Le stage d'accueil - Grenoble and Autrans

This Monday and Tuesday I went to Grenoble and Autrans for a welcome orientation. Normally assistants go to orientation in the first few days of their arrival to take care of paperwork for immigration, social security, and pay, but since 95% of us had already mailed our documents, the overview of paperwork and the French school system wasn't very helpful or necessary. The most worthwhile part of orientation was meeting other assistants and coming away with some practical activities for teaching in the months ahead.

Unfortunately I continued my streak of being a terrible picture-taker. Not only are there hardly any pictures, but the pictures I do have are a bit random and slightly out-of-focus. 

For example, this picture was taken in the twenty seconds that I stood waiting for a stoplight on my way to the first meeting in Grenoble. Open purse, take out camera case, camera out, camera on, take picture, camera off, camera in case, camera case in bag, bag zipped, done. And that's why the lighting is awful and why I chose the worst view of the mountains from the city. Yay me.

I would have liked to take more pictures of Grenoble, but unfortunately I spent the majority of my time in meetings until taking a bus to a town called Autrans. We spent the night and the next day at a ski lodge/summer camp type place and I managed to snap a picture of the mountains on the way up.

Here are the grounds of the place we stayed at.

After throwing my bags into my room for the night (along with two English girls, one German, one Italian, and one American), I foolishly left behind my jacket and scarf before going on a walk down to the town center.

I don't think the town is used to tourists at this time of year, so the one cashier at the supermarket definitely seemed overwhelmed when we formulated a line of about forty people to buy snacks and drinks.

I like this sign because it reminds me of old Disneyland ride posters.

Sorry for the extreme lack of detail in this post. Tomorrow I'm leaving for les vacances Toussaint and I'm not sure how long I'll be gone for. I promise to come back with more pictures and better stories!