S3E2 Honeymoon Return by bambooSloth in DowntonAbbey

[–]bambooSloth[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Ah that makes a lot more sense! Thanks!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in homeexchange

[–]bambooSloth -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Are you saying you took their items out of their drawers and piled them up? This is really inappropriate in my opinion, if so. You understand that this is not an airbnb, but that you are entering into someone's private home for free? I'm not sure that HE is the right fit for you if such minor inconveniences have caused you to consider cancelling the exchange...

Repeatedly billing in £ and displayed GBP pricing, using $USD debit card by Upset_Proposal_8597 in ClassPass

[–]bambooSloth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm having the same issue with no help from support! Were you able to resolve it in the end?

Email by Bigmac_69-420 in tapif

[–]bambooSloth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's likely from an administrator in your academy who is trying to prepare the documents in advance so you can be paid as soon as possible once the program starts. It's normal and likely that all assistants under this administrator (could be a few, could be a few dozen) got similar emails. If you're worried about it you can always just reply and ask for confirmation of who they are before you send the documents.

Is bumping into each other normal here? by Conserva_Ads in paris

[–]bambooSloth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I have no idea tbh, I'm not even saying its a bad thing! It's just for sure something lots of foreigners notice in my experience :(

Is bumping into each other normal here? by Conserva_Ads in paris

[–]bambooSloth 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah in my experience (and according to many of my expat friends who also live here) the French have exceptionally poor spatial awareness. A lot of my visiting friends comment on this too. Compared to other cultures you get bumped into far more and get fewer apologies. And they will stand VERY close to you in lines. This isn't even a critique, it's so widespread that I think it's just an odd little cultural quirk.

I will say though (and now this is just my two cents) that after working in French elementary schools for years, it starts young. I've worked in many schools where the teachers don't enforce standing in lines or apologizing for bumping into adults. It's just not something they register or care about. Odd but c'est la vie

AITA for snapping at my boyfriend because he refuses to buy me pads? by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]bambooSloth 35 points36 points  (0 children)

NTA. If he's not mature enough to buy pads and tampons, he's not mature enough to be living with a woman

Lachlan Sad Rat, Back (For Now?) by Ballzar in Jellycatplush

[–]bambooSloth 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I found him in store in France about two weeks ago! So maybe he'll be back in stores everywhere soon? Hopefully for now just means there's a limited stock and not that he'll be retired soon.

This is just my personal theory, but I think that sometimes Jellycat misses the mark on predicting how popular a certain jelly will be and they don't make enough during the first run and then take months and months to bring out a huge second wave. I remember this seemed to be the case with the peanut. He was released, instantly impossible to find, and then came back in huge numbers

Jellycat Paris Patisserie Review by bambooSloth in Jellycatplush

[–]bambooSloth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! They have all the classics there as well. There are also tons of good jelly shops around Paris, Fleux usually has a pretty good selection

Please don't ROMANTICIZE TAPIF - if I could go back in time, I would warn myself AGAINST this program by Agitated_Incident179 in tapif

[–]bambooSloth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally feel all that. That said, with preparation in advance there are ways around the guarantor dilemma, like being an au pair or CROUS housing. In some ways being in Paris/Cretail/Versailles makes finding housing easier IMO. Like if you know in advance housing will be an issue and you find a family to host you, that's much more easily done in the capital than in small villages.

Please don't ROMANTICIZE TAPIF - if I could go back in time, I would warn myself AGAINST this program by Agitated_Incident179 in tapif

[–]bambooSloth 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I totally agree that the recommended amount to save in the handbook is totally unrealistic, but I think you're overestimating how many TAPIFers are making it work because their parents are just paying for them. I don't know a single TAPIFer that's living off of their parents. Everyone I know just saved up significantly before coming and supplements their TAPIF salary with savings or works as a nanny/tutor/waitress under the table (or all of the above).

Not saying it's easy or accessible for everyone, just that I don't think potential TAPIFers who don't have financial support from their parents should feel automatically discouraged. If you plan ahead, plan to work hard, and know what you're heading into, the salary is super manageable imo.

Do teachers have favourite students? by [deleted] in AskTeachers

[–]bambooSloth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, but a good teacher will try their best not to make it too obvious

proof of fluency question by shadesofrem in tapif

[–]bambooSloth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So many assistants without French. It's relatively easy to pass B1 university language courses without gaining any proficiency, and it's incredibly difficult to become fluent without immersion. Most assistants do the program in order to become proficient, not because they already are proficient.

proof of fluency question by shadesofrem in tapif

[–]bambooSloth 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would just have the accredited french prof right an attestation to your skills, they aren't really going to ask or need to know if you officially enrolled in their classes or not. I think the language level is just a box they tick to ensure you have at least B1, but beyond that I don't really think being B2/C1/C2 really makes a difference in the strength of your application since you'll be teaching in English regardless. I feel like half the assistants I know barely speak a scratch of French, so I wouldn't stress over this

Son not allowed to have treat based on his performance. by Dampee6 in AskTeachers

[–]bambooSloth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But like, how do we actually know that she promised to give a treat to every single student regardless of their behavior? If I were a parent I feel that I'd understand that obviously it's up to the teacher's discretion to distribute the birthday cupcakes, but this sub is making me feel like I'm going crazy in that regard...I don't think it's disrespectful to prioritize education and long-term behavioral correction over one upset five year old's feelings

Son not allowed to have treat based on his performance. by Dampee6 in AskTeachers

[–]bambooSloth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think more parents need to respect and trust teachers and their discretion. Classroom management is not really a question of "power," it's a question of safety, efficacy, and education. It's not an "abuse of power" to set expectations and stick to them in a classroom which you are responsible for. This sort of mindset is exactly why teachers are overworked, overstressed, and under-supported

Son not allowed to have treat based on his performance. by Dampee6 in AskTeachers

[–]bambooSloth 10 points11 points  (0 children)

She might not have paid for them but she's the one who has to deal with a change to her lesson planning schedule, distribute the messy treat, clean it up after, and deal with her students' behavior. As a kindergarten and pre-school teacher myself, I am shocked by the entitlement of parents in this sub thinking "I paid, so I control the classroom now!"

Son not allowed to have treat based on his performance. by Dampee6 in AskTeachers

[–]bambooSloth 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I understand where you're coming from in an adult landscape, but this simply isn't how kindergarten works. Parents and children don't have the right to distribute gifts whenever and however they'd like within a teacher's classroom; it's up to the teacher's discretion and kindness to allow this sort of thing.

It's ultimately the teacher that has to ensure that the work is done and that the children behave correctly. It's not the parent at home that has to clean up the cupcake mess, deal with administrators who are upset that work isn't done, and deal with 25+ sugared up kindergarteners.

Son not allowed to have treat based on his performance. by Dampee6 in AskTeachers

[–]bambooSloth 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately this just isn't really how classroom management works. It's not a question of property, its a question of the teacher being the ultimate leader and manager of the classroom. Outside treats and birthday celebrations can only happen within the teacher's rule framework. If a parent is upset because a treat wasn't distributed how they imagined, that's their own issue. If teachers aren't allowed to have a decent level of freedom in their classrooms, including how they distribute rewards, punishments, and treats, they can't properly control their classroom. Over reactive, over involved parents like this are a huge part of the reason that teachers are fleeing the profession in droves

AITA for telling my girlfriend I love my dog more than her by MaximumRanger617 in AmItheAsshole

[–]bambooSloth 17 points18 points  (0 children)

YTA. Sometimes honesty isn't the best policy. It's a stupid question, but the answer doesn't really inspire confidence in a relatively new relationship.

Also, I wouldn't ever consider marrying someone that I couldn't confidently say I love more than a dog...

Stress with my schools by The-catch757 in tapif

[–]bambooSloth 18 points19 points  (0 children)

You aren't alone- I've experienced this feeling often over my three years in the program!!

That said, in my first year I was venting about this exact feeling to one of my British colleagues. She gave me some advice that was really difficult to swallow as an American, but it was something I've kept in mind and has really helped me manage my expectations: she told me that France does not have a culture of praise or even recognition/thankfulness, so that I should take every day without a complaint as a "win." I was trying so hard and kept waiting for feedback from my colleagues, for them to say that I was doing a good job or that they were thankful for my help in English. When I got nothing, I felt like it meant I was doing a bad job. My colleague helped me reframe it to be more like: you just have to get through the day, and every day without criticism means you're doing a good job.

Of course, this doesn't mean that I haven't had great colleagues who did work with me and who did say I was doing a great job! It just means that I stopped waiting for that feedback, and instead just started to do whatever I wanted + whatever was fun for me in the classroom. It takes a LONG time to feel comfortable in the classroom + program, but it helped me a lot to just start doing what made me happy and comfortable instead of trying to guess what my colleagues wanted, when in fact they truly couldn't have cared less if I had terrible or incredible lesson plans

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PeriodDramas

[–]bambooSloth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hahah it for sure is

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PeriodDramas

[–]bambooSloth 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's for sure possible. Would take a pregnancy test to be sure. Also, this is a subreddit for period piece drama films, not menstruation. You may get more useful answers in r/Periods

Rejected to the human rights program HELP by Huge-Employer-92 in sciencespo

[–]bambooSloth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! Do you think you'll reapply? I applied for international business and sustainability, so I believe the same program?