Week 6

Greetings one last time from Brest!
It is so hard to believe that we have arrived at our final week in Brest. And with the final week come lots and lots of work and activities! The students spent last week going to classes and preparing for our final show. Students were allowed to eat lunch in town Friday afternoon. Many students took advantage of the free afternoon to eat lunch together at a local bakery and then play laser tag. Saturday was Bastille Day, so students were able to spend the holiday with their families and enjoy French barbecues or watch the fireworks.
Today (Monday) was our last day of classes. Tomorrow, students will take the final test that is given to objectively measure everyone’s’ progress, followed by exit interviews with the teachers. Wednesday we will spend the whole day rehearsing for the final show that night. After the show there is a farewell party with a DJ and dancing with the families.
Friday morning we are leaving at 6:30 AM for Paris. We will spend the day at Versailles and Friday evening we will all go to the Eiffel Tower. Saturday and Sunday we will visit as a group the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. Students will also have some free time during the afternoons to go sightseeing in smaller groups. We depart from Paris Monday afternoon.
We cannot emphasize enough how impressed we are with this group of students. They have improved tremendously throughout these past six weeks! Thank you all for all the great feedback you have given me throughout the summer! We will see many of you in Chicago at the airport next week. I hope you all have great reunions with your children next week and enjoy the rest of your summer!

photo link

here is the link to the updated photo album:

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa128/brest2007/

Week 5

Hello from sunny Brest!

Last week was by far our busiest yet! Here’s what happened:

Monday evening was La Danse Bretonne! All of the students, their host families, and the teachers hooked pinky fingers and gathered in a huge circle to learn how to Breton dance from the experts. Dancing in a rather small room filled with LOTS of people allowed the students to experience first hand the lack of air conditioning in France. Between each dance the students ran outside to get a couple breaths of fresh air then ran back in to learn another. We spun, stomped, ran, fell, and sweat the whole evening! As everyone filed out dragging their feet, completely soaked with sweat, and laughing, it was clear that the event was a hit!

Tuesday Nina Dury’s birthday! We celebrated at lunch time with a chocolate cake complete with eighteen candles and the happy birthday song in French!

Wednesday, of course, was the Fourth of July, and the students participated in a ceremony honoring the Franco-American collaboration during WW2 and the soldiers who fought in the war. The mayor of Brest was present. During the ceremony, the students sang “La Marseillaise” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the two national hymns. After the ceremony was our Fourth of July dinner party. All of the families and students enjoyed a tasty meal and then hit the dance floor. It was a wonderful celebration!

Thursday morning we boarded a bus at 7:30am and embarked on our second excursion, this one to Normandy. Our first stop was in Dinan, a small town where students visited the town’s church, clock tower, and had a picnic in the park. After Dinan, we went to Mont St. Michel. We all went up to the top together, which is not an easy task, especially in the rain! After visiting the abbey the students were able to go to all the stores that line the path leading up to the abbey. Mont St. Michel was our last stop for the day, so we headed for the youth hostel. After dinner at the hostel, we went for a walk near the beach, and the students stuffed themselves with waffles, ice cream, and crepes at a carnival-like booth. Because it was raining, we spent the evening playing games together in the hostel.

Friday morning we were up early to eat breakfast and were pleasantly surprised by the sunshine! We visited the WW2 memorial and museum in Caen, and watched a film about the Normandy landings. Afterwards we ate a picnic at the museum and then headed to the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach. The cemetery is a very emotional site for many, but everyone enjoyed the experience. Students were also able to visit Omaha beach. After the cemetery we stopped at the Pointe du Hoc. The point is covered by huge holes in the ground from the bombardments during WW2. After the Pointe du Hoc, we headed back for Brest. Although we put on a movie in the bus, many stagiaires took advantage of the long bus ride to catch up on the sleep that they missed in the youth hostel.

This weekend was the nicest weekend we have had yet in Brest, and many students and their parents took advantage of the sun to go to the beach or do other activities outside.

Today was Meghann Pogue’s birthday, and we celebrated and sang to her at lunch time!

This week is our last regular week here in France. Tomorrow, Jacqueline Danner will arrive. She will be visiting the classes with the students for the remainder of the week, and we are sure that she will be pleased by the progress your children are making!

As always, please let us know of any questions, comments, or concerns. I hope your summer is going as well as ours!!