Fragment #41 - New school year

"This is Bénédicte. She'll be our French assistant this year."

Our new PT, Susan, is presenting us the new assistant. I have a look around at the Modern Languages staff room. They changed the walls' colour. Don't know if it was necessary, but this light blue shade is quite nice. We are all sitting around the same old table, with our old mugs of tea. Some things change, some don't. Let's just hope, like each time something new is starting, that this one is gonna be better: another chance. Let's keep the good, and change the bad things.

So there is our new assistant... That is to say the only other French person in this place, except from me. I used to find this annoying, but I'm starting to get used to meeting other expatriate like me, and to interact with them. If I'm getting used to this, maybe I'm getting more Glaswegian than French living in Glasgow... I don't feel the competition as hard as before. Because there was a time when I didn't like having people around stealing from me that uniqueness and exotic thing of being from France and living there. She looks nice though. Small, even tiny, very cute brunette, with short hair. Looking lively and clever. She is wearing black trousers and a grey sweater, a black trench coat. I don't know where she is from in France but she has this stylish but not too fancy, not too colorfull look some girls from the cities, even the big cities have. Patent-leather black shoes... Definitly looking very good. And appropriate. Maybe she will be a bit irritating, by being both too smart and too pretty. "Bénédicte", Susan said... She will need some time to realize I'm French, maybe a few days. We will have to speak French when starting to work together. It will feel weird. Just like last year, and the year before. But I think the pupils will really like her. Will I?