A Masterful Final Day of Teaching, A Fun Birthday Celebration & A Tearful Goodbye

We've arrived in Paris now, and the weather is simply gorgeous here (albeit a bit chaud!). As we get settled chez our new familles d'accueil de Victor Duruy, we wanted to post a few final memories from school life last week-- this includes our final day of teaching, wishing Gilly and Cayla Bon Anniversaire, and saying teary au revoir to our familles d'accueil de Saint Martin.

Woah.

Today we left Marquise. I can't really explain how I feel right now. Currently I'm sitting on the train, thinking back on the memories I made in Marquise. Teaching English was an interesting experience. Some days were a lot of fun and other days weren't as fun, for various reasons--partially because it gets exhausting. Chanel, VeeVee and I taught many different classes, but two classes stood out to us the most. One was a class of sixth graders and one was a class of seventh graders, who both won our hearts and will forever be our favorite classes. Both of the classes were really good at English, and all of the kids were excited to be in class and learn more English from us. Those classes were easy to work with and fun to talk to. Even though we just left, I'm already thinking back on the many memories I made there. From going to an indoor water park with Chanel, VeeVee, and our correspondents, to jumping on the trampoline, to meeting my long lost little "brother" Baptiste. I had such a good time in Marquise, and I can't wait to see what Paris has in store for us.--Ella 

Today we are leaving Marquise for Paris.  Although, I am immensely excited to visit Paris and stay with my host family, I am consumed with melancholy to have to leave Marquise.  My correspondant Marine’s, family couldn’t be more amusing and kind.  I can’t imagine having a better host family.  I truly felt at home with them.  I have made four best friends in a matter of 5 days and I don’t want to leave.  There is no way I am going even a year without either visiting or having them visit me.  Marine’s mother spoiled me with tons of food every day.  Marine’s father made sure that I felt at home no matter what.  And Alex, Marine’s brother, Marine, and I would stay up late, talk, and play games every night.  I introduced them to “Heads Up” which we played almost each night.  Although it took some time to adjust to Marquise, the whole family made it so much easier.  Tears fell like waterfalls today, so to keep me under control I assured them that I am going to visit and they must visit my family at home.  No question. --Noelle

This past week in Marquise became more than a visit; rather, it was week of adapting to the French way of life. Each night, I looked forward to a safe place with the family I had become a part of. My exchange sister, Loulou, and I would go to school and upon our return we played basketball to the best of our ability. Every night we would talk about our day before we went to sleep and somehow always ended up sprawled on the floor exhausted from laughter. The day before my departure Loulou explained to me that sometimes people just click the moment that they meet and that is just what Louise and I did. Throughout the seven days that we knew each other Louise and I agreed on everything and became comfortable goofing around with each other. I not only left Marquise with unforgettable experiences and a home to return to, but to a sister who I will miss dearly. --Jacqueline

The Calais portion of our trip has been incredible! The teaching experience was difficult at times, but the kids eventually understood our teaching methods and loved talking to us during breaks! Most of all, I will cherish the memories and relationships made here for many years to come. My host family was so welcoming, and they really got to know me by the end of the trip. I had a lot in common with my correspondant, Lisa, and we immediately became good friends. The language barrier was not as prominent as I had anticipated. My host family definitely slowed down a bit when speaking to me, so for the most part, we were able to communicate consistently (with the occasional help from Google). Saying goodbye to all the Saint Martin families was very difficult, as the people in Calais are so hospitable and sweet. Overall, I loved the people I met and the experiences I had in Calais, and I am so excited to go to Paris!--Olivia

After finishing the Calais portion of the trip, I am torn between feeling happy that I will explore even more of a country that I have grown to love, yet sad at the same time that I will be leaving the people that helped me find my love for France. We were to teach children using the Rassias Method® and using our pre-made drills prior to the trip. However, my authentic teaching experience in Calais, in my opinion, started when I saw one of the kids in the primaire section smile after countless tries of trying to pronounce, “I like to go to the beach with my friends!” From that point on, I made it my goal to help at least one kid in every class find their love for learning. There were times where I felt feelings of confusion and minor frustration, wondering whether the kids retained the information. But in the end, I was able to make the most of my teaching experience and was able to make some friends along the way. Chapeaux to the primaires who were more than enthusiastic to learn English! - Diego

Anaïs showing the drawings inspired by the Beatles songs

Four words- Dang. That. Was. Fun.

From the moment I hopped off that train and met my correspondents, I knew this would be great. I went to my home stay with Noha where I was warmly welcomed into the family. On my first full night there, we went to the fair, where we rode all of the spin rides, and when we were thoroughly dizzy, we joined Noha's friend at his house, where we played videogames. There, I got quite wrecked in multiple matches of CoD and FIFA. 

Later in the week, all of the Poly students taught English using the Rassias teaching method® we learned in the States. The Rassias style is a rather unconventional teaching style in which the teacher says a sentence and has the entire class repeat it, then goes around substituting a word in the sentence and having individual students repeat it. The Poly students taught English classes on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Each class was relatively difficult for me, and I learned rather quickly that I am not good at improvising Rassias drills. I'm glad we prepped lessons ahead of time! 

Overall: I had a lot of fun on this leg of the trip, and I am going to miss Noha and his family. --Sam

Singing YMCA!

I had an amazing time in Calais. My correspondant and I had kept in touch since he came to California, and we became even better friends over the trip. I felt like part of the family as soon as I arrived, when I was welcomed with chocolate éclairs. My correspondant’s four year old sister immediately became attached to me, and by the end of the trip she called me her sister.  Although the teaching portion was difficult, it was an amazing experience. We taught children of all levels of English, from the primaires who could barely say “my name is…”, to the troisièmes who were almost fluent. We learned how to spontaneously come up drills and skits, and eventually we all connected with our students. Leaving Calais this morning was very sad, and everyone in my correspondant’s family was crying. Over this trip, I have made so many friends and so many memories that I will never forget. --Gilly

Avec les primaires!

The birthday girls get ready to blow out their candles

Teacher team extraordinaire!

Briefly reflecting on the Calais trip as we take the train to Paris, I find myself having made many new friends and with an abundance of happy memories. While the teaching was absolutely exhausting (I really don’t know how teachers do it), I really will miss being at the school. The kids were extremely nice and friendly. While at the school, I met Edison, a British kid who moved to France when he was a child. He was quite a hoot and it was nice to be able to have a quick break sometimes from speaking in French. The few boys on the trip luckily all had hosts that are close friends. This allowed us to have a grand and quite funny time. While there was a language barrier with some of the kids, because others spoke nearly fluent English, we were able to advance our french, crack funny jokes, and be memes in a different language. Most of the boys played quite a bit of FIFA with their hosts and got rekt in the process (except Matt Kim who is the FIFA god), because of how popular FIFA is in France. Overall I know we all made new friends and had a really amazing and funny time.-Miles

En route dans le TGV

Marquise, Marquise, Marquise. So many memories, so little time. Where do we even start? Although it may sound cliché, we can say with absolute certainty that our host families were some of the most hospitable and generous people we’ve known. Upon arriving to our respective houses, we got settled in and prepared for our first classes the following day. Despite having no idea what to expect at the school, we found a way to get to our classes and dive into our teaching program. Our first classes were a bit bumpy, to say the least, but the outgoing personalities of the students made getting over the language barrier much less daunting. The willingness of the students to adapt to a new learning style and their desire to explore the language was motivational. As the week progressed, it was clear the student-teachers were getting into a groove, if you will. Through engaging activities, games, skits, and songs we began to see actual improvement amongst the students, and an even greater excitement to become proficient in English. As some say, knowledge is the world’s most powerful tool for success and opportunity and to supply another with those same things is quite honestly pretty rewarding. To any future participants reading this blog post, both Maggie and I encourage you to really take advantage of your time in the north of France. It’s a really beautiful place with some pretty beautiful people, and we hope you have as much fun as we have. –Lucy and Maggie

Note from primary school teachers and host mother expressing her gratitude for the Poly group