Teaching Information

Contract Info and Starting
Technically your contract will start on October 1st. However, I didn’t have my first week of classes to myself until the week before the Toussaint Vacation. It took them about 2 weeks to make our schedules. For the English assistants, they told us that we would have either Monday or Friday off every week to make for better traveling. When they’re making your schedule, feel free to put in your preference, they will take it into account. I got lucky with my schedule, I start at noon on Mondays, and am finished at 9am on Thursdays. My Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are busy. The other English assistant has Mondays off, has extremely light Tuesdays and Wednesdays (1 or 2 classes each), and has busy Thursdays and Fridays.

Our contract is for 12 hours each week. One of those hours is “Debating Society” in which you will work together with the other English assistant to think of ideas for the students to debate. The only students debating are “Euro” level students, which are the cream of the crop. It’s quite simple, you simply say “smoking ban in public places, for or against?” Then give them 10 minutes to form ideas, then sit back and watch. It’s quite enjoyable actually. The rest of the time, you will have the classes in half-sections of usually around 10 students. I have some sections as small as 6, and as large as 15. For 9 of these 11 classes, I am alone with the students doing my own activities. Depending on the professor, you will be doing whatever you want, or something the professor requests. For one of my classes, I am working with the professor in the class. For another class, I only see 2 students each week and give them an oral practice-baccalaureate exam.


Different levels and programs
Lycée is 3 grades in France – Seconde(2), Première(1), and Terminal(T) (10th, 11th, 12th grades). All secondes are essentially equal. They don’t have any particular specialty until their Première year. In addition, the school has 2 “parts” – The “General” part, and the “Technical” part.

General Programs-

• L – “Literaire” These students focus on more literature, languages, and writing. They don’t focus on math or science too much. These students speak English very well and tend to be fun.

• S – “Sciences” Obviously, these students are the opposite of the Literaire students. Their English also tends to be very good and are fun in class.

• ES – “Economic-Social” These students study economics and sociology primarily. Languages are important to them, and they tend to be hard-working as well.

Technical Programs-

• STG – “Sciences et Technologies de Gestion” These are what I called the “Business Majors.” Their English isn’t as strong as the General programs, but it isn’t too bad. This tends to be the most energetic bunch of students, and they can be a lot of fun to work with. However, lots of energy can also mean rowdy. So, it fits fairly well that my favorite and least favorite classes are both STG.

• ST2S – “Sciences et Technologies de Santé et Social” These students either want to be Nurses or Social Workers. This program has the lowest emphasis on English compared to all of the other programs. Therefore, their English is the worst. But, despite their poor English, they are hard working students. They all tend to be girls... out of 55 students in 2 classes, there are a total of 3 guys.

Other Programs

• BTS – These students already have their Bac. The BTS programs are post-grad programs in areas like Executive Assistants, Assistant Directors, and the school’s specialty – Optometry. The students in these classes have varied work ethics. Some are motivated and hard working, while others are not. They tend to be around the same age as the assistants. The only class that you’d typically work with is the Executive Assistant program.

• Euro – These students, as noted before in the section about Debating Society, are the best of the English students. They can have any of the "General Progrqm" specialties, but they are grouped together for Euro-level English classes starting during Seconde. In addition to more advanced English, they also must take another subject taught in English such as History or Biology (the ones offered by our school).

LV1? LV2? LV3? LVA? WTF?

• LV1 stands for “Langue Vivante 1” which means the student’s primary foreign language.
  
• LV2 is the student’s secondary foreign language.
  
• LV3 is the third foreign language.

Only English and German are options for LV1. Very few students have German as their LV1. All of my students are LV1 level. Euro students all have English as their LV1. Spanish, German, and English are available as LV2. Italian is available as LV3. Only L and ES students have the option of taking LV3. LVA is an option in English for non-euro L and ES students. It is an additional class in English where they go further in depth with the language. This year, they studied the novel Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster.

Here was my schedule:

Mondays -

• 12-13: T-L (Alternate A/B)
• 13-14: T-STG (See every week)
  
• 14-15: T-STG (Alternate A/B)
• 15-16: T-LVA (Practice Bac exams)
• 16-17: BTS (A-weeks only)

Tuesdays -

• 9-10: T-STG (See every week)
• 11-12: Debating Society
• 15-16: T-S (Alternate A/B)

Wednesdays -

• 8-9: T-ST2S (See every week)
• 9-10: T-ST2S (See every week)
• 10-11: T-ST2S (A-weeks only)
• 11-12: T-ST2S (A-weeks only)

Thursdays -

• 8-9: 2nd (Alternate A/B)
  

Notes: The classes are 55 minutes long. There are ‘A’ and ‘B’ weeks. In about half my classes, I see each section every week. In the other half (the ones with Alternate A/B), I see the students once every other week. This schedule is convenient, but Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings are very tiring. It’s better to have your classes spread out a bit.


In March, there is a week where all of the Terminals have a practice-Bac (Bac Blanc) week in which their classes don’t meet. If you have mostly Terminals like I did, you won’t have many classes that week!

Worthwhile Travel Destinations

You're definitely going to want to do some (or a lot) of traveling when you're in Europe. Take advantage of every vacation and penny you have to see as much as possible. Try new foods, drink new alcohols, buy strange souvenirs. Here are some recommended sights:

Worthwhile Travel Destinations
In my opinion, there are a few places that are must-sees before leaving Europe:

• Amsterdam - This city is absolutely incredible. Not only is it beautiful, but it is a really good time. Definitely bring a friend with you and go all out. Try the street foods (The waffles are amazing), visit the bars and coffee shops, check out the red-light district. Also, definitely see the Anne Frank House and the Heineken Experience (basically a huge beer museum).
• Italy - If you haven't been there before in your life, your time in Europe won't be complete without even a short trip to Italy. I will make a whole separate page all about Italy, you can easily fill one of the 2 week vacations in Italy.
• Barcelona - Barcelona is a really awesome city. It's easy to get to from Paris, and is overall an inexpensive city. Some things to check out in Barcelona are the Casa Bátllo (a large house designed by Gaudi), Parc Guëll (a large park designed by Gaudi), the City History Museum (has subterranean ruins of the old city), Montjuïc, Las Ramblas, the beaches, and much more. We stayed at a hostel called HelloBCN which we were very happy with. Very inexpensive, not too loud yet very social, and in a great location. Make sure when you're in Barcelona you try Patatas Bravas which are fried potatoes with a spicy sauce on it, served with mayo. You will be an overnight fan. You can get them in any bar.
• London - (Add more about London after actually going to it)

Banking, Wire-Transfers, and Money in General

Banks
There are a million banks in Vire. Pick one and set up an account there. Three of us this year used Caisse d’Epargne. I had no complaints with them. They were very patient and friendly. I highly recommend bringing a professor with you to the bank when setting up your account. Banks are intimidating enough without the barrier of a foreign language. We get paid on the last Wednesday of every month (although one month it wasn't till Friday so don't always count on Wednesday!). When we inquired about our “advance” for the month of October, the secretariat at the school informed us that we would be receiving it. We had been told by the American woman running the program that we had to request the advance, but apparently we didn’t need to! French banks don’t update your account amount immediately online like they do in the USA. It sometimes takes a week to update. However, our paychecks usually register in the evening we are paid (around 10pm) or the next day. Also, you don’t get overdraw charges! I think that because the transactions aren’t noted immediately (even the total available balance doesn’t update), they don’t penalize you for going in the red.

Wiring Money from Home
Wiring money from home to the French account can be a bit expensive. For me, I had to pay 35$ to initiate the transfer at my bank at home, and 25€ to receive the transfer at the bank in France. Western Union also applies charges to transfer.

The easiest option, in my opinion, is to withdraw money from ATMs in France and to deposit it into your French account. You will get charged a fee (not by the ATMs in France but by your home bank), so check with your bank before you leave to learn what these charges will be. Some banks may charge a flat fee such as 5$ for every international withdraw, so in that case you'd want to withdraw as much as possible. Most banks though (like mine) charge a certain percentage of your withdraw. My bank only charged me 0.5% of the total transaction for every withdraw, which is very reasonable. Also, check to see the maximum amount your American bank will allow you to withdraw every day. These charges would most likely be much less than the wiring fees. Depositing cash into your account is easy as cake.

Another option would be for your home bank to issue you Euros that you will take with you to France. If you do this, make sure you do it a couple of weeks before leaving as the bank may not have Euros readily available and it may take a few days to get them.

Money Management
We're only paid 786€ each month. Even though we pay very little rent and no utilities in the dorm, it's less than it appears. When making budgets for trips to see all of your places, be wary of all the extras such as transportation within cities, to and from airports, food (be realistic). Money goes away more quickly than you'd expect it to. Don't overbook yourself. Here are some tips for saving money:

• Eat dinner in the Cantine often. Meals cost approximately 2.20€ and are surprisingly not bad. Menus are posted every week with the food options.
  
• Shop at Carrefour or Leclerc for groceries rather than Coccinelle - it is less expensive.
• When grocery shopping, don't buy too much unperishible stuff. When it comes to things that perish, make sure that you know what you're going to do with it before you buy it, otherwise it's likely to rot in the fridge.
• Eat out, but don't over-do it. It's possible to have a nice meal in Vire for less than 15€, sometimes less than 10.
• Take your time when making travel plans. If taking trains or planes, book well in advance as the prices will be significantly less expensive. Make a budget for each trip so you'll know in advance about how much you'll realistically spend. Include all of the little things like airport transfer, metro fees, food bought in airports, etc.

Don't worry about putting your account down to 0 at the end of each month. If you spent all your money on truly memorable experiences and leave the program completely broke, you will not regret it one bit. It's possible to travel, have fun, and not be broke... at least, you may only be broke for a week at the end of every month ;-)

Practical Resources in Vire

Laundromat
Unfortunately, we can’t do our laundry in the school so we must do it in town. There is a self-service laundromat in the center of town on the street with “Sandwich Lady” and La Mie Caline. It is rather expensive. As of 2009, the prices were 3.20€ and 3.80€ for a 6 and 8 kg washer respectively. The dryers are 1.20€ for 15 minutes. You can also buy detergent packets for 0.90€.

Post Office
Near the main circle, on the spoke that goes up hill, on the left. Look for the yellow “Poste” sign.

Cinema
Only 5 minutes away from the high school is the cinema! It’s below the theater (you can’t miss it, a huge modern building). There are 2 screens, and they play a variety of French and foreign movies. The majority of the films played are either in French, or are dubbed into French which can be annoying. If it’s dubbed, it will say “VF” (Version Française) in the description. Movies that are in the original language with subtitles will either say “VO” (Version Originale) and sometimes “VOstf.” When going to the cinema, tell them you are a student and you will get the reduced price (5.60€ in 2009). They never asked us for student ID.

Weather
It is Normandy after all, so it does rain quite often. In the fall, it is quite nice. The temperatures are moderate (50-65F, or 10-19C). In November it gets quite dreary and rainy. The days also shorten very quickly in the fall. At about the darkest (end of December), the sun rises around 9:00AM and sets around 5:00PM. It is strange teaching your first and last classes in the dark! It basically rains a lot in the winter. We were lucky though, it was relatively dry in February. By about mid-February you’ll notice the days getting longer very quickly. In March it starts getting warmer, and by April there are leaves and flowers and it’s beautiful! The weather tends to be erratic… going from sunny and warm to rainy and cold, back to sunny and warm, back to rainy and cold… over the course of approximately an hour, no joke. It only snowed twice, both times just a light dusting. The second time, the local bus services were all cancelled and parents didn’t drive their kids in, so there was hardly anyone in the school.

Banks
Pretty much every bank that exists in France has a branch in Vire. See the separate post about banks and money.

Bowling
Yes! There exists a bowling alley in Vire, called "Vire Bowling." The words for "Strike," "Spare," and "Open Frame" are exactly the same as they are in English. Watching French people bowl is quite a spectator sport in itself. There is also a bar and restaurant (brasserie-like restaurant) in the bowling alley. There are 12 lanes, and the prices vary depending on the time and day. The most expensive time to go is Friday and Saturday nights, where it cost 6€ per game per person plus 1.50€ for shoe rental. Going mid-day, games are only around 3€ each. The bowling alley is on the other side of the tracks from the train station (about a 20 minute walk from the school).

Gyms
The French do not value gyms as much as Americans do. There is one gym in town, and it is attached to the bowling alley. The prices are rather expensive. The long trek without a car did not seem worth it to us. The walk there and back is almost as good a workout.

Pool
There is a public swimming pool in Vire! It is adjacent to Parc de l'Europe. It's an indoor pool and has a waterslide! We intended to go there, but never made it. You have to pay to use it each time or to have a monthly/annual membership. Like the gym, it's not very cheap. It's about a 15 minute walk from the school straight down the hill.

Transportation into, out of, and around Vire

Trains
The train station is situated to the north of centre ville, about a 20 minute walk from the school. There are 5 trains a day that run between Paris and Vire (on the Paris-Granville line). The ride is more or less 2h30m. If you get a Carte 12-25 (HIGHLY recommended, get it as soon as you arrive in France, it costs 49€), the ride is 16.60€ one-way during the Periode Bleu (off-peak times). During the peak times, periode blanche the price is 24.90€ one-way. It’s easy to avoid Periode Blanche. The train leaves from Paris Montparnasse-Vaugirard. This is not in the main part of Montparnasse. If you’re in the main part of the station looking at the tracks, go all the way to the right, and you will see signs for Gare Vaugirard, which is about a 10 minute walk from the main part of the station. You can buy your train tickets at Vaugirard. The trains are Corail Intercités, not TGV, so you do NOT need a reservation! You can buy your ticket literally minutes before the train leaves. It is open seating in the trains. Some seats are reserved, but only once was I asked to move because I was sitting in a reserved seat… not a big deal.

Unfortunately, the train is only convenient to get to Paris. It’s possible to get to Caen on the train, but you have to switch in Argentan. Some trains are timed such that you only have to wait 10 minutes for the transfer.


Buses
You’ll most likely want to take the bus, operated by Bus Verts de Calvados when traveling to Caen. The ride is 6€ and change, or just under 5€ per ticket if you buy a book of 4 tickets. The bad part is that the ride is approximately 1h45m (It has many many stops available). The plus side is that the bus station is in centre-ville, so you don’t need to walk down the hill to (or up the hill back from) the train station. There is another bus service, Maneo, but they don’t go anywhere really worth visiting. It is worth knowing about it incase you may want to visit other assistants in towns served by Maneo. The bus services tend to be for students and local people commuting. Vire doesn’t exactly have the tourist in mind, since there are few. However, when there are tourists, it’s super easy to spot them because who else would be taking pictures of the town? Not that the town isn’t worthy of photos!

Vire does have a local bus service called Amibus. When you arrive in Vire, go to the tourist office to get a map of Vire and Amibus timetables. The French word for "timetables" is "les timetables." Ha. "Les Horaires" works too.

Eating in Vire

If there’s one thing Vire isn’t lacking, it’s good food. We lost count at about 12 boulangeries within a 10 minute walking radius. There are also a few cafés, pizzerias, crêperies, kebab (gyro) places, Asian restaurants, and supermarkets. Every Friday, there is a huge market in the center of town. They have tons of food stands, some (bad) clothing stands, and the random dvd, dog food, and mattress stands. Many of the places in town we go to either have no name or have easily forgettable names so instead, their locations are described.

At any of the bakeries, or at the market, they always ask “avec ce-ci?” which, when written, is obvious (With this? Anything else?). I mention this because I was never taught this phrase in my French classes, and I wasn't sure what it meant, but i heard it constantly. At first I thought they were saying “Avec saussice?” But of course, I didn’t want any sausage with my croissant. Here is a listing of the eateries/stores we frequent:

Boulangeries – There are many, and they are all good.
• “Sandwich Lady” as we call her. Right near the main traffic circle, near La Mie Caline. The sandwiches at this place are really good, and all of her baked goods are very good. The woman who runs the store is extremely friendly and always eager to see you return.
• Maison Paul – Not to be confused with the chain seen around the country. This place has excellent croissants, and everything here is excellent. It tends to be a bit crowded!
• The place near the bus station – Has excellent chocolate chip cookies! Also, they have Pain au Beurre sometimes, which is really good.
• The place down the street from Notre Damn – They have lots of organic and funny kinds of bread. But generally very good.
• The place down the hill from the center circle, near the Cambodian place. If you’re in that end of town, give it a shot.
• The place next to the laundromat isn’t bad.
• La Mie Caline – This is a chain bakery, but it isn’t bad by any means. It is also the most convenient, open 6h-20h every day. Right on the center circle.

Cafés
• Café du Theatre – This is the closest food establishment to the school. The food here is very good, as is the beer. They like to know the assistants every year, so go get something to eat early in the year and introduce yourself as the new assistants at the high school. Their croque monsieurs are delicious, as are their omelets and desserts.
• Vivaldi – This is right across from the Hotel de Ville and has good lunches. They have excellent 2 course meals for like 8€, quite a steal. They also have good coffees and hot chocolates (as does any café).

Crêperies
• La Fringale - This crêperie is very close to the school and excellent. Go to Café du Theatre, turn left down the hill and it’s about 2 minutes. The woman that runs it is super friendly, and everything in the place is delicious. The Super-Parisienne and the Super-Complete are particularly good. They also have amazing Tartiflette.
• The one that’s to the right of the Hôtel de Ville is also really good, just like the one above. The other one is just closer to the school.

Pizzerias
• Pizza Christina – Their pizzas are rather small but delicious. At 6.50€ for every pizza on the menu, you can’t go wrong. The woman who runs it (her name is actually Christiana which doesn’t make any sense) is very friendly. They also have the best ice cream in town. The ice cream menu alone is 7 pages long.
• Le Triskell - This place is on the corner across from the bus station is also really good. Their pizzas are a bit bigger, but a bit more expensive, starting at 8€. They are really good regardless. They also have extremely good Lasagna.
• Raf et Lie – This place is very close to the school. It's between Café du Theatre and the crêperie. It has very large, inexpensive pizzas and you can take out. The pizza is quite good. It's not as good as the places mentioned above, but not bad at all.
• Welcome Pizza (across from the Cambodian place), Gege Team Matt, and Dominute are not as good. Welcome Pizza and Dominute aren’t bad, but are rather bland. Gege Team Matt uses Emmental (Swiss) cheese instead of mozzarella… not a very good substitute.
• Le Robbery is supposedly good, but is rather expensive (at least 10€ per pizza)


Asian
• “The Cambodian Place” – It’s on the street that goes downhill from the main circle, on the left, before Saint Anne. The food here is very good. Not too spicy, but not too bland either. You can always ask for spicy sauce. Their samousas and nems are really good. We went here every Sunday and the ladies who run it recognized us. In January, they invited us to their house for dinner and we had a delicious meal. This is a take-out place.
• The Chinese restaurant across from the bus station. This is an eat-in place and has a large menu. The food is very good, although I got the “Spicy Thai Chicken” and it wasn’t by any means spicy. If you want it spicy, just ask.

Kébab (gyro)
• The place next to Notre Damn. Right across the street from Pizza Christina. This was the only place that we frequented, but their kebabs are delicious.
• Unfortunately, there are no places (yet) to get falafel.

Bars
• There a bunch of small bars, but the one we frequent is Le Gambrinus which is right next to the Hôtel de Ville. It is very large, has a cool atmosphere, a wide variety of beers and drinks available, and has a friendly staff.

Friday Market – Every Friday, year round.
• All of the fruit and vegetable stands are good. It never hurts to ask what’s new or in season.
• There are two crêpe stands in the square next to Notre Damn, but the good one is right in front of the Caisse d’Epargne bank. It’s run by an English woman and her French husband. I’m a fan of their beurre-sucre crêpes. Get it as a double-crêpe!
• There as a guy who runs an Asian restaurant in a different town who sells sealed portions of various Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Chinese dishes. It’s very good and reasonable. He’s right near the crêpe stand.
• There is a Fromagère stand right next to the crêpe stand. They have many different kinds of cheese and also have some food butters.

Supermarkets
• Coccinelle – This is the most convenient grocery store because it’s right in the middle of the town. It’s on the “other side” of the Porte Horlage from the main circle. It’s a small grocery store, but it has the essentials.
• Carrefour – This is one of the larger supermarkets in town. It’s outside the center of town, down near the train station. They have an excellent selection and very good prices. Madame Roupenel (German professor) takes us there every Wednesday afternoon. Make sure to ask her about it.
• Leclerc – This is the other big supermarket in Vire, and is also outside the center of town. It’s towards the east. Go up the hill from the center circle (towards the post office) and keep following the roads, taking a left where it forks at a circle with fountains in it. Leclerc and Carrefour are equal in size and selection. The main differences are distance and incline. Carrefour is downhill on the way, and uphill on the way back (steep!!). Leclerc is a little farther, and is uphill on the way there, and downhill the way back. However, Leclerc’s walk isn’t as steep. There are also buses that go from Carrefour up to right next to the school, just check the timetables.

All you need to know about the Carte de Séjour

As you probably already know, you need a Carte de Séjour in order to stay in France beyond the expiration of your visa. If you’ve done some researching online, you may have read some horror stories about getting the Carte de Séjour. Luckily for us, the Sous-Préfecture in Vire is excellent and extremely helpful. In order to apply for the Carte de Séjour, you need the following things:

• Arrêté de Nomination - This is super important, don’t ever lose it
• Prise de Fonction – This is basically a document stating that you work at the high school. The secretariat (Brigitte) will prepare it for you. You'll want to know her - she is extremely helpful. You’ll want to go to her with any questions.
• 4 Passport Photos – You can get these done in a photo booth in the train station.
• Photocopy of your passport – the main photo page and your visa
• Justificatif de Domicile – This is a document stating that you live in the high school. If you don’t live in the high school, then you need a phone or utilitybill.
• Birth Certificate – Original copy is needed. I suggest getting 2 additional original copies made before leaving, if you can. Photocopies won’t be accepted. It does NOT need to be translated.
• Medical Certificate* – You’ll get this at your medical appointment. More information about this below.

Our medical appointment wasn’t until November, in Caen. You will be informed of your appointment well in advance, don’t worry. Ours was supposedly late because of some strike (obviously). Basically, the medical appointment is kind of awkward. It starts with a chest x-ray, in which you must be topless (no sheet or anything). Then there is the visit with the doctor. He will make you take off your shirt and pants (leaving on underwear/bra), and then will just take your blood pressure and listen to your heart. It’s not too bad though, because all of the assistants in the region (who you will meet at your orientations) have their appointment at the same time so you can compare awkwardness.

I recommend getting the documents to the Sous-Préfecture as early as possible. *They will get the process rolling before you get your medical certificate.* I had my recipassé before I had turned in my medical certificate. We received our Cartes de Séjour in December. Before we received it, we got a letter telling us to go in and fill out a very basic form (they may ask you to do it when you turn in all your stuff). Some time afterward, we received a Recipassé, which is essentially a “Pre-Carte-de-Sejour” saying that you have applied for one. Then we got a letter telling us to go to the Sous-Préfecture to pick up the Carte de Séjour and that’s it! The Sous-Préfecture is so close to the school. You will pass it every time you walk in to town. The people that work there are also very friendly and helpful.

In terms of travelling around Europe, you shouldn’t have too much to worry about. The majority of places that you’d be interested in visiting are in the Schengen zone, which means that you don’t have to go through immigration/customs control when travelling within the zone. Similar to how you don’t need to go through customs control to go between states within the United States. The big exceptions to the Schengen zone are Great Britain and Ireland. You will need to show your passport with visa and Carte de Séjour upon entry to these countries and for re-entry to France. But, I don’t think they’re too strict in France. When I came back to France from Christmas Vacation in the USA, I just showed my passport, and wasn’t asked for a Carte de Séjour. Citizens from Caribbean and South American countries may need a travel visa to visit Great Britain. The Jamaican assistant this year needed a travel visa to visit England. Make sure you apply early! You can apply online but need to show a variety of documents (proof of place to stay, bank statements, etc) at the English Embassy in Paris. You will then need to return to Paris to pick up your visa (it will be pasted into your passport like the French one).

Some very useful information to know before you arrive

There is some worthwhile information to know before making your trek to Vire.

Visa
You need to make an appointment with your closest French Consulate to obtain your visa as soon as you receive your Arrêté de Nomination (I received mine around July 15th). DON'T LOSE YOUR ARRETE!!!! TREAT IT LIKE GOLD!!! This page lists all of the French consulates in the US, and which one you need to visit (it depends on your state): http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/DF_consulates.shtml. The closest consulate may require a long trip for you. Unfortunately, unless you live in Alaska, you need to apply for the Visa in person. The website will tell you everything to bring, which is relatively simple. It’s quite simple compared to all of the other people that were asking for Visas there. I saw a few people who were applying for student visas leaving in tears because they forgot to notarize one document and were denied their visa. For the New York City consulate, after giving them all your documents, getting fingerprinted and photographed, they will tell you to return a few hours later to pick up your Passport which will have the Visa pasted in to it. In the San Francisco consulate, the passport with visa was returned almost immediately. They will also return your Arrêté de Nomination. If they don’t, demand that they do so! You will need it to get your Carte de Séjour.


Plane Tickets
You don’t need to arrive too long before the contract starts on October 1st. I arrived on September 17th, and it was too early. Plus, it was a few days before any other assistants arrived. It was a kind of scary and lonely time. Arriving around the 25th-29th is reasonable. Gives you time to settle in. If you plan on returning home for Christmas, then I recommend buying a ticket that has a return for just before Christmas. The last day of school before holidays will be the Friday before Christmas, which for 2009 is December 18th. Then, purchase another round trip ticket, having the outgoing portion be to France just before classes restart (i missed 2 days and it wasn't a big deal), and the return being sometime after your contract finishes. You are allowed to stay in the school's dorm after the contract end (until as late as July, when the school closes). I recommend giving yourself approximately 2 – 4 weeks after your contract ends so that you can travel a bit. In terms of pricing, expect to pay somewhere between $700-$1200 for a round-trip ticket from the US. It depends how far in advance you buy your ticket, and which days of the week you fly. Check multiple possibilities, the difference may be a few hundred dollars!

Train Tickets
Don’t worry about purchasing train tickets before you come. I bought tickets online and printed them before coming, but it wasn’t necessary. The train from Paris to Vire is on the Paris-Granville line, which is a Corail Intercités, not a TGV. The ride is about 2h30m. Reservations are NOT needed, and it is open seating in the train. The trains from Paris leave out of Gare Vaugirard, which is a part of Gare Montparnasse, although it's not in the main section. Follow the signs towards Gare Vaugirard. It will feel like you're walking down some back alley, but there actually is another train station at the end. When you arrive at Paris-Vaugirard, purchase a Carte 12-25 (it costs 49€). This is a travel discount card for people between the ages of 12 and 25. During "Periode Bleu," which is the "off peak" times, you get 50% off the full price of all train tickets. During "Periode Blanche" (Peak) the reduction is 25%. With the Carte 12-25, your ticket to or from Vire will cost just 16.60€ during Periode Bleu, or 24.90€ during Period Blanche. The full fare is 33.20€ in case a friend or relative comes to visit. Also note that people under 26, and over 59 get a 25% discount during Periode Bleu even if they don’t have a discount card. So if you forget your carte 12-25, if you're in Periode Bleu, you won't have to pay full fare.

What to Bring
The following things are particularly good to bring with you:
• Lots of socks
• Lots of underwear
• Jeans (not too many)
• Shirts (not too many)
• Shorts or sweatpants, mostly for comfort
• Over-the-counter and perscriptions medications, especially for colds and allergies
• Contact solution, if you wear them
• Batteries
• Travel-sized soaps and shampoos
• Deoderant
• Sweatshirt/hoody
• A good coat, but not too heavy
• Towels?
• Pictures
• Books and magazines
• A high school yearbook (great for class)
• Peanut butter (if you can't live 7 months without it)

Here are some things that you can wait to buy until you get here:
• Soap and Shampoo
• Stationary products
• Towels?

This is generally difficult. Bring lots of socks and underwear, but not too much in the way of pants and shirts. I would bring a pair of shorts/sweats for comfort, but the French in general never wear shorts. However, when it's warm, many students do wear shorts or capris/manpris so you won't stick out too badly. I brought formal wear (black pants, nice shirts, ties) but NEVER wore them (there really is no occasion where you’d need to wear them!) so I brought them home during Christmas break and left them there. You’ll also want to buy some clothes when you arrive here. There are quite a few nice clothing stores in Vire. During the month of January, there are Les Soldes which are nation-wide government mandated sales. In terms of coats, I have a zip-up hoody, a leather jacket (not convenient when it rains), and after I arrived I bought a track jacket and a nice jacket (for 50€ marked down from 100€ during Les Soldes). Towels are expensive, but also take up a lot of room in the suitcase, so this one is up to you.

Don’t bring too much soap or shampoo… just buy some here. It’s surprising when you can find almost all the brands here in Europe that you can in the US. However, I do recommend bringing plenty of travel-sized soap and shampoo with you to take when traveling. The majority of deodorant here tends to be spray-on, so if you’re partial to sticks or roll-on then you may want to bring a couple from home. Also, if you're American, bring tons of over-the-counter medications. You have to ask a pharmacist for meds in France, and we’ve found that the American stuff is just plain better (stronger). If you wear contacts, bring a couple of big bottles of solution as it’s expensive here. Batteries are also outrageously expensive, so buy yourself a couple economy packs to bring with you. It’s nice to have a couple books to read. Plan on leaving books here so you don’t have to bring too many back home. There is a great English bookstore called WHSmith in Paris. You can also order things on Amazon.com (the American one), but they take about a month to arrive. Paper, pens, pencils, and other stationary can all be bought here either in a supermarket or in a stationary store in town across from the Hôtel de Ville.

French
How is your French? It’s assumed that those doing this program have somewhat of a background in French, so hopefully you’re not completely new to the language! But you have been forewarned: With the exception of a couple other assistants and the English teachers, NO ONE in Vire speaks in English. It will improve over time as you’re here. It’s difficult to judge how well it improves day to day, but you’ll notice how much it has improved when you return from a place like Germany, Amsterdam, or Italy and all of a sudden you understand everything that you hear or read, and you can communicate without feeling retarded!