5 months - can you believe it??

So I have been here for FIVE MONTHS. And I guess when I say it, it doesn't sound like a very long time. But when I put it in perspective (a semester is just over 3 months), I am proud of myself. A couple of weeks and I will be on over halfway!

There has been no grand excitement lately. At school on Friday we took out "examen blanc" (practice test) for the writing portion of the DELF, and will hopefully get our results back this week.
I went and saw "The Descendants" on Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a deal going on at the cinema where tickets were only 3 euros from Jan 25-31. I have found going to the movies over here to be a LOT cheaper than at home. Especially at places like Bridgeport.

I have also been working a lot lately. Last week Mrs. S's parents were in town and so the girls ate lunch at home instead of at school, meaning I had to pick them up midday, etc. Also today Lu's teacher was on strike, so I had to watch her all day, and then I have both her and Sa all day tomorrow. Tomorrow also happens to be Lu's 7th birthday. Her party is on Saturday and the parents want me to be super involved. They want me to teach the kids English (I am sitting there thinking "kids don't want to be taught English at birthday parties they want to run of their birthday cake sugar high!") and they also wanted me to come up with an "American" party game. The hard thing is that there is very little space in the house and no yard or anything. Most of the games I thought of require these things. We finally settled on 'pin the tail on the donkey' even though they play it over here too.

Sa has been calling everyone "grosse patate" (fat potato) lately and I am not really sure what to make of it. Besides the fact that is probably not very nice but is so funny when I translate it in my head. Meanwhile Lu's upcoming birthday has her even more hyperactive than usual.

I am still feeling pretty sick but am faring OK. It is getting SUPER cold, though, which doesn't make it better! Today it was below 0* (Celsius, that is)

However I did splurge today (even with all my resolutions to save money for my upcoming trip) and bought myself an electric kettle for my room and some high quality chocolate (ginger and lemon ganache filled dark chocolate. Oh goodness it is heavenly).

In other news, I am tres tres tres excited for my vacation with Mia to Vienna and Budapest at the end of the month!!! I have been to Austria, but briefly and not to Vienna, and I have never been to Hungary! That will be as far east as I will ever have been!
Also, James, a Whitworth grad who is teaching in Germany, is coming to visit Paris next weekend. I will get to make yet another trip into one of my all-time favorite cities, AND see a fellow Whitworthian/American. :)

Hope you all survived January!
Lots of love,
Natalie