OnSundaywehadanamazingtimelearningaboutHaiti andraisingfundsforthechildrenofDestinyVillage in Pierre Payen, Haïti.
We startedourpartyoffbycoloring Tap Tapbuses,aregular modeoftransportationinHaiti.Tap Tapbusesget
their namefromthetaptapsoundthattheymakeastheydrive downthedirtroads.Aftercoloring,weindulged
ina Haitianspreadthatincluded:plantainchips,avocado, blackbeansandrice,pineapple,peanutbutteronbrioche, andmangosorbetfordessert.Wealsohadcoconutmilk, mango,guava,andpassionfruit
juicesasdrinkoptions.
After finishing our yummy snack, we began painting the beautiful Moringa Tree and shared the following story with the students:
Once upon a time there was a tree with lovely green leaves that could grow anywhere in the world, even in very hot, dry and windy climates. It didn't need much water either. People learned that if they ate its leaves, they would grow healthy and strong. Birds and butterflies were drawn to its branches and loved to rest there. Wild animals sought comfort in its shade, and fruits and vegetables grew plentifully near its roots. This is the story of the magical, life-giving Moringa Tree.
Here are some of the Haitian songs we listened to :
Needless to say, our time painting the tree was just as magical as the tree itself and we were very pleased with the result. To close, we filled and decorated jars with sparkly sand and sequined beautiful butterflies.
After two weeks in Tennessee, our growing interest in jazz music and appetite for amazing food brought us deeper into the south to New Orleans.
We miss Mardi Gras this year, but we were still swept away by the traces of the Carnival spirit, so we decorated our own masks in purple, green, and gold.
Contemplating the next glitter move.
Searching for supplies and clapping along to some music.
Is your mask finished?
Carefully applying some green glitter to the mask.
Making masks requires intense concentration!
Expert gold glitter application in progress.
After making our masks, we took a scenic (virtual) walk around the city, taking streetcars and admiring all the old buildings. We of course also stopped to eat beignets, muffaletta sandwiches, and po-boys along the way!
We also read the book version of Disney's The Princess and the Frog, which takes place in New Orleans. In the movie, there's a whole song about the city:
We had a short week in New Orleans, so the rest of our classes will be visiting in a few weeks.
Chaque été, nous avons le plaisir et l'honneur de recevoir à English & Creativity des stagiaires de Princeton University, venus pour découvrir la vie et le monde de travail à la française.
Voilà que Sydney et Brenäea sont parmi nous depuis une semaine déjà et ceci pour la plus grande joie des enfants !
Elles seront présentes jusqu'au 4 juillet et vous pourrez venir leur dire bonjour personnellement lors de la grande Fête de fin d'année le vendredi 27 juin de 18h à 20h.
We're gradually wending our way back East and are spending two whole weeks in Tennessee. First up: Memphis, home of Elivis Presley. We really enjoyed taking a tour of Graceland, Elvis's famous Tennessee home and seeing his old pianos, guitars, and costumes:
We were so inspired by the music that we learned about all kinds of instruments: guitars, drums, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and more.
But by far the best part of Memphis was our very own Elvis Impersonator contest. Scroll through the pictures below to see which one you think is most like The King!
We listened to several Elvis songs while we were dancing for inspiration. Our favorite was "Jailhouse Rock":
We really like the music in Tennessee, so we're stopping again in Nashville next week to check out the Country Music Hall of Fame!
