Returning to Rennes

 In three short weeks, I will be returning to Rennes.  In many ways, Rennes feels like a second home to me now.  It is familiar.  When I think of Rennes, I see images of half-timbered houses built on top of each other that decorate Place Sainte Anne.   I imagine a bustling medieval city.  I can feel the crachin breton on my walk to work because I forgot my umbrella.

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I smell kouign amann as I walk past la Boulangerie Hoche on my way to meet the students.   I see the old women dragging their caddies behind on their way home from the market.  I see the bouquinistes selling their used books at the Place Hoche.  I see the produce merchants who have neatly arranged their fruits and vegetables at the marché des Lices that are the freshest I have ever seen.  I hear the familar jingle of the Rennes metro announcing my stop to get off for work.   I hear conversations about poltics, yesterday's soccer match, or simple chat among friends at my favorite café, Café de la Place as I enjoy a coffee after work.  I can taste a traditional crêpe complète with its fried egg ever so neatly placed on top.  And, this meal could not be complete without a bol du cidre.   I see friends gathering at the Parc du Thabor sparawled out on the lawn to enjoy the afternoon sun.  Yes, Rennes is a very special place.

 What makes this experience so wonderful is my fellow team members and the students.  As language teachers, the opportunity to facilitate language experiences for students in France is truly amazing!  I am able to do for these students what I can't do in my own classroom.  In a classroom, language learning can be so artificial, even with the best written lesson plans.   But when in France, it's authentic.  Everything we do is authentic.   It is so incredible to watch how quickly the students grow in the language and as individuals.  Not only do they have better control of the language by the end of the month, but they are confident speakers of French.   I tell people all the time that I have the best summer job!

I don't want to romanticize  Rennes, but having the opportunity to live and work abroad in France has taught me many things.  Working in France has taught me to enjoy life's simple pleasures whether it's having a quiet coffee alone in a café or enjoying a simple meal with friends.  France has taught me the importance of slowing down to enjoy all that life has to offer.  Cherish these moments.

So, to my future program participants reading this blog, get ready for an unforgetable summer in Rennes.  I look forward to meeting you soon.