Well where to start, basically this post is going to be a bunch of random events or impressions of my experience here thus far. I think I will begin with French men being too forward.
Yesterday, I was in the laundromat putting my things in the wash and a man comes in who's probably at least 30-40 years older than me. In general, it seems like it's common courtesy to say a, "Bonjour" when entering a place, so when he starts talking to me I'm fine with it. Of course he immediately notices that I'm not French, one word out of my mouth and people know I'm an anglophone. So he asks me where I'm from, etc. Then he asks if I'm planning on going back to Canada and I say, "Yes."
Him, "So you don't like France?"
Me, "Well I miss Canada and my visa is only for eight months anyways."
Him, "How about we get married and then you could be a French citizen and stay here?"
Me, "Hehehe... No."
Him, Repeats the same thing, thinking this is funny or a good idea or something.
I can't quite remember how the conversation finished, but let it suffice to say that I am not engaged. :D To be honest, from a Canadian perspective having random guys: suggest marriage to you (this is the second guy this has happened with), ask you out for drinks (although this has been very hypothetical drink asking out), or suggest other furthering of your "in passing" relationship is extremely odd. I never know quite how to react, I want to make sure they know I'm saying, "No." But I really don't know how seriously any of them take this. Perhaps this is why French girls lament the fact that French men are unfaithful. (Meanwhile French men lament that French girls are unfaithful :P)
Alrighty onto the next topic of discussion, people don't look old here. It's true that people smoke here. In fact, it seems like almost everyone does. However, I'm always surprised when I find out people's ages because they're a lot older than they look. Most people in their thirties I think are in their twenties type thing, but it continues even with middle-aged people. I have two hypotheses to explain this: 1) Not enough sun exposure (it seems like it's always cloudy here) 2) They aren't stressed (I think this is the more likely reason). Now I don't know if this looking younger thing only applies to rural France, or rural France around Rodez.
Schools in Rodez (I feel like I should specify place since I don't want any of you readers to be generalizing.)
Elementary schools do not have school on Wednesdays. They start at 8:45 and finish at 16:45, however, they have a two hour lunch break and their recesses tend to be longer than the allotted 15 minutes. You see, the school bells are not on timers here, so the principal just rings the bell at around the same times everyday. I'm not sure if one school I'm at even has bells. The teacher just claps her/his hands to get the kids to line up to go inside. The school yards here are a lot smaller too and are completely paved with asphalt. I think the reason for this is because with all the moisture grass just wouldn't work, it would be mud.
Another thing I noticed is that in all my classes except for one the desks are arranged to face the front and are in rows or partners. The classrooms are very simple, they don't have fancy bulletin boards like in Canada and there's practically no technology in the classrooms.
Now, the one class I'm in that has the students desks arranged in groups is the best behaved class. They're perfectly quiet, they're all focused on me and trying to understand. The teacher doesn't have to say anything to get them to be quiet, they just are, she sits at the back and does her marking or whatever work she has to do. I've noticed that she also gets her students to do classroom management for her, so to quiet the class down, she has a student do a clapping rhythm of their choice. I think everyday the student changes. Walking up the stairs to the class, it's the student leader who reminds the other students of the rules for walking in the hallway. And it all works so well!
I think this experience in France would be excellent in helping student teachers become comfortable and confident in a classroom. I became very comfortable, very quickly with being in the schools because I'm in four schools and in multiple classrooms in all four. So there's just so much exposure to different schools, students and staff that you have to become comfortable.
French Expressions (That I'm going to try to use more.)
N'importe quoi
Par contre
Pas de soucis
Using "si" instead of "oui" to answer questions
Starting sentences with, "Normalement"
désolé
c'est dommage
Salut (to say goodbye)
coucou (It's how they say hi, but I find it strange because I always think of a coo coo bird and how when you're zoned out people say, "Coo coo." I was actually kind of insulted the first time I heard it before I looked it up.)
Well that will be all for today.
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