French Word of the Day: professeur (pra-off-es-or)- teacher

I met the kids.  I had to look on the fridge to figure out how to spell their names (which I promptly forgot), but I can say them: Perrine (girl 13), Bastien (boy 12), and Raphaëlle (girl 7).   I had trouble communicating with them the first night, but we made some progress today.  They actually spoke to me rather than around me.  I also learned the French use the same word for “cookie” when Bastien started chanting it.

Other students live by me this time! I’m not a 45 minute walk from school!  Thank God, because I overslept my alarm this morning.  My body had finally had enough.  It was saying, “8 hours… Screw school and being on time.  You’re in France.”  I made it to school just in time to take an oral French test.

Apparently, the French don’t have a sense of humor about their tests.  If you recall the entry that I made earlier about taking tests online, I found out the results of that test today.  Shelley came over to me and asked, “Did you take the test very quickly?  Because you bombed part of it.”  Oops.  Although to be fair, who puts a listening section about a medical emporium and expects students who don’t speak fluently to understand it?  I remember thinking, “I think I heard the word for doctor!  Ooo!  The word for health!  Wait, there’s a question where I have to detail the goals of the emporium?  They have goals?”

It turned out okay.  I took the oral part and was apparently fabulous, because they put me in the highest intermediate level.  I assume they were dazzled by my explanation of why Les Parapluies de Cherbourg was a depressing musical.

I love my prof!  She’s adorable.  She’s about 55 or so, and she was wearing what appeared to be a normal headscarf.  On closer inspection, I saw the scarf was covered in skulls.  Considering the rest of her fashionable-yet-modest wardrobe, it was a change.  She’s really nice and- more importantly- I can understand her when she speaks.

Even though the people of the Institut Tourraine (our school) don’t normally take tests, Shelley informed us that we have to because we need grades for our time here.  I prefer the Tours way.  We’re in Tours; we should follow their traditions of not testing people.  It’s rude otherwise.

Well folks, I’m out.  Got some French articles to read on the danger of cigarettes.  Obviously, this prof doesn’t smoke.  She thinks it’s “pas cool”.  She, however, is “vraiment cool”.

By the way, everyone’s comments make my day.  You’re all awesome, and I miss you!

Pain au chocolat count: 5