Andrew's April

Hello everyone,

It seems like I'm always on vacation! The month of April was amazing for me! It started out with a school field trip with my 2nd graders. We took three days prior to the vacations to do a discovery course on water. This class took us to the Mont St.Michel, the "floating city" here in Normandy, and the channel island of Jersey where I got to speak English all day long (a welcomed treat). Leading up to this trip I taught my children directions and they were able to follow any that a guide (or myself) gave them during our time on the island. It was a proud moment seeing 50 students all understand! Upon returning to school, we promptly headed off to our last big vacation. This one Elizabeth and I had been looking forward to for months as my parents were coming to visit, and so was her boyfriend. My parents and I took a week to explore Deauville, Paris (the big sites), Geneva, and lastly to meet my host families from my exchange! Being able to see all my families in one spot, and how well they got along was more than I could ever ask for. Afterward, I took a cool down trip to the city of Rennes with a close friend, then headed back to Deauville to start back school. During this time Elizabeth and her boyfriend got to explore Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Santorini, Greece. At the return of school, I essentially continued vacation for another week as I got to go on another school trip with my 3rd graders to a discovery class on wind. I lucked out and the class was held on the sand dunes of a beach village 2h30 from Deauville. There we spent a week discovering the ins and outs of windmills, yachting, and how to make the perfect kite from plastic. We're currently full swing into the last semester of school teaching food, sports, more directions/places, families, and how to take care of chickens! 

School Trip with my 3rd Graders

My parents and me at the top of the Eiffel Tower

City Center of Rennes

Geneva in full bloom!

Elizabeth and her boyfriend in Greece

Madison's Semester in Caen

It feels strange to be writing a post about my experiences in Caen, the spring seemed to pass by in a matter of weeks, surely a result of all the busy and exciting times here. Since my arrival in January, I’ve been able to visit other countries but I’m most grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend in Paris and exploring Caen. I’ve seen old faces and created memories with new ones, and even had the pleasure of introducing my friends here to friends from the 2014 Deauville Jumelage. The sun has finally started to come out, and it’s becoming harder and harder to tear myself away from the Sunday market and castle to work on exams. Not only have my technical French skills improved, but I have gained a new confidence in speaking that feels natural and real, something that I am glad to have been able to pick up from experiences around the city. I am excited to come home and share all that I’ve learned and seen but I can’t say I won’t be a little sad knowing I’m walking into Monoprix and buying my favorite (and now familiar) foods for the last time. I am so glad to have had this time in Caen and in France, but even more happy knowing that I have these experiences to remember and take home with me.