Head of Skate

Hilarious, and yet quite frightening:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1831461
Also, there are finally some photos on my flickr site for your viewing pleasure.

Teaching, or finding my hidden stern face

I spent the last couple of weeks finally teaching my own classes, and while I initially thought the pleasure of returning to a classroom would mask any tension or potential embarrassment, I found myself hopelessly over my head.
To be fair, I didn't have any major disciplinary issues and managed to keep everyone in the class and sitting in their seats for the most part, so that was a success. Keeping them interested and forcing them to engage in a class conducted entirely in English is quite another story.
I began each of my classes the same way-- making them play two truths and a lie, which on the whole went pretty well. Each student had to write three sentences about themselves, two true one not and present it. Then, the rest of the class voted on which statement was false. Given that they all have all their classes together, most lies were caught pretty easily. And, most students didn't quite understand that they were trying to trick their classmates, but at least they all spoke. Being the sneaky fool that I am, I managed to convince them all that my family is Morroccan--which I found to be incredibly entertaining given how horribly my French is progressing.
Then, in most of my classes, I moved onto presenting the US election to them, who the candidates are, how the electoral process works, etc... Most of my students got a bit lost and unfocused, but did manage to prove that American globalization is still alive and kicking, as they all knew about Sarah Palin and her knocked-up teenage daughter.
I'm running low on battery, so I'll end here. My parents are coming next week for--can you believe it?--my first vacation. I have almost 2 weeks off starting on Friday, and I've only been teaching for a 7 days! Gotta love la vie francaise!
All my love,
Betsy

New Apartment

Settling

The first week anywhere is a bit strange, I imagine, and Paris is no exception. A lot has changed since my stay here last summer. First of all, the Eiffel Tower is blue. I think Sarkozy wanted to make some kind of loving gesture to the EU, because there was also a display on the Champs de Mars. On the other side, there is a giant circle of golden stars, you know so they're turning this massive phallic structure into a flag. hot.
{this photo is not mine, but was taken by a new friend named Leah. The phantom dressed in white is, of course, yours truly and the excitable blonde next to me is my new roommate, Sarah}

The second most notable change is that, unlike last summer when I enjoyed a blissful, Emory-cushioned stay in the Latin Quarter, this time there is the force of the French Administration to reckon with. I've been dividing my time here so far between getting to know other assistants and attempting to construct a sort of social life and trying to sort through the bureaucratic mess that Hemingway never told me about. However, the hassle of opening a bank account attaining a residence card, moving into my new apartment and figuring out regular access to the internet will be resolved soon. In the mean time, I've met some really nice people who I imagine will travel and frolic through Paris with me this year.
I am still staying chez Camus here in this lovely abode. They went to their house in the country this weekend so I had the place to myself for a few days. I hope I'll be able to get out of their hair by this weekend, but we'll see. I'm heading to meet my landlord this afternoon and will post photos of my new place ASAP.
I also went to visit my school this week to meet the faculty, etc.. and found a massive space station of a structure on a hill with over 2,000 students. It felt like that scene in Never Been Kissed when Drew Barrymore goes back to high school in her white boa. The french students are excessively chic and all look older than I do, and of course, as all teenagers do, travel in large packs. Luckily, my classes shouldn't exceed 20 students, so that shouldn't be too intimidating. Furthermore, my supervisor is a very nice British woman who has already taken it upon herself to ensure that I have as many long weekends and late mornings as possible integrated into my schedule--so tighhhtt.
Ok, I think that's all for now. All my love.

Beginning

I arrived at 8:12 yesterday morning. The flight was OK, no screaming babies or boisterous snorers. Granted, I couldn’t sleep—I never really do on airplanes—thus persuading me to nap strangely throughout the day to the point of a somewhat sleepless night.
I experienced a rather delightful moment of serendipity on the plane involving the woman next to me. We got to talking and it turns out that she went to SUNY Buffalo a lifetime ago in hopes of getting a PhD in English, and never quite finished her dissertation. Long story short, she was in a feminist reading group with Jill Robbins and wanted to know if Jill was still with “that terribly passive aggressive boyfriend.” I told her I, of course, had no idea—Jill must remain a terribly elusive creature without a personal life in my world in order for her to maintain her dark mystique. (Jill Robbins, for those unfortunate readers who do not know her, is a comparative literature professor at Emory).
Somehow I awkwardly navigated my way through the airport with a whole lot of bulky luggage and got to the Latin Quarter around 10am. A very kind American neighbor of the Camus gave me my key and let me in. After a bit of wandering around the neighborhood aimlessly and a bit of napping I headed out the suburbs to meet up with Sarah, my future roommate, to go over forms for—wait for it—our apartment! I’m heading over to visit in a few hours. Our lease will start October 1st, which also happens to be the same day we start work. Busy, Busy! I returned to Paris in the evening, came back to the apartment and accidentally fell asleep again around 9:30pm. Curiously, there were a few lights on when I came back that I had no recollection of turning on--I decided not to think much of it. Then, around 11:30, I woke up and there were people in the apartment, which really freaked me out because Monsieur and Madame Camus weren’t due home until the 20th. I creeped out of bed, half-asleep, hair amess and found Monsieur Camus in the hallway. I didn’t really get the whole story in my half-conscious stupor, but it looks as though they came home earlier than expected…
After a rather restless night, I arose later than expected this morning and wandered around my beloved Latin Quarter this morning until I found the café from which I’m writing to you. In the jet-lagged confusion and gray weather of yesterday, I almost forgot how much I love this place. Thankfully, this morning’s sunshine and bustling streets have completely restored my love affair. That’s all for now, more to come in a few days.
All my love.

flickr site

Bonjour mes cheries. I am not in Paris yet, but am getting close!
Therefore, I created a flickr site. There are some photos up of the sights of summer so far... if you're so inclined to check out some beachy pictures.
Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elizabethlcohen/
enjoy!

Correspondence

Hello All!
It's official-- I now have a blog, a plane ticket, a place to stay for the first 2 weeks (gotta love the hospitality of les Camus) and my visa is being processed. I will post my love letters from abroad on this site and hope that you will find them sufficient in my time away. Check back often, and send me news of your lovely life.
Flickr site will be made soon.
A bientot!