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American teacher in France's Journal  Professional/Personal Aspects of Grant Experience This year as a Fulbright Exchange teacher in France has been beneficial to me in many ways, both professionally and personally. I am fortunate to have been with a faculty which welcomed me and made me feel very much a part of the staff. When I needed assistance, I received wonderful support from the entire staff, from the teachers to the clerks to the custodial staff. All helped to facilitate my year in an environment that was new and very different. I also learned a great deal from my colleagues, as they responded to my questions with patience and understanding. Through their assistance, I gained much insight and understanding to the French school system. I was also able to share information on the American school system and teaching methods. However, though I had brought many books and materials from the States, there was little effort by the English teachers to use any of them. The reason, I believe, is there is such an emphasis to complete the English textbook that there is little time to add anything "extra" to the curriculum. I did find the French system to be both rigid and rigorous. I could not have learned so much about the French system without being immersed into the system as I was through this experience as an exchange teacher. I was also immersed into the French way of life which will help me tremendously when I return to my post as a French teacher in a middle school in El Paso. I will have a wealth of information to share with my students on every aspect of French culture, regional traditions, and contemporary life in France. Nothing could be of more value to a French teacher than the first- hand knowledge I have accumulated this year through living in France as a "near native". I have also gained knowledge on social and political issues that are important to the French and how they view themselves in the European community. At the same time, I attempted to explain American issues, such as the electoral process and shared American and regional traditions. For many of the teachers and nearly all the students, I was the first American with whom they had ever had any close contact. I also met people in the community through colleagues and through participating in a church choir in a nearby town. As I lived in a hamlet, I became well acquainted with the towns in the area. They are all small enough to have the familiarity of the neighborhood grocer, baker, pharmacist, and other merchants and I felt accepted as a member of this very rural community. On a personal level, I made several new friendships and strengthened ties with old friends from my childhood when I lived in France as a military dependent. Such friendships have helped me grow in my understanding of the French people and their culture and as some will no doubt be lasting friendships, they will continue to help me stay abreast of contemporary life in France. Amazingly, I have just five weeks of school left ! Find it hard to believe that the year is coming to an end. At times it has seemed unending.....especially during the long, gray, and very wet winter months. The house I've lived in this year is situated in the country, surrounded by trees and bushes. The grayness and wetness of the region was accentuated by the isolation of this house and the especially long winter.. Found out that living in the woods just isn't for me!! Thank God, though, the early signs of summer are here(without ever really having a spring season) and we now actually have sunshine and warmth......not to mention the trees having come back to life, the flowers now in bloom, and a variety of birds singing in the trees, even as I am writing this journal. I can even hear an owl hooting in the back woods! School itself is busy at this time as we are already closing up grades and posting final averages in the computer. This takes place rather early since we still have more than four weeks of classes. Unfortunately, the students are aware that the final grades have been collected, particularly in the 3rd level, so there are classes who have literally stopped working. The 3rd level will be taking the Brevet exam (a national exam which aids in deciding their future area of studies) during the last week of June. Therefore all of the other classes will end on June 27. It's a bittersweet feeling I have as the year in France comes close to an end. I know there are many people I'll miss here in France....and many aspects of the French culture, as well. . While there are some redeeming factors about the French system, overall, I've come to appreciate the American system of education more while teaching here in France. French education is relatively inflexible and rigid, and fails to take in account the individual needs of the students. Tutoring is rarely offered within the school system for students needing extra help and teachers are rarely available outside of actual teaching hours. Students who are weak have almost no recourses unless they can afford private tutoring. Discipline policies, though they do exist, are, for the most part, ineffective. There is no alternative program for students who are unable to conform to the classroom expectations, so therefore such students remain with the teacher throughout the entire year. On the positive end, students at the 3rd level (9th grade equivalent) are able to choose the main focus and direction of their high school studies based on what career they plan to enter. Although the U.S. is leaning towards more and more magnet schools, most high schools offer a very general education. Students often do not know in what direction they are headed; in France, this is not the case. At the same time, due to the lack of flexibility, it is very difficult to change one's mind and redirect one's goals in France. Ideally, a "mélange" of both of the systems would be the solution in regard to career preparation for high school students. Another positive aspect of education in France is a high focus on academics and considerably less on social life which we often have in the U.S. schools. Students basically come to school for one purpose: to learn. That isn't to say that the motivation to learn is high. Once again, perhaps a "mélange" between the two systems would be a solution to the problem of too much academics and perhaps not enough! I shall continue my commentaries and my perceptions on the two systems in my next entry. Current mood: accomplished. My Cinco de Mayo Mexican "fiesta" turned out very well though I explained to my French friends that we were celebrating the loss of a battle between France and Mexico! I had prepared enchiladas, tacos and fajitas as well as chile con carne and Mexican rice. For the aperitif (before dinner liqueur) we had a drink called Desperados which is beer and tequila -- not bad for someone who doesn't even like beer! We also had tortilla chips and salsa. For this occasion, I had invited two couples ---Claudine (my mentor) and her husband, Jean-Louis, and Michelle, another colleague, and her husband, Andre. Each time I served another type of dish, they waited to see how I ate it before they started eating, and then of course kept asking me the names of each dish, the recipe, etc. I had also decorated the dinner table with big yellow sunflowers and yellow napkins. On each napkin was the El Paso Amigo Man pin in red and yellow -- which they loved and put on immediately! Two hundred of these pins were recently sent to me by a good friend of mine and my Mom (gracias, Dianne and Mom!) I now have enough to give each student one at the end of the school year along with the booklets on New Mexico sent to me by another friend (merci beaucoup, Jim!). Claudine is taking me to the coast on Ascension Thursday (a national holiday as are many of the Catholic holydays) and I've been to Michelle and Andre's summer home near St. Nazaire (also on the coast) a few times and will be going again in June for an end-of-the year barbecue with several colleagues. They have been among the friendliest of all of the colleagues at the school except for perhaps Pascal, the history teacher who invited me to Normandy. He and I are working on a newspaper project with the technology students and it centers around the theme of WWII and the trip to Normandy. Several classes left this weekend on school trips to Italy and Spain and England. Those who went to Germany just returned and brought back their penpals to visit here for a week. The ones going to Italy will also be bringing back their penpals. All of this is a part of what's called "la semaine Européenne" (European week) with so many students gone to visit other countries. I am very impressed with the number of exchanges between European countries. Each city or town has one or more "jumelage" (a twin city) with a city in the European Union and many cultural exchanges take place during the year between the cities/town as well as between the schools within each locale. I wish it were feasible for the U.S. to participate in more such exchanges but there is a cost factor since we are physically quite a distance from Europe. The year is definitely winding down. In fact, this week I'll be working on a final report for Fulbright, which is a summation and critique of the entire year. It's not an easy task to sum up such an eventful year as this one! I do feel that all in all it's been a successful venture but one that was immensely more difficult than I ever imagined it would be! I will be sharing more of my commentaries after I finish my report... From March 24 to April 15, I traveled to three of the major capitals in Europe; Berlin, London and then Paris. The first week I flew from Paris to Berlin to attend an International Seminar for Fulbright Grant recipients. There, I not only benefitted from hearing of the experiences of Fulbright teachers from 16 different countries, but also had the opportunity to see the New Berlin. I had visited Berlin in 1964, shortly after The Wall was built. I found the contrast between East and West Berlin as grim and disturbing. All of East Berlin seemed imprisoned, and, indeed, it was. Now it has become one Berlin, a very vibrant, exciting city which is fast being rebuilt and modernized. The changes being made are, in a word, amazing! London -- I went from the Germanic culture to the British culture. This was my very first visit to the historic and majestic city of London. I was enthralled as it truly surpassed my expectations. The city is definitely alive and flourishing with such wonders as the British Museum, the bright red double decker buses, historic sites, theater life, the Thames River cruises, and much more! It was a race to see as much as I could in the week I had. This is a trip I shared with my sister, Anne, and our French cousin, Philippe, who actually lives and works in London. He was a charming host and a wonderful guide during our visit. Finally, a return to Paris- yes, April in Paris! And Easter Weekend at that! I finally climbed the hill of Montmartre-- and what a delight that "quartier" of Paris is! The lively ambience was "catching" --- it was crowded, but the people were jovial and having a wonderful time. There were musicians, painters, and artists of various kinds. The atmosphere would have even put a smile on the face of Scrooge, himself! And then of course we visited the beautiful Sacre-Coeur, the huge white basilica at the very top of Montmartre. What a heavenly ending to a wonderful Spring Holiday! Rather hard to believe that two-thirds of the school year is now over! This year in France has been a tremendous learning experience in more ways than I can possibly count! Recently I was asked to contrast American schools to French schools. Not an easy question by any means! When I think of French schools, I think of a very textbook-oriented school system. My training in holistic language teaching is in direct contrast to the methodology used here. It has been a bit of struggle to integrate what I know about natural language acquisition into a rigid and very grammar-based program. Of course, the system is based on the end all goal which is to pass the BAC at the end of the high school, which in the French school system is terminale --the last year of the lycée. Another contrast in the system involves the methods of discipline which are often less than effective in French schools. That will be another topic as I wind down a most unforgettable year! Took an amazing journey to visit my former in-laws in Turkey during the February school break. I spent ten days in Istanbul, and found many changes in the city that covers two continents: part of Istanbul lies in Europe and the other part in Asia. I barely recognized the city I had left twenty years ago. Now, Turkey, too, has come under the influence of the Western Hemisphere. There's everything from Carrefour, the French supermarkets, to Pizza Hut, and even Shotzky's Sandwich Shop! The city itself has mushroomed to over 12 million people! There are apartments being built almost overnight called "gecekondo". Instead of a roof, all that is built is a ceiling so that the next floor can also be built with expedience. The city is literally bursting at the seams! I did visit the Covered Bazaar and that has remained the same; colorful and bright with gold and silver, cloths, rugs and souvenirs of all types. Nearly anything and everything can be found in the Capili Carsisi (covered bazaar). Also enjoyed the middle-eastern cuisine: dolma (stuffed peppers and squash)or yaprak dolmasi( stuffed grape leaves), borek (meat pastries), kofte ve pilavi (meatballs and rice), sis kebabi (meat on skewers), pide (flat breads), sesame-seed pretzel-shaped rolls,and other delectable delights. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and homemade yogurt! Another aspect of Turkish culture is the wonderful hospitality offered to guests, and I was definitely the recipient of such during my ten day visit. It was also wonderful to see "my Turkish family" as they had indeed been my family while I lived in Turkey during the first eight years of my marriage. It's wonderful that we have remained close through the years. Family ties in Turkey are indeed of utmost importance. Thus is a tiny glimpse of Turkey, a country of great contrasts, awesome beauty and warm-hearted people. I feel very fortunate to have a link to this fascinating culture. A Journey back to June, 1944, in Normandy: This journey actually began with my father as he participated in the June, 1944, Normandy beach invasion. I was first asked to accompany the students on this trip when some of the French teachers learned that my father was a veteran of this event in history. I then asked my father to share some testimony of those days with the students and he agreed to do so. The students prepared questions with their history teacher and I sent them to my father. My brother, Patrick, set up the taped interview with him posing the questions and my father responding. Just before the trip to Normandy, I transcribed much of the interview for the students and had them listen to excerpts from the tape. They immediately caught the emotion in my father's voice as they listened to him give his testimony. What follows is a detailed description of the two day trip to Normandy with 44 students and three teachers. I'm going to try to write about my journey to the Normandy D-day/WWII sites. I say "try" as I'm so filled with thoughts that I will need to focus on what I think is essential. First of all, this was a two day class trip with two ninth grade classes and two other teachers. Pascal Bouvet is the history teacher who invited me on the trip --- he has a kind demeanor and a comfortable and easy manner with his students, noteworthy in that such relationships with students are uncommon in France where teachers are often quite formal with their students. The other teacher is Francois Joseph Toux, a Phys. Ed. teacher from Northern Brittany who had many stories to share of his grandfather's experiences in "La Resistance". Between Pascal's historical knowledge and Francois Joseph's stories balanced with their particular brand of humorous anecdotes, I can say without a doubt that both made the trip even more stimulating! We arrived in St. Lo (near the site where Dad was wounded) around noon on Monday. There below the ramparts of a huge medieval castle we had our picnic lunches. We teachers then ducked into a cafe for a quick cup of coffee before boarding the bus with our students to begin our journey back to the 100 days battle in Normandy, which began on June 6, 1944 and continued through July and August when all of Normandy was finally liberated. Our first stop was the German cemetery, which has over 21, 000 German soldiers buried in it. Many were very young when they died as by the end of the war, eighteen year olds had been drafted into the German Army to replace the others who had been killed in a war that had already gone on for five years. The cemetery is both stark and impressive as it holds rows and rows of flat rectangular plaques on the ground with the soldiers' names, while each row is marked on either side by five dark metal crosses. In the center is a hill topped with a monument which commemorates 298 bodies of unidentified German soldiers as well as all the dead soldiers of WWII. Surrounding the cemetery are two hundred trees which deck the "Garden of Peace". It is certainly a very impressive and very moving remembrance of the loss of humanity during war, encircled with the garden which symbolizes the hope for peace. We boarded the bus and then headed towards the beaches, viewing first several German bunkers and then going on to Arromanches, and then to Gold Beach. In the German bunkers were cannons which had been destroyed, and on the beaches were remnants of military boats and other equipment. As it was overcast and rainy, it was not difficult to imagine the type of conditions met by the Allied soldiers as they arrived on the beaches in Normandy. On Omaha Beach, on June 6, 1944 at 2:30 a.m. when the first wave of soldiers arrived, they were engulfed in a raging storm as they descended from the boats onto the beach. Such were some of the historical facts shared by Pascal, the history teacher, as he spoke to the students of the historical background at each site we visited. And each time he asked me if he had told his story well and accurately! We settled in for the night at a youth hostel. The students were placed four to a room in double bunk beds while each adult was given a single room in the center of the hall. The boys took up one end of the hall, and the girls were on the opposite end (27 girls and 17 boys). We ate both dinner that night and breakfast the next morning at the hostel; both were served family style and were quite delicious. Of course, the adults were served an aperitif (before dinner liqueur) and red wine! The night, however, was spent relatively sleepless as, unfortunately, the students were restless and noisy. Several times the male teachers got up during the night to quiet them. Not surprisingly, many of the students were rather bleary-eyed at breakfast! The next morning we visited "La Memorial", a memorial museum in the city of Caen. It is a very large and equally impressive museum of the Normandy Invasion as well as other aspects of WWII in France. (I'm adding the website at the end of this message for those who are interested). Highlights of the museum includes a trail which is winding downward spiral depicting the beginning of fascism in Europe and the history of Nazism in Germany through text, images and realia. At the bottom there are various chambers on themes such as Collaboration in France, the French Resistance activities, the D-day invasion, and the Holocaust. Another area in the museum is called the Gallery of Peace and includes a photo montage in a timeline sequence of all of the Nobel Peace Prize winners from its beginning throughout the present. Most impressive of all, I believe, were the films which we viewed at the end of the tour of the history of WWII. One film stands out as it had a double screen, side by side, and depicted through war films the German force and fortifications as it was building up in Normandy, and the planning, preparation and execution of the D-day Invasion by the Allies. Both films were presented simultaneously and the result was extremely effective. Another well put together film was a film on efforts towards bringing peace and justice in this world since WWII, including segments on Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Mandela, Pope John XXIII, Lech Walesa, the ending of communism in Eastern Europe, and a host of others, but it also depicted problems in the world affecting humanity such as hunger, genocide in Rwanda and the Balkans and others. We ate lunch at the museum and then once again boarded the bus to visit another area of Nazi bunkers, and then ended our journey at the American cemetery which is actually a large piece of land which has been given to America. It has large gardens which are beautifully landscaped and well maintained, and the endless rows and rows of white crosses interspersed with the star of David. The students found this difference of markers interesting and noted that it was nice that individual beliefs were recognized. The American flags are raised daily in a formal ceremony and taken down at 4:30 in another formal ceremony. There are also monuments at both ends of the cemetery, dedicated to victory and liberty. The students were moved by the visit to both cemeteries. They said they hadn't realized how many soldiers had lost their lives in Normandy. Neither had I. Upon returning to school, they wrote letters to my father and some of the comments were grateful, some sad, some thoughtful such as the girl who said "if you hadn't come with the other Allies, we would all be speaking German today..." Thus is the account of my visit to Normandy. During this trip, I often thought of my father and what he experienced as a young soldier in June, 1944., particularly in areas which had been described in his testimony. No one can ever truly imagine what it was like to be a soldier during that war, nor any other war. We left Strasbourg to return to the western part of France (called the Grande Ouest, or Great West)There has been tons of rain with flooding in parts of Brittany and the Loire Atlantique where Nantes is located. Global warming or just Atlantic turbulence are to blame. That didn't deter us from renting a car and taking off up the coast to Brittany and Vannes, a beautiful medieval city. We arrived at about noon on New Year's Eve when everyone was rushing out in the pouring rain to get their baguettes and cakes for the "reveillon" or New Year's Eve dinner party. This is the home of oysters which are part of the feast as well as foie gras, snails and of course champagne. The very next day we went to Carnac and Trinité sur Mer, two more towns in Brittany, the first famous for its prehistoric stone monoliths called "menhirs" that are mysterious sacred structures from a past civilization. This area is a real crossroads of cultures since Brittany used to be a separate country from France until annexed by the French kings. The Bretons are still fiercely proud of their language and customs which adds to the richness of French history. Nantes, the city closest to me, used to be considered part of Brittany but is now considered part of the Loire Atlantique region since the Loire River, famous for its castles further inland, empties into the Atlantic Ocean not far away. Famous as the gateway for explorers who headed west to the Americas as well as infamous as the capital of the slave trade until it was abolished in 1848, Nantes is a beautiful city noted for its white granite buildings and castle of the Dukes of Brittany. It was here that the Treaty of Nantes was conceived though not signed which gave religious freedom to French Protestants in the 16th century. It's also the birthplace of Jules Verne, author of "Around the World in 80 Days," "Journey to the Center of the Earth," and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Inside the castle is a museum of great discoveries that outline ane parallel the great explorations on land, sea and in space with the science fiction accounts of authors like Verne showing how farsighted many of them were in their predictions. Finally, we ended our holidays with a wonderful trip hosted my my mentor, Claudine. She picked us up in Nantes and we took a two day trip along the Loire River, first visiting the chateau (castle) of Angers (Claudine's hometown and where we spent the night at her parents). The next day we continued along the Loire and visited two more castles: Saumur and Chinon. Each castle is fascinating and unique, and brimming with history of the French monarchy. We also visited an abbey from the 13th century, the Abbaye Fontevraud. In its chapel are the tombs of Eleanor of Aquitaine, her husband, Henry II, and their famed son, Richard the Lion-Hearted. The Abbey has a most colorful history; one intriguing aspect of its history is it became a prison for political prisoners during the era of Napoleon I. Thus ended a wonderful two week holiday of traveling and experiencing the culture and history of both France and Germany -- another set of memories to save from this year's incredible set of adventures! It's taken me this long to finally gather my thoughts, but I did want to write a detailed description of the many adventures I had during the Christmas/New Year holidays. On December 23, I took the train from Nantes to Strasbourg, a two hour train ride to Paris, and another four hours from Paris to Strasbourg, which is just on the German/French border. I passed through several towns and all were decorated for the holidays. Here each town has its own "comité des fêtes" or holiday committee which decides how to decorate the streets. Eastern France is where Saint Nicholas is still celebrated on December 6 as well as Father Christmas on Christmas Eve so the holidays are especially rich in tradition. On St. Nicholas Day there was a big parade, fireworks and Saint Nick handing out candies. This begins the holiday season which just barely ended as the celebration of the day of the Kings which includes a special cake served to celebrate Epiphany and the three wise men actually continues through the month of January. The person who finds the "almond" (which is more often a porcelain figurine) hidden inside the cake becomes the king or queen for the day and gets to wear a paper crown. Great fun! Adults enjoy the "galette des rois" (similar to the "rosca de reyes" in Mexico) as much as kids If you don't have time to bake one from scratch, the bakeries have lovely ones ready to go. But let's get back to Strasbourg.... It is called the capital of Europe because it serves as the center of the Council of Europe and many of the European Community activities and meetings are held there. A beautiful medieval city famous for its gothic cathedral and excellent university, it is in the heart of Alsace. I arrived to be greeted by my sister, Anne and her husband, Alfons, and then waited for the arrival of my two Fulbright colleagues, Sally, from Seattle, and Theresa who hails from Chicago. My sister and her family live just across the border from Wissembourg in Bad Bergzabern, a lovely town in the German wine district. We explored Strasbourg by night, the wonderful Marche de Noel (Christmas Market) at the foot of the magnificent cathedral. Here booths are laden with holiday gifts and regional specialties, beautifully decorated. As we sipped hot spiced wine and munched on macaroons warm from the oven (an Alsatian specialty), we wandered the medieval streets with half-timbered houses all gloriously lit up with exquisite lights. They were magical. The shops of course were overflowing with beautiful merchandise and the pastry shops chock full of holiday goodies, especially the famous "bûche de Noël" or Christmas log cake. I've never seen so many varieties with different decorations and colorful icings! For dinner we went to a traditional restaurant that served "tartes flambées" or flaming tarts because they can be served not only as main courses with cheese, bacon and mushrooms but also for dessert "flambé" with spirits such as apple tart with Calvados or other brandy. Basically, the tart is a thin crispy bread dough baked like a pizza and used to be a poor man's dinner but has become a regional specialty. Delicieux! We spent the first week in Germany after driving from Strasbourg to the town of Anne and Alfons. We stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast not far from their town. The owners knew neither English nor French so we practiced all the phrases in German we could recall such as Danke schön, bitte, haben sie..., etc. This lovely region is home to a fabulous hot spring where we luxuriated in indoor and outdoor heated pools with jets of water at various levels from head to toe. It was especially invigorating to go in the outdoor pool on a cold evening and feel the warm water steaming in the cold night air. We even had a full massage and hot compresses while wrapped up in towels -- highly recommended for overworked teachers or anyone needing a relaxing treat. Christmas Eve we went across the border to Wissembourg in France to a dual-language service in French and German at a beautiful Protestant church thinking we were going to Midnight Mass! It turned out to be a lovely evening of lots of carols sung by a choir of children and adults accompanied by flutes and guitars and a beautiful message of hope and peace delivered by the minister. It's encouraging to think that after all the wars that France and Germany have fought on the very spot where we stood, both French and Germans attended in fellowship. Now the two countries have the closest ties of any in the European Community. There was a very beautiful manger scene and enormous tree. At the end all the kids passed out butter cookies they had made to share with the parishoners which added a delightful touch of warmth and friendship, and demonstrated a true Christmas spirit. Christmas Day we spent at Anne and Alfons's with a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. We had a lively conversation comparing the French, American and German school systems as my brother-in-law is a teacher of economics in a secondary school. During the week after Christmas, we enjoyed touring the area around Bad Bergzabern visiting Heidellberg one day, which is just an hour by train. The castle is spectacular, perched high above the river and town. Being a famous university city and medical research center, there is a vitality and energy that are contagious. I've never heard so many different languages spoken in one day! We lucked out with gorgeous weather so really enjoyed the day. The follwing day, the 29th, we bid goodbye to Anne and Alfons. Our last day and night were spent in Strasbourg where we once again enjoyed the sights and smells of the Marche de Noel. We also watched the fascinating figures move on the hour on a very famous gigantic clock in the Cathedral of Strasbourg. There were saints, apostles, angels and other celestial beings revolving in what was an incredible display of clockwork (without batteries or electricity). A most wonderful viewing experience! On Saturday, the 30th, Theresa, Sally and I headed on to my part of France (la Grande Ouest). An important part of this exchange is to share the American culture with the local people. Thus, I shared the concept of Thanksgiving with a celebration of thanks for their support and extended friendship. More than 25 colleagues attended and judging by the ambience, it was a huge success! It was NOT a traditional dinner by any means, but rather a get together (pot luck) with light entrees and delectable desserts...with an array of regional and international dishes. I gave a little speech of gratitude in French for all of the support my colleagues have given me and another teacher gave an explanation of the historical background of Thanksgiving (as I had explained it to her). I asked the other English teachers to join me in reading a Thankgving prayer and we each read and translated our parts into French. The house was decorated with paper turkeys and cornucopias, autumn wreaths, and even Happy Thanksgiving napkins which my Mom and my daughter had sent me. I had found bright gold color paper plates which coordinated well with the decor! Oh, and I had found wonderful pre-cooked "escargots" (snails!) which were also a big hit and along with it I made a Turkish salad (I did say the menu was very non-traditional!) The table was also laid out with a number of different quiches, turkey casserole, vegetable casseroles, salads, several desserts (including a very extravagant dessert called "Pavlova" from the exchange teacher from Australia who is in a neighboring village), fruit, liqueur-filled chocolates, and more "vin nouveau" and regional wine bottles than I could count! The ambience was very festive and everyone was more than happy to relax and have a great time after all the hard work of grading and frantically entering the final grades into the school computer for the trimester this past week! I appreciate the comraderie and comfort level I feel with this group of teachers; it many ways, it's made all the difference! Voila une celebration de Thanksgiving en France!! |
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