All good things must come to an end

So here I sit in my favourite café in Nancy, writing my last blog post about my adventures as a teaching assistant. It's hard to believe that 7 months have come and gone, and all the ups and downs and experiences that have come with it.

My last day of teaching was last Friday, and I got the sweetest goodbye I could have ever asked for. Normally at 8am I teach the 2nde Abibacs, an extraordinary group of 14-15 year olds in the intensive German stream and who are remarkably good at English. They were definitely my favourite class, so motivated and enthusiastic to learn and participate, and the nicest group of kids you ever met. I was a little surprised when the day before my last class with them the teacher asked me to come a little later as the kids were "preparing something". I arrived the next morning just after 8:15 and Mme. Derenne came out. "5 more minutes, they're almost ready!" I waited alone in the hallway until I was ushered in...where I saw the whole class standing with sheets in their hands, and they began to sing "We Will Rock You" by Queen...except that they had changed the lyrics to "We Will Miss You"!!! Someone had brought a karaoke machine and as they sang along to the melody, I was told in song that I was a great English teacher who was always smiling and that they would miss me. (Don't have the lyrics with me at the moment, will have to add them here later!) It was the cutest and sweetest thing ever, I was absolutely amazed and couldn't stop grinning! They gave me a copy of the lyrics they had decorated with pictures of Nancy and all their names. Such creative kids! And then they gave me a poster they had made with pictures of Nancy, Canadian flags and a little note to say they would miss seeing my smiling face every Friday morning. I managed to hold back any tears as I thanked them profusely and complimented their incredible creativity. Everyone had brought things to eat and we had a little party and I chatted to the kids about what I was doing next year and about their upcoming exchange semesters to Germany. Mme. Derenne thanked me for the work I had done with them and that they had really enjoyed classes with me, and it was entirely their idea to have a little goodbye party for me. It was so touching and the absolute best "goodbye" I could have ever asked for. It made me feel incredibly special to have had such a positive impact on the kids I worked with here, that they would go out of their way to create a song (in a foreign language) for me...and thrilled to know that I would be remembered most for always smiling at them! That morning, I knew that all my hard work in lesson planning and giving classes had paid off, and this was the most rewarding moment of my teaching career. I went home and bawled.

That day I said my final goodbyes to all the teachers and left notes in their lockers to thank them for the wonderful year I had with them and for the gifts. Then bit by bit the reality sunk in as I took down all the pictures, posters and maps from my walls and began throwing my life here into a backpack and suitcase for my trip to the south with Robyn and Julia (which I'll leave for another post). That night I had to say goodbye to my roommate Kerstin since I wouldn't see her before leaving early the next morning. By far the hardest goodbye yet. We both started crying and hugged. I couldn't have asked for a better roommate this year; I was so lucky to live with someone that I got along with so well and who had a lot of the same interests and values as me...and who was vegetarian to boot! And more importantly, she became a really good friend. I really enjoyed living with Kerstin, we had had some great times together in our little apartment and it was so sad to know that it was over. We both gave each other parting gifts, I got the soundtrack to "Les Petits Mouchoirs", the first French film we had watched in the theatre together! And I gave her a glass picture frame with a photo of us together in Colmar. I'll see her again before I go home for good, at least...so I'll save some tears for then.

roomies!

Today is my final departure day from Nancy, a city that I've called my home for the past 7 months. I can't describe how hard it will be to leave this place - I don't think it's fully hit me yet that I won't be back. I've had an incredible time here, and I don't know how to sum up all that I've experienced. Not only was I extremely lucky to have been assigned to such a great school and work with excellent teachers and students, but I was put right in the heart of the Lorraine region in one of the most beautiful cities in France. It's hard to describe why I love it here so much...but maybe that's what love is, you don't have to explain it, it's just there! Etched into it's historic buildings, cobbled streets, park benches and statues, I've left a part of myself here, and I'll miss everything about this place and my life here. Sipping a coffee in Place Stan and watching the world go by; walks through the park; chatting for hours with my "tandems" in one of my favourite cafes - Kensington, Les Artistes, Foy...; coming home at night and seeing the majestic cathedral lit up in the background; strolling up Rue St. Jean, packed with people; buying our daily baguette local bakery; standing forever at the fromagerie window at the Marché Centrale, trying to decide; eating a patisserie any time of day; shopping at Monoprix; hearing "Bonjour Madame" when I walk in a shop and "MerciBonneJournéeAuRevoir" when I leave; French bises (the kiss on both cheeks); the antiquity of the old city; having friends over for "fêtes"; Art Nouveau buildings; mirabelles and bergamotes and Alain Batt chocolats...so many things, big and small, will be dearly missed. Living here was like a dream, and waking up is a cruel reality. But I'm so grateful for my time here, for my job, my friends, all the places I've gone and the people I've met. I couldn't have asked for a better teaching assistant experience, and I can only come away from this knowing that I've lived an adventure that has enriched my life culturally, socially and linguistically. And I wouldn't change that for the world.

Nancy, here's to a fantastic 7 months together - tu vas me manquer terriblement!

 

On I move to my next adventure with my friend Erika...au revoir France, and hello Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia!