Bonjour mes amis!
So I'm back in Condé sur Noireau after 2 weeks of vacation, the first part spent in Italy, the second spent in Germany. I got back to France on Saturday evening and I'm exhausted. We're jumping into this week head first, so to speak. Our Black History Exhibition is an all-day event this Thursday and there is still much work to be done in preparation.
That being said, I won't be recapping my vacation until this weekend. Just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and well.
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
P.S. Mon anniversaire est en 9 jours! (My birthday is in 9 days!)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Les Vacances d'hiver sont arrivées!
Bonjour mes amis!
Winter Break, meaning those two weeks I get off in February, has arrived! I know, I know, you're all wondering when do I ever work, right? Between holidays, scheduled breaks, and presidential inaugurations, it doesn't seem like I really do...
I'll be spending the first week on tour in Italy with the Valhalla High School Choir, of which Sterling is a member. The itinerary includes stops in Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Rome. I'll spend the second week in Mannheim, Germany, at Andrea's house (the German assistant). I'm excited for both weeks. First, I've never seen Sterling's school choir perform because I've always been away at school and I had a great time in Italy when we went 3 years ago. Second, I've never been to Germany, so how could I have passed up that opportunity?
I'm not sure about the Internet situation during my travels. But rest assured, as soon as I have both something to report and the means by which to post it, I will do so tout de suite.
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
Winter Break, meaning those two weeks I get off in February, has arrived! I know, I know, you're all wondering when do I ever work, right? Between holidays, scheduled breaks, and presidential inaugurations, it doesn't seem like I really do...
I'll be spending the first week on tour in Italy with the Valhalla High School Choir, of which Sterling is a member. The itinerary includes stops in Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Rome. I'll spend the second week in Mannheim, Germany, at Andrea's house (the German assistant). I'm excited for both weeks. First, I've never seen Sterling's school choir perform because I've always been away at school and I had a great time in Italy when we went 3 years ago. Second, I've never been to Germany, so how could I have passed up that opportunity?
I'm not sure about the Internet situation during my travels. But rest assured, as soon as I have both something to report and the means by which to post it, I will do so tout de suite.
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Chouquettes, Black Panthers, More Work and More Strikes...
Bonjour mes amis!
For some reason unbeknown to me, my favorite bakery is closed until the second week of February, which has forced me to patronize another vendor. Even though the other bakery isn't as good, they have something that my favorite place doesn't have: chouquettes with chocolate chips! They are soooo good, but I still prefer the originals.
The Thursday before I left for D.C., Vanessa and I took 6 of the students to Caen where they interviewed a man named Melvin McNair as part of our preparations for the Black History Month exhibitions. Melvin is a baseball teacher in Caen. So here's his story:
Melvin was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1948. He started his higher education at Winston-Salem State University and eventually joined the Black Panthers. In 1972, he boarded a Delta Airlines flight with his wife, child and a few other people. They hijacked the plane. And took it to Algeria. Melvin eventually ended up in France where the government refused to extradite him back to the U.S. He was tried and convicted here and served 3 1/2 years of his 5-year sentence. Melvin and his wife had 3 children, 2 of whom were born in France. His youngest child was murdered by drug dealers in the United States a few years ago. When we took a walk with him, he showed us the cemetery where his son is now buried.
It was a really interesting day with Melvin. He's very talkative and does a lot in his community. The students asked him some very good questions, but because of his circumlocutory responses, they had a little trouble following everything.
Work is overall pretty normal. Karine is back from maternity leave, which means Jocelyne is off to her next temporary assignment. I really like Karine and the students have clearly missed having her as their teacher. My schedule is changing a little bit now that Karine is back because she wants me working with different classes from the ones Jocelyne had selected but that is fine by me. I don't have to work on Mondays anymore and most of my Fridays are now off days.
One day last week I was walking to the front desk to get keys for the computer lab when Mr. Duval asked me to step into his office. When I was in high school, I got called to the principal's office once and it was a little unnerving so I had no idea what Mr. Duval wanted to discuss. As it turns out, he offered me a chance to make some extra money by putting together English-language immersion programs for the students to participate in during the upcoming vacations in February and April. I haven't yet decided if I'll do it.
And now for Strike Watch: Update 5... (I know you've been waiting for this.)
2 weeks ago, the students held assembly meetings to vote on whether or not they would continue striking and blockading the school. The final vote became that those students who want to continue striking are welcome, but that they shouldn't keep their peers from going to class if they so choose. So overall, everyone is back in school.
Last Thursday, January 29, all 6 of the major trade unions in France held a one-day strike demanding more job security from the government. As you can probably guess, the teachers' union was one of the participants. School, however, was still open because not all teachers participate. I was off because the one teacher I work with on Thursdays always supports the strikes. According to the news reports, it was the largest labor demonstration the last 20 years, but it failed to have much of an economic impact.
That's all for now. I'll be back with more soon!
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
For some reason unbeknown to me, my favorite bakery is closed until the second week of February, which has forced me to patronize another vendor. Even though the other bakery isn't as good, they have something that my favorite place doesn't have: chouquettes with chocolate chips! They are soooo good, but I still prefer the originals.
The Thursday before I left for D.C., Vanessa and I took 6 of the students to Caen where they interviewed a man named Melvin McNair as part of our preparations for the Black History Month exhibitions. Melvin is a baseball teacher in Caen. So here's his story:
Melvin was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1948. He started his higher education at Winston-Salem State University and eventually joined the Black Panthers. In 1972, he boarded a Delta Airlines flight with his wife, child and a few other people. They hijacked the plane. And took it to Algeria. Melvin eventually ended up in France where the government refused to extradite him back to the U.S. He was tried and convicted here and served 3 1/2 years of his 5-year sentence. Melvin and his wife had 3 children, 2 of whom were born in France. His youngest child was murdered by drug dealers in the United States a few years ago. When we took a walk with him, he showed us the cemetery where his son is now buried.It was a really interesting day with Melvin. He's very talkative and does a lot in his community. The students asked him some very good questions, but because of his circumlocutory responses, they had a little trouble following everything.
Work is overall pretty normal. Karine is back from maternity leave, which means Jocelyne is off to her next temporary assignment. I really like Karine and the students have clearly missed having her as their teacher. My schedule is changing a little bit now that Karine is back because she wants me working with different classes from the ones Jocelyne had selected but that is fine by me. I don't have to work on Mondays anymore and most of my Fridays are now off days.
One day last week I was walking to the front desk to get keys for the computer lab when Mr. Duval asked me to step into his office. When I was in high school, I got called to the principal's office once and it was a little unnerving so I had no idea what Mr. Duval wanted to discuss. As it turns out, he offered me a chance to make some extra money by putting together English-language immersion programs for the students to participate in during the upcoming vacations in February and April. I haven't yet decided if I'll do it.
And now for Strike Watch: Update 5... (I know you've been waiting for this.)
2 weeks ago, the students held assembly meetings to vote on whether or not they would continue striking and blockading the school. The final vote became that those students who want to continue striking are welcome, but that they shouldn't keep their peers from going to class if they so choose. So overall, everyone is back in school.
Last Thursday, January 29, all 6 of the major trade unions in France held a one-day strike demanding more job security from the government. As you can probably guess, the teachers' union was one of the participants. School, however, was still open because not all teachers participate. I was off because the one teacher I work with on Thursdays always supports the strikes. According to the news reports, it was the largest labor demonstration the last 20 years, but it failed to have much of an economic impact.
That's all for now. I'll be back with more soon!
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
Friday, January 23, 2009
My President is Black
Bonjour mes amis!
I owe all of you an apology for my recent lack of blogging. But fear not, I have returned, or so I hope...
While this blog is supposed to be all about my stay in France, I had to take quick break and travel to Washington, D.C. to be a part of history. Years from now I'll be able to look back and say that I was in the crowd on the National Mall for the "We Are One" concert and I saw President Barack Obama and his wife as they walked 2 blocks of the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was such an amazing experience and I got to share it with Granny, Maman and Auntie. In the picture to the left, courtesy of my cell phone, you can see the Washington Monuement sticking up in the background. And below is one of the shots I got of the new First Couple during the parade.
As I'm sure you can guess, we were all very happy people at the end of the day...
But like all good times, it came to an end and I had to come back to Normandy. For some reason, I'm colder here than I was in D.C. and I know for a fact that we saw snow out there. Anyway, I'll talk to you all soon.
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
I owe all of you an apology for my recent lack of blogging. But fear not, I have returned, or so I hope...
While this blog is supposed to be all about my stay in France, I had to take quick break and travel to Washington, D.C. to be a part of history. Years from now I'll be able to look back and say that I was in the crowd on the National Mall for the "We Are One" concert and I saw President Barack Obama and his wife as they walked 2 blocks of the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was such an amazing experience and I got to share it with Granny, Maman and Auntie. In the picture to the left, courtesy of my cell phone, you can see the Washington Monuement sticking up in the background. And below is one of the shots I got of the new First Couple during the parade.
As I'm sure you can guess, we were all very happy people at the end of the day...
But like all good times, it came to an end and I had to come back to Normandy. For some reason, I'm colder here than I was in D.C. and I know for a fact that we saw snow out there. Anyway, I'll talk to you all soon.Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Back to Condé-sur-Noireau...
I returned to France on Saturday, January 3rd. Apparently I had just missed 2 days of snow in Paris. The remnants were still on the ground, but it fortunately wasn't too cold. But make no mistake, it is by no means warm here.
The striking has ceased for now. Vanessa said she can't say what will happen next but that things should be normal for a little while. So there's nothing interesting to report at the moment. The students have all been in class and we've resumed our regular schedule.
On a sad note, Corinne's husband passed in his sleep last night from an apparent heart attack. He was only 39 and seemed to be in good health. I spent a lot of time with the two of them in my first few months here. It's really tragic because Corinne lost her last husband the same way 6 years ago. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
The striking has ceased for now. Vanessa said she can't say what will happen next but that things should be normal for a little while. So there's nothing interesting to report at the moment. The students have all been in class and we've resumed our regular schedule.
On a sad note, Corinne's husband passed in his sleep last night from an apparent heart attack. He was only 39 and seemed to be in good health. I spent a lot of time with the two of them in my first few months here. It's really tragic because Corinne lost her last husband the same way 6 years ago. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Bises,
Mlle. Alicia
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