So, Did I Tell You I'm Going To France?

You might hear a little bit about this before I go.   I'm going with the high school for 12 days in February.

I used to do a trip to Quebec City with 48 kids and 5 other adults.  It was and still is an excellent trip and the tour company is amazing.  Once we get there, they are in charge of it all and they are wonderful.  But the idea of traveling with that many kids made me nuts after 3 years, so I stopped.

My colleague at the other school we do the trip with is not pleased that I don't go anymore, but she loves the trip and apparently doesn't get too worked up over things like I do, so she still does it and takes my students.  Thank God for her.  I believe it's part of what keeps our French program alive.

I've always said I would NEVER take kids to France.

So it's a little ironic that I am now going to France with 14 kids and one other adult.  And no tour guide.

There are many things that are different between this and the Quebec trip, but mainly, it's much fewer kids, the itinerary is more flexible (which in one moment makes me panic and feel relieved at the same time) and there is a homestay for the first 7 nights.  Much less stressful in some ways.  More stressful in others.

I am sure I will elaborate on the many stressors of this trip in future posts, so don't worry, you'll know all of the ins and outs by the time I go.

However, with the trip looming, and somedays, it just LOOMS over me, making me feel a little sick about the whole thing, it's  really on my mind 24/7.  It's the last thing I think of before I go to sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up.  It consumes me.  Some days more than others.

I've been finding myself forgetting things lately and I sure hope it's because my brain is full of pre-trip angst.

Like the other day, I completely forgot I had a class around lunch time.  Because some days I have a class at lunch time and some I don't.  So I went and ran around doing things and came upon our technology guy being very distressed that there were kids in my room without me.  "I don't have a class right now!"  I said.  But I did.

And I've locked k-ster IN the house.  Twice.  We have one of those now illegal locks that need a key to lock them from the inside and the outside.  We use a different lock from the inside at night, so we don't have to worry about getting a key to get out, but if we aren't home, we have to use the other lock because we don't have a key for the normal lock.

So, twice I've left the house to go to school while k-ster was waiting to go to work after the frost melted, and I've locked him right inside.

God knows what else I have forgotten this month.

I sure hope it's the trip.  Or I've got a lot of explaining to do.

And you're not allowed to leave comments about what a GREAT trip I'll have or how it will ALL BE FINE or how I shouldn't WORRY.  You can't tell me these things and make me believe them.

You may, however, leave comments about the sundry horrors that might occur before, during and after the trip.  I need more things to keep me awake at night.