Almost three weeks in! (With relative success).
Paris:
Sunday I went into Paris early in the morning to meet up with ma chere amie Mia!
Took the train into Saint Lazar, then the metro to Gare de Lyon. Then walked across the river to Les Jardins des Plantes (Paris' biggest botanical garden). Right behind the garden is the Paris Mosque (and more importantly for us, the Paris Mosque Tea Room). There we sat under the trees in the courtyard, sipping delicious honey mint tea. It was a lovely start to the day.
We made additional stops are Shakespeare and Co, then back tracked a bit to hit up Berthillon. After, we headed over to another of my favorite places in Paris, Les Jardins du Luxembourg.
We stopped for lunch at another old favorite, Cosi. Heavenly sandwiches. Then we walked back to the Marais district and made a short tour of the Musee Cognacq-Jay which consists of couple's personal art collection housed in their residence.
Finally we walked by the Pompidou center and sat in front of the fountains drinking Kir and eating dinner.
It was a lovely day and felt a bit like coming home. We walked by certain stores or places along the Seine and I would remember what fun we all had just a year and a half ago on that spot.
Umbrellas:
The other day I was walking about Rouen (If you thought the Cathedral was cool, you should check out the Abbaye Saint Ouen with its wonderfully Gothic flying buttresses!) when it started to rain. Luckily I had brought my umbrella. It is probably the brightest umbrella French people have ever laid their eyes on.
But I didn't mind. I was reminded of when, on the FSP trip, certain people (me included some of the time) wanted to be as "french" as possible. That meant dressing, walking, acting, eating, etc. like the French people they observed. There is definitely something to be said for not wanting to be under the severe judgment that comes with most American stereotypes. But I am American. It is more a part of my identity than I thought. And despite the stereotypes, there is no reason for me to pretend like I am anything else. I have come to appreciate America and being American. I don't WANT to be French, or anything else (at least not most of the time). And while I love France, I would not want to live here permanently. I really appreciate experiences like this one and my study abroad trips for helping me discover parts of my identity that I had taken for granted. Hysteria:
Yesterday I encountered the worst fit I have ever seen/had to deal with. And it is not like I have no experience at this taking-care-of-children-thing either (having been babysitting before 12 years of age).
Sa, the middle girl, threw the worst fit I have ever seen/heard. She was literally in hysterics. Normally I would deal with this be leaving her alone for a while, or sending her to her room, etc. Except we needed to go pick up her baby sister from the nurse. I tried picking her up, she kicked and writhed to the point where I couldn't even hold her. I asked her what was wrong. She screamed - the kind of scream one screams when terrified for one's life. Lu (the eldest) tried to help, but nothing was working. I called her mom at work and had her talk with Sa, in hopes that it would calm her down. Luckily it did, at least enough for us to get her coat on and pick up Am. It was a rough day.
Wednesdays:
Are my hardest day. The girls don't have school (which means I deal with events like above ALL DAY). I find myself dreading Wednesdays, and the fact that I have absolutely no time to myself. They generally turn out better than I fear, but I wonder if that is because I have such low expectations...?
Castles:
THIS is going to be GREAT.
Mia and I are visiting Chateau Pierrefonds this upcoming weekend!!! I am so excited. Fun fact: the BBC show 'Merlin' shoots on location at THIS castle, using it as Camelot!
No comments:
Post a Comment