| Actualités |
CDO’S FRENCH CONNECTION - Justine |
The month of August brought more native-French sightings to CDO since the arrival of Monsieur Thomas in 2004! Madame Thomas’ French II and French III/AP III classes were treated to an all-day classroom visit by 17-year-old Justine Gastaud, from the small French village of Nay in the southwest of France and a family friend of CDO’s own Junior Shaun Koenig.
Speaking solely in French, Justine had prepared a terrific PowerPoint and web-based presentation of her village and its region, including pictures of the snow-capped Pyrénées Mountains where she spends winter breaks skiing and snowboarding, as well as the many streams and rivers perfect for water sports. Justine was then inundated with questions prepared (en français) by Mme Thomas’ students ranging from “Who is your favorite actor?” (Johnny Depp); “Do you like French music?” (Non! Nothing but American, British or German music! From Paolo Nutini and Jason Mraz to Queen and ABBA); and “What is your school day like?” (from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. *gasp*) to “Do you like Mexican food?” (a definite oui!) and “Where have you traveled in the US?” (Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, New Mexico, and Colorado this visit).
We ended class with typical French teen text message language and abbreviations. For example: mdr = mort de rire (otfl - on the floor laughing); ^^ = coucou (hi there!>; and, yes, even the American lol = laughing out loud.
Justine was able to learn a few American expressions herself, such as: "Fail!" and "That's ballin'!" That's cool/great!".
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CDO’S FRENCH CONNECTION - Augustin |
| The 2009-2010 school year has brought a rare opportunity to interact on a daily basis with a native French speaker and peer on campus - Augustin. He comes to us from the Bordeaux region of France as part of an exchange program through ASSE International Student Exchange Programs. Two of CDO’s French students, a brother and sister, and their family are lucky enough to be his host family. à suivre... (to be continued...) |
