Allez! Allez!

Allez! Allez!

On Tuesday Lily had her first field trip. As Ginger has documented, Lily is still a little unsure about school so her teacher asked me to accompany the class. I jumped at the opportunity as travelling to the Children’s Festival with Grace’s kindergarten class last year was a real highlight for me. I was interested in watching Lily interact with her classmates, and in addition, I was very excited for the cultural experience that Lily and I would share. My day started with instructions in English from Lily’s teacher and I assured her that she had a professional on hand and there was no need to worry. My role was to be a traffic cop and with my crutches in hand my wingspan effectively blocked the narrow laneways. The sortie began with a 30 minute walk from one side of Avignon to the other. Shouts of “Allez! Allez!” rang out through the streets as the lead pair was pulled and the rest of the group was encouraged to catch up. “Vous marchez comme escargot” was the principal’s addition to the continual screams of “Allez Allez”. We arrived at the train station where the 25 students boarded the local TER for the 25 minute trip.

Upon arrival in Arles, a further 20 minute walk greeted our group of hardened pietons. Our first workshop took place at a historic building whose prior function had been to serve as the pumping station for the city of Arles. This involved a thirty minute architectural tour of the surrounding neighborhood. The group of 4 and 5 year olds were exposed to five key architectural features of the local church. Lily’s favourite part of the day was being introduced to the french word “gargoyle”. The gargoyles served as elaborate downpipes for the church’s eavestroughs with water pouring out of the gargoyles’ mouths during a rainstorm. In my class today, my professor informed me that the french expose their sutdents to a variety of architectural features and that all french 8 year olds are able to distinguish the differences between Roman and Gothic arches. I certainly witnessed this early introduction to architecture.

After lunch we walked 25 minutes through Arles to see the yearly photographic exposition. We went to two exhibits, one by the American modern artist Liz Deschenes and the second by a Japanese photographer, Kazuo Shinohara. The first exhibit consisted of four paintings: one black canvas, one white canvas and two canvases that reflected as a mirror. I particulary enjoyed the investigation of what our group of students saw in the white canvas (I was thinking along the lines of Calgary in December). The directrice, (principal) was particularly animated as she discussed the endless possibilities that one could see in the blank canvas in front of us. It was at this point that Lily leaned over to me and quietly whispered in my ear, “This is the most boring daycamp ever”. Certainly Lily has never been prepped at our dinner table on the appreciation of the abstract art form!

The photo exhibit provided for less abstract viewing, as there were about 30 photos of street scenes from around the world. The assignment for the class was to find similarities within the photos. After that, they were to choose their favorite photo and give it a name. Lily’s teacher came up to her and asked her in English what the name of her picture should be and after shrugging her shoulders three times in response to the same question she finally came up with “France” for a title. Well done Lily!!

We then left the expostion with a 30 minute walk ahead of us to catch a train that departed in 25 minutes. With panicked looks on the leaders faces, the shouts of “Allez! Allez! “were transformed to “Cours! Cours!”. We indeed arrived in time to catch our train, and on the train ride home the little girl sitting beside me said “Je vais bien dormir ce soir”, (“I will sleep well tonight”.) Arriving back to Avignon, the pace was much slower and relaxed as we returned to the school.

It was encouraging to see Lily interacting with her classmates as her behaviour thus far has had us concerned about what the days are like for her. Spending the day with her and her class has provided me with real insights into what she is going through. Firstly, her classmates are very interested in the Canadian girl that is in their midst, so making friends will not be a problem in the long term. Each time students were paired up, a new classmate would rush over to hold Lily’s hand. Lily’s frustration stems from her inability to converse with her classmates. I must say that once again my french confidence plummeted as I struggled to interact with Lily’s classmates. Each day she is utilizing new words so we know that this will improve. Secondly, Lily’s teacher is so kind and caring towards her. I now am competely certain that Lily is in good hands. During one exploration, Lily’s teacher sat Lily on her lap and translated the entire discussion for her. Lastly, Lily is tired! It is a crazy long day for her and no wonder she is struggling right now. She starts at 8:30 and school lasts until 4:30. Sure she comes home for lunch but she has 6 hours of French every day. I complain to Ginger about my long Wednesday schedule that consists of only 4 and half hours of classes in the afternoon and leaves my head spinning.

Needless to say I am very proud of my big little girl.