There are plenty of flipping pancakes today but they almost get tossed into a bin in Fort-de-France. I’m waiting for the 6,20 as usual but one doesn’t arrive until almost 7,00. The neighbours we shunned yesterday go by in their separate cars. They don’t even slow down. I blame the driving rain for everything. It’s the first time in ages that I’ve had both the rain jacket and the big blue umbrella out in force. Of course once the bus comes the rain goes and I’m stuck in a sweltering bus for an hour. Thoughts of going to the beach with David and K.P begin to creep into my mind as the bus lurches back and forth every few seconds as we crawl along in the early morning traffic-jam. It’ll be such a waste of time and energy if I don’t make it in. The news reports a road traffic accident at Dillon roundabout. Typical. My second bus goes by there. Though by the time I get there it’ll be well cleared. I don’t get into town until 8,15 and by this stage I’ve contacted my first teacher and warned my second that I may be absent from his class too. But I’m not. In fact the bus to Chateauboeuf gets there in record time. Claude and his brood have P.E with Christophe’s class and I wave to them from across the yard, making my presence known.
I set-up the photocopier and leave it to work away while I seek out Madame Caruge to apologise for my earlier absence. We have our usual chat about the weekend’s antics and when I return to the library I find a mangled pancake recipes blocking up the photocopier. I have enough clean copies to do me today so I tug at the stuck sheets, gather my gear and head to Claude’s class after ridding my hands of the inky residue.
I have two topics for this week’s lesson; i) St. Valentine’s Day and ii) Pancake Tuesday. The history and traditions and cultural variances of the two events are explained. Valentine’s Day is in two days time and Shrove Tuesday is next week, during Carnaval.
The linguistic aim of the lesson is to recognise the imperative or command verb through games and recipes. I start the class with an adaptation of Simon says. “Do this! Do that!” I command as I try to catch the pupils out with tricky actions.
Firstly we brainstorm as to what i) ingredients and ii) utensils one needs for pancakes. Flour, eggs, milk, butter, salt, sugar, lemon. Frying pan, whisk, bowl, tablespoon, teaspoon, fork, knife, plate. I only go through ingredients with the younger pupils. I stick up each cut-put and write other options on the board; maple syrup, chocolate, cinnamon, jam, coconut, ice-cream… I have tags with the words and we go through them together as I point to the corresponding images. The tags are distributed and I ask: “Who has the bowl? Who has the eggs?” to which they reply, “I have it! I have them!” or in the case of two people having the same: “We have it! We have them!”
Next up I give out the sheets with the pancake recipe. It’s half in English and half in English. I know some of the kids will panic at the thought of this so I tell them to read the lexique or keywords in the side column and look at the cut-outs on the board before we go through the recipe together. The recipe is illustrated. There are four steps. I tell the kids to listen to me and watch me do the actions first time round, then I will re-read it with them repeating and finally they can volunteer to read. Listen. Look. Read. Repeat. Mix. Heat. Put. Turn. Serve.
This is too advanced for the younger pupils so I tell them just to Listen and Look as I magically make pancakes appear. But before I do we repeat the last sentence together: Yum, yum! They’re delicious! I love pancakes. I tell them that traditionally on St. Valentine’s Day we use the phrase I love you. St. Valentine’s is not just for lovers and this phrase is not just confined to pancakes and you! I love music. I love Beyoncé. I love Chamillionaire. I love chocolate. I love sweets. I love chips. I love sport. I love swimming. I love football. I love pancakes. I love you!
I tell the kids to: Turn the page. There’s a rhyme about being someone’s Valentine which I translate and recite, and there’s also a game involving names and destiny! We play the game for a while after I go through the instructions and demonstrate how to play it. Write your name. Write the name of a boy or girl you like. Cross out the letters which are similar in both names. With the remaining letters Repeat the rhyme: Love. Marry. Hate. Adore. The last letter to be struck out tells you of your destiny with this person. It’s a simple, even silly, game but the kids love it. Although when they come up to the board some of them loose their nerve and I have to reassure them it’s just for fun.
The final part of the double act is flipping pancakes. I have made some to eat and others to flip so as each child tosses the battered pancake they get a piece of the proper one.
Lunch time comes around and I decide to photocopy tomorrow’s sheets instead of bursting a gut in the morning. The machine is still acting up and I’m once again in ink. I’m on my way back from the toilet when Catherine beckons me into her classroom. Herself, Isabelle and Christophe are trying to work out the Name Game I did with the kids. I explain using Christophe and Isabelle as an example. They end-up hating one another. Christophe and Catherine Love each other.
I head into town and seek out bus tickets. The BIG Red Bus at Point Simone saves the day as the usual stall is under reconstruction. I’m almost certain the vendor calls me Blanche but I can’t be sure amid the noisy nattering. I don’t feel like hanging around town so I head to the bus. I’ve been there almost an hour when Nicola waltzes by with a Caramel Magnum. Yum, Yum. The bus does eventually come and we sit at the back away from the biddies but beside the boys. Nic thinks she teaches one of them but she can’t be sure. He seems to be edging his way towards her but that could just be the jolting the bus is enduring.
Nic had another run-in with Edith in the computer room. Actually Edith just blanked her but Nic was convinced she would lunge at her. Jean-Philippe, a geography teacher, is doing a mock interview with Nic tomorrow in preparation for her upcoming H.Dip call. He rescued her from Edith but not before Nic showed him pictures of Getty. Getty was in his Rasta get-up and Jean-Philippe snears at it. He then sees the picture of Tobacco, Will’s Rasta mate, and warns her against hanging around with him as he knows and causes trouble. Nic prepares for her mock interview and I ask her questions and sound out possible answers with her.
We have a TV dinner of omelettes and settle down to watch Big Momma’s House. The water is off again this evening so we pile up the washing and try to douse the ants with salt. They don’t budge. We decide to put on Auberge Espagnole which Nic has borrowed from school. It’s an arty film about seven international students on Erasmus in Barcelona. It brings back some sacred memories and it turns out to be an enjoyable watch.
There’s some international action next door. We presume that our French EDF friends have returned. We leave them to settle for the night after their tiring flight and return to our home. A new day has arrived and so has the water so we crack on with the dishes and the destruction of annoying ants.
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