The perks of having separated parents

 To state the obvious, having separated parents is a really complicated situation, but sometimes it's the best one. Why? Simply because it's better to have separated parents than to see them fighting all the time. Even if sometimes the split between your parents remains a trauma, there are some good things coming with this change. Here is a list of these things:

- more gifts at Christmas:

that point is for the families which celebrate Christmas, so if you don't do that party, there are maybe other parties/ traditions where people exchange gifts in your family. Anyway, when you have separated parents, it means you celebrate christmas twice, and if the parents of your parents are separated, you can celebrate christmas 3 or 4 times a year (that's my case). It also means you can not rest during christmas holidays but honestly, who rest during christmas holidays, or holidays in general ?

-  the ability to know two different universes:

I could have said worlds but no, we're literally talking about universes. If your parents choose to separate, it's for a good reason. So if you end up being in the middle of your separated parents, it means they don't agree anymore on their way of life, which also means that you're going to discover new things. For example,your parents are going to have totally different friends (I'm talking about my experience so don't blame me if it's not your case) which will allow you to discover new habits, new cultures, new food, etc... To sum it up, if you have separated parents, you have two different ways of life, which leads us to the third point, which is....

- being very adaptable:

As I presviously explained, having two houses means having two ways of life. Trust me, this will be a significant asset for many other situations in your life. It means you will not be shocked when a friend present you his family and they don't work like yours at all, it means a move will not disturb you to much, it means your capacity to make big changes in your life may improve...

- spending time alone with one of your parents:

As a child of separated parents, I can tell you it's a very good thing if you can spend time with only one of your parents. It means you can tell them something you wouldn't have said with your other parent. It's also a good opportunity to do things that the other parent wouldn't have liked to do or to discuss stuff that the other parent wouldn't have discussed. Roughly speaking, it gives you more freedom on this point.

- 5th and last point: being an expert of transportations:

Buses, trains, car, plains, car sharing...public and private transportations are no longer a secret for you. If they live in 2 different cities, your parents were first transporting you by car. Then, you started to take the bus or the train. It's precious time that you can use to do your homeworks (lol)  or different things like reading, listening music, etc.. Knowing public transportations also means you're able to pack your stuff for a weekend in five minutes, ten minutes for a week of holidays, and 30 mins for a month of summer break in average, which will be useful for other trips.

To conclude I'd say that no matter how much you suffered during the separation of your parents, it contributed to build the person you are now and that's good because it makes you unique. Don't hesitate to share your experience in the comments section : ) Eva

Christmas

Hey Charlie!
I hope you spent a wonderful Christmas and that Santa was nice to you. I hope you enjoyed every inch of this party which echoes to so many people love, snow, a warm fire and above all: family. Appreciate every minute you spend with them and enjoy the rest of this year!

Bye Charlie,
Lisa

Christmas party coming on!

Hey Charlie,
One more week until the holidays and even fewer days before our Christmas party. Let's get ready for Christmas fun!😍😜
You of course need to be in the right mood, so here are a few tunes
We'll start with some dedicated to our Terminale students and Munro fans.

and just for Judy because I didn't let her play it in class as much as she wanted...

I know this is very traditional and might be going over-board on the Christmas side for some of you.

So for an out-of the box vision of Christmas, do check this link. 

Warning! Expect to be surprised and possibly put into some sort of shocked Christmas daze.

As you all know, Christmas is also the time for good ol' Christmas cracker jokes so here you go  and some more. I challenge you to use as many as possible during the Christmas party.

This is also a topic much discussed by comedians.  I chose this one, because, if like me you've just  started wrapping your gifts, you'll most likely relate ( Sorry for the language that slips at time) and think of the person whose lucky enough to have me as Secret Santa and who will be able to admire the resulting handiwork. 😅

Now, let's get down to the party prep business.
Here are the team details so that you guys can start interacting and preparing.

Decoration team:
Julie, Lisa C (?), Ange (?), Lili, Chiara, Alessia, Ana,  Selena, Esther K, Martha, Balthazar, Anissa, Zélie, Antoine (?)
You'll be in charge of collecting or making the decoration (If necessary, it can be stored in the 305 cupboard), putting it up and then down and making sure the decorations are returned to their rightful owners.

Room preparation & cleaning-up
Adrien, Kellian, Julien, Sabrina, Angela, Lola, Lisa A, Inès, Toni, Ivan, Rym, Santa, Sibylle, Abdel, Kayna, Bilal (?)

You are to move desks and chairs so that the exam room is turned into a proper party room and then back to a proper exam room. It is essential that we leave the room as clean as we found it.
We'll try to get at least one broom and a garbage bag from school but if some of you could bring sponges, dustpans and brushes, you could all work at the same time, it'll help save time and energy.

Entertainment
Judy, Felix, Amma, Emma, Lalita, Malka, Celestine, Yasmine, Gaby (?), Marilyn (?), Lino, Gabrielle, Thelma, Mathis, Erin, Hadil (?), Yann (?)
 Music playing and singing (live, karaoke...), jokes, games (I can think of a few if you're clueless but I'm sure you'll have plenty of ideas), dancing....
You are to make sure we all have a great time together.

Food & gift organization:
Matteo, Alberta, Fanny, Irène, Mara, Silène, Theo, Mathilde, Keira, Esther T, Tamara, Iska, Violette, Anna, Eve, Martha
You are to make sure that everyone brings something and if possible that it's not all the same.
You are also to make sure that the food doesn't all get opened at the same time and monitor so that everyone can enjoy themselves but  we do not waste any food. Bring some foil, so that left-over goodies can be distributed among yourselves and hopefully, we'll also be able to donate some of what is left unopen to those in need. I know some of you have connections and can organize it.
The Apeevim has put a certain number of soft drinks from the Halloween party aside for us, you are to get in touch with them about it asap, so that you know if any extra drinks are necessary.
You are to remind everyone to bring a picnic cup and a plate (we will not be using disposable ones, we're going to try to be as green as possible)
It'd be great if everyone could also bring cloth napkins but just in case plan for paper napkins. Bring some foil so that those who want to get some leftovers
As for the gifts, you are to organize a gift ceremony for your year group and make sure that all the gifts are put aside and handed out while maintaining the mystery. Some students will sadly be unable to attend the party, you are to make sure that they are  still part of our Secret Santa  and can give and receive their gifts even without being present.


Official photos by Silène, Alessia, Celestine, Emma, Lili, Chiara.

For things to run smoothly, it is essential that you get in touch and start communicating asap. You can use the general Halloween email.
I'd like each team to choose a captain ( a trio, 1 from each year group) and notify me below asap.
I'll ask the captains to give me an update on the organization front by email on Tuesday night.
I'll also be able to tell you by then whether you'll be able to set-up and decorate the room during the lunch break or during the afternoon break.

I've put a question mark next to your name when you were unable (or have forgotten) to register when I asked. If you have major issues with the team that has been assigned to you, please notify me below.

See you soon for some Christmas fun!
Mrs. C.

PS: For the record, if you type "Christmas" in our blog search box, you'll find tons of great Christmas-related articles, go for it!

Lendwithcare

Dear Charlie,
Here's a suggestion for those of you who have no idea what to give people for Christmas, and hope to reduce inequalities and poverty in the world. The article and the concept should also appeal to the economists among you, or those of you interested in economic alternatives.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/dec/02/ethical-gift-vouchers-lendwithcare-microloans-empower-women

Get lending! Maybe I should myself!
Mr Leah

Merry Christmas !

Armenian Cross,
also known as the
Khachkar Cross or
Siroun Cross

Dear Charlie,

I wish you a Merry Christmas!

No, it is not late: today is the day we celebrate Christmas in Armenia! Since half of my family is Armenian (most Armenians follow Christianity, but Armenia has its own church: The Armenian Apostolic Church - Armenia became the first country to establish Christianity as its state religion when the king of Armenia converted to Christianity around 301 AD. Before this, the dominant religion was Zoroastrianism... Alright, I am not going to do a history lesson on Armenia, if you want to know what that is you can go to the BBC website:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/ - ) and the other half is either Christian or Atheist, I get to celebrate Christmas twice a year! But don't be fooled, this does not mean twice as much of presents -sadly-

"Armenian Christmas," is a culmination of celebrations of events related to Christ's Incarnation. Theophany or Epiphany (Astvadz-a-haytnootyoon in Armenian) means "revelation of God," which is the central theme of the Christmas Season in the Armenian Church. During the "Armenian Christmas" season, the major events that are celebrated are the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem and His Baptism in the River Jordan. The day of this major feast in the Armenian Church is January 6th. A ceremony called “Blessing of Water” is conducted in the Armenian Church to commemorate Christ’s Baptism.

It is frequently asked as to why Armenians do not celebrate Christmas on December 25th with the rest of the world. Obviously, the exact date of Christ's birth has not been historically established—it is neither recorded in the Gospels. However, historically, all Christian churches celebrated Christ's birth on January 6th until the fourth century. According to Roman Catholic sources, the date was changed from January 6th to December 25th in order to override a pagan feast dedicated to the birth of the Sun which was celebrated on December 25th. At the time Christians used to continue their observance of these pagan festivities. In order to undermine and subdue this pagan practice, the church hierarchy designated December 25th as the official date of Christmas and January 6th as the feast of Epiphany. However, Armenia was not effected by this change for the simple fact that there were no such pagan practices in Armenia, on that date, and the fact that the Armenian Church was not a satellite of the Roman Church. Thus, remaining faithful to the traditions of their forefathers, Armenians have continued to celebrate Christmas on January 6th until today.

I personally am an agnostic atheist (I don't believe in any gods and I don't claim to know for sure that no gods can or do exist), but still I do like Christmas as it is a great occasion to bond with your family and get some presents... Of course haters are going to say that Christmas is not what it used to be, now it is just another capitalist-holiday... well I won't say it is not true but still, I really like Christmas season !

I mean, who does not like being wrapped up in a blanket in front of his TV with hot chocolate or --insert whatever food you love-- , binge-watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and --insert your favorite movie of all time-- ... and seeing the snow falling down outside? Also eating tons of food.. have you ever eaten Armenian food? I can tell you it is excellent, wonderful, so tasty and full of colors!! You have to try it !)

Anyway, even if you hate Christmas or if you don't celebrate it, I still wish you a Merry Christmas!

C. 

Christmas party

Hi there Charlie.

So as you know, Christmas is getting closer and closer everyday, and thus it's time for our annual Christmas Party. Buit as you know, a party implies planning, yay. Here is the complete thing (check it once or twice, some changes might be done on the article until tomorrow night). Also, a friendly reminder: the party is going to be the Wednesday(...).

So far, as the Energy Crew (the guys in ES (us) in charge of planning everything) knows, the Secret Santa has been drawn in every class. We hope no one is going to forget the presents!

Even if we are devoted to help, we also need YOUR HELP! Thus, here comes the team system. We need everyone to get into a team (which are listed below). Please say in which team you want to be in in the comments below:

- Music, take care of that sweet Christmas playlist (at least 6).
- Decorations, the Christmas spirit has to be recognizable everywhere (at least 10).
- Photos, because what is the point of a party if you can't have good memories of it (if possible, polaroids photos that can be printed on the moment or standard photos that will be posted online, a camera would be great, not just phone pictures)? (at least 6).
- Activities, let's have some fun with everyone (at least 5).
- Secret Santa, we need little elves to give the presents (between 4 and 7).
- Cleaning, let's not leave the room dirty (as much people as possible).

Then, the most important thing about this party, FOOD!
For food, somethings will be required:
- Everyone has to bring something.
- If possible, some people should bring cups, plates, knives, napkins etc...
- Eating is good, drinking is also good, thus some drinks will be appriciated (Coke, Orangina, Ice Tea, Oasis, Water... whatever).
- Please try to bring somethiong salty (let's do 50/50 with sweet).
- We know that this can be complicated, but if you can do some things linked with Chirstmas, it would be awesome!

The main points have been said, so here are some other things:
- Even though there is an activity team, if you have a suggestion, feel free to say it in the comments below).
- Write ONLY the name of the "receiver" on your Secret Santa present.
- DON'T FORGET THE GIFTS!

I think that's everything. Again, please all of you guys come to see the article, comment what you wanna do in the comments.

See you on Wednesday.

Energy Crew.

Ho, ho, ho !

Hi Charlie,

I'm writing here tonight to let you know about how the organisation of friday christmas party is going.

So, we decided my team and I that it was more practical for everyone that you write the name of the person who is receiving the gift on the gift itself.

News info are coming,
We'll keep you in touch,

Santa Claus Team.

Food, food, food

Hi everyoooooone!

So tonight, I am going to talk about one of the favorite theme of we, starving students of the OIB : FOOD for Friday's Christmas' party.

We need all of you to bring something for Friday lunch but in order to eat the most diverse foods possible, we need you to post a comment to tell us what you'll bring.

So we need :

20 people who bring SALTY food (please do not all bring crisps!)

16 more people who bring DESSERTS (we need someone to bring "papillottes" because Christmas loses its sense without "papillottes")

10-15 people who bring DRINKS (including some water ;P)

5 people who bring plates, FORKS, KNIVES, NAPKINS, GLASSES, PLATES (there are about 64 of us)

Please comment and feed us all to avoid the food teams being eaten instead :'( :D
We're counting on you!

Byyyye and see you on Friday!

PS: Sorry for the delay...:'(

Tara

Christmas party organisation

As promised, here are the teams
I tried to respect your wishes as much as possible and I tried to have the year groups mixing.
As long as you follow this principle, if you want to make some changes work it among yourselves and notify me.
Team 1 (music)  Term: Anissa, Eléa, 1ere: Nadja, Juliette; 2nde: Dana, Lisa
Team 2 (entertainment) Term: Julia, Alicia, 2de : Massinissa, Martin, Ashley, Matteo
Team 3 (Dress up and photo) Term: Agathe . 1ere: Amandine, Loredana, Lisa 2nde: Alberta, Eléa
Team 4 (Deco) Term: Quentin, Tiphaine, 1ere: Angeli, Paloma, 2nde: Valen, Ben
Team 5 (Deco) Term: Céline; 1ere: Agathe, Marie, Ajna, 2de: Mara, Irène
Team 6 (Food) Term: Nathan; 1ere :Tara; Amina 2nde: Amma, Ange,  Sarah
Team 7 (Food) Term: Sarah; 1ere: Clara, Raphael; 2nde: Rebecca, Adrian, Abel
Team 8 (Secret Santa) 1ere: Beverly, Manon, Salomé, Carla; 2nde: Judy, Fanny
Team 9 (Clean-up) Term: Loic; 1ere: Moina, King; 2nde: Julie, Kellian, Julien
Team 10 (Clean-up) Term: Justine 1ere: Faétan, Judith, Sacha, Matthew; 2nde: Felix

Now that you know who does what. I expect the different members of the group to get in touch asap, get together, choose a captain  (please notiffy me) and start planning. I'll ask the each team captain for an update on Wednesday. Obviously, team 4 & 5, 6 & 7, 9& 10 will need to coordinate somewhat.

Let's get it rolling..
Mrs. C

December is finally here...

Hello Charlie,
Since friday I started playing my christmas playlist to get in the christmas mood. December is finally here, and for me december = christmas...
That's why december is my favorite month (not because it's my birthday month [it's King's, Judith's, Céline's and Eléa's too] ) but because it's christmas month/season, it's winter, the streets are decorated, we get to give and receive gifts and all the christmas love...

Last year we did the musical advent calendar, I don't know if we will do it again this year (but I hope we will) because trough that I discovered new songs or different versions of songs I already knew so it was great :)

Yes I shared this song last year, and I'm sharing it again this year because it's my favorite christmas songs..

Beverly.

As he says : It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Hey Charlie,

It's finally Christmas Eve !
So I just wanted to share the song that has been playing on repeat in both my sister's room and mine these last few days, it's an amazing metal cover by PelleK, who is not very well known, or at least not known enough compared to his talent - at least that's what I think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6rsrlVGH7s

Judith

Time is near

Let's move away from the traditional stuff, the progressive stuff, the weird stuff... and take it back to the very essence of British pop culture, I dare say.
The 80s. Big, silky-smooth hair. Loose-fitting clothes. Synthetisers. Powder.
Released in December 1984, here's Last Christmas by Wham!.

Fascinating trivia: this videoclip is said to be the last filmed appeareance of George Michael without a beard.

Christmas Lighting

Dear Charlie,

Yesterday I went to the Vieux-Port to do some presents shopping. The day quickly ended and everything turned dark. I couldn’t help but noticing the cool lighting. They were all around. 

Whenever you see them you may be sure that Christmas is coming and this is really a magical time of the year. If you go to the Hard Rock Cafe (which you’ll certainly not regret) you’ll see a big Santa in the middle of the square. You should better hurry if you want to see those Christmas lighting. You can also see some at Aix, especially at the Cours Mirabeau and the Rotonde of course!

Happy Holidays !
Lisa

Bowie & Bing

Dear Charlie,

Here's another Christmas classic. David Bowie, who had spent the early part of the 1970s terrifying parents with his androgynous and deathly-pale Ziggy Stardust and Thin White Duke personas, and had spent most of decade as high as a kite, duetting with Bing Crosby the favourite light entertainer of every American grandparent (the original and most famous singer of "White Christmas", see below). Bowie, hoping to transform his image, tries to reassure everyone by talking early on about his son (not mentioning that at the time he was known as Zowie Bowie, but has now become a well-known film director called Duncan Jones), but Bing still doesn't look at him once during the performance! Unfortunately, Bing died before the programme was broadcast (it's true that he doesn't look too well), leading people to think there was a "Curse of Bowie", as it was the second time that year, 1977, that he had recorded a TV appearance with a star who had died before the broadcast, the other being the great Marc Bolan of T-Rex! Morbid details aside (and I'm sorry, I seem to have lots of them), the song's great. Strangely it wasn't released until 1982, when it reached N°3 in time for Christmas.
Mr Leah

A Christmas Gift For You

Dear Charlie,

This album, also known as "The Phil Spector Christmas Album", contains many Christmas classics, sung by the famous producer's protégés, including girl bands like The Crystals and the Ronettes, Darlene Love, and Bob. B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. Spector, known particularly for his "Wall of Sound" style of producing, was at the height of his powers. Now, unfortunately, he's languishing in prison, serving a life sentence for murder! It's better to remember him for pop songs like these, and many other non-Christmassy ones for other times of the year.
Mr Leah

"My Song For You" - Bridgit Mendler ft Shane Harper; Demi Lovato ft Joe Jonas

Hello everybody! I just wanted to share a Christmas song, it's not famous at all, but it's worth listening to it :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYDaTCQKuP0

I'm usually not very fond of Disney Channel's series but when I came accross this station, there was the serie "Good Luck Charlie", a special christmas episode and there was this song, which in my opinion is quite good.

There is also another version (the original one) sung by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas when they were in the Disney company, it's as good as Bridgit Mendler's version in my opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MViGCtpDrc4

And to mix both songs, a mashup was created:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRcVZZ9VlSM

Merry Christmas!

Moinamkou B.

Christmas songs

Hey Charlie, I wanted to share with you this great playlist of Christmas music. I usually listen to it while doing my homework ! It is a good way to get the Christmas mood!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWKsDemzH58

My first contribution to the musical advent calendar

Hey guys! And hey Charlie too!

I'm here to share my first music for the Musical advent calendar (yayyyyyy)
This song came out really recently (actually it was out on youtube only yesterday!) and I chose that one because I'm a bit tired of all the old songs, we are modern after all ;)
Anyways, here's a music by Owl City, I just love it and I can't stop listening to it since I first heard it about a week ago.

Enjoy :D

Alicia

Crazy Christmas

Everybody knows this song and maybe you cannot stand it anymore (which I understand) but this is a totally weird version by Minions...^^ Enjoy !

Tara

the Majesty of Christmas

Dream Theater is not the name of some stadium somewhere in the North. It's arguably the best progressive metal band ever. They've released brilliant concept albums, such as Metropolis, part 2 or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

Sadly, they once fell for the Christmas song fad and recorded this in 1996. Probably not the best way to discover their true talent, but right on topic...