The IS school organizes their basic program around two week terms. Every other Monday they start a new term and new students arrive and are sorted into the proper classes. Although a few people (like my friend Patricia from the first week) come for just a week and some come for longer, it seems like most people come for two weeks. The classes stay more-or-less intact for the two weeks and with the same two alternating teachers. Today was the last day of the term.
Our class of five has been a great group, and we’ve had a lot of fun together. We really liked the two teachers Sonia and Christine, and II like the approach of having the two teachers who alternate. They’ve coordinated well together, and we get the benefit of two perspectives. All the teachers have been excellent. They're technically good, and they make the learning fun.
Notre professeur Sonia
Et notre professeur Christine
Karl-Heinz and Lydia are leaving after today. I’ve asked Lydia and her boyfriend to come spend a few days with us this summer, so I may see her again. Susanne and I will both be here next week, and we expect to be in the same class together again. I hope so, as it will be good to have a friend. Christine told us that we’ll be moved up to the next level class.
Lydia, Urs and Susanne
Urs is here another two weeks, but he’ll be taking private lessons, to focus more on the language skills he needs for his work with French-speaking clients at his bank. But Susanne and I will see him around the school, and that will be good too. It has been funny in the class on the days when Christine is the teacher, because she uses Urs as her "secretaire" to staple the holes in the papers that she passes out for our notebooks. He always does an extremely efficient job with this task, so it was very appropriate for him to pose for this photo with the "perforateur." We learned in one of the exercises this week that he shines his shoes and washes his car (inside and out) every week. He's a very efficient Swiss banker... and an extremely nice guy too.
There was a little reception after the end of class out on the very small terrace. All the people who are leaving today got certificates and a round of applause. This was Annalise’s last day too. The involvement with the community of students has been an unexpected benefit of the school. I've especially enjoyed the contact with people from other countries. Even though we're in France, I feel like I've learned a lot about other countries and cultures too. I like that only a small number of the students are from America.
Urs, Suzanne and I have lunch together after class, at a little restaurant near the school, just inside the centre ville. We spoke mostly English and a little bit of French. We are all doing so much better with our French, but sometimes it is easier to talk in English to have a more complete conversation. I admire both of their fluency in English. I had to rush off to meet two women who are Americans working in Aix (both possible contact people for my consulting work), and I suspect that after I left they both spoke German.
My private lessons this week have been very good too. On Wednesday my teacher was Monia, and on Thursday my teacher was Patricia. I did a LOT of talking, and in the one-on-one situation, I did get more personal feedback. It was also a little easier to ask a question—and get an answer—in English when I just got totally stuck. Patricia really helped me understand something I hadn’t understood fully in class (the difference between “il y a” and “depuis.”)
We've been told that next week there will be SEVENTY students in the main language programs at the school. Instead of the five groups they had going these last two weeks, they will have ten groups. July is the beginning of the European vacation season, so many people—I think many younger people—are coming for language studies. Isabelle is getting a new student, a young man from Italy, on Sunday evening. So now I’ll have a younger "brother." I wonder what his French will be like? And perhaps Isabelle will serve a more robust meal since she will be feeding a young man!
