This morning I had a few frustrating lessons... a lot of kids were absent or are sick at school... several teachers were sick at school or seemed absent because they were thinking about their own sick children at home. I had one really excellent lesson with Martine's class (CP)... she's the older woman who doesn't know any English, but I just love her class. They're always so excited and motivated when I'm there... and without doing much outside preparation together, she's awesome to team-teach with. I also have the other CP class before hers, so I think, unfortunately for the other class, I kind of work out all the kinks with them and then give a great lesson with Martine.
Anywho, at lunch, I was a little taken aback because a teacher from one of the older grades asked me when I'd be coming to work with them. We had sort of talked about me voluntarily coming a few times to their classes sometime in the afternoon, but I figured they wouldn't bring it up until I asked them about it, which I was going to do today anyway. But besides her asking if I'd be able to come Thursday afternoon, I wasn't completely put off by it... she got the ball rolling for me. I gave her and another teacher my email address so we could work something out. Then, I used a pen that I saw laying on the table to write it out for others interested. While I'm using the pen, this other teacher was watching over me, waiting for something. I assumed he was waiting to write down my address and to talk to me about helping in his class... but nope. I was using his pen.... which he told me in French first, and then rudely in English. Woah- I thought, it's just a pen and I didn't know. Of course I didn't say this, just a quick, oh je suis désolée, but it put me in funk.
Nathalie, another teacher asked if I would go out with her and a few other teachers on Friday night, which of course I said yes... so that put me in higher spirits. But before I left she asked me how I was doing , if I had friends to hang out with and if I missed home. I said I had some friends and that I didn't miss home all the time.... but then of course it got me feeling homesick as I walked home. Ugh.
I came home and talked to my mom, which was helpful... then Victor, which also cheered me up.... but I just kept thinking about how frustrating it can be to live in a place so different than what I'm used to and how I missed certain things/people/activities I can't do here... As I was just about to eat a spoonful of peanut butter and wash my face (both easy pick-me-ups), I saw a rainbow right beside the castle of Saint-Priest from my window. I ran to get my camera and after taking a picture realized that it was a double rainbow!!! How lucky- and obviously made me feel like someone was watching out for me... double rainbow=double hope. It's natural to get down being so far away from home, but I just gotta have hope:)
Miss you all! Reste cool:)
High apple pie in the sky hope.
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