Monday, October 2, 2023

Thoughts Session- The Stories of My Life- France

Where to begin?


The idea of being a teaching assistant in France was introduced in Professor Kuiper's Linguistics class in December 2000.

Most study abroad options (which were a requirement for foreign language/education majors) involved paying to go abroad and were not cheap.

This option had students from UWM and other places going to help school districts in France with pronunciation and other aspects of learning English.

It was a full year commitment, with arrival in France in September of 2001 and return to the US in late April/early May 2002.

The idea was extremely intimidating to me at first. Over seven months in a foreign country living on my own? I hadn't lived on my own yet.

Preparation: getting passport and visa among other things for the application.

9/11: would I even be going to France? My flight was scheduled for 9/19.

9/11 itself and the aftermath.

Leaving job at GPL

Arrival in France- the frustrating trip to Lisieux, complicated by losing directions and trying to find them at Chatelet-Les-Halles.

First one there, so I got to pick my studio apartment.

Emma

Jenny

Nathalie

Jean Pierre

Marie

Living in France

Laundry Sundays

Loneliness when the others went home for holiday breaks

TUNA- into it until we weren't

meeting Uncle Jim in Paris?










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