FrUsTrAtEd

We’ll call this the LOW point of my culture shock track…

Je m’en fous DE:

(I’m sick OF:)

-les grèves (strikes)

-cigarette smoke (15 year olds walk around smoking like it’s no big thing too.)

-euhhh, bahhhh, le..le..le.. (the French “um…”)

-Paperwork

-being “Américaine” and the anti-American sentiments that come along with it

-harda$$ teachers

-Paperwork!

-being called “belle,” “eh, toi, Americaine!,” and “belle demoiselle” by random Frenchmen

-random men in the street shouting “’ello! You speak eengleesh? ‘ow ah ewe?”

-having an American accent

-PAPERWORK!

-no good nightlife (it’s an Orléans thing)

-the stupid exchange rate between the dollar and the euro (and hearing Brits complain about paying 35 pounds to cross the channel…I paid $1000 to get to a country that doesn’t respect me, how’s that?

-Being told to teach BRITISH words with my AMERICAN accent! (What happned to teaching MY culture?)

-Headaches

-Not understanding/faking understanding/misunderstanding

-FRANCE

The list is getting longer as today goes on, but I know deep down that it’s just the phase of culture shock that I’m in right now that’s getting me down. It’s normal. But JE M’EN FOUS! I’m SO crabby today! SO frustrated! Yesterday I got a headache halfway through the day (I was observing classes at two of my schools all day) and literally stopped being able to comprehend French in the middle of my teacher’s sentence. I just stopped understanding and processing anything he was saying and had to actually stop him and say, “wait. Start again in like 20 seconds. I can’t understand right now.” Can’t I just be fluent already or at least go to a Spanish speaking country where I actually understand what the heck is going on?! Lately I feel like I’m always taking a test; I can literally feel my brain thinking all the time. It’s exhausting, but I GUESS that’s me learning…or it had BETTER be me learning, or I’m putting myself through this for nothing.

This morning was more paperwork. Lunch break just ended. Now I have to go back to start lesson planning.

I’m privileged. I love my life. I’m privileged. I love my life. I’m privileged. I love my life. I’m privileged.