French Trip Day Two
Well, all slept well which wasn’t really surprising considering the long, active day on Day One plus a food-induced coma for many. One young man was up bright and early this morning, as we knocked on doors to invite them for breakfast - he had silently tidied his bedroom without waking his room-mates, in the dark, and had thoughtfully arranged everyone’s shoes in neat lines. This is another first for the St Michael’s French trip, and great credit to that child’s parents.
The pupils soon learned the process involved in breakfast at Mister Bed, therefore enabling us to leave the hotel promptly and arrive at Etaples market. Just prior to disembarking the coach, it was noticed that one of the Ray Mears -type well-prepared boys from yesterday still felt they were about to embark on a pioneering adventure and required food to feed the masses. After emptying the expedition sized rucksack, another lad piped up that he had some rice in his bag, just in case they got peckish. Parents, we promise that we do feed your children and that they have never gone hungry. Despite the market this year being a damp squib, this did not deter some wonderful use of French to purchase quality goods that may (or may not) have included plastic Eiffel Towers and an array of Gangster Bling. One young lady said that she wanted to find a watch for her Dad but unfortunately could not find one big enough for his large wrist… you can thank us later, for ushering her swiftly away from the jewellery stall. Others were not so lucky, and bought very large, rather garish watches some of which needed repairs with sellotape before leaving the market. Delboy would be proud.
Very impressive in the market today, was one Year 6 boy who noticed a Vietnamese stall and started speaking to them in Vietnamese. It was lovely to see your children buying presents for their family, and one boy even bought a present for the Year 6 pupil in our group, who has a birthday tomorrow. Jessie the dog, however, proved too tricky to find something suitable for. All of the children used their French to a high standard again, and one member of staff used excellent body language to show that one of our more forthright pupils had been to a sweet stall twice and so should have TWO bags of sweets ( this to protect entente cordiale and put an end to “I’ve been ripped off.”) Unfortunately it did rain quite hard after half an hour or so, and the offer of pastries in the boulangerie if they let their group leaders have a coffee, was more than tempting.
From the market, we headed by coach to Etaples cemetery, for a very different atmosphere. As the coach approached the cemetery, and the graves came into sight, the children were taken aback by the sheer number. We walked in silently and respectfully, and almost to reflect the mood, rain clouds were replaced by sunshine and warmth. Our pupils began to think about their family history and stories, and started to make connections with their heritage. One boy told us all about his grandparents’ love story through the war, and could even translated some of the German words. Along with the Vietnamese-speaking pupil only an hour earlier, it has been wonderful to see your children embrace history and culture. The level of respect to the 11,000 dead that are represented in Etaples cemetery, that your children showed, was incredible - spontaneous silent bowing, and saluting in front of the graves. What a wonderful experience.
This was followed by a beckoning lunch and an afternoon of fun on Berck beach. We apologise for the sand that will still be in trainers and socks on Thursday night, but much fun was had by all. The ‘mermaid’ award will go to the girl who ‘accidentally got frightened by a crab’ and fell over into shallows. Please be assured that the French lifeguards were on duty and watching the goings on in the ankle-deep warm waves. Soon after, holes were dug, football played and photos posed for adjacent to the international signpost showing the distance to various countries. It was lovely to see children being children and experiencing the joy of being technologically free on the sand. In fact, they would still be there now if we hadn’t bribed them with ice-creams from a glacerie frequented every year; thank goodness we have a loyalty card. This visit brought our total of “dropped ice-creams” up to three and we are sure it will not be the last. The three spilt coffees, a diet coke and a popped bag of crisps will never be mentioned though.
Finally, the day was brought to an energetic end after a pasta dinner gave our adventurous children the much needed release of competitive spirit in the form of a football tournament. As always, they were extremely inclusive when one eagle eyed scout spotted Killian (a nine-year-old local) on the substitute bench. Lots of French was spoken and before long, teams were formed and a tournament was underway. Once completed and after announcing the winning team, hands were shaken and farewells made.
Once again, your children have been a credit to you and they are all resting now all ready for a full day at Bagatelle tomorrow.