What is Thanksgiving?

And how do you teach 7-10 year old French children about it?

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr040.shtml

http://www.halcyon.com/pub/FWDP/Americas/tchthnks.txt

what's YOUR favorite food?

i asked the next student.

"my favorite food is....pizza."

just then, the boy in the front row threw up.

"second one today" says the teacher...

abdo-fessier

This is the gym class I've been doing here...it is a tad on the hard side.

It was funny when the song "It's raining men" came on...but it was hilarious when the girl next to me, wearing a black shirt that says in English "I love dancing," started singing along.

Oh abdo-fessier....

first day of school

The kids are angels! Maybe someday I will take back that statement, but for now they are angels. ;-) I semi-taught 3 classes today...at one point I was singing the alphabet song with my best voice possible and thinking "whoah...whoah, I'm singing the alphabet song in France."

Another great moment was when I asked if anyone knew how to say "W" ALL of them were waving their hands in the air frantically to say it. Something powerful about that letter, eh?

The younger kids literally just started laughing when they heard me talk.

Uh, should be a good year?

Fireworks in Arles

We are in Arles! And it is beautiful...we came in on the train at sunset--a bridge and Rhone river greeted us. What I love about traveling is that it works better the less you try. So Winnie and I meandered through town and stumbled upon the fireworks here. We found a little italian cafe and watched the firework show from our table. I had at first felt bad to be in a way *missing* the fireworks--but then Winnie pointed out that a man sitting at a table nearby was writing a poem perhaps on very little pad of paper. Then his wife/girlfriend read it over. It seemed like it was worth more than fireworks.

After dinner, we found our hostel and met a German girl in our room. She spoke perfect English of course, so we wandered around Arles at night. Stumbled onto the "Van Gogh cafe" without trying...Then we ran into our assisstant friend, Amy, randomly as well.

We ended the night, of course, at McDonalds. :-)

For ice cream--"the best McFlurry I've ever had," says Winnie. And it was pretty good--very crowded though too! I loved the Van Gogh paintings on tiles that were decorating the walls.

Tomorrow morning we're getting up early for the market! I'm so excited--it's a beautiful town!

Oh and I got my work schedule finally--I'm hping no work on Thurs afternoon or Friday. My teachers are hilarious.

des petits details

**Lovers at train**
We saw this couple at the train station in Marseille in the midst of a very tearful goodbye. The man was standing on the train and the woman was on the platform, gripping onto him. Kisses and kisses and kisses. Soft whispers in French...she looks horribly sad as the closing door cuts them off. The man, on our train headed toward Istres, looks around with a sigh for a seat.

Wow, surely they are two lovers leaving each other forever...

And then, the next day... two lovers at the train, saying goodbye again. The same lovers, the same tearful, dramatic parting.

Do they do this every day?


**Woman who knits in downtown Istres**
She sits on a bench, under the trees, and she uses yellow yarn.


**Our Bus Driver**
Vous vous habillez comme des vielles, he says! I dress like an old woman??? Okay that's it, next week, I'm using my cane.

"Les femmes—c’est la cinema."


**Birds like leaves**
When you take the train from Istres to Marseille, there is a flock of birds that swirls in the air as you arrive.


**Bats**
There are BATS here.


**Sun/light**
Like the wind, the sun gets into everything here. It is strong and hot. Kind of burns your eyes in the morning and sunset. Shadow takes on a whole new meaning.


**Old woman talking from window down to woman on stoop**
This was in the old neighborhood in Marseille, with winding roads and potted flowers outside each window. One woman was leaning out of her window and talking ot another sitting below.



**Istres**
I think I am getting better at pronouncing this.

sigh

I LOVE MARSEILLE.

love it love it love it