For the record, yes...

Early on, someone asked me, "yes, but are you having a good time?" Lately, this question won't leave me alone, I think for two reasons:

• I get nervous that by posting cultural differences on the blog, I give the impression that the US way is right and the French way is wrong. That is not my intention, though tone and timing might get the best of me. Sometimes, I find these things the most interesting things to report. I know that I don't always do them justice and/or get them right.
  

In fact, January has had tons and tons of stuff happening and I've not been able to whittle things down enough into a blog that I'm happy with. Most of them are school-related and yet, by the time I get the background in, I've already written a dissertation. So, I ruminate for days on what to say and just get aggravated about not being able to write anything.

• It makes me laugh how every day I'm more comfortable in this job and this place and this experience than I was the day before. This progression is something I don't notice until something jars me into thinking about it.

Something clicked this month, in January. Today, I walked into the staff room and 4 teachers WANTED to talk to me. (My department always talks to me, so they don't count.) I'm more and more comfortable with the teachers and feel like people know me more than just being "the American teacher."

Recently, I've had some great conversations with colleagues about the Inauguration, about books, about movies, about lots of stuff. (By the way, evidently, if you go to the movies twice and pay for the ticket, it is totally legal to download the movie off the internet. Who knew?)

(Knock on wood this continues) but the students and I are getting along famously. They're getting my humor and when I break into song (like every 10 minutes) they can follow. One brought me a "snack" to try. Another sent me an email on something to do for the weekend. I was invited to the basketball game. Sure, there are days where it doesn't happen and moments that they aggravate me (and me them) but on the whole, they're a blast. When I think about who I met in September and who they "are" now, I can see progress in each kid and more and more effort to try to speak and have a conversation with me.

Clearly, I'm on a high as I was given this compliment today. Overheard in the lunchline by Dorothy, a Spanish teacher (translated for your reading pleasure). "... her classes are so interesting and fun. It's a bummer she has to go back to the U.S. next year."

Oh yeah, the title: For the record.
I openly admit it is going to SUPER STINK to be back on a 7:30-3:30 schedule next year. I have totally gotten used to teaching a few classes a day. It is a blast to wake up with the sun in your eyes instead of a clock blaring in your ears. There is a calmer pace here that I thought I wouldn't EVER get into, but now I'm diggin' it. I am sure this list of things I'm "gonna miss" will grow, but this one, I'm already appreciating and missing. The next thing might be a vacation once a month, we'll see...