Not a whole lot going on in my neck of the woods these days. Still waiting to hear back about renewal. Last year everyone in my département got emailed around this time, so I'm hoping that I'll get some good news soon. Still no real progress on getting home, because I'm kind of waiting to hear about coming back. Still no real travel plans, although I'm at least thinking more about those. Baby steps, right?
Today was my last day with one of my classes, the CE1 class at Directrice Madame New York school. Those kids have really grown on me over the course of the year. I only see them once a week, so it was hard to get to know them, and I'm ashamed to say I still don't know all of their names (although I do know almost everyone). But they are super sweet kids and they try really hard. They were my best listeners when we did Apples and Bananas, they could picked out all the words in the song! Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I don't even have any pictures. Maybe I'll make a surprise visit sometime in the next couple of weeks to snag a few.
Last week and this week at Nice Directeur school we've been getting ready for their Fete de la Musique this Thursday night. The CM1 will be singing When the Saints Go Marching In and Are You Sleeping (mixed English and French). The directeur also asked me to teach them Here's To You by Joan Baez in English because they are singing it in French. I have no idea why he wants to sing this song. In my opinion it's nice for kids to sing happy songs at their concerts, but whatever, he's retiring, he can do whatever he wants.
This weekend I spent La Fete de la Musique (the national, all day/night long music festival all over France that was Saturday) in Reims with D, another teacher from our school, and D's boyfriend, who I've decided to call Ameriphile, or AP for short. He's super curious about America and always asks me questions. And get this, he likes American football! It's almost like being back home, except that we speak in French. He's like the older brother that I never got (thanks a lot Mom and Dad. Well, just Dad really. He's the one who was married for 12 years and never had kids).
So how would the blogging world have answered these questions:
- are Mormons viewed as a cult?
- why are Scientologists so powerful in America? Why don't you think they're a cult?
- isn't John McCain just four more years of Bush? Why don't Americans realize that?
6 comments:
1. Mormons are not a cult. They are a sect, which is an extreme take on a mainstream religion. Members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints are regular Americans with nontraditional religious views very loosely related to Protestantism.
2. Scientologists are not "powerful." It is a celebrity-driven religion involving personal growth, reflection, and enormous financial contributions. It is perceived as powerful because it is made popular by celebrities.
3. I'm not personally convinced McCain is a Bush offspring. I really wish non-Americans would stop trying to simplify and generalize American politics. It's not that simple, and there's more to it than the extremes. I'm not a Bush supporter and I disagree with...pretty much everything he's done, but jeepers creepers. The man has been a lame duck for the last 18 months of his term. Who cares what he does now.
I'm not all excited about Obama either, and I practically am a donkey I'm so Democrat.
I was totally going to agree on that Scientology part....
Just because Tom Cruise convinces his wife to join and go crazy with their baby, whatever it's weird name is, doesn't mean it's popular.
It's just in the media. And you know how much we like stupid celebrities everywhere.... (i.e. Brit's vag)
I agree about the generalizing politics. I don't go around saying their Communist party is evil.
Ben loves American football. Specifically, the running into each other for no reason part. I think that has universal appeal to boys.
AP's whole point with our discussion about what goes on in America is that the media twists everything so that no one in either country has a clear idea of what actually goes on there, except if you visit. He's genuinely curious to see what the real deal is and if they are getting any semblance of the true story. I may have misrepresented this, sorry.
And I can't even tell you the number of times I have stopped myself from saying "you know, I don't think ALL of Sarko's policies are that terrible" so that I don't get driven and dumped across the border in Belgium.
Andromeda, I had no idea there were other French guys out there who liked American football! I was so surprised when AP revealed this that I nearly fell off my chair. Nice to know that there may be other (available!) ones out there.
In France any religion that is not a "main religion" is considered a cult, so that's why you can get those kind of questions. They are very very wary of any different branches and basically anything that is not Jewish, Christian (they don't see the Mormons as real Christians) or Islamic is called a "cult" which isn't always a derogatory term as we tend to interpret it.
I personally hate McCain, he is evil whereas Bush is just a simpleton with evil advisers. Too bad when I vote in November my vote won't count. Did you guys know that? Overseas votes are ONLY counted if the race in that state is close enough "to merit" counting them... Riiiiight sooooo Democratic. Humph.
Seriously!? Our votes won't be counted unless it's close???? Talk about disenfrachisement. Well, maybe since I'm from Michigan they'll need to count mine, you never know in my state of crazies.
I'm not a McCain fan either. He's lost any "maverick" title he might have once had and has completely capitulated to the neo-cons.
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