Week 5, part 1

I mentioned to several of you at the airport that there would be two more blog posts. It will actually be several. We did so much in our last week that it would be too much to fit it into just two. The last will be a video compilation of the family show. (Adobe premiere takes some time.)

On Monday of our last week, our schedule went as normal; classes in the morning, lunch and activities in the afternoon. After activities, there was the usual items: a student needed a recharge for their mobile phone, another needed bus schedule updates, etc. We teachers had reports and evaluations to attend to.

Tuesday was a bit different. For culture/literature class, we went back one more time to Les Halles Saint Martin, a marketplace for food and other things. The boulangerie was open, but fruit stands and the creperie were also popular.

Afternoon sports was our last visit to the beach. Unfortunately, I have no pictures as I stayed behind to work on the program magazine. Your students each have a copy that they can share with you.

Tuesday evening was our annual family bowling outing. This is always so much fun! No one actually knows how to bowl, so just knocking down pins is pretty exciting. (Well, I'm a league bowler, but without my own equipment, I'm just like everyone else.)

There were lots of laughs and lots of quality time with families. I actually finished first with a 106. Phillipe was second with 105. (He usually wins.) Abigail also shot a 105 in the later session. Anna Morrow finished with a 104. What a fun evening!

Wednesday saw our final classes and more preparation for the family show.

Thursday was July 14, the French national holiday. Students spent the day with their host families. I hope they share their photos with you. That evening, there was a huge fireworks show over the port. I did not attend, as I don’t do huge crowds well. But Jane said that it was spectacular. Students whose families live in suburban communities attended local festivities (in places like Plougastel, Guipavas and Guiers).

Friday morning saw the students taking the final exam of the program. This exam is identical to the exam they took the first day. It is the exam we use to show their progress. Several students expressed that they expected greatly different results.

Lunch was on their own. Then we were off to the performance space. The hall we usually use was undergoing renovation, so we were in the Centre Social de Kerangoff (which is pronounced nothing like you would think).

It had everything we needed, but we had to set up chairs and figure out lighting, etc. We rented a sound system. Like most places in Brest, it was not air-conditioned, and hadn’t been used in several weeks. So, it was kind of hot. We opened windows and got on with rehearsal.

Rehearsals went quite well, and students were sent off to dine with their families. We teachers returned to our apartments to eat and get ready for the show. Jean-Paul and Marie-Jo picked us up and took us to the hall. Families and students were awaiting when we arrived.

The show went off quite well. I have only added a few pictures as I concentrated on video that will come later this week.

After the show, we had a reception for the students and families. It was a wonderful way to end the program.

Our departure and our time in Versailles and Paris will be in the next posts.

At the creperie
And the boulangerie

Émilie, this is the image that
was supposed to be on your page,
désolé.



Happy stagiaires
My SS group. This was Monsieur Michel's "talk
about anything" group. Each teacher lead one.

The fruit stand was also popular.

If you bowl in a dress, you are a beast!

Just like throwing a softball!

Someone has form!

Just like that!

Pins, I knocked down pins!

Yah, well...

Maybe, maybe...

Yes!

Come on, really?

It be like that.

Oh, yeah, oh yeah!

It's all form!
The lunch ladies!




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