School's Out!

The end of April saw the end of my teaching contract on Reunion Island. For the two weeks leading up to this untimely finish, my students and I celebrated the momentous goodbye with copious amounts of grease. After day three of class parties: ie, chips and soda for breakfast, I proposed whole grains and fruits. This plan was rejected by 99% of the population.

It may not have been the healthiest string of events, but we certainly had fun. Different classes organized different activities and presentations to mark my departure. One group cleared all of the tables and chairs in the classroom and taught me how to break dance. Obviously I excelled. Another group sang traditional songs and jumped on the desks. I had to be firm with my frown face. On my very last day, one class prepared an entire Réunionais Créole lesson for me. They may have laughed more than I learned: an American accent is not a common occurrence in this language. But they had fun (at my expense).

Here are some Creole riddles that I had to decipher. You have to figure out what vegetable the riddle is referring to:

Ti bonom grand shapo.
Small gentleman with a big hat. (mushroom)

In ti rouz, tap in gran blan.
Little red one that taps big white ones. (red chile)

Mon rob lé ver mon kilot lé rouz.
My shirt is green and my underwear are red. (tomato)

Mon san lé cayé sou la ter.
My blood is curdled under the earth. (beet root)

One of the sweetest gestures came from my bakery students who, on their last day, presented me with a serving tray. It is a beautiful wooden platter with a "Reunion Island" motif that is also, incidentally, made from the heaviest and densest wood known to mankind. It is large--extremely large--and takes three people to carry. I have not figured out how I will fit it into a normal-sized suitcase or box for my return to the States.