Chez Moi

In a cute little French house,
on a country hill in France,
lived an American nanny,
who really loves to dance.

(Lame attempt at a poem, je suis desole....)

But anyways, I promised to show some photos of my house and here they are. The neighborhood I'm in is probably the cutest place I will ever live and the house looks as if it came out of a French Ikea magazine. J'aime bien chez moi.

I love how buildings in France don't typically have squared off rooms like in the US. They have angled walls and windows and really cool beams showing through sometimes. Here are the two of the kids' rooms.

 My room is on the 5th floor of the house so I climb about 7 flights of stairs from bottom to top. The whole top floor consists of my room and then a small closet and stair landing. I got lucky because my room is spacious, awesome looking, and has a fantastic view! I just feel like every time I move at night, the floor boards creak and I wake up the kids below. Hope not!

 (Before I unpacked and organized. Don't judge, clean freaks).

The backyard is awesome. I got super lucky, too, because had I chosen a family closer to Paris' center, chances are I would've been in an apartment with no forests to run in or lawns to play on. They have a large back patio where most of the family gathering this past weekend took place. A huge table for lot's of guests!
 The backyards all touch in this neighbor hood, off-set by the houses and with short fences or shrubs. The amount of greenery and flowers in this city make my (imagined) green thumb swell with happiness. I love looking out on the beautiful nature and vine covered homes.

 

 The living room is on the main floor of the house along with the kitchen and a guest room. It is pretty big and both sides of the room have shutter doors that open so the room has a lot of natural light and can be very airy. My kind of place! Windows everywhere!!!

The houses here also all have front patio-type areas that are enclosed with a front gate. This morning we ate breakfast out there and listened to the bids chirping. C'est la vie!

 The cutest front window for the cutest kitchen. And of course, a little herb garden and fruit trees lining the front and back yard.

 

The bathrooms here are a lot different than what I'm used to. One bathroom consists of three sinks and a really big open shower. It's really cool! And then the bathrooms with the actual toilet are actually called "toilettes", not bathrooms. They are tiny but I guess they don't need to be huge.

And my favorite part about the house...the stairs! They are so cool! And there are so many.... my legs were actually a little sore after walking in Paris all day to climbing these stairs a few dozen times. Life is a workout in France and I am loooving it. I need to burn off all those baguette calories somehow!

Au Pair Day 1, The Nanny Diaries Begin!

Ok, well today's happenings were really not spectacular or anything but at least they were fun! Basically I started my first day of work. With it being the last day of Summer holiday here, the two older kids had friends over this morning to try out their new trampoline. It is like the talk of the town!
There are a few funny stories with that trampoline, actually. First off, my family waited until the grandpa was in town before attempting to assemble it because they trusted his mechanical and supervising power to do it right. Watching the two men try and put it together (yes, without directions) was a funny sight. The sun was hot, the rubber head of the mallet kept flying off the handle, and the arduous muscle work made for some funny laughs.

Watching the kids "mount" the trampoline as Delphine said in her thick accent, was hilarious. It was like watching Bambi learn to walk. Bent knees, wide stance, and barely getting off the ground. Apparently trampolines are not so common in Sevres! The second story is even funnier. After the kids had gone to bed and the adults and I sat down to eat dinner, they decided they wanted to try out the trampoline too. Mix some extreme Bambi-style jumping and a few bottles of wine and champagne and viola. I was dying! Every time one would fall down, they wouldn't be able to get back up from laughing so hard! Even their grandma who is in her 60s got on to test out the bounce. The French certainly know how to have a good time. Oh, and they love the Beach Boys!The old people here do not even act like they are old. They take all 9 of their grand kids on vacations to the beach and are doing a 200+ mile walk across France pretty soon. I was telling Delphine, "I hope I'm that athletic when I'm old!"

So after the neighbor kids tried out the trampoline, Delphine took Julie to her orthodontist appointment to get braces! Oh the exciting, awkward days.She looks so cute with them on! The weekly dinner ideas are now starting to evolve around soft foods :) Two neighbors and their au pair, Mary, came by and hung out for a bit to wait and see Julie with her braces, or "bagues". We compared French schools to American schools and all I can say is, I wish I went to school in France. 12 different subjects/classes and 3 different languages. Oh la vache!

While everyone else was out at their friends or working, I stayed home with Alex and played all day. This sun just makes everything that much more exhausting! I seriously feel like I'm in Florida-style humidity. We jumped on the trampoline until we were sweaty and exhausted, played with play dough, had a stuffed animal birthday party for Alex's "dodo" (sounds like doodoo. The term used to describe a special stuffed animal), and then played soccer. Alex is exhausted now! And frankly, so am I!

While playing with the dodos, Alex and I took on different roles, responding for each animal. I had like ten animals and he had his one dodo. It was entirely in French!!!! I was shocked at how I could understand and respond to his questions. It was more practice for deciphering fast French talking than it was vocabulary, but I held my own with a five year old. So proud. And SO true when people say it is easiest to learn from the kids. He is so smart for a five year old. He asks a question in French and if I understand then I respond for the animals, but if not, I ask him to translate and he does! He is my little grammar and pronunciation checker. I love it. He managed to teach me a lot of jungle animal names as well. Every time I say a word wrong he manages to correct me without fail. It's great! Slowly but surely I am learning!

Not a bad first day of work in France. I still can't believe I live here. So surreal!

L'Église de Jésus-Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours

After staying up all night eating delicious food, I tried figuring out the train schedule to get me to Versailles so I could attend the Versailles Ward of the LDS Church. Well, on sundays, apparently, the trains are a lot less frequent so I couldn't find one to take me on time so instead, I decided to join my friend Hannah in the Paris Ward.

I ran to my train station, skirt flapping and baguete and banana in hand. I know I must have looked très cool. 
Such a cool ward! While it was filled with a lot of visitors and tourists, I saw a lot of new families that just moved in and was amongst an extremely diverse group. Basically the congregation consisted of more French Africans and Asians than native white French people. I opted out of translations for sacrament and listened to the French talks trying so hard to recognize at least one word here and there, but my head was spinning. Not quite there yet!

I wish I were better at simple conversations so that I could attempt an introduction to a French person but I know like one sentence and that's about it. I can recognize random words but putting them together is just not my level hahahaha

I did talk to some missionaries though, and met another au pair here from California. Her name is Emily and she lives outside of Paris as well. Now there are 3 of us LDS au pairs! The three or four sets of missionaries that are assigned to this mission/ward range in speaking English, French, and Mandarin Chinese. Some even speak all 3 although that is not required. They are just the happiest people ever and it reminds me of so many awesome missionaries that I've met and seen who have the same countenance. Even my inspiring big sis in all her pictures and stories! I love missionaries!

Once you walk into the beautiful little courtyard where the church meetings are held, straight ahead to the left is the main entrance and just inside the door is a gigantic wooden Livre de Mormon (Book of Mormon). It is taller than I am and stands there next to a table of real Livres de Mormon where I picked up a copy to try and study from. Gonna be fun! I understand most of 1 Nephi chapter 1.

After church, Hannah, Emily and I took a short little walk down the street and onto Notre Dame's island where it was clogged with tourists. But, oh my. Notre Dame and the surrounding buildings in that quarter of the city are beyond description. The detail in each pillar and door and the hundreds of statues carved into the side is just breathtaking and awe inspiring. Then I hopped on the metro back home and into more awkward French encounters with family. But that is life! I just have to learn to not be awkward nut understood! Gotta learn French so at Christmas time when the family gathers at the grandparents, I'll be able to speak t them and not be the "dumb Américain" ;)


And theeeeeen I came home and ate lunch and ate some dessert :) Cause when in France, do as the French do.

...The Dream Day Continue!

So after the long, sweaty day in Paris, I successfully took the metro and train back home to Sevres. Walking through the adorable little countryside is basically like walking through a film set: positively perfect.

I get home and meet the rest of my host family's family including some brothers and a sister and lot's of little cousins. Apparently, since life has been too busy, they have all come for the weekend to celebrate 6 different anniversaire or birthdays. The daughter, Julie, turned 13 on Saturday, then we celebrated Delphine and Fred's, their cousin Lis, Alex the son, and someone else's...I forget the names. Not only is it hard to remember their names, I can hardly understand them through the thick, French accents. I have managed to find a few English equivalents but sometimes it's a hopeless cause.

After trying out their new trampoline and playing with the kids, (and standing awkwardly amongst their French conversations), the parents managed to put all the kids to bed in various parts of the house sharing the space they could. There are a total of like 8 kids or something. Maybe more, I can't keep track! So that was around 9pm and the adults still had not eaten dinner. It wasn't until about 10 that we all sat down together outside and ate the grilled swordfish, salmon, salad, baguette of course, and some vegetables. A bomb.com dinner!
**For the first time ever, I was offered champagne and wine. Fancy pants over here! But that was an easy rejection because I have already made up my mind on that matter. I couldn't help think of the movie The Fault in our Stars though. They described it as "drinking the stars". Sounds so cool but I'll just imagine sparkling cider and Schweppes/Pellegrino can do the same thing :)

After eating dinner, the French eat from a cheese platter and more delicious baguette and then eat dessert. They eat dessert after lunch too! While it is basically just a yogurt or fruit, sometimes they eat flan or chocolate pudding or something. I am digging this french way of life. Wake up late, walk everywhere, greet with bisous (although I have not yet), eat meals really late, stay up all weekend, take long holidays, and gouge on desserts and bread and cheese. Heaven!

From soft cheeses with fruit to real cheddar to some really good swiss to some other soft cheese, I was thinking, "forget dessert, I could eat off this platter all night!"

So ya. That is my dreamy day. Food and Paris' beauty just makes my heart swell.

Today was a DREAM

First off, I would say that I wish I were living in the city because of the cool attractions, the food stands, the ability to explore it at night, and it is closer to my school, however, I seriously fall in love with my neighborhood more and more each night. I will take lot's of pictures soon but as I write at my cute desk under my open sky windows overlooking the large backyard, I am listening to a nearby outdoor concert play and the mingling of French families. It is a dream.

But that is not just today's dream. Today, aujourd'hui, I went around my first French market and bought fresh bread, vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. Since I don't live in the city, the vendors here do not speak more than 5 English words so it will definitely give me plenty of practice. Thankfully, I went with Delphine, my host mom, so she did the ordering and I smiled and helped with the carrying.

Les boulangeries et las patisseries SMELL LIKE HEAVEN. I walk in and fill every ounce of lung space with the goodness of bread. Oh my gosh nothing will ever compare. Oh my gosh...

Then, I took my very first train into Montparnasse. To me it is like the heart of Paris. Once I deciphered my way through the crowds and over platforms, I found Hannah, another fellow au pair. We had never met each other in person before today but became really acquainted over Instagram! It just so happens that she is 1) from the Pacific Northwest and 2) LDS. Who would've thunk I'd meet my Washington neighbor in Paris. Crazy!

When in Paris, first things first: The Eiffel Tower! We made our way to Trocadero where, lo and behold, there she is. Le Tour de Eiffel in all her glory. The thing is way more massive than I had imagined. Then we walked casually through the city admiring the immaculate architecture and grandness of everything. It felt so nice to not be rushed or feel like I had to see everything in one day. Nor was I weighed down by camera gear which I usually have strapped to my back. I decided to get comfortable with the city before trying to photograph it. Plus it was extremely hot and I was extremely sweaty and the last thing I wanted to do was put more stuff on my body. In fact, we were so hot that we stopped down below the Trocadero fountain and when we saw people swimming in it, we took off our shoes and dipped our feet in too. It felt so good! Wading in to our thighs, it felt so surreal to be hanging out fountain-side with the looming Eiffel Tower just ahead. I can't even describe how unreal it still seems.

For lunch, we decided to stop in to a small supermarket by Hannah's apartment in the 7th Arr. and pick out some sandwiches and Schweppes Agrum' flavored drink. C'est bon! We hunted out some nice shade in the grassy park across from some gigantic, beautiful buildig that I don't remember and dined like the natives. The sandwich had comte cheese. Oh my gosh, again with the to-die-for food! I'm lactose intolerant but there is no way I am passing up some flipping awesome French fromage. After refueling ourselves, we walked towards Concord, peered down the busy street towards Champs-Elysees, and headed for the Louvre. (I just need to write a list of everything my spoiled eyes saw today...too much to process whilst being jet lagged and nearly midnight!!!) Of course, we had to stop by the gelato stand right outside of the tuileries where they shape your gelato into a rose. So delicious and so magical, just like France. I tried the Pistache, Straciatella, and Chocolate au lait. **Plus I ordered and responded to the lady in French! Seulement en francais! I was so proud. Nearly fooled Hannah when the lady asked me something about the chocoalte and I responded without missing a beat. Truth is, I had no clue what she said and heard "au lait" so I assumed there were more than 1 types of chocolate gelato and just repeated "au lait". So ya...

Then the outside of the Louvre (because I dont have my student pass yet), the once-beautiful love-lock bridge which had to be replaced because of the degradation occuring from the weight of the locks. (Not something to be proud of, World.) Love locks are cool but let's be real, a tacky bridge in the middle of the beautiful Seine is the result of people's ridicules belief or desired instagram shots of a lock supposedly representing two people's love. Just spread the love in hugs, not ruining bridges!

Well basically, my day in Paris was beyond perfect. Well, it was excruciatingly hot and I sweated more than I had in a whiiiile so that was gross but who cares! I was in Paris. While trying to find our way back to Montparnasse, Hannah and I got super lost and confused as to where the trains were. We tried following signs and suddenly there would just not be anymore. Whether it was France's fault for having an inadequate ammount of signs for us Americans or our fault for...for...I don't know, I'm new give me a break!....we finally found my train and I was off back home to Sevres.

Not the end of my dream day, though. Stay tuned to read about my extreme awkwardness amongst my host family's family and the incredible dinner and dessert that ate at home. But I'm exhausted and preparing for an early day of church so, Bonsoir!!

 And the Police with their roller blades on. Only in France...

What to do when Jet Lag kicks in... Photograph

Day 1