Diddl rocks my world!

Le 14 mars 2005.

Honestly, who would think receiving affection from your students could leave you floating on Cloud Nine for the entire weekend! Two of my students belong to a international family. Their dad is American and their mum is French- so they are among my stronger students (not surprisingly!). But their family has been very kind to me during my time in France. I’ve past two afternoons with their family now and both times have been quite the enjoyable experience. This past Friday was especially so, as I was shown their younger sister’s home school area- their mom has just begun home schooling the youngest child, causing quite the speculation with the teachers and parents for miles around, watched Johnny English with the family, and as I was preparing to leave was given little presents by the kids of Diddl things! Now the thing to understand here is that Diddl is an all-consuming obsession of young children and many pubescent girls in Europe. Diddl is a mouse character, draw by a German artist, whose line of products includes anything of a writing persuasion- not limited to papers, pencils, fountain pens, stickers, envelopes and into keychains, pencil cases, and stuffed animals. The other side of this understanding is that to give or to receive Diddl objects is about the best gift and highest honor of love and friendship. Basically at least some of my kids love me! And love feels good.

My copy of Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer arrived on Saturday morning from Amazon.fr. While they were slightly more expensive (all of less than fifty cents more) to buy the English book from than the Amazon in the States, it turns out they have basically any English language books available in their French warehouse and offered free shipping within France for anything that’s a book regardless of being under 20 euros! I love free shipping! And I honestly haven’t been able to put the book down or stop telling anyone who will listen (in English or French) about this book. Though I did have trouble sleeping last night because of some mild graphic details in Part III I believe. I am so thrilled Laura picked this book for the Alumni Reading Club.

Oh, my shoes have been cobbled! Well honestly I’m not sure if that’s the correct term, but they’re fixed if nothing else. And all that worry if he had meant that it was 23 euros per shoe or if I’d missed heard vingt-trois when it was instead quatre-vingt-trois euros for the repair work or if it was the following Friday and not last Friday when they were to be fixed by! So it turns out that they were done on last Friday, the pair to be fixed only cost 23 euros instead of the possible 46 or 83 euros I thought possible, and the cobbler was a really nice guy who told me that I manage well in French! Side note- I love it when French people tell me that I manage well (se débrouiller) in French because I feel as if that really means ‘at least I sort of understand what you’re trying to say’. But as long as they can understand than I guess I shouldn’t complain!

And finally, the last topic for today, and not because I’m sure I don’t have many other fascinating stories, but rather that after my short night of sleep and the four long hours I worked today with my favorite classes… I’m tired. And I’m going to abandon you back to the work you should be doing instead of reading my blog (but thanks for coming!!) and do a little movie watching and well-deserved napping. But to answer that question you’ve been wanting the answer to all year, ‘When do you work next, Kate?’… well, as today is Monday, my next work day is well… next Monday! My classes this Thursday were cancelled as both the usual professor and the remplaçant (substitute teacher) can’t be there, I don’t have to go! Makes it easier for me to catch my train to visit Kim in the Alps! But before you get too confused, let’s start back on Monday, February 28 when we came back from February break- on the 28th I worked four hours, on the 3rd March I worked four hours, on the 7th I worked three hours, on the 10th there was a strike so I didn’t work my usual six hours that day, on the 11th, I worked two hours as my last two classes of the morning were cancelled, then today I worked four hours, on the 17th my classes are cancelled, on the 21st I will work three hours, on the 24th I will work six hours, and on the 25th and 26th classes are cancelled because of Good Friday and Easter Monday, and so finishing up my schedule in March I will work on the 29th for four hours. How fabulous is my non-hectic work hectic schedule…