An American in Paris

Head on Over...

2007-06-12T13:34:00.000+02:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that I've picked up on my other blog again, now that I'm back in the States... so you're all cordially invited to stop by and visit me at Just for Fun! :) Hope to see you there!

~Monnie

Home Sweet Home

2007-05-19T18:04:00.000+02:00

I know that it's been absolutely ages since I posted. I'm so sorry!! But I have to admit that I have been having/doing/seeing some pretty incredible things during my time in absentia! In brief, I spent two weeks with Dad and Rose in Spain, hitting Seville, the national park of Monfrague, Toledo, Guadalupe, Trujillo, Avila, Leon, and Santiago de Compostela. We had a couple of days in France together before Dad flew home. Then Rose and I spent a couple more together there in Paris before she flew home and I flew to Poland. In Poland, I got to go to Warsaw (where I stayed almost the entire time I was there), Wilanow, Niepokalanow, Czestochowa, and Lublin. I flew back to Paris on May 10 and on May 11, I flew from Paris to London to Chicago to Kansas City, then had a 2-hour drive home, where I went immediately to my brother's baseball game and then to the end of a parish square dance! I didn't actually get HOME until about 10:30 pm and didn't get to bed until about 1 am... making it a full 24-hours that I had been awake. And in 48 hours, I had been in 3 European capital cities and in four different countries!

Surprisingly, I had practically NO jetlag at all!! Deo gratias!

So I've been home for about a week now and have almost finished unpacking. :) The matter of going through this year's photos, however, will be a project that takes me all summer... and that's speaking optimistically! :P

I can't even begin to put into words all I learned while abroad and all that these past several months mean to me, especially the 9 days in Poland. I'm still trying to synthesize it for myself! I don't think anyone can spend several months in Europe and come home unchanged. What a gift it was!

I'm Back! :)

2007-04-12T23:15:00.001+02:00

Hello all!!

After a bit of a hiatus, both necessitated by my rather computer-less state and "exacerbated" ;) by Holy Week and all, I have returned! :P That is to say... my old-but-brand-new computer has returned. :D

Dad arrived this morning, from the U.S. (duh), and then I met up with Fr. Stehlin in Paris this afternoon (a story in and of itself!)... arriving back in St. Germain-en-Laye, I rejoined Rose and Dad for dinner at le Soubise (a local café) where we ate outside in the beautiful, twilight weather just across from the château. We strolled back ;) to the hotel and spent the rest of this evening there.

That is the day in a nutshell!

My Holy Week was undoubtedly a holy week - a good thing, really! And the weather here has been GLORIOUS and very Eastery and Spring-ish. No complaints! :)
My last day of work was officially yesterday. Therefore, I am now technically among the "unemployed." ;) ...I prefer to think of myself as a lady of leisure, lol!

Sooo, I'll be flying to Spain with Rose and Dad on Sunday and will try to keep you updated on events thereafter. Until the next... Tchuss!

Wouldn't You Know It?!

2007-03-28T21:08:00.000+02:00

Well, all my plans for sharing "vacation" pictures and stories have temporarily flown out the window. My computer went "kaput" on me a few days ago and Mom took it home with her for fixing. Dad will be bringing it back with him when he comes to visit. (That arrangement is quite Providential!) In the meantime (about two more weeks), I am without a computer of my own... meaning, without all the pictures I took while Mom and Linds were here and with only very limited time online.

So, the pictures and stories will have to wait. Suffice it to say, it was a very good visit - although the weather certainly didn't cooperate!! It was sooo great to see Mom and Lindsey again and get to share a little bit of France with them. The highlights of their visit were the evening we ate outside at le Soubise (sp?) here in St. Germain-en-Laye, the rendez-vous with Thomas, and the visits to Bayeux, Lisieux, and Versailles... of course, there were many lesser but also enjoyable things in between. :)

Anyway, I hope you're all hanging in there. I am, although Passiontide has not missed me in its doling out of crosses. :P I hope your Lent is wrapping up well and wish you all the best, until the next time!

(For more news, head over to my other blog!!!)

Checking In... and Right Back Out Again

2007-03-22T16:23:00.000+01:00

Just thought I'd pop in and say that all is going well. I'm having a wonderful time with Mom and Linds here (and Rose was in town over the weekend too! :))... although, of course, my quota of sleep has been drastically reduced, juggling work and evenings out!

So, just on to refresh the blog page before we head to Normandy tomorrow, for the weekend!

Leaving you with a picture from Sunday. :D LOL!

30 Years of Tradition at St. Nicolas

2007-03-13T15:13:00.000+01:00

(The thirtieth anniversary of the SSPX at St. Nicolas du Chardonnet is one of many topics that I have not covered sufficiently on this blog. I will probably be returning to all sorts of topics, out of chronological order, to attempt to do them justice. But for now, I will write a little bit about this event at St. Nicolas, at which I was privileged to be present.)

At the banquet held in celebration of the anniversary, I sat next to an elderly woman who had lived in Paris all her life. She was there when one of the only places in Paris with the Latin Mass was the Salle Wagram. She went there every Sunday for Mass... One Sunday, she showed up at the usual hour only to discover that there were no clerics to be found! She was told that there wouldn't be Mass at the Salle Wagram that day because they were gone, taking a church in the fifth district of Paris! That was February 27, 1977.
Several members of the MJCF (an association of French Catholic youth) stayed in the church all night to help stake their claim. An all-night prayer vigil was held (with one woman in particular staying there, praying the entire night through!). The local clergy held onto the sacristy even after the SSPX had taken the church itself, causing some inconvenience. However, thanks to the fact that the French government officially owns all church buildings (not actually a good thing at all, but it turned out favorably in this circumstance), the local Novus Ordo clergy did not have a complete say in the matter and the entirety of the building was not long in being turned over to the SSPX. I don't know all the details, but I believe that is the skeleton of the story.

Once the church was obtained, there was a corps of valiant souls who gave their time, money, prayers, and effort to establish Tradition where it ought to have always stayed. Monsignor Ducaud-Bourget, a stalwart soldier in the war for the Faith of All Time, was particularly instrumental in this movement.

Since then, the parish has flourished and grown, as souls desperate for the truth flock to it. To sum up the past thirty years at St. Nicolas in numbers (although this only BARELY scratches the surface of how much has been accomplished), I present you with these statistics...

IN THE PAST THIRTY YEARS:
Baptisms: 3393, being 113 per year, of which 461 have been adult baptisms (and one of those adult baptisms is now a priest in the SSPX!)
Weddings: 592, being 20 per year
Private Communions: 1494, being 50 per year (I think this refers to FIRST Communions)
Solemn Communions: 1474, being 49 per year
Confirmations: 4125, being 137 per year
Ordination: 1 (AT St. Nicolas - more than one from the parish, I'm sure)
Extreme Unctions: 207 since 2000 (the numbers for this are very incomplete)
Annual Hours of Guard (this meaning that there is a priest physically present in the office, at the faithful's disposal): 2754, being 54 per week (!)
Hours of Confession during Holy Week: more than 200
Faithful per Sunday (between November and May): about 3500
The church seats: 1200
Number of communions, monthly: 15,000
Age of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet: 100 years; it was created in 1907 by the curé Fr. Lenert
1937: the year the church was consecrated

~ ~ ~

Tout ce qui est catholique est notre.
-Louis Veuillot

All that is Catholic is ours.

This is the quote below the header on the parish monthly bulletin at St. Nicolas du Chardonnet. Perfectly apropos for all Traditionalists, it is particularly so for this courageous group who reclaimed a house of God for the practice of the True Faith, and have held onto it in ever-growing numbers for three decades.

But for the grace of God, there go we. The glory is His!
DEO GRATIAS for this small but consistent battle for the Mass instituted by Jesus Christ!!

Long live Christ the King!

A Beggar's Right

2007-03-09T15:20:00.000+01:00

On Sunday, February 11, my customary weekend outing took me to the church of St. Germain-des-Près, whose beginnings are among the oldest of all the churches in Paris (and there're a LOT!), dating from about the 6th century. It used to be a large abbey, but since the Revolution, the church is all that remains. After touring the church and taking lots of pictures (about 2/3 of which got lost... but that's another story), I went outside to eat my lunch. I was famished, for it was about 1 pm and breakfast had been many hours before. I sat down on the two or three steps in front of the church and opened my picnic lunch. I turned my iPod to some enjoyable music and began my mid-day meal.

When I was a bit more than halfway finished, a man approached the church with a package. He set the package against a door that was proximate to me, but obviously closed. I figured he was leaving it for the rector or secretary and thought little more of it. A few minutes later, the package was still there. And so was the man who had brought it. He was wandering back and forth in front of the steps. "Okay, maybe he's just waiting for someone," thought I, and continued to finish my lunch.

Another couple of minutes passed. This stranger said something to me, but - having music playing in my headphones - I did not understand him at first. He repeated himself, "Are you finished? ...Are you finished??" (In French, of course.) Ummm... "Yes," I said, hesitantly. That seemed an odd question. "You eat and eat and eat! This is my place," he said, gesturing toward his package, which I now recognized as a beggar's bundle of blankets and cardboard, "I have been waiting and waiting." Well, gee, why didn't you say so? "Yes. I'm finished." I replied, rather coldly, although I clearly was only halfway through the little "gâteau" I had for dessert. I got up and left. If I had had a better grasp on French, I'm sure I wouldn't have hesitated to give him a piece of my mind and/or stay put until I was thoroughly finished, for I was fairly steaming. As it was, I just left. I think body language probably conveyed my feelings sufficiently. :)

But after a little while (say, a few days or a week!), when I was recounting the tale to a friend of mine, I was able to see the humor in it. It was HIS PLACE???? I didn't realize that beggars had assigned seating! I mean, seriously, I was sitting on the far side of the steps. Could he not just as easily set himself up on the OTHER side of the steps??

Or are donations really better when sitting on the "epistle side" of the church steps?!

Naming Customs

2007-03-06T14:35:00.000+01:00

As far as I am aware, in the United States, there is no traditional method of selecting your child's name. He can have one or six given names (or any number any between ;)) and, in general, these depend entirely upon the parents' tastes. The child is generally called by his first given name, but I am a living example of one exception to that rule. ;) So, for all intents and purposes, there is no customary way to name American children. No method to the madness.
The French, however, do use a method. I have been told that it is customary to give the child four names.
Girls are given: a name chosen by the parents, Our Lady's name (usually as "Marie," but the forms can vary), the godmother's name, and the maternal grandmother's name.
Boys are given: a name chosen by the parents, Our Lady's name (although I know some families replace this with "Louis" for the boys), the godfather's name, and the paternal grandfather's name.

I don't know if these names are given in the order listed above, but I think it's close to that.
Just a little point, but it's cultural and there you have it.

(If any of my readers know differently, please let me know!)

* * * * * * * * * * *

On afterthought, what would my name be if done according to these guidelines?
It would be a little redundant I think, depending on whether I take my first name or the name I'm actually called by for the name given by my parents. In the former case, my name would be Mary Mary Mary Jeanne. LOL! In the latter case, I would be Monica Mary Mary Jeanne.

What would your name be?

I Challenge You

2007-03-04T21:20:00.000+01:00

I am assigning you an exercise in synonyms today. Your homework is to try to go a full day, speaking English, without using any form of the word "get." You will then understand one of the difficulties I ran into, speaking French, a little while back. They don't have any one equivalent for our (ever-so-handy!!) word, "get." I have since gotten past this difficulty, but thought you'd like to share my misery. :P

Can you do it? Let me know how you make out!

BIG NEWS!!!

2007-03-03T19:46:00.000+01:00

We interrupt this (ir-)regularly scheduled program to announce not one, but TWO! momentous news items. (They do not bear equal weight, but they do both bear more weight than the usual news I post. :))

The first one being that MOM AND LINDSEY ARE COMING TO VISIT!!!!! They will be here in under 12 days!!!! It was a really quick - and thoroughly Providential!! - deal, as well as complete surprise to Mom. "Shock" may be a better word to describe her reaction. You see, Dad bought her ticket and everything before she ever heard even a whisper of the conspiracy!! :D So, how cool is that??

The second item, most hot off the press, is that I have finally (!!) - after nearly four years - renewed contact with Thomas, the French kid who was at SMC in 2002/2003. He is the world's worst correspondent, :) so when I e-mailed him casually a few days ago, I didn't expect a reply. What a surprise then to hear from him today!! And better luck yet! He arrives in Paris tomorrow and will be in town for two weeks!!

Will wonders never cease.

:)

I'm Back!

2007-02-26T15:06:00.000+01:00

Well, Britt and I had a VERY busy, eventful and fun few days together. Poor girl. I think I sent her back to the school more tired than she was upon arrival, if that's possible! But we did get to see and do some great things!

On the night of her arrival, we went to bed about one in the morning.
Thursday morning, it was up at 7 am to get started on my workday. She, bravely and loyally :), got up at the same time to see my life and to help out. She was a great help too! Elliott took to her like a fish to water and I was able to get a lot done without having to constantly worry what he was getting into. :) And she found Capucine absolutely ADORABLE (which, I admit, she is ;)). Thursday afternoon, during a couple of hours I had free, we walked around St. Germain-en-Laye, touring the church and admiring the château. We unintentionally stumbled across the tomb of James II of England (who was also James VII of Scotland) while we were at it! :)

Friday, we set out about mid-morning for Paris. And proceeded to tour three churches in a matter of hours. NOT recommendable!! :D By the end, we were exceedingly "detailed out" and could not absorb one more bit of artwork! Which was a pity because we finished in the Sainte Chapelle (having started with Rue du Bac and gone on to Notre Dame) which is GORGEOUS. But we simply couldn't take in any more. So we took pity on ourselves :) and just wandered along the Seine for awhile, ate our goûter in the beautiful outdoors, took a peek inside BHV (a huge department store in Paris) where I got Rose a little something for her birthday, got ourselves a couple of cappucinos, did some shoe shopping (the sales were excellent, but to no avail :( ), and headed back. Since the Arc de Triomphe is directly on the route back, I couldn't resist stopping for a few minutes to see it at night and snap a few photos. :) Britt was a good sport (even about having to follow me at top speed into the middle of the Champs-Elysées, lol!) and it was fun! Finally, we did make it back to the house.

Saturday, we arrived back in Paris (remember, it's about a 90-minute commute... one way; it can be quite wearing) about 10:45 am. She had never been to St. Nicolas du Chardonnet before, so I led her on a brief tour of the place and we said some prayers. We headed next door for the 30th Anniversary celebration that was being held there, starting at 11:30 am. There was a nice banquet... and lots of speeches. Tired as we were, we didn't stay 'tuned in' to the French for all of them but did catch some of them (there being about 12 total)! :) One of the speakers was a priest of the Society who had been an adult baptism at St. Nicolas, nine years before his Ordination! WOW!! An hour-and-a-half video/documentary followed. We had to be out of the rented hall by 5 pm, so everyone scrambled to leave at 4:58. :) Britt couldn't believe I actually did this, but after kissing Bishop Fellay's ring, I asked him if we could have a picture with him. Of course he said yes. So we got one!! I'm so glad I did have the "guts" (bravery... foolishness... whatever you'd like to call it ;)) to ask him. (It's not like he bites. LOL!)
We met up briefly with a fellow American and then attended Benediction at St. Nicolas. We decided not to tax ourselves further and headed straight back to the house.

On Sunday, we hitched a ride into Paris with the family (since it only takes 30 minutes by car). They were going to the 9 am Mass and we were aiming for the 10:30, so we did have to kill some time and wandered around in the area just a bit. But I was worried about getting seats (since it was to be a Pontifical High Mass), so we went into the church about halfway through the 9 am Mass. Just after Communion, we walked up the aisle and basically staked our claims - lol! - nor were we the only ones doing that!! Even for all our efforts, we didn't get seats together. Still, we were fortunate to get seats fairly near the front. Needless to say, the Mass was absolutely beautiful and His Excellency's sermon excellent.
After Mass, we met up with several other Americans and Sister Mary Ambrose! We talked with them for awhile, before we finally had to leave if we wanted any time in the Louvre at all. Yep, after that, we went to the Louvre. We had to rush right through the place, but we saw our main 'priorities' within three-and-a-half hours. We were shooed out when the place closed. Once again, we took it a little bit easy and just went back to the house for dinner.

Monday morning, I saw her to the train station and we said our farewells.

....
Tuesday morning, I left with the family for their grandparents' place near Anjou, France. We were there until yesterday. That is why you have not received this update sooner! :)

More another time! Ciao.

A Little Scarce These Days

2007-02-13T22:45:00.000+01:00

Ma meilleur amie is coming to town! Ma meilleur amie is coming to town! Ma meilleur amie is coming to town!

Can you tell I'm excited?? :D

Her train will pull into the Montparnasse station tomorrow night at 9:29 pm! And then we will spend four solid days babbling at each other. LOL! We're both excited. (That will be at least a finalist in the runnings for "Understatement of the Year.") It's been nearly six months since we came over to France together and we haven't seen each other since then!
...Lots of ideas and a handful plans for this weekend!

Pictures will follow! :)

All that to say, I've been a little scarce lately (à cause de work) and will be maintaining a holding pattern (à cause de aforementioned, upcoming event) until further notice.
But you never know when I might check back in, so Stay Tuned! :D

Montmartre

2007-02-10T00:25:00.000+01:00

Sacré Coeur

Daily Bread

2007-02-04T23:09:00.000+01:00

You know, it strikes me that the French have more real-life opportunity to relate to the "Our Father" than others might have.
It just seems to me that in the United States the words, "give us this day our daily bread," have less import than here in a country where the bread is literally bought fresh every day. And if a day is missed, the day-old bread is hardly delectable, but hard and dry; the fresh bread is certainly missed. And when le pain is hot and fresh, the children clamor for a morsel of it, in its very tastiest state.
Assuredly this phrase in the Our Father refers to more than a fresh baguette. It refers not only to all our food and all our material blessings (the roof over our head, the clothes we wear, everything), but also to the Blessed Sacrament, our spiritual food and strength. Our daily bread.

Nonetheless, does it not seem to you that the reality of acquiring bread daily would bring home in a special way this part of Our Lord's own prayer?

Thanks So Much for Visiting!!

2007-02-04T19:28:00.000+01:00

A Couple of Anecdotes

2007-02-01T21:55:00.000+01:00

There's no way these will come across in print as humorous as I found them in person, but maybe you'll get a chuckle... or a smile... out of them nonetheless...

Yesterday, after lunch, I was putting a child down for a nap and the boys (Cyprien - 15; Jacques - 9; Alban - 7) were creating their usual ruckus in the kitchen. They have a routine of nagging each other non-stop, verbally as well as PHYSICALLY. (Naturally. They're boys.) They're constantly swatting at each other, punching, pinching, tugging, knuckling... anything that will cause pain. So they've developed these reflexes that send them ducking when they see a brother (and his fisted hand) coming. They were in the middle of a very loud and active bout of this kind of "brotherly love" when I came downstairs from putting their sibling to sleep. I entered the kitchen. Jacques was momentarily in absentia, but approaching from the living room. Alban was facing me and Cyprien had his back turned to me. Out of the corner of his eye, this might-makes-right, cocky 15-year-old boy saw me coming and cringed. LOL! He thought I was Jacques, swinging at him. He was pretty chagrined when he realized it was the nanny. :D He did laugh though and said, "Excuse me." But you can be sure his brothers didn't let him forget too soon that he had been afraid of a girl. ;)

The other anecdote I thought I'd share took place yesterday evening. I was holding 9-month-old Capucine, standing in the little ones' bedroom. I asked Mrs. Smith if I should put her to bed for her evening nap... at least I thought that's what I asked! She hesitated for a moment and looked puzzled (normally she's a PRO at figuring out my awkwardly-worded sentences and never hesitates). Then a look of comprehension passed over her face and she said yes. It was only sometime later that I realized I had said, "Est-ce que la couche?" (i.e. Is it that the diaper?), instead of saying, "Est-ce que je la couche?" (i.e. Do I put her to bed?) I missed a two-letter word and that made all the difference. LOL! No wonder she looked puzzled!

Baby Talk

2007-01-26T21:28:00.000+01:00

Elliott, the 2-year-old where I work, is learning to speak French. So am I. Only he had a 22-month head start.
His comprehension is better than mine, but my speech is better than his. I'll sleep well tonight knowing that I speak better than a just-turned-2-year-old. Oh yeah.

No, but seriously. :) The words little kids come up with when they're learning to talk is cute. In any language.
So I thought I'd share a few of Elliott's pronunciations with you. I'll put the word in English, then the word in French, then the way Elliott says the French word (in more-or-less English phonics)...

no - non - NON (This one he has down perfectly and has for some time now. :))

Monica - Monica - 'nica (At first, it was just " 'ca," but we've moved to two syllables now!)

stop - arrêtes - ah-get-uh!

come - viens - nyen!! (with great enthusiasm and emphasis, multiple times, usually accompanied by a tug on your hand or your clothing :))

Capucine (his sister) - Capucine - Apu

shoes - chaussures - diggeul-diggeul-diggeul (where this came from, I have NO idea!)

cake - gâteau - diggeul-diggeul-diggeul (yes, this can cause some confusion)... however, he now says gah-koe for this

Jacques (his brother) - Jacques - Cacques (Cock)

Vicky (his sister) - Vicky - Kiki

please - s'il te plaît - AH p'aît!

thank you - merci - atsi (this used to be "ahni")

clown - clown - COO-loon

What is that/it? - C'est quoi? - nempah (I always think he's saying, "n'aime pas" - don't like - but he's asking what the thing is; not expressing his dissatisfaction with it, lol!)

car - voiture - *brrrbrrr* (a pseudo-engine sound; he incorporates the sound into his sentences just like it's another word :D)

The way his says "Alban" (another brother) and "lapin" (his "doudou") sounds exactly the same... it's a cross between the two.

He also has the cutest way of saying "MA maman!" when he thinks someone is threatening to take HIS maman from him for whatever reason! LOL! And when we ask him, "C'est à qui, Elliott?" (Who's is this?) and it's his, he says, "Moi-moi!" and points at his chest. Every time without fail. :)

You know what all this means, right? It's a two-for-one deal: I'm learning TWO new languages!!

Five Months

2007-01-25T14:53:00.000+01:00

Today marks FIVE MONTHS since my plane landed in France and I began my sojourn abroad!!
The months have gone very quickly, and yet, so much has happened that it really does feel like five months' worth of action - or more! Six months from today, I expect I shall home, though I don't yet know the actual date of return.

I feel as though I should say something profound on this "occasion," but... hmm... nothing comes to mind! :)
Therefore, I am just saying this to note that I am nearly to the halfway point!!

I'm going to have to step up to the language-learning if I want to reach my goal by the end of the year!! Wish me luck. :)

Scarlet Fever

2007-01-24T22:43:00.000+01:00

This poor baby has scarlet fever and spent the better part of today crying (which no doubt only aggravates her sore throat!)... la pauvre!! Hope she gets well soon!

This Cracks Me Up!

2007-01-23T21:02:00.000+01:00

ONLY the French would have SOS Repassage!!! That is a phone number you can call if you are sick, tired, or otherwise unable to complete all your household duties. The local SOS Repassage will send someone out to save your freshly-laundered clothing from a fate worse than death: WRINKLES!!!

Don't laugh. I'm serious. They're serious.

The French (in general... ALWAYS in general :)) iron E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. This includes, but is not limited to, sheets, towels (both kitchen and bath varieties), boxers, T-shirts, and jeans.

I think that the money they save by not using clothes dryers must be spent in ironing all those non-tumbled, wrinkled clothes! :)

What to Say? Where to Start?

2007-01-22T21:54:00.000+01:00

I have so many topics I'd like to blog about, so many points to bring up for "ponderation," :) the occasional anecdote to relate, etc. I often find myself composing a draft in my head, only for it to be lost in the cobwebs of my brain as I push blogging to the bottom of the to-do list. Admittedly, that's as it should be. Blogging is a leisure activity, not a priority... but I still wish I could get to this more frequently, not only because it serves as my "bulletin board" for my friends and family while I'm on the other side of the world (well, almost...), but also because it will serve as a reference point for me too once I return to civilization... er... once I leave France. ;)

Unfortunately, my thoughts aren't collected enough for a post right now, so I'll just leave you with a picture and let it say a thousand words for me!

I call this photo Reflections.

Have mercy on a body and let me know that you stopped by, by leaving a comment! :) Let me know what you'd be interested in hearing about: daily life, adventures out and about, learning the language, cultural differences, amusing and/or embarrassing anecdotes :)... leave your topic of preference or any questions in the comments. Thanks!

Learning the Lingo

2007-01-15T17:58:00.000+01:00

Technically, I've been in France for just over four months now... actually, to get technical, I've been here 10 days short of five months, minus two weeks for Joe and Linds' wedding. Like I said, just over four months. However, I consider the first month/five weeks an almost total wash as regards learning French. The entire month of September, I spoke to almost EVERYONE in English and they spoke to me in English. What little French I spoke was a pathetic version of "pigeon-French," that in fact, no one bothered to correct. Since the number one step in learning a language by immersion is to HEAR it and since I did not hear it much AT ALL during September, I don't think that month counts.

Therefore, when it comes to learning French, I consider that I have been immersed since about the end of October (having been in the States the first half of the month and on my own, without French-speakers around, the second half) or the beginning of November. Minus another two weeks for Christmas Vacation, during which Rose and I spoke a sorry amount of French and carried on at great length in English. :/

*punches the numbers into the calculator*
I'm estimating I've had about 8 weeks of good and profitable and consistent immersion! (Whew! That's not much!)

But that's not what I set out to talk about...

Some days, I really get into "French mode," and go at it with a pretty fair 'batting average.' Other days, I absolutely cannot get in the groove and I stumble over the simplest sentences. Practice makes perfect, though... and, while far from perfect (!), I can actually begin to feel the progress I've made. You may ask: four months here and you're only BEGINNING to feel the progress??

Yes.

Looking back, though, I find it hard to believe that I didn't know things like "ca y est" and "vas y!" There are SO many things I know now that I didn't know a few months ago. I'm really, really glad to be past that beginning part! (I can't believe I came over remembering only the present-tense endings for the verbs. Yikes!)
I don't understand everything, but if the speaker is distinct, I understand well over half of what's said. And if the topic is a familiar one, I can sometimes understand EVERYTHING!!

And that's cool.

The French words (those that are used most often anyhow) have taken on real meaning of their own. They're not translations anymore. In fact, a number of them have recently started coming to mind BEFORE their English equivalents. YAY!! :D For the everyday things, I think I can truly say that I'm beginning to think in French.

It's funny, though, because when I hear English (which is rather frequently - usually at least once a day... how's that for complete and total immersion?? LOL!), I sometimes marvel at how I can understand so easily! I sure don't take comprehension for granted anymore. :)

At the moment, I'm pretty happy with my comprehension and satisfied (though not happy) with my 'speakability.' But in a day or two, I'll probably be on the underside of the curve again - impatient with how little I know and how little I understand.
And in a few months time, I'll probably look back on this post and laugh that I thought I was coming along so well.

But for the moment, it's all good!

P.S. Although I admit that my comprehension is getting better (after all, how could it NOT??) and that my written French is perhaps on the "upswing" at the moment, I do not claim that my spoken French is very good! I don't even like my accent... how bad is that?? LOL! That's life, though.... and hopefully the accent will improve with time.

French Perspective

2007-01-10T22:26:00.000+01:00

This evening, before dinner, I had a pretty good talk with Mme. Smith. (Which brought home to me that one of the hardest things about this language barrier is not being able to have a discussion, heart-to-heart talk, or anything of the sort with people here!!) We started with my reasons for coming to France and finished with the difference of outlook on marriage between our two countries. (No, those two topics were NOT related!!!)

I rather shock myself, but the truth is: I'm not quite sure why I DID come to France!! I had no concrete reason; no certain goal. Yes, I wanted to learn the language. Yes, I wanted some experience away from home, preferably in Europe. Yes, I had nothing else presenting itself for my occupation this year. But, in the end, what DO I tell people when they ask my reasons for coming?! I tell them those things, but it always sounds a bit open-ended, a little unsatisfying. Even I'm left wondering, "Why?" I don't know exactly... except that I'm sure it was God's Will for me this year. Although I may not be able to give one, particular reason for being here, I do know that I appreciate being here and that I'm enjoying it... and that even through the rough parts, I haven't REALLY wanted to leave it behind and go home. It's just like Mom said before I left, "Going to Europe is somewhat like visiting a Grandmother's house. It's not the same as home, but it's familiar." This is really true... mostly because of all the history over here that is lacking in the United States, and because the United States was colonized by Europeans.
I was telling Mme. Smith these things (well, I was trying! It was awfully stilted, I'm afraid!) and we agreed that an American's reasons for coming to Europe are very different than a European's for going to the States. She said that Europeans often go to the States just out of curiosity, for an adventure, to earn money, or sometimes for the sake of learning English (although a lot more go to Great Britain for that purpose). But she said that it's very hard for Europeans to live in America, because it is so lacking in history, in deep-seated culture, in character. This was not a slur against the United States... it's an objective fact; very true, really. She told me that many Europeans can't live in the States because it feels too empty, too shallow. I had never thought of this in as many words before, but I can totally understand it!! Heck, I'm not sure I'll be able to live in the U.S. when I get back! (LOL! I'm joking! The U.S. is my home and I do love it. But I could sense that "void" when I was home in October... how much more will I notice it upon my return this summer??)

With a slightly unusual segue (the person who was most influential in my final decision to come to France), the topic changed to cultural customs regarding dating, engagement, and marriage. Mme. Smith told me what I had already observed and heard about a little bit: the dating period before engagement is relatively quite short in France. This is because the young people go around in mixed groups quite a lot. In this way, they get to know each other (and everybody) very well without becoming exclusive or going steady. When a boy decides to ask a girl out, they typically already know each other well enough that it's not long before they're engaged to be married. Engagement lasts between six months and a year, in general.
The age at which young people marry in France is, on average, older than in the United States. Twenty-five is a pretty typical age, even for the girls. Often, both the young man and young woman have finished university and are working before they get married. That's because, in France, as Mme. Smith put it, "C'est independence ou pas de mariage." There's no moving in with the in-laws after marriage. The parents "cut their children off." It's sink-or-swim. Which is great incentive for being financially stable before taking such a serious step!
(As a side-note, Rose and I discovered over Christmas vacation that, in Switzerland, there aren't usually engagements!!! The couple just gets married. I was pretty floored when I heard that! I'm still a little puzzled how that works... I don't suppose there is ever a formal proposal in that case, but when do they set the date? And how do they know when to start planning the invitations, the dress, the flowers, etc?? But it's true: they don't get engaged in Switzerland; they just get married.)

Miscellany

2007-01-09T21:59:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm back to work, as of yesterday. It's kinda nice to come back to a familiar routine.

While I'm thinking about it (and before I forget again)... we had soup last night. That's not unusual, but I had said before that I'd post about the food from time to time in the hopes of being able to re-create it (or at least imitate it) once I'm home again. So last night, we had soup. Homemade soup. That's not unusual either. It turned out pretty tasty and this is what it was composed of: one leek, one small zucchini, three small to medium potatoes and three medium to large carrots. These were all peeled and cut into large-ish pieces, put in a large pot, barely covered with water, and boiled until mushy. Then, with a handy dandy machine that they have here, it was all mashed up... no... pureed... yeah, that sounds more appetizing. Add a bit of salt and 'mange.' Pretty good!!

Another thing that I've been meaning to say and never remember when I go to say it is that I have observed that European children play castles and medieval times the way American children play cowboys and Indians (or house, if they're girls). This makes perfect sense, but I never really thought about it before I was here. The boys here have a HUGE collection of knight toys and figurines. The nine-year-old has a castle theme on his duvet. In another family I met, the children all had dress-up costumes as medieval characters. Princesses and/or ladies-in-waiting for the girls and knights for the boys. They even had a pop-up tent/castle! :)

And one more completely unrelated thing. This made me laugh... I was teaching Jacques and Alban English tonight. (I was trying, anyway. The latter was particularly uncooperative.) I was one-on-one with Jacques and, after doing some reading in English, I was teaching him the phrase "my name is __________." So, since we were 'speaking' English, I told him to say, "My name is James." (That's what his dad calls him when talking to him in English... after all, that's the translation of 'Jacques.') Without missing a beat, he said, "My name is Bond. James Bond." I had to laugh. That was so unexpected! After that, he switched to, "My name is Smith. James Smith." He's such a crack-up! If it's not one thing, it's another... he can almost always make me laugh.

BEE-YOO-TI-FUL, eh?

2007-01-02T21:15:00.000+01:00

(I'm talkin' about the scenery, of course.)

Checking in from Switzerland

2006-12-29T21:58:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Just wanted to say hi from the Swiss Alps and tell you all that I've had a very enjoyable holiday so far and the end is approaching far too rapidly! ;) I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I wish everybody a Happy and Holy New Year!!

Back again soon! :)
Monnie

Christmas Vacation!!!

2006-12-23T09:03:00.000+01:00

Today, We Leave For SWITZERLAND!!!

Merry Christmas to you all!! Best wishes!!!

À la prochaine!

The Longest Shortest Day of the Year

2006-12-21T15:18:00.000+01:00

This morning I opened the shutters in the kitchen about 8 am. It was still dark as night outside. And it dawned on me (no pun intended! ;)) that today is the shortest day of the year, in daylight hours.

But the shortest day of the year has become the longest as I eagerly await the coming of vacation. :)

49.5 hours until our train leaves for Switzerland. :D

LOL!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2006-12-20T20:59:00.000+01:00

Time has been going so slowly this week! I thought it would fly by (just like all the other weeks!), because I didn't get back from St. Manvieu and start work again until Monday afternoon and also because Rose will arrive tomorrow evening (instead of the usual Friday evening arrival). Short week, right? Right... but it doesn't feel like it! Time actually seems to be going slowly! I think it's because I can't wait for "Christmas vacation" (that makes it sound like I'm in school again :)). You know that feeling of barely contained excitement? An inability to concentrate on your work? An ancy feeling in your stomach? Yep, I've got all the symptoms.

Only two more days of work now!! I can't wait!! :D

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2006-12-20T09:57:00.000+01:00

Decorations are going up around the house and Christmas cookies are being made. There is a secretive feel as bedroom doors remain firmly closed. And all await the coming of Our Savior and King...

Accidental Find

2006-12-19T07:28:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned, I spent this past weekend with Rose in Normandy. It was a great break for me, to be able to spend a few days in an environment so unlike the one in which I work!!

On Saturday, we took the bus from Carpiquet to Caen to do some shopping. We got off at a bus stop that seemed to be in a promising area for shopping purposes. Right near the bus stop, we saw a beautiful church and decided to go in on a whim. We toured the church (which we later found out was the Abbaye aux Hommes), accompanied by the church's choir practice of various traditional Christmas carols. Just as we were about to head over and see their crêche (which turned out to be really nice!), I saw a sign with an arrow reading "Tomb of William the Conqueror" (in French and English)!!! What?! We had stumbled so unknowingly into the church housing the bones of William the Conqueror?! Wow! We followed the indication and found, indeed, his tomb in the sanctuary of the church. A few minutes later, we learned that he had begun the building of the church itself (although I don't think it was finished until after his death).

Perhaps the fact that William the Conqueror is buried in Caen is a well-known fact (it certainly makes sense that he is)... I don't know. I only know that it wasn't to me and Rose!! :) That surprise discovery really made our day! :D
(This is so you can tell where the tomb is, relative to the main altar.)

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and More!

2006-12-18T22:32:00.000+01:00

I spent this past weekend (Friday evening to Monday morning) visiting Rose at Cours Ste. Catherine de Sienne in Normandy.

To reach the school on Friday afternoon/evening, I went through the following steps:
* walking
* taking the bus
* taking the RER
* taking the metro
* taking the train
* taking a taxi

All that in less than six hours. Wow, did I feel traveled! But all that combined was still easier than a single airplane flight alone. The airports just seem to work together to make your travels as full of hassle as they possibly can. I LOVE being able to show up at the train station fifteen minutes before your desired train leaves and purchase the ticket, then walk directly to the train and get on. Your bags never leave your hands. You go through NOT A SINGLE measure of so-called "security." And you SOMEHOW manage to arrive at your destination alive and well. Your luggage isn't lost and (a lot of times) the train is on time to the minute. I'm lovin' it! ;)

(Picture taken in the Châtelet-Les-Halles metro station in Paris, late afternoon December 8, 2006.)

Menu du Jour

2006-12-14T21:45:00.000+01:00

I think, from time to time, I'm going to write about what we ate during the day... the French way of eating is quite healthy (one reason out of several for the fact that they are almost all QUITE slender), but I'm afraid I'll forget how they do it once I get home, so I'm gonna jot it down... and maybe a few of you readers will find it of interest too...

So, for starters:
Tonight's dinner was composed of salad and quiche. Both EXTREMELY standard fare over here.
It was a green salad, with a vinaigrette concocted with dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and another kind of oil.
The quiche was a ham and leek affair... with milk (maybe a little crème fraiche... I'm not sure; I didn't do that part of it...) an egg or two, perhaps some herbs, and I don't know what else.
Dessert was yogurt. The natural variety (sans sucre) that is sooo common over here (but that I don't recall ever seeing before I got to France). You add the sugar to it just before eating. It's sooo yummy!!

...One big problem is that they very regularly use ingredients that are not available in the United States. What a pity it is, too! You just can't find baguettes "aux Etats-Unis" ...nor crème fraiche ...nor, as far as I know, fromage blanc ...lots of things.
Oh well! I suppose the methods and principals of their eating habits can be imitated even without the ingredients, right?

Pop Rocks

2006-12-12T22:42:00.000+01:00

This evening, I was supposed to be teaching Alban (5) and Jacques (7) English. They don't particularly like these lessons, although I try to make them light... Tonight, Alban - who is particularly strong-willed by nature - was having NONE of it. Very uncooperative. I mentioned though that if he would be good, he could have some "bonbons." He straightened right up and actually became nearly enthusiastic about the English lesson. Let's just say he actually showed interest and initiative... and really surprised me with how much he remembered from his previous (lethargic) lesson. He has quite a memory!

...So I had him read some in a beginner book, double-checking to make sure he was comprehending the meaning of the English words and quizzing him on some of the vocab. As a reward, I gave him some Pop Rocks. He had never seen anything like them at first and seemed a little loathe to try them at first. But try them, he did. The look on his face was priceless! He actually displayed wonder. (If you knew this stubborn, ornery-as-heck little kid as well as I do, you would marvel too!) I gave him a little more and he ran downstairs to show his mom and brother. :)

Whaddya know?? Jacques was suddenly eager to get started on his own lesson. :D I had him read several pages of a different book, worked on some spelling, and then quizzed him on vocab from today's book as well as from last week and a few weeks before. Colors, food, various things... when he had satisfactorily accomplished a fair amount, I dished out Pop Rocks to him too. His reaction matched Alban's. There was a "What's going on in there anyway??" look on his face, and he ran downstairs also to share the tidings of this wonder candy with his mom.

Ahh, a little bribery now and then never hurt anybody... LOL! Thank you VERY much to Linds for sending the novelty "bonbons"!! They came in very handy and the boys are now a little more on their way to speaking English. :) Baby steps, baby steps...

Sleep? What's that?

2006-12-11T21:28:00.000+01:00

The fact that I have weekends off in no way implies that I am able to catch up on sleep! What a laugh! ;) I am not a morning person. But I have to get up at 7 am just about every day of the week. (That's early for me.) Does this mean I go to bed earlier? No. Especially when my sister is in town, LOL! Let's see... Thursday night, I was in Paris and got to bed at midnight; woke up at 7:15 am. Friday night, Rose and I went into Paris for Mass and a procession in honor of the Immaculate Conception. Went to bed about 1:30 am; got up a little after 8 am. On Saturday night, we went to bed after midnight, I think. Sunday morning, we rose at 8. Last night, we got to bed at 12:30 am and this morning had to rise at 6:40, so Rose could leave for the train station at 7:15...

*yawn*

Theoretically, I am going to go to bed early this week and try to make up some of that lost sleep... we'll see what actually happens!

AHEM! Wake up!

Hey! You mean this post put you to sleep?? Cool, maybe I'll read it tonight and thereby go to sleep at a decent time!

Ciao.

House Call

2006-12-07T17:44:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday morning, the family doctor actually came to the house and made a house call!! I thought my dad was the only doctor in the world who still did this! :O It was actually neat to be on the "receiving" end for once, instead of always on the "sending" end, watching Dad leave...

"Du Jour" posting

2006-12-06T22:45:00.000+01:00

I'm gonna try to update this blog more frequently from now on (as I am able), because I know that if I don't write a lot of the daily incidents down, they will quickly be forgotten (some already have been!)... and also, that will make me keep an eye out for the humorous highlights of the day and help me see things in a humorous light (not that that has really been a problem so far).

I'm just saying.

And now you can hold me to it if I don't post very often. ;) (All both of you that read the blog.)

That being said... what can I report? Ah, yes, you wanted to hear about my weekend. (Yes, you did. Don't argue with me!)
In brief, it went well. The babysitting was a bit hectic... 8 1/2 year old Gregoire broke his plate at dinner by telling a story too animatedly and 9-month-old Béatrice was feverish and cranky, but overall, things went just fine. :) And I got a kick out of watching The Love Bug in French!! Buddy Hackett "speaking" French was TOO funny!
As for visiting a museum on Sunday, well, it just didn't happen. I met up with Bridget (a British girl I met about 2 1/2 weeks ago) after Mass at St. Nicolas and we talked with various people outside in the pouring rain for a few minutes. (Neither of us had had the forethought to tote an umbrella with us.) Then we tried to find our way to one of her better-liked cafés, meanwhile assuming the appearance of drowned rats. At last, we found the place and were able to dry off (most of the way) over a hot lunch. Another English girl met up with us there. ...I had wanted to go to the Louvre, but Bridget convinced me that it would be way too crowded and not at all worth going. I'm sure she was right. So I let her pick a different museum we could go to together. She picked one on costumes and jewelry since she is fascinated by that sort of thing. We went together to the the metro (thankfully, Katherine - the third-party - had brought an umbrella so we maintained a semblance of dryness that time!) and then walked the several blocks from the final stop to the museum, only to discover that it was closed until its next exhibit opened in 2007. There were no other museums of interest nearby (our choices being Asian Modern Art, Hinduism, or some other strange thing - which I can't recall at the moment), so we headed toward Bridget's "flat" for tea. On the way there, we walked beneath the Eiffel Tower (which is, in fact, HUGE) and then stopped at a "Vente de Noël" for a little bit. At the apartment, I met her roommate, Anne (yep, another English girl! :)), we had tea (yummy!), and then talked, listened to music, looked at pictures, and watched two episodes of a BBC show called "Keeping Up Appearances" - funny, but frustrating! By that time, it was nearly 9 pm!! Katherine and I decided to leave Bridget in peace to work on her homework (she's a university student) and make our separate ways 'home.'

My weekend went WAY too quickly, but it was fun!

...I realize that this post has been entirely too plentiful in its use of parenthetical observations, but that's what happens when I try to put something in a nutshell! :)

I was hoping to tack a couple photos onto the end of this post, but it's not working right now, so I'll put them up later.

*and now a word from our sponsors...*

Stay tuned!

If We Make It Through December...

2006-12-01T23:55:00.000+01:00

...We'll Be Fine.

So goes the song.

Considering we've made it TO December, making it THROUGH December now seems quite feasible. :) Especially with the way time is FLYING!! Yikes!
The first couple of months over here were rough. I can't say they weren't, although hindsight is 20/20... I never realize how difficult a situation is until I'm out of it. That's probably a very good thing!
Nevertheless, the last four weeks (i.e. since my arrival at the Smiths' on the sixth) have gone much, much better. It's not always easy. It can't be said to be "fun" - at least, not much of the time. It's far from perfect. But it's very satisfying and I really like it. The kids are growing on me... and I can foresee it be really hard to say goodbye when my stint here is over.

The big news of today, however, is that I got a package from Joegi and Linds this morning!!! It was sooo thoughtful of them!!! I loved it! And savored every minute of opening it. :)
I'm absolutely spoiled. :D I got a little packet from Mom earlier this week and received a care package from Mom (complete with banana bread and some really good candy! :D) early last week. Those things certainly do help me keep going over here. It's so nice to know I've got support from home. That means far more than the candy and letters - but I love those because that's how the support is shown.
And I can't express how much I appreciate Dad's encouragement and support (both monetary and otherwise :)).
And, of course, I'm so glad for those friends who have been consistent about keeping in touch with me over here. It's nice to know that I haven't been entirely forgotten. ;)
SO MUCH for which to be thankful!!!!!!!!!

As other news goes, Rose visited last weekend and we had a good couple of days together. We were both happy to see "familial faces" again and share stories and experiences. On Friday evening, we didn't do anything special. Ate dinner and let Rose get settled in a bit. And talked to the family for a short bit. Saturday, we spent the afternoon and evening in St. Germain, shopping, eating, and exploring. Very tiring, but fun! (We also discovered that there is no such thing as eating an early dinner out. Only ONE restaurant opened at 6 pm. The rest opened at 7 or later. So much for our plan to have dinner about 5 or 5:30!! We ended up eating at 7:15 at a yummy Italian place. :)) On Sunday, we went to the "Grande Messe" at St. Nicolas and stuck around Paris afterwards. We spent a couple of hours in an awesome bookshop called "Shakespeare and Company," visited Notre Dame de Paris, and ate traditional French cuisine at a café nearby... snails, rumpsteak, and crème brulée. Mm-MM! :D ...Rose reluctantly headed back 'à l'école' on Monday morning, via the train to Caen.

This week itself has gone very quickly (what's new?) and I will be spending this weekend doing two basic things: babysitting and touring a museum. :) I'll be babysitting six French children from 2 pm tomorrow until... well, basically until Sunday morning. I'm spending the night at their house, since their parents are going to a wedding and won't be back until LATE!
Hopefully, I'll be able to make it to the Louvre on Sunday. That's the plan. I might even be able to go with a recently-made friend of mine... a British girl I met a couple weeks ago.

I know this has been a pretty random post. Sorry about that! What can I say? ...it's nearly midnight and I'm not entirely coherent. ;)
So, without further ado, I'm going to hit the "publish post" button and bid you "bonne nuit!"

Settling In...

2006-11-22T18:54:00.000+01:00

I apologize for not being more frequent with my updates to this blog! I must confess that my days have been busy and my internet rather scarce...
Right now, I still don't have as much time as I would like (perhaps I'll draft a post offline when I can...), but I'm posting a picture so that it can say 1000 words for me! :)

This is the 6-month-old girl (Capucine) that I have the joy of seeing everyday. Isn't she a cutie? :)

À la prochaine, que Dieu vous benisse!

Okay, So Here's the Story

2006-11-14T22:02:00.000+01:00

In brief, then, I lost my heretofore job at the end of September. No, I wasn't fired (I did get asked that, but no, I wasn't). The four-year-old girl I was nannying was finding it utterly too stressful to learn English from someone who didn't speak much French. (I admit - the circumstances WERE quite stressful.) So her mother decided that she would hire a French-speaking nanny and she suggested that I start looking for work elsewhere.

Only a few days later, I departed France for the United States where I was happily in residence for two weeks, for the occasion of my sister's wedding. The middle of October saw me flying back to Paris, with very little clue where I would work next. I commenced to research families, with the help of an au pair agency as well as by word of mouth. There were four possible families... three of whom seemed to be truly viable options. I spent a week just north of Lyon - in a 13th century castle, no less! - "test-driving" one of the prospective families - this one with eight children. I enjoyed the week, but didn't think that the position was what I wanted for a full year, so I kept looking. I spent the Toussaint holiday with Rose and a French family in the (French) Alps... very pretty place!
Well, time was running short and finding a new job was taking longer - a lot longer! - than I had anticipated! Things got VERY stressful and I spent a couple of nights in a hotel in Paris for lack of anywhere else to stay. However, Providence stepped in (although I don't think that It had ever been truly absent!) and near the last minute, I heard from a friend about a traditional Catholic family with seven children in the Paris area who needed a nanny "tout de suite." Since I needed a position "tout de suite" and was more inclined to consider a 'trad' family than a 'non-trad' family, I made arrangements to meet the family ASAP. I arrived at their house on Monday, November 6 for a trial week. By this point, I told myself that if this didn't work out, I would know it was God's Will that I go home. I didn't want to, but I had been without work for nearly six weeks and I had neither the time, money, nor will power to continue trying to sell myself to various families. I simply WAS NOT up to it.

Fortunately, things went well and I decided that I could probably handle it for several months... apparently, the family thought they could put up with me as well in the meantime, because it looks like I'll be staying!! I like that I'm far enough away from Paris to have grass and trees and live in a HOUSE (not an apartment), but close enough to be able to take the RER into 'town' should I so desire. I enjoy the children - most of the time, anyway! - even if they're very noisy and VERY active, by American standards! ;) They are really growing on me. And a BIG plus is that I get along quite well with 'the lady of the house.' VERY important if I'm going to be working alongside of her in her house for the next 6-9 months!! The tricky part is that I'm supposed to help teach the children English (their father is British and speaks English to them, so they've already got a fair start in comprehension) at the same time as I learn French. MUCH more easily said than done! However, I'm in luck! Mrs. S used to teach French, Latin and Greek! So she is quite familiar with the way a language should be taught and learned. She helps me with my French while the children are at school and then I help the children with their English when they're at home.
My progress in French, then, is necessarily slower than if I were totally immersed... but hey, it's much quicker than if I were at home right now!!

So voila, there you have it! I am now "stationed" in St. Germain-en-Laye, several miles west of Paris-proper. There are five boys and two girls in the family for whom I'm working and the age range is six months to sixteen years. Stay tuned as my adventures continue! ;)

It Was the Best of Times...

2006-11-06T00:55:00.000+01:00

...It Was the Worst of Times.

These are "adventuresome" times! Especially the last few days. But things are still up in the air, so I can't report fully on the matter yet.

Are you intrigued?

Good!

I leave you with a picture...

Rose and I looking out over the French Alps, from a peak called the "Chapeau de Napoléon."

Back to the Land of the Blue, White, and Red!

2006-10-19T18:13:00.000+02:00

Yep, I'm back!! :D

My trip overseas actually went quite smoothly. My flight leaving KC was an hour late, but that only meant an hour more with Mom ;) - upon reaching Detroit, I walked very quickly past about 38 gates and arrived at my flight after almost everyone had boarded. I was stressing about reaching it (after all, what would happen if I didn't make it and Rose was waiting for me in Paris?!), so I wasn't in the most agreeable mood... therefore, when I got to the gate, I handed my passport and boarding pass to the guy there who spoke to me in French. I understood him perfectly, but when he asked why I had that particular seat, I couldn't answer him in French and had to resort to English. I thought he was gonna hassle me about it (I had picked an aisle seat in the front row of the plane :D), so I just said that that's what I had gotten. He took it and changed it which irritated me a little, so I asked if my new seat was also an aisle seat. He said yes and then when I didn't say anything else, he asked if I wasn't even going to ask why he had done it and then proceeded to explain that the plane was practically empty and he had moved me so that I would have a row (of four seats) all to myself!! I felt really bad about being grumpy after that!! So, quite luckily, I was able to completely stretch out on the flight over and got about 4 1/2 hours of (somewhat interrupted) sleep!! YAY!!
Rose and I both got our luggage, no problem. ("Alas," says Rose, "my prayers were in vain." She had been hoping that her luggage would be lost, so that the airlines would deliver it to her in Normandy and she could avoid what followed, but no such luck!) It took two sweaty hours, three metro stops, and LOTS of stairs (I mean LOTS, including the four spiral flights leading to my apartment) to get "home." But with help from a few very nice people, we made it! (No doubt we sweated off ALL the extra calories we have had during the visit home for the wedding, lol!)
Later in the day, we went out and got a few groceries and a couple of baguettes and had spaghetti at the apartment. We waited up until 9:30 pm before we let ourselves sleep...

Tuesday morning, it was off to the "doctor's" office this morning, via a perfect wild-goose chase in order to get a stupid "timbre" which was to prove that I had paid the 55 Euro tax for my carte de séjours... in the end, however, we snared the wild goose and proceeded with the treasured stamp to my appointment (a couple of arrondissements over) where we arrived 20 minutes late. They took me in anyway, though, and after several sessions of waiting and being called into different rooms (it actually wasn't so terrible and the people were pretty decent), I walked out of there with my carte de séjours!! :D (Apparently, it's a "temporary" one - expires in March - but I'm guessing that they'll send the permanent one once the rest of the paperwork goes through...? I hope that's the case!)

Yesterday, I took Rose to Gare St. Lazare for her 12:25 train to Caen... I almost got forcibly taken to Caen as well! I was on the train, helping Rose put her luggage on the rack when the doors started closing!! I forced the nearest door open and hopped off, yelling "bye" over my shoulder (which no doubt embarrassed Rose ;)), and landing on the quai only a moment before the train pulled away. Close call! :D

Today, I ran errands and got my ticket to go to Lyon this Saturday. I was a little ticked because the guy at the counter said he was giving me the youth discount and then charged me the adult fare. I thought maybe I just had the wrong price in mind, but later when I looked at the ticket, he had given me an adult ticket indeed. Grrr... Oh well! Nothing I can do about it now!! At least, I've got a ticket for Lyon and that was my goal. It was only a difference of 6 Euros anyway...

I will be spending next week with a family who lives near Lyon and possibly the week after that with a family in Macôn. So I'll be out of pocket for a couple of weeks, but will update you when I can!! :) Thanks for reading!

Holed-Up in Houston

2006-10-02T01:32:00.000+02:00

Houston, we have a problem!

Er... Houston is fixing the problem. :D

So here I am in humid Houston, spending the night in the Marriott all by myself.

No joke.

I was supposed to be home by now, but air traffic congestion caused delays in leaving Paris this afternoon. We were supposed to take off about 3:55 pm, but didn't get into the air until about 5 pm. Then, we had to make an emergency landing in Montreal because one of the passengers was VERY sick. I don't know what exactly the issue was but the doctor on board couldn't do anything for her, so we landed in Montreal and five EMC-type people came on the plane and the poor girl was wheeled out with them. (I hope she's okay!) That took a little while (I guess about 30 - 45 minutes), but we eventually landed in Houston at 10 til 10 pm. My flight to KC had been scheduled for 9:25... long gone. Fortunately, the airlines are covering the hotel rooms for everyone on the trans-Atlantic flight!!! Thus, I wound up here at the Marriott and will fly out tomorrow at 11:40 am. I have my luggage with me (God is good! :)), but received word that although Rose made it home (via Chicago), her luggage was not so fortunate... probably because she boarded her flight in Chicago literally two minutes before the scheduled take-off! :D

All's well that ends well though! Traveling always affords adventure, :) but I'll be home this time tomorrow (provided things go smoothly from here on out :)).

Linds gets married in less than a week!

Here I am, in the Marriott... :)

Visiting Rose

2006-09-25T16:00:00.000+02:00

This particular American-in-Paris spent this past weekend visiting her sister in Normandy. :) And while she was there, it struck her that their experiences this year, although both are in France, will resemble the differences between the country mouse and the city mouse in the well-known fable. But it works out very well for them, because whenever one needs a change of pace, she has only to visit the other! :)

Here are a few pictures from my brief sojourn to the country:

Cours Ste Catherine de Sienne... thataway! :)
Rose, in her little room at the school
In front of the large main entrance to the place
La chapelle...
Here, Rose sets the table for Sunday lunch in the 'parloir'

Signing off now,
The City Mouse :D

Rose's Visit

2006-09-18T15:16:00.000+02:00

Well, Rose returned to St. Manvieu-Norrey (in Normandy) Saturday afternoon, after a three day visit to my flat here in Paris. It was so nice to see her again! We didn't do too much of the touristy stuff, but we did make it to L'Arc de Triomphe (albeit not to the top) and Notre Dame (even though it was closed, so we only saw the outside :)). Here are a few pictures from her visit...

Rose, the first evening in Paris, with the Seine River and Notre Dame de Paris behind her:
Enjoying the morning out on a balcony six floors up. :)
At the Arc de Triomphe...
At the Square des Batignolles...

300 and counting...

2006-09-12T09:33:00.000+02:00

Thank you, all, for visiting this blog!

St. Nicolas du Chardonnet

2006-09-12T09:26:00.000+02:00

I entered the Parisian metro at the Malesherbes station about 9:30 Sunday morning... 3 lines, 18 stops, and 45 minutes later, I emerged into the daylight, two blocks away from St. Nicolas du Chardonnet. I followed a group of "trad" looking people who appeared to know each other to the church. Yes! I successfully made it to St. Nicolas yesterday for the 10:30 Mass!! (Last week, you see, I missed Mass :( because I didn't realize it would take an hour to travel six miles and I didn't have a map with me.) I was very happy to be there... at Mass in a foreign country is the best way to truly realize that the Catholic church is indeed one and universal.

From the back of the Church, at the end of the 9 am Mass:
This huge crucifix was beautiful!

It seems that the habit of chatting with friends outside after Mass is just as universal as the Mass itself! ;)

The French Do "Small" Smaller Than Most

2006-09-09T22:03:00.000+02:00

I just HAVE to share this essay with y'all!! It would be absolutely hilarious... except for the fact that is not in the least exaggerated. I can vouch for it. (All the same, I admit to having laughed at loud while reading it. :)) Taken from BootsnAll Travel, this is absolutely worth the read!!!

Housing Plight in City of Light
Paris, France

The computer screen taunts me with photos of charming Parisian apartments with minuscule dimensions. My two-year-old is dancing to Hi-5, having given up on the promised trip to the park. Finding a flat for our six-week stay in the French capital has become my latest obsession.

Our requirements consist of a two-bedroom apartment easily accessible to the Latin Quarter, where I will be studying in July. My research has been enlightening as I learn not to take anything for granted, not even walls.

My findings are baffling: traditional two-bedroom apartments apparently are rare in Paris. Some bedrooms are partitioned off with screens, curtains and "vertically exposed beams." In some apartments, the number of beds doesn't equate to the number of people supposedly sleeping there. How French.

Sometimes, the second bedroom is on a mezzanine floor, which is often not full height. Some lofts are only as wide as the bed and others don't have railings; I guess that's not a problem as long as you don't roll out of bed. Although, when you are putting on your jeans while crouching, you could lose your balance and topple over the edge into the living room. Often the beds are hidden away in cupboards, a system known as a Murphy bed.

I have images of the bed lurching up in the middle of the night and its occupant disappearing until the cleaner appears (hopefully to change the sheets). Meanwhile, the flatmate lies unconscious on the dining-room table. I guess that's what travel insurance is for. It's lucky, then, that in many cases the bedrooms have the proportions of a coffin, preparing you for the inevitable.

Behind the elegant façades of 19th-century buildings, many of these apartments are walk-ups. Some advertise lifts but are honest enough to admit they don't go up to all floors of the apartment building; assuming the lift works, of course. I wonder how quaint the winding staircase seems when you're lugging your belongings up to your bohemian apartment with Eiffel Tower-top views?

After such an ordeal you could cool off in the shower, which probably is in the bedroom. Then wash your clothes while sitting on the toilet in the kitchen. How's that for convenience? As you put your feet up at the end of the day, you can gaze into the mirrored walls and imagine there really is another room that looks exactly the same as the one you're in.

Just when I think the French have thrown all the rules out the former window, it happens. I find an available apartment in the Latin Quarter, complete with worn parquetry flooring and large windows filling the rooms with light. Now I just need to convince the agency to rent it to me.

Fearing that handing over exorbitant amounts of money isn't enough, I send super-polite emails that are replied to with curt responses. "Oui, madame, the bathroom does contain a bath, as the name suggests." Finally, I am triumphant as an obscene amount of money is charged to my credit card. At last, I can dream of my fling with the City of Light. Lights? Hang on, I didn't ask, but surely...

It's true! It's true!! I am currently living in a SPACIOUS studio apartment in Paris... it's 14 square meters. No, I'm not being facetious - that's spacious for Paris. The average studio apartment here is an incredible SEVEN meters square!! Nonetheless, I had to laugh when I read the above essay because the people I work for live on the sixth floor of an apartment building... the elevator stops at the fifth floor and you climb the spiral stairs to the sixth. I have no clue why, but it's simply accepted here. (Not to mention that the elevators have the same sizing problem the apartments they take you to have... you can fit two adults and a child into the elevator. Forget anything besides that. If it's a REALLY big load you're taking down - for example, a suitcase ;) - you'd better have one person go down first, then send the suitcase down by itself - to be picked up by the awaiting person - and then go down yourself. Or take the six flights of stairs.)

Oh, and the lights! They make up for all their outdoor lights by not having them indoors... makes perfect sense to me. (Not.) My apartment has a bathroom light. Period. I begin to think that I was fortunate to get even that! The place isn't even wired for an overhead bedroom light and I imagine that if one were to mention the desirability of such a feature, the Parisian construction crew wouldn't understand WHY such a thing would be desirable. ;)

And the comment about lugging your baggage up the winding staircase is too close to home to be funny... I'll laugh about it one day, I'm sure, but lugging my worldly possessions up four flights of very narrow spiral stairs was no picnic! Wow! ...my blister is almost gone...

Here is a bit of photographic evidence. :) And for those of you Americans reading this, just remember that "spacious skies" aren't the only things that are spacious in America the Beautiful! ;)

Picture a little kitchenette to the left and a SMALL bathroom to the right and there you have the whole apartment! (Note my "closet" on the wall above my bed and the lamp for lack of an overhead light. :))
This is the view from in the bathroom... my kitchen (albeit without counter space to speak of, with only two burners, and no oven of any kind), my dining room, and my office all wrapped into one! :D
And those picturesque, but not so fun, spiral stairs! :)

Thank you for touring my home! Come again anytime... you can't say I didn't warn you! :)

Pictures (and explanations): Cluny

2006-09-08T15:15:00.000+02:00

On August 28, we went to Cluny with M. Lhomme... it was quite fascinating to see what remained of "the Lighthouse of the Occident" and to imagine what it must have been in its prime! The place was absolutely huge at one time. It had quarters enough to host 2000+ guests at one time (i.e. the king and the pope at the same time, witht their entire entourages) and it spawned more than 1500 (if I remember rightly) monasteries throughout Europe in the centuries that followed its commencement. Unfortunately, very little remains of it, thanks to the Revolution... and even more unfortunately, the majority of what remains has been turned chiefly into a university and a stud farm. One of the streets in the town of Cluny runs right through what used to be the nave of the church! :( All the same, to see the ruins gives one an idea of the grandeur that was once there... the museum of the abbey was one of the most fascinating parts!!! And best of the rooms that we saw in the museum (it closed before we could get all the way through it) was the library! There they had some of the most incredible old books... the one I remember the best was the Rule of the Order of St. Benedict... printed in the fifteenth century! There was a whole room that had all its walls completely lined, floor to ceiling, with books of this kind!

Anyway, on to the pictures (which cannot do the place justice)!

The building which housed the guest quarters, I believe... now a university dorm, I think.
This is a to-scale model of Cluny in its original state... it's hard to tell in the picture, but the metallic part (the far right section of the model in the picture) is what can be seen standing today. The wooden part is what is no longer around. And if you look closely, you might be able to see the to-scale monk that is standing on the sidewalk to the right of the building in the picture... that gives you an idea of the size!!!!
Here is what remains of one arm of the main church of Cluny.
This is a chapel that was built later. It was really fascinating because the statues that can still be seen today are prophets from the Old Testament and the statues that they supported (more than symbolically!) were the evangelists of the New Testament... unfortunately, these were destroyed in the Revolution.
A view of the remaining towers...
(As you can see, the weather was not the most cooperative for a day of exploring ruins. :/)
This building was the one wherein they kept the flour, and the basement of the same building was the wine cellar. The boat-shaped, chestnut rafters were a novelty at the time and their benefit was two-fold: their shape allowed the storage of more barrels of flour and the chestnut wood has a natural insecticide in it and kept the bugs from the flour - to this day, there is no need to clean cobwebs off the rafters!
Here you can see part of a leather model of Cluny! It was made by a cobbler over a century ago and donated to Cluny. The little tower (left one of the three main towers you see) and the smaller tower to the left of it are what remain of the church today.
Voila! Brittany and Audrey walking in the rain. :D
This was taken standing in what used to be the nave. To the left you can see what used to be the columns in the church - note their size! - and in the distance a little ways you can see the double archway that was the entrance to the monastery.
Huddled under an umbrella with Cluny behind us. :) ...Brittany, Audrey, Rémi, and myself...
Here, in 2-D, one can see what is and what was... the drawn buildings are what we saw in person; the rest was left to our imagination. Remember the size around of the columns from the picture above? Note that there were four rows of those columns in the nave alone!!!
This is one of the only pictures I was able to take in the museum. It is just to show the size of the fireplace necessary to heat a normal-sized room! They hardly would have had to split the wood at all... one could fit a small tree into a fireplace that size! :)
And, finally, a picture of the town of Cluny and the two towers that remain...

Pictures: Chateau Pierreclos

2006-09-08T10:36:00.000+02:00

So here are more pictures! :)

On Sunday, August 27, Mme. Lhomme took Brittany, Audrey, Rémi and myself to Chateau Pierreclos, near Macon... we took a tour (fortunately, the tour guide knew French AND English) which was pretty fascinating and at the end, we got to sample wine! :) I had three kinds of white wine... all were good! ;)

This was the view as I got out of the car!
Here is Brittany...
This is the little chapel that was adjacent to the chateau.
And here we are in front of it. :) L to R: Brittany, myself, Audrey
The chateau kitchen... in the French explanation, I understood the guide to say that they used the hooks on the ceiling (you can see them on the underside of the archway in the picture) to hang dogs from... I assumed this meant that they ate dogmeat back then or something. In fact, it turned out that they hung the butchered meat on hooks in the ceiling to keep it FROM the dogs!! LOL!!! Audrey had a good laugh over that one. :)
And the wine cellar!
This is looking around outside, afterwards...
Vineyards seem to be within sight, any direction you look! :)

Pictures: Arrival

2006-09-07T15:35:00.000+02:00

I am finally able to get some pictures online... yay! :) Here is the first installment... Operation Takeoff and Arrival

In the KC International Airport, Brittany and I... little knowing at this time that we would have a delayed flight from KC which would cause us to miss our connecting flight in Chicago which would domino effect and cause us to miss our connection in London... and on top of it all, leave us each without luggage for two weeks!
Here I am on the trans-Atlantic flight to London-Heathrow... okay, so plane pictures are never any good! ;)
The little bitty toothbrush and even tinier toothpaste that British Airways handed out... lol!
Brittany and I got a kick out of the girl on the bathroom signs in the London airport. :D
The view from my window in Macon, the first morning we were in France... that's when in sank in that we had arrived! Behold the French countryside (more-or-less)! :) (Thank you, Virginie, for the loan of your room!!)
Brittany setting the table for an outdoor lunch... up and to the right in the picture is the neighbor's vineyard.
The back of the house...

GOOD NEWS

2006-09-07T12:18:00.000+02:00

MY LUGGAGE ARRIVED LAST NIGHT!!! YAY!!!

Even better news: (I was up 'til 2 AM putting everything away and) IT ALL FITS!! :D
(Okay, so the place doesn't exactly feel spacious, but hey, I can turn around!)

No, seriously, it all has a place to go and the biggest problem is where to store my suitcases in the meantime... I think they might wind up in the country house of Cabourg...

The not so great news is that I was still hoping to get eight hours of sleep, but promptly at 8 AM the construction crew arrived to continue renovations on the second floor apartment beneath me. *sigh!* It sounded like they were dropping plates onto the courtyard below for the sheer pleasure of hearing the sound of them break... I don't really think that's what they were doing (you never know... they're French after all :P), but it SURE sounded like it! :)

The moral of the story: wait and unpack in the morning. ;)

Pictures coming soon! Stay tuned!

Two Weeks in!!

2006-09-05T12:20:00.000+02:00

Well, bonjour! :P Okay, I realize that's really cliché but I HAD to say it. :)

Day after tomorrow will be two weeks since I left home. Two days after tomorrow will be two weeks since I got to France. It's gone slowly and quickly at the same time. It's gone slowly because it's all new (most especially the language!) and because my luggage still hasn't arrived (thank you, London-Heathrow) and I've had to rotate 3.5 outfits for the past 12 days... ugh.
However! The good news is that my bags will be arriving no later than Thursday evening!!! YAY!!! Of course, the dilemma after that will be - how to single-handedly transport my very American-sized luggage up the four flights of very French-sized spiral stairs to my little studio apartment. (And thereafter, where to put all my things?)

I spent my first week in France staying with a very hospitable and kind family in Macon (near Lyons). I was with Brittany for the week and we had a very good time... it was a very positive introduction to life in France. We were so fortunate as to see a nearby chateau (Pierreclos), Cluny, Paray-le-Monial, Lyons, and (of course) Macon. As soon as I can (maybe this weekend?), I'll post a few pictures...
This past Friday, I took the TGV from Macon to Paris... only to discover upon arrival that my apartment was still in the throes of renovation!! There was nothing there but white dust, paint, and a big mess!! So it was off to Cabourg for the weekend where I stayed with the lady I'm working for and her daughter whom I'm nannying, in their country house near the English Channel! Unfortunately, it was a cold, rainy, and grey weekend... but I can still say, for the record, that I have put my feet into the English Channel! ;)
On Sunday, it was back to Paris where I was pleasantly greeted by a now-finished, newly-renovated apartment. It's very small, but it suffices for my needs. It has a little kitchenette, a bedroom and a split bathroom. It has French-style (duh) windows, which overlook the courtyard four stories below. The decor (if it can be called that) is in a blue and white theme. It's on a quiet street but very nearby the rush and hubbub of Parisian life, should I care to submerge myself in that whirlpool. ;) There is an SSPX chapel a little more than a mile away, and the well-known (in Society circles) St. Nicolas is six miles from my humble abode.

So... I'm here at last!!! I'll keep you updated with my various adventures... of which there are SURE to be some. :)

It's 12:20 pm here and 5:20 am at home...
God bless!

A bientot!

A Week Away

2006-08-17T10:19:00.000+02:00

One week from today, I will be flying to this lovely city:
(I can't believe I'm really going!!) There, I will work as a nanny to a four-year old girl and absorb all the sights, sounds, and tastes of Parisian life. :) I will return to the States for two weeks in October for my sister's wedding and then it will be back to France until July! European adventures, here we come!! I'll keep y'all updated. After all, that's the purpose of this blog. :)