Going to the Doctor... in France (part 2)

Well my body seems to have the worst timing ever! I started feeling really sick again last night and sent my doctor an email. This thankfully works... I'm shocked that I can even do it! I was able to tell him exactly what was wrong with me and why I couldn't be getting sick (I'm going to Italia!!!). He sent me an email back saying my appointment would be at 11:30am. I got up this morning.... feeling ok, got ready, started feeling worse... but trucked it down the street to his office.

The other doctor in the practice was in today, so the waiting room was more full. It's so amazing how easily the doctors come out and the next patient gets up and goes into the room. There's no sign in list... no way to make sure they know who is next.... the doctor just comes out, shakes the hand of the next person who stands up and you go into the office. When you go into the office, you hand them your carte vitale...which brings up your medical history and medications you're on. You tell the doc what's up and he asks you to come over to his examining table.

He listened to me breath, took my blood pressure, made me say "Ahhh" and that was that. He said, "You've had a fever?" I said... "Yeah, pretty sure." And then the next thing I know he's writing me a prescription for amoxicillin, a steroid you dissolve in water, nose spray, cough syrup, and more paracetamol. I paid my 23 euros (unsure how that fits into the cost and trouble of getting my stupid health card), we shook hands, and that was that!

I went to the pharmacy right away, getting everything I needed. This cost was reduced with my card at least (only paid 9 euros for 4 boxes of amoxicillin and more). I also stopped at the grocery store getting lots to drink and a few last minute things before Victor gets here. He arrives into the Lyon airport around 11:30 tomorrow. I hope these drugs work their magic!!!!

I'll keep you posted!

Reste cool:)

Leen-say the Baby-seater (and more)

Last night, Corinne and Luc came to fetch me around 7pm in their brand new Volkswagen Touran... a mini-van that would be eaten by my family's Ford Freestar. (Even the big cars are so little in France!) They were very excited to show me all the features (including an ipod jack and long sunroof)- they had just gone to pick it up before picking me up.

Corinne and Luc crack me up because even on a date night (where they're supposed to leave and I stay), they chitchatted with me forever and still had to make a quiche for our dinner.... they joked about just staying home to eat with us, or better yet, taking us all out to dinner. They couldn't find the rolling pin to roll out the crust.... the girls wanted to help set the table but got into a little tiff, Luc took all the kids for a little ride around the neighborhood, Luc called around to make dinner reservations, etc, etc. Finally, around 8:15, they were ready to leave (after Corinne changed clothes). I thought they'd never go! (But at least I did get to see how to make a real French quiche!)

Les enfants and I played some wii bowling while the quiche baked (they proudly told me they'd been bowling for real, once), had our quiche dinner with mousse au chocolat for dessert and watched a kids talent show until the parents came home around 10:30. I mostly entertained Lucie, the youngest, but during dinner I got asked some cultural questions by Julien (Are we allowed to talk at the table in America during dinner time?) and talked about the Biebs with the girls. Lucie kindly announced that her mother's chocolate mousse reminded her of le caca and the other two said it was good, but not her best. I said- you guys!!! Don't tell her that! I think it's yummy! Their response was, we like having Leen-say as our baby-seeater and laughed... in a cute way, not an evil way;)

During the kids talent show, Qui sera la meilleur... Ce soir? (Who will be the best... Tonight?), we saw adorable little French kids battle it out through song, dance, magic tricks, gymnastics, and fact recall (I don't know how else to call it, one 4 year old could find countries on a globe and a 5 year old could tell you about every major league soccer team in France). Lucie would get up and mimic the performers... Emilie would give her expert opinion on the performances and Julien laughed at all the American song choices... saying: "You're everywhere!!" I couldn't tell if he meant it in a good way or bad way....but he ran upstairs at one point to retrieve his full size American flag. Apparently, he really likes flags, and ours is his favorite because of the 50 stars and 13 stripes haha. And then, Lucie pété-d.... Julien yelled out- "Nooo! Lucie!!! That stinks! You're representing France for goodness sake!!!!" And ran to open a window. I just laughed... kids are kids everywhere:)

When the parents got home, Julien promptly told on his little sister and both parents giggled, shook their heads and said, "It's a good thing she's cute or else we'd never be able to marry her off!" And with that, Corinne drove me home:)

This afternoon I went into Lyon to meet Hannah and Caroline for a quick lunch at the same tea shop my dad and I went to. They once again burned my panini... so I think I should steer clear if I ever go back. Hannah and I had thought about seeing a movie but we couldn't choose which one and when...and decided we were better off walking off our lunch and doing some shopping in stead. I've been having sharp pains in my heel again (I had plantar fasciitis the last time I walked all over France... so I think it's finally catching up with me). I got some new little walking shoes with comfy insoles (that was an interesting conversation with the sales lady in French...) and a few other little things for my trip.

Now I'm going to chat with my parents and watch a movie! 2 more days!!!

Reste cool:)

Onward to bigger and better days

I had sort of a crappy day yesterday.... I missed my bus, so I had to walk to school (I even woke up on time, just got off my morning routine somehow). Oh yeah, and it was raining.... bleh. Then I got to school and the doors were already locked at 8:32, so I had to call and have someone come let me in. I apologized a million times, but they didn't seem to care or notice that I wasn't there yet because it was Carnaval day. In all of my other schools, they have moved Carnival up a month so that it stays far far away from any traditional religious meanings. It is a festival that happens the week leading up to Lent, in order to consume all rich foods and get the partying out of your system before the period of Lent begins (kind of like our Mardi Gras, but they do it the entire week or weeks before). As Lent begins on Wednesday, March 9th, this school was technically doing Carnival at the right time, they just forgot to tell me about it!

Because it has religious connotations, the school gives a theme each year. Part of the tradition of Carnival is to disguise yourself in a costume. In many French elementary schools, they have the kids parade around in their costumes for parents to take pictures. At the end of the parade, everyone feasts on crêpes, cakes, and other goodies. This school's theme was "nature," so everyone was wearing green and brown as a base for their costumes. I was wearing a white sweater and black pants.... so I couldn't even pretend that I knew what was going on!

I was able to do an English lesson with the CM class, although the replacement teacher for Murielle told me straight out that she was sick and wouldn't be doing much for me.... so that was helpful. Then, I was supposed to stay and help her class make some sort of nature man for Carnival in the afternoon, but she changed her mind and had them do math instead.... So I left to go find the CE class, who was making crêpes. This was kind of entertaining... albeit a little crazy. I helped a group mix up some batter, but there was only one hot plate, so my group got antsy waiting to actually make their French pancakes... we played a few games, but the bell sounded and I never got my chance to make the crêpes with them.... tant pis.

I went upstairs to do my lesson with the CP class. In explaining directions, I used the "tu" form of "you" to tell the kids what they were going to do. When speaking to a group of people, you must use the "vous" form of "you." I know this rule.... but at the beginning of when I got to France, everyone always said, oh just get in a habit of using the more informal "tu" form because I was using the more formal "you" tense when in doubt. Now, I am pretty good about saying "vous" in formal situations and "tu" in informal situations... and although I have gotten much better at knowing when to use what tense, I still slip up when trying to explain directions to a class of 6 year olds. I figure at the worst, they're just going to shake their heads and think, silly Lindsay. But this teacher decided to correct me in front of her entire class. I just got so discouraged.... I never correct her odd sounding English accent, or anyone's English accent/grammar, for that matter, in front of a class. If they ask, I correct them, and if it's really bad, I find some way to work it into a conversation or email after class to make them aware that what they said was incorrect. Never, do I ever make them look stupid in front of their class. I know she was trying to prevent her kids from learning poorly spoken French from me, but I just thought.... wow thanks, as if I'm not already trying my hardest here.

I stayed for lunch, which I haven't done in a while. I was glad to see Murielle when I got to the teacher's lounge. She was there both for Carnival and for another teacher's birthday. She did the... oh it's so nice to see you... kind of thing, but once the other teachers got there, I sort of disappeared. I ate my lunch listening to them... only one preschool teacher asked me how I was doing.... and I wasn't about to speak up and comment because I was having internal French speaking confidence issues. I'm certainly not blaming Murielle, I know she's very sick and was pushing it to be at school, but everything has changed about the environment at this school since she's been ill. Or maybe nothing has changed... and it was Murielle that I really cared for... who knows. But the point here is, instead of staying for Carnival, I left and ended up in tears on my way home.

Reflecting back on yesterday morning, I sound fairly pathetic getting upset over some miscommunication and a teacher who always intimidates me (it was just a matter of time before she did so publicly)... I got home, though, and immediately just felt so much happier. I was out of the rain... I realized I won't have school for 2 weeks.... I talked to my mom about a few upcoming job possibilities for when I return home in May... and I only have until Tuesday to wait for Victor to be here! I did some trip planning, watched a movie, and went to bed very early (I haven't been sleeping well at all this week... which was probably another reason why I was having myself a little pity-party).

So- onward I say to bigger and better days. Today, I am doing my laundry, working out, and going to Corinne's to babysit this evening. Tomorrow, I'm going to see a movie with some friends and do a little pre-trip shopping. Sunday, I'm going to pack and clean like a mad person. Monday, I'm going out to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants... yep, you guessed it, Brasserie Georges, with Helen, Caroline, Hannah and her friend named George (she thought it would be an appropriate place to dine). And Tuesday, I will be picking Victor up from the airport! We leave for Venice on the 3rd, taking an overnight couchette (sleeper train). We spend the day in Venice on the 4th, train to Florence on the 5th, train/bus to Siena on the 6th, take our Tuscany Wine tour on the 7th, train/bus back to Florence on the 8th, and take the midnight train home to Lyon, arriving the next morning on the 9th. Phew! He'll stay in Lyon until the 13th, and I go back to school on the 14th. (Then- I only have 6 more weeks to teach, 2 weeks of vacation, and then I'm home for good!!!)

Hope you all have a wonderful end to your week! I'll write tomorrow to tell you how babysitting goes:)

Reste cool!

one more day

I'm so ready for break!!! I just want it to be Tuesday already.... All I've done today is plan for our trip to Italy!!!

I made cookies with Nat's class yesterday... that was messy, but fun. Otherwise, just another crazy day at school. My kids are allll excited about their 2 weeks of vacation. We shall see how it goes tomorrow... we'll just be reviewing and wrapping up a few units!

Hopefully I'll have enough of an attention span to write a real post tomorrow!

they do exercise!

Yesterday afternoon, after my tutoring lesson with Julien, I went on another bike ride with Corinne's family (including Luc this time, but still no Julien.... guess he's too cool!). We took a route I am familiar with (from the bus) to a park called Parilly, pronounced Pa-ree-ee. I often get the metro from the Parilly metro stop, but I had never ventured into the park. From the road it doesn't look like much, but it's actually huge! There are bike paths and hiking paths.... soccer fields, handball courts, and rugby pitches... a hippodrome (horse race track) and a tree farm. On a chilly Sunday afternoon in winter, there were tons of families and couples out biking, scootering, walking, and running. They even have exercise stations with outdoor weight machines, ellipticals, rowing machines and more! Apparently this is the place to go in Saint-Priest when you want to run in public.... although I have to say, French people still look very fashionable when they work out!

After our ride through the park, we went over by the University I pass on the tram. Even Luc who's a professor at another University branch in Lyon said that this particular branch looks so run down you'd never know it was still in use. That kind of made me feel better to know they don't all look like that! We soon wound our way back to their house where we had the afternoon gouté, or tasting, I've become so used to:) They brought out an Italian pound cake covered in powdered sugar. The girls soon had sugar everywhere.... but so did the parents, so I figured it was just one of those things that was supposed to be messy and dug in!

I'm babysitting (hopefully for real this time) for them on Friday night:)

I had a good day at school....but I can tell the kids and teachers are all ready for vacation (me too!). I actually came home and took a 2 hour nap because I was so tired from actually waking up on time today hehe.

Tomorrow I'm staying at school for the afternoon to make cookies with Nathalie's class. Corinne told me they're making crepes in the late afternoon too.... so perhaps I shall find something to do in the computer lab in between the 2 so that I can make an appearance at both:)

Hope you're all having a nice day! Maybe you have the day off for President's day??

Reste cool:)

Pérouges (Pay-rouujjj)

Hello! And let me take you on a virtual tour of the Medieval town of Pérouges, France!

This small village is located north-east of Lyon, just 30 minutes by train. The tiny and currently under-construction train station is about a 15-20 minute walk away from the little Medieval village perched on a hill (or 25-45 minute walk- depending on if you take a slight detour like us, and how in-shape you are to make it up the steep gravel mount). There are sheep grazing the hills as you climb up to this blast-from-the-past village (and I do mean... passst). The town was home to farmers, ploughmen, weavers, butchers, and ironworkers.... these craftsmen enjoyed communal freedom as early as 1236 (according to the visitor's website).

The town's name is tied to another city of the same name in Italy (also known as Perogia). A Gallic colony is said to have migrated from Pérouges, Italy to this area of France. The Romans built a look-out tower in this village to defend their prize Lugdunum territory, or Lyon. The first historical date I can find for Pérouges is 1167.... something about some guy taking refuge in the walled-in-city to get away from the troops of the Archbishop of Lyon. So- let's just say- it's purty old:)

You can enter the city through either the Porte d'en Haut or the Porte d'en Bas (high door or low door). We entered through the "low door" arch where you can find an inscription that reads when translated: Perouges of the Perougians, impregnable town, the Dauphiné scoundrels tried to take her but could not do so. However, they took the doors,the hinges and the locks and fell with them. Let the Devil take them! (How dramatic! Perfect for the set of the 3 Musketeer's!) Through this entrance, you continue onto the Rue des Rondes, or what I liked to call it: "the round road"... because it goes around the entire village. Once we had seen all that we could see, we made the loop a second time just for kicks.

When we first arrived, we were pretty hungry from the adventure of getting side-tracked and climbing the baby mountain hill, so we went straight for one of 3 open restaurants in the village- L'Auberge du Coq (or the Rooster's Tavern...?). Their specialties included farm raised roast chicken, the famous Perougian galette au sucre, and grenouilles... Yes- frog legs. And well- when in Pérouges, I say taste the frog legs. For an apéritif, I had a delicious kir... so I was ready for my froggies when they brought them out in the old frying pan and hot plate apparatus. The woman scooped a hearty portion onto my plate... I guess to show me I shouldn't eat them from the pan, and gave me a wet-nap. They are deep-fried in a garlic batter... so as you can imagine, they didn't taste half bad. I had to get used to how many bones were in each little portion... so that got annoying after the first few (I'm not big on having to work too hard for my food lol). Thankfully, they also brought out a huge casserole dish full of the regional favorite gratin dauphinois (or very creamy scalloped potatoes). The bland, but super creamy potatoes balanced out the greasy froggies (with meat that tasted somewhere in between chicken and fish). I can only call them froggies now because it's been a few days since I ate them. I had to try very hard not to think of the frogs-in-wheelchairs scenario when eating them or later that evening. They weren't bad, but I don't think I'll be eating them again...

For dessert, I tried the Pérouges famous galette au sucre. A galette is technically translated as a flat cake made of puff pastry, but the one I had in Pérouges tasted more like a pizza crust covered in sugar. It was nice, but I think I'd rather a nice mousse au chocolat or tarte aux pralines:)

After our lengthy French lunch, we headed back out onto the round street. The streets are very narrow and cobbled. If you ever find yourself in this little town, make sure you have on sneakers. (I can't imagine trying to walk around in high heels!) We were surprised to see cars driving on the narrow streets amongst the modest grey stone houses.... can't imagine that's good for your tires...

Anyway, on our walk, we passed the village's one and only boulangerie, a few gift shops (I bet this place is pretty crowded in the summer), the 15th century fortress church, a 33 meter deep well, la Place du Tilleul (sort of town square), a 13th century Ostellerie, 2 sun dials, and beautiful old houses with wide first-floor windows where merchants displayed goods long ago. The fortress church was built before the siege of 1468, but destroyed by the townspeople themselves to keep it safe. It was rebuilt in the following years, keeping this Medieval church in remarkable condition. It was a cool church (and I do mean cool as in cold too... very drafty!)... with circular windows and wooden statues from the middle ages.

Although the town started to feel a little grey and dim after a while on a chilly February day, it is easy to see why this cité has been voted as one of France's most beautiful villages. I'd like to come back in the spring time when there is a bit more color though! Even still... it's both so rich in history and charm... that the Pérouges visitor's website boasts of a recent visit from former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hil;)

Hope you enjoyed your visit!

Reste cool:)

Cosmic Bowling, Del Arte, and Le Ciné

Friday night, I met Nathalie, Eve, and Elise at my Tuesday school around 5pm to go out for a night of bowling, dinner, and a movie. They'd been talking about it all week, and I had been looking forward to it as well, so on the drive over, we all acted like excited little girls:) We drove west towards another suburb of Lyon called Brignais. This is actually the town that my friend Hannah lives and works in.... but we didn't go into the nicer old town bit, just straight off the auto-route and through an industrial zone to the complex with a restaurant, cinema, and bowling alley. As you know, I don't get out much into the other suburbs of Lyon.... or get driven around much in cars, so it was sort of weird to see the more industrial areas surrounding Lyon from the auto-route. There's a huge oil refinery and other factories with smoke stacks and all their glory. But- I guess it's no different than what you'd find around many other big cities....I just hadn't ever really seen this side of Lyon before...

On our way there, we talked about everything from the upcoming vacation time to religious beliefs. They're all going skiing (in different areas) with their kids and husbands during the break and we talked about my trip to Italy with Victor. This lead to a discussion about what I'd be doing when I went home in May.... if I'd be moving back home with my parents or moving in with friends or in with Victor. I said that I'd be moving back home for at least a little while, but didn't know what was next... depended on a few things. But, I found out that all of them lived with their husbands before they were married... and even had children before they were married. Apparently.... being asked to move in with someone or to have a child together is taking place of getting engaged and getting married in France. This is so unlike in the United States where, for the most part, there is still a set way of doing things- you get engaged, you get married, you have children. Obviously there are more and more people who go "out of order" and do what they want regardless of our cultural traditions... but it seems that in France.... people who go "in order" are in the minority. All of my teachers moved in with their then-boyfriends first, had a baby, and then got married. They said they did this mostly so they'd all have the same name...and for other legal reasons... and less for religious or family values. They said they would be a loving family regardless of the marriage title. Many couples go much longer or even forever without being married. The divorce rate is very very high in France... so I think marriage scares people a little bit.

This then lead to our discussion on religion (because people don't put so much value into marriage and marriage before children). France is a majority Catholic country and has obviously been so for a very long time (just take a look at all those huge Catholic Cathedrals I've visited!). France is also laique- or there is a strong separation between church and state. French politicians would never say "God bless" and the Ten Commandments would never ever be put up in a public work place or school. Virginia's moment of silence would definitely not fly. Unlike the United States where we have freedom of religion, France has freedom from religion. No one can tell them how to believe or even influence their belief system. They are free to not hear about religion in a public place; it has its place in the privacy of a person's home/family/church. (If you have heard about the ban on wearing Islamic head scarfs in French schools, this is the principal reasoning for it).

But on the other hand, there has been a sharp decline in practicing religion at all in France. My teachers all discussed their dislike of the Catholic hierarchy, the fact that only men are allowed to be priests, etc., and all of their unanswered questions about faith. They like the idea of the family values and the traditional holidays, but otherwise... that's about it. The United States is, in comparison, a majority protestant country... my teachers commented that they'd like to see how a typical church service is done in America... they think it might be something they could relate to more. But, it's very interesting how different our two societies are in terms of religion... we have many more "believers" in the United States... more people who attend church regularly, who have weddings in churches, more religious communities. On the other hand, we also have a lot of people who push the boundaries of our own separation of church and state.... more fundamentalism... etc. Hmm... food for thought I guess...

Anyway- we finally fought our way through Friday afternoon traffic and got to the bowling alley. Eve had never bowled, Elise maybe once, and Nathalie a few times. I was supposed to be the American expert (haha). We chose our bowling balls, shoes, and started playing. After we all went a few times, the lights went out and on came the black lights and strobe lighting for Cosmic bowling. We ordered pre-dinner apéritifs (the French just love their pre-dinner drinks). This time I had a kir instead of whatever weird drink I ordered the last girls night out. By the end of our game, Nathalie had won with a score of 75, I was in second place with 49 (eek I didn't even hit 50!), and Elise and Eve with something in the 30's. We had fun, so that's all that matters. However, I did have to suffer a few jokes about being American and losing in bowling:p

After bowling, we went just next door to an Italian restaurant chain, Del Arte. France has very few chain restaurants... most people still opt for the locally owned tried and true, mom and pop bistro/auberge/café/brasserie (and in Lyon's case, the bouchon)... so I was surprised this was the place they took me to. Although they joked that it was a food factory (busing people in and out), it did have pretty good food. We all had salad, pizza, and dessert. We spent forever sitting and talking.... and waiting for our movie time to arrive (10.30!). This time our conversation roamed around what French people thought of Americans and what Americans thought of the French. They were appalled that there is the stereotype of French women having hairy armpits.... they gasped and so "NOOO! That's not us, that's the Germans!!!"

I got out of seeing Black Swan... one of the other teachers had also heard that is was fairly depressing and we didn't feel like seeing that on our fun night out. So we opted for the more light Nathalie Portman comedy, No Strings Attached, or Sex Friends as it is titled in French (I don't know why they do that.... change movie names to something else that is also in English...). It was fairly silly... but oh well... at least I didn't have crazy ballerina nightmares!

I got home around 1:30am.... so it was off to bed for me before my day trip to Pérouges!

Hope you enjoy the bowling pictures:) (The one of all of us- right to left: Nathalie, Me, Elise, and Eve)

Pérouges Picture Post

Coucou!

Well- I'm very sleepy after a late night and a big day.... so here are some pictures from our little adventure to Pérouges. I'm going to post about my fun night out with les filles and write a more detailed Pérouges post for you tomorrow:)

A plus!

we must steer it up!

Gotta love it when little French kids attempt to pronounce English words. This morning I worked with my older kids on colors and emotions... continuing from last week. Although I said the words multiple times, using pictures to help, listening games, and miming games... when I finally wrote the words up on the board to help students remember a large amount of vocabulary... I get some of the most hilarious pronunciations. "Scared" becomes scarrr-ed; "tired" becomes teer-ed; "orange" becomes or-ah-ngees. I try not to giggle, but sometimes.... after having them repeat and re-repeat so many times and they still add their little French twinge, it's just too funny.... and to be honest, a little nerve-racking! I say- don't say it like you're French!!! Pretend you're me:)

Besides silly pronunciations, I'm getting frustrated working with the oldest kids at this school because the replacement has their schedule all out of whack and somehow I end up rushing through my 45 minute lesson in 25 minutes or less and they still miss out on recess. She doesn't do much to help me with behavior until it's too late and then she yells at them... which makes me feel bad that I didn't prevent them from getting in trouble. AH! Murielle will be out now until sometime in March.... I haven't heard much of her progress- other than she's needed more time off and more medical tests:(

But on a high note, I feel like the CP teacher at this school is letting me teach a little more than she usually does. I've decided because she knows these kids are "hard," she kind of goes over board with discipline and then they go over board with acting out. I feel like she's constantly yelling at kids for every little thing.... and when I come in... I feel like I need to suggest things to her before actually doing them; whereas in my other schools, I just teach how I want and the teachers help me out when I need it. I usually come out of her class feeling just as tightly wound as the kids do.... but today wasn't half bad. I think it helped that I prepped her with options via email the day before...

I came home in between schools, had some left overs from the night before and prepped for my afternoon lessons on recipes. I headed over (with a tram full of noisy middle schoolers.... they're always heading back home from lunch at the same time I am... the middle school is just across the street from the elementary school), made my copies, and headed upstairs to work with the "big kids." I actually had a lot of fun with these lessons.... I read out a recipe- had them guess what it was I was reading, and then we worked on what we needed ingredients-wise and what to do. When we got to the part about stirring... the kids saw the little words on the recipe sheet and tried to read it as "steer." I tried to explain that steering is what you do in a car, stirring is in a bowl. By the end, we were all air-stirring and saying "stiiiirrrrr!" Oh me- that would have been funny to rewind and watch later hehe.

After my recipe lessons, I went downstairs and ran into Nathalie's class. She said that they were reserving us a lane at the bowling alley for tomorrow night, haha. I don't think bowling is something they typically go out to do, so this should be fun to witness... although I really shouldn't talk- I'm good for about 3 goes and then my arm gets tired and my total score ranges in the 50's lol.

I took the tram home, nice and quiet this time:) I stopped to pick up a few things at Carrefour- water, milk, soap.... and I just happened to stroll by the baguette aisle and pick one up. I had eaten 1/4 before I even got through the check-out line, and finished another 1/4 at home with some carré cheese. It was good- but I hate it when I do that! It's not my fault though- I think they put something in it that makes you want to just eat it like a celery stick... and then you think- where'd it go???

Hope you're having a nice evening! I'm going to attempt to do yoga after that baguette fiasco. I did do some serious running/working out yesterday and have been walking around like I can't bend my knees today. In all reality, every muscle in my body sort of screams when I move one way or another.... eh bien voila- that's what I get for trying to be good:)

Reste cool:) I'll try to bring my camera tomorrow for bowling and show you how we do it in France!!! (Oh and ps- babysitting for Corinne's fam got rescheduled to next Friday... too much going on tonight for them to go out!)

Saint-Valentin Continues... un peu

Bonjour mes amis!

I had a nice day at school... more animals in Corinne's class, more colors and emotions in the CE1 classes, and we made Valentine's in the CP classes after I explained our traditions and we practiced saying "Happy Valentine's Day!" I told them that they could give their cards to their parents or grandparents.... or even their amoureux if they wanted. This got a laugh, but surprisingly enough, a few little girls did make cards for boys in their class. I tried so hard not to laugh in Nathalie's class because a little girl gave a card to a boy named Jules. Jules didn't even look at the card, he immediately turned and gave it to the kid behind him:( Nathalie explained that it's impolite to turn away a card or gift and that he should say thank you. He took the card and shook his head.... like ah man.... not this again! Apparently, the little girl had given him a card yesterday on Valentine's Day.

During lunch, we recounted this little lover's quarrel and the other teachers asked how we avoided situations like this in American schools where everyone gave out cards. They also wanted to know what you did with the kid who didn't get any cards at all. Apparently one of the CM1 classes I worked with last week voted on whether or not they would try out our custom of card giving, and they actually voted not to do it in fear that they wouldn't get any cards:( I explained that everyone gave out cards to everyone in the class... and most cards given out are pre-made, so there's little room for overly lovey messages... although there are always a few that are slightly suggestive to romantic feelings.... very slightly of course as they usually involve a cute rhyme- Be Mine Valentine.... with a Scooby-doo background. The teachers were probably confused, but they said ohhh ok it's a little more organized then. Sure.

After lunch, I spoke with Eve and Nathalie about our upcoming soirée (also going out with Elise and Mireille). We're going to go bowling, go out to dinner, and see a movie this Friday. They asked if I wanted to see anything in particular, but I didn't know what was out. They all mentioned "Black Swan." I had heard that it was an odd Natalie Portman movie.... but I said sure, sounds good. I got home and saw the movie trailer.... and immediately thought- oh crap. I am not a good horror/suspense film watcher... and this one seems to be fairly freaky. I'm going to try hard to persuade them to see something else.... but we shall see I guess. :-o

On Saturday, I'm going to Perouges with the girls. It's a cute medieval town just outside of Lyon, 30 minutes by train... so it will be a nice little day trip. It was voted as one of France's most quaint villages, so I have high expectations! Take a look for yourself:http://www.perouges.org/

So- Thursday night I'm babysitting for Corinne and Luc.... Friday out with teachers.... Saturday going to Perouges... and then I have one more week until Victor comes! I'm sure I'll be busy busy busy being excited and getting ready for our trip to Italy. I've already borrowed a few books from Luc (who lived in Siena for a few years). Today I read through some phrases in the handy Italian phrase book. It's actually French-Italian, so that makes for an interesting puzzle... I think about the French phrase first... then attempt to pronounce the Italian without sounding French. When I explained this to Victor he said- I'm going to speak English. I'm sure that'll work too:) But personally, I like to do as the locals do. Unless of course I'm in Switzerland and have no idea what anyone is saying because I'm nul at German.

Hope you're having a good week!

Reste cool:)

Valentine's Day Holiday Identity Crisis

If I was in my own classroom in the United States... I would have probably enjoyed a very pink and red day full of cupcakes, candy, valentines, cute-sy crafts and decorations (with hopefully an ounce of educational value). My kids would have brought in heart covered shoe boxes and if I was lucky... maybe even chocolate or flowers for me! By the end of the day, I'd be ready to send them all home on the bus with their boxes full of Hello Kitty and Spiderman themed cards.

In France however, they have not been over taken by this Halmark holiday (I say this in the least negative way- I'm a Halmark holiday sucker). Instead, it has remained a day devoted to adult romance in honor of Saint Valentine.... for those that actually celebrate it. At the lunch table today, out of the 7 other teachers, not one teacher besides myself and Vincent, the director, said they were doing anything in particular this evening to celebrate the holiday. Vincent said that he would probably stop on his way home and buy flowers for his wife.... otherwise that was it.

When I told them my parents had sent me Valentine's candy and I had gotten a few cards from friends and family (thanks by the way!!!), they were shocked! "You mean....your parents sent you something for Valentine's day?" And then when I told them I sent flowers to my sister, they were even more blown away. To them, love is between lovers. I explained that with my family and even a few friends, I say, "I love you." They explained to me that very rarely do they tell their children or parents they love them.... it just seems weird to do so. They aren't cold by any means... I think Corinne and Luc are very loving with their children.... they say little pet names and kiss and hug their children often. But- the phrase, "Je t'aime" is left for lovers... and very occasionally very close family members. Instead, for example on Desperate Housewives, I hear this said often, "Bisous" or "Bises" when the wives are on the phone with their husbands. But... similarly, when signing emails, most of my teachers and Corinne's family writes "bisous" or "grosses bises." This technically means "kisses," but I've come to learn that it's kind of like how British people sign things "xx" or "xoxo." I guess it means... fondly, see you later, kisses- all wrapped into one. I guess they do the double cheek kiss when they meet someone for the first time.... so in that sense, it does make sense that they write kisses at the end of things. Interesting, non?

I would say maybe 2 or 3 students in each class wore the color pink, and whether it was purposeful, I can't be sure. No one brought in any sort of candy or cards for their teachers. I'm sure if they had, it would have been thought of as sweet, but really really out of the ordinary, and potentially strange. Had I not done a few lessons on our traditions, I doubt many students would have even realized what day it was! When I asked what day it was, I got proud, "It's Monday!" responses lol.

In my CP class, we worked on presenting oneself, "Hello, my name is.... I'm... years old." After everyone practiced saying it, I asked if they wanted to sing any songs. They requested the song I taught around Halloween- one little, two little, three little pumpkins.... and Jingle Bells. So, just to sum up, we sang a Christmas song and a Halloween song.... on Valentine's Day :)

On my way home I stopped by the post office to pick up a package. It was from my Aunt Molly, who sent me an amazing box full of American cooking goodies and a pretty blue sweater. I'm actually wearing it right now because after walking home in the rain, I was freezing and put it right on! And now I'm going to have some rice-a-roni for dinner:)

Anywho- I hope you all have a nice, Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!

Reste cool:)8

Some Sunday Cycling

This afternoon I tutored Julien for about an hour and a half while the rest of the family went out to eat for lunch. One of Luc's cousins was coming into town later in the day and they had spent all morning gardening and cleaning, but didn't have enough time to do any grocery shopping for lunch. We worked on reading, understanding, and translating little texts that I thought up and wrote down. Most of what I thought up was just about what I had done this weekend, but after a few of those paragraphs... I asked if he was interested in anything particular, US-wise. He wanted to know about US-Russia relations, if we were really scared of the world ending in 2012, and the Civil Right's Movement. Between tv, his parents, and school history lessons, for a 13 year old, I thought those were pretty intellectual topics. I threw in something about Justin Bieber, but only because I had just watched an episode of David Letterman on youtube and thought he might be interested since he's only a little bit older than Julien. According to him though, "everyone makes fun of him because of his expensive hair cuts...." lol. Oh well, at least I tried to relate to the younger crowd:)

After tutoring, the fam came back and the girls went for a bike ride. Luc stayed to wait for his cousin and Julien went to a friend's house to study. I borrowed a bike, obviously as I have no bike here of my own, and we did a little 30 minute ride around the neighborhood. It probably shouldn't have even taken that long, but with Lucie, she stops and starts and needs help, so it took a little longer. She's very cute, I know I say this every time, but maybe it's her little French expressions that make me think she's just the most adorable little kid. In any event, it was nice to be on a bike, one of France's most popular sports, especially on Sundays. We saw a lot of families out on their bikes or walking dogs. It was maybe a high of 55 today, so not terribly warm, but pretty nice for mid-February!

After the bike ride (which by the way I saw Fourvière hill at a distance.... that was pretty neat), Anise, the cousin, had arrived. She's in town to take her concourse.... a written test that if passed, ensures her a job in working with infants to 18 year olds in the field of well-being (I'm not really sure what that means... but something like working in day cares or hospitals). I've learned that in France, for most public jobs, you take a test after a certain amount of schooling, and if you score in a certain percentile in a region, you are guaranteed a position. Like teaching, if you want to teach in the Lyon area, you take the concourse in Lyon. If you are in the top 400, you are guaranteed a position somewhere; if you don't pass or make the cut off, you have to retake the test again the next year or in a different region. A few teachers I work with said they had to retake the concourse 2 or 3 times before getting a job.... very interesting system....

We sat and drank tea (actually, I had also had a coffee right before the bike ride too.... so I won't sleep a wink tonight) and ate little italian cookies. I shared some Valentine's day cookies and red hots. They, too, enjoyed the little red heart candies, saying the same thing that everyone says, "They're spicy!"

Corinne drove me home around 6:15... the girls were very excited... and a little loud with their young second cousin visiting, so I was ready to head back. On the way back, Corinne asked if I could babysit for them this Thursday and we talked about me chaperoning a field trip to the circus in April. Yepee!

It was a nice little visit, but now I have to get busy! I haven't had time to plan yet!!!

Reste cool:)

movie day and pancakes

Yesterday, I spent pretty much all day watching girly movies in honor of Valentine's Day weekend (Sweet Home Alabama... which made me want to immediately pack my bags for home and then head south to Georgia, Romeo and Juliet, always a crowd pleaser, Paris Je t'aime, and 10 Things I Hate About You). Besides having the jam hearts (which, sadly were sub-par.... I think they needed frosting or something), I made big, good ol' fashion pancakes with syrup for breakfast (which, sadly I'm almost out of my pancake mix, but fortunately, I think I have more coming soon!!!). I did my nails and cleaned up my apartment.... took a quick trip to the grocery store/walk to the castle, but otherwise, it was a pretty relaxed day!

Today I'll be tutoring and lesson planning.... and maybe a little trip planning for when Victor comes! I have to brush up on my Italian phrase book- grazi! Only 16 more days of waiting!

I know these aren't the coolest pictures.... but I've had a few requests for more pics.... so enjoy them:) The sunset was taken a few nights ago.... the day the fog was so bad in the morning. I'm thinking the pollution must create beautiful sunsets, because I have some of the most colorful sunsets I've ever seen!?

More later!

tgif!!!

This was the first real Friday I've had in a long time and when the clock struck 4h30, boy was I happy to be going home! My in-service wasn't terrible.... I feel like people keep dropping like flies, either they didn't show up at all or left periodically throughout the day. And although I was about 5 minutes late, I was one of the early ones! I appreciate the activities and effort the curriculum specialist put out there... but man, I'm glad that's done with!

I came home to not only a series of spastic Washington Post updates about Egypt, but an email from Laurence saying that she was changing positions due to personal reasons! I wrote back immediately saying that I hoped that even though she was no longer in charge of me that I could still keep in touch with her. She wrote back fairly quickly, saying not to worry, she'd still keep up with me, but if I had questions concerning my position, that I should contact someone else. Hrmmm, I hope everything is ok.....

Anywho- it's the weekend!!! I'm going to relax and enjoy my Valentine's day weekend, even though I can't be with my Valentine:/ Only 17 more dayssss though!!!!

Reste très cool;)

fog or smog?

Last night a layer of fog blanketed Saint-Priest and I assume, subsequently, Lyon. It was so thick this morning when I woke up that I literally couldn't see anything but little balls of light coming from street lamps and cars. I thought.... shouldn't work and school be canceled for today? How is anyone going to be able to see to get to work! But.... the bus was there when I got to my bus stop, so I guess life doesn't stop for fog ;)

When I got to school, I commented on the brouillard, and Murielle's replacement said, "Well you know it's partly due to pollution and all the radio/tv stations told people to drive more slowly to decrease emissions on their way to work." I thought.... well that's strange. I guess it could be fog/smog, so I looked it up when I got home. Apparently Lyon is in fact a part of a "chemical corridor" and is at a higher risk for pollution. This is a statement I found on the official Lyon website: The metropolitan area's geographic situation makes Lyon a sensitive city in terms of air quality. The presence of the Rhone and Saône rivers in a rugged landscape including the Croix-Rousse, Fourvière and Sainte-Foy hills has generated a distinctive topography with a marked influence on the way pollutants disperse. South of Lyon lies the "chemical corridor", and the prevailing local winds are north-south and south-north. In climatic terms, winter in Lyon is often marked by temperature inversions resulting in higher temperatures at altitude than in the lowlands. Since 1959, air pollution has been a core concern for the City of Lyon, whose range of clean-air measures was implemented many years ago. In 1961, the City of Lyon Hygiene Bureau and the APPA (Association for the Prevention of Air Pollution) set up a manual air quality surveillance network. Another network monitoring the Loire/Rhône thermal power station was created by Electricité de France in 1963 and the ALPOLAIR network was set up by manufacturers to monitor the industrial zone south of Lyon in 1975. COPARLY was founded in 1979 and in 1993 the four networks were combined into one entity. So... I guess that's good to know that they make monitoring the pollution a priority.... even though it kinda stinks that they have the weird "geography=higher risk for pollution" problem in the first place. Hrmm.

In any event, I had a nice long school day (and by the late morning the fog/smog was clear!).... I did my emotion+color activity with 2 classes in the morning, did a short recap lesson on family vocab with the CP class, and helped a few students with their classroom work before it was time for lunch (the students I helped are ones who get in trouble often.... but in reality I think they act out because they need more support with the exercises they're doing.... it made me feel good that I could help them succeed with their work, even in French!). In the afternoon I gave 2 CM1 classes a lesson on Valentine's Day.... explaining the tradition of having parties at school and giving out Valentines. This is very foreign to them.... France just doesn't celebrate the holiday like we do! These lessons went well, although the first class was very chatty and I had to get a little bit stern.... which always makes me uncomfortable while I'm in another teacher's classroom. I hate to feel like I'm over stepping my boundary with behavior management, but it was getting ridiculous! The other afternoon class has a wonderful teacher who's very on top of things... it's always interesting to see how teaching the same lesson can go so differently with different groups of kids with a different classroom teacher!

After school, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I spoke with a teacher about a recipe for "jam hearts" and I thought I'd try it out! You cut out ready-made puff pastry in the shape of a heart, put strawberry jam in the middle of 2, and then sprinkle with sugar. You take a fork and press down around the edges of the little jam pockets.... and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes! They are incredibly easy to make and extremely cute. I haven't tried one yet, but I'll let you know how they are:)

I'm exhausted after my big day.... so I should get to bed early before having another long day tomorrow. I'm soooooo glad tomorrow is my last in-service. But thankfully, since I missed 12 hours of work when I was sick, these hours count towards making up sick leave. Shew.

Almost Friday! Can you make it?

Reste cool:)

ps- Shout out to Judi- Thanks so much for my get well card! I am fortunately back to la joie de vivre:) Let's hope it stays that way!!!

shop til you drop and valentine's day goodies

Yesterday after school I went to the mall at Part-Dieu. You may have heard me talk about Part-Dieu's train station which is the one that I can get to fairly easily on the bus. There is a huge mall/movie theater across the street from this train station. This area of Lyon is not one I've taken many pictures of because it's got fairly new buildings and architecture, as opposed to the more interesting roman empire/middle ages/renaissance/17th-19th century architecture of the other areas of town. The mall is 4 floors of every store one can think of; I know I only came close to getting through half of it. I was on a shoe/clothes-for-my-trip-to-Italy shopping mission... and 3 hours later, I semi-successfully came out with a dress and 2 shirts... no shoes:(

I had a fun school day... In Corinne's class, I continued teaching animal names. I've decided that if I put out books and flashcards on a table, they're more likely to talk about the subject naturally as opposed to me making them sit through a story or play a little game. They would pick up a card and talk about the animal in French and I'd sort of mention the English word and they'd turn to their friend and say what I just said. It was pretty cute. And although I think I've only successfully taught them the word for dog.... and maybe sheep, I feel like that's a pretty good start for 4 and 5 year olds who are still learning French, their first (or even second) language at school.

In my CP classes I got to work with half of the group which was awesome. It made me realize how far I've come in my French language skills because I'm able to do a lesson and behavior management successfully... at least with 6 year olds:) In my CE1 classes, I did a neat lesson with colors and emotions and the kids got to act out certain things like jealousy and anger.

I had brought in a little plate of brownies and other Valentine's Day candy goodies from my package. I figured I should share so that I don't force myself to eat it all before Valentine's day;) (Wouldn't have to force much hehe). So during the break, my favorite teachers hung out with me in the lounge and all had a little tasting of reese's peanut butter hearts, red hots, and brownies. They looooved it all. They were shocked at how moist the brownies were, intrigued by the cinnamon tasting candies, and amazingly pleased with the peanut butter candy (as the French usually scoff at the mention of peanut butter). They don't celebrate Valentine's day at school like we do, so it's been fun to talk about with them!

Today I went down the street to do my laundry and cleaned up my apartment. I'm about to make heart cookies to share with teachers at school tomorrow. I know I could have gone downtown and done something cultural today- that would have probably been more interesting for you to read.... but sometimes I just need moments of normalcy. I don't want to go a whole 7 months without doing things that I would normally like to do (like baking Valentine's Day cookies), just because I'm in France. And to be honest, sharing American goodies with my French friends is a very cultural experience... I always think back to one of my earlier blog posts about why I'm here... I'm hear to exchange cultures and to create relationships with people from a different culture. And the museums will still be there in March and April. I'm not done here yet! So if I want to spend extra time creating thorough lessons and making cookies to share, I should!

Anywho- hope you're all having a nice week!

Reste cool:)

packages- je t'aime

I have had an awesome day:) Despite waking up an hour late for work (yes, I know.... don't I do this every Monday???), I made the bus, had a great lesson with Sabine, and tried some weird tasting wine at lunch. Apparently they were actually serious about someone bringing in wine every Monday for me to try. This one was called a MacVin.... no relation to MacDonald's.... and I think there was speak of it being made with rum? I didn't care for it.... a little too strong for my likings when paired with meat, rice, radishes, and cheese (actually a pretty good lunch today). I had a kiwi for dessert.

After work, I stopped by the post office to pick up a package from my parents (got the slip Saturday afternoon after the post office was already closed!). It was 14 pounds of wonderful:) I unpacked it, got very excited about the Valentine's day candy+, and made a grocery shopping list so that I could focus on not eating it all, hehe. I went to the Carrefour (my neighborhood supermarket, translated as crossroads), and spent my time choosing my week's groceries wisely:)

This evening I got to talk to Victor, my sister, my mom and more.... so that was a highlight as well. I love not being sick- I have so much energy to do everything I want to do! Now- must go to sleep and set 3 alarms for tomorrow. I vow that I shant wake up late again while I'm in FrancE!!!!

Reste cool:)

lovely sunday

Although I am not celebrating Super Bowl Sunday (not that I usually do much anyway), I still had a very nice day. I went over to Corinne's to tutor Julien. I brought brownies, which we tasted after we went for a little family walk. I played freeze tag with the girls and had some left over birthday cake from Lucie's party (which was yesterday). She turned 6 and was very proud to tell me so when I got there. After our little desert tasting, I sat and chatted with Luc and Corinne who are going to give me another babysitting go for Valentine's Day (hurray!). Luc drove me home because Corinne is still feeling under the weather (she got the flu right after me.... this horrible thing is everywhere!).

Have fun to all you football fans (American football that is!). Time for me to get to bed. Can't be late for the important lesson I'm giving on family members!

Reste cool:)

sun, shopping, and stuttering kings

I tried blogging this morning after sleeping in and cleaning my apartment.... but it was just too beautiful outside to sit inside! I left around 1:30 to go into Lyon to meet up with Hannah and her friend Mia. They were going to see the King's Speech at 4:20, so I had some time to kill. I decided I'd take another look at some shops while the sales were still going on...try to find some birthday presents or something. It took me over an hour to get into Lyon.... the tram was packed with lots of families with kids and bikes.... so I guess it just took longer with so many people getting on and off at each stop.

Once I got off and walked through Rue de Victor Hugo... I thought my goodness! I guess I wasn't the only one who felt cooped up this week. There were loads of people out! I went into a few stores, but it was just too packed to really look. I eventually met up with Hannah and Mia and we got our seats early for the movie (which was a good thing as it was packed too!). The movie was sooo good.... very interesting, funny at times, but also heart warming and uplifting. I highly recommend it! (It's about George VI, Queen Elizabeth's father, who had a stutter, but lead England throughout WWII). After the movie, we went to the crêperie I went to with Lindsey and Amy back in November. I had the crêpe tatin (warm caramelized apples with whipped cream, yumz). I took a picture to show you! (It's been so long since I posted a picture!!!)

Anywayz- reste cool. Going to go chat with me mum now. I'm tutoring tomorrow... but not doing much else accept readying for the week ahead!

"lesson planning" (semi-kidnapping)

Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from a teacher, Sabine, who works at my Monday school. She was calling to tell me that she's being observed by the inspecteur... or the guy in charge of the Saint-Priest district. Apparently he works in Laurence's office, although I've never seen him there... and he is a step above the pedagogical advisors. In any event, teachers are observed every 3 years and it's a pretty big deal when it happens. She didn't know she was being observed until a few days ago- and so before the weekend got under way, she wanted to know if we could get together to plan my lesson that I do first thing in her classroom Monday morning. Of course I agreed and she said she'd be by to pick me up at 3:30.

Earlier in the day, I went down to do my laundry. Although I was pretty winded by the time I got to the laundromat, I made it a-ok. I even stuck my laundry in the washer and went to get myself a little pastry as a reward for my efforts. I ordered a chocolate croissant, which is different than a pain au chocolat or what I usually get for breakfast.... a chocolate croissant is a regular croissant laced with milk chocolate on the inside and dipped in chocolate on the ends. It was actually my first tasting... and it was heavenly. I skipped the drying process because all dryers were in use.... and huffed up my 5 flights of stairs with my wet laundry.

I had told myself I needed to go to my Tuesday school just to use the computers/printer to do lesson plans anyway when Sabine called. She actually picked me up from there at 3:45ish.... and soon after she told me she needed to stop by the library first. So we went there.... she returned some books and looked for a few others.... About 4:30, we made it to the school where she needed to arrange her classroom for Monday morning. She works at mi-temps, so only 2 days a week. Tuesdays and Fridays there is another teacher in her classroom.... and in order for the room to be presentable for her observation on Monday, she needed to come in Friday afternoon. I sorta just hung around... talked to the other teachers who asked if I had recovered from la grippe. It was actually kind of nice to see them after being at home alone all week.

We eventually left the school, once Sabine had arranged the room and picked up some papers to grade. We drove to her house, which is in a little village called Genas, not far from Saint-Priest. It's definitely a little bit more in the country with bigger houses than Saint-Priest... and therefore not as well connected to public transportation, but it looked like a cute place to live. Sabine has a very pretty house and 5 kids- 4 girls and 1 boy. 2 are from a previous marriage on her end, 2 are from a previous marriage on the husband's side... and they have a little 2 year old girl named Lisa.

When we first got there, the husband, Philippe came out of the house on his way to pick up Lisa from the day care center just a few blocks down the street. They asked if I wanted to go too... to see what a real day care center in France was like. So we walked down the street, passing the brand new elementary school (named the Nelson Mandela school) right next to the brand new and very nice day care facility. The parents had to put on these little shoe coverings like they were at a hospital before going into the play area. It was fairly hilarious to see all these fashionable moms and dads come in and put on these little booties over their high heels and boots. LOL. (Side story: While I was there, another teacher from my Monday school came in and was like... Lindsay? What are you doing here? I was like... oh I'm just here with Sabine. I bet it was really odd to see me there.)

Once we had Lisa (who had spots all over her from her recent bout with Chicken Pox), we came back to the house where I met one of the older daughters. I guess it is a form of manners to do the double cheek kiss to new comers because the children and the husband did it to me.... but it always throws me off. We all sat and had a cup of tea.... and eventually Sabine and I got to work (being interrupted a few times with the kids being picked up to spend the weekend with their other parents).

We got all planned... and it was nice to talk and lesson plan with someone who isn't afraid of English. We spoke mostly in French and she kindly told me that my French has improved so much since I've been here. The reason she speaks and is so comfortable with English, though, is because she did the same thing I'm doing in England, she lived in Costa Rica for a period of time teaching English, and she's been to visit the US several times. She also used to only teach English before they mandated that all teachers teach English as regular classroom subject. She's by the most eager to teach English on her own and often says that she wishes her colleagues would try to speak more English with me to improve for themselves so that they could eventually have lunch time conversations in English. Perhaps I will give them a push and proclaim that I've had enough speaking French and that I would like to only speak in English now....

Anywho, Sabine invited me to stay for dinner with Philippe and Lisa. With the house mostly empty, I think they thought it would be fun to entertain me for the evening. They made kirs and set out little crackers for a snack. After we sat and chatted for a bit, they told me they didn't have anything to make for dinner and would be going out, obviously I'd be coming too. We went to a little restaurant connected to a hotel that was Italian. It wasn't the best food I've had in France, but it was still good and free meal so I won't complain! They were such a cute little couple to chat with.... leaving in turns to take Lisa to the bathroom because she is already potty training.

After dinner, they drove me home.... and I got back about 11:30pm. This explains why I haven't had much time to blog! It was a nice evening, just very unexpected... as I thought I'd lesson plan for an hour or two in the afternoon and be back home before 5. Oh well- I think I needed a good night out... and I learned a new term of endearment: puce which means flea.... Sabine kept calling her daughter "ma puce, ma puce..." Ahh my little flea:)

mieux, but not up to speed

The expression to feel better in French is "aller mieux" or "to go better." I guess I go better today, but not all the way. I'm so tired! I feel like I did when I had mono.... just completely wiped of energy. I slept last night for 12 hours.... got up this morning, did a little cleaning/ate lunch and then was ready for a 2 hour nap. And I'm still feeling like I could sleep more. I feel.... woozy. I guess I just need to take it slow, but it's so frustrating! And I have so much laundry to do! Maybe it will get done Friday....

Hope you are all doing well! Laurence asked me how I was doing today and mentioned that I'd need to make up my hours or take a reduction in my pay. However.... due to an in-service day next week, I only need to make up 6 hours... and since I've been giving extra lessons, I don't actually need to make up any time. So- I guess I shouldn't feel so guilty for emailing all my teachers for tomorrow and saying I'm not coming.... :/

Reste cool!

Going to the Doctor... in France

I was still feeling pretty pathetic this morning... so I emailed Laurence and told her I'd like to go to the doctor if she was available today. I called her a little later and she said she'd call the doctor's office I found online. She emailed me right back saying that I had an appointment for 2:00 this afternoon. She came by to pick me up a few minutes before and the doctor's office was just down the street. She was shocked at how close it was.... so I guess when you need to find the nearest doctor, google is your friend.

We went into the office... there was no sort of receptionist, just a waiting room. We sat down across from a little kid and his dad. The doctor came by and had them go in first. They were done in 10 minutes and he called us in. He shook our hands and had us sit down at his desk. He asked to see my carte vitale, my French health insurance card.... but I haven't been sent mine yet. (Laurence vouched for me that I worked for the schools and that I just hadn't received my card yet.) He asked what was wrong with me... a couple of other questions (allergies, date of birth), and then had me lay down on the bed in the same room as his office. He listened to me breath, took my blood pressure, and announced that I had la grippe, or the flu. I thought.... alrighty then- just what we thought. He prescribed me some ibuprofen, paracetamol, cough syrup that tastes like butterscotch, something for my tummy, and some sort of nose spray that disinfects your sinuses. He told me to lay off the ibuprofen because that's what has upset my stomach... only take it at meal times and if absolutely necessary. I paid for my visit, 23 euros, and we were on our way.

Laurence took me grocery shopping... which was very nice of her to do. I felt a little woozy walking around the store, but got a few things I needed (paper towels, tissues, and juice!). After shopping, she took me to the pharmacy to pick up the meds I needed. For some reason they gave me 2 or 3 of everything, so I guess I'll be set for the rest of the year. In total, for 8 different boxes of medicine, I paid 19 euros!

When we got back to my apartment, Laurence walked me up with my groceries and showed me what to do with the paperwork to get reimbursed for the doctor's visit and the medicine. Had I had my carte vitale, I know the doctor's visit would have been free and the medicine would have been reimbursed too. But.... at the end of the day, not too bad as far as not really being insured yet!

I am feeling much better... just very tired. The doctor told me to stay home all week, so I guess I will unless I'm feeling back to normal Thursday. It's so odd- all of my teachers have said, stay home stay home! Feel better! Get rid of your germs soon! So I guess if you're sick, they don't want you to come back until you're back to normal. I'm ok with that.

Okie dokie, time to go take a cat nap. Miss you all!

Reste cool:)