November 19, 2020

Thursday

Mme Bodet and I hopped in the car Thursday morning to drive over to Charvieu. She brought a plate of coconut meringues for her friend, Mme Mille, who is the principal of the school. When we arrived the two of them sat down for some tea while I headed off to meet Catherine. She was very excited, because she had brought me a gift! She said that she felt bad my locker in the staff room was empty so she brought me some goodies to fill it with.

I worked with a 6ème (5/6th grade) group of Catherine’s that had better English comprehension skills than some of the 3ème (8th grade) at Pont-de-Chéruy. We got to talk about Michigan and the United States together.

At the morning break, I enjoyed a little apple by myself before walking into the staff room. Catherine caught my arm and told me that she had some big plans for us after quarantine. She is excited to show me castles in the area and to go on historical walks together. She also told me that she gave my number to her niece who studies hotel management and speaks English. I guess the girl really wants to practice and is excited to travel with me.

My second group was the usual 5ème group. It was a bit of a struggle with them because Catherine had asked me to talk about American sports. For those of you who know me… I’m not really a sporty individual. I stuck mostly to football. We talked about the Superbowl, the food we eat at Superbowl parties, the commercials, and the artists that preform. We watched some Doritos ads (they’re my favorite) and watched some of the Beyoncé/Bruno Mars halftime show together.

My final group of the day was with Mr. Addout. He had been gone for several weeks for health issues, so it was my first time working with the group. They seem to have a lower level in English, but I’m excited to work with the group. The teacher lived in Kansas for three years because his sister is a professor at the university! He told me that he’s teaching the kids about the history of race in America. They’re starting the unit with slavery, moving into the Civil Rights Movement, and coming to the Black Lives Matter movement. I was so surprised! The French never talk about race. In France, you are French before you are any other identity. The nation comes before the individual. I’m so excited to work on lessons like this with the kids, they are so so important.

I was able to head home early with Madame Bodet around 12:30 after signing my official paperwork saying that I had taken up my post. We zipped through the country together and chatted about family farms in the area. Apparently, there used to be quite a few and they’ve slowly been conglomerated. When we arrived back in Anthon, we parted ways so I could go work on essays. I agreed to come back for dinner at 7:30.

I returned to chez Bodet for dinner. I sat with Daniel and Mme Bodet to watch the news for a few minutes and we popped open a bottle of wine. They both really enjoy reds. The news talked about the decrease in COVID cases following the lockdown. There were interviews with several hospital workers that encouraged people to stay vigilant as the weather gets colder.

For dinner we had “raclettes.” Which included potatoes, duck meat, pork, chicken, beef, and assorted cheeses. Everyone had a little pan that they would fill with a mix of these items. I chopped up a potato, put duck meat on top (it’s my favorite thing to eat in France), and covered it with cheese. Then, everyone put their little pan into the raclette warmer, where it would cook everything. The cheese became melty and the meat became crispier. It was delicious. We repeated the process with a different mix of items until we finished everything on the table. Mme Bodet said it is meant for special occasions where there is a lot of time to sit and talk.

After dinner we sat and watched some of Inglorious Bastards together while we had some tea. I went home before I got pulled in and had to watch the whole thing.

I submitted a few more applications before having a wine night with one of my friends!