When it comes, I wanna wail MAIL!

It's a happy day when Fabrice has placed a treasure in my mail cubby.  First off, it takes me back to elementary school when neat-o things appeared in my cubby as if by magic.  Very similar to high school when perhaps I'd find a note from a friend sneakily slipped into my locker.  The Gmail inbox just doesn't provoke the same thrill as a tangible little envelope in my mail room cubby.  Secondly, when I receive mail, I know that my little students' art work will be put to good use.  I thought I may get a big frame back in the states and fill it with all the drawings and such, but I'd rather share the joy.

The third great part about mail has everything to do with how lame school life has been as of late.  We are in the throws of tests before spring break.  It is serious for the 5th graders~standardized tests handed down from the higher ups in the school district.   I don't mind writing a test, but it's nice to administer something I didn't have to make.  Some of the responses in the writing section have been HI-larious, and I'd love to share them with you.  However, I've made it so far in the school year without getting fired; I probably shouldn't be giving the school board extra reasons to do it now...

Let me take a brief moment to blog about blogs.  I never want to go here because it's just so extreme and hardly cool.  I started my blog just to keep track of a few adventures Kyle and I have and to share with my family back home.  Over the last few months, I've loved reading about different folks' lives on their blogs.  Let's just say it was an unexpected gift for friendships to develop from this small writing venture.  My exciting mail moments were provided by two blog friends.

Lindsey and I went to high school together.  We were percussionists back in the day.  She could do it all, but I was strictly a mallet girl.  We had a lot of fun back then and kept up for a little while after I graduated.  I remember we went shopping at Kohl's once~I still remember a pink turtle neck sweater I picked out that day.  Random... I guess we fell out of contact over the last few years.  We both lived in Atlanta and I knew she was friends with the famous Jason Tatum.  They are so Octane, and I'm a Starbucks junkie.  Thus we rarely crossed paths even though we share the love for a tasty brew and a cozy coffee shop.  Lindsey kindly shared her blog with me on facebook a couple of months ago, and now I love to imagine her Atlanta life as I read what she's up to.  It's like home reading and seeing pictures of midtown.

Pretty little bird to brighten our home

 Put Up Your Dukes is written by Keight.  It is due to her enthusiasm and efforts that "Inspirational Squirrel" has become the internet sensation that he is.  We met sometime in college at CCF.  There has always been a sort of wonder and awe at Tech about ACC athletes.  Students become quite star struck when they encounter a campus celebrity.  For instance, Will Bynum was in my 20th Century Europe class; he slept through all of them.  PJ Daniels once saved my life.  Trey Clark and I were trying to get into Curran parking deck during one of Georgia's nasty ice storms.  It was very slippery, and I nearly fell on my back.  All of the sudden, a kind young man caught me and helped me back to the upright position.  Trey always likes to say that "PJ Daniels was on the carry" that night.  These examples are to convey to you how impressionable nobodies (like me) in college can be when crossing paths with an athlete.  Keight was one of these~she was a super cool volleyball girl.  Boys at the engineering school were drawn to the volleyball team like flies to honey.  In my memory, I just see volleyball girls at CCF surrounded by a great cloud of fellas.  Keight and I never really crossed paths too much, but now I love reading her blog and getting messages from her.  Even though I didn't know her well before blogs, it just sounds like her talking through what she writes. 

"never alone..."

 "...always in my heart"

French squirrels have never before been so charming, and yes, inspirational.

Ladies, you are welcome to make your student art requests known to me (well, really just Lindsey because I know what Keight's heart desires).

Show & Tell~So long as the children are so prolific, this might as well be a permanent feature.

After much guessing, Zackary informed me that he had drawn me the sun.  Then he told Zoe that she was no longer his girlfriend, and Margot had assumed the role of Zack's girl.  It was a whirlwind of a moment.

I believe Auriana is trying to trade me her lame-o English music cd for my hot Hokey Pokey track.  Seriously, the kids never cease to ask when the next time we can sing and dance the Hokey Pokey will be.  Who knows~there may be something good on this disc yet.

On a final note, forgive my title.  If you get the reference, you should know that I worked in child care on and off since I graduated high school.  If you don't get it yet, wait until you have pre-schoolers.  A plus amis!

Francofun!

Friday night we had two of the coolest guys over for dinner.  Jonathan and Andreas are two of Kyle's classmates from Supelec (his super smart French electrical engineering school).  Forever and a day ago, they had us over for dinner, and we kept promising we'd have them over soon.  Well, they are departing for Lyon and Paris (respectively) like today to start their internships (a Supelec requirement for graduation~pray that Kyle receives his soon.  He should start in May, unlike his buds).  It was a lovely evening to talk about what's on the horizon for them and when we'll see them next.  We are definitely making a trip to Lyon to see Jonathan; I was hoping we'd have an excuse to travel to my old home.

Andreas & Jonathan on our tiny sofa

Last fall~they prepared an enormous meal for us and we greedily ate it not thinking about reciprocating the gesture for almost 6 months.  Greedy Hams.

The menu was quite awesome.  Jonathan liked the sweet potatoes we made for Thanksgiving, so Kyle thought why not make them again?  For dessert we whipped up a delicious banana pudding a la En Vivo Tertulia recipe.  Will Hudson and I were pudding making fiends back in the spring of 2006.  The main dish was the ever popular and cleverly named I would do anything for loaf made popular by Keight's recipe recreation blog giveaway.  If you make three recipes she's posted on her blog and send pictures and reviews of the recipe and do it before her other readers, you qualify one of her super cute handmade items.  I don't think it counts if you make your husband cook it and then review how well he made it.  Alas, I got a picture of the chef en train de preparing our meat.

Chef Kyle rockin' his bacon covered meaty dish before cooked to perfection

Brave Little Toaster~Meatloaf coupled with sweet potatoes pushing our toaster oven to the limits

Kyle verifying that it's working it!

Et voila!  A perfectly brown meal...

This is what I made with just a little help from Kyle.

It looks like the room is on fire behind me... we can't be concerned with such things with the camera timer is counting down...

The evening concluded with a petit concert for our friends.  Kyle brought out the banjo and they wanted me to sing.  I grabbed the guitar and we had a little performance for them.  Rest assure, we played some Avett Brothers and Wagon Wheel~these are musical bread and butter to the Hamiltons.  Perhaps we are just stuck in our ways.

A boy and his banjo

Wagon Wheel...hopefully we'll tire of this song before yall do.

Show & Tell~Thursday after lunch, a third grader named Louane ran up to me in the hall way with this precious little trinket.  She even fastened it around my wrist before dashing back to her classroom.  I am quite impressed with her skills and think it's the cutest little bracelet ever.  

What a sweet treasure

 That's all for now friends.  Hope you are doing very well.  I always love hearing from you so feel free to leave a message here or on facebook or wherever.  A plus!

We are now pleased to present...

It gives me great pleasure to make a special presentation today.  My little sister, Miss Foo, surprised me with an extraordinary piece of artwork.  After I chided her in the caption of a pictures in one of my last entries, she has made good on supplying me with some art.  For those who regularly read this blog, it hopefully will blow your mind as it did mine.  Before I post it, I'd like to venture into another topic.

Our region in France is the Lorraine region~oddly enough, I have never included pictures of the ever popular Quiche Lorraine.  It still retains a strong Catholic tradition including teaching religion (well, just Catholicism) in the public schools.  I've learned a bit from my students, and they are commonly surprised to see me wearing my "croix de Jesus" (my Jesus cross).  I've learned that our schools are closed on Christian holidays including a 4 day weekend for Easter.  They have also told me that their is a saint is named for every day of the year.  Obviously Americans have St. Valentine's day and St. Patrick's day.  The Swedes love a good St. Lucia day.  On a side note, if you know nothing about St. Patrick, you should google him.  He's a missionary hero.  Anywho, it was a happy occasion yesterday when I learned March 22nd is St. Lea day.  It's perfect for me because I dropped the "h" at the end of my name shortly after moving here (don't worry mom, I'll use it again back in the states some day).  Children and teachers alike wish me "Bonne fete" all day long and kissed my cheeks or hugged me.  It was as if they were celebrating me!

Lea, one of my 4th graders, drew me this lovely and colorful heart.  Since she's a seasoned pro at celebrating St. Lea day (having been at it for 10 years), I felt honored to receive her St. Lea day blessing.

So today it occurs to me, who is Saint Lea?  I took to the internet after classes to discover the woman who permitted me to have such a delightful day at school.  I didn't find much on her as she lived in the 3rd century, but what I was able to find was that she had been widowed and after the death of her husband she spent the rest of her life in a convent.  She was known my Jerome who is most famous for having translated the Bible from the original Hebrew into Latin (it is known as the Vulgate).  Jerome wrote this about Lea after her death:

Who will praise the blessed Lea as she deserves? She renounced painting her face and adorning her head with shining pearls. She exchanged her rich attire for sackcloth, and ceased to command others in order to obey all. She dwelt in a corner with a few bits of furniture; she spent her nights in prayer, and instructed her companions through her example rather than through protests and speeches. And she looked forward to her arrival in heaven in order to receive her recompense for the virtues which she practiced on earth.

She sounds like an altogether humble and devoted Christian.  

Alright, good things come to those who wait (or maybe just scroll).  I give you Miss Foo's rendition of Inspirational Squirrel:

Art imitating art?

She has got mad skills.  This was no doubt drawn using Photoshop and her wacom tablet.  This is only the beginning.  She has promised more and I anxiously look forward to the days I can share it with you.  There couldn't be a cooler little sister than mine.  Anywho, according to the calendar today is dedicated to Saint Alphonse Turibe de Mogrovejo.  Happy St. ATdM day to you!

Home is where the heart is

This week it has finally struck.  Metz is home, and it hit me like a ton of bricks today.  Some believe it ought not take 6+ months to arrive at the fact that where you are living is your home while others say it takes at least 3 years to be settled.  I remember I had a sweatshirt when I was a kid with a Mary Engelbreit iron on applique which said "Bloom Where You Are Planted".  On a side note, I love the homemade feel an iron on image on a sweatshirt although I doubt it made me the coolest kid in the 3rd grade.  That little saying has always stuck with me~but mostly because I've had selective hearing on its message.

Like my sweatshirt, but I don't believe it said "2005 calendar" on it back in '93.

I'll give you a brief history.  As a child my family moved only two major times~once to Ohio and then back to Georgia a year later.  This was before I was in grade school, but it was at the age when my memories are clear (not those foggy recollections of the way a room looked or some such thing when kids are the size of peanuts).  Though I have few memories of living in Georgia before we moved to Ohio, it must have been a big uprooting for me.  The greatest story from my Ohio life and perhaps my whole childhood is how I ran away from home when my mom thought I was taking a nap in my big sister's ballet tutu and sneakers.  I went to the Dairy Queen and then decided to wander wherever my feet took me.  The first moment I thought of returning home occurred when I saw my big sister on her school bus heading home for the day.  I was determined to follow her and the large orange vehicle back to where I started.

Once back in Georgia, we lived in one house for several years and then upgraded to a bigger home in the same area.  Similarly these years, as well as our family vacations, are marked with stories about how I fled home.  I was a serial runaway through the end of middle school.  It's astonishing because I really had a magical childhood~books, vacations, trips to the zoo and Varsity, friends, good grades, exploring Civil War battlefields in my back yard, and sweet sisters to play with all the time.  I believe it all went by too quickly.

From there on, my rebellion from the good life took on a whole new behavior.  My parent got a divorce right before my 8th grade year.  Instead of physical retreats, I started escaping in music and talking ceaseless hours on the phone with girls from school.  My father moved to Alabama; all I remember from visitation weekends, holidays, and summers was hiding out in the room I shared with my sisters with headphones on.  Thank you, Silverchair, for being my constant companion (and Hanson...but let's not dwell on that shameful episode.  Though you can't deny that Mmmbop was seriously catchy~it was a snare for middle school girls).  In high school I was restless at home and looked for any and every excuse to go out~I think I even joined school clubs to stay out.  I probably broke my poor mother's heart.  There was never anything bad about home; it was just my rebellious nature.

I remember the first time where I bloomed (if you will) was at orientation for college.  I took to living in Atlanta like a fish to water.  Not to sound like other dopes who say they "found themselves" in college, I just know that it was an environment that permitted me to make meaningful friendships, enjoy what I was learning, and determine who I wanted to be.  It may not even have been college, but that it was when Christ entered my life and I felt like I was fully known for the first time.  He challenged me and didn't let me stay rebellious.  There was a season where my instincts would have led me to want to flee my school.  I don't want to dwell on it too long because it is a much bigger story which is better told in person.  The point I'd like to make is that rather than falling back on my old instincts, Christ strengthened me to endure a difficult situation and surrounded me with supportive family and friends (including non-Christians~I make this point because help from God sometimes comes from the most unsuspected people and places.  Also, I think it's important to acknowledge that non-Christians can be instruments of God though they are unaware.)  I think this is a pivotal event in shaping how I came to feel like Metz is now home.

Easy to bloom with friends like these

Good things are taking root

In full bloom

Mercy, I'm getting a little long winded, right?  Short of a few months abroad for school, I've never lived outside of Georgia (and if you want to count it, Alabama) since I was 5 years old.  I definitely didn't take to Metz the same way I did to Atlanta at the beginning of college.  For one, the weather is like Seattle's here~rainy and cold most of the year.  Another item I have struggled with is my occupation.  Though I love the students (as you all know), being an untrained educator with no curriculum and limited teaching materials has been less than ideal.  The last thing (which I don't believe is negative) is being married has all sorts of unique challenges on its own.  I love seeing Kyle everyday, and I am glad we get to learn more about each other basically on our own (without our closest friends or family or mentors guiding us along).  For me, having only ever really lived with girls, I had a lot to learn about my manly groom.  Most notably, if our dorm was ever going to feel like a home, I would be responsible for the nesting.  I am ashamed to admit how many times I said to myself "when we are home, I can't wait to do..." or "I look forward to when we are able to..."

2 big reasons I can't wait to be home~KHud & Miss Foo

But a home is composed of more than cute Ikea furnishings, a full fridge and pantry, or His and Her towels.  Metz is home because God has given us a life here.  We both have great occupations; I'm always grateful for the steady income and the nice work environment.  We have a community~though they don't all know each other.  I look at the calendar and see who is coming to visit us this week or where I'll have lunch with a friend next week (btw~I had a lot of fun this week Janice and Kappes!) or trips out of town or just to the movies.  We have 2 Bible study groups and a wonderful church.  We no longer struggle to figure out what to make for dinner or how to find things at the store.  We have favorite restaurants, tea rooms, and bakeries (so French, right?)  On a silly note, we even are able to watch the U.S. tv shows we like online.  And praise the Lord, the temperature is finally on the up and up!  Life is really great here and I don't catch myself looking back to Georgia wistfully as much as I used to.  And I cheesily fall back on Ms. Engelbreit's insightful words~I think I am blooming where I am planted.

Thoroughly enjoying my home

To keep with tradition, Show and Tell time, kids!

I explained to my students that in the U.S. we don't say "American football" when tossing around the old pig skin.  I used the analogy that what they call frites, we call French fries to which one bright pupil responded, "But fries are Belgian!"  Leo Paul decided to give me a taste of home with his frites francaises handcrafted from paper.

Yeliz reminds me of Miss Foo in her manga glory days.  The big difference is that every time I asked Foo to draw me anything, she would say alright and then promptly forget to either draw the picture or forget to give it to me (I'm still waiting for your drawing of Daniel Johns, Miss Foo.  Don't you think for a second I've forgotten!)  This is my second or third drawing from little Miss Yeliz.

A special thank you to my family for sending a package to us just in time for St. Patrick's day.  As you included a card, you are entitled your choice of artwork from my gallery.  Thank you for contributing again to our wall art!

Very lovely card from the very Irish Milligans (my parents)

On the horizon~it's a test week for my 2nd-4th graders.  I'm hoping to get some humorous test results to share with you before the week is out.  If all else fails, maybe I'll include an update on Kyle's gnarly thumb... Hope you are well and happy at home wherever home is!

Gonna take some time to do the things we never have

Well well well... In a previous post I had mentioned a box we had picked up at a bakery in the nearby neighborhood of Queuleu (pronounced coo-loo).  The circumstances of obtaining said package were so absurd that I chose not to mention what was in the box (a bland topic in comparison).  For those who have been waiting with bated breath, fear no more.  I give you...

Air mattress with pump (not pictured).  Note:  JT sold separately.

Kyle and I hope to host many visitors over the next couple of months;  JT was our first guest.  I'm pumped about our air mattress (lame, I shouldn't have gone there...), and I really really really hope that it occurs to my parents that now we have somewhere nice for a guest to sleep in the old dorm, they'll red rover Anna on over sometime this year. 

If you've never met JT, he's one of Kyle's best friends from North Carolina.  Surprisingly they got closer after they were in college even though they were worlds apart.  JT has been in Ethiopia for the last couple of years working on development and looking for opportunities to encourage economic growth.  To say he loves Ethiopia is an understatement.  You can read more about it here on his blog.  We were fortunate to receive a visit on his way through Europe before heading back to the U.S.

Last Saturday was his first day in Metz.  Here's a few highlights of the things we did~ ate baguettes non-stop, walked through the enormous cemetery, visited the top rated boulangerie in the Moselle region, explored Porte des Allemands, tasted Tunisian pastries, strolled the Covered Market, escaped the cold to drink a beer at Les Berthom, and dined finely at La Winstub where JT tasted escargot for the first time.  It was a grand time.

JT kindly gives a thumbs up with Kyle who can't help but to do it with his damaged digit.

Sunday morning we skipped town by train to pass the day in Trier, Germany.  It was a short trip, and unlike France stores were open and people were out and about.  It was as if we weren't in Europe (especially because the town was full of people with North American English accents~very unexpected and kind of shocking).  Here are some of Trier's attractive attractions:

The Porta Nigra~it's a Roman city gate built between 186-200 AD.  Kyle and JT are marveling at the architecture.  Like JT's hat?

The ruins of Roman baths

The fellas are posing in front of the entrance to the Roman amphitheatre~it was a brief visit as they were charging too many euros to see the real deal in that window behind Kyle.  Needless to say, it was lame.

Trierer Dom

Trier has a really fascinating history.  It's the birth place of Karl Marx (though we didn't visit his childhood home~I'm not really a fan...).  Trier claims to be the oldest city in Germany having celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1984.  It has been invaded by France five times, and they ultimately were successful in occupying it from 1794 to 1815.  On top of the history really interesting me, here are a few other items I found highly amusing:

The fashionable H&M located on the corner of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus

Skeletor resides in the Trierer Dom.  Catholics are hardcore in Germany.

Any town square is incomplete without a bronze butcher preparing for a pig pickin'.

Here lies Jacob.

The best sight was all our happy faces after sprinting to the train station to catch our train.  We made it in time only to learn it was running 15 minutes behind schedule.  I thought German transportation would be more reliable than it is in France.

As the day's travels drew to a close, a night of festivities began.  No trip to Metz is complete without a legit raclette meal with some of our university friends.  Thankfully the French guys were kind enough to speak in English during the meal.

Could life get any better? Potatoes, meat, cheese, beer, and friends.  Pierre and Nordhal (our friends from Normandy) have acquiesced and now give the phalange salute.

Inspired by the French lifestyle, we Americans shared a late night romantic assemblage.  Scented candles, a box of chocolates, and a mattress filled with air~oo la la!

JT stayed with us through Tuesday morning.  I had to work on Monday and missed a second day in town with the boys.  For the ladies, I'll include the pictures Kyle took of JT at a couple of Metz's most lovely spots.

JT and the oldest church in all of France

JT and God's lantern

Okay...not a picture of JT, but he did buy this delicious Mirabelle tarte for dessert Monday night.

Our first visit from a friend was a hit.  Chez Hamilton is now open for business.  Seriously, come and see us.  We have friends from whom we can borrow another air mattress.  And you most certainly don't have to be frightened of Kyle's thumb any longer if that is deterring you.  JT convinced him to puncture the nail to drain the wound and release the pressure.  It was a smart move~if only we had rugged buddies right off the plane from Africa always to assist us in our times of need.  

On a side note, you ought to be my best friend if you know the origins of this entry's title as well as the reference under the picture of the foot and me.  Hope you are well.  Happy Spring forward to friends in the states.  We are officially only 5 hours apart until March 28th.  I know I feel closer to you.  Happy St. Patrick's day as well.  It's a good time to be Irish.  A plus!

Bits and Pieces

Note:  If you are squeamish, you will not want to scroll to the end of the text today.  You have been warned!

It happens more often then I like where my entries are rather dull because I want to summarize an event (mostly on travel days) to be able to remember all Kyle and I did.  On the flip side during average weeks, I tend to recount random tidbits with random pictures.  Sadly, this entry will be more of the latter.

Let's begin with show and tell.... I received this first piece of art from a 4th grader named Marion.  I believe she was just showing me her handy work when I asked the dreaded question, "is that for me?"  Her eyes went blank, she smiled a little, and then very slowly nodded.  Merci beaucoup Marion; I just tricked you into giving me your tiny boat.  I believe she had no intention of giving it to me, but there was no recovery.  Lesson learned~when I child shows you something neat, don't put them on the spot and make them feel obligated to give it to you.

I commandeered this ship from a child.  Hi Philip Linkous face!

This next creation was donated by Theo (pronounced Tay-o).  I'm not sure what it is, and I didn't believe it merited a whole picture on its own.  He used to make origami for me back in the day, but he's lost his will to fold.  Complimenting his thing (which he proudly said was crafted only by him with no help), are two $20 bills and two Kinder Surprises which were given to us in Luxembourg.  I was going for imagery like those stories that are so terribly that you have to add "and then I found $20" at the end to make it not such a waste of time.  

I think it's wicker or straw and paper.  Not his finest work....

I am happy to report that the Thompsons in England took me up on my plea for more cards.  Alli chose the cutest note to send us~it'll be a lovely addition to our collection.  Alli~have you put any thought into any student art you would like?  If you are thinking about Theo's work, might I recommend something from his Fall 2009 collection?  We loved hearing from our friends and how things were going over at Canvas (a ministry for college students in Birmingham).  You can read more about Alli and Mike's Adventures here!  

And hello to you too!

Stay tuned in the next couple of days~Kyle and I have a lot planned for the weekend.... Oh, and if you are the kind of person who prays, please feel free to pray for this:

 Kyle's thumb got smushed in a car door.  It's really painful and it's his right thumb.  He's having a difficult time not being able to cook, play guitar or banjo, and write easily.  

On the bright side, Kyle has made it through the first interview with Siemens and will do the second interview very soon.  I'm super proud and so excited that this will be a good career for him for life after France.  Please pray for this, too!  Later folks!

Sick of being sick

Today is like any other day.  I went to bed last night with the hopes of fulfilling my domestic duties~sweeping, doing dishes, putting away groceries/organizing the fridge (after Kyle does the shopping), cleaning the bathroom, and beating the rug.  Laundry is usually in the mix on Wednesdays, but it's an every other week activity.  Upon waking up this morning, I knew before I was fully conscious that these household chores were unlikely to be fulfilled (as well as my QT with Billy Blanks...)  Good morning sinus headache from the depths of Hades.  Tylenol, Sudafed, a hot shower, two cups of coffee and still no relief.... I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but these headaches almost always miraculously strike on my days off.  It's perfect because I've only missed one day of school for a headache~what are the odds?  However, it's a terrible way to pass the free days.

One of my main employments of time on these days is distracting myself with various things.  I'll listen to talk radio or enjoy an Office marathon.  It gives me ample time to read (though reading doesn't always quite distract me from the throbbing percussion occurring in my cheekbones).  I believe I need a new method...

Today I blog to distract.  Today I wanted to share something a little different about life in France.  After interning at CCF and then working with a Christian non-profit health organization and a Christian shop dedicated to helping artisans in the third world, it was very easy for me to see in what ways God chose to use me.  I believe I needed these jobs to keep my focus on God when I was working.  In a way it was easier~I could talk openly about my faith and pray or read my Bible at breaks or with my co-workers and it was entirely acceptable.  Even on the challenging days, I always had the support of a Christian community.

For months I was perplexed by how this job could yield anything for the Lord.  Unlike babysitting or nannying, I can't build close relationships with my students.  That would be a challenge in and of itself; there are more than 100 of them.  On top of that, I want to maintain some of the professionalism and boundaries that teachers need to have.  I believe now that my role in the little ones' lives is very subtle, but it can be significant.

I've become a moment seeker.  Little moments where I can learn something about a child I didn't know before, treat them special, or encourage them to imagine big things.  They spend so much time under the thumbs of their teachers whose knee jerk reactions to any situation is to yell and perhaps humiliate the children.  I'll share with you what happened this week.

When I arrive at my Marly school, there is usually a woman and sometimes a man who stand at the gate looking into the school yard.  They don't look well to do; I assumed they were parents or grandparents of a student.  Yesterday I arrived in time to see who they were escorting to school~it was my autistic student Sammy.  Though all the other children were assembled into lines to enter the school, his parents lingered with him and both hugged him as if it would be a long time before they saw him again.  Long after he's made his way across the blacktop to the front door and then up the stairs to his classroom with his personal teaching aid, his parents wait at the gate.  This moment left such a strong impression on me.

Then there is Steven.  He's at the other school in the third grade class.  Though not a bad child or even a bad student, he constantly interrupts class with strange comments and behavior.  I spent some time talking to his teacher about him; I can tell she really feels overwhelmed with him sometimes.  She's met with his mother before to try and get some support from his home, but his mother is preoccupied with other things.  She is married to a man who isn't Steven's father; this man has two children of his own. Steven's big brother has serious behavioral problems and goes to a school for juvenile delinquents.  At home Steven spends all his time in his room watching television or playing video games and rarely interacts with his family.  Sometimes at night he wakes up and plays video games until it's time to wake up for school.  He comes to school completely exhausted and unprepared to learn (little less interact well with his peers).  I haven't thought of a good way to care for him (with the exception of prayer).

Enzo...I love Enzo (or as his friends call him "Zozo").  He has these tremendous ups and downs.  Some days he's into English and participates a good bit.  Other days, I practically have to arm wrestle him to get his notebook out and write the date and a sentence about the weather.  I couldn't find a good explanation for his behavior; there really aren't other students who are so unpredictable.  It all became clear when we started studying families this week.  I would ask the class to raise their hand if they had 1 sister or 3 brothers.  Then I posed the question, "Does anyone have a baby in the family?"  Enzo raised his hand.  How many babies, Enzo?  3!  Three babies... his mom just had triplets and now Enzo acts out in school every now and then for a bit of attention.  It would have been good to know this about him sooner.

Because I receive so many nice drawings and things from my students, I try to reciprocate.  Thibault asked if I would give him a picture of a cat and dog to color.  That's definitely an easy request to fulfill.  I held hands with Heloise in the hall way and twirled her like we were dancing.  I let Ugo teach his class a funny dance move to a song we were learning to sing.  Deborah and Yeliz stay inside with me instead of going out in the cold for recess and tell me about wanting to go to the U.S. to meet Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and Justin Beiber.  Bilal demonstrates his Michael Jackson inspired Moonwalk.  Julian, Edgar, and Auriana show me treasures they've found in English, and we have impromptu show and tell.  Guidelande impresses me with conjugations she's learning in her free time.  I wish I had more time to listen to them and encourage them.

My favorite class I taught this week was on animals with my third graders.  I decided to teach them the song There was an old woman who swallowed a fly.  I don't know what songs they teach children here, but there must not be very much nonsense or whimsy in them.  Of course if you can't recall this charming song, it's all about a woman who accidentally swallows a fly, and from there she swallows a spider to catch the fly.  Each time she swallows an animal, she must swallow another to catch the last.  So she consumes (in order) a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, cow, and horse.  Then she expires.  Some of the children loved it while others were horrified.  Mateo asked if it really happened.  Then he asked if women could really swallow dogs whole.  From this moment forward, I am determined to present more songs and stories that get their little imaginations working.  Times a-wasting and childhood is too short not to indulge in fictional fun.  It's supposed to be magical and filled with belief in the impossible.  Though perhaps in my next lessons, I'll try to find some material where no one dies...

Though these interactions with the little ones doesn't explicitly communicated Christ's love for each and every one of them, I believe that God's Spirit is at work behind the scenes.  Perhaps one day when they are big, it'll occur to them that they once new a nice American teacher and decide it would be nice to travel to the U.S.  From there they happen to meet a Christian or get involved in a church or something.  I think of my friend Arnaud; he's a Frenchman I met on a mission trip to build houses in Mexico.  As a student at Georgia Tech, he got involved at CCF and made many Christian friends before moving home to France.  Maybe one of my students will grow up and experience something like he did.  I certainly pray that my time with my students honors God and that they would grow up knowing a love that surpasses understanding.

Arnaud and me in New Orleans

Livin' large and eating steak at Cattleman's

Arnaud and friends at the Alamo...For some reason Wakefield has a balloon hat...peculiar. I also was really into making that super dorky face at the time (see the last picture also).

Luxembourgish

Kyle and I know a wonderful family here in Metz~the Pounds.  We do Bible study with Steve each Thursday, and the evening is made more wonderful by his wife Vicky who prepares dinner for our group to enjoy at the table with them and their 4 kids.  Yesterday they kicked up their hospitality to a whole new level.  The kids have a club which meets once a month at a church in Luxembourg.  We had mentioned wanting to visit Luxembourg city sometime, but that it'd probably cost around 40 euros for just the travel expenses.  Since they were planning on going this weekend, and they have a minivan, they offered to take us with them.  Too generous...

So Saturday started out very well.  Kyle and I were preparing for the arctic temperatures we were going to face in the name of exploration and visiting a different country.  Kyle received a voice mail from an unknown man; we listened to it several times and determined it must be some sort of wrong number.  It said that there was a package waiting to be picked up at the patisserie/boulangerie Oster (a small bakery at least a mile away from us which we had never visited).  Though we were expecting a package, and we have witnessed some absurd delivery methods (more akin to ransom or highway robbery than customer care), we were certain that something didn't add up and it must not be for us.  Kyle boldly called back (anyone who's made a call in a foreign language knows it can be a bit of a nail-biting experience and almost certainly always awkward).  It turns out the man was insistent that this package was for him and couldn't be delivered to our dorm but must be picked up in the other neighborhood's bakery.

Alas, Kyle reviewed his order and sure enough in the fine print is a message about how they don't use the mail service or major private delivery companies to ship their goods.  Their distributors have the choice to deliver your purchase to an intermediary distributor who then hold your item for you to pick up.  Have you ever heard of anything more absurd?  It's actually a brilliant scheme~on arriving at Oster, we couldn't resist buying some pastries to take with us on our day trip.  Sure enough, the baker had our box and let us sign for it.  Amazing.  Perhaps I'll save telling you what came in the box for a later entry (cheesy blog intrigue one more time...).

We arrived at the Pounds home with box in hand just in time to eat lunch with them (tartiflette~yum!).  Unbeknownst to me, I had become quite popular among the 3 older Pounds children (the 4th is still just a baby).  Thus the day was filled with debate over who got to sit next to me at the kitchen table and in the minivan.  Once in the car, we played games and told stories and listened to Adventures in Odyssey (a Christian radio show for children with new episodes daily).  It was a grand time.

Kyle and I spent the afternoon wandering about town looking in shops.  Within several minutes after entering town, we were approached by two Luxembourg ladies who wanted us to participate in a survey.  At first we didn't realize this was the case because they were speaking in their crazy Luxembourgish language (what some have told us is "spoiled German").  After establishing that we weren't from Luxembourg and only spoke French, they wanted nothing to do with us.  So we continued until we stumbled upon this charming display of modern art...

Is that a baby or a blood sucking leech?  How is it that the lady's hand is the only body part in pristine shape?

Though it appears that Kyle is posing with the statue, it merely is the only place to sit without having to look at that monstrosity.

We aimed at visiting the valley and seeing this enormous bridge built a little over 100 years ago.  The valley was amazing; it is a giant park tucked beneath a huge city.  There are lovely trails, a small stream, and cute stone walls.  Though I've had negative feelings towards snow for the last few weeks, it was even nice to see the remnants of a small snow fall in the park.  We most thoroughly loved that the harsh winds we faced in the city hadn't managed to weave their way down to the valley.

You are now entering the valley

Snowy bridge

Perfect opportunity to enjoy the treats made by our package dealer

Another lovely sight in the valley

Anytime we venture out of Metz, we usually indulge in something we don't normally do at home.  Before heading back to the church to meet our friends, we stopped in a cafe for two delightful cups of hot chocolate and macaroons.  Deshicious~as the Pounds children would say.  Sometimes it's just all you want on a cold winter's day.

I'll take my cocoa with a side of whipped cream.

He was making a monkey face while eating his banana macaroon.

I raise my goblet of sweetened dairy to you to commemorate being inhabitants of Europe for 6 months (did I mention we've lived in France officially for 6 months?)

The evening ended with eating another meal with the Pounds (they really spoil us) and playing with the kids.  Kyle got some quality time holding their little baby~these are the things that make my heart swell.  He's getting good at not becoming terrified whenever the baby makes a noise or moves in some way which he doesn't expect.  These are the qualities a girl looks for in the future father of her children.  I'll leave you with a little treat from our ride home.

The identities of the children have been concealed for their safety (also it was dark on the ride home...)