20

So I'm finally starting this blog as an attempt to document the next chapter of my life. To be honest, I had put off making one simply because I couldn't think of a name that was clever enough. "Faim en France" was a random thought in the car from my sister, Margie, on the way back from the dentist a few weeks ago. I knew it was perfect with the alliteration and faim. Avoir faim literally means to have hunger, j'ai faim means "I'm hungry." Perfect for Tubs right? (Tubs is a nickname that originated in high school as Tub O'... long story)

Anyways...

In 20 days, I'll be getting on a plane to Europe, and more specifically, France, for the very first time! In April, I found out that I will be an assistant teacher in the English language at high school in Béthune, France, thanks to a program called TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France). I told people that I would be in Lille-- technically I'm in the Académie de Lille (which I suppose you could compare to a county). Béthune is about 40 km (~25 mi) southwest of the city of Lille, in northern France, close to the Belgian border.

I have a passport, a contract, a visa, a translated birth certificate, and now I have a plane ticket! I'll actually be flying from Dulles to Paris with 20 other assistants that will also be in the Académie de Lille. I'm really excited because 1) I'll get to meet other assistants, which is good since I'll actually be living in a small town with not many other assistants and 2) I have not been out of the country, let alone on a plane, in 11 years. This will be the first time I'm travelling by myself, sans ma famille. I'm super excited, but also slightly nervous.

Going to France is the experience that I've yearned for, for such a long time. Ever since high school, I had been constantly changing my mind about my future, my career, basically what I wanted to do in life. Last year, going into my fourth and final year at UVA, there was only one thing that I was sure of concerning life after graduation. I knew that I wanted to go to France. After all, I have been studying French for about half my life (since middle school) and I did get a degree in it. When I had heard about this teaching program in France, I knew that I wanted to apply. I knew that it was the one thing I wanted to do post-graduation and it's perfect because it's only for a year (technically 7 months). Teaching in France would help improve my language skills (and get closer to fluency-- one of my life goals) and it would help me figure out if teaching really is for me.

I'm lucky that my school is providing housing-- I just have to pay utilities each month! This is such a relief knowing that there will be a place that I can stay right where I get there. Since I don't have to pay rent every month, I can save money and perhaps travel more! This will be my first time in Europe, so I will definitely want to see as much as I can.

Now here I am... 3 weeks away from being in France, 20 days away from getting on a plane.  I have almost everything I need... I'm pretty sure I'll have to go through all my stuff multiple times and take out things that I don't really need. I feel as if my French is rusty, especially since I'm not taking French classes and speaking and writing in French almost everyday. I am trying to watch the French news online daily, listen to songs in French (thanks to Spotify) and learn some slang, courtesy of Merde! The REAL French You Were Never Taught at School. If anybody wants to have a conversation in French with me, please do! Even if it's just in e-mail/chats/etc.

I plan on spending the next few weeks eating American and Filipino food-- basically eating stuff that I can't get on a regular basis in Europe, or food that just isn't the same over there. However, I am very excited to finally immerse myself in the French culture and try the French cuisine, eat pastries and just... live. So tchin tchin (cheers) to the next chapter of la vie de Nicole!