked a ticket to Nice for September 20th that takes me through Chicago and Ireland, of all places, and I have beaucoup de photocopies of everything else. I even obtained a pre-paid self-addressed express mail envelope from the USPS so I can get my passport back from the French consulate without having to drive to San Francisco again. (Obtaining the envelope was an adventure in itself, but I explained my situation at the post office and they knew exactly what type of envelope was required).
This accomplishment was made possible by two very helpful websites, along with the assistant's handbook and Natasha's guidance:
http://www.assistantsinfrance.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=31868
http://www.consulfrance-sanfrancisco.org/spip.php?article624
And now I feel a little more free to start daydreaming about what it will be like on the French Riviera (and to start worrying about all the logistics of after my flight). Apparently though, Toulon is a bit "grungy" but with a character of its own, according to my predecessor. I got in touch with the girl who taught at my school this past year and have been getting great advice from her. She says I shouldn't expect Toulon to be as nice as other towns on the coast, but she did give me the name of a place where I could take painting lessons, and another for learning salsa. Perfect!
As for my actual job, it sounds like primary school, especially on a 9 month contract, will be a lot more responsibility than secondary school. The girl said she had to make all of her own lesson plans and teaching materials, and didn't get much help from the school in terms of navigating housing, social security, health insurance, and banking. I expect that at first it might be frustrating to be busy when everyone else is hanging out and making friends, but I think ultimately I will be glad to have a bigger job. I will be glad to walk away from this experience with a few solid skills. I'm looking forward to applying the ESL teaching principles I learned from TECC! Another warning I got was that teaching primary school makes it more difficult to find tutoring positions, but I'm sure if I'm proactive about it, I can find something.
Finally, of course I have plenty o' traveling goals! I basically want to go everywhere every weekend and holiday. And I'll add a point on our map for each trip!
Jealous.
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