Amiens: Orientation

The first official part of my job was attending a program orientation in Amiens last week. Amiens is the capital of the academie I’m working in (kind of like a county in the US).  It’s much bigger than Saint-Quentin, so I decided to stay a few extra days and turn my visit into a mini-vacation.

The orientation itself was a mix of standard administrative things (forms, forms, forms) and learning a few strategies that will help everyone in the program be effective teaching assistants. I’ll have to see if I end up implementing any of them once I get into the swing of things over the next few weeks.

During the rest of my stay in Amiens, I had a nice time exploring the city with a few other assistants. The city has a beautiful network of canals throughout (it’s called “La Petite Venise du Nord” – the Little Venice of the North) which made for scenic views at every turn. Below are some snapshots of the city’s streets, plus a few images from the Musee de Picardie (an art museum in Amiens).

   

~ Picturesque cobblestone streets and old buildings ~

 

~ I really hope creepy statues won't be a theme this year ~

~ Glimpse of the cathedral ~

~ Musee de Picardie; Egyptian artifacts ~

~ Dinner spot on Friday night - I even fed some bread to a swan family that swam by ~

~ By day and by night ~