Hi everyone! It has been a while, hasn't it? Sorry...
Honestly not much has been going on here. It has all been pretty routine. Only recently have things gotten a bit hectic. I'll try to sum up this past month.
Let's begin:
Cleo has finally stopped all her ridiculous 5 year old tantrums and drama with me. Hallelujah! I think it just took some time for her to realize just how totally cool I actually am. AMIRIGHT?!
Recently I am trying to find Halloween activities to do with her since Halloween isn't really celebrated here much. In fact, it is nearly impossible for me to find a NORMAL pumpkin here. Turns out Fred and Perrine know a farm that we can drive to and find pumpkins to carve. Hopefully we will do that soon. Also, Cleo is obsessed with finding things in nature, like acorns, leaves, snails, and buckeyes! Here, buckeyes are called "Marrons", or "Browns" in French...so creative...but I figured it would be fun to make the edible kind with Cleo. So, after weeks of hunting, I finally found ingredients to make edible buckeyes that I love so dearly, but my thighs loathe. Fair warning: Peanut butter is ridiculously hard to find here. Though I eventually found two types of PB in the "English" section of the international isle, you know, right next to the spotted dick, marmalade, and bangers and mash, obviously. Results on how the buckeyes turn out: Pending.
I've really been enjoying my one French class. It's 3 hours twice a week with other foreigners like me, so it is really nice to meet people that are all in the same boat. I am making lots of new friends and really loving Lille more and more each day (minus the copious amounts of rain this town gets).
I've been having to work a lot recently to help out around the house more with Perrine. Her pregnancy hasn't been an easy one. In fact, the last month she has been having a lot of pain and contractions from the baby because he is way too low. I won't go into details, but unfortunately last night Perrine went to the hospital as a precaution and for her safety and, sadly, had to have the baby way too soon. So tonight the baby didn't make it since it was only 5 months along. I am not sure what will happen next since Perrine comes home tomorrow. I think Fred is the one having the most difficult time because he was so excited to have a boy. Good news is that Perrine is fine and healthy though, and next week she will have the house all to herself to relax since Fred will be on business in China, Cleo will be on holiday with her grandparents, and I will be on holiday in Italy!
Yes, next week starts the 2 week holiday for classes, so I will start off my holiday this Friday by heading to London for the weekend to visit a friend. Then, return Sunday afternoon, and Monday morning I'll be on my way to sinking Venice, followed by the sunny beaches of Palermo, and finishing off the week in Milan. Perfecto! I'll be going with my Friend that I met through couch surfing that has truly taken me under his wing as a protective brother or cousin would (so enough with the boyfriend questions, DANG Y'ALL). He and I will be able to speak French the whole week so I can retain some French while I am on vacation. Should be a fun week!
Last weekend I was in Paris with a friend, which was lovely. I've only ever been in Paris in the cold, early weeks of spring, so to see Paris in Autumn was a treat! Gorgeous fall colors, flowers, and warm sun in the crisp air. Needless to say, it was tourist mania, so we opted for the local route of people watching in cafes, drinking obscene amounts of Café au Lait's, visiting my favorite bookstore Shakespeare & Co, and walking along the seine (mostly to avoid all the dog merde on the sidewalks). It was also the 850th anniversary of Notre Dame, so there was this garish, stadium-bleecher-go-team-go-structure just in front of the cathedral so people can just sit...and look at Notre Dame...
The stupid thing blocks the entire view of the church and looks hella dumb, but whatever...C'est la vie.
Anyway, I think that sums up this past month. I can't believe it's almost been 2 months since I have arrived. Time is flying by! I am truly loving this experience and wait to see where my progress in French will be in the months ahead.
OH! I forgot to add that I am now officially on the tennis team here in Tourcoing. So for now I just have tennis practice on Wednesday evenings and will start to play matches against other towns in spring I believe.
Now, I promise to be better about keeping you all up to date on how I am getting along. Pictures to come as well!
gros bisous à tous!
(big kisses to everyone)
xoxo
Claire
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