C'est aujourd'hui!! Je suis partie à 07h00 de ma maison, et je suis en route!
Today is the day!! I left at 7:00 a.m. from my house and I am en route!
Here is some new info for those with Skype, or those who would like to set up a Skype account.
I have created an account under "mmemaliszewski" to use in France. Remember that France is 7 hours ahead of Chicago.
Hopefully my next post will be from France.
Au revoir!
:-) Mme Maliszewski
Le Mont St. Michel Parking
The tide will not cover the parking lot today at Mont St. Michel. Hooray!!
Je suis arrivée sans grands problemes. I arrived without any big problems. I left my carry-on in my sons's car at O'Hare and he had to turn around and come back from 294 for me, but it worked out. On my flight to Paris there were 50 5th & 6th graders from California!
ReplyDeleteI am now at the English teacher's house who teaches the classes the 8th graders do their penpal letters with.
I am in a small town called Cosne d'Allier. See if you can find that on the interactive map, NW of Vichy, if you found Vichy!
Vous etes deja en France??? Tres bien!!! How is France? Is the weather nice? Do the people give off a good vibe? Are you really having lots of fun? I hope you are!
ReplyDeleteAvoir une bonne Journee!
ReplyDeleteJ'espere que vous avez boucoup des bons temps!
Mariel, oui je suis en France. Il fait très chaud!! Hier il faisait 34 C. PHEW!
ReplyDeleteÇa fait combien en Fahrenheit? (Suggestion: Double the Celcius number and add 32.)
Yes, I am in France. It is very hot! Yesterday it was 34 Celcius. How hot is that in Fahrenheit? See hint above...
Joey, merci d'écrire en français. Je t'aime.
Yesterday I visited the middle school that does our pen pal exchange with our 8th grade. There was only one grade level in attendance on their final day. This group of students took their national exam that morning, the Brevet, which is required to exit middle school. If you don't pass, you repeat a year of middle school, and yes, it happens nearly every year. The other grades had the final day the day before my arrival. I met with five of the pen pal students and we talked in English and French in their classroom. They have projector systems like ours and Prometheus boards in every room. Very impressive for a very small rural community!
ReplyDeleteI had lunch from the school cafeteria in the teachers' lunchroom. They were all in meetings for the last day and this was their break time. They brought a bottle of white wine for the last day, pâté and the principal brought a delicious cake (gâteau) from the local pâtisserie. It had a crunchy crust, a creamy cold filling and about an inch of meringue on top. Miam, miam (yum, yum)
Yesterday evening (Friday) my host and hostess had a dinner at their home for me and the English teachers with whom we have corresponded over the years with very elegant food. I believe there were five courses over a time of several hours. Oh la la! I took a picture of the teachers and their spouses, but it turned out too dark.
I am having a few technical difficulties with photography, explaining why I have not added new photos yet. But I'm working on it!
We speak only French, even though I am with an English teacher. When she came to my house we spoke only English. When I'm in France, I try to speak only French, of course!
:-) Au revoir
Aujourd'hui j'ai fait une promenade dans une grande fôret nationale qui s'appelle La Fôret de Tronçais. Il y a des arbres qui datent de 1640!
ReplyDeleteToday I walked in a big national forest called the Forest of Tronçais. There are trees there that date from 1640!
Npus avons déjeuné dans un restaurant élégant. Un grand repas!
We had lunch in an elegant restaurant in the forest. A great meal!
Maintenant je suis dans la maison de ma famille d'accueil près de Vichy. C'est une grande maison avec une piscine. Le soleil vient de se coucher. Je l'ai regardé du terrasse. Il est 22h10.
Now I am in my host family's house near Vichy. It's a big house with a pool. The sun just set. I watched it from the terrace. It's 10:10 p.m. and still a little daylight left!
Tomorrow I begin my classes.
Au revoir.
Bienvenue en France! Merci beaucoup pour votre blog addresse. Je vous ecrit de Arizona. Nathan est ici aussi. Nous aides ma mere apres sa visite au medicin (ils ont fixe sa main droite blesse apres beaucoup des anees avec arthritis.) Maintenant vous pouvez voir que je parle Francaise comme une barbarienne! (Survival French!) Mais nous pensons qu'il serait amusant si vous ajouterais extra a la francais que vous ecrit (should something be subjunctive here?) -- peut-etre un petit surprise ici et la?! Est-ce que vous avez visitez Le Puy en Velay? Je pense que ce n'etait pas tres loin. Encroyable!
ReplyDeleteBon Vacance/Travaille!!!
I forgot to sign my name! That last post was from Kira (and Nathan!)
ReplyDeleteBon Jour!
Kira
Nous sommes ici en Arizona pour peut-etre trois ou quatre semaines pendant ma mere heals from her surgery. Ce n'est pas tres chaud pour nous. Nous sommes habitue a plus de humidite en Alabama...c'est terrible la. Ici il n'y a pas de probleme a faire de hiking tout la journee (bien sur aves les chapeau!) Nous esperons que la concert a ete tres agreable! (J'oublie la subjunctif...) Connaissez-vous que Nathan a devenu jouer au cello?! Depuis une mois nous pouvons jouer un petit peu de Bach ensemble. Tres amusante! Bon soir!
ReplyDeleteKira et Nathan
WOW! Have I been busy! Que je suis occupée!
ReplyDeleteLundi j'ai trouvé la salle de l'Amphithéatre pour commencer mes études à CAVILAM. Je suis une de 400+ de profs qui sont arrivés lundi pour commencer leurs études! Plus il y a 250+ étudiants ici qui suivent les cours de français. Monday I found the Amphitheater in the school to begin my studies. I am one of more than 400 French teachers from around the world who started Monday, as well as 250+ students studying French. The first woman I met was from Jakarta. I can't name all the countries of French teachers I have met. It's a virtual United Nations here. And the thing we all have in common is that we are all French teachers seeking to be even better French teachers.
On est allé lundi soir à l'Opéra de Vichy pour écouter le Trio Rosenberg qui jouait du Jazz Manouche. EXCELLENT! Mardi j'ai assisté aux cours des profs et le soir nous sommes allées à un festival de musique dans une petite ville qui s'appelle Cusset. C'était un groupe fantastique aussi! J'ai fait un vidéo de ce festival. J'espère le télécharger bientôt.
There are two 16 year old students studying French at CAVILAM from the Czech Republic also staying at my host family's house and we went with our hostess to the building of the Vichy Opera Monday night for a Jazz Manouche concert by the Trio Rosenberg.It started at 9 p.m. WOW!! I have never heard such amazing dexterity on the guitar. There was a bass and two guitars. Perhaps they are on the internet for you to check them out.
Tuesday I went to my teacher classes at CAVILAM, (all great) and then my hostess and I went to an outdoor music festival in the little city of Cusset. The band was called "Babylon Circus". (Maybe they are online, too.) A free concert with a ton of people in attendance. They played rock, jazz, ska, etc. I made a video but I need to download it. It started about 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday the American Teachers group (10 of us) had a private meeting with the director of CAVILAM. Mercredi j'ai vraiment réussi! J'ai monté le Puy de La Vache! OMG!!!! (Gosh)! My biggest accomplishment so far was the climb up the Puy de la Vache!! Formidable! It translates to "Cow's Peak". It is 1400+ meters high. There is a region near here of ancient volcanoes which have been inactive for a long time. The hills are called "Puy"/Peak. The school sponsored a trip there, so of course, I signed up. After more than an hour on the bus we then went nearly straight up log steps or open terrain/volcanic rock carved into the hillside for 30 minutes. Talk about a Stairmaster workout!! The view from the top was amazing!! Then, of course, there was a different steep decent without many stairs, but a lot of sliding and hanging on to trees and roots to the valley floor again. Did I fail to mention it was 85-90 degrees F / 28C? Dinner was at about 9:30 p.m. since the trip returned about 8:30 p.m. Dinner is usually between 7:30-8:30. Dinner ended about 10:15 and it was still daylight, but the sun had set. Alors, je suis TRÈS FATIGUÉE! (VERY TiRED).
Bonne nuit. Good night. À la prochaine. :-)
Madame,
ReplyDeleteThe day at the school sounded interesting! I like the new pictures you posted. J'aime les nouvelles photos!
Je suis "jealous" parce que vous mangé un repas francais! Was it yummy? (Miam, Miam!)
The middle school is tres beau. Je voudrais aller a l'ecole la-bas. I wonder what school is like without the clubs?
I hope you keep enjoying your time and meals in France! :)
Salut tout le monde! Qu'il fait chaud! Hi everyone, woah is it HOT!
ReplyDeleteC'est la conversation de tout le monde. That's the topic of everyone's conversation. Most of the classrooms here are not air conditioned. That is the norm in France.
Aujourd'hui j'ai fini mes premiers cours à CAVILAM. J'ai suivi les cours de "Enseigner la grammaire dans une perspective communicative", "Techniques Théatrales Simple pour le Quotidien de la Classe" et "Le Blog, outil de communication en français - je blogue, tu blogues, nous bloguons".
Today I finished my first courses at CAVILAM. I took "Teaching Grammar with a Communicative Perspective", "Simple theatrical techniques for the classroom" and "Blog, communication tool in French-I blog, you blog, we blog".
Je n'ai pas fait du shopping, pas du tout! I have not done any shopping at all! I begin classes about 8:45 a.m. and finish anywhere from 5:30-7:30 p.m. depending on the activity of the day. My host family transports me back and forth from the campus each day. We eat dinner around 8:30-9:30 usually, then I check email, blog, and prepare for the next day.
Demain je vais faire une excursion à Clermont-Ferrand avec mes amis de Cosne d'Allier. Clermont-Ferrand c'est la plus grande ville de la region. J'espère acheter des cartes postales au moins.
Tomorrow I'm going on a short trip to Clermont-Ferrand with my friends from Cosne d'Allier. I hope to buy some postcards at least.
J'ai de nouveaux jeux pour ma salle de classe. Ils s'appellent "Le Jeu de 7 Familles", "Brin de Jasette" et Buzz It!". I have new games for the classroom! They are called "The Game of 7 families", "Brin de Jasette" and "Buzz It!" See if you can find them on the internet!
Alors, Je suis assise au patio parce qu'il fait un peu de vent ici. Well, I am seated out on the patio now (in the dark) because there is a little breeze out here. Inside it is warmer.
À bientôt! See you later! :-)
Les salles de classe n'ont pas le AIR CONDITIONING? Wow, c'est une probleme aux Etats-Unis.
ReplyDeleteHow was your shopping trip? Did you buy the postcards you wanted? J'espere Vous vous bien amusee! (I'm sorry if that came out wrong... i remember learning that "you yourself" have fun in French...)
Have fun!
Mariel,
ReplyDeleteOui, la "clima" (AC) est assez rare en France. Il continue à faire très chaud.
AC is rather rare in France. It's still really hot here.
Mariel I am SO impressed with your French. You were only missing one little bit for your expression "J'espère que vous vous êtes bien amusée."
Ce weekend je suis allée à un grand centre commercial. J'ai acheté des cartes postales et quelques cadeaux pous ma famille. This weekend I went to a shopping center (climatisé/with AC) and bought some postcards and gifts for my family.
J'ai aussi fait une belle randonée dans la forêt. J'ai vu une cascade très jolie. Je suis restée dans une chambre d'Hote dans la région d'Auvergne. Quelles belles vues! Grace à mes amis Bernadette et Jean-Claude j'ai passé un excellent weekend!
I went on a hike in the forest, too. I saw a very pretty waterfall and stayed in a Bed & Breakfast in the Auvergne region which is beautifully rich with hills and valleys, cows, goats, sheep grazing on the steep hillsides. It was breathtakingly beautiful looking down from the hilltops!
Thanks to my friends Bernadette and Jean-Claude I had a fantastic weekend!!!
I hope to download some of the pictures tomorrow.
Hopefully the temperatures will calm down a little very soon.
Bonne nuit tout le monde. Good night everyone.
:-)
OK EVERYBODY THERE ARE 2 MISTAKES IN FRENCH SOMEWHERE IN THIS SECTION -POST #2. ONE IS A GRAMMATICAL BOO-BOO AND ONE IS A TYPO.
ReplyDeleteANYONE FIND THEM???? QUI LES A TROUVÉ???
MME MALISZEWSKI :-)
Two mistakes.. Je crois ils sont:
ReplyDeleteJe SUIS partie i think its just je partie
and i don't know the second one.... :)
Merci! I am working hard on my French to improve it all the time. :)
Au Revoir!
-Mariel
bonjour gloria. desolee je n`ai pas pu venir te voir avant que tu partes. Prevois une partie de cartes quand tu reviens. j`espere que tout se passe pour le mieux en France.
ReplyDeletePar la meme occasion tu ne peux pas te douter que j`ai appris le francais entre temps.
Bonne continuation.
FRANK RICH
ps : s`il te plait repond moi en anglais que je puisse comprendre!
Bonjour Frank et Patty,
ReplyDeleteMerci. Thanks for writing in French. I'm so impressed! Guess what? When I visited the middle school here on their last day of attendance a group of boys were playing what we usually play. It's a small world. Thanks for the invitation.
:-)
Chère Mariel,
ReplyDeleteDésolée, mais "Je suis partie" est correcte. MAIS l'erreur est similaire.
The "suis" is the helping verb for the past tense. Even though we don't always say it in English, we still need it there in French. BUT the error has something to do with the past tense.
If any of last year's 8th graders are reading this, they should be able to figure it out.
:-) Madame