This is one of the most touching and beautiful things I've ever seen. I'm going to stay up all night watching the personal interviews:

http://www.6milliardsdautres.org/

Yes, the weekend flight to Strasbourg was hella expensive, but was it worth it? Bien sûr! Seeing Amélie for the first time in over a year and a half + good conversation + lots of vin chaud + finally finding the holiday spirit= priceless.

The Christmas market in pictures:

What is a Christmas market without some good ol' hot spiced wine?

Or waiting in line for 30 minutes to eat at Flam's?

Notre Dame de Strasbourg--quite possibly the most amazing cathedral ever.

 
Inside...

Beautiful half-timbered houses in the Petite France area of Strasbourg

The quintessential French breakfast--tartine and café crème. And the beautiful Amélie!

Amélie offered me this book for Christmas, which is pretty much the most hilarious thing I've ever read. Chapters include:

*Comment péter avec grâce et élégance à une réception chez l'ambassadeur (How to fart gracefully and elegantly at the ambassador's reception)

*Comment faire sortir une araignée de votre baignoire (How to get a spider out of your bathtub)

*Comment étrangler un homme avec ses cuisses (How to strangle a man with your thighs)

*Comment se faire une petite robe noire avec un sac poubelle (How to make yourself a little black dress out of a trash bag)

Thanks to Amélie, I'm sure to become a "brilliant girl" in no time, right? haha

It was so nice to reconnect with such a good friend... but it sucks knowing that I won't see her again until next summer. 

Mais c'est la vie.

The last few weeks at school have taken quite an emotional toll on me.  Our team of teachers seems to be divided for various reasons, both personal and professional, and I've clearly been thrown into the middle of it all. In such situations I generally make an earnest effort to not choose sides, but when issues concern my mentor teacher, it's only natural that I would offer her my support.  In doing so, however, I feel as though I've been ostracized, along with Sylvie, by a group of women that has managed to create a strong feeling of mal à l'aise among the maternelle.

Add to that the impossible stress brought upon us during the Sinterklaas and Christmas periods, the moody aids, the incredibly hyperactive children and the fact that I am, and I am not even kidding, sick again for the third time since September... and maybe you can understand why I cried (possibly in relief that I am, in fact, doing something right) when I received this email from the (French) mom of a boy in my petite section tonight:

Dear Tiffany,

I meant to write you for so long and never really got the time.

You must be so excited to go home! Another week and you will be there!

I am not going to play the mummy who is desperately looking for attention and information about her son or daughter. Although I would love to be able to hide sometimes and watch few minutes of your day with the children in class, and see our little “prince”…

I do fully trust you and Sylvie, and seeing (child's name) coming back very happy is for us the most important message we can receive. What he shares with you is already a part of his own, and he is free to share it or not.  

I just wanted to tell you how wonderful I think you are doing since the beginning of this year. I really admire your teamwork with Sylvie and your way of adapting the “French” system. Which I am sure is not always easy for any foreigner to enter another way of doing and thinking. You seem to love the children so much and really appreciate this age, which is just a magic period in life… and so important to become a happy grown up. 

Thanks for your enthusiasm, your energy, and your faith in those little persons! Thanks for being with them and sharing who you are and where you are coming from.

Many parents asked last time (during the nice presentation) when they would start speaking in English. For me the question is not relevant, I would rather ask:

Is he enjoying his time? Does he adapt well the different way of teaching and approach? Is he having fun? Is he happy? The rest will come naturally… At that age, the most important is to be happy and to get a taste of how life is wonderful!

Being at school is such a huge step at that age, and there are so many things he is learning.

This weekend he spoke a lot about you. He told me about the “good and the bad” with his little thumb. I never rehearse or sing, what you have already done in class during the week. For me the best result is when he is asking for a book or a DVD he will mention “Comme Tiffany s’ il te plait maman”… 

Anyway, Edwin and me wish you a wonderful Christmas at home and come back very soon for those little ones who will be so happy to see you in January.

After the November break of holidays, (boy's name) was jumping everywhere yelling, “yeh yeh, I love to go back to school”.

So when you are on the plane back to here, think of those little ones waiting for you.

In the meantime, enjoy the US and your family. Merry Christmas, and happy New Year!

If I could offer just one suggestion to all of you during this holiday season, it would be this: stop running around worrying about what to buy someone for Christmas; instead, thank someone.  Tell someone that you appreciate who they are and the sacrifices they have made for you or someone you know.  Show someone some recognition.  Trust me--it goes a hell of a long way.

Before moving to Holland I didn't know much about Sinterklaas or what the Dutch tradition actually entailed, but after having lived the month-long event, I realize that I quite like this aspect of the Nederlandse cultuur.

It all began a few weeks ago, when Sinterklaas arrived in The Hague with his Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) on a boat from Spain.  The children, happily hoisted atop the sturdy shoulders of their dads, sang traditional Sinterklaas songs while the Black Pete assistants threw candy and pepernoten (small spice cookies) into the crowds. Finally, there was a huge parade up and down the "Fred"--a main street just a few steps from our front door--where the entire population of The Hague seemed to merge into a mass of childlike wonder.

During the following weeks, Sinterklaas visited schools, hospitals and could occasionally be found wandering around the city centre. However, the most prominent characters of this holiday were the Zwarte Pieten (the special elf-equivalent helpers of Sinterklaas), for they could be found all around town randomly throwing candy at children and parading around the streets playing trumpets and trombones. Kind of hilarious, especially with such silly outfits and painted faces:

Between the November arrival and the 5th of December (Sinterklaasavond--or the evening when everyone opens gifts), children place a wooden shoe with a carrot or some hay (for Sinterklaas's horse) in front of the fireplace before bedtime in hopes of finding their offering replaced by a small toy or chocolate treat in the morning.  Quite a clever idea if you really think about it, as it allows parents (and teachers!) three full weeks of Sinterklaas bad behavior blackmail. I'm only slightly ashamed to admit that I removed my cell phone from my purse on two different occasions at school last week in order to call Sinterklaas with an "update" on certain badly behaved children in my class.  Too bad I'll have no make-believe characters to use for bribing purposes once Christmas is over. Because it's going to be a long time before the lapin de Pâques arrives...

Finally, December 5th arrived and what a long and exciting day we had at school!  We dressed the entire maternelle up in brightly-colored collars and Zwarte Piet hats in order to look the part for Sinterklaas and to, later in the day, visit les papis et mamies at the retirement home down the street.

Here are a few of my little Zwarte Pieten:

And, finally, a video of the little ones performing "Zwarte Piet." Dutch is suddenly a wonderful, magical language when little kids are singing it.

Now, on to Christmas!