The train ride from Cannes to Nice on Tuesday, June 26th took no more than an hour, and even that was on a train making all the local stops. It was a double-decker train, so I was sure to sit on the upper level to admire the view, which was basically amazing.
I had no idea where the Lycée Masséna (a well-respected French boarding school), my home and place of employment for the next month, was located in the city, so, after arriving at the station in Nice, I got off the train and went to the tourism office next to the train station to ask. I was again thankful for the flexibility that packing light affords, and I decided to walk to the lycée by myself instead of troubling my new boss by having her come pick me up. It was only a fifteen minute walk, and I figured it would give me a good chance to see the main drags of the city.
As I walked down l'Avenue Jean Médecin, I couldn't help but notice the ubiquitous jersey wall and fences dividing some of the city's major streets. I remembered Nice was a construction nightmare last year when I was only in town for a day, and it didn't look like much had changed. I later learned that the city is undergoing the installation of Tramway system that will greatly ease pedestrian traffic and facilitate getting around the city in a more timely manner. As it stands right now, most people walk almost everywhere. While this is good for public health, it is certainly inconvenient when one desires to cross the entire city in any reasonable amount of time.
As I walked up to the lycée, I was first struck by its size and architecture. To describe its presence, it takes up almost an entire city block in the 5th largest city in France. It has walls all around it which are at least two stories high, and the architectural impression it leaves on the mind is somewhat of a cross between Hogwarts and a pirate castle you'd expect to see in Pirates of the Caribbean. On the inside, it almost feels like living in a prison, but a nice one where you can come and go as you please, and where everyone is nice and accommodating. From the looks of the grounds, the film Les Choristes could have just as easily been filmed here as it was wherever it was filmed.
After 3 days of training, unpacking, repacking, unpacking, moving, and eating out (Italian, Indian, Tunisian, and French restaurants) I finally settled into my permanent room. The students arrived the next day, and we've been doing nothing but fun stuff since. And there's plenty more to come.
The daily routine is settling down, but the first few days were a little hectic. Saturday was check-in, Sunday was orientation and hall dinner in the city, and Monday was just amazing. On Monday the 2nd of July, we went rafting on the Var River. There were some nice rapids, but nothing too scary. I went without any glasses (because I didn't want to lose them), so I didn't appreciate the scenery as much, but even blind it was a good time. What a beautiful area. I wore my glasses on the way up and had a chance to see the Alps and the river winding through them. It was awesome.
The craziest part was wearing a wetsuit. I had never worn one before Monday, and it was an interesting experience.
The bus ride through the mountains was an important part of the trip, but I think many of the students slept through it.
Tuesday, July 3rd, the students had their French language placement tests, and today is the 4th. Happy Independence Day! You wouldn't know there was anything special about the day here, but the 14th (French Independence Day) is a pretty big deal. I'm looking forward to fireworks then.
And so now you're up to speed. Now that I've caught you up, I'll tell you about my plans and the more regular daily routine here at the lycée. The students have French class in the morning, and our staff meeting isn't until 11 a.m., but I can't sleep past 7:30 even if I try. So I decided to make a habit getting up and going running before breakfast, which runs from 8:00 to 9:00. I don't have a responsibility before our staff meeting at 11:00, so if I have errands to do, I do them then. However, I have also realized that I can continue working for Dr. Welch at BYU and get paid for it, so why not sneak in a couple extra hours on the clock? Dr. Welch needs the work I'm doing ASAP anyway, so I'm happy to help.
After staff meeting is lunch from noon to 1:00, and then some days I have responsibilities in the afternoon. Sometimes I'm leading activities around the city, sometimes I'm at the lycée on office or internet duty, and sometimes I have the afternoon off as well. I'm quite happy with the amount of "free" time we have, although it is quickly consumed with different things to do around the lycée. There always seems to be some crisis somewhere around the school, most of which are legitimate problems, so we keep busy. Keeping 60 American high school students happy, safe, fed, and entertained isn't always easy.
Dinner isn't until 7:00 p.m., so sometimes I'll have a snack before. Usually I'm busy running around the city, so I don't even think to eat before it's time for dinner anyway. After dinner there are evening activities (like bowling and billiards night which was a lot of fun, or movie night in French, or a beach party like tonight), as well as "town duty," which entails peregrinations on old French pedestrian streets and along the boardwalk making sure the kids are keeping out of trouble. Honestly, I don't mind wandering around the city at night as the nightlife is lots of fun. There are street markets and ice cream shops and all kinds of fun.
Check-in is at 11:00 p.m. for the students, so I have to be back around 10:45 to make sure they arrive on time. Quiet hours start at midnight, so I have to be up to tell them all to go to bed. After that, I hit the sack myself.
I have a lot of liberty as to what I do during the day, for which I am very grateful. I was afraid I'd be completely busy 24/7 with activities, and I would have been alright with that since all the activities I go on are paid for by ASA, but I am able to explore the city on my own, I have time to read Harry Potter in French, and life is just generally relaxed... so far.
I also found out today that the music professor here at the lycée is going to lend me a guitar and give me access to the computer room, where there's a piano and a drum set. I'm really looking forward to getting back into music a little bit. Some of the guys in my group are really into music, so we're going to jam. It's going to be a lot of fun.
There are many other activities planned, but I'll keep you posted on them as they happen.
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