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| First day of school! |
Happy September!
Here in France, the school year has begun. The markets are absolutely overflowing with beautiful produce from Provence, and even though the weather is still very hot (90, today) it is beginning to feel like late summer, again.
Yesterday the kids started school again, and returned home tired, but smiling. As we know well from last year, there will undoubtedly be trials and tribulations throughout the year, but the beginning of the year always brings excitement and energy, and that feels good.
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| Waiting in the courtyard of the school while students find their teachers... |
Back to School season in the United States is known here as, La Rentrée. This neat description of La Rentrée from a Franglish source explains it well:
"No doubt that you've heard of 'la rentrée', blazoned across newspapers, commercial adverts and every other form of public media possible during the end of August and throughout September in France. It's a little like the overused phrase, 'back to school' in English, except la rentrée is not merely reserved to schoolkids and teachers. The true meaning of the word has no English equivalent, but a literal translation helps us to understand its cultural significance ; la rentrée translates as 'the return', the return to work and reality in September after weeks of holidaying, more often than not in the sunny South of France. For those familiar with the French mode de vie, you'll understand that August is like a month long of Sundays. Traditionally, many French businesses close for a week or two in August for the holidays (it's best to avoid sorting out administrative issues during this month). There is even a 'rentrée politique', when the new parliamentary session reopens in autumn. Yes, even the French government goes AWOL during the summer.
In short, la rentrée is more than a temporal reference for the start of autumn that pretty much holds a symbolic sense of revival and new beginnings. In terms of culture, la rentrée in September seems just as important as the New Year itself, if not more. "
I like this description, because it nicely sums up the overall energy of life here in early September.
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| Reconnecting with friends at the park, after a busy summer |
This year brings a new school for Daphne who, at age 11, enters "collège," which is Middle School in French. She now hikes a different path to class (and at an earlier hour) than her siblings and is so far, confident and eager about it. I'll accompany her for as long as she'll let me:)
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| Off to 'collège' |
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| Daphne's new hike to school includes one of Lyon's many staircases |
Cora is now in the 5th grade here (CM2) and is lucky enough to have her same teacher from last year. For Cora, this kind of continuity is a welcome relief to the normal 'new teacher' one normally has each year. She's thrilled about it, and so are we.
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| Cora ponders a new school year while on a 'mini-vacation' at the Mediterranean Sea (which is as blue as her eyes), last week. |
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| Cora ponders a whole fish on said mini-vacation |
Leo is now a big-time first grader (CP) and is in a mixed class with some kids who are in the next grade up (CE1). This mix is to accommodate an influx of new students to the school, due to a municipal consolidation in Lyon. It's great for Leo, as he'll undoubtedly pick up some 'advanced' lessons by proximity.
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| Leo checking out and approving the rooftop playground. City schools have their advantages... |
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| Waiting for class to gather and head inside |
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| Lining up for 1st grade! |
For Katherine and for me, this 'Rentrée' different in many ways than last year. We arrived in France only one week before school began last year, and could barely understand the vocabulary in the school supply lists, not to mention trying to figure out where to buy everything. Moreover, leaving the kids at school last year was a very uncertain moment for me personally, as they were entering into a French public school about which we knew very little.
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| The Mourillon beaches of Toulon |
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| L'île de Porquerolles |
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| A quiet moment after seeing the kids off to school. |
With a year behind us, many things feel easier, while many things are still brand new and unexpected. The same is true for the kids.
I'm learning repertoire and prepping for concerts this fall both here and in the States, and will begin another round of French language class on Monday. Katherine began her new job again, right here in our neighborhood, yesterday, and it now feels like rhythm is returning.
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| I wanted to pick this mushroom and eat it, but Kat said no. |
So, to you all as September begins: Bonne Rentrée, and a happy 'return' to you all.
Aaron
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| "Bonne Rentrée!" |
