Voila!

Oh my new French class is sooo much better than any that I took before the summer. It was great taking individual lessons, but I like having others around too partly because it takes the pressure off, but mostly because I think I learn more from them than I do my teacher. It's funny how making mistakes with others feels so much better than making them alone. This class also only has maximum 8 people at a time, though most of the time it's 5 or 6. And my teacher is great too. He speaks very quickly, but I find I can understand most of what he says. We get a lot of talking time because he is constantly introducing concepts and then making us practice them or doing roll plays with each other. Even better is that it's about a 2 minute walk from the kids' school. Which means no taking the metro for 20 minutes to a chic part of town with no cool places to hang out. Now, I can walk and stay in the center of the city where there are a ton of people and coffee shops and what not. I've finally started to find "my hang outs" too. Like for expample, I've taken to going to Starbucks right after dropping the kids' off because they have the cheapest esspresso (imagine that huh) and are one of the only places to 1)be open at that time in the morning and 2)have comfy chairs you can sit in and watch the people for as long as your little hear desires. I've also found this little bagel place (yes, it's french) right around the corner that has a really great atmosphere, is also cheap, and has plug ins/internet. The French are really into hanging out, which I can completely appreciate. I've also joined a gym that is close to the kids' school. It is about a 1.5 minute walk and have taken to going there almost everyday. I've got a bit of a cold this week (as a result of being coughed and sneezed on by a little 5 year-old australian) and last week tweeked my knee a bit. I think this weekend I will be back on track though. Next weekend I'm heading to Normandy for a couple days I think. I can't wait to go for some walks in the countryside, meet some cows (and eat cheese of course) and hopefully see some WWII stuff. Welp, enough for now. I'll write more on my future plans soon. I'm digging Paris a bit more than I did before, but still can't wait to move on...

Voila!

Oh my new French class is sooo much better than any that I took before the summer. It was great taking individual lessons, but I like having others around too partly because it takes the pressure off, but mostly because I think I learn more from them than I do my teacher. It's funny how making mistakes with others feels so much better than making them alone. This class also only has maximum 8 people at a time, though most of the time it's 5 or 6. And my teacher is great too. He speaks very quickly, but I find I can understand most of what he says. We get a lot of talking time because he is constantly introducing concepts and then making us practice them or doing roll plays with each other. Even better is that it's about a 2 minute walk from the kids' school. Which means no taking the metro for 20 minutes to a chic part of town with no cool places to hang out. Now, I can walk and stay in the center of the city where there are a ton of people and coffee shops and what not. I've finally started to find "my hang outs" too. Like for expample, I've taken to going to Starbucks right after dropping the kids' off because they have the cheapest esspresso (imagine that huh) and are one of the only places to 1)be open at that time in the morning and 2)have comfy chairs you can sit in and watch the people for as long as your little hear desires. I've also found this little bagel place (yes, it's french) right around the corner that has a really great atmosphere, is also cheap, and has plug ins/internet. The French are really into hanging out, which I can completely appreciate. I've also joined a gym that is close to the kids' school. It is about a 1.5 minute walk and have taken to going there almost everyday. I've got a bit of a cold this week (as a result of being coughed and sneezed on by a little 5 year-old australian) and last week tweeked my knee a bit. I think this weekend I will be back on track though. Next weekend I'm heading to Normandy for a couple days I think. I can't wait to go for some walks in the countryside, meet some cows (and eat cheese of course) and hopefully see some WWII stuff. Welp, enough for now. I'll write more on my future plans soon. I'm digging Paris a bit more than I did before, but still can't wait to move on...

Back in Europe

Well, back in g’dol paris. In a way it feels like I never left, but after the first week in the new house and taking the kids to school again, I have to say re-entry was a bit rough. After a ten hour flight across the atlantic, and a bit of pain in the ass in Frankfurt, I arrived just fine to find three blonde headed kids waiting for me. When I checked in for my flight in Portland both the woman at the desk and the man at the counter who gave me my paper tickets commented on what a great seat I had. I was extremely curious and when I got to my seat, sure enough it was the best one on the plane apart from business class. By the way, what’s the difference between business class and first class? Anyway, the seat was next to the window, infront of the wing, behind the bulkhead. Meaning, I had a great view, the TV screen right in front of me, tons of leg room AND no one sitting next to me. It was beautiful.

Why was it rough? I thought though that I could just breeze right through the first week, but it turns out I should have done a bit more mental preparation (ie knowing exactly where the bus stop was, etc.). I had to get back into discipline mode too. I had the kids alone a couple nights the last week and a half and I found that I had to re-assert my authority a couple times. Just as I get really frustrated though, something hilarious will happen or I will have a good talk with them about feelings and all of a sudden, all is well again. C'est la vie I suppose.

It was really great to be back in Portland. It wasn’t too bad sitting on the beach in sunny Santa Barbara either, but I have to say it’s even better being back in Paris, well, Europe. Yeah, I bitch and complain about Paris a lot, but there is just an awareness here that there isn’t back in the states. It’s not just the news or the TV that is US centered. It’s books and everyday conversations and everyone only speaking one language. It's a bit bizzare to one day be hanging with friends in Portland and the next taking rollerblading lessons in French and falling on my ass (several times actually). I've got a lot to write about Kyle's wedding and finding a new French course, but I'll do that next time. Above are a couple picts from my summer.