Wolves.

I arrived in Marvejols on Monday morning, after a hectic bus and train ride, to find pretty much what I expected: an extremely small village. One of the English teachers that I will be working with picked me up from the station and drove me to the college (middle school), an approximately three minute drive across town. I was then shuffled around by secretaries, teachers and the principal himself. I signed what seemed to be endless documents and introduced to who knows how many people. I tried to put my best accent on each "bonjour," but to no avail. I got my keys to my room, that is located on the 5th floor of the school, and I lugged my bags onto the tiny elevator. I live in the dormitory part of the school among around 20 students who board there; I am, of course, on the girls’ side. I was warned that the boys have been sneaking into girls’ room, so I have to really make sure to keep my door locked.

After throwing my stuff into my room, I went to lunch in the cantine with all the teachers. As soon as I walked down the hall, I could hear whispers of "c'est elle? c'est l'assistante americaine? ooooo." Then walking into the cantine I was welcomed with stares from droves of 11 to 15 year olds, all looking at my flip flops like I was crazy. Walking through the tables, a few students shouted "hello!" to me as I passed; I pretty certain everyone knows who I am. After lunch, I started unpacking my room, which is quite spacious but I can only describe it as my Van Gogh room.My windows look out onto the courtyard where the kids play and beyond that the mountains that surround the town; it is a fantastic view.

Since I don't start working until Thursday, I decided to stick around the school and unpack a few things instead of exploring. The exploring started today. My day started with a knock on my door from another English teacher, Lionel, at 10 am, wondering if I wanted to open my bank account. Half asleep and still in my nightgown, I said yes, but give me a few minutes. I got my bank account open fairly easily and headed back to the school for lunch, where I was greeted with hundreds of "hellllooooos." After lunch, I decided to venture out into the town.

Walking through the streets, I realized that Marvejols is definitely bigger than my hometown, Durham, NH. There are far fewer people, but many more restaurants, shops and cafes. I walked through the walled part of the city and was immediately reminded of Venice. All the roads are tiny and definitely not made for cars, though they do manage to squeeze themselves through somehow. I took a few pictures, but I felt absolutely absurd taking pictures of these people's every day lives. I walked down the Esplanade de l'Europe, which follows the tiny river that flows through Marvejols.

And the wolves. Let's not forget about the wolves. So, as I found out before arriving in Marvejols, the region (Lozere) is famous for its wolves. I thought, okay, maybe for the tourists there will be some wolf memorabilia; the wolves became a joke to me. But oh no. Yes, the wolves are contained to their little reservation, but on almost every storefront, there is a picture of a wolf. There is a cafe "Le Petit Loup," the little wolf. I found a fountain of wolf heads. Even the supermarket: a man in the school told me it was just behind the wolf statue. Wolves are everywhere.

All in all, I saw very few people my age and just very few people in general but it is a beautiful village with very friendly people. All the teachers here are very welcoming and extremely helpful. I start work on Thursday when I will be answering the questions "where are you from" and "how old are you" about a million times. Until then, I will entertain myself somehow.

The first few days.

First off, I arrived safely and in one piece.

I am currently sitting in my no-star hotel in the center of Montpellier, France. The city is gorgeous, busy and HOT. I spent my first day wandering around la Place de la Comedie and the surrounding areas. I found the markets and beautiful cafes everywhere I went. After five hours of wanderings and two cafe-cremes in different cafes, I headed back to my hotel, where I had apparently booked a triple. That night I realized how dumb it was to spend my days in Montpellier alone, so I sent a message to one of the other assistants in Montpellier to meet up. The second day, I met a bunch of the other assistants who are placed all over the region, though most of them are living in the city itself. We went to a juice bar run by two crazy Frenchmen who are obsessed with Australia and walked around the streets looking for cooler clothes to wear in the 80 degree heat! I adopted another assistant into my hotel room and we went out that night to meet up with other assistants as well as some other international students from Dubai, Thailand, Malta and Mexico... we were quite the eclectic group. Everyone has been really friendly and welcoming!



Today, I did not do much but get my train pass and ticket to Marvejols. It seems like I am one of the only assistants who is not living in Montpellier, but I have been offered couches to sleep on and promised that others will visit me, especially once I have snow! We'll see how it all goes.

Tomorrow we are all heading to the beach as we are promised another 80 degree, sunny day! After that, I need to gather my things and prepare myself for the transition from a bustling urban life to the rural life. The headmaster at my school is picking me up from the train station on Monday and taking me to my housing, a room located in the middle school with a bathroom and no kitchen. If nothing else, this year is definately going to be an adventure.

What I'm Doing.

In just a few days I will be jetting off to France for the next seven months. As glamorous as this may seem, let me explain a little more. I am participating in a program organized by the French government that brings young Americans to France to be teaching assistants in elementary, middle and high schools. There are around 1600 of us in total dispersed throughout France and its territories. I have been placed in the Montpellier region, which mainly encompasses the western side of the Mediterranean coast, bordering Spain. Now, the part of this region that isn't on the coast? That's where I am. I am a two hour train ride north of Montpellier in a tiny town called Marvejols.

Marvejols. Population 5,000. A medieval, walled town, best known for its wolf attacks of the 19th century, or at least that's what wikipedia says. As a recent college graduate, I have learned never to trust wikipedia so I did a little more research. Marvejols is a beautiful little town that is as quaint as one can get! The town is actually situated near two national forests and the area is well known for its outdoor activities (rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, etc). Now I know the thought of me rock climbing might be slightly absurd, but I have to at least try to fit in with the locals.

As for fitting in? We'll see. I just finished packing my two suitcases tonight. I figured I didn't want to be lugging around two huge bags so I stuffed everything into one carry-on sized bag and one medium sized bag, needless to say my dad was impressed. In these bags are some clothes for outdoor recreation, of course, but more importantly are filled with 30 or 40 black, brown or navy shirts and at least 15 pairs of black tights. With bright blond hair, there's no way I will blend in Southern France, so might as well at least attempt to look the part in all black like the Frenchies. We'll see.

So, on September 22nd, I leave the states, stop in Montpellier for a few days before I enter the world of rural France and I will be back in May. Any ideas for travel destinations? Let me know!