Home at last

Hello dear friends and family! I have now been home a week, but have had not one spare minute to complete my blog. I actually made a final post from France on the Saturday afternoon before coming home Easter Sunday, but as I hit the "publish" button, my Internet connection was severed, and never recovered that day.
Our plane landed in Wilmington at 7:00 PM Easter Sunday afternoon, and we are all home safe and sound. But it was sure hard to get up and go to school the next day! While my body is moving around at fairly normal speed, my energy level and attention span don't seem to have made the return trip! I've never flown that far before, and I don't think I realized that "jet lag" actually occurs several days after the fact. It was Tuesday night when I absolutely hit a brick wall and just collapsed into bed around 8:00 that night. As a music teacher, I have tons of activities going on after school hours, and right now, our arts department is producing our spring musical. This year, we're doing Disney's Aladdin, Jr., and we're putting an orchestra in the pit for the first time. We open next week, so it's been crunch time for me and "Peeps" (Ms. Peoples, the theatre teacher that was also on this trip) since landing! Our rooms are side by side on our hallway, so as I've watched her work this week, I realized that we REALLY DID fly to FRANCE and do all those AMAAAAZZZZZIIIINNNNGGG things together. I know this, because she looks just like I do!!!! I'm not the only one with puffy eyes in the mirror every day! I look back on these past two weeks, and just marvel over what we actually accomplished. Being back home now, I just can't imagine how we managed to take all those students and do the incredible things we did. I'll tell you something else- I miss my French family! They truly are an extension of my own family now, and I know we have made one small corner of the world a far better place because of this.
I have over 800 photos on my digital camera, and I would like very much to upload them all for you to see, but it would simply take me years to do. So I will leave you with a few parting thoughts, and a few final photos of my last days in that beautiful country.

Some lessons we learned:

Take Risks. Life is too short to live in constant fear of failure. How can one know for sure that a task is impossible until it has been attempted? Nearly every day on this trip, we were moving someone (especially me!!) out of their comfort zone. Eyes and minds were opened, and possibilities lay like the beautiful wildflowers around us just waiting to be picked up and enjoyed. A new and different experience waited on us every morning. But we had to lose our fear of the unknown first. With that said, a second lesson would be:
Use common sense and good judgement. The French do not regulate every little aspect of their lives. In fact, they do not regulate most BIG aspects of their lives! (Like roads, for instance! Except on major highways, most general roads in towns and villages are relatively unmarked. One is expected to use common sense and good judgement, and learn the meaning of YIELD- especially when it comes to pedestrians and bikes! Think we could have a little of that here??)
Embrace life. Live to the fullest extent possible. I saw so very many artistic touches in the most unexpected places. If there's one thing I truly noticed in almost every French person I spent any time with, it's this: Life is for LIVING. Enjoy it, embrace it, experience it. Our lives are gifts, and we need to open the package!
Quit whining. France was crowded. Toes were stepped on, bodies bumped- especially when riding the trams! But true rudeness was non-existant among the French. We have heard so much about the French being a rude country, but I can tell you it never happend to me. I was alone more than once on this trip, spending hours shopping and walking around Strasbourg. I identified myself as American every time I spoke to anyone, and not one person treated me unkindly. In fact, the exact opposite was true. They were exceptionally friendly to me, and helpful in every instance. It was a tough lesson for our students to learn, but they quickly saw that whining about something wasn't going to change it. When faced with a crowded tram, they very soon learned to suck it in, squeeze into a tiny space, and make room for others. When they walked for miles, they realized why the French have such tiny cars and why most of them bike or walk. And most importantly of all, they realized how grateful the French people are when we attempted to immerse ourselves in their culture and speak their language. i.e, America (and in particular, Wilmington) is NOT the center of the universe.
Finally, Teamwork works. There is simply no way we could have made this trip without the concerted efforts of everyone involved. Five little teachers working in conjunction with about the same on the France side made the world a much smaller place in the space of a few short weeks. When the French students came here, the Murray and Ashley teachers and parents worked incredibly hard to make their visit an unforgettable experience. St. Etienne's teachers and parents did the very same thing for us. There is no question about it: the lives of every student and teacher involved in this venture have been changed forever.

Well, despite my best efforts, I can't upload a single picture tonight. I have no idea why it is isn't working, but I'll try to edit this post another day. It's late, and I need to rest. School, Aladdin, choir practice at church all await me tomorrow!

I would like to thank each and every one that has supported our efforts, read our blogs, provided any kind of assitance, or said multitudes of prayers for us throughout this adventure. I lived every day with the sure and certain knowledge that I was never, ever truly alone, and, along with our "wing" angels, we flew with every one of you- in our hearts.
Blessings and Peace from home!
Bonnie