I am really behind in blogging my pictures. but I will do that later today maybe.
So I will update on the latest and most important.
I FINALLY GOT AN APPOINTMENT TO FILE FOR MY VISA!!!! yipeeeeee!!!!
So after a few weeks of stressing and going to offices and crying because people were mean and just having no clue what the next few weeks would look like for me, I finally have an appointment to get my visa THE DAY BEFORE my current visa expires. I don't recall how much information I posted already about my visa situation, but lets just say, more times than not I wonder why I put myself through all this mess. I know I am here for a reason and I know God has put me in France for a reason and He is with me every step of the way and that life is not supposed to be easy, but dang....
Anyways, Friday afternoon I went to my new employers office and asked her to try and help me and somehow, after calling several different numbers, getting no help or no answer, we finally got a hold of a friendly french woman who was willing to help and she was able to get me an appointment to file for my visa the day before it expires. wow. Talk about timing! I was told that I just needed a few more pieces of paper (at this point I feel like the French government has so much information all me they could clone who I am and recreate me if they wanted, no lie. The only thing they haven't asked for is a blood sample and I am not holding my breath on when they might want that) and to show up at this office at this time and I'd be granted my visa for next year. Hallelujah!
Friday was a crazy day of trying to get everything sorted out because I knew the clock was ticking and it was ticking rather fast in my opinion. I am very blessed that the lady I am going to be working for, her office is just down the street from where I am living this summer so the few times I have needed to meet up with her have been very hassle free and convenient.
Friday night I had some friends over to the house I am house sitting/dog sitting for dinner. My friend Diana and I were in charge of the menu and we went to town and created the most intense meal I have ever cooked. I am so thankful Diana was there because I am not Martha Stewart in the kitchen. In fact I feel a tad bit retarded in the kitchen as I haven't really used one in the past year and some time. This past year I lived with a family who the mom cooked every single meal every single day so I haven't had to do anything besides heat up left overs or do simple things for myself for a random lunch here or there so the kitchen is a bit scary to me now. Anyways, Diana loves the kitchen so I took on the role or sous chef! The menu consisted of 2 quiches: 1 was ham, cheese and courgette (zucchini) and the other was all veggies: zucchini, onion, eggplant, mushrooms and cheese. We also had green salad with kiwi, mango, cucumber, and tomato, potato salad, a fruit plate, and bread and cheese. Oh, and you cant forget the champagne and wine. It was such a good dinner! And I was so proud that I created the menu (most of it) and cooked all of it, well, helped cook all of it. Normally at our family dinners I just bring food and let someone else do the cooking so it was interesting to do the cooking myself. And for dessert we had chocolate fondant gateau (translated: chocolate fondu cake). I burnt it, not sure how, but it was still good!
Anyways, thats all for now! I am off to clean the kitchen (yes, it is Monday and I still have not cleaned up from Friday, I got sick this weekend and that is a good enough excuse for me!) and watch pride and prejudice. And if you're lucky I'll include a picture sometime soon of the dog I have been watching. His name is Rennie and he is the cutest little pup you ever did see. :-)
Miss you all! Love, me
Monday, July 25
Friday, July 22
another day
So its another day...
and another day full of no answers! ahhh!!!
BUT at least its a new day and with this new days comes the SUN! Praise the Lord! Really! There is light outside for the first time in a few days, that means it's "take the dog to the park" day since I am dog/house sitting this week. It also means that Kara has a new lease on life and a I painted my nails red last night and red nails always puts a little "sass" in my step so I'm ready to conquer this dang french administration one way or another.
Hope you all are enjoying your day! Happy early weekend!
Love, moi
and another day full of no answers! ahhh!!!
BUT at least its a new day and with this new days comes the SUN! Praise the Lord! Really! There is light outside for the first time in a few days, that means it's "take the dog to the park" day since I am dog/house sitting this week. It also means that Kara has a new lease on life and a I painted my nails red last night and red nails always puts a little "sass" in my step so I'm ready to conquer this dang french administration one way or another.
Hope you all are enjoying your day! Happy early weekend!
Love, moi
Wednesday, July 20
oh france
oh france, you leave me doing the most random things these days!
Such as, tonight, because I was bored and needed something to get me out of my little apartment, decided to walk to the Arc de Triomph (a 10 minute walk), get a ticket to the top (which is free) and climb the stairs. Since I am only living this close to such a monumental monument for a short period of time and its free for me to go whenever I want, I feel I should take advantage of the opportunity whenever I can. Even a rainy, gloomy night. Blah! But I did it, without an umbrella, thank you! I walked the stairs to the top of the Arc and enjoyed the views of Paris. Even found my street, the quiet one, haha!
Another thing I am doing that I wouldn't normally do? Sit in a park across the street from my apartment typing on the computer because its the only place I can find free internet without having to find a friend who will let me come over at 11pm. My friend Grace lives across the street but she is probably not up nor do I have the energy to walk up 7 flights up stairs this late at night after I just walked up the Arc. So alas, I am sitting under a tree for shelter from the rain drops (its only misting right now) trying to find a few minutes of entertainment in the world wide web.
And yes, not having internet is horrible! It was ok for a few days and then I realized how much our worlds depend on the internet. It's quite sad actually! But I am learning to embrace my new world of no internet (except for my phone) and being out of the loop on world events (as if i ever kept up with world events), people in the world, and whatever else I did on the internet. It is rather inconvenient but I'm learning to embrace inconveniences.
Oh, and today I had a crappy experience with a french government worker. I will spare the details because there really aren't any but lets just say that my experiences in France do not come easy and fun sometimes. Life keeps throwing curve balls, one right after another, and I'm struggling to keep up! Some days, like today, I felt like I was being shoved under a heavy current of water and I'm struggling to stay afloat! Funny thing is that its been raining nonstop for the past 2 days. I have no doubt that whatever is supposed to happen will happen and I am ready to embrace another year here in Paris or somewhere else, I'm just ready to know where it will be. I'm ready to be able to sleep at night not thinking about what to say to a french government official the next day, or how much a ticket to the US will cost last minute and in August, or anything in between. I am trying to embrace today and not think about tomorrow but tomorrows happenings depend on todays so its a bit hard not to think about all the tomorrows coming up.
On a different note, I think I am going to start swimming again. There is an indoor pool (because there are no outdoor pools in the city of Paris, only in the suburbs) in the center of Paris that costs 3 euros to go to, or less if you buy 10 times at once, and every time I pass I see people working out swimming and I stand there and watch until I get so jealous I just can't stand it. French pools are intimidating but I think its time I took on a challenge I will actually enjoy and have an outcome I will actually like (and know ahead of time) so I might just go forth and conquer tomorrow...or the next tomorrow.
Well, lets just say, I miss y'all more than I can express right now! And a virtual hug or 30 sent my way are highly encouraged!!! Love you all to the moon and back and am very thankful for friendships and relationships and family and friends that continue to support me and love me despite my lack of keeping in touch or internet these days! Thanks!
Love, me
Such as, tonight, because I was bored and needed something to get me out of my little apartment, decided to walk to the Arc de Triomph (a 10 minute walk), get a ticket to the top (which is free) and climb the stairs. Since I am only living this close to such a monumental monument for a short period of time and its free for me to go whenever I want, I feel I should take advantage of the opportunity whenever I can. Even a rainy, gloomy night. Blah! But I did it, without an umbrella, thank you! I walked the stairs to the top of the Arc and enjoyed the views of Paris. Even found my street, the quiet one, haha!
Another thing I am doing that I wouldn't normally do? Sit in a park across the street from my apartment typing on the computer because its the only place I can find free internet without having to find a friend who will let me come over at 11pm. My friend Grace lives across the street but she is probably not up nor do I have the energy to walk up 7 flights up stairs this late at night after I just walked up the Arc. So alas, I am sitting under a tree for shelter from the rain drops (its only misting right now) trying to find a few minutes of entertainment in the world wide web.
And yes, not having internet is horrible! It was ok for a few days and then I realized how much our worlds depend on the internet. It's quite sad actually! But I am learning to embrace my new world of no internet (except for my phone) and being out of the loop on world events (as if i ever kept up with world events), people in the world, and whatever else I did on the internet. It is rather inconvenient but I'm learning to embrace inconveniences.
Oh, and today I had a crappy experience with a french government worker. I will spare the details because there really aren't any but lets just say that my experiences in France do not come easy and fun sometimes. Life keeps throwing curve balls, one right after another, and I'm struggling to keep up! Some days, like today, I felt like I was being shoved under a heavy current of water and I'm struggling to stay afloat! Funny thing is that its been raining nonstop for the past 2 days. I have no doubt that whatever is supposed to happen will happen and I am ready to embrace another year here in Paris or somewhere else, I'm just ready to know where it will be. I'm ready to be able to sleep at night not thinking about what to say to a french government official the next day, or how much a ticket to the US will cost last minute and in August, or anything in between. I am trying to embrace today and not think about tomorrow but tomorrows happenings depend on todays so its a bit hard not to think about all the tomorrows coming up.
On a different note, I think I am going to start swimming again. There is an indoor pool (because there are no outdoor pools in the city of Paris, only in the suburbs) in the center of Paris that costs 3 euros to go to, or less if you buy 10 times at once, and every time I pass I see people working out swimming and I stand there and watch until I get so jealous I just can't stand it. French pools are intimidating but I think its time I took on a challenge I will actually enjoy and have an outcome I will actually like (and know ahead of time) so I might just go forth and conquer tomorrow...or the next tomorrow.
Well, lets just say, I miss y'all more than I can express right now! And a virtual hug or 30 sent my way are highly encouraged!!! Love you all to the moon and back and am very thankful for friendships and relationships and family and friends that continue to support me and love me despite my lack of keeping in touch or internet these days! Thanks!
Love, me
Tuesday, July 19
no internet...still
Hello,
So you must be wondering how crazy my life has been that I haven't been updating? Well, I wish I had something interesting to talk about but really my lack of being online, skype, facebook, blogger, etc, has been because of my continued lack of internet. agh! talk about a test of patience. who knew! I never thought I'd be the person who depended so much on the internet but seriously, i do! I have been working really hard to be patient and not go crazy without it but when I'm in my apartment at night and have nothing to do except listen to the same 100 songs I hear round the clock, I am anxious for a new tv show or some different music or possibly a skype chat with my family. But no. But it's ok, I am learning to deal with it and hopefully my next location will have internet or I will pay to have it installed, haha.
Anyways, living in Paris has been incredible!!! I love it! The street I live off takes me straight to Tracadero which is across the river from the Eiffel Tower (in about a 15 minute walk) and I live 5 minutes from the Arc de Triumph which is really cool. I live about 5 streets over (or directly across) from the Champs Elysees. Last night I was able to go to a friends house for dinner and come home and sleep in my bed which was really nice. I am happy to not have to take the dirty RER trains back home anymore. I live in such a safe neighborhood I don't have to worry about walking home late at night. Obviously I still have to be careful but my neighborhood is really safe and my building is watched by security cameras as well. I have had a major change in that I went from the middle of nowhere where there was no one and nothing to do, I heard the church bells chime every hour and half hour and the chirping of the birds woke me up on the weekends to living off one of the busiest streets (in my opinion) in Paris. Seriously! I have to turn down my shutters all the way and not open my window and its still like living on a major high way. I also live on the first floor, (2nd floor american) so anyone who walks down my street, I can hear their voice...if they're smoking and my window is open I get a nice whif in my apartment. I also live at the corner of the street so I get lots of cars racing to catch the light and honking. I am also convinced that because my street is full of tall bulidings the noise has nowhere to go so it just resonates in the street making every car and motorcycle sounds so much louder than it is.
Some of the pluses to living where I do are that while I live in the same building as my new family (job), I have my own separate apartment. There is the bus 82 which is right in front of the door to my building which takes me to the Eiffel Tower in 15 minutes and its a lovely drive as well, and thats if I am being lazy because the walk does not take much longer. There is a metro within a 5 minute walk of my house and many different options for grocery stores in the area as well. I have had such a fun time exploring the area and keep learning that there is still so much left to explore.
Today its raining and raining and raining which is not too common here. It's common to rain regularly but usually the rain does not last many hours without stopping. I can't really complain though because I worked about 3 hours this morning and now I get to hang out in my apartment and cook lunch for a friend who is coming over and then come back over to my friends apartment across the street and use her internet to catch up on shows and this blog so its a nice day for rain. I don't have to be out in it.
So, I have had a few realizations: food in Paris is soooo expensive. Come visit or live here and not on a tourists budget and you will soon learn. Even the cheap grocery stores are not cheap. And try buying fruit and veggies for 1 person and its almost impossible. I know it is possible but its just so expensive. I am learning how to budget and relearn how to cook and all in 2 weeks! Oh well, I have all next year...hopefully!
Anyways, hope everyone is enjoying the warm temps in Texas while I enjoy the cold weather here. I have decided that if I am blessed enough to stay another year, I will make it so I can come back to Texas for a vacation in the summer and NOT in the winter because Parisian summers don't really exist. The average temp here is in the 60's F and I am not kidding. Summer clothes are almost worthless except for that odd day every 3 or 4 weeks when the sun shines and shines hot enough to warrant not needing a jacket or 2, a scarf and an umbrella.
Miss you all, love, moi
So you must be wondering how crazy my life has been that I haven't been updating? Well, I wish I had something interesting to talk about but really my lack of being online, skype, facebook, blogger, etc, has been because of my continued lack of internet. agh! talk about a test of patience. who knew! I never thought I'd be the person who depended so much on the internet but seriously, i do! I have been working really hard to be patient and not go crazy without it but when I'm in my apartment at night and have nothing to do except listen to the same 100 songs I hear round the clock, I am anxious for a new tv show or some different music or possibly a skype chat with my family. But no. But it's ok, I am learning to deal with it and hopefully my next location will have internet or I will pay to have it installed, haha.
Anyways, living in Paris has been incredible!!! I love it! The street I live off takes me straight to Tracadero which is across the river from the Eiffel Tower (in about a 15 minute walk) and I live 5 minutes from the Arc de Triumph which is really cool. I live about 5 streets over (or directly across) from the Champs Elysees. Last night I was able to go to a friends house for dinner and come home and sleep in my bed which was really nice. I am happy to not have to take the dirty RER trains back home anymore. I live in such a safe neighborhood I don't have to worry about walking home late at night. Obviously I still have to be careful but my neighborhood is really safe and my building is watched by security cameras as well. I have had a major change in that I went from the middle of nowhere where there was no one and nothing to do, I heard the church bells chime every hour and half hour and the chirping of the birds woke me up on the weekends to living off one of the busiest streets (in my opinion) in Paris. Seriously! I have to turn down my shutters all the way and not open my window and its still like living on a major high way. I also live on the first floor, (2nd floor american) so anyone who walks down my street, I can hear their voice...if they're smoking and my window is open I get a nice whif in my apartment. I also live at the corner of the street so I get lots of cars racing to catch the light and honking. I am also convinced that because my street is full of tall bulidings the noise has nowhere to go so it just resonates in the street making every car and motorcycle sounds so much louder than it is.
Some of the pluses to living where I do are that while I live in the same building as my new family (job), I have my own separate apartment. There is the bus 82 which is right in front of the door to my building which takes me to the Eiffel Tower in 15 minutes and its a lovely drive as well, and thats if I am being lazy because the walk does not take much longer. There is a metro within a 5 minute walk of my house and many different options for grocery stores in the area as well. I have had such a fun time exploring the area and keep learning that there is still so much left to explore.
Today its raining and raining and raining which is not too common here. It's common to rain regularly but usually the rain does not last many hours without stopping. I can't really complain though because I worked about 3 hours this morning and now I get to hang out in my apartment and cook lunch for a friend who is coming over and then come back over to my friends apartment across the street and use her internet to catch up on shows and this blog so its a nice day for rain. I don't have to be out in it.
So, I have had a few realizations: food in Paris is soooo expensive. Come visit or live here and not on a tourists budget and you will soon learn. Even the cheap grocery stores are not cheap. And try buying fruit and veggies for 1 person and its almost impossible. I know it is possible but its just so expensive. I am learning how to budget and relearn how to cook and all in 2 weeks! Oh well, I have all next year...hopefully!
Anyways, hope everyone is enjoying the warm temps in Texas while I enjoy the cold weather here. I have decided that if I am blessed enough to stay another year, I will make it so I can come back to Texas for a vacation in the summer and NOT in the winter because Parisian summers don't really exist. The average temp here is in the 60's F and I am not kidding. Summer clothes are almost worthless except for that odd day every 3 or 4 weeks when the sun shines and shines hot enough to warrant not needing a jacket or 2, a scarf and an umbrella.
Miss you all, love, moi
Wednesday, July 13
i'm back
but not for good...yet!
So i apologize for lacking in updates recently. but its not my fault. you see, when i live in chambourcy (the middle of nowhere, cow town, the boonies, zone 43, however you want to look at it) i had lots of time. I would take the kids to school, have 2 hours of doing nothing, then take the bus to french class, then come home and have 2 hours of doing nothing, then pick up the kids and take them to the park, at 6pm i would be done working and either go into paris to keep my sanity or enjoy more alone time until dinner and then more alone time after dinner. you see, my life was simple and low key. well, life has changed...i have moved, i have a different family, a different living situation, a different everything...
I moved a few weeks ago. Time has been FLYING by so it feels like just yesterday but really its been almost 2 weeks ago! So the Friday I moved I think I almost lost it. I almost lost my sanity! But I am glad I didn't because the almost 2 weeks since have been amazing! So I am now in the middle of my summer job! Insert KARA ACTUALLY WORKS NOW! At my last job I worked around 10 hours a week roughly. The past almost 2 weeks I have worked every single day except for 1. Yes, I am having to adjust. Anyways, I moved to a cute little (but big for me) apartment next to the Arc de Triumph on the 2nd floor american (1st floor European) of a great builiding. The family I work for lives on the 7th floor American (6th floor European) and there are 3 elevators right outside my door. That is something to be jealous of if you are Parisian as not all building have elevators...those that do are to be coveted. I had no clue what the apartment would look like before I moved and put all my stuff in but I am happy with it! Its just a shame that I will only be living in it for 3 weeks before I have to move again. :-( I will have to post some pictures later. The sad part of the story is that this apartment is internet-LESS. No phone or internet all summer. Thats why I am giddy with excitement to have internet for a few hours. I have a good friend who lives literally across the street from me right now and she has lent me her keys for the day to come to her apartment to use her wifi so I can catch up on all my american tv shows and update my blog and stalk people on facebook.
So, lets back up a bit... unfortunately because so much time has lapsed my memory and desire to recap every last minute of the last few weeks is not very high, I apolgoize, but I will tell you, Eurodisney lived up to every expectation I had of it and much more. I went with some friends, the same crew that was in Vannes a few weeks prior (Kyle, Adrian, Christina and me) and it was so much fun. Adrian was able to get discounted tickets from a student of hers and so we all went one wonderful Saturday. We were there for the opening of the park and stayed until after the doors had been shut. We wanted to snoop around the hotel on property, is that so wrong? haha. We had so much fun it was unbelievable how fast time flew. We were like little kids in a candy shop, because thats basically what it was. We did everything we possibly could in the 32 hours the park was open that day and really made some wonderful memories. I enjoy my friends company so much and I was so happy to spend more time them. You see, the last time I went to eurodisney was last fall (November or dec, I can't remember) and it was miserable! I cried the whole time because it was so cold and I just could not stay warm, it snowed heavily and then the temps rose so the snow turned into slush adn it started raining and it was just was not a pleasant experience. This time it was completely the opposite as the weather was wonderful! sunny but not too hot and not too many people just yet and just the right group of friends to spend the day with! Oh, and that day was the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. We found this out because they had a video thing you could go see about him and the announcers told us before we entered. Random bit of info.
So the weekend I moved was a whirlwind. It was Christina and my last weekend together as she moved back to the States while I was in Romania last week and we had already decided long before that we would be spending the whole weekend together regardless. And thats just what we did. She had a bag of her stuff sent over to my house in CHambourcy before I moved so her stuff was moved with mine so when she arrived at my new apartment it was as if we had moved together (except her stuff was a lot less than mine). Our friend Kyle was in Paris still for some work and so he spent a large portion of the weekend with us as well. Actually, I think he spent the whole weekend with us. It was such a fun time. We cooked in my new apartment (Christina and Kyle are excellent cooks and I was happy to sit back and eat whatever they chose), we visited the Rodin museum as that Sunday was free museum sunday, we had a picnic at Les Invalides, we cooked some more, went on a river boat trip down the Seine at night, explored my new neighborhood and just enjoyed the time we had together. I love weekends like this (Except for I don't like having to say goodbye for good) because Paris is such an amazing playground that its incredible that I get to live here. Incredible.
Monday morning (after I moved Friday evening) my new family and I (minus the husband) left for Romania, bright and early! I just got back last night from spending the last 9 days in Romania. I want to get some pictures from the Mom's camera to post here on my blog, but we had a blast. It was a different experience to say the least. To go from barely working and barely being needed to having to work around the clock in another country for 9 days straight. I am exhausted! It was an up and down trip, some things I enjoyed and others I didn't, but all in all, it was a great trip. Romania is interesting. Its a way different culture than anything I've ever experienced. Well, if you want my honest opinion it reminded me a lot of America in some ways and not in others. The people there are on the obese side, eat very heavy meals, larger portions than France, and the kids are a little more unruly then in France, and it just reminded me of American beaches (the one we were at), but the food was different, the beach atmosphere was different and obviously the langauge was different. Most people there speak English as well so I didn't have a whole lot of problems communicating when I needed, although the lady I work for speaks Romanian and we were with her cousin and her cousins daughter who live in Bucharest so they of course speak Romanian and English. I really missed Paris, I missed my friends, I missed being able to choose my meals and when I would eat them, I missed having space (as we shared a hotel room the whole time) but I was happy to have a week of not having to spend a single penny, being able to go and have a beach vacation (because Paris does not feel like summer as its cold enough to need a jacket and overcast and rainy) and not have to pay for it or worry about the details of the trip at all. I just showed up and did as I was told and enjoyed the experiences for what it was worth!
I will have to spend another blog telling about my new family and how the dynamics are soooo different from my last family! Not a good or bad different, just a different that needs adjustment. But you know in all of this I am learning a whole new level of patience and I am happy to do this. Patience in being more flexible than I ever thought I needed, patience in that I work with a 2 yr that is a hand full (a cute handfull), and patience in having to learn that work is actually good for you! This last year I have had to learned patience in all different types of circumstances so I welcome a new type of patience.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little update! I don't know how often I will be able to update this blog this summer as I don't have internet in my apartment and I leave for the south of France for a 3 week trip in a little over 2 weeks but I will do my best to stay up to date. Tomorrow is Bastille day (France's independence) and I plan on celebrating since I was on a plane to Romania on the fourth of July. If I couldn't celebrate my favorite countries independence then I am going to for sure celebrate my second favorite countries independence. oh yea!
Hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far! I now have space to have friends to visit so book your flight soon!!!! haha. I miss you all dearly, so much right now actually! But hopefully in the near future I will have internet to go along wtih my freedom of living alone which means skype dates and phone calls to be more frequent!
Love, me
So i apologize for lacking in updates recently. but its not my fault. you see, when i live in chambourcy (the middle of nowhere, cow town, the boonies, zone 43, however you want to look at it) i had lots of time. I would take the kids to school, have 2 hours of doing nothing, then take the bus to french class, then come home and have 2 hours of doing nothing, then pick up the kids and take them to the park, at 6pm i would be done working and either go into paris to keep my sanity or enjoy more alone time until dinner and then more alone time after dinner. you see, my life was simple and low key. well, life has changed...i have moved, i have a different family, a different living situation, a different everything...
I moved a few weeks ago. Time has been FLYING by so it feels like just yesterday but really its been almost 2 weeks ago! So the Friday I moved I think I almost lost it. I almost lost my sanity! But I am glad I didn't because the almost 2 weeks since have been amazing! So I am now in the middle of my summer job! Insert KARA ACTUALLY WORKS NOW! At my last job I worked around 10 hours a week roughly. The past almost 2 weeks I have worked every single day except for 1. Yes, I am having to adjust. Anyways, I moved to a cute little (but big for me) apartment next to the Arc de Triumph on the 2nd floor american (1st floor European) of a great builiding. The family I work for lives on the 7th floor American (6th floor European) and there are 3 elevators right outside my door. That is something to be jealous of if you are Parisian as not all building have elevators...those that do are to be coveted. I had no clue what the apartment would look like before I moved and put all my stuff in but I am happy with it! Its just a shame that I will only be living in it for 3 weeks before I have to move again. :-( I will have to post some pictures later. The sad part of the story is that this apartment is internet-LESS. No phone or internet all summer. Thats why I am giddy with excitement to have internet for a few hours. I have a good friend who lives literally across the street from me right now and she has lent me her keys for the day to come to her apartment to use her wifi so I can catch up on all my american tv shows and update my blog and stalk people on facebook.
So, lets back up a bit... unfortunately because so much time has lapsed my memory and desire to recap every last minute of the last few weeks is not very high, I apolgoize, but I will tell you, Eurodisney lived up to every expectation I had of it and much more. I went with some friends, the same crew that was in Vannes a few weeks prior (Kyle, Adrian, Christina and me) and it was so much fun. Adrian was able to get discounted tickets from a student of hers and so we all went one wonderful Saturday. We were there for the opening of the park and stayed until after the doors had been shut. We wanted to snoop around the hotel on property, is that so wrong? haha. We had so much fun it was unbelievable how fast time flew. We were like little kids in a candy shop, because thats basically what it was. We did everything we possibly could in the 32 hours the park was open that day and really made some wonderful memories. I enjoy my friends company so much and I was so happy to spend more time them. You see, the last time I went to eurodisney was last fall (November or dec, I can't remember) and it was miserable! I cried the whole time because it was so cold and I just could not stay warm, it snowed heavily and then the temps rose so the snow turned into slush adn it started raining and it was just was not a pleasant experience. This time it was completely the opposite as the weather was wonderful! sunny but not too hot and not too many people just yet and just the right group of friends to spend the day with! Oh, and that day was the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. We found this out because they had a video thing you could go see about him and the announcers told us before we entered. Random bit of info.
So the weekend I moved was a whirlwind. It was Christina and my last weekend together as she moved back to the States while I was in Romania last week and we had already decided long before that we would be spending the whole weekend together regardless. And thats just what we did. She had a bag of her stuff sent over to my house in CHambourcy before I moved so her stuff was moved with mine so when she arrived at my new apartment it was as if we had moved together (except her stuff was a lot less than mine). Our friend Kyle was in Paris still for some work and so he spent a large portion of the weekend with us as well. Actually, I think he spent the whole weekend with us. It was such a fun time. We cooked in my new apartment (Christina and Kyle are excellent cooks and I was happy to sit back and eat whatever they chose), we visited the Rodin museum as that Sunday was free museum sunday, we had a picnic at Les Invalides, we cooked some more, went on a river boat trip down the Seine at night, explored my new neighborhood and just enjoyed the time we had together. I love weekends like this (Except for I don't like having to say goodbye for good) because Paris is such an amazing playground that its incredible that I get to live here. Incredible.
Monday morning (after I moved Friday evening) my new family and I (minus the husband) left for Romania, bright and early! I just got back last night from spending the last 9 days in Romania. I want to get some pictures from the Mom's camera to post here on my blog, but we had a blast. It was a different experience to say the least. To go from barely working and barely being needed to having to work around the clock in another country for 9 days straight. I am exhausted! It was an up and down trip, some things I enjoyed and others I didn't, but all in all, it was a great trip. Romania is interesting. Its a way different culture than anything I've ever experienced. Well, if you want my honest opinion it reminded me a lot of America in some ways and not in others. The people there are on the obese side, eat very heavy meals, larger portions than France, and the kids are a little more unruly then in France, and it just reminded me of American beaches (the one we were at), but the food was different, the beach atmosphere was different and obviously the langauge was different. Most people there speak English as well so I didn't have a whole lot of problems communicating when I needed, although the lady I work for speaks Romanian and we were with her cousin and her cousins daughter who live in Bucharest so they of course speak Romanian and English. I really missed Paris, I missed my friends, I missed being able to choose my meals and when I would eat them, I missed having space (as we shared a hotel room the whole time) but I was happy to have a week of not having to spend a single penny, being able to go and have a beach vacation (because Paris does not feel like summer as its cold enough to need a jacket and overcast and rainy) and not have to pay for it or worry about the details of the trip at all. I just showed up and did as I was told and enjoyed the experiences for what it was worth!
I will have to spend another blog telling about my new family and how the dynamics are soooo different from my last family! Not a good or bad different, just a different that needs adjustment. But you know in all of this I am learning a whole new level of patience and I am happy to do this. Patience in being more flexible than I ever thought I needed, patience in that I work with a 2 yr that is a hand full (a cute handfull), and patience in having to learn that work is actually good for you! This last year I have had to learned patience in all different types of circumstances so I welcome a new type of patience.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little update! I don't know how often I will be able to update this blog this summer as I don't have internet in my apartment and I leave for the south of France for a 3 week trip in a little over 2 weeks but I will do my best to stay up to date. Tomorrow is Bastille day (France's independence) and I plan on celebrating since I was on a plane to Romania on the fourth of July. If I couldn't celebrate my favorite countries independence then I am going to for sure celebrate my second favorite countries independence. oh yea!
Hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far! I now have space to have friends to visit so book your flight soon!!!! haha. I miss you all dearly, so much right now actually! But hopefully in the near future I will have internet to go along wtih my freedom of living alone which means skype dates and phone calls to be more frequent!
Love, me
Friday, July 8
i am still here
Hey guys,
its me!!! the writer of this blog. i have so much to sit and write about. all the cool things i have been doing and all the changes (a lot of them) going on in my life but when life takes you on a roller coaster ride and then you end up with a break but without any internet and then the roller coaster starts again and you have no time or internet, well, that leaves me here: at a beach in Romania trying to take a breather during the few moments I have while 2 yr old Sophie takes her afternoon nap.
I have no time to write anything or update about anything but just wanted to say, i am still here, still alive, still happy and healthy, well, kind of...healthy, but totally happy. have had a lot of things happen to me in the last few weeks and can't wait to write about them.
hope everyone had a great 4th of july, i was on a plane to bukarest (forgive me for not knowing how to spell this darn city) so i didn't really get to celebrate but i know plenty of people who did on my behalf.
anyways, i need to go back up to the hotel room and check in precious sophie.
have a great weekend my people,
love, moiiii
its me!!! the writer of this blog. i have so much to sit and write about. all the cool things i have been doing and all the changes (a lot of them) going on in my life but when life takes you on a roller coaster ride and then you end up with a break but without any internet and then the roller coaster starts again and you have no time or internet, well, that leaves me here: at a beach in Romania trying to take a breather during the few moments I have while 2 yr old Sophie takes her afternoon nap.
I have no time to write anything or update about anything but just wanted to say, i am still here, still alive, still happy and healthy, well, kind of...healthy, but totally happy. have had a lot of things happen to me in the last few weeks and can't wait to write about them.
hope everyone had a great 4th of july, i was on a plane to bukarest (forgive me for not knowing how to spell this darn city) so i didn't really get to celebrate but i know plenty of people who did on my behalf.
anyways, i need to go back up to the hotel room and check in precious sophie.
have a great weekend my people,
love, moiiii
Friday, July 1
je demenage aujourd'hui!
translation: I move today!
response: YAYYYY!!!!!
So right now I am in a rush of trying to squeeze everything that needs to be done today in the few hours that are left to do it all and my head is spinning a bit. The diet coke I am drinking and the fact that Christina came over for 5.3 seconds has helped.
Where is my mom when I need help packing?! She made it all fit the first and with weight restrictions so why can't I make it just fit, forget about the weight restrictions???
I haven't shopped that much ..... have i??? haha. I've accumulated a lot of books and had a lot shipped over so thats what I am going to claim.
I had a job interview this morning and it seems promising so I will keep you all updated on that. Hopefully I will be here to see another year in Paris. But we're taking things one day at a time....and for today I am having to put "eat" on my to-do list or else it might get to be 2:30pm and Kara had forgotten to eat all day. Oops!
So tonight I will be tucked away in my new apartment, watching my new kids and enjoying the start of a new chapter!
In the mean time I am rushing to pack, clean and not pull at out my hair.
At least its a nice day, yea?!
Have a great weekend! (have a great HOLIDAY 4th of july weekend, no i did not forget!!!)
Love, me!
response: YAYYYY!!!!!
So right now I am in a rush of trying to squeeze everything that needs to be done today in the few hours that are left to do it all and my head is spinning a bit. The diet coke I am drinking and the fact that Christina came over for 5.3 seconds has helped.
Where is my mom when I need help packing?! She made it all fit the first and with weight restrictions so why can't I make it just fit, forget about the weight restrictions???
I haven't shopped that much ..... have i??? haha. I've accumulated a lot of books and had a lot shipped over so thats what I am going to claim.
I had a job interview this morning and it seems promising so I will keep you all updated on that. Hopefully I will be here to see another year in Paris. But we're taking things one day at a time....and for today I am having to put "eat" on my to-do list or else it might get to be 2:30pm and Kara had forgotten to eat all day. Oops!
So tonight I will be tucked away in my new apartment, watching my new kids and enjoying the start of a new chapter!
In the mean time I am rushing to pack, clean and not pull at out my hair.
At least its a nice day, yea?!
Have a great weekend! (have a great HOLIDAY 4th of july weekend, no i did not forget!!!)
Love, me!
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