Nuit Blanche

     I didn't feel very busy this week, but after going through emails that I sent to my family I see that I had an eventful week. I started French classes, witnessed a fur party, helping with moving boxes from Cecile’s mom’s house, when out to dinner, and participated in Nuit Blanche. I’m sorry to say that pictures didn't quite make it. Or at least good quality pictures. Thank you for reading this post. I love the support I’m getting from everyone. I ask that you take a moment to vote on the question to the right of screen.
   

Geoff's Birthday was this week. He turned 16. This is a
typical conversation between me and my family. 

     Cecile is so funny with the hours. I'm happy to help out when I can, but she doesn't want to over work me. On Monday, she was going to pay the school money to keep Daniel at the school for an hour longer because she was going to need to run Aimée to her speech therapist. She really needed me other days this week so she didn't want to over work me. Somehow I was able to convenience her to let me pick him up for her and that the hours will balance out if she didn't need me as much another week. I don't want her to spend more money when that's the whole reason I'm here. Plus I feel like they give me too much already. It's not trouble for me to help where I can. Cecile still wanted to thank me and bought me a pencil case for school.

     It ended up being really good that I picked up Daniel that day because I met a new girl. Hector is one of Daniel's best friends so while they were running around I met Hector's new Au Pair. Her name is Britney and she is from Texas. I hope I will be seeing quite a bit of her since she will be there every day to pick up the kids she watches. I'm excited to get to know her more. We are going to try to talk to each other in as much French as we can. That should be good.

I get to talk to Ty! 

     The kids were a bit wild this week. Alain was in New York on business all week and I think the kids were a bit upset. The quote of the week goes to Daniel. He and I were making Origami Star Wars Airplanes and he was telling me how the man who invented Origami was brilliant. I told him it was the Chinese who started Origami; he said "I didn't know they had electricity in China!" Haha I don't know why this made me laugh but it did. Oh this kids crack me up.

     I had my first day of classes and I understood everything. The whole class is girls and the majority (if not all of them) are au pairs. I talked to a few girls, but everyone kept looking at me the whole lesson. I'm not sure why. It could be because I seemed to understand and was answering questions, but I wasn't the only one. The girls come from all over the world; New Zealand, Germany, Russia, Austria, California, Florida, England, Spain, and so on. When the break started, a girl came right up to me and started talking. She was sitting across the room from me, and she wanted to talk about what I have been doing for fun. She liked that I didn't drink or party and she kept saying how she struggled around all these younger girls who were just leaving home for the first time. I know she was 23, but I'm not that much older than the other girls. I think I must look older than I am.

     On Fridays, I had double classes. The first class is for communication skills. Mostly the teacher gives the class topics and questions and we are partnered up and talk. We discuss the topics and answer the questions, while the teacher walks around helping with pronouncing and answering our questions. I like this class because I was partnered with a girl from Japan. She didn't speak any English so I didn't have that to fall back on. I did really well. I talked to the teacher a little and the whole conversation was in French. My next class was basic French Skills. I know that I have learned all of this before, but it's just now starting to click. So at least I have the basics down. Or at least understand it a little better.

     This week Cecile hosted yet another get together. It was a Fur Party. Friends from Italy came and brought with them 30 pieces of fur clothing. Jackets, Scarves, Boots... so on. Then throughout the day women were dropping by to order said furs. How strange is that? I don't think I have ever even heard of something like that.

Nuit Blanche. Mixing old with new

     I usually pick up both kids from school and, sometimes, stop off at the bookstore for Cecile to pick up a few orders she called in. I was really stressed out this week a few times. One, I forgot to ask Aimée if she had her journal. Of course, the one day I forget to ask is the day she doesn't have it. I explained to her the consequences of leaving her journal. She is responsible for bringing it home and if she doesn't have it then we don't know what homework she has due. Cecile has gotten mad at her about it a lot because she "forgets" what homework she has due because she doesn't want to do it. She has been much better about doing homework, and she was really worried about missing something with her homework. She was really good to come home and work on it straight away and even looked through everything to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything.

     The second thing that happened was that I didn't pick up the kids when I was supposed to. Cecile and I hadn't really talked about it, and it was in the back of my head all day. Thank goodness I sent a message to Cecile about it and she was able to get to them just as school was getting out or they might not have been picked up. I was really worried that Cecile was going to be mad at me (and she had a right to be). She seemed really OK with it. I took all responsibility for the mess up, and she said that it was a very confusing situation. She was OK that she picked them up. Now I know, and no harm was done.

Bubbles :)

     Cecile’s mom died earlier this year, and I have been helping her as much as I can with all the boxes she got from her mom's house in Italy. I was helping her put always a lot of these beautiful wine and water glasses. They are something you might find at the most expensive restaurant. She was telling me how she and her aunt are the only living relatives in her family. That feels so lonely. At least she has a really strong connection with her little family.

     The movers who brought everything are from Italy and speak Italian. They came and stayed for diner and the night. Cecile knows them so they must be family friends. That is sure nice of them. They only speak Italian. So... I couldn't talk to them at all. Well the kids had to translate things a few times. I felt bad for Cecile. She would talk to me in English, the kids in French and the movers in Italian; Sometimes all in one conversation. She is a very talented woman.

     Cecile officially asked me if I would be willing to extend the contract. She said that she knows that it is early in the days, but they are really happy with the way things are going. She wants to know how that would fit in with school. She also mentioned that they might take me on some of their family vacations. Whoa! I have a few decisions to make.

Outside the Restaurant 

     Aimée was having a lot of really hard time Friday afternoon. She pitched quite the tantrum. As we were leaving the apartment Cecile almost left her here. She would run away from you no matter how much you tried to talk to her. It all had something to do with Daniel almost ripping her favorite t-shirt. At one point Cecile had to grab at her and explain why she shouldn't be running away from her on the busy streets of Pairs. She is going to get hurt and if she doesn't stop and change her attitude she would get to stay at home alone. It was hard to watch for two reasons; one, it's not fun to ever watch someone getting yelled at, two, Cecile was yelling at her in Italian. It was like watching a scene from a movie. It ALMOST made me laugh a little. I held it together and focused my attention to Daniel.

     Dinner out was really interesting. It was almost being in a Diner in the States. Well like a Red Robin, with Diner quality food. Burgers, Fries, HUGE portions. It was like being at home. The coolest part was that we were right next to the Eiffel Tower. If you walked out onto the street it was right there! We met another family at Diner who have kids Aimée and Daniel's age. In fact Aimée was in the same class with Charlie the boy. I'm pretty sure this is a boy she has a crush on. She has mentioned him several times, and her mood changes right away after she saw him.

     OH! And I'm pretty sure that I saw Stanley Tucci this week.

     Last night I went to Nuit Blanche. Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night arts festival. Nuit Blanche translates to White Night. Museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions are open and free of charge all night. All of Paris was lit up with amazing performances. The highlights of the night were: Logorama, a short video set up outside the Louvre on big screens. Église Saint-Merri had a haunted theme going on. Imagine walking through a church at night will spooky lights and videos flashing around the room. Lastly, Hôtel de Soubise. Here they had bubbles everywhere! It was beautiful! 

     This is the first time that I haven't been home during the LDS Conference. It has been so strange for me to be watching in online, and with the time change I don't get to watch it live. It has been a fun Sunday. I get to go back and watch everything that I missed in yesterdays conference. I look forward to watching the Sunday Morning Session Live this afternoon.

     I have had a really fun week and I look forward to more to come. I miss everyone at home and thank you to all those who are continuing to read this blog.