We're going through chaangees /

Christ alMIGHty, I've had a BIT of a week over here! I will try to explain as quickly and as simply as possible...

Monday: Literally on the verge of resigning. Not because I don't like teaching/the pupils/the school in general, but because I absolutely cannot deal with the isolation of Thiers anymore and really, honestly believe that I may as well be in England for all the experience I'm gaining and, most importantly, for all the 'language skills' I am acquiring here. Feel like shit and can't stop crying!

Tuesday: Speak to British Council dude on the phone again (after telling him the first time that I'm sure everything will resolve itself etc), break down on the phone (sehr embarrassing) when he tells me that the French national agency would never move an assistant once they've been placed. Am strongly advised to arrange a meeting with the headmaster and, in the meantime, email the personnes relais for my area to let him know what's going on. It takes over an hour for me to pull myself together, then I creep into the staffroom to do just that and also email QM's YA co-ordinator to let her know what's happening.

Wednesday: Recieve emails from the personnes relais and the inspector urging me not to leave, that things can be resolved etc and that they've immediately emailed the headmaster and my résponsable (who, at that point, still didn't give one) to say that I would be meeting with him. Have the meeting and I loovvee hhiiimm. He's all like 'Oh Jesus Christ I had no idea, come to my house tonight and me and my wife will look after you because you're so lonely!' I politely decline his offer, but he asks me to come to his house at weekends when I can so his wife can feed me and show me things. Aww. He explains that he really wants to help because his son and daughter went to England/Sweden for 7 months and had people helping them. Literally want him to be my papa.

Thursday: I have another meeting with the head and the Spanish assistant who agrees to help me find an appartment/foyer in Clermont-Ferrand over the holiday. See my résponsable at lunch and she is being nasty like I've never before experienced. Actually want to deck the.. Anyway, afterwards, she reluctantly asks if I would like to watch a lesson (aka can I come and teach 3 consecutive lessons while she kicks back). I agree, and the strangest thing happens. By the 3rd lesson I teach, she's proper getting involved and being really polite to me in front of the pupils (there's a first time for everything). When they're finished and we're walking back to the staffroom, she does a COMPLETE 180 and gives me her number and email address, says not to hesitate to call her over the holiday if I have ANY problems etc. Result. I think she likes me now because she's seen that all the pupils do what I say and speak loads of English. Win.

Friday (today): Finally recieve my timetable and am told that my résponsable has actually said to people that she'll help me find a teacher to get a lift in with from Clermont on Mondays and Thursdays as I start at 8am. See her at lunch and she pulls out a chair for me, goes out of her way to include me in every last detail of French conversation, making sure I understand, asking me questions and not being sarcastic etc. In fact, we're being downright civilised to each other! She even cracks some private class jokes that only we will understand! Afterwards, I go to the common-room type thing with her, another teacher and the I.T. guy, Pierre (standard), who loves Canada and took a liking to me when I got here, which was nice.


So, all in all, one of the weirdest weeks of my life. Not to mention, definitely up there in the top 5 most humiliating, however hopefully after the holiday I will have something to show for it!! Tomorrow night am out on the lash with the CLF assistants for the 2nd time since I've been here (not on, got a lot of making up to do. Sorry, liver...). They have been very, very clever and found a French anglophone rugby player. ON Y VA!???!!!

Danke for reading, will update the life/living situation soon! xx