Challenges galore

What a day!I'm pooped!
I had two lessons to teach today; one to my fellow students and the other to french residents. Lesson planning and materials preparation took a lot of time. I taught the french students about going to the cinema. We played 'spin the bottle' discussed chosen male actors, watched a YOuTube of Mr Bean via my laptop and did a comprehension exercise. They enjoyed it. The methodology is very process-driven which doesn't suit me. Nevertheless, I have to memorise it and put it into practice. It didn't go perfectly but I kept going and it all worked out in the end. Tomorrow I will receive feedback from my fellow students.

The other challenge is my health. I have had a sore throat and been feeling unwell since I arrived. It waxes and wanes. Sunday and Monday it decided to wax big-time. My throat was on fire and a cold started to develop. It's difficult to enjoy one's time off or concentrate on one's intensive study in these conditions but there is no option. I have to keep going like the others as all lessons must be attended and all assignments completed.

I've struggled with this for the past 10 days and finally had an opportunity to see a doctor. A french doctor who speaks no English. Plenty of challenge there. It's not easy to give a quick summary of recent treatments, my date of birth, explain the intensity and duration of the malady, in a second language.I f I didn't understand something I asked him to repeat it. If he didn't understand me I found new ways to say something. He checked my throat-very red. He checked my ears-slight temperature. He tested for bacteria-none. Of course it's viral and giving me a nasty cough now too. I must make an appointment for a blood test to determine the virus. The laboratory (in Rennes) will send a report to the doctor and then the doctor will contact me for treatment options. In the meantime I have to suffer, not even a painkiller, (lucky I have a few with me). It's clear there will be no possibility of treatment until next week. Understandable but miserable for me.

After completing some assignments I must find a way to get to bed a bit earlier. I'm not sleeping well but that's not unusual. I've booked transport to and from Rennes this coming weekend so I need to be able to cope with the travel which is 3 hours each way involving buses and trains. Good experience in being independent, I guess.

The Auckland Transition Authority want some input from me which may or may not affect my likelihood of having some sort of job after October. It's important I suppose but I'm not feeling up to it physically and I am so time-starved I don't know how I will fill in yet another of their damned forms.

If only I could secure some employment here. I'm becoming quite anxious about that. I've sent out more and more enquiries to language schools but still only have the one interview (I hope it's still valid). The citizenship thing is a huge barrier, otherwise I think I'd have a Teaching Business English job by now -and no one here has offered to marry me. Sigh!

Yes, I have achieved my dream to visit France and yes I am having a lovely experience but it will NEVER be enough. If anything, it has made things worse.My key dream is to live and work here and the more time I spend in France the more desperate I am to make that happen. To be denied that is becoming insupportable and I'm not sure how to deal with it as it's truly a 'soul thing'. I still have a few weeks left for a miracle and that's exactly what I need because effort is not enough. Damn.