We Will Be Friends

     One week. That is how long I have been here. It feels like I have been here for so much longer. I love the city, love the people, love the food, and love my family here. 

     I have had a few questions about adding comments after the blog. I believe you don’t need to have an account with Google to do so. If you would like to leave a comment you can mark it under anonymous. So Comment As >>> Anonymous. It should work. 

     This week was FULL of adventures. I don’t think I sat down to rest all week until Saturday. I’m getting use to my different life and new habits. One of the greatest things that I learned this week was how to open my window! Now I won’t get so hot at night! 

     Cecile is like super mom, and she is an amazing cook. I am learning so much from her. I really look forward to dinner every night. Breakfast isn't as big here; usually it’s either a bowl of cereal and milk with a cup of tea or toast and tea. The good thing about eating here is that everything is safe to eat. There are no added chemicals and Cecile is also very cautious about what is in the food. She is also very good about giving the kids a balanced diet. Watching their multivitamins or if they have too much of a certain vitamin. It is a very rare occasion if the kids get any kind of sweets, and because I basically eat the same food as the kids, I'm doing really well, and I walk everywhere I go! Yay for me.

     My biggest job is speaking to the kids in English. That is my main purpose, to speak correct English so they can mimic me. So that's been a bit of a challenge. Did you know that speaking is really hard when you need to continually think about what you are saying and how you are saying it? Well it is! I am mostly picking them up from school, playing in the park, reading to them, or helping with homework. 

    One day, I picked up Aimée and we walked to the le magasin de fruits et légumes, where you buy fruits and vegetables, to pick up a head of garlic for Cecile. Aimée is so smart. I don't think I knew what a head of garlic was when I was her age, let alone know how to stay it in both French and English. Both of the kids are smart. I forget they are only six and eight all the time. 

     

     After I picked up Daniel they were both super hunger, and it took me the whole walk home to explain that we were going to lunch and “no we can’t stop to buy a snack.” They have very good English, but I like to catch them off guard. They sometimes will speak French to each other when I'm with them. Most times it’s so they can ask each other how to explain something, but I knew this time they were just doing it because they could. Instead of telling them in English I said "Je ne vous comprends pas, s'il vous plaît parler en anglais!" They were both so shocked! Haha. Aimée said my French was getting really good. I would love to practice my French with them, but Cecile told me not too. "When you are with me you are supposed to practice your English."

     I took the kids to school this week and that was very stressful. The dropping off run is a much quicker pace then the picking up run. I don't know how Cecile has been doing it all this time. It's really hard because both the kids go to school on opposite sides of the Metro stop. So you would need to get off the Metro go one direction to take one kid then back track and take the other kid. If you are running late I can't even imagine what it might be like. The kids are good though so it wasn't too bad. 

     I always need to check to see if they have homework but it's all in French. They bring home these journals that tell what homework they have for the day. Aimée is very bad at this and always puts it on the wrong day or forgets to bring something home. Daniel is very good about his Homework, but his usually isn't very hard. Today Aimée had to memorize the song We Will Be Friends. It’s the song that is well known in America, and I was kinda surprised that she needed to learn it for school. 

Market at the Metro

     I have gotten the hang of understanding what they like and what they need. They are so friendly. I haven't even known them a week and already I feel so accepted by them. They treat me no differently than they do their parents and understand that I am the adult but also there to play with them. They will come running into my room from the other side of the house yelling "O-liV-Ei-A! Come here I want to show you something!" Then they will take my hand and drag me away. It’s funny to watch them with English jokes. They tell the cheesiest jokes in the book, but because it’s new to the whole family they laugh for hours. So if anyone has any funny jokes I can tell the kids I would LOVE to hear them.

My Favorite Spot in Paris.
Place de la Concord

     It's still kind strange for me how quickly the family accepted me into their family. They give me a set of keys to their house, and send me off with their children only a day after really knowing me. No test runs, no seeing how I am. If I were in their place I would be super scared that the person would steal from me. Maybe that is just how we are taught. Or maybe these things happen more often in the U.S. I don't know what it is, but they are so trusting. The kids too! I think they are more worried about over working me than anything. 

    On Wednesday, I got off the Metro Dupleix there was a HUGE farmers market going on all the way down under the train tracks. I had a little time before I needed to leave so I was able to walk through it a little. The food is so fresh and sweet. I haven't had any sugar since I got here just because the fruit is so good. That is all I need. I talked about it with Cecile and she couldn't understand how we get our fruit and vegetables. They only have seasonal foods out and she thinks it silly we can get most fruits any time of the year.  "Do you need to buy it Frozen?" Nope, it’s just got lots of genetic alterations and preservatives. She won't buy American cheese because of the preservatives. It was hard explaining Costco to the family.

     I went to lunch with another girl from Utah. Her name is Sara. She went to Murray High School. She only has one more semester at the BYU, but decided to wait to gradate until after she came to Paris. She is awesome to talk too. Her family lives outside of Paris so she needs to take the train in. I knew I would like her when I first met her! We walked around Paris exchanging stories and talking about how smart the kids are here in France. Then we found this little Cafe and stayed there for lunch. It was really nice. 

     

Sara and Viktória  

     I went with Sara and Viktória (another Au Pair from Hungry) to the little restaurant area later in the week. It is a very popular area at night. There were people out everywhere. It was really fun. Sara is a wonderful person and Viktóriais very sweet. Sara thinks exactly like I do, and I really enjoyed talking with her and Viktória. We then walked around Paris, and Notre Dame. The river is beautiful at night!

    It’s weird to live in an apartment complex. I have never lived like this. I hear all these noises from the neighbors all the time. Not annoyingly so. I don't hear them much at night unless I am already awake. I can hear people walking around and doors slamming, people talking... It's all very new for me. 

Me and Monica

     After I drop the kids off, I walked through the city. I had a lot of time to kill since I didn't want to go back to the apartment (the maid was there cleaning). I really like Paris. It's a very beautiful city. They have put a lot of work into making it a wonderful place to live. So when I was killing time I walked through the streets. All the shops where setting up for the day. There were bread shops, flower shops, cheese shops, and so on. Just walking through and seeing the older lady arranging flowers for the display our front (they smelled wonderful), and the bread shops baking fresh bread for the day... Wow! Everything looks so clean and well kept. 

     

     Cecile said something really interesting the other day about the difference between American and France. She said that America is a very energetic place. The energy in the air is so different from Europe. Everything is quite paced. She says that France is not like that. France is calm and clearer. It has a different vibe about it. She said that American is still a very young country and that European counties have had more time to figure out problems. It's like comparing the countries to people. Saying that American is still a young teenager compared to all the countries in Europe. Europe is the older mom who sometimes gets caught up with trying to be "hip" again. I agree with her about the difference between them. I don't feel like a clock is ticking above me as much as I do at home. Yes, I have a set schedule, but there is no rushing around. Maybe it will change when I start classes and become busier. No one in France seems to be in a hurry.  

Line outside Elysee Palace

Outside the Church in Paris

     Today was a great day. I went to church where I met many new wonderful girls from Utah. BYU Study Abroad Program. After me and Sara tried to go to the Élysée Palace because this weekend all the buildings that are not usually open to the public where open. We didn't get in because the line was REALLY long, the longest line I have ever seen. We both met up with Monica, a girl from our ward, and her boyfriend Jeff who was visiting Paris for a week. We walked around the city with them and got something to eat. I learned that both Monica and Jeff were new converts to the LDS church. It was amazing for me to see how strong their testimony was and how excited they were for this coming conference. It made me excited for conference. 

     Tonight I went out with Dorrie, a friend of my mom's from work. She is a lovely woman and very personable. She was so great to answer all my questions about her job as a flight attendant and why she enjoys flying Paris so much. Thank you Dorrie for a wonderful evening. 

     Thank you to everyone who reads my blog. It's nice to know that I have a following of people who like to read what I'm up too. I will try to keep the posts coming and make them as interesting as possible. I love and miss you all.