Where did time go? I feel we just got here and suddenly we are all talking about going back home. I cannot believe July is almost over! On Tuesday, the students spent the afternoon playing games with a group of French teenagers. They had a wonderful time engaging, talking and laughing as they competed in various activities. The French students were so proud to have the "American" kids come spend time with them, and our kids loved hanging out with them!!! The students have been working hard on their talent show that will take place tomorrow night. All of the host families will be there to see them perform and share one more evening together as a group. It will be an emotional night for all of us. Everyone has bonded and grown so close together... and now the tears and farewells are right around the corner. Today the students practiced Tai Chi (in French) and then learned about Japanese painting. The professor taught students different techniques and history of the art of Japanese art. After lunch we headed to Nice Ville to do some shopping! They had been waiting for this day for a long time. Time to get everyone at home a souvenir from France!!! The boys decided to do something different, and chose to watch Spider Man in French at the movie theatre. I loved that idea! Tonight we are going to watch a live theatre production by the beach. I am sure it will be entertaining, fun and a cultural experience for all of us. Tomorrow is our last official day with regular classes in the morning and electives in the afternoon. On Saturday we are visiting Saint Remo and Sunday we all spend the day packing, sharing one more evening with the host families before taking over the Nice airport on Monday morning! I promise to have some fun pictures from the talent show and our trip to Italy so you can feel like you were part of our celebration and last trip together.
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Well that is a loaded question! Classes are still going strong during the mornings, electives in the afternoons and during our spare time we have managed to go to St. Tropez, Les Gorges du Verdon, Cagnes Sur Mer and Old Nice. We have snorkeled, shopped, kayaked and seen some of the most gorgeous sights anyone can hope to encounter in the French Riviera.
On Saturday we shared a wonderful local meal at a quaint restaurant by the sea, then walked around the boardwalk next to the ocean, watching live music, people dancing and walking up and down the street having a great time. The evening ended with a spectacular show of fireworks as we watched it sitting at the beach! So not only have classes been a success and students are improving their language skills, they have also been able to visit different towns, participate in many activities and taste many types of French meals well known in the south of France. Students are loving their host families more and more. They spend their evenings sharing their time with them, cooking meals together, bonding and creating relationships that will last a lifetime. I cannot believe we only have a few days left together...so little time and so much left to do! This has been a fantastic and very active week! The students worked extremely hard all week in class. Everyone was engaged, participating and actively learning and improving their skills. I applaud them for their efforts. Well done!
As part of our afternoon activities, our program director was able to schedule a visit to a retirement home. The students interested in participating signed up and spent two and half hours sharing their time with some of the most loving people I have ever met. Let's retrace a bit... in order to make this activity successful, we prepared in class. Everyone had to come up with a list of questions prior to the visit. We discussed proper ways to greet elderly people, some "proper" and "not to do or ask" questions, and how to say good bye and thank them politely for their time. We role played, some of us were the elderly as the students played their part asking the right questions and making sure they were speaking slowly and clearly. Your children are fine actors and actresses! We had some good laughs and extremely good acting!!! All of our hard work paid off once we arrived and actually engaged with this amazing group of people. The students were divided into two groups. One group participated in a "gymnastics" class with them, while the other spoke to a group who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. To finish the activity, the students shared a snack with the whole group and engaged in very interesting conversations with them. I watched them laugh, sing, ask questions, share stories and bond in a loving and tender way with each other. Talk about human warmth... as I write to you, I feel tears of joy in my eyes. This was one of the most moving experiences I have encountered. I saw the care and time each of your children took into making these older people special. Every person I talked to thanked us for coming by and making their day! They could not stop praising the students for their kindness. They were all amazed by how well they spoke French and how well behaved they were! In all, your children touched a human life and made it sweeter and happier just by sharing their time with them. WOW! This has been an exciting week for us. Our new students are all finally here and it is great to see them adjust to their new surroundings easily. As the group gets tot know each other, I am thrilled to hear everyone speak in French more and more everyday. I love to listen to stories, watch the friendships with each other and their host parents get stronger and see their smiles everyday! During class students are reviewing phrases used commonly in the French language such as "avoir la main vert". Yes that is right, having a green hand. In English we would say, having a green thumb! Phrases that are unique to each language are always fun to decipher! It brings a deeper level of understanding not only to the language but to the culture itself. Please make sure to ask your children about these when they get home. It will be a fun and interesting conversation for sure! As part of our activities this week, bowling was a hit, we had some time at the beach and shopping and yesterday we went to a small town called Saint Paul du Vance. We visited a contemporary museum that had works of art not only inside but also around the gardens of the museum. The students gave us a guided tour after visiting and exploring on their own. Later, we had time to walk around the village and visit the small shops and cafes in the area. In the evening, after a nice homemade dinner at their homes, we met at the Saint Laurent du Var boardwalk to enjoy the evening walking around the boardwalk, sitting by the beach and enjoying our evening by the ocean. Today after class, students will get a chance to taste a variety of French cheese (we are surprising them during lunch). Again, not only do we want to focus on the language but also on the cultural aspects of experiencing life in a foreign country! I will personally never walk away from French cheese... Do you know what impresses me the most? To hear everyone speaking French to each other more and more! I know it is hard and it takes willpower to stop ourselves from communicating in English, but I commend this group for making an effort to express themselves in French more and more frequently amongst themselves! Can you tell how proud of them I am? You should be as well! Can you believe two weeks have already come and gone? I am shocked when I realize how quickly the time goes by. This blog is actually a compilation of funny faces and our activity for Bastille Day at a local Country Club. The students sent me some of their favorite funny pictures and I thought to honor the departure of some and the arrival of others, it was the perfect time to post them. As part of our party during Bastille Day, we made sure we celebrated Christian's, Evelyn's and Juliette's birthday. The chef prepared a home made chocolate cake for them with candles as we all sang "happy birthday" in four different languages! Yesterday we went to Monaco, walked around the palace in a guided tour, checked out the town, saw the change of guards and then we to a parfumerie where we learned how perfumes are made! Moms, maybe your children thought of you and bought you fancy gifts! In the evening those who still had some energy, drove into town after a family dinner and walked around St. Laurent Du Var's port to see what night life is all about. Let me tell you... half of the city was there, from newborns to 80 year olds, everyone seemed to be having a good time! Now we say good bye to our first group greet new people who will join our little "St Laurent Family". With that being said, I have to let you know I am sad to say good bye a bit too soon to those leaving us, and excited to meet the new members of our group!
Yesterday we spent the day visiting two museums and then eating "galettes" and "crepes" for dinner. At Musee Chagall students had a French guide who explained the meaning behind each painting. Students had an iPad with interactive questions they had to answer after the explanation. They were asked to read the questions aloud, translate and give the correct answers. The students had to focus on the information provided by the tour guide, apply the information learned to answer questions and participate during the tour. Not only were they using various learning skills (auditory, visual and kinesthetic), but they can now talk about two famous French artists and discuss techniques, and the meaning behind the paintings. Part of their exercise at Musee Matisse was to look around the museum, choose a favorite work of art and be able to present it to their peers. We did a similar exercise last week, and all their teachers commented how much better the students were able to express themselves. Their vocabulary has improved quite a bit and the phrases have become more complex! I am extremely proud of how much progress all of them have made. At the end of the day we walked around some old Roman ruins and then headed into town to try an authentic "breton" meal!
Fun fact: This statue represents the "gruyeres" or strong men from the village who would carry people across the river for safety. The bridge at that time kept falling down and was not reliable. Years later a bridge made out of concrete and iron was built, and the "gruyeres were no longer needed." Students learned about this church which was the first one built in the old part of town. The monument on the right is in memory of soldiers who died protecting Saint Laurent du Var from its enemies. Fun fact: students stood at the old French and Italian border. They saw the old police station, an old jail and the road to cross over the river to get to Nice, which belonged to Italy back then. Once the tour was over, we headed to Nice for lunch and a fun afternoon paragliding at the beach. The smiles on these kids was priceless! They loved the experience and enjoyed seeing Nice up in the air! By the end of the day we walked around town for a bit before returning to St. Laurent du Var. To end the day, we met with the host families at the beach in Saint Laurent for a picnic at the beach. It was wonderful to spend time with the parents, share stories and hear how happy and positive the students have been during their stay with them! We had a wonderful weekend! Our students have not only visited and explored small towns, but have had the opportunity to engage with vendors and express themselves in French. Yesterday we visited Antibes and Juan les Pins, two wonderful towns just a hop away. The first thing we did upon arrival was discover an open market filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and natural remedies. Students bought fruits and some souvenirs. I loved watching them open up and engage in conversation as they went from one booth to the next! After leaving the market we visited "Lilamand Confiseur" a shop founded in 1903 where candied fruits are made. The owner gave students an explanation of how these fruits and jellies are made and then allowed them to taste a variety of flavors. This was definitely something new for them! Our next stop was the Picasso Museum. Picasso actually lived in this castle and worked on many of his pieces. The castle now hosts Picasso's works of our as well as other famous artists. Students were given a task to fulfill as we visited the museum. Each person had to pick a favorite work of art, learn about one of the artists or simply find something interesting about the museum to share with the rest of us. After half an hour we all met and each student became our personal tour guide! Each of them explained to us what they loved about a certain piece or what was important to them, all in French of course! It was wonderful to see them come out of their comfort zone and try something new. I was very proud of them! Once the hard work was over, we head to Jean Les Pins , where we spent the afternoon paddle boarding, kayaking and laying out by the beach. The sports guides taught us how stand on the boards, attempt to jump on them and compete with instructions in French. I have to say it was a struggle to stay dry and not fall into the water but we had fun regardless! After another wonderful day, everyone went back to their host families to share a family meal and a quiet evening together. I wanted to add we had two birthdays this week. Joyeux Anniversaire to Christian and Evie!!! Days and nights are becoming a blur... There is so much going on I am not sure when we end and when we start all over again. No complaints, so don't get me wrong! Between new activities on Friday, pictures taken during photography day and our Cannes trip today, let me tell you. it has been non stop! Yesterday we spent a fun afternoon learning how to play La Lyonnaise. This game is played by everyone in town every single afternoon for at least two hours. It seemed like everyone in town stopped working to come and play as a community. The older people took the time to explain to the students how to play, what the best technique was and mostly, to just relax and enjoy being there having a good time. Later in the evening after sharing a homemade meal with the host families, we ventured to the town next door to walk around an open fair by the ocean. It was fun to check out the vendors and all the beautiful crafts they had. Some of our students took advantage of the fact that there were fresh churros being sold, while others enjoyed listening to music being played in the different "cafes" we passed. Yesterday we spent the day at Cannes Sur Mer. Mode of transportation: train! The students are now realizing how convenient and common it is to take the train anywhere you go around here. They also learned that although there is a schedule showing the time the train arrives, it is common for it to be late! The reason? It varies! We met with exchange students from Nice, it was a good time for everyone to mingle and hang out. We walked around the city, old town and ended our day by the beach. The students took advantage of this time to scope around shops, eat at local bakeries or restaurants, talk to the vendors or ask for directions. By the end of the day, everyone had a story to tell, beautiful hats, bathing suits and new outfits to wear, or some delicious dessert to share! We ended the evening by sharing the evening with host families. Everyone definitely had a lot to share last night! I am sure the students were talking non stop to their host parents about the wonderful day they had! C'etait merveilleux! Please enjoy the slideshow. The credit goes to all of the students who shared their pictures with me. Hint: Part of their assignments now is to apply their knowledge of their language and photography skills and use these on a daily basis. Good morning! On day 2 the students worked hard during the morning with their French teachers so they could be placed in the correct class and begin their morning lessons in the appropriate level. I heard from many of them that after having just one day of class, they felt more at ease trying to speak and have small conversations. I am so proud of them! After class, they had their usual "picnic" for lunch and in the afternoon we ventured into Nice by train. Students learned about the French closing their businesses during lunch and taking a "sieste" meaning they all nap, including our train conductors! Once we arrived to Nice, Christian, one of our students, found a piano in the train station (fun fact: all train stations now have one for anyone to play), and mesmerized us with his music abilities! We were ready to begin our adventure into Nice! We began by walking through the main city into Old Town, checking out the wonderful architecture of the buildings, fountains and statues. The old town in Nice was absolutely spectacular! You could hear people from all over the world speak different languages, there were hundreds of quain t restaurants and cafes and all kinds of interesting shops. We decided to have some gelato as part of our experience. Layla and Juliette could not resist choosing a crepe with Nutella instead! As part of our tour we went by the beach and climbed MANY steps to make it all the way to an old castle where we enjoyed the most spectacular views! I cannot take all the credit for these pictures. Many of the students sent me their favorite ones and I am including them here. We had a wonderful afternoon and hope to jump into the clear, blue ocean in Nice in the near future! Enjoy the slideshow... A demain! |