Tirer Les Leçons

     Bonjour tout le monde! I had quite a Mary Poppins moment this week, but more on that in a bit.

Snow is gone! Blue sky's again,
but it's still cold.

     This week I started my private French lessons. The family I work for is amazing and as a Christmas present they got me a few lessons with a private tutor. It was a different experience for sure, and something that I really needed to go to. My teacher is so sweet. For most of the class she was trying to figure out what level I was on, so that made it really hard to prepare a lesson. She concluded that the reason I struggle so much is because I am thinking way too complicatedly (is that a word?). She would ask me a question, and I would understand what she was asking, but have NO idea how to respond because my brain is trying to translate this hard reply. I guess I keep forgetting that I am at a child's level in speaking French, so it's OK for my sentences to be simple. She kept saying "you are trying to say really difficult words!" She gave me a few things to work on, and I need to send her email updates throughout the week. Maybe, just maybe I will be able to learn this language. Anyone out there who has any tips, please send them my way.

     Well thanks to Daniel, I have mastered my French numbers. They are really hard! For anyone who doesn’t speak French let me explain how the numbers work. In English when we count, each number has its own sound, and when we get to the teens it’s basically the same idea but we add “teen” to the end of each number. Then when we get to the 20’s 30’s and so on… we add (more or less) “ty” to the end of the numbers. I know it’s more complicated than that, but compared to the French it’s easy. Well French numbers go like this: it’s fairly basic until 17, which is dix-sept or ten-seven, and this is the same for 18 and 19. Then it doesn’t get weird again until 70. 60 is soixante, and 70 is soixante-dix or sixty-ten. Which makes 71, soixante-et-onze or sixty-eleven, and so on for the rest of the 70s (sixty-twelve, sixty-thirteen). Now if that doesn’t confuse you, here is the best part. 80 is quatre-vingts which is better known as four times twenty. Making 90 quatre-vingt-dix or four times twenty plus ten, and, you guessed it, 91 is quatre-vingt-onze or four times twenty plus eleven. That is French! Once you understand it, it’s not too bad, but Daniel is having trouble understanding it. Join the club little man.

Did you know Notre Dame is 850 years old?

The United States is about 230 years old. 

Kinda puts that in perspective hu...  

   
    It was a very much needed calm week. Well up until Thursday. It all started with early morning class, which got canceled, after sitting in the room for about 20 minutes. There was a major accident on RER Line A, and everyone is pretty sure it was a suicide jump. So the teacher was on the train and therefore late. They scheduled the new class for after my second class. So even though I really only had two classes, it felt like three. In the make-up class I had a different teacher. She was amazing! I learned quite a bit from her, but the most interesting thing she taught us was the different sounds an animal makes in different languages. She then proceeded to ask each student what noise a rooster makes in their native tongue. Here are a few of the sounds (I had to look them up again):

Mandarin: gou gou  Danish: kykkeliky  Finnish: kukkokiekuu

French: cocorico  German: kickeriki  Italian: chicchirichí 

Japanese: (kokekokkō) Korean: kkokkiyo  Polish: kukuryku 

Russian: kukarekú  Spanish: quiquiriquí  Tagalog: kukaok

     But she saved the English for last, saying it was her favorite. After Emily and I sang our ““cock-a-doodle-doo,” the whole class laughed. Haha, bet you didn’t know that roosters speak different languages.

     I can't believe everything I am hearing about Utah. Well really the United States. Records are being broken all over the country. From what I can tell from all the comments on Facebook, Utah is getting hit with some really bad, cold weather. Too bad they aren’t giving snow days. The last time we had a snow day was the big "BLIZZARD of 2011!" Haha and everything closed down. Then all it did was sprinkle snow. Why is it that when really heavy weather comes nothing is closed?!

Notre Dame

     Now, to my wonderful Nanny moment, though I should explain what it is that I want to accomplish in teaching these kids. I want to teach them right from wrong or the basic of right and wrong since there are so many levels. My goal for these two years is to lead an example. I have categorized them into three lessons (oh how very Nanny McPhee of me), I want to teach them to forgive everyone, there are always good people/things, and nothing is impossible. Why these three? I don’t know. For some reason, I feel that these are the things I need to be teaching these kids.

     I think I’m finally getting through to them, because this week we addressed all three of these lessons.

     This week Aimée had her worst fit with me yet. The biggest problem what that she wouldn't talk to me about it, so I don't know what happened to make her so mad. She was rude and disruptive. She got mad and dumped out one of Daniel's Toy bins, and then refused to clean it up. Ran every time I tried to talk to her, and wouldn’t take her shower but made sure to splash all the water out. I have never had to ask Cecile to intervene, but I was pushed to my limits. I just wasn't sure what approach to take with her. We talked for a few minutes before deciding that I would let Aimée know that she had until dinner to clean up her stuff before I involve her parents. We decided to not let her know that I had already spoken with her mom.

     I went and did just that, and the whole time I held onto Aimée she stared at me with a death glare. I knew how she felt. I understood her anger. I didn’t understand why she got angry to begin with, but I knew that this was only going to make her madder. She agreed to clean up her things and ignored me the rest of the night.

Me, Sara, and Gina outside Notre Dame

     Up until dinner, where she then skipped into the kitchen with a big smile on her face, and was cheerful the rest of the night. Here is where lesson one gets tricky for me. I have been trying to teach her to not be a grudge holder, and I lead by example, but that was the hardest thing I have ever had to do with her. Sit there and smile with her at dinner. I was so mad at the way she treated me, and the limits that she pushed me to. I didn't want to be nice to her. But I'm teaching her a lesson.

     She didn’t get away with it that easily, because the next afternoon Daniel was at a play date and I had her to myself the whole afternoon. So I talked, and talked, and talked. I can't remember exactly what I said. I know I talked about Ty and what it was like growing up with a brother like him. I talked about old friend and bullies from school when I was younger. Then I talked about a time when I was her age (nine years old) when I watch two planes fly into towers knowing that my mom, who is a flight attendant, was in the air for her job. I explained that there comes a time when we realize we can’t run from our problems. We need to stand and face them, and it makes it harder to care for things when you don't understand what is happening. It might have been a bit heavy and deep for her, but she listened the whole time, and asked questions occasionally.

     At the end I simply asked, "Can you explain to me what you were thinking yesterday?" I didn't ask her why, I didn't go over the things she did wrong. I just asked what she was thinking the whole time. She said that she really didn't know. She got mad and couldn't stop. Everything around her made her mad after that, everything annoyed her. She said she thinks it started with Daniel, but she understands now that he is just a little boy who doesn't understand that what he was saying was upsetting her. She apologized for being rude.

Sacré-Cœur

     Everything was good for the rest of the afternoon, and it wasn't until Daniel came home that she started acting weird again. She went right back into her bad mood from the night before, but at a more manageable level. I treated her as if nothing was wrong. I didn't baby her; I didn't force her to do anything. She did what she was supposed to do, then sulked in her room.

     During dinner the most amazing thing happened. She was late, again, and I just ignored her behavior. After a while she stopped and looked at me. "I would like to talk about what happened." she said. I was a bit surprised and asked if she would prefer to talk about it later. She said no, she wanted Daniel to hear. She went on to explain that when Daniel had come home they were jumping around and he had (accidently) pulled her hair. She didn't like that he hadn't apologized for what he had done, even though he knew she was hurt. Then she looked at me and said "I was mad at you because I thought you were on his side and defending him. I now realize that you were not, and I so I am sorry for the way I treated you. I didn't mean to thrash out at you." All I could think to say was "Apology accepted." Then little Daniel looked over at Aimée and said "Aimée I am sorry for pulling your hair." to which she responded with "Apology accepted." For the rest of the night the kids were happy and playing nice together.

     I was a bit in shock. I still don’t believe that it happened. Both kids handled the situation so well! Plus, they solved it on their own with no fighting. When I told Cecile about it later she didn't believe it either. All I gotta say is that it was nice to know that something I have been working with her has sunk in. Check! Helping the kids learn to forgive.

     Lesson two has become a really important lesson, even for me. Why? Well because of this quote by Mr. Rogers, and since I can’t remember if I put it on here yet I will put it again! 

At the Sacré-Cœur, a group of people stood with a guitar
asking if anyone who played would like to come perform
a song for everyone. The person got any tips the crowd gave. 

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." -Mister Rogers 

     Lesson number two has given me the title of “CRAZY.” They don’t understand why I also walk around pointing out the people who are doing good things for others like holding doors open or giving bread to the homeless woman on the street. Then they started to do it too, and took it a step further by also helping other. When Daniel is scared I sit and show him how each of the shadows in his room has their own sweet fairy-tale story, Aimée has joined in and things have become a lot less scary. Or at least they are starting to see the bright side of a scary situation.

     Lastly, the first week I was here I asked Aimée about something she was doing for homework and she told me she couldn't do it because that was impossible. I told her nothing in impossible. Since then every time she would do something that was frustrating her I would look at her and say "Nothing is Impossible." This week I heard Daniel say something was impossible! And before I could respond Aimée came in from the other room and said "Nothing is Impossible." Check!

one of those wonderful friends celebrates her
birthday today, so Happy Birthday Brittany! :) 

     Even if the kids don't get very much out of my lessons now I want them too one day look back at my time here and think about all the things I tried to teach them. I want Aimée to look back and remember that I never lost my temper. I never held a grudge. I sat a listened to her stories, and helped her work through them. I want them to remember that I treated everyone fairly, and laughed as much as I could. That it was better to say I'm sorry then wait for an apology. Basically, I'm trying to teach them everything that I learned growing up with my wonderful parents and from so many other leaders. Lessons that made me into the person I am today.

     And you know what. In trying to be a good example for the kids, I feel so much better. It's hard to have a bad day when I spend so much of my time looking on the bright side and finding the good people throughout my day. And I have been lucky to have many of those good people as family and friends.

     I am really grateful for my life here. I have learned so much about who I am and the trials I can conquer. I love you all and I miss you! Oh and the title is Tirer les leçons, or Learing Lessons.