Whirlwind of Adventures

Hello, everyone! I departed Paris on Wednesday and arrived safely in Mende that evening! I took a 3.5 hour train from Paris-Bercy and arrived at the Clermont-Ferrand station, where I had to take a 3 hour bus to Mende. The train was quite nice, going through French countryside. It was a bit complicated to find where the bus going to Mende was at the station, but I made my bus with two minutes to spare! The bus ride was quite a treat for me because we went through a lot of quaint little French towns. However – here is a warning to Americans traveling in France by bus – there were no toilets on the bus and it lasted 3 hours! Make sure you don’t take in any liquids a couple hours before traveling! 

I saw a rainbow on my bus ride...has to be a good sign!!!

One of the English teachers, Odile, met me at the bus stop in Mende. First we went to the school, where we luckily ran into some very nice BTS students who helped us carry my bags up to my room on the 4^th floor, and then Odile took me to her house for dinner.  It was delicious! First course was soup, then for the main course we had a type of cold vegetable salad with green beans and tomatoes from her garden, with a delicious type of cheese mixed in it. Next came the cheese plate (French bread and wine were present throughout the meal), and for dessert we had raspberries from the farmer’s market with a dollop of rich vanilla ice cream. After, we had tea.  Odile was so nice and friendly! We talked for the first half in French, then switched to English as I got pretty tired.  She drove me back to the school and I slept well.

Beautiful French countryside

The next day, the English teachers at the school had a type of pot-luck for lunch to welcome me. There were fresh baked breads (including a delicious type of chocolate-chip muffin!), lentils, cheese, and tomatoes from various teachers’ gardens.  Everyone is very nice and welcoming! After lunch, I went with Odile to choir practice. It is led by a British man! Even though I’m a pretty bad singer, I really enjoyed it.  That evening, the BTS students invited me to go with them to the Irish Pub in town. It was great, because it gave me the chance to talk to them in a social setting. Everyone, students and teachers, are very welcoming here. 

Friday I sat in on a few classes (although I didn’t officially start until Monday). I had lunch in the cantine with some of the BTS students, then I decided to go for a jog along the Lot (the river that runs through Mende). It had been cold that morning, but it warmed up nicely and the sun was shining on my jog. As I jogged along the river, I was in awe at the beauty of the town. I love seeing the old, medieval houses and buildings that are left. There’s nothing comparable to this in Arkansas, or anywhere I’d been in the States. Angele, another English teacher, had invited me to come home with her for the weekend. She lives in Chanac, a medieval village about 20 minutes from Mende, with her husband and 3 children.  I spent the weekend with her and her lively family in a village I can’t begin to describe. Pictures do not do it justice! Almost all the houses are left from medieval days and it is like stepping back in history (if you ignore the cars parked in front of the houses!). 

Chanac town center

Chanac tower

Chanac village and surrounding mountains

On Sunday we walked to a castle a little bit out of Chanac. On our way, we came along some blackberry bushes so we had a snack of fresh-picked blackberries! Angele told me that the castle is owned by an older woman who lives there in the summers (winter it is too hard to heat the castle). She said that one day a year people are invited to see the gardens. Somehow we got realllly lucky and the gatekeeper happened to be around and see us and actually invited us in to show us the castle!!! It was amazing! That evening, I went with Angele’s husband, Oliver, and their son to a birthday party in the Gorges du Tran. My eyes certainly had a wonderful feast this weekend!

The castle

Yesterday was my first day of work…kind of. This first week I am basically observing and introducing myself. I received my schedule for the year as well. This first semester I have an awesome schedule – no class Thursday or Friday! Next semester I only have Wednesdays off.  I also met the German assistant today. She is really nice, and I am happy to have someone in the same boat as me! She speaks English very well, but we are both trying to speak mostly in French to improve it. I think we have close to the same level in French.

Want to snail mail me???? My address here is:
Amy Mahanay, Assistante d'Anglais
Lycée Chaptal
Avenue Paulin Daudé
48000 Mende
France

More pictures to come soon!! I haven't taken my camera around Mende yet, but I will soon!