le mot "trait d'union"

On Sunday, I invited language assistants from the area to eat lunch/hors d'oeuvres and then watch a rugby game here in Crest.  It worked out pretty well, and quite a few people showed up.  (However, four people missed the bus/train to Crest, and weren't able to make it!).  I made goat cheese stuffed dates (sans bacon... haven't been able to find that here.)

Anyway, it all started a couple weeks ago. I was walking around Crest, and I noticed the Stade Municipal.  Then, I read the poster and noticed there was a rugby game on November 6.  Then I looked up Crest rugby online and emailed the representative of the team.  Then, that person emailed me back and verified that yes, there would be a game on November 6 at 15h00, and it's free (!) and open to the public.  So, naturally, I invited everyone I know in France to come watch the rugby game in Crest.  A couple people came all the way from Lyon.  We showed up at the Stade Municipal at 14h45.

There was no rugby game.

Actually, there weren't any bleachers or anything either!  So, after several apologies in English and French (on my part), we started walking back and saw two French guys by the stadium.  Someone walked over to ask them about the rugby game, and the French guy pulls out his phone to start calling someone... one of the players!  Ha.  In the end, the game had been canceled because of the weather, but it wasn't even raining!

These people were promised a rugby game.

Okay, so I asked them to look sad for the photo. So, pretty much all of the stores/restaurants in Crest (and, really, most of France) are closed on Sundays, and the Tour of Crest is closed until winter vacation, so we went to look at Crest's second tourist attraction: Le Pont en Bois.  Then, we found a cafe that opened at 4 p.m.  It ended up being pretty busy... it turns out there are other people in Crest looking for something to do on a Sunday!  It ended up being a fun day, and now I know that I have somewhere to go and play baby-foot (a.k.a. foosball) on a Sunday evening.

Yesterday I taught five classes.  Today I taught six classes and a workshop for English teachers in the evening.  Well, I was present for the workshop for English teachers.  My boss prepared everything for it, and I just pronounced things.  But it was fun, and that's where I learned that trait d'union means hyphen in French because the teachers were practicing spelling their names with the English alphabet, and one teacher's name had a hyphen in it.

Highlights of teaching this week (French in italics):

• "C'est quoi, cette lettre?"  (When I wrote purple on the board, I tried to write in French cursive, and they thought I had written gurgle.)
• "Is the Statue of Liberty alive?"
• "Is the U.S. in France?"
• "What is your favorite day?" "I like Mondays the best because Rebecca comes to our class."
• Running out of activities in a 5th grade class and playing a Barney song about the days of the week, and realizing these kids are much to old for this right when I pushed the play button.  And then singing along enthusiastically.