La petite americaine est rentree a hyeres

Thaaaaat's right, I'm back in Hyeres. And I made it in one piece.

And you found my new blog. Nicely done! So now it's my job to put up some posts every now and then to keep you informed about my life in France (well, that's the idea, anyway). I'll try not to be too wordy (haha, a challenge for me), but just fill you in on what I'm up to/thoughts/events/cultural observations/travel/etc. Whatever strikes my fancy. :) Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions/thoughts/hellos...(you know, life abroad can get lonely at times)


I've been here almost a week. Here are some highlights/thoughts I'd like to share, some good, some complaints, sorry:

- getting picked up by  (Christine & Raymond) at the train station = awesome. staying with them has been really great (internet, meals together, a house to stay in free of charge while I find an apartment)

- we went out on C & R's sailboat on Saturday to Poquerolles and stayed the night on the boat. Walked around the island (small, with a port = cafes, etc), plus swimming in the salty mediterranean + snorkling with the fishies + reading & relaxing. yeah, i got the hookup.

- France. It smells like poo. You may have heard about dogs + poo + France + not cleaning up = smelly times. It's true. Not ALL the time...but I'm just saying, I've noticed.

-skype is awesome. To talk to me via webcam free of charge, download skype and request me : tinaboothpulliam

- it is rather hot, and definitely sunny. so why is everybody wearing black, and long, tight pants?? ya'll frenchies are crazy. i'm in shorts and i'm all sweaty and gross. pshhhh.

- also, do French people not have bladders? clearly, they must all be dehydrated, seeing as no one carries nalgenes or camelbacks (like us "normal" americans)... but beside that, what about public restrooms? apparently these RARELY exist. and by the way, it's lame to have to pay to pee.

- the cars here are small and ugly. yes, I already know this, but maybe you dear reader, do not yet know. Sure, american cars are ridiculously big sometimes which is often pointless, and we often treat them like they're another child of ours (well they cost nearly as much)...French people don't seem to feel the same way. The cars are all beat up with dents, plus they are models that are quite basic; strictly driven to get from point A to point B. That's fine. I don't have a problem with it. I'm just saying, ours are pretty. And we're muuuuch more careful not to bang them up when we're driving them. (French people here do, however, have a very good sense of exactly how big their car is, which helps when navigating impossibly small roads)
- speaking French is pretttttty great, the second time around. I must be honest and say, it feels pretty good to have a secure-enough grasp of the language and be able to communicate with ease. Sure, I still sound and look like a foreigner, but I don't feel completely lost and oblivious. Not all the time, anyway ;)

-getting started with teaching next week. This week was introductions at the schools and 2 days of orientation with about 80 other assistants in the area. 177 total in the academie of Nice.

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to finding an apartment (hopefully with a roommate) and feeling a little more settled. I'm glad to be back, but sad to be away from home, too. It's transition, yet agaaaaain, so it's not always fun & smiles & rainbow times, but overall I'm a-okay.