Perserverance Pays

Up at 6 a.m.  Coffee, cereal, shower.  Wake up the kids.  Nag the kids to get out of bed.  Repeat.  Repeat again.  Reconfirm address of language school and reconfirm mode of transit (the new tram running east-west on the southern edge of Paris).  Nag the kids to get dressed.  Leave at 7:30 with the kids for the Tram.  Get to Tram stop at Porte de Orleans.  Wait.  Get on Tram.  Get off at Porte de Versailles.  Follow the directions from the language school website:  South down the Avenue Ernest Renan, under the Peripherique, right on Rue Oradour-sur-Glane, right at number 12, to 16 Rue E. Jeannin Garreau.  Stop multiple times to ask boys to speed up.  Enter 16 Rue E. Jeannin Garreau.  See empty hotel lobby.  Ask concierge about Accord language school, receive reply 'never heard of it.'  Contemplate possible errors.  Ask concierge if address is 16 Rue E. Jeannin Garreau.  Receive affirmative reply.  Feel somewhat better about mapping abilities.  Notice young woman in jeans with word "Staff" on back of t-shirt.  Ask young woman about Accord language school.  Take suggestion of young woman to go to 12 Rue Oradour-sur-Glane and inquire there.  Walk to 12 Rue Oradour-sur-Glane.  See another empty hotel lobby.  Inquire of concierge about language school.  Receive negative reply.  Sit in soft chair in lobby to contemplate next move.

Call Suzie on cell phone.  Ask Suzie to look for number and address of language school and call back.  Wait with boys in deserted hotel lobby for 10 minutes.  Receive call from unknown woman at language school.  Obtain correct address of language school, 19 Rue Victor Hugo.  Walk another 6 long blocks down Avenue Ernest Renan.  Stop multiple times to tell kids to hurry up.  Stop two times to break up fights among kids.  Turn right on Rue Victor Hugo.  Find Number 19.  See many, many young students.  Walk inside.

To to window marked "Welcome."  Attempt to explain to woman in window that I have not yet registered for classes, but wish to do so.  Receive direction to go down stairs and turn right and go to cafeteria.  Walk down stairs with boys and turn right, and enter cafeteria.  Cafeteria completely empty.  Return to welcome window for further directions.  Same directions given, go down stairs and go all the way to the right.  Return downstairs and go all the way to the right.  Run into wall.  Reverse course and go all the way to the left.  Run into another room.  Enter room with young students and two young instructors.  Explain wish to register.  Receive helpless looks.  Return to welcome window.  Explain there is no one in the cafeteria.  Receive same directions.

Consider possibility that language school not meant to be.  Decide to leave before head explodes.  Walk to main entrance to leave.  Young staff person asks what I need.  Explain I need to register.  Young staff person provides directions to office:  Go outside building, around to the side.  No mention of stairs.  No mention of cafeteria.

Follow directions of young staff person.  Arrive at registration office.  Explain have not registered in advance but wish to do so.  Friendly and efficient person takes boys to evaluation testing room on ground floor and shows me where evaluation testing room for adults is located.  Walk to evaluation testing room.  Enter room.  Twenty-five people taking written evaluation.  Find person apparently in charge, explain that I want to take classes but have not registered.  Given written evauation to complete.  Spend 30 minutes trying to write coherent French.  Complete evauation form.  Ask person apparently in charge what to do next.  Not clear person apparently in charge knows.  Continue to sit.

Instructor comes out of back room and asks me to sit for oral evaluation.  Have painful conversation with instructor.  Return to main room.  Sit some more.  Person apparently in charge begins to engage class in conversation in French.  Asks what has surprised students about Paris.  I say cost of Diet Pepsi.  Person apparently in charge blames weak dollar.

Sit some more while more conversation goes on.  Ask person apparently in charge what I should do with completed written evaluation.  Person apparently in charge does not know.  Person apparently in charge decides to take 10 minute break.  Mentions "cafe."  Decide to stick close to her.  Walk with person apparently in charge to self-serve vending machines.  Wait in line.  Buy cafe creme for 40 cents Euro.  Remark that this is the best coffee deal in France.  Return with person apparently in charge to evaluation room.  Wait more.

Person really in charge eventually enters room.  Separates students by ability.  Mystification at requirement of written evaluation when no one ever look at it.  Decide must let that go.  Hear name called, directed to Room 107 with instructor named Charlene.  In class with 12 other people:  4 from Russia, 1 other from US, 4 from Spain, 1 from Italy, 1 from Germany, 1 from Hong Kong.  Students introduce selves and begin to do exercises.

Noon approaches.  Ask instructor when class is over.  Instructor says 1 p.m.  Ask instructor when childrens' classes are over.  Instructor does not know.  Instructor leaves class to ask.  Instructor returns and says childrens' classes are over at noon.  I ask what I am supposed to do if class goes until 1 p.m.  Instructor does not know.  I decide to leave.  Instructor says that she will not be here tomorrow, and that students must look at lists in morning to see where to go.  I leave confused.

Kids waiting near main entrance.  Older son exuberant, had excellent class, made friends with boy from Spain.  Younger son agitated.  Claims he did not understand a thing.  Claims teacher spoke in Spanish but would not speak in English.  Says language school sucks.  Says this not the way to spend his summer.  Says French is stupid.

Return to registration office to pay for class.  Younger son continuing to complain about incomprehensible Spanish-speaking French teacher.  Growing tired of rant.  Lady behind us with young son says her son said same thing about class.  Registration person gets supervisor from school.  Supervisor says will check, but that classes are taught always in French, no English or other languages.  Does not understand comment about Spanish.

Pay and leave school.  Walk through drizzle to Metro station.  Younger son continues to gripe.  Teacher sucks.  School sucks.  Paris sucks.  Older son says how much he loves class.  Drives younger son wild.  Get on Metro.  Next to us friendly American woman with children in class.  One child is in younger son's class,  but has 4 years of high school French.  Younger son seizes on this.  Says class is too hard.  Says he is misplaced in class because he 'nailed' oral questions.  Says won't do homework.  Says teacher sucks.  Says we are robbing him of summer.  Older son says try to give it one more day.  Drives younger son into seizure.

Arrive at Alesia Metro stop.  Off Metro, walk home.  Younger son ranting on about class.  Up scary elevator.  Tell Suzie to take over with younger son.  Older son loving fact that younger son having problems.  Repeats how great his class was.  Causes younger son's head to explode.  Suzie tells older son not to comment.  Older son ignores direction.  Pandemonium ensues.

Glad to register for language school.  Provides direction and chance to meet people.  Away from children for 3 hours.  Better tomorrow.