Monday, March 14, 2011
I am finally back "home" after 2 wonderful but exhausting weeks. I want to write about everything (actually, let's face it, I don't really because I'm lazy) but today I'm just writing to say that I got home safely and am feeling pretty good about life: Tarbes feels like home every time I come back from travelling, the weather is warm and sunny, I just spent an awesome week with my sister, my students were all nice and fun today, I just got back from having a lovely coffee and sitting in a lovely square enjoying the lovely weather with Sam, and I'm leaving again in 6 days to chaperone my students on a week-long trip to London. Also, including this week, but not including the week in London, I have 5 weeks of teaching left. So that's pretty much just a whole lot of goodness :)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
BERLIN
Just a quick update to say I'm in lovely Berlin where it is cold and sunny, and there are so many things to do and see! It's been a mix of English and French, communist history/nostalgia and modern art, shopping, eating, riding around on 10 million different kinds of public transport, and generally just having a grand old time. I have so many great photos of so much great stuff, but that will have to wait until I get back to Tarbes.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
I really wanted to put some pictures in this post but I'm using Ginger's roommate's computer so can't upload them from my camera. Anyway, here is what I hope will be a quick summary of my lovely weekend in Paris:
I arrived Friday after a miraculously punctual train ride. Met Ginger at the metro stop, lots of hugging ensued, then we got coffee and came back to have dinner with her roommates and some awesome Belgian girls who are visiting for Ginger's roommate's birthday.
Saturday, we went to a Senegalese restaurant that we found on the internet and had a great nostalgic Senegalese lunch, (chebujen and yassa, for anyone who's wondering), then we went to this African neighborhood to peruse the Senegalese grocery stores, fish stores, and fabric shops. It was really cool and chaotic and we heard lots of wolof and saw lots of products that reminded us of Senegal.
It started raining so we headed back to the metro and decided it was too early to go home so we went to the Mosquée de Paris. We walked around the inside which was gorgeous, and then visited the mosque's tea room to have turkish coffee and pastries. After that we got some wine and cheese and went back to Ginger's apartment to help get ready for her roommate's birthday party, where we met a bunch of foreign (mostly German) students who study in Paris.
Today, we got up and made coffee, then went to the Marais neighborhood to have the best falafel in Paris. It did actually live up to all the hype, it was probably the best falafel sandwich I've ever eaten. Details for Mom--it had falafel and hummus inside and also white and purple cabbage, tomatoes, grilled eggplant, white sauce, and spicy red sauce on top. Miammmm...
After the falafel we walked to the Cluny museum where I finally got to see the unicorn tapestries, after waiting 5 years to do so since the first time I was in France. So that was pretty great. We even got to go for free since we're under 26 and reside in the European Union. We got coffee then came back to Ginger's neighborhood to walk in the park and peruse a used bookstore, and then came back to relax for the evening. Now there are less than 12 hours until I board my plane to Berlin!
I arrived Friday after a miraculously punctual train ride. Met Ginger at the metro stop, lots of hugging ensued, then we got coffee and came back to have dinner with her roommates and some awesome Belgian girls who are visiting for Ginger's roommate's birthday.
Saturday, we went to a Senegalese restaurant that we found on the internet and had a great nostalgic Senegalese lunch, (chebujen and yassa, for anyone who's wondering), then we went to this African neighborhood to peruse the Senegalese grocery stores, fish stores, and fabric shops. It was really cool and chaotic and we heard lots of wolof and saw lots of products that reminded us of Senegal.
It started raining so we headed back to the metro and decided it was too early to go home so we went to the Mosquée de Paris. We walked around the inside which was gorgeous, and then visited the mosque's tea room to have turkish coffee and pastries. After that we got some wine and cheese and went back to Ginger's apartment to help get ready for her roommate's birthday party, where we met a bunch of foreign (mostly German) students who study in Paris.
Today, we got up and made coffee, then went to the Marais neighborhood to have the best falafel in Paris. It did actually live up to all the hype, it was probably the best falafel sandwich I've ever eaten. Details for Mom--it had falafel and hummus inside and also white and purple cabbage, tomatoes, grilled eggplant, white sauce, and spicy red sauce on top. Miammmm...
After the falafel we walked to the Cluny museum where I finally got to see the unicorn tapestries, after waiting 5 years to do so since the first time I was in France. So that was pretty great. We even got to go for free since we're under 26 and reside in the European Union. We got coffee then came back to Ginger's neighborhood to walk in the park and peruse a used bookstore, and then came back to relax for the evening. Now there are less than 12 hours until I board my plane to Berlin!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Well, well. There is obviously not much going on around here, I've had nothing to blog about for the last week! Actually, last night I went to a bar in town with some friends to check out karaoke night, which is every Wednesday. Normally, I think karaoke is a hoot--once you get over the initial embarrassment it can be really fun and hilarious. So we had a few beers to warm up, I convinced Sam to sing a duet with me, and we picked an N*sync song (classic, right?) since they didn't have "Party in the USA". An hour later, our song still hadn't come up, but we were forced to sit through a dozen drunken renditions of terrible French songs from the 80s. I mean the crappiest, sappiest songs about being lonely and following your lover wherever he goes, etc. So finally, we got so tired we aked the DJ could he please play our song or delete it from the queue because we needed to leave. It turned out he had already deleted it because this wasn't the democratic karaoke I'm used to but the autocratic kind where the DJ has complete control and puts on the songs he likes, and not the ones the patrons pick. So it looks like Le Moderne lost at least one patron for their karaoke night--that'll show them!
And now, I'm starting to get restless--it's time to hit the road again. I have one more class tomorrow morning, then I'm on a train headed for Paris and it's all north from there! I would normally say that I will be less available internet-wise, but given my current internet situation, I may actually be on the internet more in hostels and at friends' houses than chez moi in Tarbes. So look for updates soon!
And now, I'm starting to get restless--it's time to hit the road again. I have one more class tomorrow morning, then I'm on a train headed for Paris and it's all north from there! I would normally say that I will be less available internet-wise, but given my current internet situation, I may actually be on the internet more in hostels and at friends' houses than chez moi in Tarbes. So look for updates soon!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fire Drill
-Maire Elementary School; Grosse Pointe, MI, USA; circa 1995-
The fire bell rings. The students all put their pencils/books/etc on their desks and file (quietly) out of the classroom behind their teacher. The classes all meet on the field, away from the building, where the teachers count the children (still in their lines and relatively quiet) to make sure they are all there. When the bell rings to indicate the drill is over, the students all walk (not run!) back to their classrooms where class resumes as normal. This happens at least 8 times a year, the number of drills specified by the state government for all schools in Michigan, the teachers and students all know from the beginning of the year exactly where they are supposed to go in case of a fire drill, it almost always happens with the same amount of order and calm, and the students are all under 11 years old.
-Théophile Gautier High School; Tarbes, France; February 14, 2011, 9:30am-
The fire bell rings. The students start putting their belongings in their bags despite my instructions to leave everything behind except their jackets and leave the room immediately. We finally make it out into the hall, where it is total mayhem. The other teachers have no idea what is going on or where they are supposed to take their students, and the students are all getting lost in the crowd and chatting with students from other classes. Since there is such a large crowd blocking the stairs, one of the other teachers decides we should go out the other way down the stairs. We pass by several classrooms in which the teachers are continuing their classes as normal, undisturbed by the fire drill. The one teacher I ask for directions says he has no idea what is going on or where to go, and decides to take his students back in the classroom. I eventually do the same after seeing the same mayhem in the big courtyard. We resume class as normal. The students are all over the age of 15.
The fire bell rings. The students all put their pencils/books/etc on their desks and file (quietly) out of the classroom behind their teacher. The classes all meet on the field, away from the building, where the teachers count the children (still in their lines and relatively quiet) to make sure they are all there. When the bell rings to indicate the drill is over, the students all walk (not run!) back to their classrooms where class resumes as normal. This happens at least 8 times a year, the number of drills specified by the state government for all schools in Michigan, the teachers and students all know from the beginning of the year exactly where they are supposed to go in case of a fire drill, it almost always happens with the same amount of order and calm, and the students are all under 11 years old.
-Théophile Gautier High School; Tarbes, France; February 14, 2011, 9:30am-
The fire bell rings. The students start putting their belongings in their bags despite my instructions to leave everything behind except their jackets and leave the room immediately. We finally make it out into the hall, where it is total mayhem. The other teachers have no idea what is going on or where they are supposed to take their students, and the students are all getting lost in the crowd and chatting with students from other classes. Since there is such a large crowd blocking the stairs, one of the other teachers decides we should go out the other way down the stairs. We pass by several classrooms in which the teachers are continuing their classes as normal, undisturbed by the fire drill. The one teacher I ask for directions says he has no idea what is going on or where to go, and decides to take his students back in the classroom. I eventually do the same after seeing the same mayhem in the big courtyard. We resume class as normal. The students are all over the age of 15.
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