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! 

 

What a Fantastic Week!

Boy oh boy oh boy, do I have a lot to tell you wonderful people!

This week has gone by sooooo fast but it was such a good one. I feel like I have officially adjusted to the time change and am making a lot of progress in adjusting to the city life and culture. :)

 

 

On Monday morning, Fred, Cecile, and Prune came back home from the South of France and I was so happy to see them again. They arrived home just as I was waking up, and I couldn’t wait to show them how much happier I was feeling after a weekend of forcing myself to acknowledge all the positive things about living in France. Cecile took Prune, Eden, and I on a walk in the forest so she could show me where she likes to run. It was great to get away from the city for a couple hours and enjoy the tall trees (even though they will never be like the Redwoods hahah). Prunette took her bike to the forest to ride around and Cecile and I took turns chasing after her so she wouldn’t crash! We stopped at a little cafe right by the forest to drink some tea, and we could see the tip of the Eiffel Tower from where we were sitting! I was so grateful to breath some fresh air and chat with Cecile because she is such a fantastic person to talk to! We always make each other laugh and her English gets better every day. She says that when I start language school she will speak to me in French so that I can learn better, and I am excited for that! 

 

 

On Tuesday morning I went to Prune’s school with Cecile and Prune so that we could meet Prune’s teacher. The teacher is new this year, and she seems very kind. After the meeting, Cecile showed me a beautiful park that I will take Prunette to every day after school so she can play and release all her energy. I had no idea there was such a lovely park so close to home, and I am glad that I will get to spend so much time there! It smells like baguettes because of all the surrounding bakeries, and you can always hear children laughing there and the grass is so green! We spent awhile at the park and I took turns talking to Cecile and then playing with Prune when she came and pulled me away from Cecile. On the car ride home, Cecile told me that she can tell that I will be good for their family because she doesn’t want Prune to have a nanny, she wants her to have a big sister. Big sister is a job I can most certainly do! 

Wednesday was a fun day, but I found myself having what I consider to be one of the most amazing complications anyone could have! Magui was throwing a little birthday party for Jade because she wanted to have a party where she could speak in Spanish with all her latino friends in France. I, of course, was absolutely stoked to be invited to a Spanish-speaking party, because I love being able to practice. There were moms there from Chile, Venezuela, and Colombia, and I loved talking to them because it felt nice to not make people have to speak in English for me. They were a bit occupied with their kids running around, but I loved hearing them sing songs in Spanish and say things to their children that I ACTUALLY completely understood. The difficult part of the party, however, was trying to remember who spoke which language. You see, the moms all spoke to eachother in Spanish, but their kids mostly spoke French (even though they understand Spanish). The moms would speak to Cecile in French when they talked to her, which is great, but it was hard to have a conversation with all of them because Cecile has to speak in English with me! So I basically spent that entire party not knowing whether to say “gracias”, “merci”, or “thank you” whenever I was handed something. I consider myself a lucky girl to be stuck between three languages! 

When it was time to hit the pinata, all the little kids gathered around to take turns. The kids, however, were fairly small and it was taking a long time to break open the piñata. After about 10 minutes, one of the moms had the wonderful idea that I should hit the pinata until it burst open so the kids could get the goodies inside, and even though I was a little shy, I said yes to the oportunity with a Rotary smile hahah. 

Thursday was Prune’s first day of school, so she wasn’t around in the morning and I got the opportunity to go on a nice little run and practice some French before picking Prune up from school. Since it was Prune’s first day, the plan was to meet Cecile at the school and then go to the park. Before going to meet Prune and Cecile, I walked from my house to the post office to drop off a letter, and using what little French I know, I was able to comunicate with the people at the post office to buy the right stamp and they were very nice! People often say that French people can be cold towards those who don’t speak French, but I think those people haven’t lived here. I now believe that if you approach someone with a kind smile, and use the politest words you know, they will treat you as they themselves would like to be treated! People like to be nice, I think. 

After school, Prune and Jade were pretty tired, but they still played at the playground for quite a while! When we got home, I gave Prune a bubble bath while Cecile made dinner. When Fred got home, we all ate together and it all felt very familiar! I love dinners with Cecile and Fred because they are such a cute couple and they feel like my friends. They are always competing and teasing eachother about who speaks better English and I enjoy telling them about my day and telling them little stories about Prune. Prune doesn’t understand everything I say in English, but I can tell she will learn fast. She already knows to say “water, please!” when she is thirsty and I have taught her to always say “thank you” when she is given something. I feel proud of both Prune and myself when she learns something new, because it is very rewarding to know that I have used my knowledge to help someone else learn. 

 

 

On Friday I met Cecile and Magui at Prune and Jade’s school so that we could surprise Jade with a birthday lunch. We went to a delicious sushi restaurant and I learned, after ordering, about how no matter what you order, you will be served like four courses of different foods! I looove sushi, and it was great to eat it with the two little cuties and their moms. After dropping the kids back off at school, Magui, Cecile and I went to a cafe to sit outside and drink some tea. They spoke in English for the most part so that I could understand, but every now and then they would start talking in French and I am proud to report that I understood a lot of that too! 

After school I went to pick up Prune and she came out of class a happy girl. She saw I was there to pick her up and her face totally lit up and I knew we were going to have a fun day! We went to the park to play for almost two hours, but towards the end we hit a slight bump. Prune is obsessed with the swings, and I had been pushing her on one of them for about 40 minutes when a little boy ran in front of the swing. They collided pretty hard and it not only knocked the little boy over, but it also kind of threw Prune out of the swing and she tumbled to the ground. I started yelling as I saw it happening, and ran over to make sure she was okay. She was crying and I was holding her and a bunch of moms came over and were talking to us and I was trying not to cry because I just wanted Prunette to be okay. I told the moms that I don’t speak much French and asked one of them to say something calming to Prune in French. After a few minutes, Prune was completely fine and just wanted to swing more. I guess on Friday I realized that this year, Prune will probably fall a lot and I won’t always be able to stop her, but if I am there to hug her after and cheer her up, I will be doing my job right.  When we got home, she was a perfect angel and took her bath without any complaints and drew me pictures while I made her some dinner. Using a little French, I told her she could watch TV for ten minutes after dinner if she ate allllll her alphabet noodles, and I think I said it right because my bribery completely worked. After ten minutes of TV, she came upstairs with me where I read her a book and then kissed her goodnight. She can be a crazy girl and an angry girl and a stubborn girl, but she is a very very sweet girl when treated with love and patience. I already love her a little bit. :)

 

 

 

 

OKAY SO SATURDAY WAS BY FAR MY BEST DAY IN FRANCE SO FAR!

Thanks to a german girl, Stella, who I met in Chile, I was put in contact with a german au pair named Julia who lives in Paris. Julia had messaged me on facebook saying we should meet up outside the Louvre, and I was nervous because I doubted my abilites to find her there if I had never met her in person, but I decided to go because I really wanted to make a friend. When I spotted her in the crowd, I smiled and waved and she greeted me with a hug.  A HUG! My first actual hug in two weeks! We walked around the and took pictures and got to know each other. She is only 17, but her French is amazing and I can tell that she is probably a great au pair. We decided to get a coffee across the street from the Seine, and it cost five Euros for one coffee! In my head, that is like $7 so I learned my lesson about buying food in tourist traps. After drinking coffee, we walked over that bridge with all the locks that everyone always takes pictures of, you know? I don’t know what is is called, but I know you have all seen pictures. I call it the lock bridge! Paris always takes my breath away with its beauty, and I loved having someone to enjoy it with. We decided to wander around some smaller streets with no real plans in mind, and we took pictures and just kind of talked and told each other stories of home. The smaller streets are the most beautiful, I have decided. There is nothing like being somewhere where you don’t feel like a tourist. :)

Julia told me about a german au pair picnic she was planning on going to that evening at the Eiffel Tower, and she invited me to join her even though I’m not german. I was hesitant, because the idea of having to take the Metro at night was scary, but after some thinking I decided that making more freinds would be a great idea, so I said yes! Julia had already bought a baguette for the picnic, but it was at her little appartment so we took the metro to her place. Julia’s arrangment with her family is much different than mine. She lives down the street from her family in a tiny little appartment that she shares with a local hospital nurse. The appartment is up six flights of stairs and the kitchen and bathroom are in one littel tiny room together, but she is getting through it by saying that one day it will be hilarious that she had to live in such a strange apartment at such a young age. Seeing her place made me very grateful for my living situation, and it also gave me a lot of admiration for Julia and her positivity. On the way to her place, we stopped to buy a little treat at a boulangerie nearby, and we got a great deal on some delicious little cake things. We didn’t know what we were buying, but they looked so good and we decided it would be an experience. On our way to the Eiffel Tower, we stopped at a supermarket and I bought some cheese to go with the baguette. We were hungry and excited to make some friends!

When we got out of the metro, however, IT WAS RAINING! We were afraid the picnic had been cancelled, but we had our yummy French food and we were determined to have a good time. So, we huddled under a tree and laughed about our silly situation as we ate our bread and cheese. When we were done eating and the rain had cleared, we decided to walk around a bit and we ended up running into the girls we thought weren’t going to show up! They were four other german girls with very friendly smiles, so we sat with them and shared some wine. They talked in German a lot so I didn’t understand, really, but I didn’t care because my dream had come true. I was at the Eiffel Tower, and I was not alone. The girls I sat with were so nice and even though I didn’t understand the conversation, I knew it was a happy one and I was just glad to be there. It also occured to me that they will be good people to be friends with, because after a few months it will be way easier for us all to speak in French, and that way I won’t spend too much time speaking in English so I will learn the language! I left the Eiffel Tower at about 8:45, just as it was getting dark, and I felt safe on the metro ride home. When I got home, Cecile and Fred said that I looked happier than they had ever seen me, and they were right! I had survived a full day in Paris. I had made friends and ordered coffee in French. I had taken the metro at night and felt confident about it. I knew better than ever before just how okay I will be this year, and I was excited because I even more plans for Sunday!

This morning I woke up completely sore from my adventures the previous day, but super excited for the day ahead. I had arranged to meet up with Larissa, a German girl who I met when she was on her exchange in California, the same year as Juliana! We met up at the train station is Asnieres (my city) and then boarded a train to Paris, ready to explore whatever we could of the city! We got off in the center of the city and walked down the small cobble stone side streets in search of something to eat for lunch. We walked for hours and hours, and found a little brasserie to get some sandwiches. It was nice to catch up with Larissa, because we know a lot of the same exchange students and can laugh at the same funny stories from her exchange! We looked around for a park to eat our sandwiches in, but ended up stumbling upon a hidden but beautiful square where there were some benches and we ate our lunch there! Afterwards we walked around for another hour or so and found a free museum! It was Musee du Carnavalet, which is rich with Parisian history and a lot of beauiful paintings! We explored the museum for a while before setting out to see what we had been told is one of the greatest views of Paris. The view is from a very tall church on a little hill, so we took the metro there and then hiked to the top! There were a lot of tourists, but it had an amazing view of the city and it was nice to sit and look after having walked all day long. 

We were very tired at the end of the day, so we decided to take the train back to Asnieres to get a coffee before she took another train back to her city. There is a cute cafe across the street from the station, so we had some coffee and then said our goodbyes. I discovered that I really like drinking the little shots of espresso that they call coffee! They are so yummyyyyy. 

On the way home I called my beautiful Grandma Sally and it was so nice to hear her voice. I would like to say that she is one of my hugest blog fans and probably the main reason that I try to stay on schedule with my entries. :)

 

So, as you can see, I have had quite an eventful week and am enjoying my time here more and more every day! Sorry about the literal 3,000 word blog, I just have sooo much I want to tell you about! I am excited for this coming week and month and year and just everything! Thank you for reading. :)