Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Here are some pictures of my family because I love them and Thursday is going to be sad. But I do consider myself lucky because the reason I miss my family so much is because they are so wonderful.
I wish I had pictures of my extended family as well, but I don't. I will see you all in 3 weeks!

can I park my unicorn at the tram stop?

I would like to teach French, but right now I feel like my knowledge of the language is not up to par. I know enough to get by, but I am FAR from fluent. For example, a few weeks ago I had to meet with the headmistress of one of my schools to ask permission to leave early at Christmas. My eloquent speech went something like this (and it does lose a little something without my classy American accent)
Me: I am going to come to the United States for Christmas. I am going by… the airplane. I try buy a ticket last week. I can to leave on December 24 or December 17. I prefer to leave on December 17 because that day is not the day before Christmas. But I should work on Friday, December 19. Can I…I don’t know the French word.
Headmistress (a former English teacher, and speaks perfect English, but lets me struggle through my pathetic plea anyway, which is a rare quality in a French person. Most French people I have met usually interrupt me once they understand what I am trying to say, or else start speaking to me in English, which does nothing to improve my French): What is the English word you are trying to say?
Me: make up
Headmistress tells me the word, and I continue on pleading my case.

However, as demonstrated by my cooperating teachers on a daily basis, fluency is not necessary for lower level foreign language teachers.
In one of my classes on Wednesday, the kids were learning about routines or “time tables” as my teacher told me. At first I had no idea what he meant, and even after teaching two lessons on the subject, I am still unsure as to what exactly the kids were learning. Although a nice person, this particular man has, without question, the worst English of any of the 12 teaches that I work with. So I was teaching, and he was sitting at his desk, grading on pronunciation and participation. I was supposed to have each kid tell me their morning routine. I hate when the teachers do activities like this because we are supposed to interrupt the kids to correct grammar and pronunciation. I have no problem correcting the kids; I just don’t like interrupting them to do so. But if I don’t jump right in and interrupt, the teachers will, making me look incompetent. So I am learning, although I can’t bring myself to do it every time. After about 4 students had given their routines to me, I noticed they were all making the same mistake. They were saying “I get up at 7 o’clock. I have breakfast at 10 minutes past 7. At quarter past 7, I brush my teeth. Then at quarter TO 7, I leave for school”
So I said “Ok, I have noticed you were all making this mistake, so I want to make sure you understand something. When someone says a quarter to 7, that means 15 minutes before 7. If you are trying to say 7:45, you need to say a quarter to 8, or just 7:45”
Then my teacher jumped in “Yes, good. They have not learned until or before, so they say it this way. But that is correct, but they say it this way.”
So I said “I understand that, but they need to say they are leaving for school at a quarter to 8, not a quarter to 7, since that would be 15 minutes before they wake up”
Then the teacher replied “Yes, good. They have not learned until or before.”

At this point, I realize my teacher had absolutely no idea what I had just said. Like the majority of the wisdom that I have tried to bestow on the kids (and teachers), it was met with a vacant “I don’t understand” stare/smile combo. I consider myself a master of this look, since I use it in nearly all of the French conversations that I have had in the past 2 months. So then the rest of the class continued on, saying that they leave for school 15 minutes before waking up.
Then I had to tell my morning routine. I could have said “I use my powers of telekinesis to bring myself breakfast in bed at half past 48 (anything:30 is also a forbidden term). I get in the shower at quarter to twoteen. At this time, the gnomes come to make my bed and iron my clothes. At a quarter past eleventy, I ride the unicorn to the tram stop.” And my teacher would have seen nothing out of the ordinary about my morning, as long as I did not say before, until, or anything:30. Other changes I was told to make include “preparing dinner” instead of “fixing dinner”, “having breakfast” instead of “eating breakfast” and “jogging” instead of “running”

As promised, since last Saturday, I have not left the house without my camera. Here are a few pictures from this week.



These are the lights hanging above Rue St. Catherine. They are not on yet, but slowly the Christmas lights are being turned on around town. The Christmas Market opens Wednesday, so hopefully these lights will be on soon! Funny story though, as I stopped to take this picture, a bum rode by on his bike and offered to take a picture of me with my camera if I paid him 50 cents.



I saw this lovely sunrise while I was walking to the tram stop a few mornings ago. And the old saying “red sky in morning, sailors’ warning” proved to be true. It was raining about an hour after I took this picture.


Anya and I are both super sad about missing Thanksgiving. We are also trying to figure out how we can teach our students about the holiday. This led to our craft project a couple nights ago-hand turkeys. We were so pleased with our work that we decided to hang it up on the fridge.





Then I colored this picture cause I love Christmas more.


Yesterday there was a nationwide teacher strike. In Bordeaux alone there were over 30,000 teachers striking. The schools were closed. And for some reason when the teachers are on strike the public transportation operators are also on strike. There was no school and no public transportation. I don’t have school on Thursdays, so it made no difference to me. As I was walking around I saw a group of protesters marching. This is just the very end of group. I walked past them several blocks before I decided to take a picture.

Oh France

Yesterday I saw a large mob of people outside of St. Andre. They were kneeling, and singing. Then there was a line of police officers. On the other side of the line of police officers, was another mob of people, carrying banners that said things like "keep your prayers away from our ovaries" and they were chanting something. I could not understand what they were chanting. Then they starting fighting with the police officers. Gas and night sticks were used. It got ugly.
Then, an hour or so later, I saw a random band-3 trombones, 3 saxophones, 4 trumpets, a tuba, a snare drum, and a bass drum. They played classics such as Objection (Tango) by Shakira, the Mario Bros. theme, and a Thriller/Billy Jean Michael Jackson number, complete with the dance from the music video. It was probably the coolest thing that I have ever seen.
My only regret from yesterday is that my camera was laying on the kitchen table.

Tut tut, it looks like Christmas!

I love Christmas, a lot. I love everything about it, except for the criticism that I receive for starting my Christmas celebration what some people consider to be too early. And up until a month ago, I thought Eliza and I (and department stores) were the only ones who understood the importance of starting early. Then I came here, and to my delight realized Bordeaux starts putting up its Christmas decorations in October. I have only found one set of lights that are actually turned on, but that doesn't matter. The decorations are up.

a couple conversations

Walking through the courtyard at school yesterday a girl came running up to me.
Girl: Hello Laura!
Me: Hi. How are you?
Girl: blank stare
Me: How are you?
Girl: Oooh! I...am 10 years old.

In class yesterday I was showing a picture of some people celebrating Obama's victory.
Me: Why are these people happy?
Student A: They are excited because Obama is President.
Me: That is correct. Does anyone know why this election is so historic?
Student B: Obama...has victory, comme (French for "like" and most of my students also seem to think it is an English word as well) Martin Luther King's dream.
Me: That is really good. Can anyone tell me about Martin Luther King?
Student B again: He wanted black people and white people to be good friends.
Me: Yes, he wanted equality for black people. So why do you think he would be happy about this election?
Student C: Because 50 years ago, in America, black people are slaves.

This is actually a story from Randall, another assistant in a local high school, but I am sharing anyway because it is sadly representative of what French people think America is like.
Randall: Who can tell me what happens on Halloweeen?
Student: Little girls get raped.

This is probably the best/worst conversation that I have had here. It actually happened a few weeks ago, but I don't think I ever shared. The kids had to bring in items that they thought represented America, and then we were having a sort of show and tell. Items brought in included a (fake) hand gun, several cokes, several pictures of McD's, and a collection of poker chips. One girl wanted to show me her item before class.
Girl, holding a tiny jar of Skippy peanut butter and I have since looked everywhere for Skippy PB, couldn't find any: I brought this. Is this okay?
Me: Wow, you are very creative for thinking to bring that. Good job!
Girl: Ooh! Good. You like penis butter?

I know that I should not laugh at the French kids' English. I am learning French, and so I know how difficult it is to learn a language, and I reword most of the things I say to avoid using object pronouns or compound tenses other than just the basic past. But the things they say are just so funny. Plus they all laugh at my French, so it is really just one big circle.

Crazy old Maryse? Hmm...Crazy old Maryse.

Ok, so she is a little unusual, but not really that crazy or old. I saw the opportunity for a Beauty and the Beast reference, and I ran with it.
A few weeks ago, my housemates and I had a discussion about all of the random stuff Maryse has in the house. There are armoirs and closets in every room, and they are all full of stuff. My favorite is the one in our dining room that 3 rifles, or shot guns, or some type of gun in it.


Catherine was laughing that Maryse has a cabinet full of slippers in Catherine's extra room (both of the bedrooms downstairs have random little closet/changing rooms off of them, my extra room is bigger than my bedroom in my Chicago apt). So last night I was walking from my bedroom into the living/dining room, and Maryse stopped me. She said asked me if my feet were cold. I said no, they were fine. Then she pointed to my socks and said something that I didn't understand. So then she made me come with her into Catherine's (now actually Anya's since Catherine left) little extra room. She opened up the cabinet, and sure enough, it was FULL of slippers. She then asked me what shoe size I am, and I replied that I did not know my European shoe size. So then she grabbed my large American foot, and started cramming it into this little French slipper. And she continued rooting through all of the slippers in the cabinet until she found some that fit me. So now I feel like I have to wear these little slippers around the house or I will offend her. Or else I could put them in my closet with the leather coat, and three sweaters that Maryse has given me other times in the month and a half that she has thought that I have been underdressed.
And as I was sitting here writing she just came in and told me that I should go for a walk. I told her I would like to, but that I wanted to start preparing my lessons for tomorrow, to which she answered "That is not important"

pictures

My mom has been here the past week. Here are some pictures from her visit. They are from around Bordeaux, various vineyards outside of the city, and Arcachon. All of them, and the rest of the pictures from the week are on my shutterfly, and some of them are actually labeled. I will finish labeling them sometime...maybe.