i don't believe this job title included maid?

today i had a little cry for the first time since wednesday, so i think i was due for one anyway. i just felt like a maid/stepchild (like the stereotypical movie child, not like real-life step children because they assimilate into a family really well). i woke up at 7:10 and went to breakfast and then i found out that i didn't need to bring the kids to school because the boy hurt his knee and couldnt ride his bike, so essentially i woke up for nothing. oh actually i woke up to be their maid. everyone finished eating but me and everyone got up and left me alone...with all their plates and junk. i understand picking up after the kids, but look, dad, im not your maid too. but i couldn't just not pick up his stuff because i don't stoop that low and that would be really bitchy. so i did it and i really missed home then.

so i passed the morning working out, and i found the local SUPERMARKET! so i went there and got goodies and saved money and i was soo happy. they sold diet orangina and let me tell you, it was heaven. then i rushed back because i thought it'd be thoughtful to go with the dad to get the kids because on a normal day i would go on my own. so i arrive and the dad's like "im going to get the kids" and i was like "ok! can i come too?!" and he said, "yea, if you want." and that was not the response i needed after the morning. so i went with him, thinking itd be quality time, and it was kind of, but the kids basically ignored me because the dad was there. then at lunch valere set the table so that he'd sit next to his dad, but then the girl put his wine glass next to her so neither wanted to sit by me and i sat by the boy and he threw a fit, and i was so pissed. i bend over backwards for these kids and they're going to treat me like that? when i tried to serve the boy tomatoes, he ignored me and i was like, look, i didn't pick to sit next to you. your sister did, so don't be mad at me. then the dad said NOTHING about how horrible his children were being. instead he said that if the kids are going to fight over whose going to sit next to him, then he'll just eat alone. not one word about how you shouldn't be a bitch to the person who takes care of you. they've bitten the hand that feeds them so much, i think it's been amputated. i didn't go with the dad to bring them back. fuck that.

so then i chilled or tried to chill here for a bit. it was difficult, as i was really mad and that's when i had a mini cry/rant session. i think it was three-tears-long, but i needed it. i started to freak out because there was nothing for me to do and i always need something to do, so then i started to think about what normal people do when they have time off and tried to do that, like read, or go on the computer, or sit, or watch a movie, and i was semi-okay at that, but that's something i have a lot of trouble with. i went to the post office and bought a big box to send some goodies home and had to ride my bike back with it, and the MISTRAL is back (that crazy wind), so riding on bike, one-handed, with a giant box to blow you over was a task. i got back adn then i went to the park with the kids and the dad, and i felt better. i can't have bad days because once you get down here, there's no one to help me back up, except me. and if you're wallowing in your own self-pity, you can't help yourself. i can just have good days and days. and today was a day and tomorrow is a mystery.

but when the kids were done with school and we went to the park it was better. and then we came back to the house and drew and then i felt a lot better. and then i talked to brady and he's coming in one month and nine days! and i don't normally talk about him in here, but im so excited i want to tell the WORLD....even the old creepers on the street. i think they'd be excited too! everyone should be!

tomorrow i get to go to painting class, and im super excited! im working on this piece that i've been drawing for a while and im excited to paint it. that's another thing about being here. i've had more time to draw so that's improved and im happy about that because i've always wanted to be a good drawer.
i think ill go catch up on anderson cooper, but if he's talking about the oil spill again, i can't bare it. it's so sad. BP...you SUCK.

cheerio, fruit loops!
chels aka count chocula

sunday is actually a day of rest here

bonjour!
mmmk here is the long post i promised you. so friday i really wanted to do something and i was tired of the kids and the house, so i took a gigantic leap of faith and went to the local bar...alone. it was very unlike anything i'd ever done, but i'm glad i did it. you gotta make friends somehow. it was so obvious that i didn't belong because everyone knew each other. it seemed like a little country, small-town bar, except that it was in france and it wasn't conservative like the country. anyway, it was cool because i ended up making friends with a teacher and an artist...really legit people. and i only had to buy one drink!!! that's one practice the US should adopt. they were like old guys who just wanted to chat, not like...well you know...make babies.....so it was nice. i didn't feel like a piece of meat for the most part. so then i stayed for a bit then i biked back and noticed all the beautiful stars. one thing about travelling alone is you always have to be viligant and not be really wasted because you don't wanna end up on a dateline story, so i was well-behaved.

friday during the day, i was inspired by my pops to get out and about and do stuff, so i went to the art expo and the painting lady said i can come to painting lessons until they're over!!!! i was soo happy. finally someone who really helped me. art is what everyone needs. i've been drawing a lot more, and it's good because that's somehting i really want to improve in. today i painted a picture inspired by pictures the little girl picked out from my magazine and im actually pretty proud of it.

mmk so back to friday. then i went to post office and then to the lib to talk to the lady to see if she knew anyone who could teach me french. she was really helpful and im gonna check back on wednesday when we always go. i also had the great idea to get an audio book because i can follow the written words while i hear their prononciation, thus making me a french genius! hahah...NOT

so saturday i woke up and wasn't sure what i wanted to do, but then i remembered that aix en provence has a big market on saturdays, so i decided to take the bus there. taking buses in a foreign country, even if you are okay in the language, is tough work. i finally made it there, and being the creeper i am....i asked one of the girls on the bus who was my age if she'd give me french lessons, and she said YES! she was sooo cool, and im super excited. she knew english well and helped me find my way...and then after i thought about it i was like heyyyyyy wanna give me french lessons?! hahaha desparate times call for desparate measures.

then a creeper kept asking me something in french, but i had no idea what he was saying. he followed me down the block which freaked me out. travelling alone...you have to always be aware which makes it a lot of work (especially for me because im not so good at paying attention to important things), but im learning and knew i needed to get the hell away from that creeper which i did. i had a lot of fun in aix, but i walked soo much and didn't bring a good enough snack which resulted in severe exhaustion! i did get to see a lot and buy some cool things (presents included!) so that was great. im going to go back to go to the art museums. being in eyguieres with not that much has made me realize how important art is. it's everywhere and it's a means to connect regardless of the language. when i was in the art museum in toulouse, i didn't even notice the language barrier because art was the medium of expression, not language.

so i made my way back to the bus station miraculously and went to salon to catch my transfer bus and then sped back to the house to make it home for dinner. by change, they decided to eat early that night because the dad had work. i think it's then that i realized im just the au pair in the family. that's my role. it's not necessary that they wait for me...not at all, but they left me one piece of the meat that they know i don't like, they ate the rest of the chicken (the only meat they have that i'll eat), and they started without me, even though i told them i'd be back in time, and i guess it's fine. i look at them as the family that i work for and i guess im the girl that works for them. i suppose i just thought that id become part of the family, but maybe it's still early. maybe i need to give it time. i mean, the dad does buy tons of apples just for me....maybe im working my up from au pair to semi-adopted child?

um i just deleted peaches from itunes. i do not like them at all.


so i was exhausted from aix, but i made a compromise with myself and instead of staying in the whole night, i decided to go to the bar to watch the rugby game for a bit and then come home. when i got to the bar, i saw all the people that i'd met the night before and decided i had two options: i could A. stand by myself and be really awkward or B. go completely out of my comfort zone and approach them and act really confident.

i chose B which ended up being really great. they're really nice...the people there. and they told me to pull up a chair! i was the only girl there apart from the bar tender and her friend, but it was fine. they were all old guys and really cool. there's such a mix. i became friends with a 50 year old journalist for the local paper who's a buddhist and lives next to the post office. he's so cool and also the 42 year old musician who's playing a gig june 21 that i think ill go to with the 22 year old girl that i met that night too! finally, someone my age-ish! she watches kids too and she's seen me around! haah that's funny. anyway they said something in french about me at the end of the night and then they all raised their hands which i think means that they like me and we're friends now. YAY!

hold on...i needa pee and i want an apple.

mmm apple! so then i realized how much my body ached when i rode back that night, and today, i slept til NOON! what'?! when's the last time i did that? i can't even think that far back! anyway, it was well-deserved and definitely needed. then i decided that id go fathers day shopping, but EVERYTHING was closed because it's sunday. what?! only half the cafes were open! i was like WHAT??? but then i went on a nice bike ride, did a bit of writing, read, took some pictures, and painted. it ended up being a great day, which was a bit of a surprise because i am not one to just chill like that. then i had dinner and now im here with you and my apple.

tomorrow is a normal day: bring kids in the morning (820), pick them up (1120), bring them back (120), pick them up (420), go to the park and leave (600) and then wait for the mom to come home so i can breathe again (640). besides that, i think ill go to the post and the grocery and work out.

mmk hot dogs,
you gotta go put some chilli on yo.
and toast those buns.
chels

what a pirate's favorite letter? ARRRRGGGHHHHH

ahoy mateees!
im pretty sleepy right now....i walked like 30,000 miles in Aix en Provence, and then i decided to go to the bar to watch the rugby game. im going to write a really long blog post soon, but this weekend i've been out and about. gotta carpe diem!
later pirates
arrggghhhh
chels

fruit loops! that's what this tea tastes like

hi. i had a great night. i went to one of the little bars in the little town and everyone knew each other, so it was very obvious that i didn't belong. but then i started talking to people and one guy was an artist and he talked to me about art therapy and said it's a great thing (all the cool people agree with me and think im legit) and then i talked to this french teacher who's going to help me find person to teach me french (he's not so good in english, so he's going to ask the english teacher). and it was nice and very small town, and it think perhaps eyguieres is like alaska where the men outnumber the women by a lot. but i don't feel like writing now. im going to drink my tea, sleep late, and then wake up and maybe write in my blog about today (which will be tommorow when i wake up) or maybe watch anderson cooper, orrrrr if i wanna be a wild child, i'll do BOTH. oh god. unleash the BEAST

destiny's child speaks to my soul

dear readers,
if you miss me, please do not any longer. today i think you are better off without me. i have a little bit of gas, and i do not think you want to be near me.

yes, i did just say that, and no, i am not embarrassed. i think it's funny. everyone farts....even the french! i've witnessed it. and why waste time being embarrassed? im just trying to make you feel better. also, embarrassment is becoming a thing of the past for me because it seems to be a reoccurring phenomenon when you have communication problems.

today was great. the kids were at cantine which means they don't come home for lunch, which really means that i am free after i drop them off until i pick them up at 5:30. for the second time, i swore to myself that after i dropped the kids off, id return to bed, but of course that did not happen. instead, i went on an epic bike ride and it was so beautiful. and after, i finally went in this store that has all these random things. i've been looking at the storefront since i got here, but it has really weird hours. today, a la chance, it was open. i bought a palette for my paints, nail polish, shorts, and PANTOUFFLES! ive been searching for pantoufles! that's french for slippers. i also got brady a present. ithink my slippers are the first hting ive bought for myself for sheer pleasure. i've bought a lot of gifts, but these slippers are for ME!

then i bought lots of vegetables at the local veggie store because i wanted to eat veggies at lunch (charties style). i got back to the house, had a grande espresso, showered, stretched, talked to the housekeeper, and thennnnn inspiration hit: destiny's child. i brought my laptop in the kitchen and blasted destiny's child greatest hits while i cooked. i made a huge mess and ate with my fingers and loved every second of it. it was blissful. no one was home or else this behavior would have been apalling. but it was just me and beyonce on a lunch date. then i did my laundry to al green and hung it on the line. it was sooo great. i love soul and r and b. i have my momma to thank for that. after i took a great nap, but i set my alarm because the lady at the local high school told me to call at 3:40 to ask about french lessons. so i woke up, called, and hit another dead end. thanks for cutting my nap short. i called my dad and he inspired me to go talk to people because that's how ill learn. he said that even if people are rude, you still need to push and try and learn. im really learning a lot from him. i feel that during some really hard times he can really give good advice because he's been through a lot of hardship. like the hurricane...he knew what it was like for me to leave and live in a foreign place. and now, he knows how frustrating it is when people ignore you because you can't talk as well as they. it's amazing how much you learn about someone else when you go through an experience yourself.

sooo after my chat, i went to this art gallery that was so inspiring and i talked to the owner for a bit about where i could take art classes, adn he was soo nice. i was so happy to finally meet someone who really wanted to talk and didn't mind that my french wasnt perfect. there was a lot of collage pieces in the art gallery, and that's my favorite medium, so that was blissful. then i went to pick the boy up from school but realized i forgot his judo stuff so i had to go from school to the house, back to school, then to judo, then to get the girl, then home. but i wanted to go on another bike ride, so i guess this was a blessing in disguise. i really think i've ridden about 3/4 a tank of gas (in my jeep) on my bike. i think that if i would have driven all the places that i've ridden, i would have at least used 75% of my tank. eyguieres is a never ending butts and guts class, and i'm down.

i ate with the parents tonight (10 oclock!), but it was good. we had actual conversation about the french version of social security and the US version. apparently, france's isn't working either. i also heard about the trials and tribulations of work life and im happy im not in the real world work force yet. ooh when the kiddies ate dinner, i sat with them and the mom and removed the little peas from their pods. i liked helping the mom and sitting with the kids because i got to practice listening to them and speaking too. plus, i think the mom is becoming more comfortable with me. she's pretty shy, but i hear her being more jokey, which i like.

yeah, so today was good. i read another chapter in my french book (this is a legitimate french book...like a novel for adults so it's kinda a big deal ahah) every other page, i look up all the words i don't know. it's exhausting but really helpful. and then i reread the chapter. at this rate, ill be done in about 2 weeks if i read the chapter a day. ooo la la. beaucoup de travail! (a lot of work!)

a tout a l'heure, mes petites chouettes!
(until later, my little cabbages!)
chels

a day...a WED-NES-day

oooh today was a day. a WEDNES-day. i've exhausted ALL of my options for finding language courses, and the only possibility is a tutoring service that comes to your house for 37.60 euros. that's nearly $60 an hour! i'll make one last call tomorrow to the english teacher at the local high school, but after that, i really don't know what to do. this is such a let down. i feel so defeated. i dropped the little girl off at music and then felt so bad for myself that i went in the bathroom and cried. and then i got mad that i was having a pity party. uhh it was a mess. ooh and this was after the little boy had a 20 minute crying/yelling fit that culminated in him throwing his snotty tissue at me, to which i called his mother and they had a little chat. you can be a snot-nosed little boy, but you will not throw snotty tissues at me. thank you. anyway, that ended with him apologizing to me. so that's behind us.

but even through all that bad news, i still stayed upbeat, though there was a constant theme of failure today. hahah i semi-burnt their pizza at lunch and then the pottery teacher told me that she ccould speak to me if i spoke french, and then she stopped talking to me. but i dunno, those are all just little stinky things that if i was in the comforts of my home with someone to listen to my day, they would get me down. but here, i really just have me, and i don't really feel that bad for myself, so i just have to suck it up and move on. i mean really, what's it matter if the pottery teacher said that to me? she didn't mean it in a mean way, and if she did, well that sucks that she's mean. i can be nice or i can be mean or i can be indifferent. i choose what i do, not what others do.

i really try not to yell at the kids because i see parents yell at their kids in the park, and it's so unbecoming. the thing is though, with the language barrier, sometimes i can only get across the urgency of the situation if i raise my voice, but i really really try just to make my voice more stern, not louder. i think ill try and work on that more; plus it will give me motivation to learn more words!

i have most of tomorrow free, so i think the salon has a market and i think ill go. however, i want to venture further, so i think either tomorrow or the next time i'm free, ill take the train to the next city for a bit. well that's it for now. im really tired, and i think the mom is gonna wait until the dad comes home to eat (9:30) but i think ill eat with the kids. I need sleep. also, she's coming home an hour late today, so that means me and the chillun will chill for a bit longer.

mmk thanks for caring about my life
chels

oh and another first today: the little girl needed to pee when we were at the park, but the old people center said no. soooo we tried having her pee in the garden, but that entailed me lifting her up so she could pee: as in her butt touching my leg. NO. so that plan was quickly scrapped and we sped to the public toilets.

oooh me oh my

man oh man oh man what a day. i am POOPED!
i woke up, made the kids breakfast, brought them to school, worked out, and then sped on the bike to catch the bus to the mini-city. ooh and when i was working out the exercise band SMACKED me in the face and now my nose is bruised and i feel like marcia from the brady bunch.

in salon, i had a lot more time to explore, but my goals were a. find cheap nail polish b. buy a mini back-pack c. go IN PERSON to the places i think i can take french classes.
a and b were no-gos, but c...i did walk about a million miles to all the places i thought i could take french courses, but they all didn't offer them. i was so pissed. i've tried everything. if you ever know someone who's looking to learn french in bumblefuck, france, give them my number. i'll help them out. i called the english teacher at the little boy's school, adn she's going to try to help me. i have 2 more options, and then after that, i guess i'll have to just close the door on this one. i'll buy a book or something, but i refuse to leave france without having significantly improved me french, though in 2 weeks, i definately have seen an improvement.

i had lunch at this cute little cafe, and it was so sweet. i think it was a "mom date" spot to meet up with "the girls" and gossip. i liked the table sitting next to me. they were so cute. they helped me find my way. and at the fruit place, there was a lady talking about me and to me, but i couldn't really understand but i know she said i was pretty and that was the nicest thing anyone's said to me since i've been here. the french aren't big on compliments. oooh and something really funny that happened this morning: i was riding my bike up the hill and this little old man was sitting on a park bench and as i passed him, he stood up and applauded for me. it was weird but flattering i guess.

well, tomorrow's wednesday, which means sleeping a bit later (not really for me...ill wake up to work out), music lessons for the kids, pottery lessons for all of us, and the library and park for all of us too. tomorrow will be tiresome too, but it shall be fun.

bye kiddies
chels

today is today until it is tonight and then tomorrow is today

nothing too much to report today. i went for a great run in toulon, along along the mediterranean, past 2 beaches, and up this beautiful scenic route. then i cooled off in the cold mediterranean water (that was kinda silly because it isn't good to go from hot to shocking cold water in such a short time, but i learned my lesson). then i bought a water at the little restaurant on the beach and drank it while i laid out. it was great. then i came back for lunch (amazing artichokes...the hearts were stuffed with carrots and the artichokes had been soaked in vinegar...MMMmmm...and peppers...i don't know what was special about the peppers but they were delish). then we went back to the beach, but i went back early to shower. i'm pretty golden!

tomorrow it's back to work, but im fine with that. i missed having my own bed and shower. last night i crawled in with the little girl. i hope i didn't seem like a creeper, but the floor was just not doing it for me. i have almost the whole day to myself tuesday, so im going to the little city to chill. i think i may buy lunch there because i only spent 10 euro last week! yeaaahh! but i don't know if ill want to sit down and have a meal because we do that every night.....

alright, that's all for now. maybe the kiddies will be nice to me again, now that we're back home. we shall see.
chels

taking it easy in toulon

im in toulon right now waiting for lunch, though the grandma set out about 5 different plates of appetizers, none of which i lked very much except the tomatoes. you cant mess up raw tomatoes (if my typing seems weird, its because im on a french keyboard and cant find all the keys). there was whole fishies fried, next to me, and in front of m was were they were disposing of their olive pits. gross. when i first got here, i thought the grandma reminded me of my gma, but not anymore. she is rather bothersome, which makes me miss my gma who is not annoying at all. the grandpa is cool. he re,inds me of my dad. he woke up at 430 to go fishing. how do i know this? well, i slept on the tile floor with a mere .25 inch of cushion present below me, so I didnt sleep so well. tonight ill try drinking more wine to put me to sleep.

we re done with lunch...finally. im all for nice slow lunches, but there is a line that can be crossed. i guess all this bitchiness is   cover for my being homesick for america. i long to get in my SUV, drive less than 5 minutes to a CVS and buy everything all at once: fruit; wine, food, ice cream, face wash, meds.... but this is the same thing i complain about in america.....our mass consumption and availability of goods. i guess the grass is always greener. though, i can honestly say i, happy right now, even if everything isnt going my way.  i think im finally getting that quote thats something like  "peace isnt the absence of discomfort and conflict, rather it is being in the midst of all those things and still being calm in your heart." and i feel that when all this is over, ill be (not new), but improved because ill have learned a lot abou a lo of diferent aspects of life.

today we went to toulon, which is so beautiful and i want to come back when i,m done working and just walk aound he docks and look at all the sailboats and go o all h little shops and the big sunday market. i looked at and wrote down he names of all the boutique hotels we passed so i know where to go. it was soo beautiful. a perfect sized city with the mediterranean right by its side. (im drinking this tea that the g,a made and i think shes starting to not like me because its sooo hot...like uncalled-for hot). anyway toulon was beautiful and im so happy i went. this morning they told me e were going on the bateau (boat) which i thought meant wear a bathing suit, but the batau was a ferry to bring us to down and i didnt bring ,y wallet....so i made no purcases, but i think that was a good thing. now i must return.
 sooo thats it from me for now.
family, friends, hurricane family, i miss yall!
chels

toulon

hey hey heyyyyy. im off to toulon for the weekend to stay with the family at the grand-parents' house. im not sure if they'll have internet, so please don't think i've died or been abducted if you don't see any posts. i'm merely at the beach (5 minutes from the house!)

chelsea

show and tell (start at the bottom....it uploaded in reverse)

you are reading this the wrong way. start at the bottom, s'il te plait

mmmk this uploading is taking way too long. i have some pictures from that epic bike ride, but ill put them up later. today was good. i just kept reminding myself that i have tomorrow and sunday off! but the thing is....when you live in the family you work for, you're never completely off. the kids you watch during the day and are (supposed to be) finished with at 6:30 are always your responsibility, so we'll see how the first weekend goes. i think there's a bull fight tomorrow, in eyguires, and i'd love to go, but i want to go to salon en provence (that's the name of the biggest city near me) for the day. i think that bull-fighting during the summer is pretty common, so hopefully i'll get to see that. it sounds exciting.

today the kids were my complete responsibility. because the dad's work schedule is weird, there's usually at least one part of the day that he's there, which is good because having dad watch usually helps the kids to behave. not today. no dad. just me and my "surprise." it went well though. god, i cooked lunch, and it's amazing how much these kids can eat.

so after lunch i decided to make cookies for the surprise and i started, but then i realized they didn't have eggs. but since they don't really have cookies in european bakeries, how would the kids know. thus egg-less cookies were created. i don't think they loved them, but they didn't hate them. it's amazing what you do when you have to improvise. i also laid out in the sun which was blissful, and then i went to get some post-cards and bananas. got the kiddies, went to the park, and now i'm back here in the hizzouse waiting for dinner. today's friday, which means it's a weekend, which means i'm taking up all the offers on wine tonight. mmmm. i abstain on weekdays. don't wanna be an alcy in france!

no naps this week. none at all. im tired, but i have a feeling that the kids are going to wake me up in the morning because the kitchen is next to my room. grrr maybe they can change rooms? haha i'm going to finish watching UP en francais tonight.

random things:
a. shoes are removed when entering the house to keep it clean, but bread is eaten off a table (god knows if it's clean or not!)

b. a man had an off-center fu-manchu moustache today and no one seemed to mind. i thought it was hilarious

c. body odor is not frowned upon, as i sat behind a smelly group of parents today.

d. the french's style is very overrated.

e. the french line-dry their laundry and it is so much fun! except for the little undies and socks and bras. it's a lot of effort for tiny panties. and their washing machine is very different. it spins like a windmill, not a carousel.

that's all for now.


eyguieres is known for its fountains. here is a fountain.

hopping main street. the party's always poppin.

la maison. (the house) the little roof on the right is my room!

the street that i live on. view from the garden area.

the actual garden-in-progress.

the other stream by the garden and the house. (the house is like a 30 second walk from the garden.) I'm not sure what the purpose of all these little streams/canals are, but they're beautiful. Maybe it's to bring water from the alps down to the villages?

the view across my garden. (it's not really a garden yet....i planted seeds and if history repeats itself, they won't grow, but i go everyday-- rain or shine-- to water my little seeds, so i will have a beautiful garden in a bit hopefully)

that's my secret garden, on the left. yep, i smuggled seeds in. come and get me customs.

this is my street, rue de batuna. see that mail box on the right, turn right there, and i'm the second door.

That's me and adrien and his friends at dinner. It was the BEST THING EVER after a 4 hour car ride with kids. We're at the end of the table.

i fell asleep with the kiddies.

This is the actual castle. I think the name of the town is Carcassone.

this is the town we stopped in on the way to toulouse. it's surrounded by the walls of a castle, and this was one of the narrow streets.

good ole america

today was a great day, but it started a little rough. i was really tired when i woke up and i didn't know how to use the espresso machine, so i had to do tea. i used two bags, which of course the kids had to ask about. the little boy threw a FIT because i took two pieces of bread at once instead of one at a time. um im sorry i run around after you all day, and i run a couple of miles a day and i need to eat! he flipped out. apparently it's one at a time, even though he ate two plus a bowl of cereal and butter on his bread. that little boy needs to chill out.

besides the rough start, the day was great. i was tired all day, but im going to bed early tonight, so problem solved. in the morning i finally went on CNN and read some of the world news because they don't get the paper here. i was so happy to finally be in the know. i ran a bit and worked out and met the maid. she's nice, but she came monday and today! that's two times in four days! the hygiene habits of the french blow my mind. you can wear clothes four days in a row, but you need your house to be cleaned two times in four days? so confusing.

for lunch we had quiche which i LOVE. and tomatoes and peppers and salad. except every vegetable they make has oil on it. a vegetable is a vegetable people. come on. don't mess with them.

then i brought the kids back and the other american au pair and i decided to meet up. texting her was the first time i used my french cell phone! it was really difficult. we met in front of this super market, which was huge and i was SO happy to see SOMETHING BIG. under normal circumstances, i think i would have had a lot of reservations about meeting a stranger in a town ive never been to in front of a supermarket, but i couldn't have been happier to see her. we went grocery shopping and i got FIBER AND LOTION AND HAIR CLIPS AND WAX AND GUM AND A RED DRINK, and i was the happiest person alive. except i didn't bring enough euros with me, so she gave me money. i wasn't sure when id see her again so i gave her a 20 in american money and then we were even. then we went to a park and just talked, like americans. good ole, americans. i miss yall a lot. she was really inspiring. she's been here since september! we could relate on so many topics, and she really understood where i was coming from on everything. her family (the french one) is fanatical about eating habits too, wear the same clothes, and the kids can be pretty impolite. it was nice to know i wasn't alone in that. but she cleans their house and cooks all their meals but gets paid the same as me. i couldnt imagine that! that's really horrible. i'm lucky. my family is nice and i just got through a game of dominoes with the girl and the dad. i mean the kids can be brats, but i think i made out better than her. she leaves in two weeks, so hopefully we'll hang out again. i think we're going to go to a vineyard. i'm so happy i met her.

then i came back and laid out in the sun! i love the sun! it was a little cold, but it was great for my skin to meet the sun again. i also finished my book.

oooh the other au pair also told me that she takes french classes nearby, so i emailed them and will call tomorrow. i'd love to take classes with other people my age.

mmk well cool cats, that's all for now.
thanks for being semi-interested in my life. i appreciate it.
chelsea

it's SHelsea en francais, merci

alo!
that's how they answer the phone here. i never answer their phone because i don't think i'd do too well. today was a long, good, fun day. it was just me and the kids all day. on wednesdays in france, they don't have school, but they have things like music and pottery lessons, which is what we did today. music was a bit of a fiasco because the little girl didn't want to go, but instead of yelling at me in french, she held on to me and cried, which is a huge step forward. i felt really priveleged that she wanted to hold on to me even though i was forcing her to go to the lesson. i'm not sure they believe in tough love here.

then i went back home with the boy and started making my white beans and rice because valere (the boy) asked for me to make a dish from home. i wanted to do red beans and rice, but they had white beans, so voila that's what i did. here's the deal though: i've only make beans from a can and rice that take a minute, so this was quite the obstacle. i wanted to call my grandma because she would never make beans from a can (she does it from scratch), but it was 4 am there, and even she's not awake then. so thanks to the world wide web, i was able to get an idea of what to do and then i figured out the rest. and let me tell you, they were DAMN good beans: soaked overnight, delicately spiced, simmered for a long time, and smashed to make the sauce creamy. my grandma would be proud.

we had pottery after lunch amd i decided to take a lesson too, however because i don't speak french fluently, the lady thought i was stupid. she loudly told the kids, " speak slowly to this young lady because she doesn't know french very well." and to this, a little boy turned to me and said "heeelllllooooo." really slowly and really loud. and i was like, "uh no. not like that." then she made me wait for so long to show me how to do the clay, and i waited patiently because ithought it was kinda funny that they didn't know that a. i knew most of what they were saying b. i wasn't stupid and c. i study art in college, so i know exactly what needs to be done. when i finally got my clay, my mood improved 1000%. i also thought about how i treat foreigners. poor people, they are treated like they're dumb only because they can't communicate. how do i know that the mexican who is fixing my roof doesn't have a PhD in Mexico and he's only here because he wants his family to have a better life? An au pair is simply a nanny, an aid to the parents, so who knows what they think of me. i find it really interesting.

then we went to the library and the park and i got tons of cds and books about learning french so i'm on my way! the kids at the park love me because i play with them and i can do tricks. i'm like their dog. there was this little boy who kept asking my name but he couldn't say it and when he finally figured it out (it's shelsea in france, not CHelsea. the CH is very difficult for them), he kept saying watch me! watch me! every five seconds. it was cute.

then we ate my dinner that i'd make and it was delicious and i was so happy. and i just talked to brady so im happy too and im drinking tea which makes me happy. now im going to search online for french groceries that sell fiber one because being without my cereal makes me unhappy.

a tout a l'heure!
shelsea

"infiniti plus one" of a better day

today was one thousand five hundred thirty five million times better than yesterday. it was a supremely good day. in the morning, i dropped the kids off to school. yesterday i'd bought them lollipops so i told them i had a suprise for them if they were nice and polite (so the complete opposite of yesterday). it worked like a CHARM! i also got them to set the table in three minutes because i promised them another surprise....walking on my hands. i can think of all kinds of surprises for them to do stuff. don' t think i'm bribing them. in class, i learned that im creating a token economy where good acts are rewarded and when the rewards are removed, the good acts are hopefully engrained. :) thank you eps 420.

so then i came back to the house and did my pilates dvd which was amazing. im not usually that happy with fitness dvds, but this one was pretty good. oooh i forgot that after i dropped the kids off at school, i went to the market and bought bananas. they also had paellla and empanadas and siracha (BRADY!) and olives and i wanted to send olives home to dad, but i kknew that was a bit unpractical. then the mail place opened and i bought a calling card and then i went to the grocery store, which was about 1/3 of the size of a CVS and bought chicken breast meat!!! it was probaby the best purchase of france so far. i missed lean proteins! and i also got beans and im not sure what else, nothing too fancy, as im beginning to compare prices to my weekly salary, and that has discouraged quite a bit of spending.

so then we had lunch at home. the dad thought i was cooking today, but i thought it was tomorrow and then they didn't buy red beans, they bought lentils, and then they didn't have red beans, so now i'm making white beans, and while this may sound like a fiasco, it wasn't at all. i've never made white beans from scratch, but why not start in a foreign country for strangers? haha at least they'll pretend they like it?

then i brought the kids back and got on the bus ( i figured out all the stops and times and EVERYTHING. i was really proud.) and then we came to the Salon de provence which is the center of town i got soooo happy. there were BILLBOARDS with signs for MCDONALDS. i don't even like mcDs (except for the ice cream, which is godly) but the fact that there were 3 of them in the salon meant that there were other things....like people and stores and things to do! i also jumped on the old man next to me. i was really having ahard time containing my excitement. i only had an hour there, so i had to be quick, just a little taste. i had a mission. i wanted lotion and slippers. i got neither, but it was still a successful trip. i did such weird things while i was there. i went to cemetary because it looked like the cemetaries in new orleans and they were similar: big monuments but i think the bodies were below. they had a tombstone named laplace which waas funny because that's where my gma lives and where my moms side of the fam grew up. i realize cemetarying is a bit weird, but that is what locals do. they have to go to their cemetaries some time, so i went too. i also went to a jewelry store which is unlike me too, but i actuallly found some european designers i llike. i wrote their names down. ill make a post that's just show and tell, including pics from the city. then i went on a search for lotion (no luck, but i did buy the family handsoap because i don't think handwashing after the bathroom is stressed in france, at all). then i tried to find slippers and i found a great pair in a window, but they were some fancy label and NOT in my price range. then i came upon this realllly cool shop with OBEY shirts, which i really want to buy, and i wanted to get one for brady, but the prices were just too much. i know price has come up a lot in these two posts, but im stilling getting used to their prices and the fact that one dollar is only .75 of their euro, which blows. i got on the bus back (on time and everything!)

Then i picked up the wrong kid first because that's what the horraire (schedule) ssaid, but apparently, it's only on certain mardis (tuesdays) but i didn't know that the order of picking kids up depended on if the sun is out, which is ithink what the dad explained to me. ill just ask before i do those special days. then we went to the park and i gave the kids their surprise and man, i gained about 1000 cool points. all the little french kids are fascinated by me. they want to speak english in front of me, but it's pretty much limited to "my name is...."

when we got back i helped valere (the boy) with his english homework. i quized him on the english word (there were picture of animals he had to name) and he quizzed me on the french version. poor boy had such a hard time with the work hamster. he wanted to say "hommmmstire" it was funny, but he had to help me say chat (it's shahhhh, not shaT), so it was a nice exchange. then we ate dinner and now i want to sleep.

oh i also watered my secret garden and when i explained to the dad that i was going water my seeds, he thought i was crazy, but before i told him, i looked up all the correct words so i'd get it right. hahah oh well. i guess i'm just another crazy american, and i'm really okay with that.

thank you theresa for the inspiration

warning: 80% of this post is a bitch-fest, sooo if you are in a bad mood, this may make you feel
a. better because my day may have been worse than yours OR
b. pissed off that im bitching.

proceed if you wish....

soo today was quite the day. i woke up and got the kids going, but when it came time to get on our bikes and leave, the little boy didn't want to and then he started yelling at me in french, which sucks because a. a little kid is yelling at me and b. i ihave no idea what he's saying . i dropped them off and then had the day to myself because they both went to "cantine" for lunch, which is a fancy kids cafeteria. usually, i'll have to pick them up at 11:20 and keep them til 1:20 and cook for them, like fancy french style.

i went on a run which was really nice. my run pretty much covered all of the town, yep a mere 30 minutes. it was really nice and cute, and after my run i got some water (perrier, of course haha) at this cafe that had all these old men at a table reading their newspaper. it was cute, but the lady charged me 2,50 euros. i think she purposely ripped me off, but i was really thirsty. then i went to the fruit place and then the bakery and i sat on stairs in an alley and had some fruit and bread. i didn't want too spend money on coffee in a cafe.

i went to the post office, which was a bit of a fiasco and quite expensive. anyway, those of you who will be receiving letters, know that i spent a pretty penny to send you one. :) oh i also was buying a phone card when i realized that i didn't have my money with me. the lady was pissed.

the office of tourisme made me a lot more optimistic because they had all kinds of brochures. i got the bus schedule, so i will be peacing out of eyguieres as much as possible to head to aix en provence or salon au provence. i need warm socks. their house is soo cold.

oh it slipped my mind: after my run i was stretching and an old man asked if i'd like a swig of his bottle. i kindly responded no thank you, it's still morning, and he said something i didn't understand. he was loving life. i guess some things are international.

so back to the hizzouse and i was inspired by my french friend adrien to explore for a bit, so i hopped on my bicycle and headed to the downtown area. the way there was soo beautiful: mountains, streams, olive trees, sheep, little chateaus, but halfway there i realized that the wind, which the locals call the mistral because it is imfamously known for its strength, was blowing with me, which was why biking was so easy. i decided to turn around so i wouldnt be late to get the kids, and i could barely pedal. the wind was sooo strong, like pre-hurricane winds. at one point, it blew me into the road. are you kidding me? and i was also in jeans because i thought id try to not look frumpy, but my jeans kept falling, which the drivers seemed to like, as indicated by their thumbs up and honks. anyway, so i made it back and got the kids and went to the park and they drank all my water. ALL MY WATER. you know you don't cross me like that. haha

we rode back and the little girl had a breakdown in which she was crying and screaming, but i had no idea what she was saying. i told her in french (literal translation, i sound so dumb), i am sad because you are angry at me. and then she said something i didn't understand. then we drew and it was better. if i lived here, id become a little van goh too because there's not much else to do.

anyway, i know today was rough, but im looking forward to getting in the swing of things, learning the language, meeting the locals, and travelling, and hopefully having people visit me. its rough, but oh well. life's rough and it will get better. i'm trying to stay positive, though it helps to write out my rants.