Sunday, November 14, 2010

A Cours Particulier

Before I explain what my title means, I have something to say: Can someone please turn off the wind? It's a little much. Thanks. (All last night the wind kept me up because it was howling! This morning I decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea to walk to the laundromat with my over-flowing laundry bags because the wind was STILL crazy. And when I went to wait for the bus, I have never felt the wind whip around like it did today! Gah!)

Around 1:30pm, I left for my first meeting with Julien (the son of a teacher I work with at the Simon Signoret school, she's the teacher in the maternelle). Corinne, the teacher, thought it would be a good idea to have desert first to meet and greet before I gave any real English lessons. So... I thought, this won't be too bad, they're giving me desert!

Stupidly, I didn't bring a map or write down any directions from the internet. All I knew was the house address, cross street, and which bus stop to get off at.... thankfully, I got to the bus stop early, and the bus got there early, so I was in the neighborhood of their house with 10 minutes to spare. I walked around aimlessly until I saw the cross street she wrote down and found the grande maison blanche (big white house). I knew I was at the right house because 2 little girls come running out saying in French, "Do you speak English???" And then Corinne came out to unlock the gate (all the houses are gated in this area... more to designate property than security, but I guess it serves a duel purpose).

The whole family came out to greet me, Corinne's husband, her 2 daughters, and her son Julien. They were so funny... it was like they had been waiting for me all day. The little girls were super excited, asking if they were going to get lessons in English too. The dad was falling over himself asking what I'd like to drink and where I'd like to sit. The desert was already all set out... on beautiful china. The desert itself was beautifully prepared... a delicious piece of chocolate cake with what kind of reminded me of caramel rock candy on a stick sticking out of the top and a small bowl of creme anglaise and some sort of poached sugary egg white with caramel drizzled on top (they called the white stuff an island... I still haven't figured out what it really was, but it was GOOD). The kids got to drink sparkling cider and the adults had coffee with sugar out of a cute little china sugar dish. I felt like the queen!

While we ate, they asked me questions about where I lived and how I was finding the job. We talked about tv shows they watched in French, but come from America (Corinne finally gave me an explanation for why so many tv shows in France are actually American... and it's because after WWII, part of the Marshall plan was to import American films and tv series to Europe because the European countries were too poor to produce such luxuries... and ever since then they have continued to have American tv shows, dubbed in French, of course). I felt like the French was sort of a shock to my system because it was spoken so fast, especially with the little girls...and some stuff just got lost in translation... but on the whole... I thought it went pretty well.

Then Corinne asked if Julien would show me the material he's been working on (all the "W" questions and responses)... and then said... would you like to give your first lesson right now? I was like, uh... why not! So they shooed the little girls away, cleaned up the desert, and we got to work. Apparently, Julien is in the advanced language section at school, taking not one, but two foreign languages. His main foreign language is German, his second is English. He showed me his last few English tests and he super failed both. So I guess I understand why his mom was so excited to have me come tutor him. But once we got working, I really didn't think he was that bad. He would take a minute to respond sometimes... or he'd say, "Can you repeat please?" or I'd reform the question with more hand gestures. I think for the most part he just lacks the confidence.... most times he'd say this is going to be wrong, but it was exactly right. When we went over his tests... you could see where he had written something, but second guessed himself and got it wrong. He was very motivated and patient with my French translations... In the end, I'm going to get just as much out of tutoring him because I'm not as afraid to ask how to say something and he enjoys correcting me after I've corrected him haha.

After our lesson, which seemed to fly by, I went upstairs to see the little sisters' rooms (I had to give them some attention too lol). Corinne paid me my 12 euros, we planned for our next lesson (in 2 weeks after Amy leaves), I awkwardly shook Julien's hand (they're not a big hand shaking country, but I didn't know how appropriate the double cheek kiss would be) and I was on my way. I felt bad when I got to my bus because I realized I never said thank you for such a delicious desert... so I emailed Corinne right when I got home.

Now it's time to get ready for my little ones at the Les Marendiers school tomorrow!

Bon dimanche (Have a good Sunday!)

oh and a cours particulier is a private lesson...or like tutoring...


3 comments:

  1. Sounds like a delightful afternoon. And 12 euros! (It'll be our little secret that you would actually do the work for food.) :-)

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  2. i'm guessing it was an ile flottante (like what i got for dessert that one time!), so it was meringue. yum yum i'm jealous of that delicious sounding dessert!!
    ps they also have lots of american shows b/c french shows suck. i'm serious. ask a french person.

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