Bailleul and...Belgium?

I was very excited all week about the trip I knew I would be taking this weekend, but that didn’t make my work week any less enjoyable in comparison, really hahah. Ever since I arrived in France, Dominique’s family (a family my mom had grown close to during her time in Switzerland) had been trying to set up a weekend trip for me to come visit them in the North of France, and we decided that this weekend would be an ideal time for everyone! Cecile could tell how much I wanted to go see another city during the weekend so she made it possible for me to not have to work on Friday afternoon just so I could have an extra day with this family my mom had been telling me about since I was just a baby. See? Cecile is an angel, I am telling you. 

I spent Monday through Thursday running with Cecile in the mornings and taking care of Prune in the afternoons, and I know that might not sound very fun but I promise you it is! Cecile and I run very well together because she hasn’t run in three months and I am the least competitive runner in the world hahah. We go slow and we don’t do much talking, but we run for about an hour each time which is way longer than I ever thought I would run outside a track workout or a Turkey Trot. I feel so good after we run! And afterwards we stretch and talk for a while and we are thinking of signing up for some actual city runs that we could do together later in the year if we keep training so much. I never imagined that I could have a boss who I lived with who giggles with me like a sister and talks to me like a friend. :)

Taking care of Prune in the afternoons has become something I not only look forward to every day, but actually missed while I was up north in Bailleul. When I get to her school and she spots me she gets this huge grin on her face and together, after safely crossing the street hand in hand, of course, we race each other to our “spot” in the grass at the park where we have a little after school picnic. She is always starving after school, and I have learned which snacks to bring that will make her actually start to dance while she eats them! We have a lot of fun together and only fight like 2-4 times a day which I think is impressive for an 18 year old and a 4 year old who don’t actually speak the same language yet. She is learning English sooo fast! Every time she surprises me with a new word I feel so proud of both of us! She has fantastic manors in English, too, and has begun to say “no thank you” instead of just “non!” 

We have a lot of little jokes together and games we made up. Some games we play, however, are just ideas I stole from my parents giving me the most wonderful childhood ever! Does this look familiar, Dad? She gave me my first tattoo! 

Anyways, this weekend Dominique’s sister, Christine, picked me up at 10am from my house in Asnieres so that we could drive together to Bailleul! It great to meet such a well-traveled and kind person and I was stoked to spend 3 hours in the car with her and get to see the French countryside through her car windows. We talked a lot and she pointed out different things to me as we drove and explained why they were significant. Apparently, we drove for quite a while over where a big chunk of WWI was fought! In three short hours, we arrived safely in Bailleul and I remember feeling very ready to stretch out my legs and meet the other awesomem people awaiting my arrival! 

When we got to Dominique’s house in Bailleul, I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful everything was. I was greeted warmly with kisses and very yummy food, and then told to make myself at home and do whatever I wanted while they prepared for the yard sale they would have Saturday morning. I wondered around and took pictures of the house just so I would be able to blog about them hahah. The house is huge and very old, and it is so colorful and feels familiar even if its your first time there. There is a gorgeous garden in the backyard with fresh fruits and vegetables and most of the house is naturally lit with wide windows on every floor! 

 

little white room I slept in :)

Because I am in none of my pictures hahah

After I had explored the entire house (sorry I didn’t actually take that many pictures of it) Christine proposed that I bike with her to the market to buy some cheese for dinner, and of course I said yes! Riding to the market on the little streets of all brick houses (which is apparently very common in the north of france because of the flemish and spanish achitectual influences) made me feel like I was living in a different century and I couldn’t help but smile the entire time! I kept pulling out my phone to take pictures  because crashing was actually worth how beautiful I knew the photographs would be! 

And we ended up buying SO MUCH CHEESE! 

And it all tasted sooooo good! 

We ate a bunch of different cheeses that night for dinner! 

We all ate a lot and then went to sleep early so we would be ready for the garage sale the next morning. I didn’t actually wake up when everyone else did, though. I was so tired from being spoken to in French! When the family realized that I could understand most of what they said in French, they spoke to me much less in English! It was good for me to be exposed to so much French language but it made me very sleepy so they let me sleep! The garage sale started at 6am and was supposed to last until 6pm but it started raining around 2pm so we cleaned it up. I thought we were the only family who was going to sell things, but it turned out to be a thing the whole town was doing and the streets were closed off that day just for the event! We spent the morning sitting outside the house with all the antique things we were trying to sell and talking. Dominique brought me a photo album to look through and I got to see a bunch of pictures of my mom when she was visiting the same houes and I all of a sudden felt so connected to her. I knew that if 24 year old her happened to be in Bailleul with me, we would have been best friends hahah. There was even a picture of my dad! 

That is a view of the house from the front!

That evening after dinner, we went to watch Dominique’s son in law’s concert. He is in a band called “Whities” and they put on quite an entertaining show! I do not know that much about music but I could tell they were enjoying themselves so I had a fantastic time. After the show, Dominique introduced me to the band and when they found out I was from California they flipped out and gave me a bunch of flyers and a free CD so that I could “make them famous in California” hahaha! It was hilarious but if you like music and want them to be famous you should check out their stuff! 

The next morning I woke up late and was actually only the second person awake! I went downstairs and had breakfast with Christine and waited for the rest of the house to wake up. I have learned that when someone tells you to make yourself at home, the best thing you can do is listen. I found some yogurt to eat for breakfast, made coffee, and took a shower without asking for everyone’s permission and guess what?! Everything was okay! Making yourself at home makes the hosts job much less stressful, I think. 

Later, Christine told me to come with her to get some flowers for Dominique and also fill up the gas tank before the long ride home. When we got to the gas station, I saw some weird looking words in the window and asked Christine what they meant. She replied in the most matter-of-fact voice, “I don’t know, that’s in Flemish. We are in Belgium.” 

What. WHAT?! We were in Belgium! BELGIUM LIKE THE COUNTRY! I was so stoked and shocked and stoked that I had trouble describing to Christine why it was so exciting for me. In the US, you can’t just casually find yourself in Mexico or Canada because the boarders aren’t that simple. I felt so proud to be in a different country and it made the family laugh when Christine told them about it back at home. Because I was so excited, we all decided to go back to Belgium to have a coffee after lunch before Christine and I headed back to Paris. The little pub we went to felt so warm and cozy and it was nice being so comfortable while it was pouring down rain outside. After the quick coffee stop, we said our “see you soons” and headed back to Paris. 

and across the road...

Getting back to Paris felt nice after a few days away, and that is how I know that this little grey house is starting to feel like home. When I surprised Prune during her bath, she squealed with joy and Cecile told me at dinner about how Prunette had been asking about me all weekend! I had missed seeing Cecile and Fred and Prune, and it felt nice to know that I was also missed while I was away. :)

I am sooooo exhausted so I am sorry if this blog post wasn’t descriptive enough or if some of the pictures don’t really make sense. It is midnight here and I really would like to sleep now hahah. I had so many fantastic moments this week that I don’t have the time or energy to document right now but I want you all to know that I am doing very well here and really warming up to this whole “getting to live in France for a whole year” thing. I love you all! Good night!