I can't think of a better way to start out a day than by spending it with my French students.
The first class, as usual, was quiet and cooperative. Maria and I gave a Powerpoint presentation on a little bit about life in the United States - we each talked a little bit about our lives at home, then gave a simple overview of the American high school system, as it is quite different than the French lycée. We had a discussion with the students on what they see as the differences, and a little bit about what they think works for each. For the second two terminal classes, we gave the same presentation, but simplified because their level of English is not as strong. Our third class is a particularly difficult to handle at moments because they just talk and don't listen to their teacher. It was very interesting, though; one of the girls in the class made an observant remark about the treatment of people our age in society. As she pointed out, in France, people are considered jeune (literally, "young;" not adults) until they are 25. She and another male student got into an argument over how people in this age group should be treated and considered. Yet while they pointedly and loudly argued on the subject, they didn't revert to name-calling or making immature remarks like I would expect (of high schoolers in the United States); they instead continued to debate, coming up with more and more points to validate each of their positions. It was completely fascinating.
It seems as though the students fascination, though, lies in the social life of Americans. The students have a strong curiosity about how we spend our free time and what we do with our friends, and an absolute obsession with portrayals of American life in movies, particularly "American Pie." It seems that every young French person I meet has seen "American Pie" and wants to know if it is an accurate depiction. When the students saw the picture of my house, and then also on Google maps, they were in awe. Un château, "a castle," one of them said. Then they asked if they could come visit me. And then asked if we could have a "Project X" party. "Project X" is a new movie, kind of similar to "American Pie" in the sense that it is about a giant party that some high schoolers throw for their friend's birthday and the chaos that ensues (it's from the same people who worked on "Hangover" and "Old School")... I went and saw the film this afternoon with Maria and Devan (there was a special in many Parisian movie theaters for the annual three day spring cinema celebration, and movie tickets were 3.50 euro), and I'm glad I didn't agree to their demands of hosting such a party. It's so interesting. I'm certain French kids have more of a mental image of American culture than Americans do. I never realized how much American films influence the perception and expectations that other countries have of our culture.
Today, by the way, is also officially macaron day, so we of course went to Paul and I got un macaron à la vanille. I think there was actually a store in New York City that was giving away free macarons as well, in celebration. I plan on hunting down this store next semester when I'm mourning for Paris.
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