Yearbook

Kids in France don't have yearbooks, nor do they take a portrait at the beginning of the year. They don't know the meaning of "Picture Day." Always fun, nerve wracking, unique, and nearly always disappointing. There were always those kids that wore their best Sunday dress or suit and curled or combed back their hair. The girl with the frilly socks with her patent mary-janes. There was always the kid who wore his favorite color t-shirt, even if it was ratty and tattered. The kid who forgot it was picture day all together. That was a travesty, we'd always wonder, "how on Earth could he forget?"

Then there was me, who always wore a headband or forgot to keep my hair out of a pony-tail. Then weeks later when the photos were printed, they would be delivered to our home-room in a plastic envelope with a little plastic window as a sneak preview to the most permanent picture in your history. Some of us would slip it into our backpacks hoping no one would ask to see them, uh humm...me. And if someone did ask, we'd say, "Just have to wait for the yearbook. :p" Secretly dreading that day. Then after a couple days, there is no longer any talk of the magnificent "Picture Day." READ MORE! click on link below.




At the end of the year, when yearbooks were distributed, that horror would return. But then, it would quickly turn into that exciting day of signing and,

"Call me!  K.I.T. 

Have a great summer!

255-9070 <3 <3 "

-generic message and phone number 

(if someone wrote their number, that was exciting)

Nearly every kid at that school will have that yearbook. So that's about 500-2000 copies of your most revered photo. Talk about pressure.

If I had access to my yearbooks, I would show you a little taste of it. In high school, I was approached  by a girl on the yearbook team to be a part of the style section. I declined, because I was too cool for something like that. I wonder what I would think of that today... probably be the same reaction. It's more of a defense mechanism really. I wouldn't want to share my style secrets... duh.

French people in general like this tradition. I've heard exciting awe over it and haven't heard any distaste. I have a friend who wished there was a yearbook for his university years. Students have asked me if graduating and wearing caps and gowns was a real phenomenon. They love it because they only know it from is from tv and film. Yes, caps and gowns are a very real tradition. And yes, we do throw them into the air at the end of the ceremony. And from time to time, there are naked people under the gowns.