A fine report from Emeka:
It was great meeting you and others at iFLT. I learned a ton in the War Rooms. I was also at Place de la Concorde for the Tour de France finale a few weeks ago! I started there, then moved to Rue de Rivoli and near the Jeanne d’Arc statue/tunnel opening for the last few laps. So thrilling. It inspired me to take several bike rides–one from Amboise to Chenonceau, which brought me through fields of sunflowers (a dream of mine); one along the North Sea in Dunkerque, and one from Dunkerque to Bergues (the town where the film Bienvenue Chez les Chtis was based). It was good for me to be in France and Belgium for the last few weeks so that I could let all the iFLT stuff sink in. Living in the moment, tasting each food, focusing on conversations with family and friends, smelling the scents as they came–all good reminders to keep things simpler with my students this year. Now, I’m making my lists of priorities for the beginning of the year and am trying to focus on just a few things at a time so I can keep this feeling of simplicity. At iFLT, I learned that I’ve been trying to do too much. I need to keep things simple and comprehensible. I want more time and space to just be with my students in the moment! Space and simplicity are my goals this year. Hope you are well! Emeka