At long last...settled

After six weeks of living without a home, I finally have a place to live. Last Friday I moved into an apartment just outside of Rouen. To have my own space, a fully-stocked kitchen I can use, and - most importantly - my own bed is a relief. More of a relief than I expected, in fact. The vagabond lifestyle was wearing on me more than I realized. But my patience has paid off as I found a really nice place with 5 French roommates who are friendly and don't speak English! I can't think of a better way to learn French. Finding a furnished apartment to share with French people was harder that I thought it would be, but I've found myself a good place with good people and a landlord who is on the ball (always a plus!). He owns a bunch of properties around Rouen and has a website with some pictures of my place here.

Well, I've got a lot to catch up on, so I think my posts for a while will cover what I've been up to and what's been on my mind thus far. Hopefully I can get caught up before too long! But I'll start with what I'm doing in France and why I'm here.

I am in Rouen, France, a city of about 500,000 (including suburbs) located halfway between Paris and the Normandy D-Day beaches. For the next 6 months or so I will be teaching English in 3 French primary schools, kids aged 6-10. My job is not only to help the kids develop a foundation in the English language but also to teach them about American culture. My contract with the French government calls for me to work 12 hours a week, so I have a lot of free time that I hope to fill with interesting stuff. Now that I am settled, I can start to focus on how I'm going to spend the 156 hours left in the week.

Voila! - a very brief overview of what I'm doing here. Now I'll explain a bit about why I'm here. I first heard about this program when I was in college - my French professor encouraged me to do it. But at the time I had very little confidence in my French and the thought of spending a year in a place where I would be forced to speak French was pretty scary. So, though it sounded interesting, at the time I decided it just wasn't for me. Over the past few years I have had a number of friends who have taught for a year in France and really enjoyed it. So nearly a year ago, in the midst of a frustrating job hunt in Pembroke, I applied, not really sure I wanted to do it, but wanting to keep my options open. Then this summer I spent 6 weeks in Senegal helping out at a ministry known as the House of Hope, a home for formerly orphaned street boys. I had a fantastic experience getting to know the boys, hearing their stories, and encouraging them. These boys have overcome so much and God, through the House of Hope, is transforming their lives. At the same time, it was very sad to see thousands others who aren't cared for and loved living on the streets of Dakar and to know that there are millions others around the world who are alone and with little hope for the future.

I wanted to learn more about the House of Hope: how it got started, how they provide for the boys, how the boys come to the House, more about the boys themselves, etc. I was full of questions...but my French (or lack thereof) limited me. But while I was in Senegal, I got placed in Rouen for this job, and, well, it all seemed to make sense. Learn French for a year, and return to the House of Hope able to ask the questions I want to and better enabled to aid their work. And after that, I'm not sure what I will do, but I feel strongly that I will be working with or on behalf of children, and perhaps in the francophone world.

So here I am! Living in France, teaching English, and trying to soak up as much of the French language as I can. Oh, and also eating a lot of croissants, pain au chocolats, eclairs, cheese....