Come October, I will be living and working in France as an assistant English teacher in one, or several, primary schools in Versailles. Yep, you heard right, for seven months I will be teaching snotty nosed 8 year old French kiddies how to count to ten, sing nursery rhymes and say "how do you do?" in a language that they have never been exposed to. And no, I have absolutely no teaching experience whatsover, and I think that the last time that I worked with kids is when I myself was one of them. So how did I get myself into this kooky situation you ask?
Well, you see, me and the French language have had a long standing love affair. From the moment that I first learnt how to say "bonjour" and "merci" in high school I knew that I would not rest until I was able to speak this beautiful language fluently. It was one of the few dreams that I never abandoned (being a professional squash player and a concert pianist kind of got left somewhere by the wayside). So to cut a long story short, over the last couple of years I ended up studying French and English in a university in New York during which time I was also fortunate enough to spend a semester abroad in Paris - and what a semester it was!
The following semester, after I had returned to New York, I was lucky enough to find out about something called the English Language Assistantship program where native English speaking students of French can apply to teach English in France for either seven or nine months. "Parfait!" I thought, and immediately began to go about getting my application together. And here I am now, six weeks before my scheduled departure for Paris looking back at the whirlwind events in the past, strung together delicately by my love for all things French, that have led me to where I am now, standing expectantly on the cusp of my European adventure.
So follow me if you will, as I capture my move from sunny Port of Spain to Paris, from roti to crepes, and from being Paul, recent college graduate availible for hire, to being Mister Paul, English teacher in Versailles, if you please!
Well, you see, me and the French language have had a long standing love affair. From the moment that I first learnt how to say "bonjour" and "merci" in high school I knew that I would not rest until I was able to speak this beautiful language fluently. It was one of the few dreams that I never abandoned (being a professional squash player and a concert pianist kind of got left somewhere by the wayside). So to cut a long story short, over the last couple of years I ended up studying French and English in a university in New York during which time I was also fortunate enough to spend a semester abroad in Paris - and what a semester it was!
The following semester, after I had returned to New York, I was lucky enough to find out about something called the English Language Assistantship program where native English speaking students of French can apply to teach English in France for either seven or nine months. "Parfait!" I thought, and immediately began to go about getting my application together. And here I am now, six weeks before my scheduled departure for Paris looking back at the whirlwind events in the past, strung together delicately by my love for all things French, that have led me to where I am now, standing expectantly on the cusp of my European adventure.
So follow me if you will, as I capture my move from sunny Port of Spain to Paris, from roti to crepes, and from being Paul, recent college graduate availible for hire, to being Mister Paul, English teacher in Versailles, if you please!
