Poi Practice

Practice

So, the final days.

Clock in Brussels

row upon row

WW1 trenches, Peeking over the top you could almost touch the German front line

Have been a bit remiss with blogging since Dad died last week.

Have spent the last week immersed in work to help with the feeling of loss.

The AFS day show went very well. 6 year old eh papa was cute, 10 year old baton song was great and Poi with the 12-13 year olds was awesome. I was so busy I didn't get pictures but not to worry.

I managed to fall down the stairs at the homestay so that has left me resting in the Mercure today instead of wandering Paris, hopefully tomorrow I will manage a bit of wandering.

The day at Arras was moving.

Wow, so many needless deaths. In Flanders field, where poppies grow, row upon row. There were 40000 graves that were marked but two empty plots where over 9000 men who were un named were resting. I was moved to tears by the six coffins in the memoriam chamber. We then traveled to Arras where we visited the Trenches they are preserving (Canadian Govt, look after them) You can still see the dips and hollows of bombs and we saw how close the front lines actually were. So sad so many had to die. At Arras, the French have planted many trees, these represent all the lives lost such a moving sight, endless rows of trees growing in the undulations of spent bombs. Apparently they can not let anyone onto the fields because they are still turning up unexploded bombs.

They can not mow the lawns because of this reason also, they have a few sheep to keep the grass down around the monuments. This area was well fought over during the war and is very sacred to the French.

Went to Brussels on Friday, can't say I remember much about it, only that it was beautiful as the students told me it would be.

The next few days

Had an adventurous day on the bus, got in a slight panic cause the bus I though I should be on said no, no la longuville where I am living, eeek to that, but 40 min later, yep good bus!

Tomorrow I am off on a school trip to Arras to see the tunnels of WW1 and then to le quesnoy, the town that NZ soldiers liberated in WW2 from the Germans. Apparently NZ people are treated like Royalty there so should be quite a fuss. Dinner with the Mayor or something.

Friday train trip to Brussels, am looking forward to that! ROAD TRIP. Have been working very hard teaching a Maori song, the haka, and a poi song so having a day off again! hehe.

Anyway, on the downward slope to home, am somewhat looking forward to italy because it is very rural here! Like Kerepehi!

Photos of the trip a demain.

Abientot

Suzette

Horse Chruch...

New Pics

BERNARD

Naomi

Frog legs, yummy!

Ok, frogs legs, Naomi, Daniele and Bernards daughter and Bernard. We were at a kitch resturant in Belgique. Still had Xmas decorations up, and halloween, and easter....

Yoh Kidzs!

Hi Guys, glad the production was fun! Hope they took a video so I can see it. Enjoy your last week with Mrs Y, behave! I al in Bavay for 2 more weeks, so a busy time I return to Paris on the 1st october for 2 days then off to Italy, perhaps >I will get time to shop there. Tor, I have pics of the frogs legs, will load them when my camera is charged I am learning new french every day so yay to that.

The students here are the same as you! Cheeky and lots of fun! They now make that phsssssssh noise I make, cute huh !

Anyway, have a good week, more photos tomorrow.