The point is, who is actually enriched by crossing items off a list? Travel isn't about changing pace at great speed. It's not about how many museum doors you manage to swing through.
Tag: tapif program
going somewhere soon
Hi, I'm Jessica. I will be going somewhere soon. That sentence lacks a certain...well, it lacks a lot. My plan was to have my teaching contract in hand two months ago. I'd have a flight, a place to stay, and an idea of what my life will be like over the next year. As it …
war & peace & confetti
My shoes were full of confetti. My purse was full of confetti. My bra was full of confetti. My heart was simply full. It was April, my second-to-last week teaching primary school English classes. Early that morning, I had sat waiting for my ride to school, dressed professionally but staring blearily at my hot lemon …
humble pie in lemon land
As soon as we saw the heart of the festival: a rectangular garden filled with revolving citrus sculptures underscored by tinny Broadway music, I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake.
kids’ stuff/next steps
I have five more weeks of teaching left, and it feels...manageable. Like successful organization might be possible. I really enjoyed teaching this week; the time away made me feel like myself again, energy and optimism available in large quantities. It was a week where things got done. We talked about pets, we talked about objects …
the real world: an honest account of teaching abroad, 5 months in
After a much-needed vacation, I feel refreshed enough to write a little bit more about my job. It is, after all, the reason I'm currently living in France. Teaching here is one of the most stressful experiences I've ever had. I haven't written too much about my job here with the TAPIF program, mostly because when …
Continue reading the real world: an honest account of teaching abroad, 5 months in
less-than-thrilled: when you don’t want your dream
“How do you find Montluçon?” When I arrived here, I was asked this quite a few times, always with a wince on the part of the inquirer. C’est un peu triste, non? But no, no I didn't find it sad. Blue skies and tropical flowers, temps in the low eighties, a new city and a new …
Continue reading less-than-thrilled: when you don’t want your dream
