There once was a girl who went to France,
She especially loved all of the plants:
Poppy blooms, lettuce leaves, and the grape vine.
They were all everywhere–no need to mine!
Food from garden to table, that is the way,
All of the veggies plucked the same day!
And the plants need bees and the bees make honey.
Hives are how a French family eats well [and saves money].
The bees were brought just yesterday,
Left close to the garden so they will stay.
The girl decided she would like to cook.
She peered outside and gave the spinach a look.
“Yes, those will do, I’ll take a few,”
So out she went–“Adieu, adieu!”
Clip, clip with the shear,
Buzz, buzz by her ear.
She stopped and she listened; then she froze.
She didn’t dare wiggle–not even her nose.
But after she felt a twitch in her bun,
All sense was lost and she began to run!
Of what she was thinking no one could know,
But if the neighbors were watching…oh what a show!
Her bun was ripped out, her head upside down.
In fact, to be honest, she looked much like a clown.
For 60 seconds, no more and no less,
Where the bee was was anyone’s guess.
Until…”pique” as they say in Français;
The bee was tired of his part in the play.
He found his way out of the tangled blonde forest,
As the girl felt her scalp where she was now sorest.
The first sting for the girl [and the last sting for the bee],
Who is embarrassed to admit that this girl was me.
That’s a day in the life for the girl still in France,
Who’s hoping next time not to repeat this little dance.
*Disclaimer: I’ve been reading a lot of children’s books to teach English. I’m starting to think in rhyme, and this is my only outlet. Side note: almost the same thing happened to Laurette the next day. I am happy to report that I handled the situation better than her.
Slightly.
She’s 9.
In other news through pictures:
Another farm day! This time we visited Catherine’s parents’ farm. She grew up there (it’s been in her family for generations–the house is over 200 years old!). This calf was born the day the video was taken! They also had a bunch of chickens, but no coup, so after helping milk the cows we went on an egg hunt to collect the dozen or so eggs around the barns.
Catherine’s mom just inside their house. Her parents were so nice to talk to and, like all wonderful grandparents, had plenty of treats and cakes to spoil us. Catherine’s father remembers WWII, and when he found out I was Polish, described to me the Polish people that moved next to his farm during the war and how much he loves the Polish. (I responded with how much I love the French).
Another run to another picturesque valley. They seem to be endless here!
Went climbing outside for the first time ever! It rock-ed.
This sums up my French siblings pretty well.
Climbed to the top of Le Roche Brune, overlooking Voreppe.
View of Le Roche Brune from the house.
Spring is in the air! I felt like I was Heidi in this meadow.
This week the kids go back to school, so the days won’t be as action-packed. But, I’m looking forward to learning more French and trying to teach some more English. The kids have been super fun to work with so far, it’s just been a little challenging to adjust to their levels. Zoé has been learning English in school for 3 years and also loves languages (She’s studying Latin and Spanish in school and Chinese for fun. Casual.). With her I’m trying to expand her vocabulary and give her more practice writing and speaking. So, we usually start her lessons with a journal prompt and brainstorm English words and expressions related to it. Today we switched it up and she tried to write a rhyming poem in English, while I tried to write a rhyming poem in French (I guess I do have another outlet). Difficult but so fun! She learns new English words after only one or two times hearing them, so it’s been really fun to see progress with her already. Célestin has had 1 year of English in school, so he knows a lot of basic vocabulary. His goal is to learn the simple past and simple future tenses and to gain better pronunciation skills. So, we read aloud a lot (Amelia Bedelia, Madeline) and also work through an English teaching guide I brought that focuses on situations (like the words and actions specific to riding a bike, making breakfast, etc). He loves sports and anything related to mountains, so I also try to find him easy short stories to build his vocabulary around climbing, hiking, and cycling. He loved an article I found about the Forrest Fenn treasure, especially after learning that it’s hidden in the Rocky Mountains, potentially near where I live. It was a little too difficult for his level, but it was a good way to motivate him to learn English, especially since its such a common language of the sports world (his walls are covered with ads and pictures from American outdoor companies). Laurette has not started learning English in school yet, so we’re trying to build her vocabulary beyond colors and animals. She loves to sing and draw, so we sing all those annoyingly repetitive songs about routines. But doing all the actions together is fun, and we laugh a lot. We also often play memory games to match pictures she draws with their English words.
After 3 weeks, I’ve already seen a ton of progress in each of them! They’re a smart bunch of kids. And they’ve taught me so much as well! They talk way too fast between each other but I catch more and more everyday. And when they talk to me, they speak slowly enough, while making sure I pronounce everything correctly when I respond. It’s a win-win situation! I’m also trying to learn 20 new verbs a day, and Catherine quizzes me and has me translate English sentences into French to practice my conjugations. I just finished Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) and although I’ve read it in English, it’s been quite a few years. I forgot it was such a beautiful read! If you haven’t read it yet, do it. It only takes a day and it might remind you to look at life like a child again (if you don’t still). Next to read in French is The Alchemist!
Miss everyone but I’m having a great time!
À bientôt!