Je deteste le prof d'anglais!!!

Time for blog number two! I had my first proper day of classes yesterday with Sophie, and we had to be there early (at 8am). We headed off to school in the dark! I went to Spanish first, and I didn't listen because I have never learnt Spanish, and then SES, which is like Social and Economic Sciences. That was quite boring, and Sophie's teacher is a bit odd! We had a break then, but unlike at home, they don't have a snack at this time. The day was really busy, with 5 hours of class in the morning so i was really hungry by lunch. After break we had English, which was an experience.

I should mention that the French kids my age have been learning English for about 8 years or so, and they are really good at it! However, their teacher seemed to think otherwise!

They were discussing an advertisement for the Civil Rights movement in the US, which was a poster about Martin Luther King and some murderer called Charles Manson, and they went through their tests on this reading comprehension about some French immigrants to Louisiana in the 1850s. I think their textbook is written in American English, and that's basically what they were being taught. They only seem to learn about the US and a bit about England.

We had more English in the afternoon and it got more confusing! She was being really mean to them, especially this guy called Antoine, coz she asked him to read something that they were meant to have learnt, and then she asked him questions which they hadn't had to learn, and they weren't in the book. Then we listened to something which started in English, and then changed to American English. They talked about it, and wrote stuff down but she confused them and got things wrong. Like, for example she said the word 'illegally' like 'illegally' with pronouncing the work 'leg' which was odd. And she had some problem with the word during, i don't know why. She's quite painful, and mean to the students. Then it was quite odd, she was asking them what someone who cleans houses is called, and i'm thinking of a maid, or a cleaner, or even a housekeeper, considering it was a text about the past, and she disagreed with those things, especially when one guy said 'maid'. Then I think she saw me looking confused, and asked if she was right. Here's the gist of the conversation:

"Olivia, am I right?"
"Er, well, no not really. You can use the word maid for someone who cleans houses, or you can just say a cleaner"
"But what about someone who works in a restaurant?"
"Er, that would be a waitress"
"Even in a bar or pub?"
"No, that would be a barmaid"
"Oh, as in a female barman?"
"Yes, exactly"

Some of the words she chose were quite odd, like she said 'we can suppose' when she really meant 'we can guess or assume' & alarm bells went off in my head but of couse I couldn't say anything! And her accent is bad!!

Anyway, we also had History/Geography, and did maps of Europe, which i sorta understood, and Maths...took me over half the lesson to work out they were doing quadractics, and i worked out the equation, i was very proud of myself! But i was still very lost. Sophie's friend Eden, a guy called Jean and I spent much of the lesson giggling because the teachers shirt was slightly open at the waist, letting us see a bit too much!!!

After school, some people hadn't finished yet, so all the exchange participants had the chance to talk to each other in small groups. Then we went to the Town Hall of Nogent to meet the mayor (who didn't turn up!). I was saying to some of the girls how hopeless the teacher was, and the French girls said they hate her and I should tell her how much she sucks before I leave!!! So now everyone (French and Aussies) are in agreement I must learn to be mean and tell the teacher off!

Today I've had a quiet morning coz we don't have to go to school on Wednesdays, as they only have school in the morning, so I slept in, called mum and dad, chatted on msn to people and Skype to Charli, Grandma, Paul and Kayla, so I'm happy! Now Sophie is doing her homework and I'm blogging. We have to go food shopping a bit later, that will be very interesting!

Bisous,

Liv