I guess when you take such a big move as this one, living in France for seven months, you don't really ever think the day will come for it to end. And now it has arrived and we're all a bit lost and shocked. Certainly it was difficult to explain to the kids why I'm leaving at Easter break (and not at the end of the school year, like a normal teacher would). But also for me it's hard to swallow the fact that my life for the past seven months is ending- once again I'm picking up my stuff and finding a new thing to do.
It's been a great run. Two schools, ten classes, 208 students, plus two video sessions. How many names do I remember? Some classes more than others... but here they are in all their glory. Silly and happy and always ready to learn English, even if at times they yell out "Imanta, j'ai pas compris..." It was all part of the journey. And everyone seemed to come out of it better than they were before. My French has improved tremendously, although I have lost some of my writing skills. And even if they still mix up "How are you?" and "How old are you?", the seed has been planted for enjoying English and for pursuing the discovery of a different culture than their own.
The last days at school were much easier than I had expected them to be, that is, emotions weren't as crazy as I thought they might be. But that's for the better, I really wanted to leave on a high note, celebrating everything we had accomplished together. We spent the last day playing Simon Says and singing all of the songs we had learned throughout the year- most popular being The Wheels on the bus (go round and round), B-I-N-G-O, If you're happy and you know it. I received more love letters than I have ever received, and more hugs (and kiddy germs) than I want to imagine. It was great to have such a fun-loving relationship with the kids! So here they are for you to see- all the "gamins" with whom I spent my days...
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