Home!

I made it home!  The Lyon airport was closed all weekend. The strike is still going on, but I think they are planning on letting 70 percent of the flights leave today?

Anyway, I ran into two friends who were also trying to fly to London.  BA put us all on a bus to Geneva. Then we flew from Geneva to London.  I was supposed to have been rebooked on a plane leaving Sunday morning- so spending the night in London - but on the plane to London on Saturday, the flight attendant came up and said they had been able to rebook me on a plane for that night after all! So despite three days of Lyon airport being closed, I still made it home in one day!  Wee!

Closed until further notice?

The Lyon airport was closed today by noon.  Cross your fingers, wish good thoughts, etc that somehow they decide to let some flights (including mine) leave tomorrow - or that they can reroute me through Geneva.

Off to bed - I leave the house at 5h10 tomorrow - touche du bois - unless i wake up to the news the airport is closed.  Technically I could take the next train, but I want to be super early with all these strikes.  Which means even if all goes well, by the time I get home, I will have been traveling for almost 20 hours. I really really hope it's only 20 hours....

But, then again, I'm super super lucky. Most American assistants won't be going home for Christmas.

Going home Saturday (knock on wood)

I'm supposed to go home Saturday! Quelle chance!

However, one or two people are on strike...

1) The TER Rhone-Alpes (aka the regional transport for the region I live in, hence the train I need to get to Lyon) is on strike.  I am hoping enough trains will be running I will still be able to get there. They've been on strike for weeks.

2) The security people at Lyon airport (who take care of security for passengers and bags) will also be on strike starting Friday.  It is suggested I arrive extra early... hopefully that will be enough.

My roommates have very nicely borrowed a car for Saturday morning, and one of them will drive me to Lyon if the trains aren't running at all.  However, not much they can do about the security strike... Wish me luck that all goes well, the strikes are minimal, and no further strikes are added.

six-pack

You know how in the US, if you have well-defined abdominal muscles it's called a six-pack?  In France, it's called "tablettes de chocolat"  - chocolate bars!

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International Cookie Party

Yes, you read that right. Tonight we are having an international cookie party. Everyone has been cooking different little cakes and cookies that are traditional for their region for the winter holidays. Not entirely sure who is coming, so not sure which regions. Germany, Spain and Switzerland are all definite. I am buying gingerbread in the market because I don't have an oven.  Did I mention I love having such an international group of friends?  I will let you know what we eat, hopefully with pictures!

And tomorrow I finally get to skype with my brother. Woot!

Oh health

I swear, I am totally loving France. Even if I haven't been posting much... whoops!

That being said, my health has been acting up, which means more time being a bum. (Hey, sleeping a bit more, drinking tea with friends, and watching movies really isn't that bad. And I haven't missed work - so I'm only being a slacker in my own time.)

It looks like I've had an inner ear infection for a couple weeks. (Hopefully that is why my migraines are also so silly right now. ) I went to the doctor today and he gave me prednisolone, antibiotics and nasal spray. So hopefully things will be good soon! Because a) I am tired of being sick and b) I get to go home for Christmas in less than two weeks (!!!) and I don't want to travel with an ear infection.  Planes and ear infections seem like a bad combo.

Also, Aunt R (granny) sent me a letter!  Wooo! So so incredibly excited!  Yayayayay!   So if anyone talks to her, thank her for me? I am putting her letter in the mail tomorrow.

Love to my family and friends!

Don't Ask, Don't Tell on a Friday afternoon

So my death penalty debate went over pretty well. So last week, I figured a good idea would be reading about Don't Ask, Don't Tell, answering questions (comprehension, vocab, and opinion questions) and getting a bit of a debate going.

The only problem....  although France is usually more conservative in terms of homosexuality than the US, and StÉ is definitely more conservative than boston and NYC (in the area of gays at least)... Well it turns out gays in the military isn't actually in issue in France. In fact, has NEVER been an issue in France.

My students all just looked at me stunned when I asked them, like "Why wouldn't we let gays in?"

  All 45 or so of my students (three different classes) were in total agreement that gays should be allowed in the military and didn't think it was an issue. In fact, when I asked them why some people thought gays shouldn't be in the military, they had no idea.  They said, "Because they are scared of people who are different." "Perhaps they are very conservative." Bahah, even with me pushing, they really had no idea how to answer.

Although, when we talked about different types of discrimination, my students did say that there is definitely discrimination against gays and lesbians in France, but that that attitude is changing. I love how open young people often are. I love getting to see generations and our world changing for the better.

And if my lesson had to flop, this was a pretty awesome reason for my lesson to flop. Great way to end the week