20 December, 2011
Christmas markets
03 November, 2011
Animals
Animals in general have been an experience all their own! I was driving home from the store on a Saturday around lunch time and I saw two guys in their 40s or 50s - both dressed pretty well (button up shirt and pants and a light jacket) one with a bottle of wine and one carrying a rabbit by either its ears or legs. Yep, just walking along carrying a rabbit here; nothing special.
On the road to town there is a parking area which is closed during the off season. Since then I've seen the parking lot crowded with geese and then a few weeks later it was crowded with sheep. I'm not sure what happened to the geese or where these sheep came from, but that's just what it is.
On the way to our friends house in Montelimar, we were on a major road (2 lanes each way) and one of the overhead LED warning signs said "Animaux errants" the best translation is probably something like "wild animals on the road".
On the same trip, we were driving along and a guy flashed me his high beams. I realized ahead of me on the side was a random donkey. So I slowed down and as I passed the donkey he began to chase the car, so I sped up to get away from him. So how fast are you suppose to go when passing a donkey? I don't remember learning that in driver's ed.
Growing up in PA and having enjoyed our time on the Big Island (where I successfully dodged a wild hog), I am still surprised by the animals here and how we interact with them. But generally the idea is be nice to the animal so they can grow up to be strong and healthy....that way we can eat them! Did I mention the vast selection of different animals at the store? Yummy!
01 November, 2011
rulers
Every good little French student has at least one ruler in his/her trousse. The ruler is not just for math. The ruler is used at any and all times that necessitate a line. A STRAIGHT line. My students spend so much time using their rulers that I think it is the main reason why we never get through what I had planned for the class. I quickly underline a word on the board, they get out their rulers. I draw a quick box around a word, they draw four perfect lines around it. Don't even consider having them do a matching or connect-the-dots activity...yep, rulers required! At one point, frustrated by the wasting of precious time, I asked them why they had to use a ruler and if they could just quickly draw a line (their notebooks ARE lined, after all...) "Mais Madame, ce n'est pas joli comme ça!" Yep, from their very first year of school, these kids are instructed to use rulers any time that they are required to draw a line...
Besides making perfectly straight and joli lines, rulers make excellent swords. But, of course! I confiscate at least one ruler per day. It's not the embarrassment of having your ruler confiscated that teaches them a lesson, it's the fact that they will have to spend the rest of the day without a ruler and, gasp!, they will have lines that are pas joli in their notebooks!! Most students do not need to have their ruler confiscated twice! Once, after I took a ruler from a student, he calmly took a new shiny one out of his backpack. Whew! Uneven lines averted! No, I took that one too :)
Besides making perfectly straight and joli lines, rulers make excellent swords. But, of course! I confiscate at least one ruler per day. It's not the embarrassment of having your ruler confiscated that teaches them a lesson, it's the fact that they will have to spend the rest of the day without a ruler and, gasp!, they will have lines that are pas joli in their notebooks!! Most students do not need to have their ruler confiscated twice! Once, after I took a ruler from a student, he calmly took a new shiny one out of his backpack. Whew! Uneven lines averted! No, I took that one too :)
22 October, 2011
La semaine du gout
La semaine du gout is a week in France where there is a strong focus on food, taste, flavors, etc. At our school we had a menu contest, a vegetable sculpture contest, drawing contest, a "blind test" and the last day before the vacation of Toussant, we had a touch and smell activity in English class. I spent two weeks teaching my students about the food pyramid and the food groups in the US. We all learned a few things and added a few more lines to the "wall of differences" that I have in the classroom. For example...
I asked Dan to come to school at the end of the second week to help me carve pumpkins after the "concours" to see who could have the best pumpkin design in each of my four youngest classes. The kids had a great time pulling the "guts" out of the pumpkins. For many of them, it was a first. Halloween is sort of celebrated in France. A few of my students had carved pumpkins before, sometimes annually, but they were all impressed by my pumpkin carving skill. I do have more experience than they do! I toasted the seeds (okay, Dan toasted them!) and brought them in for the students who insisted on peeling them to eat them, even though I repeatedly showed them that you can pop the seeds straight into your mouth. (I also took some seeds to my art class, which provided great entertainment as the women there gingerly tasted seed after seed.)
So, even though I supposedly didn't "teach any English" over the past two weeks, I'm pretty sure the kids learned a thing or two!!
- Nuts are considered fruits in France.
- The "feculants" group (our grain/pasta group) also includes all starches in France, like corn, potatoes, etc.
- While I consider the tomato to be the only fruit/vegetable, the kids informed me of several other chameleon foods, like the avocado.
- Some vegetables have never made it big in the US, like leeks, and I doubt they ever will...
I asked Dan to come to school at the end of the second week to help me carve pumpkins after the "concours" to see who could have the best pumpkin design in each of my four youngest classes. The kids had a great time pulling the "guts" out of the pumpkins. For many of them, it was a first. Halloween is sort of celebrated in France. A few of my students had carved pumpkins before, sometimes annually, but they were all impressed by my pumpkin carving skill. I do have more experience than they do! I toasted the seeds (okay, Dan toasted them!) and brought them in for the students who insisted on peeling them to eat them, even though I repeatedly showed them that you can pop the seeds straight into your mouth. (I also took some seeds to my art class, which provided great entertainment as the women there gingerly tasted seed after seed.)
So, even though I supposedly didn't "teach any English" over the past two weeks, I'm pretty sure the kids learned a thing or two!!
21 October, 2011
Réunions parents-profs
Sounds scary, doesn't it? The parent-teacher conferences kind of snuck up on me, because there wasn't really much talk about them. All of a sudden I was kind of like "wait, don't we have conferences tonight?"
My first night, Tuesday, was only for the parents of students in 4e and 3e. I teach 3e FIBRE and an "option" class for 3e and also 4e. I didn't expect too many parents. I had about 2/3 of my FIBRE class show up. The parents (and often the students) wait outside your door until you are available. At times, I had a little line waiting to see me, but it was a pretty calm night. When the student came in with his/her parent, I asked the student how English class was going, if they understood, what I might encourage them to work on, etc. It was very helpful to have the student present because I didn't have to worry about a conversation at home where the parent would say... "your English teacher said..." and the student would innocently look back at their parent saying "I have no idea why she would say that..." Honestly, I enjoyed myself. I was home by 7:15.
Two days later was the big night. Conferences started at 5:00, a few minutes after classes ended. I had tried to organize time slots for the parents of "my class" but received shocked and confused looks when I handed out little call slips for the students to take home. They patiently explained to me that their parents were used to showing up and just waiting their turn outside the classroom. "This could certainly be handled in a more logical fashion," I thought to myself, "but when in Rome..er, Quiberon..." So, for three and half hours straight I had a line of curious parents and anxious students outside of my door. I think I saw at least 50 parents, of my 60 students who could have come. They were almost all very supportive and kind, and told me how lucky their child was to have a native speaker. (I know the students and parents in HI feel the same way). I joked with my students who were present about how I don't always do things comme il faut and that the learning goes in both directions.
The most frequent problem that I have in class? BAVARDAGE. These students are physically incapable of keeping quiet. I thought my 7th and 8th graders in HI were talkative, but these kids really can't stop themselves. It's so second nature that when I yell at them for talking, they innocently look at me and say "Mais, j'ai rien dit, Madame." And the scariest part? I think they really believe that they weren't talking!
Anyway, I was exhausted after the three and half hour continuous flow of parents, but I felt good. I know most of them just wanted to check me out, to lay eyes on the American, but it was a very positive experience for me. Now that I know I have allies, I wonder if their dear little children will behave any better...?!?
My first night, Tuesday, was only for the parents of students in 4e and 3e. I teach 3e FIBRE and an "option" class for 3e and also 4e. I didn't expect too many parents. I had about 2/3 of my FIBRE class show up. The parents (and often the students) wait outside your door until you are available. At times, I had a little line waiting to see me, but it was a pretty calm night. When the student came in with his/her parent, I asked the student how English class was going, if they understood, what I might encourage them to work on, etc. It was very helpful to have the student present because I didn't have to worry about a conversation at home where the parent would say... "your English teacher said..." and the student would innocently look back at their parent saying "I have no idea why she would say that..." Honestly, I enjoyed myself. I was home by 7:15.
Two days later was the big night. Conferences started at 5:00, a few minutes after classes ended. I had tried to organize time slots for the parents of "my class" but received shocked and confused looks when I handed out little call slips for the students to take home. They patiently explained to me that their parents were used to showing up and just waiting their turn outside the classroom. "This could certainly be handled in a more logical fashion," I thought to myself, "but when in Rome..er, Quiberon..." So, for three and half hours straight I had a line of curious parents and anxious students outside of my door. I think I saw at least 50 parents, of my 60 students who could have come. They were almost all very supportive and kind, and told me how lucky their child was to have a native speaker. (I know the students and parents in HI feel the same way). I joked with my students who were present about how I don't always do things comme il faut and that the learning goes in both directions.
The most frequent problem that I have in class? BAVARDAGE. These students are physically incapable of keeping quiet. I thought my 7th and 8th graders in HI were talkative, but these kids really can't stop themselves. It's so second nature that when I yell at them for talking, they innocently look at me and say "Mais, j'ai rien dit, Madame." And the scariest part? I think they really believe that they weren't talking!
Anyway, I was exhausted after the three and half hour continuous flow of parents, but I felt good. I know most of them just wanted to check me out, to lay eyes on the American, but it was a very positive experience for me. Now that I know I have allies, I wonder if their dear little children will behave any better...?!?
19 October, 2011
Moi? Ca va, mais Nausicaa ca va pas.
So our kitty for the year, Nausicaa came home the other night limping. She looked so sad and well, a little pathetic. We babied her and picked her up and put her on the ground or couch and we brought her food to her. But after a day she was still "ca va pas". She was even drooling four liters a minute (that's one gallon for you Americans)! So I asked Sophie what to do and we decided to take her to the vet. So on Wednesday after Erin's art class I went over and told the neighbors the problem. Why did I go? Because Erin said I had to. It was one of those moments when we weren't seeing eye-to-eye on how things worked. So I went over and tried to explain that her paw was hurt. The neighbor came over and Erin and her went to the vet. Long story short, she fractured her poor paw.
The vet, who is the husband of a lady I play badminton with, was very nice and gave us some drugs and said it would heal in a few days. But poor kitty still had a hurt paw. But it's getting better. But it was an adventure. She's still holding her little "patte" (paw) up when she sits sometimes, but that's probably habit more than anything.
While she was still healing, she was supposed to stay inside. She did not like that. She was so anxious. We moved her litter box to block the kitty door and for 2 days we checked it... but nothing. Then on the 2nd day she was being really weird. She followed me into the bathroom while I shaved and BAM - she did her business. Yes, gross. But at least it was in the shower and easy to clean. So we promptly moved her litter box to her desired location. To get out of the house we had to take advantage of her two weaknesses: her paw and her hunger. Erin would leave quickly and as Nausicaa chased her I'd go over to the area where her food is, she'd come slowly over and then I'd run for the door before she could slowly make her way back across the house. I know it was mean, but it was the only way for us to get out and keep her in. Poor kitty, being teased while she's hurt.
The vet, who is the husband of a lady I play badminton with, was very nice and gave us some drugs and said it would heal in a few days. But poor kitty still had a hurt paw. But it's getting better. But it was an adventure. She's still holding her little "patte" (paw) up when she sits sometimes, but that's probably habit more than anything.
While she was still healing, she was supposed to stay inside. She did not like that. She was so anxious. We moved her litter box to block the kitty door and for 2 days we checked it... but nothing. Then on the 2nd day she was being really weird. She followed me into the bathroom while I shaved and BAM - she did her business. Yes, gross. But at least it was in the shower and easy to clean. So we promptly moved her litter box to her desired location. To get out of the house we had to take advantage of her two weaknesses: her paw and her hunger. Erin would leave quickly and as Nausicaa chased her I'd go over to the area where her food is, she'd come slowly over and then I'd run for the door before she could slowly make her way back across the house. I know it was mean, but it was the only way for us to get out and keep her in. Poor kitty, being teased while she's hurt.
18 October, 2011
Owl....comme "Hoot Hoot"
So in France, normally you drop your kid off and pick them up at the gate. No one but teachers and kids go in the school (ok, thats a little bit of an exaggeration, but it's more closed off than schools in the US). But from day one, Erin's principal made it clear that we are the exception. That I was allowed anytime and that it would be a welcome change for me to visit the school. Problem was I just didn't really know what that meant. So on Fridays the school runs a restaurant and I went to that - once. Other than that - nothing. But then Halloween came and Erin had a contest for the best drawing of a carved pumpkin. She would then carve the winners from each grade during recess. When the time came though she realized she needed my help since having 50 kids in the library with knives and her having to carve 4 pumpkins might get a little crazy!
So I headed to the school and was greeted by a swarm of kids in the courtyard. I opened the gate and put on my best brave face and walked - fearful that at any moment one of these (admittedly adorable) kids would speak to me! What would I do then? Bolt for the car? Then as I got to the doors for the school I saw they were blocked by kids lining up to go back in. Were the doors locked? Surely if I tried to open the doors and they were locked the kids would start talking to me. Panic set in and my life flashed before me eyes, but then a bright light blinded me and I saw an angel opening the door - a miracle saved me....well actually it was just Erin opening the door and wondering why I was late, but it was a miracle in my eyes!
We went to the library to get things set up and then she let the kids in and I can honestly say I've never been more impressed with Erin. Sure I knew she could speak French. But speaking French to 20 different people and managing the chaos was quite impressive. In any given minute she had 20 different kids from all over the library asking her questions and demanding her time. All of this of course in wicked fast french (which since we're talking about little kids I assume was not the most proper french).
So there I am, the mute tall guy, helping the kids separate the seeds from the rest of the insides of the pumpkin. What do I say when they ask me why we're separating them? Oh because I'll cook them and you can eat them. What do I say when they ask if they can use the knife and cut? "No, you can't, Madame Cleveland said I have to taste it." (In my bad french) "You're going to taste it?" They say while giggling. Then the sweetest girl in the world (when Erin talks about her from now on that's how she refers to that girl so I know who she's talking about) politely tells me I meant "cut" it (gouter vs. couper).
But the kids had fun (I think). And so did I. So I start to clean up and Erin asks me to stay for the next class so she can finish carving while I play bingo with the kids. So the kids come and some of them ask me if I know some songs or what some words from songs mean (how am I supposed to explain the meaning of "to shuffle on" in french?!). We finally started playing bingo - basically I called out halloween words and then they marked it on their board. We have fun with it - when I say something half the class goes "what'd he say?!?!?" and the other half translates it. Unlike a true teacher, I quickly picked my favorites. One of my favorites didn't understand when I said "owl" so I hooted for them and they loved it! I also learned which kids like which phrases in English (there's "slow down" boy, "hush" girl, etc.).
All in all it was a lot of fun. I was hoping to head in the next day for another halloween day but I was too busy preparing for our vacation. But with Thanksgiving coming up I'm sure I'll be able to go in again.
So I headed to the school and was greeted by a swarm of kids in the courtyard. I opened the gate and put on my best brave face and walked - fearful that at any moment one of these (admittedly adorable) kids would speak to me! What would I do then? Bolt for the car? Then as I got to the doors for the school I saw they were blocked by kids lining up to go back in. Were the doors locked? Surely if I tried to open the doors and they were locked the kids would start talking to me. Panic set in and my life flashed before me eyes, but then a bright light blinded me and I saw an angel opening the door - a miracle saved me....well actually it was just Erin opening the door and wondering why I was late, but it was a miracle in my eyes!
We went to the library to get things set up and then she let the kids in and I can honestly say I've never been more impressed with Erin. Sure I knew she could speak French. But speaking French to 20 different people and managing the chaos was quite impressive. In any given minute she had 20 different kids from all over the library asking her questions and demanding her time. All of this of course in wicked fast french (which since we're talking about little kids I assume was not the most proper french).
So there I am, the mute tall guy, helping the kids separate the seeds from the rest of the insides of the pumpkin. What do I say when they ask me why we're separating them? Oh because I'll cook them and you can eat them. What do I say when they ask if they can use the knife and cut? "No, you can't, Madame Cleveland said I have to taste it." (In my bad french) "You're going to taste it?" They say while giggling. Then the sweetest girl in the world (when Erin talks about her from now on that's how she refers to that girl so I know who she's talking about) politely tells me I meant "cut" it (gouter vs. couper).
But the kids had fun (I think). And so did I. So I start to clean up and Erin asks me to stay for the next class so she can finish carving while I play bingo with the kids. So the kids come and some of them ask me if I know some songs or what some words from songs mean (how am I supposed to explain the meaning of "to shuffle on" in french?!). We finally started playing bingo - basically I called out halloween words and then they marked it on their board. We have fun with it - when I say something half the class goes "what'd he say?!?!?" and the other half translates it. Unlike a true teacher, I quickly picked my favorites. One of my favorites didn't understand when I said "owl" so I hooted for them and they loved it! I also learned which kids like which phrases in English (there's "slow down" boy, "hush" girl, etc.).
All in all it was a lot of fun. I was hoping to head in the next day for another halloween day but I was too busy preparing for our vacation. But with Thanksgiving coming up I'm sure I'll be able to go in again.
13 October, 2011
la grève des trousses
Following the example of their teachers, some of my 5e students also decided to go on grève. They told me it was the "grève des trousses" and that they would not use their trousses that day. A trousse is a pencil case that is super important to French students. In it they have their assorted pen colors, ink refills for their plume pens, a compass, erasers, and most importantly, a ruler. Yes, a ruler is very important. Why, you might ask? Well, because no French student would ever dare make a line that wasn't straight. In any case, although the students on this particular day thought they would be pulling one over on me, I got the last laugh when they begrudgingly got out their pens and rulers to copy down their notes. Heaven forbid they draw a line that wasn't straight...They just couldn't help themselves. Grève fail.
06 October, 2011
Paris and being Faux Papa
There was a reunion in Paris for all of the Fulbright teachers and also a mandatory medical visit for them and anyone staying for the year over 18. Of course this also meant that most of the children came with their mom (since none of the fathers came to France). This meant that while the teachers were busy with programs for the exchange, I became the faux papa to two 8 year old boys, a 12 year old boy, and a 13 year old boy. As Erin often has to remind me, I had to be the adult which meant no instigating allowed! I just was praying the moms had come up with some kid friendly events in Paris.
We hopped on the train and arrived in Paris a day early so I could at least meet my new kids before I had to be responsible for them. But instead, after checking in at the hotel, we went "tout de suite" to the exact opposite of the city (an hour by 3 different metro lines!) to meet Erin's friend from one of her previous exchanges. We ended up having a great evening watching a band, drinking some wine, and then biking through the streets of Paris in the dark (as cheesy as it sounds, I loved the biking part - I felt like I was a true frenchmen). We shared some couscous and then went back to our friends' apartment for a digestif (after dinner drink). Erin had some berry moonshine from the Czech Republic (or something) and I sipped a whiskey and we shared some nougat.
The next morning Erin woke up feeling horrible (berry moonshine from Czech - what could be wrong with that?!) but we got up and did a day touring Paris with the other teachers and kids. Half way through the day Erin was still in pain and needed me to take her home. We tried to get her some headache medicine but the pharmacies were all closed (it was Sunday after all!). I listened closely and found the next english speaking group (two women) and asked if they spoke English (in French I asked, even though I had stalked them for about 5 minutes to make sure they were English speakers) and they said yes and I explained that Erin was having a killer headache and I asked if they had anything (knowing no was probably the answer). As it turns out the one lady was a nurse and she had two different pills - basically Advil and Excedrin. She gave Erin the stronger pill and after we got lunch Erin was doing better. If that random lady is reading this and she remembers giving pills to random strangers on the street in Paris (sounds bad when I put it like that!) - THANK YOU!
The teachers then left me with the kids while they did a quick check-in (although there was a misunderstanding and it turned out it was a formal meeting that they missed half of, but that's for Erin to explain). I had the kids for probably a total of 1.5hrs and I was paniced by the end! The moms thought it would be fun for us to hangout at the Eiffel Tour - sounds good in theory right? A nice park and tons of grass. Oh and thousands of aggressive souvenir vendors, tens of thousands of people (I guess its a popular monument to visit?), and oh yes, just to add to the fun, 5 weddings photos! So I was constantly running after the kids. The one was playing with a bottle of water, just throwing it up in the air....and then losing control of it and almost severely hurting a innocent bystander! To their credit, when we were in the middle of the worst of the crowds, I asked them to forgive me but to hold my hand and they readily did. The next few days should be interesting!
The kids went back with their moms and the rest of us met up with the partner of one of the french teachers that we had met in DC, and also his cousin. They took us to a nice place for dinner and we just had a great time talking with them and walking around Paris.
The kids went back with their moms and the rest of us met up with the partner of one of the french teachers that we had met in DC, and also his cousin. They took us to a nice place for dinner and we just had a great time talking with them and walking around Paris.
The next day I met the 18 year old daughter and her friend of one of the teachers. So I was not alone in watching the kids. We headed off to the Louvre, with the main mission being "to see the Mona Lisa". We got to the line to and we waited patiently....well some of us did, the younger ones ran around while they still could. We got our tickets and headed into the main museum section and walked passed rows and rows of statues - or as one of the boys called them "millions of naked men and women". We slowly made our way towards the Mona Lisa, stopping for rests along the way - did anyone ever think to put a few metro stops inside the museum? I suppose it might subtract a little from the ambiance though.
So we were walking through hallway after hallway of priceless works of art. In the US there would have been massive barriers to prevent anyone from touching them. The french version is a thin metal bar about a foot off the ground - nothing else. No joke. I just about died. I easily saw one of the kids running up to the painting, tripping on what was suppose to be a barrier and long story short, I'm locked away in a french prison never to be heard from again. After our last stop, we spotted a sign for the Mona Lisa and make the turn. Luckily, she was very well guarded - ropes, two workers, and glass around her. I let out a slight sigh and that's when one of the kids ran off. Luckily I grabbed him quickly and we headed out of Mona Lisa's room.
We decided it was time for lunch and since we were in the middle of the museum we kept going forward. We eventually made it out and one of the boys exclaimed joyfully "no more naked dudes!" I was equally happy about not being sent to a french jail.
We fed the boys a healthy lunch of crepe au nutella (hey, when in france...) and headed back to the hotel to wait for the teachers. I started to get ready for the big reception that night and as I finished cutting the tags off of my new suit, Erin came in and started to get dressed. We went downstairs and met everyone. We were headed to a very posh reception at "Quai d'Orsy" which when we told people, they immediately went "oh la la" - this wasn't a shorts a slippers type of place!
We arrived and had our identification and invitations checked by the french military before we were allowed entrance. We all were in awe of the place and took hundreds of pictures before we even walked up the red carpet towards the inside. We were ushered back towards the reception area. We spotted Erin's new principal for the year and introduced her to the other teachers. After a brief couple of speeches the wine and desserts began to flow.
We helped ourselves to some champagne and mingled with the other fulbrighters and a couple of principals that had made the trip. One principal tried to leave early, but there was another state function happening at the same time and we were required to stay put until we were released. Maybe I did end up in prison after all - if so, and if the champagne kept flowing, I don't think I'd mind!
The next day was more of the same. Touring around Paris with the kids. It was a lot of fun. We played "touche" (tag), in the Luxembourg Gardens and generally ran around. We ate at "McDo" (my first McDonalds experience in France) and were blown away by how fancy it was. The teachers had another dinner (this time without me) so the girls and I took the kids out to a pizza place.
That evening the teachers came home and crashed. The girls who had helped me watch the kids wanted to go to see the Moulin Rouge. So I went with them. They were not expecting to walk off the metro and for it to be....so blatant. So we found a bar across the street and had a few drinks while watching the Moulin Rouge. A few Americans heard us speaking English and ran over. We just started talking and ended up losing track of time. We bolted to the metro with 5 minutes to spare before they closed......or so we thought. We missed it by literally 30 seconds!
As I was trying to ask the metro lady for help (in french) on how to get home a group of Japanese business men started asking me for help (in english). Then a french guy was telling the girls that he could help us get home by the bus. He seemed very nice, but also a little drunk. So I showed the Japanese guys where they needed to go (not far) and when I showed them where we were going they just said "good luck!" We were about as far away as we could have been. I joined the girls waiting for the bus with the drunk french guy and I talked with his more sober friends and we checked the map and lo and behold, he was right. So we grabbed the next bus and headed home - extremely glad we didn't end up having to walk!
The next morning the kids and I stayed in and watched a movie. Around lunch time the teachers joined us and we headed out to our mandatory medical visit. We waited outside this closed (it was lunch time) government building on a side street. Lots of other immigrants were there and were waiting in line, but it was arranged for us to just wait off to the side and come when it was our turn. They took us in and it was very intimidating - but luckily we had our Fulbright person to walk us through the process and the workers couldn't have been any nicer.
When I was called, I explained I only spoke a little French. She was really nice and weighed me and took my height. Then they had me read letters from a distance (I just hoped I pronounced them correctly!) and then she gave me a book and asked me to read. What?! So I read the best I can, not understanding a single sound that is coming out of my mouth. Just as I'm getting the "chez moi" (words I know!) she says I did good. But wait, I can read that! Oh well.
Next they put me in line with a few other teachers and explain that when its my turn to go in the room and take my shirt off. But considering past problems I've had with my clothes and the french (the diver in Tahiti who wanted me to strip naked on the beach to put a wetsuit on and others), I confirmed with the teachers, "just my shirt right?" When it was my turn they asked me to hold my breathe and then exhale (luckily I knew those words from watching TV - is there anything TV can't teach us?). Then I had a short interview and the lady apologized for not speaking better English which I told her no, I need to be speaking French. All in all, what should have been a scary process (and we're told its suppose to be to make the immigration process hard), was actually delightful.
So we headed back to the hotel to get our bags and then headed to the gare. What an exhausting few days, just like DC was - and just like DC, it was a lot of fun!
So we were walking through hallway after hallway of priceless works of art. In the US there would have been massive barriers to prevent anyone from touching them. The french version is a thin metal bar about a foot off the ground - nothing else. No joke. I just about died. I easily saw one of the kids running up to the painting, tripping on what was suppose to be a barrier and long story short, I'm locked away in a french prison never to be heard from again. After our last stop, we spotted a sign for the Mona Lisa and make the turn. Luckily, she was very well guarded - ropes, two workers, and glass around her. I let out a slight sigh and that's when one of the kids ran off. Luckily I grabbed him quickly and we headed out of Mona Lisa's room.
We decided it was time for lunch and since we were in the middle of the museum we kept going forward. We eventually made it out and one of the boys exclaimed joyfully "no more naked dudes!" I was equally happy about not being sent to a french jail.
We fed the boys a healthy lunch of crepe au nutella (hey, when in france...) and headed back to the hotel to wait for the teachers. I started to get ready for the big reception that night and as I finished cutting the tags off of my new suit, Erin came in and started to get dressed. We went downstairs and met everyone. We were headed to a very posh reception at "Quai d'Orsy" which when we told people, they immediately went "oh la la" - this wasn't a shorts a slippers type of place!
We arrived and had our identification and invitations checked by the french military before we were allowed entrance. We all were in awe of the place and took hundreds of pictures before we even walked up the red carpet towards the inside. We were ushered back towards the reception area. We spotted Erin's new principal for the year and introduced her to the other teachers. After a brief couple of speeches the wine and desserts began to flow.
We helped ourselves to some champagne and mingled with the other fulbrighters and a couple of principals that had made the trip. One principal tried to leave early, but there was another state function happening at the same time and we were required to stay put until we were released. Maybe I did end up in prison after all - if so, and if the champagne kept flowing, I don't think I'd mind!
The next day was more of the same. Touring around Paris with the kids. It was a lot of fun. We played "touche" (tag), in the Luxembourg Gardens and generally ran around. We ate at "McDo" (my first McDonalds experience in France) and were blown away by how fancy it was. The teachers had another dinner (this time without me) so the girls and I took the kids out to a pizza place.
That evening the teachers came home and crashed. The girls who had helped me watch the kids wanted to go to see the Moulin Rouge. So I went with them. They were not expecting to walk off the metro and for it to be....so blatant. So we found a bar across the street and had a few drinks while watching the Moulin Rouge. A few Americans heard us speaking English and ran over. We just started talking and ended up losing track of time. We bolted to the metro with 5 minutes to spare before they closed......or so we thought. We missed it by literally 30 seconds!
As I was trying to ask the metro lady for help (in french) on how to get home a group of Japanese business men started asking me for help (in english). Then a french guy was telling the girls that he could help us get home by the bus. He seemed very nice, but also a little drunk. So I showed the Japanese guys where they needed to go (not far) and when I showed them where we were going they just said "good luck!" We were about as far away as we could have been. I joined the girls waiting for the bus with the drunk french guy and I talked with his more sober friends and we checked the map and lo and behold, he was right. So we grabbed the next bus and headed home - extremely glad we didn't end up having to walk!
The next morning the kids and I stayed in and watched a movie. Around lunch time the teachers joined us and we headed out to our mandatory medical visit. We waited outside this closed (it was lunch time) government building on a side street. Lots of other immigrants were there and were waiting in line, but it was arranged for us to just wait off to the side and come when it was our turn. They took us in and it was very intimidating - but luckily we had our Fulbright person to walk us through the process and the workers couldn't have been any nicer.
When I was called, I explained I only spoke a little French. She was really nice and weighed me and took my height. Then they had me read letters from a distance (I just hoped I pronounced them correctly!) and then she gave me a book and asked me to read. What?! So I read the best I can, not understanding a single sound that is coming out of my mouth. Just as I'm getting the "chez moi" (words I know!) she says I did good. But wait, I can read that! Oh well.
Next they put me in line with a few other teachers and explain that when its my turn to go in the room and take my shirt off. But considering past problems I've had with my clothes and the french (the diver in Tahiti who wanted me to strip naked on the beach to put a wetsuit on and others), I confirmed with the teachers, "just my shirt right?" When it was my turn they asked me to hold my breathe and then exhale (luckily I knew those words from watching TV - is there anything TV can't teach us?). Then I had a short interview and the lady apologized for not speaking better English which I told her no, I need to be speaking French. All in all, what should have been a scary process (and we're told its suppose to be to make the immigration process hard), was actually delightful.
So we headed back to the hotel to get our bags and then headed to the gare. What an exhausting few days, just like DC was - and just like DC, it was a lot of fun!
27 September, 2011
être ou ne pas être grèviste?!?
Today the teachers are en grève. Today at school, I was the only other teacher, besides the PE teacher to come to school. And he left the school to take his class on a two-hour sailing lesson, at the National Sailing School, as planned. How strange for me... For my first hour, no students showed up. So, I dutifully filled out my attendance sheet with the entire class roster and walked it down to the office instead of hanging it on the nail outside of the classroom door. At the office, I joined an early pause café with the gestionnaire, chef, et sécrétaire. It was nice; relaxing. I of course answered their obligatory questions about striking in the US to the best of my ability, having never really participated in a strike myself.
For the past few weeks, teachers had been whispering to each other about whether or not they would join the nation-wide movement today or not. Students kept asking me, "Madame, vous êtes grèviste?" It was hard for them to hide their disappointment when I would answer, "Non, il y aura des cours d'anglais, ne vous inqiuètez pas!" (No, don't worry, there will be English class!)
So, here I sit in the teacher's lounge, listening to the few present students mill around in the hallway until "class" starts up again.
For the past few weeks, teachers had been whispering to each other about whether or not they would join the nation-wide movement today or not. Students kept asking me, "Madame, vous êtes grèviste?" It was hard for them to hide their disappointment when I would answer, "Non, il y aura des cours d'anglais, ne vous inqiuètez pas!" (No, don't worry, there will be English class!)
So, here I sit in the teacher's lounge, listening to the few present students mill around in the hallway until "class" starts up again.
25 September, 2011
shopping and a new friend
Yesterday morning we skyped with Sophie for the first time in about a week or so. We have both been so busy with school, but finally had a chance to catch up on how everything was going for each of us. After we swapped stories about our classes, Sophie asked us what "projets" we had planned for the weekend. We told her that we had hoped to go to Lorient to shop. (Every French person in the area apparently feels compelled to explain the "ugliness" of Lorient to us... Yes, we know Lorient is not pretty. Yes, we know it was completely destroyed during "la guerre" and hastily rebuilt and frankly, maybe we could give them a little credit...?!)
Sophie told us that she has a good friend in Lorient who would love to meet us. So, we sent a text to Rachel, played phone tag a little, shopped a bit in H&M, then met up for a drink at a cafe, as it was quite nice and sunny this weekend. We had a great time talking with her for over an hour. She speaks English, and in fact, I thought maybe she was Irish! We chatted a little about our classes - she is also teaching English in the same grades that I am. I also discovered I am a few days behind in the lessons!! We traded some activities for our classes, joked about the colored-pen obsession, and traded emails. It was so nice to spend the afternoon with such a nice person. Sophie sure has some kind and welcoming friends!! We parted ways promising to meet up again soon.
Oh yeah, and we bought a few sweaters, too.
Sophie told us that she has a good friend in Lorient who would love to meet us. So, we sent a text to Rachel, played phone tag a little, shopped a bit in H&M, then met up for a drink at a cafe, as it was quite nice and sunny this weekend. We had a great time talking with her for over an hour. She speaks English, and in fact, I thought maybe she was Irish! We chatted a little about our classes - she is also teaching English in the same grades that I am. I also discovered I am a few days behind in the lessons!! We traded some activities for our classes, joked about the colored-pen obsession, and traded emails. It was so nice to spend the afternoon with such a nice person. Sophie sure has some kind and welcoming friends!! We parted ways promising to meet up again soon.
Oh yeah, and we bought a few sweaters, too.
24 September, 2011
Un Diner Presque Parfait *
* "Un diner presque parfait" is a show in which there are about 5 candidates who each host a dinner party at their home. The guests rate the person on their food, presentation, animation, etc.
Erin kept trying to have me read books about living abroad to brace me for culture shock. But I didn't see the point. Things will be different, I can fight them or roll with the punches. We did it when we moved to Hawaii and it wasn't bad. I enjoy new experiences, so I wasn't worried. But in DC they recommended a few books that dealt with living in France. Now that seemed something good - it would be better to know what's coming then to do my first load of laundry and spend all day searching for a dryer (hint: many French people don't use a dryer!). So I read it and it was good but some parts were mainly for people not even in the upper 1% but the upper 0.5% living in Paris. Or at least that's what I thought!
We were invited to a dinner at our new friends' house with some people from their English class, that the wife takes. I hesitated with what to wear but decided to dress a little nicer. And after being there for about 5 minutes I was glad I did. This was going to be a full on french dinner - 5 courses and all! We started up stairs and Erin and I sat on opposite sides of the room - not on purpose of course, she's my security blanket! But I ended having a semi-conversation with the husband and one of their friends. I managed to hold my own and follow most of what was said. I became the hit of the party when I busted out my key phrase: "Je parle comme une vache espangole" (I speak like a spanish cow) which is just a funny way of saying I don't speak french well (why they pick on the poor spanish cows, I don't know). But everyone was on the floor laughing.
We continued downstairs for the first dish of fois gras, followed by a beautiful dish of rice and chicken, a salad, some cheese, and dessert. Of course a rainbow of wine was also involved in the night, but I can't even begin to say what colors when. But it was a lovely night! So much fun and...well just lots of fun. We did speak some English, but most of it was French and it made me feel really good about the little progress I'd made so far.
How does this dinner relate to the TV show or the book I read? Well, we followed all the protocols for etiquette in the book. The seating was boy-girl and Erin and I did not sit next to each other (we can talk to each other every day after all), Erin (being the guest and a girl) was served first, which she hated because she didn't know how much or what to do. And if they were on the show, I would be forced to give them a 10. I probably should mark them down to a 9 since on the show they always have an activity, but I was grateful for not having one!
We talked about Thanksgiving and said we should do a dinner then - so hopefully we will. When we left I felt bad knowing how many dishes we had dirtied and how much cleaning they'd have. But I knew better than to offer to help. But we did follow the protocol, we arrived late (actually at the same time as another couple), we brought a trivet for them from Hawaii, and we wrote a thank you letter the next day. Good thing I read that book!
22 September, 2011
when yelling works...
I have learned over the past two weeks that scolding students, glaring at them with the famous teacher "look" and even writing a "mot" in their "Carnet" does not always work as effectively as we hope. French kids are very, very bavards. Even when I ask them to be quiet, yell at them to be quiet, etc. They stop for like two seconds, then continue on. They also touch each other all the time. Okay, this is not exclusive to the French, but is an international 7th/8th grade related problem, in my experience. It's an adolescent thing. Oh, and don't even get me started on how many rulers I've had to confiscate. "Boys, we don't play swords with our rulers..." Class, what is the rule about touching? "Don't touch neighbor!" Yep, my 7th and 8th graders back home have the same rule.
So, yesterday I had two kids who just couldn't stop picking at each other. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I've got quite a few tattle tales in class. Apparently, it is always the fault of someone else. "I turned around to answer him, Madame. It's his fault." After an hour of this, I was fed up. I finally said in my stern, but firm English "You know what? I don't care whose fault it is. You are both acting very childish and I simply asked you to not talk to each other. Stay facing the board, and do not talk to each other. Or, you know what I'll do, I'll make you sit together at the same table..." (Or something similar) The class was silent. Remember, I wasn't yelling, just stern. Finally, one of the girls in question said "Madame, je vous ai pas compris, mais tenez. Je pense qu'il faut que vous écriviez un mot dans mon carnet." I almost smiled. Message received.
(For those readers who are not French, the Carnet is a booklet of correspondence between the parents and teachers, in which teachers write about misbehavior, etc. The girl said - Madame, I didn't understand you, but here. I think you want to write a word in my carnet.)
So, yesterday I had two kids who just couldn't stop picking at each other. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I've got quite a few tattle tales in class. Apparently, it is always the fault of someone else. "I turned around to answer him, Madame. It's his fault." After an hour of this, I was fed up. I finally said in my stern, but firm English "You know what? I don't care whose fault it is. You are both acting very childish and I simply asked you to not talk to each other. Stay facing the board, and do not talk to each other. Or, you know what I'll do, I'll make you sit together at the same table..." (Or something similar) The class was silent. Remember, I wasn't yelling, just stern. Finally, one of the girls in question said "Madame, je vous ai pas compris, mais tenez. Je pense qu'il faut que vous écriviez un mot dans mon carnet." I almost smiled. Message received.
(For those readers who are not French, the Carnet is a booklet of correspondence between the parents and teachers, in which teachers write about misbehavior, etc. The girl said - Madame, I didn't understand you, but here. I think you want to write a word in my carnet.)
For every success there is at least one failure...
We've been here in France for a little over a month now and things have been wonderful! We've met so many nice people and I've had numerous successful interactions with people in french. We've seen some amazing things and have had more than a few adventures. I truly have been very happy here. But that's not to say that everything is easy. The other day I had a mini-melt down. Erin has been having a hard time with school - just getting used to the different system and the more..."energetic" students. And before school she started getting upset with me for not doing more around the house and just in general. And I broke down and explained how everything every day is struggle for me. That I can't do anything without constant fear. Its not that anything is really hard, but its that everything is so different and so things take so much longer. And heaven help me if someone asks me a question when I go shopping or leave the house! While the things I have to do are simple and easy for Erin, they are far from a vacation for me. If she doesn't understand something she can ask for an explanation and only fear a tiny blow to her ego. Me, I've stopped trying to ask questions. I did it a few times in the beginning but now I've learned that asking questions won't result in me learning anything - so I just walk around town hoping people think I'm a mute! Don't get me wrong, no one, not a single person, has ever been anything but extremely nice and helpful. But here are just two examples of some failed interactions when I mistakenly tried to communicate....
So I pulled into a parking lot to check the waves before meeting up with a friend (who speaks english). As I walked passed these two guys I hear: "excuse-moi, monsieur?" I ignored him twice but the third time I figured I should at least acknowledge him.
Me: "Oui?"
Him: "blah blah blah" (I think he asked me if the waves were good)
Me: "Je ne sais pas encore" (I don't know yet.)
Him: "...." (his face tells me I clearly did not give him an answer that made any sense. It was if he asked if I knew where the gas station was and I responded with 'whales are mammals'.)
Me: "Desole, je ne peu peu peu peu"
(I wanted to say 'I can't speak french' which has 3 'p' words back to back which is always a tongue twister for me!)
Me: "Je ne peu peu peu peu"
*Sigh*
(I take a inhale/exhale and try again slowly)
Me: "Je ne peu peu peu pe..."
His friend: "Tu ne peut pas parler francais?"
Me: "Oui! Merci! Desole!"
(and we all have a good laugh and I quickly turn and walk away!)
Then just tonight I was playing badminton. I go with our friend Andreas and his son Victor who both speak english. And the people we play with know I'm from Hawaii and they are very nice. But tonight I was playing doubles without Andreas or Victor nearby. And after the game I walked over to get the "volant" and then joined the other 3 by the net to say "bien jeue". The other three were talking in fast french and I had just met these three people tonight. So here's what how I heard the conversation:
One of the guys: "Daniel?" (pointing at me)
Me: "Oui, Dan comme Daniel" (Yes, Dan, like Daniel)
Them: ".....D'accord, blah blah blah"
(then everyone says oui so I do also and then we get in position to play another game)
After reflecting a little, I realized this is actually what they said:
One of them: "Le dernier?" (One last game?)
Me: "Oui, Dan comme Daniel" (Yes, Dan like Daniel)
Them: ".....D'accord blah blah blah (probably: Ok, well lets play then)
So basically they asked if I wanted to play again and I respond like Tarzan, "Me Dan". I can only imagine how much of a moron I sounded like! Erin had a good laugh but did say that "dernier" is close to "daniel" and since I was arriving late to the conversation etc. etc., bottom line "Me Dan!"
So I pulled into a parking lot to check the waves before meeting up with a friend (who speaks english). As I walked passed these two guys I hear: "excuse-moi, monsieur?" I ignored him twice but the third time I figured I should at least acknowledge him.
Me: "Oui?"
Him: "blah blah blah" (I think he asked me if the waves were good)
Me: "Je ne sais pas encore" (I don't know yet.)
Him: "...." (his face tells me I clearly did not give him an answer that made any sense. It was if he asked if I knew where the gas station was and I responded with 'whales are mammals'.)
Me: "Desole, je ne peu peu peu peu"
(I wanted to say 'I can't speak french' which has 3 'p' words back to back which is always a tongue twister for me!)
Me: "Je ne peu peu peu peu"
*Sigh*
(I take a inhale/exhale and try again slowly)
Me: "Je ne peu peu peu pe..."
His friend: "Tu ne peut pas parler francais?"
Me: "Oui! Merci! Desole!"
(and we all have a good laugh and I quickly turn and walk away!)
Then just tonight I was playing badminton. I go with our friend Andreas and his son Victor who both speak english. And the people we play with know I'm from Hawaii and they are very nice. But tonight I was playing doubles without Andreas or Victor nearby. And after the game I walked over to get the "volant" and then joined the other 3 by the net to say "bien jeue". The other three were talking in fast french and I had just met these three people tonight. So here's what how I heard the conversation:
One of the guys: "Daniel?" (pointing at me)
Me: "Oui, Dan comme Daniel" (Yes, Dan, like Daniel)
Them: ".....D'accord, blah blah blah"
(then everyone says oui so I do also and then we get in position to play another game)
After reflecting a little, I realized this is actually what they said:
One of them: "Le dernier?" (One last game?)
Me: "Oui, Dan comme Daniel" (Yes, Dan like Daniel)
Them: ".....D'accord blah blah blah (probably: Ok, well lets play then)
So basically they asked if I wanted to play again and I respond like Tarzan, "Me Dan". I can only imagine how much of a moron I sounded like! Erin had a good laugh but did say that "dernier" is close to "daniel" and since I was arriving late to the conversation etc. etc., bottom line "Me Dan!"
Dessin
I love my drawing class. I was nervous to join because I hadn't really drawn since high school, and was never that good then, but I did a pretty good job, non?!
20 September, 2011
Pulling My Own Weight
One of the most common questions I get asked is what I'm doing this year (actually am I bored? is probably the most common question, but I never can understand when someone asks me that question for some reason, so we won't count that question!). And everyone wants to help because I say I'd love to do something but I don't have the right to work and the last thing I want is to be sent home over illegally working! But nothing says I can't help people just because I'm nice. So I, and Erin especially, tell people if they need help to give me a call. So while we were in Rennes with "the parents", Erin's drawing teacher called and said her husband was having computer problems. When we returned to Quiberon, it was "au boulot" (to work!). Now, just so we're all on the same page - I've met the drawing teacher about twice and just told her "yeah I'm good with computers". I never met her husband or told her anything about my previous work. But they are in a panic because the husband needs his computer fixed by the next morning. He's a dentist surgeon.So I get in the car with him and Erin. I don't think any of us say anything during the ride into town. He didn't really know why these Americans were on his presqu'ile, Erin was exhausted and probably half asleep (you know how she gets in the car), and I...well, I don't speak french.
Once we get to his office, he points me to his computer and turns it on and nothing happens. It's "bloqué". Awesome. So I start to work the normal way - just trying to figure out what's going on and what does work etc. Erin's bugging me with questions about what I'm doing and what the problem is. What the problem is? Really, I just got here. What I'm doing? Ok, you wanna know I'm in the BIOS seeing what the boot order is and now I'm checking to see if there are any indicator lights on and now I'm checking to see if there's a boot loader - does that help?!?! But then she explained to me what it looks like for this poor dentist who is at the office at 8pm on a Sunday (an unheard of event in France!) with someone who is, for all he knows, maybe making things worse and best of all, the guy (me) doesn't say anything! So I pull it together and I try to explain some things to him - basically that I have no idea and I'm just checking everything out first.
Well it must have been my lucky day because BAM it started to work. What did I do? Ha, don't ask. All I did was tell the computer to try and boot off of a CD before booting off the hard drive (essentially nothing) - but it worked. So he was extremely excited! So we head back to the house and they tell me their home computer isn't working either. So I sit down and realize they have a bad virus infection - but tell them I'll come back the next day to fix it. So I grab my coat and Erin tells me we're going to have an apéro with them.
So they break out the bubbly and celebrate our new friendship with some delicious little pupus (appetizers) and just talk for a couple of hours.
The next day I come back to fix the computer at 10am - long story short, the virus is awful! So I need the Windows install CD - which they don't have. But they know a guy who might have it. So we head into town and for some reason we sit down at a restaurant......OK, that's not what I was expecting. So they order me this awesome fish dish - yummy yes, but I'm not sure how that will help the computer. The chef comes out and he chats with them and then he comes out with the Windows CD. Ah yes, of course, the chef had the Windows CD! So we head back home, after dessert of course, and I spend the next couple of hours fixing it. Finally it works.
So a simple virus infection that should have taken 2 hours to fix took from 10am until 4pm! But in addition to the working computer, we also have very good friends! So yes, everything takes longer here and we could complain about the inefficiencies, but it's because relationships matter more. We're slowly learning that and enjoying it. So I may not be pulling my own weight with money, but I am making us rich with friendship (did I really just write that?!).
Once we get to his office, he points me to his computer and turns it on and nothing happens. It's "bloqué". Awesome. So I start to work the normal way - just trying to figure out what's going on and what does work etc. Erin's bugging me with questions about what I'm doing and what the problem is. What the problem is? Really, I just got here. What I'm doing? Ok, you wanna know I'm in the BIOS seeing what the boot order is and now I'm checking to see if there are any indicator lights on and now I'm checking to see if there's a boot loader - does that help?!?! But then she explained to me what it looks like for this poor dentist who is at the office at 8pm on a Sunday (an unheard of event in France!) with someone who is, for all he knows, maybe making things worse and best of all, the guy (me) doesn't say anything! So I pull it together and I try to explain some things to him - basically that I have no idea and I'm just checking everything out first.
Well it must have been my lucky day because BAM it started to work. What did I do? Ha, don't ask. All I did was tell the computer to try and boot off of a CD before booting off the hard drive (essentially nothing) - but it worked. So he was extremely excited! So we head back to the house and they tell me their home computer isn't working either. So I sit down and realize they have a bad virus infection - but tell them I'll come back the next day to fix it. So I grab my coat and Erin tells me we're going to have an apéro with them.
So they break out the bubbly and celebrate our new friendship with some delicious little pupus (appetizers) and just talk for a couple of hours.
The next day I come back to fix the computer at 10am - long story short, the virus is awful! So I need the Windows install CD - which they don't have. But they know a guy who might have it. So we head into town and for some reason we sit down at a restaurant......OK, that's not what I was expecting. So they order me this awesome fish dish - yummy yes, but I'm not sure how that will help the computer. The chef comes out and he chats with them and then he comes out with the Windows CD. Ah yes, of course, the chef had the Windows CD! So we head back home, after dessert of course, and I spend the next couple of hours fixing it. Finally it works.
So a simple virus infection that should have taken 2 hours to fix took from 10am until 4pm! But in addition to the working computer, we also have very good friends! So yes, everything takes longer here and we could complain about the inefficiencies, but it's because relationships matter more. We're slowly learning that and enjoying it. So I may not be pulling my own weight with money, but I am making us rich with friendship (did I really just write that?!).
19 September, 2011
Mont Saint Michel
Our first real trip was to visit Sophie's parents near Rennes and from there to go to Mont St. Michel - an old abbey that was built on a piece of land that during low tide is a penninsula and during high tide is an island. Its a fortified city with the abbey in the center - a must see if you come to France. We left Friday night and headed to Rennes (a 2 hour drive). We got lost (a requirement when driving here) but had a lovely dinner and chat with the parents before turning in early (early is relative since dinner is around 8pm, early means 11pm or midnight) so we could get up and head out early.
We were on the road and Erin promptly fell asleep (she always sleeps in the car!) and we saw a sign for an American cemetery (from the war) and decided to stop. It was quite impressive. The land was donated to the US and is maintained by the US; I think the DoD, and you can tell with the grass trimmed short and the edges cut perfectly straight. There is always an English speaker to give information about the cemetery - it was a little piece of home. And then to see the rows and rows of white crossed was very humbling - but to hear the parents describe how small this one was compared to the big ones in Normandy was just amazing. From one of the buildings we got to see how the invasion took place and since we were driving passed these places, or saw them while planning this trip, it made it much more real than its been before. Very sad and hard to imagine.
We continued up to Mont Saint Michel and we could see it in the distance and it looked like a magical island in the distance. But I'll be honest when we parked the car just a short 5 minute walk on a well built road I was a little disappointed. The city looked as I had imagined but the semi-island didn't look like it ever was an island. But that was due to the fact that we came at the lowest low tide of the year, so next time I go, I'm going to make sure its during high tide!
We were lucky because it was the weekend that all monuments in France were free to enter. So we all went into the abbey and walked through it - it was the first time the parents did the tour since it normally costs around $15/person. It was quite impressive.
We grabbed a quick sandwich and then got in the car and the parents took us along the scenic route to the next town and I'm sure it was beautiful....but Erin and I were fast asleep :) The next town we went to was St. Malo which was another fortified city right on the water. We walked through the city and then along the old ramparts. It was awesome! They even have a pool that you don't see during high tide and then during low tide you can swim in it - and the water just cycles out with the tides. What a beautiful city. When we were leaving they were having a demo for water sports and we saw Da Kine, a Hawaiian company, and had to take a few pics.
Our final city for the day was Dinard. Following the theme, an old fortified city. We just walked around and marveled at how this buildings from the 1300s still were standing! Some people with the older houses I guess wanted to have some fun with all of the people taking pictures of their houses, so they put up posters of people in the window to startle photo takers - I thought I had accidentally taken a picture of a lady getting dressed!
We had pizza for dinner and Erin got her first accordion lesson. The next day we went on a tour of Rennes - another old city...but it is quite big now. We went to Sophie's grandmother's place along with the old sections. The parents also showed us a small monument where an American airplane had crashed and Sophie's grandmother remembers hearing the plane crash from a few fields away. It's really sad and interesting to hear stories about the war.
We headed home - exhausted - but really excited about the wonderful weekend! And coming home, we didn't even get lost!
We were on the road and Erin promptly fell asleep (she always sleeps in the car!) and we saw a sign for an American cemetery (from the war) and decided to stop. It was quite impressive. The land was donated to the US and is maintained by the US; I think the DoD, and you can tell with the grass trimmed short and the edges cut perfectly straight. There is always an English speaker to give information about the cemetery - it was a little piece of home. And then to see the rows and rows of white crossed was very humbling - but to hear the parents describe how small this one was compared to the big ones in Normandy was just amazing. From one of the buildings we got to see how the invasion took place and since we were driving passed these places, or saw them while planning this trip, it made it much more real than its been before. Very sad and hard to imagine.
We continued up to Mont Saint Michel and we could see it in the distance and it looked like a magical island in the distance. But I'll be honest when we parked the car just a short 5 minute walk on a well built road I was a little disappointed. The city looked as I had imagined but the semi-island didn't look like it ever was an island. But that was due to the fact that we came at the lowest low tide of the year, so next time I go, I'm going to make sure its during high tide!
We were lucky because it was the weekend that all monuments in France were free to enter. So we all went into the abbey and walked through it - it was the first time the parents did the tour since it normally costs around $15/person. It was quite impressive.
We grabbed a quick sandwich and then got in the car and the parents took us along the scenic route to the next town and I'm sure it was beautiful....but Erin and I were fast asleep :) The next town we went to was St. Malo which was another fortified city right on the water. We walked through the city and then along the old ramparts. It was awesome! They even have a pool that you don't see during high tide and then during low tide you can swim in it - and the water just cycles out with the tides. What a beautiful city. When we were leaving they were having a demo for water sports and we saw Da Kine, a Hawaiian company, and had to take a few pics.
Our final city for the day was Dinard. Following the theme, an old fortified city. We just walked around and marveled at how this buildings from the 1300s still were standing! Some people with the older houses I guess wanted to have some fun with all of the people taking pictures of their houses, so they put up posters of people in the window to startle photo takers - I thought I had accidentally taken a picture of a lady getting dressed!
We had pizza for dinner and Erin got her first accordion lesson. The next day we went on a tour of Rennes - another old city...but it is quite big now. We went to Sophie's grandmother's place along with the old sections. The parents also showed us a small monument where an American airplane had crashed and Sophie's grandmother remembers hearing the plane crash from a few fields away. It's really sad and interesting to hear stories about the war.
We headed home - exhausted - but really excited about the wonderful weekend! And coming home, we didn't even get lost!
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