A Cat named Stevens found a faith he could believe in

So the first few days of work went pretty well. I say this really having worked only 2 days, thanks to strike and some strange scheduling. Some of the kids in the classes seemed interested in learning English, and particularly in knowing more about the United States. Maybe next week I will just put Mellancamp's "This is our Country" on a loop, that way the students can experience the sweet soundwaves of freedom, and I can relive the irritation of watching incessant Chevrolet commercials.

I'm thankful to be from Texas and not from one of the lame states (see: the other 49), because people love to hate (and love) Texans. Questions about NYC, Miami, and LA are of course abundant, but everybody knows (or thinks they know) something about Texas, so it's always a good conversation starter. Plus, they really like it when I tell them I have a picture of George Bush that I keep under my pillow, and that I go huntin' in Crawford all the time.

In my first few classes, things were, for the most part acceptable, but there were of course the awkward high schooler questions...a few of the most notable:
1) "do you think American or French girls are prettier?" - I can't answer that honestly in class.
2) "have you ever French kissed?" - No, only Freedom kissed.
3) "do you have a girlfriend?" - No, but you're too young.

It's funny how forward they can be with questions. It's uncomfortable having to dance around with answers at times, but as long as they're talking and participating, I can deal with it. Furthermore, it's fun to answer the usual "are you voting for McCain or Obama?" question by saying "whoever will continue to do exactly as Mr. Bush has done," just to see the looks on their faces.

On other fronts, I still have not found lodging in my effort to find something with roommates. I visited 2 apartments this week, but I'm waiting to hear back from both pairs of roommates on whether or not I am good enough to be cohabitant numero trois. If this doesn't work out, I've spoken briefly with a Spanish assistant at the same high school about possibly rooming together.

More productively, yesterday I finally obtained my French debit card, and as a result, a phone and my metro card...Hello, Win column. Unfortunately, the debit card gave me the power to utilize the public bike system in Toulouse. I apparently thought I knew the city a bit better than I actually do, which became apparent when I had to navigate myself off of a local highway. Not as bad as it sounds, but there was that feeling of "Alive!" at the end of it. Malheureusement, there was no copilot to eat, like in the book.

Also, today I saw a concert of three "jazz-electro" bands from Norway. Overall, pretty interesting, with a wide variety, believe it or not, ranging from jazz to electro. The tektonik dance (for those unfamiliar with the brilliance, voila, tektonik: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqRR10Xy3GU) made an extremely brief appearance during some of the electro, but of course it couldn't last....one should never be foolish enough to try to tektonik to electronique. After all, you don't ride bikes on highways, do you?