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!