Life update

I’m so excited to announce that I just got a big girl job! This whole time that I’ve been working and living in France, I’ve also been putting out resumes and doing interviews for teaching positions in the U.S. And I snagged one! I’ll be teaching French at a boarding school up in Maryland come August.

I have a contract and everything. It feels really weird, because obviously I am a very young 24-year-old teenager and therefore cannot possibly have an actual job. I should be doing things like returning carts at Ingles and watching people’s kids during church service.

It’s an Episcopalian school, which from what I understand is Catholic-Lite. The principal isn’t a principal, he’s a headmaster, and we call him Father. During my interview with him, he referred to the Episcopal Church as “Quakers in robes” as a way to explain their orthodoxy. That didn’t clear it up much to be honest, but I figure I’ll learn on the job.

I have to go to church service every day except Saturday, and I will live on campus in an apartment. That’s a huge plus since it means I won’t need to enter the housing market. I don’t know much about houses, but there kinda seems to be a housing crisis in the U.S., doesn’t there? Not my problem anymore!

I get back to the States a couple months before my job starts, so I guess I’ll be spending all that free time trying to build dupe IKEA furniture out of driftwood I fish out of the Nolichucky River. If any of you beautiful readers have a mostly clean couch collecting dust somewhere, hit me up this summer.

You might be thinking, Allison, why are you leaving your job in France? It’s because TAPIF is a one year program, two years tops. They don’t let you go over the two year limit, and they prefer you only do the one. That’s why so many young people fresh out of college do it — it’s a great gap year between college and “real life” that lets you travel AND get something down on your resume so you don’t look like a layabout n’er-do-well.

Anyway, it’s finally starting to turn warm here, and I leave the classroom windows open more often than not. Nothing too interesting happening around town, other than everyone gearing up for the big mass strike/protest on the 7th. I usually tutor that day, but the mom has already rescheduled me for the day before since she already knows the kids won’t have school to be picked up from — since, obviously, all the teachers will be striking.

No word yet on whether my actual job will be striking. Right now my plan is to just be there and teach whoever shows up.

Bises,

Allison

P.S.: I made my own fried chicken this week, since I gave up on finding actual fried chicken anywhere in this country. I use every pot, pan, utensil in my apartment, but it was worth it.