Hello! Bonjour! Konnichiwa!

Hello again friends, family and all those who stumbled upon this page by accident! I hope you had a fantastic week and a great first few days of school! Student life is now in full swing here in Lennoxville and it is starting to get a lot calmer now that Frosh Week is over. So first off, congrats to all of you that survived your own Frosh Weeks. Now the real challenge (aka studying) can begin! 

Jocelyn and me modeling our new BU shirts!

My week was absolutely wonderful as I was kept busy with the Japanese Exchange Students. On Tuesday, they started their classes so I had to be up early in the morning to walk them from the front of campus to the library (it's a 30 second walk). Then, I ate lunch with them in the cafeteria after giving a full breakdown of how Dewies works. Let me tell you, they took full advantage of the all you can eat buffet! At one point, one of the boys had 4 full plates in front of him!! After lunch, they had a Scavenger Hunt around campus and following that I gave them a tour of campus. After ensuring they all got home safely, my housemates and I went to a free dinner put on by the BU Student Ministry. It was a BBQ, which was fitting for me as every Tuesday at camp was a BBQ during the summer. There was an 8 year old girl handing out popsicles and the inner camp counselor/skating coach/future teacher in me quickly struck up a conversation with her. I can now tell you everything about her, from how many siblings she has to what she wants to do when she grows up. Who says all your friends at university have to be adults?

Wednesday, I walked the Japanese students to class and then had my own first day of classes. This semester I have Advanced French Grammar, Orientation to Teaching, Reflective Practicum, Integrating Technology into the Classroom and Intro to Astronomy. I had the first three on Wednesday and during Reflective Practicum, I filled out my form to be assigned to a teaching placement for the rest of the year! I am super excited to actually be in the classroom and teaching this year! I will find out by the end of the month where I am placed and who my associate teacher is. Unfortunately, due to my own classes, I couldn't go for ice cream with the Japanese students but I met them at the end of the day to send them off. 

Thursday, I only had one class, Ed. Tech, which seems like it will be interesting. According to the outline, each week we will learn about different technologies and software that we can use in a classroom one day. I really hope we learn all about SMART Boards! I can't wait to have one of my own (that would be the inner teacher in me talking again). After class, the Japanese students and I went to Le Gros Pierre, an apple orchard in Compton, Quebec. While there, we had a tour of the orchard, got to pick a small bag of apples and had homemade apple pie and apple cider. My students had never been to an apple orchard before so it was neat to see them experience being there for the first time. The apple pie was so delicious that I couldn't resist joining in with them when they were taking pictures of it to show their friends back home. 

(Try not to be too jealous)

Friday, we went to the Coaticook Gorge, the same place I went right around this time last year with the Leadership Floor. This time, we had a tour guide who took us on a hike through the hemlock forest, into a cave and across the second longest suspension bridge in the world. When the guide told my students that the Coaticook bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world until a longer one was built in Japan, they all started apologizing! We also met some Italian tourists at the gorge and we saw them again when we went out for homemade Coaticook ice cream. After a great day at the gorge, Jocelyn, Elizabeth and I went into Sherbrooke to see the One Direction movie, This is Us. It was AMAZING!! I felt like I was at the concert! We had to leave a few minutes early to catch our bus home but we spent the rest of the night listening to the 1D album! 

On the second longest suspension bridge in the world!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early (6am) to leave to go to Quebec City with the Japanese students. When we got there, we had a walking tour of Old Quebec with, luckily, an English speaking tour guide. Quebec City is such a beautiful place! I think that I had more fun on the tour than my students did! We went to the Chateau Frontenac, a seminary, several churches (including the one where the Bishop that founded BU went) and a lot of other places. The guide's wife works at Laval University and he was trying to convince me to transfer throughout the entire tour. We then took a ferry trip across the St. Lawrence river and back, followed by a long afternoon of shopping. I sat in front of one of the churches for a bit and watched two weddings take place! Following shopping, we went out for dinner at the Cafe du Paris where we were entertained by a French Canadian folk singer. We then shopped (in the rain) for another hour before heading back home to Lennoxville. All of the Japanese students fell asleep but I spent the bus ride practicing my French with the bus driver's wife. I hope I didn't bore her too badly!

Le Chateau Frontenac!

Downtown Quebec!

 

Two of my students pretending to be on the Titanic!

Today, I rested and did some readings for my classes this week. I also caught up with one of my housemates, Hannah as her week as a frosh leader is officially over. She had a great week though and I bet her froshies are missing her already. I chatted with both my parents on the phone, and got to hear all about my mother's wild birthday weekend at Camp Wenonah! (Sorry Jeff, for any damages she may have caused). And now I am off to bed to rest up for another busy week! 

Sending all my love to wherever you are! 

Erica xoxoxo

PS Here is a picture of one of the presents that my lovely students have given me! It is a Yamaguchi dish towel!