Pudique

Quite like this statue...it is in one of the oldest buildings in Caen, and I wish I knew the story behind it! The title today is pudique...meaning timid/modest/bashful - the reasoning behind this was if you look closely, the man's head by the statue's knee...well it looks quite pudique to me!
Sixième were as bouncy and rowdy as ever...but I think I'm finally getting to grips with them. I took half the class, with the loudest students, to start on prepositions...my favourite one so far was being told that the girl was in the bin. Well, I suppose she could have been in certain circumstances...but not particularly in those mentioned! I think since I concentrated talking to the naughtiest pupils last week, so they know I won't actually accept that kind of behaviour from them the class on a whole behaves a lot better. In fact, I'm really starting to get to like them...

After my normal quatrième INTER pupil at lunch, I moved onto the quatrième EURO, a class as enthusiastic as it's INTER counterpart. The topic we are doing at the moment is Black Rights, slavery and abolition...quite heavy topics for thirteen and fourteen year olds I know, but they are interested in everything and seem to find it quite interesting. Today we were watching a film called 'The Help' (with French subtitles, they're actually allowed them!)...a film about black maids after the abolition of slavery, and their relationship with the white children that they bring up. Definitely worth a watch, I for one will be watching it in its entirety at some point in the near future I hope.

So after work I had a quick wander round a photography exhibition. I don't want to sound vain, but I reckon I could probably do as good a job on the photographs I saw! Most were of houses, fields, and trees...in black and white of course, but I guess it is also having the push to go out and find these places. However, I did quite like the write-up:-

Je ne sais pas ce qui pousse un photographe à se rendre aux frontières du visible ; en tout cas, il s'agit bien précisément pour ma part d'une quête ou la photographie se révèle à nouveau peu à peu, se glissant obstinément là où on la rejette. Sincères sans être fragiles, les images se fabriquent presque d'elles-mêmes. Je le pense.
Apres avoir cherché quelques fantômes oubliés, calmement je me suis accordé plusieurs jours de répit dans ces « alentours » où la lumière excelle dans son rôle de manière immuable, comme partout ailleurs. J'ai donc photographie ces à-côtés sereinement, là où le gris reste vert, bleu et doux à la fois.
J'espère que ce que je sais ne contamine pas ce que je vois.

It makes quite a lot of sense in my head.


So to finish my day it was Claire's Birthday Night Out, and I thought I would share it with you in numbers:-
- 2 - the number of glasses of wine shared with Laura
- 45 - the number of minutes we were late - Germans always early, English always on time...lies!
- 2 - the number of secrets told
- 1 rather packed bar
- 2 pichets of cervoise, shared between 3 people (Thibaud, Pierre, myself)
- 1 massive snowstorm (I can't actually express this enough, one minute...nada - the next, five inches of snow!)
- 1 pair of impractical shoes (mine...although flat shoes, absolutely no grip whatsoever!)
- 4 - the number of times I found myself on my arse, in the snow
- 4 - the number of times Pawel pulled me up, without laughing (I can only thank him enough!)
- 1 suspected bad back tomorrow
- 3 - the number of people who helped me move around in said snow, preventing me from falling more times...Simon, Pawel and Kendra I can only thank and salute you all, you beautiful people!
- 1 free drink...sure does help when you know someone who knows the owner right?
- 1 lost bag - yes, a bag was lost/dropped/stolen in the excitement of snow...not mine, but this does lead onto the next chiffre...
- 3 - the number of people in one bed...Kendra, you lifesaver, providing not only a bed for the night, but pyjamas, camomile tea, and then a good cup of British (American?) tea in the morning.