You say yes, I say no

I don’t feel quite as giddy or nervous as I normally would feel on a “last day of school,” but that’s what today is. The whole week has been a mix of teaching the words to the Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” (which seemed appropriate), playing outside in the sunshine, and goûter upon goûter. My classes keep offering up cakes and adorable hand-scrawled cards that say things like “I am happy to know you!” surrounded by American flags. One school surprised me by interrupting a lesson and saying “Everyone needs to go to the CM2 classroom now! We broke a window and we’re being punished,” and then leading me into a classroom full of drinks, cakes, and all my students. Awww. I would have cried, but everyone who knows me knows that only happens after I hit my head on things or drink too much gin in one night.

I made Rice Krispie Treats for a few of my classes because it was the only homemade-esque thing that was vaguely “American” and didn’t require an oven, and the students and teachers were seriously blown away! They had never seen a Rice Krispie treat before! I tried explaining that it was a cornerstone of any good bake sale, but I didn’t know if there was a good translation for bake sale, so I let it slide. That’s what I’m here for, building cultural bridges.

Look how teacher-y I am now, guys. It only took seven months!

Today, on my last day in my very last school, it was Carnaval! I thought that happened around Mardi Gras, but apparently they do it every other year right before Easter. It was pretty much like Halloween with better weather. The big event of the day was trekking to the nearby park to walk up a path…and back down again. But hey, I will never turn down a walk, especially when I can do it behind a gardener and next to two Darth Vaders.