Ella in Deauville - Spring 2023

 Bonjour! We've just finished up our fourth période of school, the seven weeks between our February vacation and Easter. Our fourth roommate and second assistant from Nashville, Madison, arrived right at the beginning of the February vacation. She is now working with the little kids (preschool to 2nd grade) and I'm with the big kids (3rd through 5th). 

I'm happy to now have had the chance to work with all our students in Deauville, from preschool to 5th grade. I'm still able to see the kindergarten through 2nd graders during lunch and after-school activities. For the preschoolers, Madison and I rotate working Wednesday afternoons at what's called mercredi loisirs, where the kids only have school in the morning and we take care of those who stay for the rest of the day. I love being able to see all of our kids regularly—it really makes me feel a part of the Deauville community. We also run into kids around town pretty often. In that way, Deauville can have a very small town feel!

During the February vacation, Kira (our other assistant from Nashville) and I went to Scotland for nine days. We stayed in Edinburgh and saw all the sights, and took a bus tour of the Highlands. We were even able to see Sarah, a former assistant who is now living in Edinburgh working on her law degree. It was really cool to be in an anglophone country again, and I really enjoyed getting to talk to Sarah about her experience being in France during lockdown in 2020. 

I'm now on my first week of our Easter vacation and enjoying some much-needed rest in Deauville. The other day I went on a hike in the Suisse Normande, a "mountainous" area of Normandy a little south of Caen. The panoramic views of the countryside were beautiful and reminded me a lot of Kentucky! Next week I'll be working at Espace Jeune, the vacation camp for middle- and high-schoolers. When we're back to school we'll have about 12 weeks straight without vacation through the end of the year. 

Courage!

Ella