An explanation

So here I am. Working towards a goal. I am, for the first time in my life, going to move away from Louisiana and live outside of the country for 7 or 8 months (give or take). I am so extremely stoked. So I am going to share the details of this whole wonderful ordeal. I applied in January and in April I found out I had been accepted into the TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France) for the 2010-2011 school year. My académie, or school district, is Lille. This does not mean that I will necessarily be living in Lille, but it does mean that I will be living in the Nord-Pas de Calais region of France. This region is the most northern region in all of France. It borders the English Channel and Belgium. From Lille, it is only an hour train ride to Paris and a 45 minute train ride to Brussels (or so I'm told). The weather is cold and rainy. Rainy I think I can handle, it's just the cold part I'm worried about. I have been told that I tentatively have a 7 month contract teaching middle or high school students. I am waiting as patiently as I can for more information. I have an appointment to get my visa on August 5, but I have to wait for my arrêté, or contract, to come in the mail. I cannot get my visa application processed without it. I found out about a month ago that I was eligible for a bourse, or scholarship, from LFL (La Fondation Louisiane) for attending a Louisiana university and getting accepted into the TAPIF program. I went and interviewed and made a friend in the process. Both Hayley and I realized at the award luncheon that we had both been chosen as recipients of the bourse. She and I have exchanged numbers and are texting back and forth about any and all status updates. She will be placed in Rouen, which is in the northwest of France, which is also cold and rainy. I'm very excited to get to know her better and to have a friend overseas even if she won't be in my region. She and I will meet up again July 19 when we both show up at LPB for an interview. There are so many things happening and I'm getting really excited. Also, I've made some other contacts with people who will be assistants in my region. One guy, Aram, lives in L.A., and I plan on meeting up with him when I go to visit Maggie. Hopefully I'll make some more friends via e-mail/facebook before I go. For now, I will go back to waiting and hopefully have something to add to this blog sooner rather than later.

Until then,

Adieu!