Spring is in the air and so is the trash...

As you can see in the picture, it's sunny, things are starting to bloom and the students are spending time outside. Spring must be in the air. But so is a terrible stench as well...

Lycée Charles Tellier sits right next to the local dump. I noticed the signs when I first arrived and I've noticed the trucks coming and going daily, but I never gave the dump much consideration because I couldn't smell it. That has now changed. I don't know if it's because the weather is warming up, people have changed their trash habits, or it's just a temporary fluke, but it smells like Fresno today (no offense to the fine people of Fresno).

Anyway, last week I went to Paris to get my hair braided. Yes, I rode the train 2 hours just to get my hair done. For those of you who know me well, this can't be entirely shocking seeing as I've been known to drive from San Diego to Los Angeles for a specific beautician. Some people in Normandy, however, found this a bit bizarre. But since they didn't really know anyone here who could help, of to Paris I went.

On my way home for the holidays in December, I met a young lady in the Paris airport. She's from Memphis and is a junior at an all women's college on the east coast, but is studying abroad in Paris this academic year. As I was contemplating what do about my hair, I figured I should ask her because when I met her in the airport, her hair looked pretty freshly done. And as luck would have it, she told me exactly where to go.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I was always sure that there had to be Black shops somewhere in Paris because there is a substantial African and Carribean population in Paris and I've seen a lot of weaves and braids there. Turns out, there is a Metro stop called Château d'Eau where you can find not only salons but many beauty supplies with all of the Black hair care products I've been missing from home.

Getting of the Metro at Château d'Eau is an experience. There are men standing in the station and on the streets trying to get business for their respective shops. And they are agressive. "Madame, Madame!" They'll call to you, they'll try to give you their flyers and business cards, they might grab your arm. They even speak in English. It can be a bit intimidating if you don't know exactly where you're going. Fortunately, Madeleine met me at the Metro and took me directly to the shop where she gets her hair done so there were no problems. She spent the day with me and then we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant near her host family's home. So you want to see how my hair came out, right?
Madame Georgette hooked me up. And she gave me a business card that looks like a frequent visiter card. I'm almost certain I won't get a chance to fill it up, but she was nice and I would definitely go back to her. It was just like being in a shop back home. Music, lots of talking, random men coming in to sell bootleg products...

There are some students visiting from England this week. We're taking a day trip to Paris tomorrow. I'll be sure to tell you all about it as soon as possible.


Bises,

Mlle. Alicia

C'est mon anniversiare!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

In addition to the lovely banner above, Corinne gave me 2 miniature mugs, one with farm animals and their French names and another with circus animals and their French words, as well as some Belgian chocolates. Andrea gave me a card. And both Vanessa and Julie gave me an hour off because I wasn't needed so I only had to work tw hours today instead of four.

And isn't it great that my birthday fell on a Wine & Cheese Wednesday? Now that I am full, it's time to take a nap. After a beautifully sunny day with temperatures in the mid-50's on Monday and partly cloudy skies with evening rain on Tuesday, today's forecast called for cold temperatures in the low 40's and lots of rain. I got a tiny bit of sunshine around 11:30 am, and then it started hailing. I tried to take a picture but hail doesn't really photograph well so the image just looks like a cloudy day.

The fire alarm just went off. I'm looking out my window to see if anyone evacuates because the system here is like the boy who cried wolf, it's always a false alarm. Conveniently, I'm actually fully dressed this time. It normally catches me in my pajamas or in the shower... Anyway, no one is outside, though I'd pick a burning building over the hail.

I'm settling in for an afternoon of DVDs and canned pineapple, my new favorite breakfast, snack, side dish, dessert. Ok ok, I'll eat it anytime.


Bises,

Mlle. Alicia

Black History Exhibition

Bonjour mes amis!

Today we held our official observance of Black History Month at Lycée Charles Tellier. About 65 students participated in displaying the results of many many weeks of hard work.

The morning started with the presentation of Melvin McNair by Paul and Adrian. The picture to the right is Vanessa introducing Paul and Adrian, with Melvin standing on the far left. They essentially summarized what they learned about him from the day that we spent in Caen. Paul and Adrian's English presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session in French.

One young lady posed what I felt was the most interesting question of the day when she asked Melvin if he regretted hijacking the airplane. I found it interesting because Melvin always speaks so positively about his life here in France and the welcome he received when he arrived, that it didn't really occur to me that he would have any regrets. Melvin's response was that he does regret hijacking the plane. He still firmly believes in the reasons for his crime, but he regrets the results, including no longer being able to see his family and missing the deaths of loved ones.

Next, two students showed a Powerpoint presentation on Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" and Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam." The presentation included information about each of the singers and analyses and explanations of the lyrics, as well as French translations. It was very well done. This was followed by a presentation by two other students on Jim Crow laws, describing the history of the term and providing specific examples of laws from various states that affected education, entertainment, freedom of speech, health care, work conditions, services and transportation.

After the presentations, Paul and Olivier introduced the various posters created by the different classes. These posters primarily displayed information about men and women of the civil rights movement. There were also posters about the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Black Panthers; several about lynchings and Emmet Till; and a few describing the miscarriages of justice in the cases of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Assata Shakur and George Jackson. Below are lists of the male and female figures highlighted by the students:

Male Figures
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Malcolm X
Bayard Rustin
Thurgood Marshall
James Farmer
Medgar Evers
Andrew Young
James Meredith
Clarence M. Mitchell

Female Figures
Linda Brown (of Brown v. Board of Education)
Ruby Bridges
Elizabeth Eckford (of the Little Rock Nine)
Rosa Parks
Coretta Scott King
Shirley Chisolm
Fannie Lou Hamer
Diane Nash
Ella Baker
Dorothy Height
Mary McLeod Bethune
Ida B. Wells

The picture above shows part of the exhibited posters. On one of the walls we hung a timeline of all the documented lynchings in the country from 1865 to 1965. It was 58 pages long.

After the students had some time to view the posters, I took a group of about 35 to one of the classrooms where I taught them "This Little Light of Mine." After working on it for about 20 minutes, we went back to the rest of the group and sang for them. Then it was time for lunch.

After lunch, the students spend the afternoon playing baseball with Melvin and they all had a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that a baseball day/BBQ has now been scheduled for June 26, right after school lets out for the summer. Too bad I won't be here for it. Anyway, the day was a complete success.


Bises,

Mlle. Alica

Home Sweet Condé...

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!)

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