Survived the first week of classes!

So here we are. One week of classes down, one more to go before... Fall break! Hehe, yes, the French do like their vacation and I'm not complaining.

First week of classes went as well as they could have gone. I think I've gotten the kids excited enough about what we'll be doing that I'll have their respect and love in no time. Already just walking through halls in between classes they run up to me saying "Hello" and proving to me and to themselves that they can speak even a word of English.

I have three different levels to teach. CP/CE1, CE2/CM1, CM1/CM2, CM2 (yeah, I'm still trying to keep up with it all). CP are the youngest, fresh out of Kindergarten and have had almost no exposure to English, where as CM2 are the oldest in elementary school and know a few things already. So planning lessons and revising my ideas to fit each group has been challenging. Before I started teaching I spent two days in "stage" with the teachers of one of my school's to plan out the curriculum and weekly schedule. They are following the curriculum set by the European Union, which dictates what should be taught throughout all European schools. Quite ambitious and there's a lot to be done! But since I'm only with each group 35minutes at a time, twice a week we had to cut down a lot.

I'm finding that teaching is much more exhausting than I thought it would be! Especially because most of the time I'm playing charades with the kids because they have no idea what is going on... so there I am jumping up and down, singing "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes", making a fool of myself and thanking all of my theater teachers for making me comfortable getting crazy in front of a crowd. And the kids are enjoying it! We were learning the action/word for "slowly" and I of course was exaggerating a verrry slowww waaalkkk and this one boy could not stop laughing to the point where he was crying and it was the sweetest thing I've seen- making me start laughing and lose it too! Haha

We've been singing a "Hello" song that I learned in orientation to get to know one another (but it's sometimes hard to fit French names to a song in English...). My favorite part is listening to them say "Thursday". Because I think only a rare French person can say "TH" and most often than not it comes out "Sursday". Oh well, we'll keep trying. I've enjoyed going back to my childhood and pull out those songs that I couldn't get enough of... first on the list was "Shake my sillies out" by Raffi! What a hit! Seeing these little "gamins" (slang for kids) twisting and wiggling is to die for. Ah! yes, what makes things even more interesting is the slipper phenomenon. I still need to ask what the reason for that is, but all the kids wear slippers when they're in class- Hannah Montana is a popular one that I've seen, but they come in all shapes and sizes!

Luckily, school is only Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri with Wednesday off. And by Wednesday I was exhausted and ready for a break. Olivia, Charlene and I decided to meet up for a hike to a look out tower over the lake. It was a beautiful Autumn day, a bit chilly, but perfect for hiking. A bit around the lake, then up a couple of hundred meters, where we passed waterfalls, brightly colorful trees and some huge evergreens. The view from the top was quite perfect, but the look out tower was a bit scary and you could feel it moving in the wind or when other people were coming up. The afternoon in the fresh air was just what I needed to get through the week! And we're lucky we went then because the last two days have been horribly cloudy and cold (right now it's about 38*F).

Ah, yes, and that reminds me! I have started to sing with a choir. The "Inspecteur" of the elementary schools in Gerardmer, Jean-Claude is also a choir director and invited me and another assistant to come sing. Average age... 50? Of course all of the ladies were so helpful and welcoming to my unknowing self. And when they realized I could actually read music and knew what I was doing, OH MY GOSH! It was as if we all died and went to heaven! The music is a mix of French, classical, some holiday music and my personal favorite: and Italian tune: Bella Bimba! Such a tongue twister, but quite fun! However we sing it in Italian, not like in this version by Dean Martin who translates it to English and about five times faster... So it's something to do on my Wednesday nights and will help me keep my vocal cords in shape!

This weekend Olivia were hoping to go to Nancy for a night/day to do some shopping, etc. But the French are being French, which means it's "greves" and "manifestations" (striking season baby!) and buses and trains were scarce, late, or non-existent. So we decided to stay in Gerardmer, which turned out to be fun! Friday night was a going away party for the Tech guy at the lycee, aka the savior who brought Internet to our rooms and fixed my Skype! We didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a lot of wine and beer, food and conversation. Best moments included: standing around the table, the two of us (Female, Americans) drinking beer while the rest of the company (Male, French) had little wine glasses in their hands. Ah, yes, you know you're in France when... Then, conversation turned to accents and words with multiple meanings... like preservatives. A normal thing that an American is concerned about in their food, about their health... well, in French the word "preservative" means condom. So, the last thing you want to do is ask, are there "preservatives" in that? Because all you will get in return is a laugh or awkward look. But did you know there is also a Condom, France? Yes, well these are all things we discussed at the party...

The night continued at the hot spot in town, La Grattoir, which brings in free concerts every week. This week it was a great tzigane/jazz band, the Samy Daussat Trio. Ah, so nice to hear good, live music!

So that's where we're at now. One week to go before break! Michelle and I have been searching for CouchSurfing hosts and looking forward to what our travels will bring...