What the kids had to say after three weeks of school in France

T has been asking some deeply philosophical questions recently with classics such as:

“What happens when everyone dies?”…

and

“Why can’t I see my bottom?”…

We figured it was a good time to ask the kids another set of questions now that they’ve finished their first three weeks in French school!

Iz (7)

How did you feel when you started school?

“Very happy. I came home very happy. I made lots of friends and I saw a lot of the friends I had already made at the ice-skating rink.”

How do you like school now?

“Awesome! Very happy, better than awesomely happy. I’m getting the hang of it. The maths and the work is easy.”

How does school compare to home in the UK?

“The UK is better as I had a lot of friends there and I knew almost everybody in the school. I liked having a drawer in the UK with all my rubbers and books in it. I loved accelerated reader in the UK. It was easier in the UK because I understood the English for what I had to do.”

Has it been easy to make new friends?

“Easy, very easy. I just said ‘hi’ and then it was like ‘kerching!’… new friends. It’s easy to make new friends but with French people it’s harder. I have made a few French friends though and some of them are very funny.”

Are you pleased we moved here?

“Errm. Kind of, but I’d like to go see my best friends again at home and I really liked my teachers in England.”

What are you enjoying about living here?

“I’m enjoying the snow, I’m enjoying the skiing, ice skating, sledging and the ski lifts. I like skiing with my family and I like having fun most importantly. I like the chalets and I like the school, kind of… ”

What is it like with people speaking French?

“I’m just like this (stares straight forward blankly) because I’m at the front of the class. I would like to speak French because I already know Spanish, I already know Scottish and I already know English.”

What has been your favourite bit of our adventure so far?

“Skiing! Cos it’s fun. It’s just fun! It’s exciting ‘cos we get to go to different mountains. I’d really like to do telemarking…”

What are you looking forward to?

“Being able to speak French.”

T (4)

How did you feel when you started school in France?

“A bit nervous… Erm, I didn’t feel great about it.”

How do you like school now?

“Quite good but not the school dinners. I really like the main course but I don’t like the starters but I try a bit and then they put it in the tin. I quite like the pudding. It’s orange and apple and bananas and yogurts. I love the yogurts and the apples and the bananas. It’s soo good! I don’t really like the hard work at my school because it’s so hard but sometimes it gets easier. There’s a car thing that you put the cars on and lift one end up and it zooms down off a ramp to the other person. I like that thing. It’s good at school because we learn about Baobabs. I really like Baobabs because they’re fat and they’ve got leaves on the branches.”

How does school compare to home in the UK?… What’s the difference?

“My other one is English and this one’s French” (Ask a stupid question)

Has it been easy to make new friends?

“Not quite. I’ve made a few friends but it’s not easy.”

Are you pleased we moved here?

“No… Wait, yes! Because we learn about Baobabs.”

What is it like with people speaking French?

“Not very good because I don’t understand them because it’s too hard.”

What has been your favourite bit of our adventure so far?

Making snowmans, making a ginormous slide and skiing and playing in the snow and getting nature for Gran because Gran likes nature.

What are you looking forward to?

“I’m looking forward to seeing Kung Fu Panda 3” (The bribe incentive for staying in for a full week’s school dinners).

 

Well, mixed feedback there from the bambinos, both enjoying themselves but still missing home a lot. The major hurdle, as you’d expect, is the language. A lot of the British guys who are over here for the winter season will be leaving over the next few weeks. Whilst we’ll all really miss our new friends, we’re hoping that the kids (and us) will start picking up more French. All these English speakers around allows them (us) to cop out of it too much! I also promised the kids that if they went to French school, I’d go to French school too, so it looks like it’s time to enrol and get learning. Yikes!

Read their first interview when we arrived in France here. I forgot to ask T about the sofas. They’re asleep now, I’ll do it tomorrow.