le révellion

Salut!

You (or at least my mom) will be happy to know that I am back at work after a long vacation.  All 12 hours a week.  Whew. 

But before returning to details on my job, I thought I’d share a little cultural knowledge.  This might be slightly hard to put into words, but there is just something different about New Year’s Eve in France than New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.  I’m not sure if it is because the Americans are tired after doing Thanksgiving and Christmas and therefore we don’t put too much effort into New Year’s Eve…or if maybe it is because the French don’t have Thanksgiving and therefore are put more stock into the available national holidays…but regardless, the French take their New Year’s celebration very seriously. 

I have had previous New Year’s Eve spent at parties, one at a football game, and multiple new years going to sleep before the ball dropped.  Here, you party with your friends and families.  It is not even a question. 

So think of the French New Year’s celebration the way American’s look at Thanksgiving (just without the football).  You celebrate with friends and family.  You eat a lot of food.  You drink a lot of wine.  And you celebrate. 

I was invited to welcome in 2012 with Mireille, Pascal, and Laura at the aeroclub.  Their friends Thierry, Sophie, Guilliaum, Anise, and Vincent were all there as well, so we set up a table and all feasted.  We ate from about 9:30 p.m. until almost 1:00 a.m.  We did pause at midnight to have a New Year’s dance, and then we continued to dance after dessert was served.  Here are some pictures from the evening:

The table with the dance floor on the other side.

The American cheesecake that I made.

(first one i've ever made- it tasted like the one's i've had back home so that's good, right?)

Laura getting excited for 2012.

Post-dessert dance floor fun.

More dance floor fun.

We moved the dance floor to the patio when it got too hot inside!

So now I'm back at school, and on my first day back all the kids and teachers have wished me a "bonne année."  So far I've been wished bonne année 50 times by the kids (2 classes with 25 kids each) and 5 or 6 times by the teachers.  And this afternoon I'll be at my second school teaching 3 classes, so I expect that I'll have another 75 or so "bonne années" coming my way!

Best of wishes for 2012 to you all!  And bonne année!

Keep in touch!