My kindergarten class at our local Jardin d'Enfants (nursery school) was a blast! We did some songs about body parts in French and then traced their bodies on big paper where they colored the body parts they knew. Next time, we’ll work on learning about some internal body parts and what our body parts need to be healthy. The kids are a bit shy around me (I’m most likely the first white person they’ve seen) but they began to warm up to me by the end of the activity and even became boisterous.
I’m re-reading "Inside a U.S. Embassy," which is all about the U.S. Foreign Service. I'm also reading "Say Nothing", which is a historical nonfiction book set in Northern Ireland in the 1980s. Reading for pleasure or learning is not a pastime here; I’ve only seen one local book in the entire eight months I’ve been here and that was a Pulaar alphabet learning manual. Most native Pulaar speakers are not able to read or write Pulaar, as it is not taught in schools or at home. Only French is taught in schools. I find it interesting that people don’t text each other here. Instead they send voice messages to one another over text, and calling is preferred over voice notes. Corresponding by email is not common, even for those in professional careers.
