Photos

Journal

jeudi, February 23: The day started out gloomy, but the sun came out for the trip to Jamestown. Clémentine had a good time and enjoyed getting inside the small ships that the settlers took from England to the new world. She bought a cute stuffed dog named "Hugs" at the gift shop and the two of them are now inseparable! Everyone got back a little after 1700.

I met Clémentine in the school parking lot. After the American families presented Francois and Magalie with parting gifts, I drove Clémentine home in my little green truck. She had not ridden in it before!

At 1800 Clémentine and Catie met Ines, Carrie and Madame Johnson at the Nail Salon. Clémentine and Ines both got the same beautiful red color. Catie and Carrie got different shades of pink with sparkles. Madame Johnson got a nice red--I did not get mine done, ha ha!

Clémentine went with Catie to cheerleading practice, but they arrived a little bit late. The cheerleaders played some games and Clémentine participated. Grace was there again--she likes Clémentine very much.

We finally got home and had a late dinner. Clémentine helped Catie with her homework, the spelling word search puzzle. It was fun to work together.

Tomorrow is the last day of school ... :( ... the French students will visit a shopping mall for last minute shopping. Lunch will be at the mall food court.

mercredi, February 22: Today's weather was dreary in Virginia, but tomorrow will be warmer and brighter for the big trip to Jamestown, America's 399 year old village. After the tour, Catie, Clémentine, Ines, and Carrie Johnson will get manicures.

The children had music this morning, then took a trip to visit a UPS package transfer facility where Monsieur Layman works (host for Jeanne). Clémentine felt a little nauseous (mal de coeur?) inside the building, perhaps from the machinery that was operating inside. She went outside and soon was feeling better. The children got back a little late and Clémentine missed the bus. Madame Dulong gave her a ride home. Catie missed her!

Clémentine read her email from "Maman" when she got home and dutifully started on her green workbook.

Tonight was the pot luck dinner and bingo. Clémentine wore her skirt and boots and we loved the look! Grace went with us. The French children sang and danced to several songs. We enjoyed their performance very much, especially Clémentine's dancing. She was not shy on stage. Some of the children did a little play--Megan was excellent!

None of us won bingo, but Clémentine won a raffle. Instead of choosing something for herself, she picked a present for Antoine. When we got home, it was bathtime and bedtime.

I am having a very hard time with the fact that Saturday is coming and I know Carole and Catie feel the same way. I have grown very fond of Clémentine and I will be very sad to see her drive away to the airport. Knowing how happy Didier, Muriel, and Antoine will be to see her again makes it a little easier.

mardi, February 21: Today was a restful day after all the excitement of the weekend. The weather was much nicer also. The French students visited Richmond's favorite grocery store, Ukrop's, this morning. Ukrop's provided pizza after the tour, but since Clémentine doesn't like pizza, she gave hers to Gillaume because Monsieur Cordon says he is always hungry! Today was also physical education class. They played football (what we call soccer). After school, Cassidy came to visit again and almost finished the Nutella! Cassidy, Clémentine, and Catie "hung out" and played the piano until it started bothering the cats, who were trying to eat in peace. Clémentine went with Catie to cheerleading practice (Monsieur Cordon calls it "pom-pom girls"). She did not want to try the movements, but just watched and chatted with Grace, a girl in Catie's class. Clémentine and Catie will go to bed early tonight!

lundi, February 20:We awoke this morning to a surprise snow storm! Luckily, it did not upset our plans. I picked up Francois at 0800 and we had some petite dejeuner at our house, then loaded into the van and took the scenic route to Virginia Beach.

When we got to the aquarium, who should we meet but Jeanne and the Layman family? The aquarium was a blast--Catie and Clémentine got to touch all sorts of sea and land critters. The otters were the most interesting, playing above and below the waer. Everyone took a nature walk and visited the aviary where they met a severe looking owl.

From the aquarium, it was straight to the beach! The girls ran right down to the water. We got a bag of Virginia Beach sand for Clémentine to take back to France. At a souvenir shop, Catie begged and begged us, so we finally let her buy a hermit crab. Clémentine is helping to feed and care for it.

The ride home was uneventful, except for a short detour to look through the van windows at Williamsburg, the historic colonial capital of Virginia. On Thursday, the French students will be near Williamsburg when they visit Jamestown.

Francois stayed for dinner and we ate Chinese food. Clémentine had part of an egg roll, some rice, and some pork and chicken sweet and sour. She wasn't crazy about the Chinese food, so she topped it off with her favorite, baguette and butter. Francois loved the spicy shrimp and beef and mushrooms.

The long weekend is almost over ... back to school tomorrow for a trip to the grocery store and a "scavenger hunt" there. They will also eat pizza ... Clémentine will have to find something else to eat!

vendredi, February 17: Today was the last day of warm weather! It is getting cold in Virginia and there may be some snow flurries for this long weekend--our "President's Day" weekend, with lundi as a national holiday.

It was a quiet day at school. Everyone was tired from all of the week's activities, especially last night's bowling. After school, Catie's friend Cassidy visited the girls. Catie and Clémentine got her to try Nutella for the first time. She liked it!

Tonight was the Girl Scout's "Thinking Day" at the school from 1800-2000. Clémentine had a great time and was a big help to the display by Catie's troop, the country of Madagascar. She stamped the "passports" of the girls who visited and helped them make a little craft project. Catie and Clémentine were pleased that Jeanne and Ines were there, too! Some of the countries they visited were Korea, Japan, Russia, Ireland, and Australia. Clémentine will receive a Girl Scout patch for participating.

Our wonderful webmaster, Monsieur Dennis, host of Mégane, is taking three days off for a trip to Washington, DC, so my journal will take a holiday, too. Here is our plan:

samedi, watch Catie's cheerleading at a basketball game, then travel to Monticello, maison of Thomas Jefferson, our 3d President. http://www.monticello.org/

dimanche, visit Washington, DC for the day--we will take the Metro train into the city.

lundi, take a drive through the Virginia countryside to Virginia Beach and visit the aquarium. http://www.vmsm.com/index.shtml We are hoping Monsier Cordon will accompany us!

We will be thinking of you! Until mardi, I leave you with this link, en francais: http://www.virginiaisforlovers.com/site/main.asp?referrer=international&id=france

jeudi, February 16: It was another beautiful, warm day in Virginia!

Today the children visited a fire station that is very close to the school. Almost as soon as they got there, the firemen were called to an emergency! The children walked over to "Food Lion," a grocery store, to look around until the firemen got back. It did not take long. The children saw many demonstrations of fire fighting and life saving techniques, plus all the equipment used on a fire truck and an ambulance.

The children got to play with each other on the playground today after the fire station tour.

Clémentine went with Catie for a short cheerleading practice. While Catie practiced, Clémentine talked with Grace, from Catie's class. Grace has been writing letters to Clémentine in French! Then it was off to bowling. Mr. Vehrs got lost and the girls arrived late, but still got to bowl two games. Both girls did very well, but once they missed their turn because they were playing video games.

Tomorrow is the Girl Scout "Thinking Day." The weekend will be filled with many trips, if the weather cooperates!

mercredi, February 15: It was a beautiful day for the trip to Pamplin Park. The temperature was 18 degrees. Clémentine bought her first souvenirs--surprises for Maman and Papa and a Confederate "Rebel" cap for Antoine. Virginia loves "Rebels!" After school, Catie and Clémentine rode bikes and scooters over to the Martin's house to visit Monsieur Cordon. He was surprised! Catie said she now knows how Clémentine feels as she listened to them speak all in French. Dinner was grilled chicken. When she finished, Clémentine did her postcards. I will mail them to France tomorrow.

mardi, February 14: Today Clémentine learned about how American children celebrate Valentine's Day. She made a Valentine box, and soon it was filled with Valentine cards and chocolates. She did not miss the bus today!

Apres l'ecole, Catie and Clémentine rode scooters around the neighborhood, then had a quick dinner of "American" quiche. It wasn't as good as French quiche!

After dinner, it was off to the roller skating rink. Clémentine tried regular skates, but then decided she would like in-line skates better. She was a little shy about skating on the main rink, but skated with Ines on the "beginner's" rink. Monsieur Cordon was there and Clémentine sat with him and watched the American children do the "hokey pokey" dance.

Tomorrow is a field trip to Pamplin Park http://www.pamplinpark.org/ The French children will learn about America in the 1860's, during our Civil War. The host children must stay at school--they want to go, too!

lundi, February 13: Clémentine "slept in" until 0715! The girls walked to school and met Magalie walking, too. When they entered the school, all of Catie's friends rushed up to meet Clémentine. In the French classroom, the children eagerly opened their welcome bags and checked out all of the souvenirs and fun items inside.

The official welcoming ceremony was at 1400. There were songs and speeches. The French children were introduced to the whole school and were presented with specially made t-shirts that matched the t-shirts of their hosts.

Clémentine was supposed to ride the bus home with Catie, but it was Monsieur Cordon's birthday and the girls missed the bus because they were eating birthday cake! Carole was waiting at the bus stop to take a picture and wondered where they were. The mother of Catie's friend Megan gave them a ride home.

After school, the girls played some video games and Clémentine helped Catie with her homework. They ate a good dinner: ham, tater tots, vegetables alfredo, pineapple-kiwi fruit mix, and--a good baguette!

Clémentine is a wonderful guest and we are enjoying her very much. She is not so shy now!

Tomorrow is a Valentine's Day party at school and roller skating in the evening.

dimanche, Feb. 12: The girls woke up at 0700! After petite dejeneur of chocolate cereal and grapefruit, we took a walk in the snow, threw snowballs, and rode a sled. We drove to Richmond and visited the James River, the Chimborazo Museum http://www.mdgorman.com/Hospitals/chimborazo_photo.htm , and Monsieur Vehrs' office. After a lunch of macaroni and cheese, they visited the Dennis family and went swimming tout ensemble! Dinner was turkey cutlets, parmesan noodles, and green beans.

The girls were very tired and were asleep by 2100. Tomorrow is the first day of school!


		Home
Host Families: Custer Dennis Dulong-Rae Giucci Hall Hartman Johnson Layman Luhmann Martin Sutton Vehrs
Swift Creek Ecole élémentaire - Midlothian, Virginia USA
The Vehrs Family, hosting Clémentine Coignard
	Journal jeudi, February 23: The day started out gloomy, but the sun came out for the trip to Jamestown. Clémentine had a good time and enjoyed getting inside the small ships that the settlers took from England to the new world. She bought a cute stuffed dog named "Hugs" at the gift shop and the two of them are now inseparable! Everyone got back a little after 1700. I met Clémentine in the school parking lot. After the American families presented Francois and Magalie with parting gifts, I drove Clémentine home in my little green truck. She had not ridden in it before! At 1800 Clémentine and Catie met Ines, Carrie and Madame Johnson at the Nail Salon. Clémentine and Ines both got the same beautiful red color. Catie and Carrie got different shades of pink with sparkles. Madame Johnson got a nice red--I did not get mine done, ha ha! Clémentine went with Catie to cheerleading practice, but they arrived a little bit late. The cheerleaders played some games and Clémentine participated. Grace was there again--she likes Clémentine very much. We finally got home and had a late dinner. Clémentine helped Catie with her homework, the spelling word search puzzle. It was fun to work together. Tomorrow is the last day of school ... :( ... the French students will visit a shopping mall for last minute shopping. Lunch will be at the mall food court. mercredi, February 22: Today's weather was dreary in Virginia, but tomorrow will be warmer and brighter for the big trip to Jamestown, America's 399 year old village. After the tour, Catie, Clémentine, Ines, and Carrie Johnson will get manicures. The children had music this morning, then took a trip to visit a UPS package transfer facility where Monsieur Layman works (host for Jeanne). Clémentine felt a little nauseous (mal de coeur?) inside the building, perhaps from the machinery that was operating inside. She went outside and soon was feeling better. The children got back a little late and Clémentine missed the bus. Madame Dulong gave her a ride home. Catie missed her! Clémentine read her email from "Maman" when she got home and dutifully started on her green workbook. Tonight was the pot luck dinner and bingo. Clémentine wore her skirt and boots and we loved the look! Grace went with us. The French children sang and danced to several songs. We enjoyed their performance very much, especially Clémentine's dancing. She was not shy on stage. Some of the children did a little play--Megan was excellent! None of us won bingo, but Clémentine won a raffle. Instead of choosing something for herself, she picked a present for Antoine. When we got home, it was bathtime and bedtime. I am having a very hard time with the fact that Saturday is coming and I know Carole and Catie feel the same way. I have grown very fond of Clémentine and I will be very sad to see her drive away to the airport. Knowing how happy Didier, Muriel, and Antoine will be to see her again makes it a little easier. mardi, February 21: Today was a restful day after all the excitement of the weekend. The weather was much nicer also. The French students visited Richmond's favorite grocery store, Ukrop's, this morning. Ukrop's provided pizza after the tour, but since Clémentine doesn't like pizza, she gave hers to Gillaume because Monsieur Cordon says he is always hungry! Today was also physical education class. They played football (what we call soccer). After school, Cassidy came to visit again and almost finished the Nutella! Cassidy, Clémentine, and Catie "hung out" and played the piano until it started bothering the cats, who were trying to eat in peace. Clémentine went with Catie to cheerleading practice (Monsieur Cordon calls it "pom-pom girls"). She did not want to try the movements, but just watched and chatted with Grace, a girl in Catie's class. Clémentine and Catie will go to bed early tonight! lundi, February 20:We awoke this morning to a surprise snow storm! Luckily, it did not upset our plans. I picked up Francois at 0800 and we had some petite dejeuner at our house, then loaded into the van and took the scenic route to Virginia Beach. When we got to the aquarium, who should we meet but Jeanne and the Layman family? The aquarium was a blast--Catie and Clémentine got to touch all sorts of sea and land critters. The otters were the most interesting, playing above and below the waer. Everyone took a nature walk and visited the aviary where they met a severe looking owl. From the aquarium, it was straight to the beach! The girls ran right down to the water. We got a bag of Virginia Beach sand for Clémentine to take back to France. At a souvenir shop, Catie begged and begged us, so we finally let her buy a hermit crab. Clémentine is helping to feed and care for it. The ride home was uneventful, except for a short detour to look through the van windows at Williamsburg, the historic colonial capital of Virginia. On Thursday, the French students will be near Williamsburg when they visit Jamestown. Francois stayed for dinner and we ate Chinese food. Clémentine had part of an egg roll, some rice, and some pork and chicken sweet and sour. She wasn't crazy about the Chinese food, so she topped it off with her favorite, baguette and butter. Francois loved the spicy shrimp and beef and mushrooms. The long weekend is almost over ... back to school tomorrow for a trip to the grocery store and a "scavenger hunt" there. They will also eat pizza ... Clémentine will have to find something else to eat! vendredi, February 17: Today was the last day of warm weather! It is getting cold in Virginia and there may be some snow flurries for this long weekend--our "President's Day" weekend, with lundi as a national holiday. It was a quiet day at school. Everyone was tired from all of the week's activities, especially last night's bowling. After school, Catie's friend Cassidy visited the girls. Catie and Clémentine got her to try Nutella for the first time. She liked it! Tonight was the Girl Scout's "Thinking Day" at the school from 1800-2000. Clémentine had a great time and was a big help to the display by Catie's troop, the country of Madagascar. She stamped the "passports" of the girls who visited and helped them make a little craft project. Catie and Clémentine were pleased that Jeanne and Ines were there, too! Some of the countries they visited were Korea, Japan, Russia, Ireland, and Australia. Clémentine will receive a Girl Scout patch for participating. Our wonderful webmaster, Monsieur Dennis, host of Mégane, is taking three days off for a trip to Washington, DC, so my journal will take a holiday, too. Here is our plan: samedi, watch Catie's cheerleading at a basketball game, then travel to Monticello, maison of Thomas Jefferson, our 3d President. http://www.monticello.org/ dimanche, visit Washington, DC for the day--we will take the Metro train into the city. lundi, take a drive through the Virginia countryside to Virginia Beach and visit the aquarium. http://www.vmsm.com/index.shtml We are hoping Monsier Cordon will accompany us! We will be thinking of you! Until mardi, I leave you with this link, en francais: http://www.virginiaisforlovers.com/site/main.asp?referrer=international&id=france jeudi, February 16: It was another beautiful, warm day in Virginia! Today the children visited a fire station that is very close to the school. Almost as soon as they got there, the firemen were called to an emergency! The children walked over to "Food Lion," a grocery store, to look around until the firemen got back. It did not take long. The children saw many demonstrations of fire fighting and life saving techniques, plus all the equipment used on a fire truck and an ambulance. The children got to play with each other on the playground today after the fire station tour. Clémentine went with Catie for a short cheerleading practice. While Catie practiced, Clémentine talked with Grace, from Catie's class. Grace has been writing letters to Clémentine in French! Then it was off to bowling. Mr. Vehrs got lost and the girls arrived late, but still got to bowl two games. Both girls did very well, but once they missed their turn because they were playing video games. Tomorrow is the Girl Scout "Thinking Day." The weekend will be filled with many trips, if the weather cooperates! mercredi, February 15: It was a beautiful day for the trip to Pamplin Park. The temperature was 18 degrees. Clémentine bought her first souvenirs--surprises for Maman and Papa and a Confederate "Rebel" cap for Antoine. Virginia loves "Rebels!" After school, Catie and Clémentine rode bikes and scooters over to the Martin's house to visit Monsieur Cordon. He was surprised! Catie said she now knows how Clémentine feels as she listened to them speak all in French. Dinner was grilled chicken. When she finished, Clémentine did her postcards. I will mail them to France tomorrow. mardi, February 14: Today Clémentine learned about how American children celebrate Valentine's Day. She made a Valentine box, and soon it was filled with Valentine cards and chocolates. She did not miss the bus today! Apres l'ecole, Catie and Clémentine rode scooters around the neighborhood, then had a quick dinner of "American" quiche. It wasn't as good as French quiche! After dinner, it was off to the roller skating rink. Clémentine tried regular skates, but then decided she would like in-line skates better. She was a little shy about skating on the main rink, but skated with Ines on the "beginner's" rink. Monsieur Cordon was there and Clémentine sat with him and watched the American children do the "hokey pokey" dance. Tomorrow is a field trip to Pamplin Park http://www.pamplinpark.org/ The French children will learn about America in the 1860's, during our Civil War. The host children must stay at school--they want to go, too! lundi, February 13: Clémentine "slept in" until 0715! The girls walked to school and met Magalie walking, too. When they entered the school, all of Catie's friends rushed up to meet Clémentine. In the French classroom, the children eagerly opened their welcome bags and checked out all of the souvenirs and fun items inside. The official welcoming ceremony was at 1400. There were songs and speeches. The French children were introduced to the whole school and were presented with specially made t-shirts that matched the t-shirts of their hosts. Clémentine was supposed to ride the bus home with Catie, but it was Monsieur Cordon's birthday and the girls missed the bus because they were eating birthday cake! Carole was waiting at the bus stop to take a picture and wondered where they were. The mother of Catie's friend Megan gave them a ride home. After school, the girls played some video games and Clémentine helped Catie with her homework. They ate a good dinner: ham, tater tots, vegetables alfredo, pineapple-kiwi fruit mix, and--a good baguette! Clémentine is a wonderful guest and we are enjoying her very much. She is not so shy now! Tomorrow is a Valentine's Day party at school and roller skating in the evening. dimanche, Feb. 12: The girls woke up at 0700! After petite dejeneur of chocolate cereal and grapefruit, we took a walk in the snow, threw snowballs, and rode a sled. We drove to Richmond and visited the James River, the Chimborazo Museum http://www.mdgorman.com/Hospitals/chimborazo_photo.htm , and Monsieur Vehrs' office. After a lunch of macaroni and cheese, they visited the Dennis family and went swimming tout ensemble! Dinner was turkey cutlets, parmesan noodles, and green beans. The girls were very tired and were asleep by 2100. Tomorrow is the first day of school!
A alimenté Par : rickdennisportraits.com