I passed my TEFL

WOO HOO PASSED THE TEFL

Wow, apparently Im ok to Teach English as a Foreign Language now... as I have officially passed the TEFL, AND the additional grammar module.

I have already started teaching at my daughter's school - scary really that they didn't require some level of qualification other than being English. But ok, so far I am loving it! I start teaching privately on Tuesday, a couple of the girls from school are coming for an extra hour lesson at home!

All Good!

La Rentree De L'Ecole

Lifes ok.. JJ is at the Lycee, he had a little scare with the "not working so good" scooter today (when apparently th accellerator got stuck on and it wouldnt brake on the way the hill to school and he fell off with a few leg and hand scrapes) - sounds like God is giving him a little reminder to behave and im glad to say he will be cycling to school tomorrow. Likes the new school, has some friends and is joining in with activities as far as i can tell. I don't need to document his recent teenage behaviour and how much it has enraged and violated me as a parent - but you can imagine - he is 15 for gods sake!

On a more positive note: On deciding to teach English at my daughter's school and then watching a show about how bad English teachers are in England, I decided that I needed some kind of skills to teach English, even to 6-7 year olds, that I should set myself up to succeed in this... so...

I have bought my TEFL course, Dad its ok, i dont want u to pay half but you can take me to the Peldon Rose for a slap up meal next time I am over and I will proudly show you my certificates in:
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR
TEACHING STUDENTS ONE TO ONE
TEACHING 6-12 YEAR OLDS
TEACHING BUSINESS FRENCH
TEACHING LARGE CLASSES

I am loving the course so far - bought it on Monday, they said 2 wks possible to complete it but more likely 4-6 weeks - I am on Module 4 (of 11) of the Main TEFL and Module 3 (of 4) of the grammar course already.
Ordered some books from amazon to back up my grammar, teaching and general stuff (and a couple of "chicken soup for the soul" books for jordan) I think i will start teaching next week - tues morning and thurs afternoon or similar. Spoke to the teacher at parents evening last week and I'm due to teach two thirty minute lessons each week (she has me pencilled in for 52hrs this year!)

I am off to go and see my good buddy (my English friend who I have known since i was just 17, back when I was in the UK and now we both live in France.. long story... but she is a few hours south of here)... so tomorrow - to go to quillan house (that my partner still owns, and I visited in the summer) where i forgot to turn off the electricity and water, so will go and drain out the water so that the pipes dont freeze over winter, a quick stop into TOPLA on the way to pimp my ride (buy an air freshener and seat covers and maybe a steering wheel cover !) And I might pop in to see Chloe for lunch if I have the time and will toodle on to stay at Rachel's house and have a good girly catch up. Drive back Friday.

Kelisse's cold is still there, but I will take her to school tomorrow, and hopefull she will be ok - I have told her to soldier on! Got her signed up to Dance for Thursday nights and Theatre now Monday nights (starting at the end of the month) and I might go to line dancing in the same place while she is at theatre.. I decided not to pay for mine on the sign up date (with risk of no places left but I doubt it), and to go along on the first night with my doctors certificate and ask if I can try it out (with full intention of paying for the trimester if i like it)... I am just not sure if I can really handle that country music for an hour and a half - though im sure it should be a laugh!!!

So, feeling positive (about my course), and feeling like i have neglected lots of other stuff: like the scooters were on ebay and sold but both the buyers did not take them, the other stuff i have on ebay only sold like 25 percent of it, didnt go to the I.T. recruitment interview i should have done this morning, havent planned how I am actually going to survive this year financially.... but you know... 8hrs driving can put a lot of things into perspective huh!

LA RENTREE!!!!

My Son has passed the "BREVET"

Great news - Jordan has passed his Brevet. An examination taken at age 15 at the end of college before Lycee. I am really pleased and pleasantly surprised that he passed. His results are (thankfully) accumulated - obviously top marks in English and surprisingly very good marks in French too...

Phew! He was really laid back and it took at lot of hard "parenting" to get him to start revising properly - but well worth the effort and the look on his face tonight!

To kiss or not to kiss?

That is the question..

As an english woman.. its not "comme habitude" (normal) to kiss up ten or so friends on the 50m walk from the car to the school, but im getting used to it!

So, my take on the whole kissing thing has been very laid back, only kissing when being kissed other than that offering to shake hand maybe even hug or touch arm...

And now... well im kissing
I have made a lot of new friends by applying the kissing technique, one has to apply plenty of maquillage (make-up) as a kind of protection at least double otherwise you will have a patch... and plenty of lipgloss, to ensure you stay gleeming until the bell goes...

Once acquiring a parking space, as im sure moms of the world will know is a tricky thing.. i choose to park and walk a little extra - saves headache to get out again AFTER the bell..

and make the walk maybe encountering one or two mums i met when i helped to set up the lotto - kissing freely along the way - still no blemish (thanks to my friends clinique and L'oreal)

then i arrive near to the gates, and decide which group to join, usually my core hope to be friends who all live nearby and have kids in the same class, which obviously involves eight (x2 each cheek) kisses to say hello to the group....

then we have a conversation in french which generally goes way to fast for me until one of them repeatedly asks a question like "tu a visiter la marche hier?" and i realise i should answer... and in a fluster i say something silly like OUI et NON... lol

well thats how it is.. i try to explain but i know i lost it! give it time - we still on kissing terms at least....

so to kiss - in the end - yes it breaks down barriers
but with discretion - really not into the beret whisker ones...

Still Pending practical frustrations!

Life in France always sounds so ideal... until you actually live it and then you have to realise the real frustrations presented to you with a country that barely manages work on a Monday and always stops between 12 and 2 every day, sometimes longer when its too hot.

When describing how french systems and administrative bodies in france work the words flow, momentum, continuity, actually getting anything done... are totally unheard of...

The practicalities of getting stuff done can be very draining.

Frustrating examples of the week - my daughter still isnt able to start the school yet - why? its all a paperwork issue...
i visited the mairies special office for people who want to register their children in schools here - this is back in December - around the 20th i think, they demanded a some paperwork, assuring me that they are open until 6pm on the friday and as long as i return with that and the special letter of radiation from her old school (which fortunately i had managed to get from the teacher on the last day of school there), yes as long as i return, they will give me the name of the school that has a place for her and all the stuff for her to start in January (TODAY)... So, i revert with everything that day before lunchtime, and they say sorry the person to sign the paper isnt available until January, i revert there again before school started (last week) to see if its been signed - oh sorry no not yet - i call today - the day she should have started at school and it MIGHT yes might get signed today....
my daughter is currently reading and writing and doing her own home schooling in her room!

The the bank - the bank who had some kind of mix up and decided to block my account before christmas, they arent sure why they did it and it was impossible for them - a small mountain branch to do anything about it - even when i phoned them the cashier said - im sorry im serving a customer you will have to call back in 10 minutes - the bank yes the bank said that!!!
I went to the local bank here and thankfully they were more than helpful and managed to deblock my account immediately. Needless to say i have changed my account - well am in the process of doing so - apparently it will take 2 to 3 weeks.

The notaire - he should be named and shamed really - Monsieur Lemarque of Belveze who took nearly four weeks to pay me the money from my house sale - who was very unattentive during the sale when i had questions that needed answering and eventually had to bypass him who was supposed to help me and go directly to the authorities concerned for help and n0w he has taken nearly a month's interest from my tidy sum - its no wonder these notaires dress from head to foot in versace huh! I have my money now and will never recommend his service to another.

EDF - after four phone calls to EDF to open my new account here they finally decide that they can manage it. WOO HOO!

France Telecom - 20 minutes passing from one number to another just to order a phone book - the direct number you need for that is 0810 810 767 - i hope i save someone 20 minutes.

There are countless other professional bodies who really should feature on this list but i need to open some more files and start some more frustrating processes now, like getting listed at the Doctors etc.

So now onto the niceties... im planning a holiday in February - looking for flights to the UK to use the family babysitting services and then my man and I are flying off somewhere warmer (without the kids) - can't wait!