I haven’t been following the Tour de France very closely this year, but I did note that today’s dramatic finish between Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck took place in the Pyrenées mountains, and that tomorrow’s stage, between Salies-de-Béearn and Bordeaux, will be passing about an hour away from the town where I will be teaching next year, Aire-sur-l’Adour. Time’s running out to catch up, Lance!
With September and the teaching assistant position in France fast approaching, I’ve learned a bit about the town that will be my home for 7 months, Aire-sur-l’Adour. Aire is named for its place on the Adour river, which winds down from the Pyrenees foothills through the flat wine country of southwestern France before flowing into the Atlantic at the city of Bayonne. It is situated in one of the most sparsely populated areas of France; at approximately 6,000 inhabitants, Aire is the largest town until Mont-de-Marsan 30 kilometers to its north-west. Aire is 150 km south of Bordeaux, 50 km …
Closing one chapter, opening another: In September, I will be moving on from the Gulf Coast to take a 7-month-long position as an English teaching assistant in southern France. The French ministry of education hires teaching assistants to supplement regular language instruction and act as a cultural and linguistic resource in the classroom: The Teaching Assistant Program in France offers you the opportunity to work in France for 7 to 9 months, teaching English to French students of all ages. Each year, nearly 1,500 American citizens and permanent residents teach in public schools across all regions of metropolitan France and …