Thanksgiving In Paris

     This was my first thanksgiving away from home. What an experience!

     It’s been a bit hard on my family. Since I’m getting into a good routine here I don’t have as many stories to send home to my family and my emails are becoming shorter. I do hope that things will start to pick up soon. I had a busy and long week.

Our Dinner Table

     I can't even begin to describe everything that I have been feeling lately. I am very happy, and I am learning so many new things. I think that after I am done here, I'm going to need to become a flight attendant just like my mom so that I will be able to visit all these new friends I am making.

     This week the kids got “sick.” On Monday, I got a call from Cecile saying that Aimée wasn't feeling well and she asked if I could pick Daniel up from school since she would need to be home with Aimée. After arriving home with Daniel, we found that Aimée was doing all right, and I think Daniel got a little jealous that Aimée got to stay home all day.

     Cecile needed to leave for London for two days and Alain was in Tokyo all week. I was going to have the kids by myself for two days. Now that Aimée was sick, it complicates things

     Cecile checked Aimée right before she went to bed and found that she had a fever. She got really worried since she was leaving for London the next morning. After checking her all night, and finding nothing, she started to wonder if Aimée was faking being sick. I know what you’re thinking, how do you fake a fever? Well Aimée is a smart little girl and she had hot water bottle. So far the only symptoms she had were an upset stomach and a mysterious 10 minute fever. Nonetheless, she was going to school the next day.

     The whole next morning Aimée was asking me what time I got done at school. Why? “In case I get sick and need you to come get me.” I wouldn’t tell her the time because I knew that she was just trying to get out of school. The rest of the morning went fine with no problems.

     That was when I got a call during class from Daniel's school. He was sick and I needed to come get him. When I got to him he was fine. He looked and acted fine. I'm surprised the school let him leave. The whole way home he was asking me if he was going to get to watch a movie because “Aimée got to!” Oh brother…  

     I talked to Cecile in London and she agreed that he wasn't really sick, but that I should just take him home and take care of him like he was sick. That means that he didn't get to watch any movies, he was to only eat a little because he was complaining of a stomach cramp, and he had to take a nap.

     When I picked Aimée up all she could talk about was how sick she was and that she needed to stay home from school the next day. Of course, as soon as I brought her home, both kids were running around the house playing like nothing was wrong. My goodness, it’s the first time that I have both the kids for 48 hours without the parents and they are pretending to be sick. I was going out of my mind trying to show them what it really meant to be sick. It became a day of teaching the kids that they can't play hooky from school. They seemed to get the point since they were much better the next day.

In Good Company 

     Wednesdays in France are different from that in the States. The kids don’t go to school on Wednesdays, but since the kids are going to a private school, they go to half days on Wednesday. I usually don’t work Wednesdays, but with Cecile gone I worked this one. I picked them up at 12:30, and they both seemed really happy and feeling much better. They got to see their friends, and then we went and to have lunch. It was really fun. I don't think I have had lunch with the kids since the first week I was here.

     Aimée is going to a handwriting specialist. Cecile thinks that she actually might be a bit of a therapist and that maybe she will be able to help Aimée with her anger. Help her to let things go more often rather than hold on to her hate. That's very interesting. I have been working with her a little on that. I have been trying to teach her things that I learned in Young Women but without involving the religious part of it since that’s something the family doesn’t want from their au pairs.

     Daniel has been asking me about science experiments. SO when he gets T.V. time I have been showing him video's from Ellen's science experiments she did on her show. Cecile thinks it's funny and allows it. Well after he watched those he didn't have anything else to watch but wanted more. I'm always trying to find safe things for him to watch, so I started showing him the Bill Nye the Science Guy videos. They are good, clean, and he loves them. Great! Now he wants to do some of the experiments (thanks Bill Nye for the “you can do this too!”). So we tried to do the Mentos and Coke explosion. Well it didn't really work, and Geoff says that I didn't do it right.

     We got to have thanksgiving dinner! Most of my day was spent looking for sweet potatoes and pecans. They do not sell those here in France, or at least not like we do in America. You can find ANYTHING in America. Most time you only need to go to one store and get everything you need from groceries to cleaning products to toys to clothes... I mean think of Wal-Mart. Now imagine each section being a separate store. Now imagine they are spread out all over the city, and some stores carry things that others don't. I plan on mastering this system before I come home. 

The Sweet Potato Souffle 

     Paris doesn’t have much of anything for thanksgiving dinners, because they don’t celebrate it (for obvious reasons). Eventually I did find everything that I needed for the sweet potato soufflé that I was making for the family. Cecile invited Brittany over for thanksgiving, and so began our celebration. We had chicken (it’s hard to get turkey); sweet potato soufflé, green beans, pumpkin soup, and Brittany made a wonderful pecan pie. I got the chance to talk with my family over Skype right before their dinner, so overall it was a good thanksgiving.

     Although I didn’t get to spend as much time with her this week as I would have liked, Emily has been helping me with my French. She has a better understanding of it than I do, and she was able to explain a few things that I haven’t understood in all my years of French. She has such wonderful stories about her home and so many well deserved opportunities. I am so happy to be her friend. It was a good week for friends. I got to see them all, and got to hear all their magnificent stories. They are all so brilliant. How did I get so lucky to meet such amazingly talented girls?

     By the end of the week, I realized how hot/cold the kids were being. They would be crying one minute and laughing the next! I was blown away! Back and forth, this and that. They would be hanging on to me the whole time, then run away saying they were mad and want everyone to leave them alone. It was so bad they once waited for me outside of the bathroom. It was cute and annoying sort of a week.

     Tomorrow is Aimée’s birthday, and tonight the family came over to celebrate. It was a very French night, and I was only able to understand half of it.

     What a crazy busy week. I really hope that next week will be a bit slower.

My Worst Nightmare

This is only up during the Holidays 

     What a WEEK! I am so happy that it is over and I can start this next week fresh and new. This has been the most stressful week since I arrived in Paris almost two and a half months ago. It is such a long story that I’m just going to jump in and describe my week. Sorry to all of you who are reading this story for the second time.

      

     I spent a good amount of my free time looking at school for next semester. I need more French classes since the ones that I am taking are not helping me enough, and I have the time to work on them. I am also going to try to apply for a Communications Internship for next semester while also attempting a few online classes. Hey, I might as well work on my major when I have time right. J Also, because I am still in the process of getting into the French governments system I will need to have a medical checkup which I pay for with stamps.

     I also hear the Utah got a really big snow storm this week! It's funny, while living in Utah I'm not a big fan of the snow. Now that I'm away from it, I miss it very much! Although, I don't miss driving in the snow!

     Thursday was without a doubt the worst day I have had in Paris. This MAJOR event set the mood for the week, and it didn’t get much better from that.

Beautiful Brittany 

     I have been a bit cross with the kids lately. They have been having a hard time listening to me and it has really gotten on my nerves. Well this day was the KING of all days. Every time we go to the metro I try to hurry and collect there metro cards, before they lose them, but Daniel always wants to play with his. I was focused on getting them through and on to the train as quickly as possible, and Daniel was playing with his metro card on the escalator. Right as I was reaching up to get the pass from him, he lets it go and we all watch as it slides all the way down the side of the escalator to the bottom! There is no turning around to get it, and as soon as we get to the top I have to move so I’m not in the way of those behind me. I go around and stand on the other side of the railing next to the escalator with Daniel right beside me, and I'm trying to see if I can lean over to see the pass. I can't.

     Now, all of the following is happening at the same time: I look up to see Aimée standing at the end of the escalator, looking down it. I turned to talk to Daniel, explaining how this is exactly why he needs to listen to me the first time. The train pulls up and a big group of people get off right where we were standing. There are people all around the Metro; some getting on and some getting off. As soon as the train has pulled away and the people have cleared out, I look up to see that Aimée is gone.

Someone in France has an interesting
sense of humor. These are on a lot of statues
around Paris 

     I have never felt such terror in my life than I did right at that moment. Of course the missing metro pass seemed unimportant now, as I am searching the station for Aimée. I realize after a minute or two that she must have gotten on the train.

     I drag Daniel through the station (and I should mention that I am also towing two very large backpacks) to the ticket/information counter where I ask if they speak English. I know there is no way I'm going to be able to pull out the vocabulary to explain what has happened. Of course, they do not. SO I have to talk to them through Daniel (who is six). As soon as Daniel told them we have a missing girl, the man is on the radio describing Aimée with the details that we are providing him.

     Next, I called Cecile. There is nothing worse than calling the mother of the children you are caring for and telling her that you lost one. I explained what happened and she tells me that in an event like this they told Aimée to go to the next station get off and wait. Again because of my poor French, I then pass her to the controller and they talk for a minute. The only thing I’m left with when I get the phone back is “stay calm, and keep me informed.”

     I stay calm. I don’t need to freak out. It won’t help anything, but I am losing my mind. I LOST ONE OF THE CHILDREN!

Booth on the Champs-Élysées. I don't know what they
are, but they are really good!   

     In the meantime the man has turned off his open sign and is on the radio with several controllers trying to locate her, asking me lots of questions. Daniel was very good to answer them all and ask me when he didn't know what to say. Finally, the guy gives me the thumbs up and says they found her. She was at next stop. When she noticed I wasn’t there she had gotten off to wait for me. Keep in mind, she is eight years old. They told me to go pick her up, but that I was going to need to talk to the Police.

     I call Cecile to tell her that they found her and that the police might call her to confirm that she can go with me since they weren't sure if she was trying to run from me. We waited about a half hour for the police to come (they would not let me talk to Aimée until they came) and after answering a lot of question I was finally able to take them both home.

     While we were waiting the lady at the booth told me that Aimée did exactly what she was suppose too. She got off the train at the next stop and went straight to the booth and told them she was lost. I was so proud of her.

     At this point I am exhausted. From the time I lost her until I found her was about 10 minutes. From the time I got to her until she was allowed to come home with me was about 45 minutes.

     Aimée didn't cry or have any problems. She just told me what she did. While she was looking down the escalator a group of teenaged boys came up and asked her if she has lost a Metro pass. She said yes and they gave it to her. She had the pass and thought that I had gotten on the train so she got on. By the time she realized that I wasn't there, she had to make the decision to get off. So all was there and all was OK. It just took a lot of work to get it right.

     I was still really stressed. Mad at myself for letting this happen and worried about what Cecile was going to say when we got home.

     We started working on homework as soon as we got home. The first thing Cecile did when she got home was give Aimée a hug and the second thing she did was come give me a hug. She said that it could have happened to anyone and that it was all OK now. It was something that we all needed to learn from.

My new friend Joanna

     I explained the whole story to her later and she was impressed with how quickly I responded, how Aimée knew to get off at the next stop, and that the police wouldn't release her too me until they had spoken with Cecile. It was all very well done. She went on to tell me about things that have happened when she was watching the kids. I am so grateful that everything worked out. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. 

     It was two days later that I picked up the kids again. It was the first time since the lost child incident. Before we started going I pulled them both aside and explained the rules for our journey home. No running, make sure you can all ways see me, no playing on the escalator, and most important stay together. It was a successful trip.

     This has been a big week full of lessons on listening for the kids. And for me to know to NEVER let my guard down. This could have turned out much worse than it did. I also realize that I don't really know what to do when the kids get hurt or sick. I’m surprised it was nothing that Cecile and I had ever discussed. Now I know. I know what to do and the kids know what to do.

     Sadly, the week isn’t over yet.

     On Friday I was warming up some macaroni that Cecile had made for the kids the night before, and the oven mitt slipped and I ended up grabbing it with the wrong side of the cloth. It was the thinner side of the cloth. I have been burnt before, but nothing like this. I imminently ran my hand under cool water for 15 minutes, and it felt fine. I kept making dinner, but after 5 minutes the pain came back. For the next hour and a half I was switching between cooking dinner for the kids, taking care of them, feeding them, cleaning the kitchen, putting them to bed, and having to run to the sink every 5 minutes to give my hand some relief.

Champs-Élysées Christmas Market 

     It was all four fingers that got burnt, and it got to the point that I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. I thought about calling someone to come help me. By the way this whole time Cecile and Alain were at a play and were unreachable. Not that I would have called them. If it were one of the kids, then yes, I would have tried to call them, but I'm a big girl and I can handle pain.

     My hand felt like it was on fire. There was nothing that I could do to make it feel better, except stand with cool water running over it. I had no pain medication, and no way of getting help. The first 10 websites I looked at said that if it was still painful after 30 minutes, then a trip to the hospital was needed or there would be permanent damage. Meanwhile, I am calmly getting the kids down to bed and cleaning the kitchen. Then I stood in my bathroom with cool water running over my shaking hand, trying to find anything on the internet that would help. It had to be house hold stuff that I could easily find. The website called earthclinic.com had a lot of home remedies. The number one thing for burns was aluminum foil. I thought that was very weird, but was very desperate and decided to try it. As soon as it was wrapped around my fingers the pain was gone. I have never seen anything like that! In the morning there was no pain and all I had were blisters. I am so happy that I didn't have to call the emergency room.

There was a whole booth of things made out of Chocolate.
There were tools, scissors, and camera's, all out of
Chocolate! 

     To top off my week, while the parents were out last night Aimée came to me at 9:00 pm to announce that she was sick and had thrown up. That was the cherry a top the end of a very bad week.

     This week was also drama filled with my family. I’m sure those of you who are friends with my mom heard most of it, but the biggest was that my dear sweet dog lost an eye this week. She is no longer in pain so that is all that matters. I can’t help but think that I was very close to that same conclusion 3 months ago, and I ended up recovering with no side effects. Sending love to my one eyed puppy.

     I also missed my brother in his first High School play! He was Nana in Peter Pan. It’s been hard to miss the little things.

     On a less depressing and gross note, I had a wonderful time seeing Paris with my Friends. After all that drama, it was nice to see them and tell them about my mistake! Well everyone except Sara! And it was her birthday! The day we were supposed to meet she got sick, and I felt so bad for her. It’s not fun being sick, especially since we work where we live. I did get to see a movie this week and that was a new experience.  

     I went with Brittany to the American Church in Paris yesterday, because they were having a Christmas craft market. It was really nice and interesting. It was weird to hear so much English. We talked with a lady who is from Michigan. She said that her and her husband were going to be moving back home after living in Paris for 14 years. He is going to be retiring and they can't afford to live here anymore. She says that once you experience living in another country especially Paris your life is never really the same. Home is never really home anymore. Yet Paris will never fully be your home, and you just wonder in this in-between space. I feel that way, but she made it sound more negative then I think it really is. I don't think I will be the same because I have learned so much about who I am and what I want. Home will always be Utah, but I think I can also make a new home. I feel lost, but not in a bad way. I feel like things will never be the same, but I'm not scared of the future anymore. I know I can be happy anywhere.

     Today after church I met up with Emily as she introduced me to her friend Joanna. I have been so lucky to meet wonderful people! The three of us walked a lap around Paris. I was so tired when I came home, but it was so fun! On the Champs-Élysées they were having a BIG Christmas market that looks like it will be up until Christmas. There was food, hot drinks, amusement rides for the kids, soap stands, toy stands, jewelry and hat stands… it was very fun. We loved it so much that we missed our chance at getting into a fun art exhibit that was what we had originally planned. I’m so excited to go see the street at night while it’s decorated!

     Well thank goodness this week won’t be as hard as this last week, and it’s Thanksgiving! I’m doing something with the family (they don’t celebrate it here for obvious reasons) and I’m so excited to show you all the pictures and stories. Whew! So happy this week is over.

Family is Back!

     Hello! Welcome to my blog. This week wasn’t very exciting. My mom went back home, and I still had another week without the family. I mostly caught up on sleep and homework. I was able to meet up with a few friends and get work done; overall a nice relaxing week.

     I did watch everything with the Presidential Election. What the States don't realize is that the world is watching them. Everyone over here knows what is happening with this election. They know how much influence we have. I’m happy with the results.

     Well my French Family stopped at home in-between vacations. It was strange for me because I wasn't sure what time they were going to come home so I sort of just wondered the house until they came home. I was talking to friends online about the election, and the various things that were voted for and against. I was reading about all the election stuff when the doorbell rang. I can't answer the door because it's locked and I don't have a key for it. There is an eye hole and I ran up to see that it was the kids. When I got out through my door and over to where they were they ran up to give me a hug and tell me all about what they have been doing. It was so sweet.

     For some reason the elevator hasn't been working in our building for the last three days. Yay! We get to walk up four flights of stairs! And let me tell you, it's especially fun when we are carrying groceries or bags. I played with the kids. Aimée showed me all the seashells they collected, and Daniel started going through all the gifts my mom brought for them, for example American coins. They were very interested in the money, and they liked looking at all the coins. Daniel wanted to spend them all. I had to explain to him that the money didn't work here. Yet still he carried them around in his pocket all day. 

     The kids were just stopping in on their way to their Grandma's house for the rest of the week, but they were all very hungry and decided to go out for lunch. Cecile was sweet enough to invite me along. We went to an American Hamburger place (Sort of like a Diner). They have the best burgers I have ever had. When we the food came I started eating it a normal way one might eat a Hamburger. You pick it up and eat it. After a few bits I looked over to see that the whole family was eating their food a little differently. Everyone had taken off the top part of the bun and used both a knife and fork to cut the meat into small pieces. They would also take the tomatoes off and cut that up separately. After it was all cut they would proceed to eat the hamburger with the knife and fork. It was right during this realization that Daniel asked me why I was eating it with my hands. All I could think was "why are YOU not?" Haha well that cultural difference right there. My bad.

I didn't kow the Rocky Mountain made Marshmallows...

     I'm also 80% sure that while we were eating an American Christmas song came on the radio. So that was a very weird moment for me. Needless to say it was a very odd moment for me.

     The kids left with their Grandma and I came home with Cecile. She told me about their trip and how beautiful the island was. She also showed me some of their travel books. She still has her mom's apartment, and as much as she loved the place and the area, she has decided to sell it. She went down to sign the papers. Although, they still want a place to visit, so they bought an apartment in another area of Milan. She says it's more exciting and cultured area. She seems to really like the decision they made. So they went down to talk care of her mom's place, Alain went to Milan on business, and met up with Cecile to sign the papers for the new place they just bought. WOW!

     I have been developing the greatest friendships while I have been here. I am amazed all the time at how wonderful all the people all.

     I love walking around Paris. I could get lost and still be happy walking around the city. I have been finding all these new ways to get around and I have been walking a lot around the area. I found a faster way to get to the Eiffel Tower from my house and it’s a much more beautiful walk. I feel that I can get just
about anywhere in Paris, and if I do get lost then I just find my way to the river

     This week some of my homework involved taking a picture of something that makes my life wonderful. I chose to do it on the perks of living in Paris. I walked over to the Eiffel Tower with the Buddy Bears to take a picture of how the world comes together and show their support in this beautiful city. It was really scary because there was a lady dressed up as Gorilla walking around the Champs de Mars. She walked up right behind me and scared me half to death.

     I spend a night this week talking with Brittany. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. She has so much background and so much reason to be a bitter person, yet she has a love for everyone and everything. I am so happy to have her as a friend.

     Well this week should be back to normal, and excited for everything to go back to the way it was. I have missed the kids and my life family.

Shakespeare and Company

    This week my mom came for a visit. My French family was away for the week on a vacation and were gracious in offering my mom a place to stay while here. It was really nice to have her here. I was able to see my mom for the first time in a few months, and I wasn't home alone while the family is gone.

My mom came to visit and she bought
me a really nice winter coat. 

     My mom and I had a grand old time walking around Paris. She was very impressed with the area that I'm living in. I have been very lucky to live in a really beautiful home and a really nice region of Paris.

     I did a lot with my mom. We went to the Holocaust museum of Paris which was one of the best Holocaust museums I have seen. It was very informative, especially on everything that happened in Paris during the German Occupation. The museum was free, but it would be worth any price of admission.

     We went to the Palais Garnier or the Opera house. It same Opera House that the Phantom of the Opera was set in. I love this building. Inside and out it is one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen. My mom loved it because of the atmosphere of the theatre. She loved the displays of costumes and makeup.

Palais Garnier

     Halloween is not celebrated in France, although it is becoming more popular. The children love dressing up and the youth love a reason to go out and party. We wanted to do something that would celebrate the spirit of Halloween, so we were able to find a Haunted Ghost Tour. The group walked around the city while the tour guide talked about haunted stories in Paris History; including the ghost of the Eiffel Tower, the murder of Henry IV, and vampire stories. The guide was very professional and entertaining.

     Although, Halloween is not very celebrated, November 1st is a Holiday called Toussaint or All Saints Day. It is a day to mourn all those who have died. My mom and I went to the Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery. There were many locals and tourists gathered there together. 

     

     Both my mom and I loved the Luxembourg Gardens. I loved the environment and my mom loved the actives. There was an area where about 50 adults were playing a game of Boules. Many of the things in the park seemed a bit dangerous by American standard but the kids were orderly and patient. Some of the things in the park included a spider web like monkey bars that reached nearly two stories high, a fast zip line type circular swing around, and a hamster run cylinder. The kids were running off steam and energy. They were in control and no one was getting hurt. My mom compared the garden to heaven. I have to agree, it was a beautiful place. 

Luxembourg Gardens/ Playing Boules

     My mom loves Paris. This is what she sent me in an email: “Me personally, I love the subways, I love Paris even in the rain or cold. I adore the energy, the politeness.”

Brittany loves her grandma glasses 

Batman and Superman 

     I did have a big of an issue this week. I guy that I have met several times before asked me for my number. My mom was with me and he has been very nice. Well two days later he had called me a total of 15 times, including a few after midnight. It got so bad that I considered changing my number (he called me from a few different numbers), but after I sent him a message telling him to stop the calls did stop.

     This weekend I went out with Britney. We walked around a good chunk of Paris. Visiting a few antique markets and looking for fun restaurants to eat at. It was a nice two days of walking around and searching for the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore.

     I know that this is the place that I am supposed to be right now. I love Paris and I love my life here. Thanks for continuing to support me.

Art Of Paris

I have seen a lot of really amazing art while living in Paris. I thought I would have a post dedicated to Art. I will try to update this as I see more amazing piece's. I also included lots of architecture, because I love how beautiful.