Sappy Video

I've been quite busy recently and haven't made the time to do a post. I went to Lyon last weekend and this weekend I'll be going to England to visit one of my old nanny's. Then it's Christmas. Mom's coming in the day after Christmas and we'll head south, to see that part of France. I'm going to take a break from blogging till the new year. I've made a extremely sappy video, but enjoy.

Thankgiving (Part 2)

I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving! My Thankgivng started Sunday night with a little pecan pie. I made the crust from sctrach (and it was actually little small) but it worked. Mmmmm

This is Alain and Zoé inspecting it. Warm and delicious!!

This is the sweet potatoe casserole. It called for 1 cup of sugar which I did not add (my poor french family had already been shocked by the sweetness of the pecan pie) and then a sprinkling of brown sugar on top. It was not a hit. Zoe liked it, but what kid wouldn't love dessert for dinner. Elliot was disgusted by sweet potatoes and Alain tried it but suggested that if I ever make it again (hahah, yea right) that it be a dessert food.

This is us at the dinner table. Caroline was working late thus not pictured and I am behind the camera. You can see Eliott's sweet potatoes pushed all the way to the edge of his plate so as not to mingled the flavor of sweet potatoe with green beans. A little backwards for a kid, right?

This is pain au maïs, franch corn bread. When I asked is it was possible to get some cornbread, I was told "Oh of course! Pain au mais is just at Carrefour (the French WalMart)." And I found that corn bread in France, like almost all other types of bread, come in baguette form. Hahaha. No matter, I just need the crumbs for the Dressing (picutred below-- my fav for the week).

Close up for the texture.

This was Alain's top pick too. He actually suggested making it again (which he hadn't done all week-- aka, he didn't like it so much).

Squash casserole was Wednesday but I don't have any pictures beause I went out that night. Apparently is was a hit but when I tried it Thursday morning, I have to say that I thought it was awful. First, when I asked for courge, the french word for sauqsh, Alain said that of course there was courge in France! Ok, silly me, I thought something towards butternut squash was just an American/Southern thing. So I didn't ask any more questions until the day before.

"Alain are you going to do the grocery shopping because we're missing a few things for dinner tomorrow and Thursday"

"Hmm, I'm a little busy what are you missing?"

"The squash and (something I can't remember now)"

"Oh but we have squash *points to the pumpkin from the garden*"

"That's a pumpkin"

"A pumpkin is a type of squash. I'm sure you can use it"

"Uh, yea ok"

A pumpkin is in fact nothing like a butternut squash but it worked anyway.

Thursday, for actually Thanksgiving, I made turkey and pumpkin pie. It is in fact possible to find whole turkeys in France, but there was no need for an entire turkey so I asked just for a "roti". It was super tiny and super cute. Below it's picutred in comparison to a chicken (mind you a small chicken, not like the big ones we have in the States.) I cooked it simply, just with a little salt and pepper in the oven. How did my family like it. Eh. It wasn't special. Haha. However, the pumpkin pie was well received.

All in all my Thanksgiving show was met with resounding indifference. But I can't blame my french family becuase just the week before French Cuisine was named a "patrimoine de l'humainité." This means that the UN decided that French Cuisine was something so special and important it should be preserved. If you've ever heard of UNESCO which is usually a historical designation for castles, it's basically that, but food. I agree with the UN. The food is wonderful here.

And so now it's officially the Christmas season and the country of France was aware of this. Friday morning I woke up the a snow covered yard. Beautiful!!

It had melted by the afternoon but it's predicted to snow all this week! Down side? Our heating went out. This morning I took a shower the old fashion way- water heated on the stove. Fortunately we have something like a fireplace to heat the house but really it only heats the living room. In fact it's continues to be like the olden-days: all the family hanging out together by the fire. It was picturesque and fun.

Till next time!!

Thanksgiving (Part 1)

As you may have suspected, because France did not welcome the Pilgrims and there were no Indians, the French do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Sadly, Thursday will be another working day for me and in the evening I will merely skype my family to join the festivities. No need to worry! I’m brining Thanksgiving to France! All this week I will be cooking one Thanksgiving dish per day (pictures and stories in the following post). I am very excited! For now, in the spirit of true thanks giving, I’ll share all that I am thankful for.

· My parents. Where do I start with how thankful I am for the parents I have? They are where all of the blessings I have in my life have begun. They have given me everything I have ever needed and more. They taught me how to be a good person and how to stand up after falling down. They have supported me in everything that I have ever done (including when I ran away to foreign countries. twice.) Especially now that I am pseudo-raising children, I am truly thankful for the time my parents took to raise me right. Mumsy, Daddy, I love you!

· The rest of my family (immediate, extended, and “family”). I have been blessed with an army of amazing people who love and support me. To all of you: I wish that I could be with you for the holidays this year but I know you understand! You enrich my life in so many ways! Much love!

· My friends. My friends are the most important thing in my life. They are the ones who are next to you when life happens. My friends are always there to listen all of my stories (the funny ones, the sad ones, and the not-so-well-told ones). I’m grateful to have so many people to share my life with! I am especially thankful this year for my friends in France, both the ones I knew before (all 3!) and the ones I’ve met so far. They keep me in good-spirits and go with me to experience Paris and France! To my besties, the ones who are my sisterly soul-mates, I am so thankful that you make me laugh till I pee and that you love me for who I am (even the crazy parts!).

· My French family. I am extraordinarily thankful they are not a bunch of crazies. Really. I am thankful that there aren’t 19 children (yea, I think the Dugger’s are freaks). Zoe and Eliott are big fans of a CD I made that includes Thriller, Seven Nation Army, Bad Romance, and the two songs from A Goof Movie thus I am grateful they don’t nag me to listen to crappy music. I am grateful that Alain and Caroline are cool (especially about miscommunications—see last post) and we can have good chats, too. Most of all I am grateful for the opportunity they gave me for an experience of a lifetime.

· Everything else. I’m healthy, happy and young. What more can I ask for? Life is good.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
P.S. If you were wondering, I will not be coming home for Christmas. Yes, sad but not that bad. I’m excited to share Christmas with my family here. Plus, Mumsy is coming to visit then too. And as for the Mother Daughter Christmas Tea, it’s a no go this year. But I am 100% sure if you show up at my house in your Christmas-Tea-Best, Mama Cork will be overjoyed and will welcome you in with Nutcracker tea, pirouettes, gingerbread men, and the little teacup that has feet like a tub.

Qu’est-ce qu’elle a dit? (What did she say?)

It’s been near 3 months for me here and all goes well. My French is coming along slowly but steadily and I must admit, I’m rather proud of the progress I’ve made. The trick is to try and speak as much French as possible and try to use all the words you learn. Of course, in the process of learning one will make many mistakes, its part of the game. Normally my mistakes end up making no sense at all because the grammar is way off or I simply took an English word and made it French but it doesn’t actually exist in French. However, recently I have said things that make sense but are not at all what I mean.

1) One week we had a problem with gnats in the house. Very annoying. We had a girl over who works with Alain for scouts and we were talking while Alain made dinner. There was an open bottle of wine on the counter and as I went to pour myself a glass, I realized there were a herd of gnats drowning in the wine.

I wanted to say: “Well the gnats like to be drunk!”
So I said: “Les bêtes aime être bouré”
What I actually said: “The little beasts like to be shi*-f@ced”
I learned “bouré” from some French friends and I didn’t know it wasn’t a word to use around family!

2) Just this morning I was talking to Alain

I wanted to say: “But I’m healthy so…”
So I said: “Je suis en santé” but it came out like “Je suis enseinte”
What I actually said was: “But I’m pregnant so…”

3) I needed to know whether or not I should do a survey Alain had sent the scouts and me for a dinner in a couple of weeks.

What I wanted to say: “Do you want me to do the poll?”
So I said: “Est-ce que tu veut me faire…?” I stopped because I didn’t know the word for poll
What I actually said: “Do you want to do me” or “Do you want to do to me?”
Egad that was awkward.

4) By far the best one happened when I was reading a recipe to Alain. It was good practice for me to read out loud (just like the children I care for).

The recipe read “Couvrir et baisser les legumes”
This means simply enough “Cover and lower the temperature of the vegetables”
I actually said “Couvrir et baiser les legumes.” You wouldn’t think one little s would make a huge difference, but in French it does ( the S sound for 2ss and the Z sound for 1s). Because what I actually said was “Cover and f*%# the vegetables.” Oopsidaisies.

Fortunately the kids weren’t around for any of these. Alain has gotten a kick out of all of them (especially number 4) and, fortunately for me, he and Caroline are laid back and understand that I’m not trying to be absolutely inappropriate.

So I hope you’ve had a good laugh. Enjoy your weekend! And if you’re in Georgia, enjoy the beautiful weather!

Une Semaine de Vacance (A week of vacation)

Hello again! It’s been a while! Let’s see what has happened since we chatted?

Well, Dad and Marlene’s visit was good! They arrived on Thursday and were basically on their own until I could see them on Friday (thanks strike). I visited briefly with them Friday while the kids where in school. We did Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. Saturday we did some stuff in the city and then took the train out to Chaumes to see my little city and have dinner with my French family. The frog legs were delicious! Pictured just before being cooked. In a Lemon-butter+herb sauce. Mmm... We had a lovely time. Sunday we took a tour bus to see the city. Monday we met Alain for lunch at Chartiers and had the most delicious confit de canard—duck prepared in some magical way that makes it absolutely amazing! After that Marlene and I did some shopping through La Galleries Lafayette and the boutiques near the opera. Tuesday we tried to go to a museum but it was closed so we ended up having coffee then lunch at a lovely little place just next to the museum. Marlene also found a great store for souvenirs which just happened to be next to a little crepe shop. I believe that after we bought a Nutella Banane crepe, Marlene was hooked for life! That evening we took a stroll down the Champs Elysée which became Dad and Marlene’s favorite place in Paris. Wednesday I took a break from playing tour guide because I had an appointment with the doctors at the immigration office that would take all day. Good news! I don’t have tuberculosis. I can stay in France now.

Thursday was a big day. We rented a car to drive out to Normandy (a region) to the city of Caen to see Omaha Beach and the American cemetery. 1) I never wanted to drive in Paris. Ever. 2) The strike which was on-going but had lessened in effect was starting over again Thursday i.e. expect horrible traffic. 3) My GPS was dying about 30 minutes into the trip. Anyway, I rented the car and was able to get Dad and Marlene without any trouble. Everything was going fine until we got to Port Maillot, THE largest flipping roundabout I have ever experienced. In France, the buses are comfortable with getting right next to your car. I mean like 6 inches away. Also, in the roundabouts and some of the streets in Paris, there are no lines to create lanes. These two things make a young au pair trying to get to Normany very, very unnerved when she’s driving in the city. So good luck, God speed, for when you drive in Paris. But! When you get outside of the city, all is well! The roads are well maintained and well marked. We made it to Normandy safe and sound. The cemetery and museum are really, very nice but the best part of the trip was the city of Caen. While we were having a little snack down an adorable little alley, we found my next apartment! Or at least that’s what we had fun imagining. Driving back so slightly more difficult once we reached Paris because it was dark but we made it! After we returned the car, Dad bought me a well deserved beer!
Friday, our last day, we went to Versailles and saw the magnificent chateau. There was an exposition there as well, but I have to say that it was a bad choice for this particular venue. See below. Bleh.
But in the city we found a fromagerie (cheese store) where Marlene bought lots of stinky cheese, much to Dad’s dismay.
Saturday would have been easy, breezy, beautiful but Marlene discovered her passport missing as she was trying to check in. Fortunately, there is an agent from Border Control that can help verify who you are and get you on a plane. So Dad and Marlene are both now back safe and sounds in Atlanta.

I returned to Chaumes and walked all the way back from the train station. Really it wasn’t bad. It was a lovely day and my bag had wheels. It was a good walk. I had tried to plan a trip to Italy then Amsterdam but they both fell through, so I had nothing planned for the rest of my vacation. So one day I visited Provins, a little town not far from Chaumes that is basically a medieval village. Super cute. I shopped in the city. But it’s expensive here! Also I met some girls from school and we went to the top of L’Arc de Triomphe for a lovely night view! The Thursday school started and we all went back to the daily grind. But only two days this week!
This weekend was fun because I went to a party on Friday, met another firend for dinner on Saturday, and went to scouts on Sunday. Did I mention that I volunteered to be a scout here? To help Alain out, I said I would be one of the leaders for Zoe’s group, les Jeannettes. The girls are fun and cute and the two other leaders are nice, especially since I don’t actually speak French that well… Anyway. What a long post!! More stories later!! Have a good week everyone!

La Semaine du Goût et Taille (The Week of Taste and Size)

The French truly love food and makes some most excellent cuisine. In fact they take one week of the year and dedicate it to taste and trying new tastes. This week is aptly named the week of taste, la semaine du gout (la suhmen do goo). It’s a real thing with instructions and suggestions as seen on this website (which is all in French and not translation option—good luck!): www.legout.com . At school the kids have different things for lunch in the cafeteria, including some fancy cheeses (i.e. expensive!). At our house, I forgot about the semaine de gout and so we didn’t do anything fancy for it. L

Generally, one would think that if you adore the taste of food you are probably of a more rotund body variety. Well, I went shopping some this weekend (because I don’t actually have very warm clothes!!) and found a funny difference about sizes (taille- pronounced ty). In the first place all of the sizes are different then at home so I had to try on many clothes to discover what size I am. This store, for shirts, had the simple S, M, L but with a twist of course. On the label they had the sizes for several different countries in the EU. Why? Because France and Ireland say that what all other countries call a small, they call a medium. A quiet national pressure to tell you to stay thinner? “You may be a small in other countries, but here in France, you’re a medium… oh you were a medium, well I guess you’re a large now (disdainful look)…”

So it’s counter intuitive that a nation of people who treasure their food and love to have meals with multiple courses stay very thin. However, I have learned from the semaine du gout that they love a simple taste, taking only a small portion to relish the flavor. Currently, I am fighting the habit that I picked up at Tech to eat as much and as quickly as possible, because it makes me very much an outsider (I am the first one to finish my plate usually and I just sit and watch everyone else finishes… awk ward).

But more about shopping and sizes. While I was shopping, the lovely store assistants would ask me if they could help me find things in other colors and sizes. This was always an interesting predicament for me because 1) it’s difficult to translate when they speak quickly in a noisy store 2) I didn’t actually know what size I needed. Sometimes I would tell them that I simply didn’t understand and they would rephrase (with smaller words) to help me. But also, I didn’t actually know what size I wanted. Imagine this scenario: you work in a store and you ask a lady if she would like another size and she says “I don’t know” and walks away. True Story. I really do enjoy creating funny situations because I’m a foreigner.

In other news, there is yet another strike in Paris (the fourth I’ve experienced). This one, however, is much more annoying. The other strikes have been for one day and then done which is manageable. But this one is “un grève illimité”—an unlimited strike— it will end when the people want it to end. I want it to end now, but I’m pretty sure I have no say in the matter. So it began on Tuesday and has messed up the trains going to and from Paris all week and weekend. It reduces the number of trains which creates massive crowds in each train. It hasn’t affected the subway, thank GOD, which are already crowded without a strike. An interesting side effect of this strike is that yesterday Paris ran out of gas. Almost without warning, no gas stations have any more gas. They tell me this doesn’t happened frequently, the last time being about 5-10 years ago. So this week, as the strike continues and more people run on empty, I will use my car sparingly.

Speaking of this coming week! I have some very exciting events. Monday, one of my old roommates from Scotland is meeting me for lunch. Then on Thursday, my dad and step-mom arrive to visit me and the city for a week! We plan to have them over ot the house in Chaumes for dinner on Friday and Alain is planning some frog legs for dinner. Nothing says welcome to France like Frog legs!

That’s all I have for you today! Have a good week!

Nutella Banane Crêpe

Nuit Blache was quite a night. Drinking muscat (very sweet wine) while listening to reggae music outside of a cathedral under the stars *sigh* fabulous. After all the festivities (5-ish am) we decided to head home. Then I arrived home around 7 am. I watched the sun rise over the fields on my way back from the train station.

Sunday was the day that Alain’s business partners came over for lunch. Alain (the dad of my family) runs a business and was recently featured on a news program called Capital. This, of course, brought in a lot of business, so this lunch was more or less a celebration. It was also delicious. We ate for about three hours. We had multiple courses including rognon (bull testicles) and two desserts: homemade chocolate mousse and cakes (with melty, molten chocolate in the center). I could have DIED because it was so good!

The week was uneventful as I thought this weekend might have been as well. All of my friends were out of town of busy. Friday night I quilted a little while watching Monster Inc. in French (oh the glamorous life of an au pair). Saturday started out being just as boring but then turned into an adventure.

In the afternoon, I went to Jardin du Luxembourg to read and enjoy the beautiful weather. There were TONS of people there. Then I decided to ride a velib around Montmartre—velibs are bikes that you can rent and ride around the city. Well, with all of the people around I couldn’t find an available bike. So I settled for a walk around Sacre Coeur. On my way I was seduced by a little crêpe stand to get a nutella banana crêpe. I’ve been here for 6 weeks and this was my first nutella-banana crêpe. Ridiculous, I know. And it was, of course, outrageously scrumptious. I was a very happy lady when I finished the last gooey drop of nutella but I was feeling a little unhealthy. My solution was to walk up the stairs to Sacre Coeur instead of taking the funicular.

I couldn’t understand why the place was so darn crowed. Yes, there was beautiful weather and it was Saturday, but there were more people than a normal October Saturday nightmight have. At the summit, I found some sort of festival for French food and wine. While I wandered around, I overheard some English and before I knew it I had made some new friends. We all shared some wine and talked. As I had no peer contact for a week and had expected to be alone for the whole weekend, I was ecstatic to meet these people.

We were hanging out near the southwest corner of when we heard a bang. Now, there have been warnings to travelers in Europe of terrorist attacks. For a split second I thought “here I am in a mob of people at Sacre Coeur and there is an attack… oh no” but it turns out it was the start of a very brilliant fireworks show. And unfortunately, I have no pictures because I didn't bring my camera. Sorry.

All in all Saturday was a lovely evening. Today has been lovely, too. My family has been and will be out of the house all day doing scouts (boy and girl scouts are one single organization here)!! I watched Rasta Rockett (the French title of Cool Runnings) while I made lunch. The day is bright and cool so I’m contemplating a run later. Good bye dear friends! Have a good week!!

L'école (School)

Today was my first day of French school. I am the type that loves school and always arrives early with ALL her supplies on the first day. Well, not today. So my class begins at 8am, which wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t live an hour outside of the city. No worries though, I can handle getting up early, right? Rise and Shine started at 5:45 am and must be moved back to 5:30 because I was late for my 6:44 train. As I drove up to the station, I was the train sitting there, looking at me like “Hey Christy, you’re never gonna make me!! Muahahaha!” but I was determined! So I found a parking spot in record time and sprinted to the platform. I mounted the last step and watched as the train pulled away. “Good bye latest-train-I-could-take-to-be-on-time!” However, there was another train just 8 minutes away but it wasn’t direct so there would be lots of stops, i.e. tons of time stopping and waiting. Whatever, it couldn’t be helped. So I get to Place Victor Hugo, the metro station at 8:00. If I walk fast enough, I can get to class just 5 minutes late!! That’s not even late really!! That’s like your watch is fast mine a little slow, its fine!! I hurry down Avenue Victor Hugo to find my classroom. Btw, it’s raining. Do I have an umbrella? Oh absolutely not. Anyway. I’m walking and walking and walking. I remember it being closer than this when I went here before. Then I see the L’Arc de Triomphe. I had been walking for 12 minutes in the wrong direction. No, no, it’s fine, I think, I’ll just hurry back even more the other way. And it starts to rain harder. But finally! FINALLY!! I make it to class hot, sweaty and rained-on. And fortunately! The professor didn’t yell at me! She was quite nice. And I wasn’t the only late one. I’m also not the dumbest girl in the class!!!!

In other news, things with the kids have been going well. We’ve gotten into a groove that makes things run smoother. My most fabulous trick with them has been getting them to set the table. One day a week or two ago, I told Eliott to set the table and over his grumbling I offered to time him to make it a race. Well today, the table needed to be set so I said “Who wants to set the table?” and they both race to me saying “Me! Me! Me!”. MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Literally, this is what I said: “Well, Eliott, you set the table twice this week already, let Zoe have her turn.” MAGIC!!!! They both can set the table in about two minutes. A solid argument for when this trick loses it’s appeal.

For this weekend, I have nothing terribly exciting planned. Saturday is Nuit Blanche, a night where students can get into museums and things for free all night long. I mean, I don’t actually have friends to go with, but maybe I’ll just go out and make some Saturday night. Wish me luck.

Till next time everyone!!

Pronunciation guide:
L'école: Lay Cole

Oktoberfest

Friday afternoon I left for Munich to go to Oktoberfest! I went with my friends Gillian and Damien and their friends Olivier and Grég. We stayed with Thomas, a friend of ours from Glasgow who lives in Munich. On our way into the city we drove on the autobahn—no speed limit—so we tried 220 km/h. Very fast and very fun. We didn’t stay at the speed for very long because it was dark and the roads were wet from rain. The 9 hour drive put us in Munich at about 1 am. Poor Thomas had just gone to bed when we arrived.

Bright and early the next morning we woke up and headed to the Paulaner tent. We waited in the rain for 30 minutes but finally were let into the tent. Some of Thomas’s friends had saved us seats and after we found them we ordered our beer! Now, in case you don’t know this about me already, I love beer. Love it love it love it. So when the woman brought us all our very very very large German beers, I was very excited. Before long, we were on our second glasses and having a great time. We were all meeting our neighbors and the boys were talking to all the pretty German girls in their pretty German dresses. Around 5 we decided that it was nap time so we head back to Thomas’s apartment. We all had about 4 hours of sleep and had been drinking beer for8 hours, so we slept until 9:30 that evening. Then we woke up got some dinner and hit the town till the wee hours. Truly an epic day.

We woke up late on Sunday, got ready, had some lunch and left Munich. Leaving Germany took FOREVER because the highways were under construction. The boys in the car spoke French the whole time as I tried desperately to understand. Alas, I did not comprehend much. I can get words here and there but I couldn’t keep up with the fast, colloquial conversations they had. It did give me a chance to observe the beautiful German country side though! Finally we made it to France and, 5 hours later, to Paris and then I was home (2am). Monday was an easy day for me so I took a nice long nap after the kids went to school. Pictures of my weekend are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Christy.Cork/Oktoberfest?authkey=Gv1sRgCOSTpsucn_DmfQ&feat=directlink

Thursday I start school and I’m very excited to meet some people and learn some French! And have an excuse to go to Paris twice a week. Good bye everyone!! Till next week!!

Strasbourg

This past weekend I went to visit my friend Damien in Strasbourg. I took the TGV, which goes about 250kmh (175mph). My departure was after the sun went down so I couldn’t actually see how fast we were going. It was cool none-the-less and I met some nice people on the train. I arrived late Friday night and Damien was kind enough to pick me up and the station. When we got to his house we ate some cheese and went to bed. The next morning we headed into the city for some sight-seeing. We met up with some friends of Damien’s who were also visiting, Matthieu and Marie and then later Sanjay and Aurélie.

Strasbourg, the main (most likely tourist part) city is on a little island separated from the rest of the city by the River L’Ill. There is a lot of German influence therefore super super picturesque and cute. Here are some pictures for you!


One of the main things to see in Strasbourg is the Cathedral. The day we went happened to be a day when you can go into all of the museums for free. Hooray! So we climbed up one of the towers for a lovely view of the city.












They have a part of the city designated as Petit France, which to me was quiet odd because we were already in normal-sized France. Little Italy or China Town, ok, but have you ever heard of Little America in Atlanta? Maybe because of all of the German influence but who knows. None-the-less it was a very cute neighborhood within the city.


One of the first things Damien told me about his city was that we would eat the glorious tarte flambée. And so we did! There was a place where we could have all you can eat tarte flambée. It’s simple and delicious.
After we ate all we could, we went back and played cards all night.
Sunday, we chilled in the city until I had to board the train. Overall, it was a very lovely weekend!

Funny story of the week: this event happened this afternoon for me but before I tell it, I need to give you some background. 1) Not so much censoring on the radio and TV here 2) Lots of American/English music played on the radio. Today I decided to listen to the radio instead of a CD. Obviously the radio comes on when the car turns on (duh). On my way to pick up Zoé from dance the radio turned on and display a message to me that was a bit odd. It said “F--- You.” Alright, let’s time out here. I’m thinking “Ok, sometimes machines tell me this but not normally so directly. Maybe they tell me this by not working, but I’ve never seen one out right tell me in words.” Ok, time in. My radio is fancy enough that it shows me which radio station I’m listening to as well as the song. This one was a song by Lily Allen (english singer) titled F--- You with this phrase repeated in the song. Fortunately the kids were not in the car but even if they were would they have realized? Probably not. But it would be just my luck that one of them LOVES this song and comes home singing “F You. F you very much…” Bullet dodged for today.

My dearest friends, enjoy your week!! This weekend I’m going to Oktoberfest with some friends! I will be sure to update you on all of the hoopla!

La Nourriture (The Food)

Ah, the delicious food I eat here! Well my family eats healthy food, mostly organic and fresh. There is a large garden outside and so most meals involve the tomatoes and zucchini that grow there. I’m still getting used to what is the norm for meals. Generally it’s all very simply prepared and staggered so that each food can have your plate all to itself. They don’t use much seasoning, if any at all. Sometimes, I just want a little salt on my veggies but out of fear of offending I eat my meal un-doctored. All the food tastes good anyway, so I manage.

Mmmm, the cheese. This week and a little of last week we have had a plethora of cheese in the house. I tried the very strong Roquefort cheese that has straight up mold in pockets of the cheese (which you eat along with the rest of the cheese). Also, they have a cheese that is called “horse poop” because of its small, round shape. It doesn’t taste or smell like horse poop though, so I tried some (not my fav.). I live in the region where Brie is made so we have several different variations on that (delicious!). But by far my favorite cheese is goat cheese (fromage de chèvre)!! Some fresh baguette and a slice of “chèvre” and some red wine to wash it down… HEAVENLY!!

I don’t cook as much as I thought I was going to because Alain likes to cook. They have shown me their “go-to” French cook book but alas… until I can read more French cooking words, that book might as well be written in hieroglyphics. I have cooked one or two meals and some lunches for the kids on Wednesday when they are out of school. I made sandwiches for lunch one day and was later told that was only for “quick” lunches. I also gave the kids pasta for their snack because I thought we were out of bread, alas another no-no. I’ve made some good pastas for dinner. So far the family favorite that I have made is baked cauliflower which is incredibly easy (and probably tastey because I used salt and pepper!!!!). Cut cauliflower (or any vegetable for that matter) and mix with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake at ~400 for ~20 minutes (?? I usually guess at this time and take them out when they are browned and a little crunchy).

How do I fare with all of this food, you ask? Well digestively I have had a few hiccups but everything is running smoothly now. Since they don’t keep a lot of candy around the house, I find myself craving sweet things. However, the real issue is that I get really hungry in between meals. Now, you may all know that even before France, I was a big fan of food as well as an avid member of the Clean Plate Club. Fortunately they have a solid snack time but even then, I’m READY TO EAT by dinner time. I can’t tell if it’s the portions or not a lot of protein or what, but I must have a real American appetite. My mom sent me some home-made rice kripsy treats and trail mix that have been tide me over when I can sneak them without the children seeing them.

Have a good week!! Miss you all!!

Les Petites Choses Drôles (Funny Little Things)

I just have a handful of small stories that you might find amusing. But first, I’d like to correct something from my last blog. I said “doux” was soft, (btw pronounced like “doo”) and it is that but its soft like silk or velvet. Soft like moldable is “mou” (moo—like a cow). The butter advertizes “doux” as a reference to flavor. Ah, the little difference in meaning I discover as I learn. Ok, anyway.

The big thing recently with Eliott is to go on a walk with his friend, then stop on the side of the road and enter the forest to build a lean to against a tree. The first time, I was not feeling plunging into the woods to supervise, so I stayed outside despite Zoe’s requests. Really, it’s amazing these kids found this little path because the entry way is entirely covered by branches. Another day, it was rather hot in the sun and so I did venture in just slightly to be in the shade. The next day, I just wanted to sit outside again. In an attempt to get me to go with her Zoe started to try to pull the branches and make them stay, to open the path for me. I was truly impressed when she actually really opened the “door” for me. So we sat in the woods on a rock together. She started with the branches again after awhile and really did a good job making a clear spot for walking. I said “Wow Zoe! Thank you so much! That’s great!” to which she replied “It’s not for you, you, and you. It’s for you, and me and Eliott and Glen (said friend).” I was shut down by an 8 year old. That’s ok. It was all English. Good for her.

Some people are whistlers and some people are singers and some people are silent. Well Zoe is a hummer. While I washed some dishes and she set the table I watched her hum a song for like 15 minutes straight. I wish I had a video of it because she is totally in her own Zoe World. Her voice cracks at the high notes and she changes the melody. She’ll even hum with the movies she watches sometimes. It’s super cute.

On Saturday I met my friend Gillian, who I met in Scotland, for coffee and then a walk around Paris. We had a great time because it was good to see old Strathclyde friends and it was my first time really going around the city since I landed here. He was telling me stories about Paris, one in particular about parking in the city. He asked what it was that I called the place where I put my car on the side of the road or parking area. “Parking Spot.” Then suddenly, I realize how strange a phrase that is. A parking spot? It’s the spot that makes it strange for me. Like a spot on your shirt. Or Spot the dog who young children read and find in different place. Plus parking. Call me crazy but it’s a weird phrase.

There was a hedgehog in the yard! Here’s a video.

So I’d like to ask you to comment and ask me about what you want to know about my life here that I haven’t already said. If you have trouble commenting here’s what to do: write in the comment box then under “Comment as:” click on Name/URL and just type in your name or alias and click ok and comment.

Ma Vie Quotidienne (My Everyday Life)

Today the kids went to school! Therefore I have a several hours to myself, some of which I will use to write to you, fine readers! Yesterday was my one week anniversary of my arrival here as well as Caroline’s birthday! Other than that the day was not epic. None of this week has been, but it’s given me a chance to see and understand daily life. And here are some of the more interesting things:

First, I have really pulled off some magic with Zoe. For the first time in her life she is excited about English. She said to her Dad the other day “J’adore parler anglais avec Christy” (I love speaking English with Christy). Alain and I looked at each other like “OMG!!” As cute as she is though she can be quite the typical 8 year old. I observed this week in everyday life all 8 year olds behave the same way. They show you EVERYTHING they can do. “Chreestee, regarde (look/watch)” (ßx50, everyday) and then do or something totally and completely un- extraordinary. For example touching your chin to your shoulder or a stuffed animal arranged in a basket. While, in my mind I’m saying “Yea, literally everyone in the world can do that, it’s not important! Why did you show me??”, in the real world I’m acting very impressed and tell her how cool/pretty/creative/fill-in-the blank-here. Also, I was reminded yesterday of the both cute and funny but possibly awkward tendency to make noises at play. We were playing with some Play Mobile toys. Zoe had a vet shop and Eliott had cars and helicopters and a garage. Now, Eliott is excellent at noises, as I’ve come to know, all boys are. Maybe car noises are easier or maybe I think they are more normal, however, when Zoe started in on her dog whimpering and cat mewing… well, it was very strange. Not only did she just make the noise, but she added emotion into each one. The mom dog and the baby dog were split up (my fake person wanted to buy the puppy. I didn’t know I was breaking up a family!!) and the whimpering was loud and pained. Had she not been totally engrossed in her playtime she would have seen me stop and stare at her thinking “whhaaaaat?”

We’ve had some good times just hanging out. Yesterday we had a picnic in the house. I saw something out of the window and I said “oh look at those things”. It turns out they were semi-unfamiliar with the word ”things”. “Choses? Things? That. There (I point),” I try to explain when Eliott says “Thing one and Thing Two?” I had brought them a couple of Dr. Seuss Books one of which was The Cat in the Hat. I laughed at his connection. I pointed and each of them and labeled them Thing One and Thing Two and called myself the Cat in the Hat. After that we had a good time saying who was Thing one and two and the cat along with red, blue, old, beautiful, not beautiful, and other types of fish (i.e. 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish). We went to the park after that for some playtime. On the way home they gave me a lesson in how to say the R sound in French. I was comically awful. More towards town (where other people could hear) they were both walking down the street saying “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” while I tried to mimic it in between laughs. Unsuccessfully mimic, I might add.

Another part of daily life that I find different is the butter. We don’t use margarine in this house. It is “doux (soft)” butter, but I would BEG to differ. Also, the kids like butter on their sandwiches. When I made sandwiches I watched to see if they were unhappy with the chunks of it scattered throughout the bread (as I couldn’t spread it properly because it was not doux), but they seemed unfazed.
Finally, in the yard they have lots of fruit trees. Alain said to take the apples and plums and what-not whenever I wanted—if it wasn’t good, I can just throw it into the bushes. They are fabulous and I pick and try them often. Delicious.
So that’s all I have for you today, folks! From now on expect a post once a week usually on Monday (so I have the weekends to write!).

P.S. Damien, how's the title? Correct?

Mon Nouvel Environment (My New Environment)

This morning Alain and I took out the Fiat Panda and drive it around in order to teach me stick shift and to tour some of the city. Fortunately, since I’d done a little driving this summer, I did pretty well with my little Panda. And without driving too far out of town, I saw three castles, each more beautiful than the last (pictured below). We went to Château le Vivier, Château Fort Blandy and Vaux Vicomte (my camera battery ran out at Vaux Vicomte, but it looks exactly like Verseille).

Château le Vivier

Quaint Old Town around Château Blandy

Eglise Saint Maurice next to Château Blandy

Château Blandy (much more impressive than this picture)

After that we went to a party for the niece of the parents. It was her first birthday. While I have been made aware of how terrible my French is, it was made even clearer at this party. Possibly the most awkward half and hour of my life happened at the party while I was meeting everyone and they didn’t yet know that I did not speak French. Clearly a new-comer, I was asked questions to which I responded with silence and blinking because I couldn’t translate and respond quickly enough. Also, as I am not yet a pro at the cheek kiss I probably offended many people. Mostly I hid away from people so that I could avoid the awkward smiles and franglais (frenglish?) conversation. The food was very good and the people were very nice. It turns out that most people know a little English and some are very good, so I did talk to some people. I also debuted the most French I ever spoke in France (I said that I could in fact speak more than I was showing, but I was afraid that my pronunciation would be terrible—yeay!! She was I was very good—yeay!!) There were some strange miscommunications, still. I had a plate of food that I finished and a little boy ran by and stepped on it. I brought it to the hostess, trying to explain that someone stepped on it. However, I think my gestures went awry and it looked more like I was trying to break the plate with my foot. The plate fiasco continued sometime later, when I asked her if I could help her with anything but she thought I wanted my plate back. Eventually, the whole matter was resolved when she "understood" that I "wanted" a chair. Miscommunication ended, thank heaven.

I came back to skype while the children went to see a movie. So here I am; writing to you about my day. Monday I will cook my first meal (yet to be decided) and also attempt to communicate with the parents in French, or at least as much as possible. Till next time!

Pronunciation key (For Americans!):

Chateau: Sha Toe --- Fort: Four -- Vivier: Veev yay! -- Blandy: Blondy -- Vaux Vicomte: Voh Vee Comt

Mon arrivée (My Arrival)

Ok SO! My journey! So much to write! Due to a number of reasons, I just didn’t really feel that almost overwhelming excitement in while I was in Atlanta leaving. Don’t get me wrong I was very excited to go but butterflies hadn’t taken over my stomach—which was good because I could eat and sleep like a normal person. Anyway! The plane ride was decent. I met a very nice couple, the food was good, and the movies were entertaining. I even slept some except for when a little girl started to FREAK OUT when we hit some turbulence. To keep you lovely people informed, I tried to remember some thoughts throughout my travels. Here are the recurring ones:
1. To Heck with this heavy, bulky backpack! Why did I need to pack so much!!
2. Thank Sweet Baby Jesus for Dr. Scholl’s inserts!!
3. HURRY UP!! I WANT TO GET THERE!!!
4. YEAY!! Finally!

I arrived in London to a cloudy morning (surprise, surprise) and waited in a long security line to get to my terminal. It was so nice to hear British accents! And some stores brought back some Scottish memories because of their names and products. But after a little sushi lunch, it was time to hurry up and wait at the gate.

This is where I really felt like I was going to France. All of a sudden I was on the flight and was going to be picked up by my family. Also, everyone around me was speaking French. Holy _____!!!! The plane is late to board and late to leave due to either rain or the 6 people in wheel chairs on the flight. I slept just a touch on this short little flight. Then I disembark and I am in Paris. Holy ______!!!! As I am holding in the contents of my stomach, I shoot through customs and go to get my bag. So I wait for my extraordinarily heavy bags and leave to meet my family!

CDG is not an impressive airport. So it was easy to spot the kids. I saw Eliot first and then Zoe. Neither really recognized me until I too-awkwardly-for-a-stranger smiled and kept eye contact. So I kissed Caroline hello and then the kids. Then we were off to the car!! I’ve been speaking in all English since I got here because my courage is fairly depleted right now.
The car ride was easy and their house is precious. They have ridiculous trees that grow apples and plums and apricots plus many vegetable plants. Their neighborhood in picturesque (pictures to follow—I’m trying hard to act like a tourist, but the second I get a moment alone—pictures-a-plenty, my friend) My room is small-ish and plain, but it’s all that I need.
I brought the kids books as presents (some say lame, I say ENGLISH!): Cat in the Hat and 1 Fish 2 Fish etc for Zoe and Indian in the Cupboard and Where the Red Fern Grows for Eliot. Loved it!! Zoe asked me to read with her, so I read her CITH and then she read/is reading (e haven’t finished it just yet) 1 Fish 2 Fish Fish Fish. Super cute.

The next day. We hung out and played board games after a walk down the street (beautiful). Zoe and Eliot talked more today. Super cute accents. And with little vocab, I’ve heard most of it I think. Zoe says many things are beautiful (boo T full) and judges the characters in the Dr. Seuss books are being beautiful or not beautiful. Eliot is the typical 9 year old boy energy, gas noises and all… but he’s generally chill. Apparently, it’s Zoe that is my biggest fan. AT dinner she asked for her parents to speak in English to everyone at the table, not just me. This is a first and a HUGE surprise for the family! I hope I can keep up the good work!

Final notes: I’ve eaten delicious cheese at every meal since I arrived. In fact dessert in this household is a plate with 4 types of cheeses on it, yogurt, and fruit. Hello digestive adjustment. Also, I sleep downstairs and the rest of the bedrooms are upstairs. Oddly, the family bathroom is downstairs and my bathroom is upstairs… Although it does have some logic to it because one if bigger (family) and mine is just a touch new (thanks French Fam!). I also get the new car because its easier to shift (thanks again Frenchies!).
Ah, mais bonne nuit mes amis! (Good night my friends!!) More to come later!!

– Brief funny story: The British flight attendant was giving drinks out and my lovely neighbor asked for tomato juice which then prompted the attendant to ask if she wanted sauce. I for one had never heard of sauce in tomato juice and neither had this lady. The flight attendant took that beat of misunderstanding to mean that we couldn’t understand his British accent and preceded to say sauce southern-like. Haha… maybe you have to hear it yourself...—