My Life in and Love of France

Well, it's basically been two months since I updated about my life here- that either means I'm really busy or really lazy, but knowing me, it's both!

I've fallen nicely into the rhythm here, but a two-week school break this week and last has thrown off that rhythm a little. (And I can't decide which is better: not having to drive the kids back and forth to school every day, or not having to watch the kids by myself all day. I like the vacation days because they're so relaxed, but then all my friends are away on their own personal vacation, so I will be ready for the normal school days to start again.) I can't believe that it's already been almost two and a half months! That's insane! Christmas will be here soon! (And yes, I do get to come home! Hooray! Thanks mom&dad:))

Claire, my neighbor au pair, and I "go out" at least twice a week so that we're not stuck at home and so that we're maximizing the incredible opportunity we have here to be a part of a new culture and region. There's an au pair club that meets twice a month, and the leaders host a Bible Study every Monday night that we have been attending. We have also met a couple people via couchsurfers, and have discovered new places to hang out via other au pairs. There's also a wonderful English-speaking church twenty minutes away, and a contemporary church service on Sunday nights in Geneva. And of course, there's French class twice a week, in which we have met more au pairs! What else!

I have never been a drinker, as I simply don't like the taste of alcohol, but with Europe being such a different environment for drinking, I'm starting to try some new things out. It seems that here, almost no one drinks to get drunk; the exceptions would be foreigners and young college kids. I knew that drinking was a social experience here, but it's hard to understand what that means until you're involved in it. But when everything closes by 7pm and the only things left open are classy little bars and pubs, it only makes sense to grab a drink with friends at the end of the day!

I have come to love the region and pace of life here so much that I'm starting a search for a job to take after my year here as an au pair is finished. I'm primarily considering and English-teaching job, since I have an English degree and should have enough experience with French and children at the end of the year to qualify, but I am really open to anything. However, the cost of living so close to Geneva is somewhat high, so I'll have to find a good enough job to cover expensive housing costs.

Things I love about the culture/region, etc.:

• It's not necessary to smile at everyone. Don't get me wrong, I'm a happy person and I like to smile, but it does get tiring to smile at anyone you make eye contact with, like you would in the US. I like being generally left alone, especially if I'm not in the mood to smile! ;)
• Everyone is extremely polite and courteous. This concept overlaps with the no-smiling custom, as people simply want to be kind and respectful towards others, helping when necessary and giving them their space when it's not. The principle of non-toleration towards screaming children in public also falls under this umbrella.
• I love roundabouts, aka rond points. When I was first learning to navigate these curious little streetways, I hated them; but now, as I sometimes miss my turn... I think they are wonderful little inventions for the absent-minded or lost citizens who need another chance to make their turn without having to turn into a parking lot, etc., to turn around somewhere down the road. Insert philosophical musings on second chances in life here, haha!
• Everyone is much more health-conscious. Meals are balanced, sugar is not eaten in excess, fruits and vegetables are grown locally, and packaged foods have color-coded health notices. Because all the food is so much healthier, everything tastes better and I enjoy trying new things almost every day.
• Nothing can compare to looking outside and seeing the Alps every day. Nothing. I can't imagine wanting to live somewhere where you couldn't see such a wonderful landscape every day.
• When there is a price sticker, you pay exactly that price! The tax is included! This is brilliant if you only have a certain dollar amount to spend, and you know exactly what your total will end up being. Revolutionary (except that it's really not). Let's do it in the US, please.
• The historical atmosphere of Europe is wonderful. I love seeing simple houses that have been there for hundreds of years, old architecture, famous historical spots, everything! When I visited Annecy and saw a French prison that Frenchmen had been detained in during World War II, it really hit home to me where I was and what I had become a part of by living here.
• Even though tea is common in the US, it's more of a tea-friendly atmosphere here. I've never been big into drinking tea before, but after getting sick and drinking it for the benefit of my poor, sore throat, I discovered how much I enjoy it. Also, tea is so common that you can get great tea at any place that serves any kind of drink, and not just some basic bland tea that you would probably get at a restaurant in the US. Therefore, the social drinking concept includes tea (and coffee)!

I'm sure there's much more that I'm forgetting, but I am obviously enjoying it here! It's hard for me to know what I should share with you, so please let me know if there is something you would like to hear about! (And yes, I do know that I need to post about traveling to Paris and Annecy... I am indeed a true procrastinator!)

Can you see the evidence of our first snowfall? The pictures are hard to discern, but it was lovely to watch coming down! It snowed October 27th and 28th, but there hasn't been any more since then.

Word Wednesdays >> New Vocab

It's pretty late in the day, but here's my Wednesday post:) These are the most essential words that are used every day, with the exception of an interesting type of beetle we saw today.

hop= there/done/voila (pronounced "up") They say this all the time. I couldn't figure out exactly what it meant because they used it for so many things, so I asked and the mom said something like- it doesn't really have a meaning, but it's like voila. Step one to sounding like a native= say "hop" 83242735 times a day. :)

le dodo= sleep (slang) Little Erine loves to plunge into her bed and exclaim, "Gaga, dodo!"

doucement= gently/slowly/quietly. This one is pretty universal for talking to kids! And it was one of the favorite words of my one-time driving teacher (I swear I was not going fast- she was just hyper-sensitive).

un doudou= special stuffed animal. The kids' doudous are small stuffed animals that they carry around with them and sleep with them; they have one or two for the house and one or two to take to school. I'm wondering if the word came from dodo since they are typically things that are slept with.

un gendarme=... normally this is a policeman, but it's also some type of beetle- a stink bug? You tell me!

un mouche= fly (insect) They're a bit of a problem here, particularly when doors/windows are left open during the day. C'est fou!

My Arrival and First Full Day

Eh bien...

My brain is in French overdrive! Talk about immersion! The parents will speak English if I don't understand something or if they want to make something easily understood, and I speak English with the other au pair, Claire, but otherwise everything is in French and it's spoken pretty quickly! For the most part, while I don't understand 100% of what is said (probably about 50/50!), I get the basic message, or if I look confused, they'll say it differently! :) But I've immediately found myself saying little words to myself in French automatically since it's basically all I hear. It's hard to imagine myself becoming fluent, but I guess it will come with time.

I hated the nine-hour flight because it was cramped and I couldn't sleep, but there was a good movie selection, so I watched The Lucky One (which is a one-time watch kind of movie... super cheesy) and part of The Avengers. I was so glad to get off that plane! Then I had to go through security in the London Heathrow airport, where they're much more strict than at DFW. (The lady made me try to cram my liquids into a sandwich-size bag and pulled out most of the contents of my bag into a separate bin, so that it was practically impossible to be organized any longer- gee, thanks!)

I finally started to fall asleep on the second flight, but then they served a snack and I was hungry... And then the best part... the view! Omg. The view of the Alps coming close to Geneva was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen!!! I wish I could have taken a picture, but the best views were during the slow descent and I couldn't have my phone on. The mountains stretched across the horizon and they were so majestic! It was the perfect welcome to my new home!!! (Oh, and I can see both the Alps and the Jura Mountains from my house! It was too foggy for pictures today, but I'll take some as soon as I can! I can see Mont Blanc from the second story!)

Apparently, Claire (the au pair of a nearby family) was on the flight from DFW to London as well as from London to Geneva, but I had no idea what she looked like and so I chanced asking this random girl what her name was right before going through customs and it was her! haha! The mother and the kids were waiting for me, and the kids were extremely shy at first, but I'm practically best friends with little Erine now!

Today, I played with Erine, had my driving lesson, chatted with Claire as her little Marie and my kids played, and drove around Gex a little with the mom and kids. Ah, the driving lesson... mon dieu. Evidently the driving teachers are insanely strict here and most people fail their test at least once. My teacher kept tsk-tsking me when my shifting gears wasn't 100% smooth and she told me that if it was a test I would have failed and that it would be very hard for me to drive here, and so I should get an automatic instead. Talk about a stressful hour! But then get this- I drove around with the mom and she said that all I need is some practice because everyone has trouble at first, and that I'll be just fine! She also said that the teachers are so strict these days that even she would probably fail if she had to take the test again because now they have a lot of confusing questions on courtesy and theory.

Upcoming...
The kids' school starts next Tuesday, so a schedule will fall into place then. I'll have the kids all day long by myself on Thursday and Friday! Maybe next week, I'll be going to Bourg with Claire so that we can register for our residency. I also have an appointment at the bank to get an account and a debit card on the 9th, I think. My school starts on the 17th, so I'll have to take the placement test the week before to see what level I'm on.

I've got information overload, but everything is going ok so far! I'm definitely ready to go to bed, however! (It's about 11:30 here!)

Status Update

I only have a week left before I leave! Eek! I have all the documents that I need to leave: my passport with my visa inside, a form to turn in once in France for my residency, an International Driving Permit, and a plane ticket! (But I still need to get my plane tickets for Christmas!) I was really worried that I wouldn't have my passport and contract in enough time to get my visa, but my passport came three days before my appointment and my contract came the day before my appointment, so it worked out perfectly! And my visa arrived much sooner than I thought it would, as it only took about a week and a half to arrive!

This week, I have to go buy a few clothing items that I need and pack my suitcases to figure out exactly how much I can fit. Since I'll be living there and will need a lot of stuff, I'm planning on paying the $60 to have a second checked bag, so I'll have two checked bags, one carry-on small suitcase, and a shoulder bag. I hope I can fit everything I need, because shipping costs way too much to even consider!

This will be me:

There will be a girl from California (Claire) who will also be an au pair in Gex, and her French family is friends with mine! My French family is waiting on hers to let me know her contact information, because we will be on the same flight from London to Geneva and I would like to know how to spot her:) It will be such a relief simply knowing that I'm not the only "lost" American in my tiny town!

For my first week there, I already have a driving lesson scheduled on Tuesday afternoon to practice driving the stick-shift that I'll have. On Tuesday and Wednesday, their temporary nanny will be teaching me about the kids' schedule, etc, and then I'll have the kids to look after all on my own on Thursday and Friday! *cue nervous hyperventilating* They start school on September 4th; however, I don't know if Oscar will be starting right away and/or how many days a week he will be going since he doesn't turn three until October.

Also during the first few weeks, I'll have to go to the school I'll be attending to take a placement test (and the day towards the end of September that I start will be determined by which class I'm placed in). There is an au pair club (LINK) that meets in Nyon, Switzerland starting on September 13th (they meet every other Thursday and have a Christian worship every Monday), and I will drive there sometime beforehand to make sure I don't get lost.

Things I'm nervous about:

• Making a good first impression.
• Picking up on conversational French relatively quickly (whatever that means).
• Communicating with two kids that don't speak any English.
• Driving a stick-shift in an unfamiliar area.
• Getting lost and not being able to find my way since I'll probably get so flustered that I'll forget my French! Haha!
• Knowing how to say something but being too nervous to get it out.
• Tex-Mex withdrawal. :):):)
• Homesickness (including missing family and friends).
• My kitty forgetting me since I'll be gone for so long.

My baby Kira, AKA Kiki

I'll need your prayers!

I'll let you know next Sunday how my packing turned out and how much I'm freaking out! :)