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Showing posts from June, 2006

Martinique is REAL!

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More news from the front. I've gotten a series of e-mails from the French government this week. One informing me of the colleagues who will be doing the same job as me in different communes of Martinique, and a few others which included contact lists of past assistants and the assistants who are teaching Spanish, and not English. There are going to be people from all over the world. Lots from Spain, Ireland and England. I also got an e-mail in which I received my contract for 7 months and in which I received the names of the schools were I'll be teaching and the teachers who I will be assisting. I sent them both e-mails immediately. My french is slightly rusty and I'm reaching for words sometimes, but it usually comes back after a little bit. I'll be dividing my time between two schools. I'll find out when I get there what my schedule for the schools will be. I'm teaching at 2 Lycées Professionels (Professional High Schools) so basically they are specialized edu
Home... Northern Virginia, land of Hondas and insane drivers. I'm fearing for my life on on-ramps and in lane changes up here. Honestly, you'll save 30 seconds at the MOST by cutting me off to be in front. Every one is just so anxious to get where they're going. Enjoy the ride! why else do you have an expensive car that is supposed to make driving an experience and not a burden. Sheesh. When I'm home I always catch up on things that I never do that I should do when I'm in Williamsburg. But Fairfax becomes the place where I wash my shoes and vaccuum my car and sew up loose seams or lost buttons. Being home and having a house to do them in inspires me to take care of the smaller fixes that pop up from day to day. It's also the time when I do my dentist visits, and other maintenance-type errands. I hate the dentist. I have a great dentist too. I've been seeing the guy since I was 5. He's seen me from kindergarten through college; through two sets of brace

The National Cemetary

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Another doozy from Harry today: "I just found out 'bout 3 years ago they took 'way some of Genr'l Lee's backyard to make the national cem'tary and bury some o' 'dem YANKS in it. If I'da known 'bout dat I'da been laying down in front o' dem dozers!" When I told him that both my father and mother were born in the South and that my grandad was in the army, they all earned instant validation. I was, however, excluded from this validation because I'm a "rebellious young'n" and I don't have an accent. Also, he regards Northern Virginia as somewhat hedonistic and a departure from the true roots of everything south of the Mason-Dixon line. When asked where the group that is coming in today is from, I replied that I didn't know. He then proceeded to make some very derogatory comments and sweeeping generalizations about people from different parts of the eastern seabord. And to tell me that he'd appreciate