Amiens
Trip Start
Sep 25, 2008
1
4
36
Trip End
Ongoing
Amiens,
Picardy,
France
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Hello,
So, Thursday was orientation day for all the assistants in the academié of Amiens in the town of Amiens. There are about 130 of us just in this area, and there are a couple thousand assistants all across France. The majority of us were English assistants, but there were also Spanish, German, a few Italians, one Chinese, and one Russian. There first part of the presentation was a little boring. They basically gave a detailed rundown of the French education system. I have to admit I was dozing a little during this part. I had to wake up at 5:15 and run to catch my train to arrive in time, so I was pretty exhausted. Plus, all the info from the presentation was in a booklet they gave us. Afterwards they went over more specifics about our role, how we will be paid, insurance and social security info, optional supplemental insurance, etc. Then we went to lunch together at a university cafeteria nearby. The food was so-so, basic cafeteria fare, but there was wine on all the tables, so that was a fun treat. After lunch we were split up into our different languages/school types. The whole first half of the day was all in French, but this part was in English. They went over basic tips; we got to ask any questions, they gave suggestions for lessons, things like that. Overall the day was semi-useful. I got to meet a lot of other assistants in the surrounding towns, hear about their situations, it was interesting.
The orientation finished around 5:30 and I set about on my quest to find some lodging for the night. Anne had stayed at a hotel Wednesday evening, so I went there, but they were full. The man in that hotel suggested 2 others and I did find a room at Hotel Spatial. It was interesting. My room had a shower, but no toilet, that was in the hall, and for some reason there was not a light in it. I had to go down to the next floor to use the bathroom. It was fine. I could have had a room with a toilet, but it would have cost more, so I made do. After I got settled in I headed out for a little shopping and dinner. Amiens is a lot bigger town than Loan. They have a ton of shops and restaurants, plus there are little canals that run through the town. It was very cute. I found a little crêpeire along the canal in the picture that I am in. I had a few delicious crepes, walked around a bit and headed back to the hotel. I was exhausted.
Friday morning I set out to discover Amiens. I first went to these gardens called "les hortillonnages." They are basically a bunch of floating gardens in little canals, very pretty although it rained on me while I was waling around. People even live on these little floating islands and farm. The only way to get to their house is over a little bridge. I took a picture of one of the bridges. Then I just walked around a bit and stopped at their cathedral, quite a bit more impressive than Laon's. There are long panels of intricate scenes carved entirely from wood and the ceilings are so high. It is so hard to believe these structures were made so long ago without all the technology and machinery we have today. Amiens also has a zoo and the house of Jules Verne, but it was too cold and rainy for the zoo and the brochure for the Jules Verne house didn't make it seem very interesting, so I decided to go shopping. We don't have much at all in Laon for shopping so I took advantage of this shopping opportunity. I found a cute brown sweater that I bought, and some boots (everyone in France wears boots and skinny jeans) I really wanted but couldn't bring myself to buy yet. After I get paid I will treat myself. I left Amiens about 4:30ish and headed back to Laon. Overall Amiens was nice, much busier than Laon, but they are both nice in different ways. I am going to Paris Saturday night for "La Nuit Blanche," so that will be my next entry,
Until then,
Stephanie
