A busy week (and a bit)

Sorry, sorry, I know this post is long overdue. I went through a few days where I couldn’t be bothered to blog; unfortunately, I kept doing things, which meant I had more and more I wanted to say and consequently could be less and less bothered to sit down and write it.

 

However! I am here now, and I am going to try and condense the last week and a bit into a succinct subtitled few paragraphs for easy reading and also so this doesn’t go on forever.

 

Josh and Laura’s weekend in Orléans/Paris

 

Last weekend – no, wait, the weekend before that – my boyfriend came to visit me, which was of course very lovely. It was a bit of a flying visit as he arrived on Friday evening and left on Sunday because he does a ridiculous degree which has far too many lectures, but it was lovely despite this. Unfortunately, it tipped it down with rain ALL WEEKEND, which made sightseeing very difficult. We did attempt it in Orléans on the Saturday and again in Paris on the Sunday, but the weather honestly was beyond belief and as a result we spent most of the time sitting in cafés and restaurants eating. Which I think is in fact an excellent way to soak up the culture of a country (keep telling yourself that, Laura).

 

Day trip to Blois

 

Blois is a really hard word to say. Whenever I say it it always ends up being like four syllables long.

 

Anyway, on Wednesday Rachael and I went to Blois. It was again raining. I swear, that’s all it’s done here since I arrived. However, despite the rain, it really was a gorgeous city with one of the Loire chateaux which I was very excited about visiting because I like castles, and lots of little cobbled streets. There was also a MAGIC MUSEUM (!) but it was sadly closed as it only seemed to open during peak season and school holidays. We were devastated and so consoled ourselves which (unjustifiably expensive) tea and macaroons. It even brightened up as the afternoon wore on, so all in all was a very nice day.

 

It was definitely hood weather.

Nearly all the streets looked like this!

Chateau!... + group of Spanish tourists.

A really beautiful, GIANT, church.

 

 

School trip to an art exhibition

 

I really have no patience for art. In another language, and at a level aimed at primary school kids, I think it is almost worse, but I think I did a good job at pretending I enjoyed myself.

 

I am exaggerating a little bit, in actual fact it wasn’t too bad. The kids had a bunch of questions to answer on two exhibitions, one on a local artist called Jean Feugereux and another on the geography and renewable energy resources in the area (I honestly have no idea how those are related). They then had to do their own watercolour paintings in the style of one of this guy’s paintings which was quite amusing to oversee although of course I am an educator and am not allowed to laugh at my educa-tees... (?)

 

Possibly my favourite part of the day was the coach trip which took us through some of the surrounding villages with names such as Trancrainville (the French just like hard-to-pronounce names), Auneau (‘Oh no!’) and Dimancheville (‘Sundaytown’). What I found a bit annoying was the fact that as we didn’t get back till two, I missed all my English classes because they’re all in the morning and in the first lesson after lunch, so I didn’t actually get to teach that day at all.

 

D’accord, I think that might do for now. Although perhaps I shall leave you with some of the most recent amusing conversations that I have had or witnessed at school.

 

Teacher: Who do you think decides what the school uniforms are in England?

Child: The Queen!

 

Child: Laura, how many names are there for children in England?

Me: Well, there are lots of different names.

Child: Five?

Me: No, more than five...

Child: Ten?

Me: No, a lot more than ten...

Child: (gasps) Maitresse! Laura says that in England there are more than ten names for the children!

 

Teacher: (talking to the children about food groups) And in England people drink a lot of tea, isn’t that right, Laura?

Me: Yes, tea is quite a popular drink in England...

Teacher: And everyone drinks it, don’t they?

Me: Well, not everyone, but I suppose maybe the majority of people do.

Teacher: But don’t you all drink it in the afternoon? With cucumber sandwiches?

 

The funny, thing is, they actually believe this is what we do, and I found it very difficult to convince her otherwise!