So here I am. I'm sitting at my computer in a studio apartment in the 5eme arrondissement and I'm wondering how I make a transition from my last entry in 'the Alpha Au-Pair' to here and now. How does one do that?
My blog last left off with my friends and I standing naked in a hammam staring at each other, before getting into the wrong bathtub; and then being exfoliated by strange women who kept giggling about our faux-pas. So much has happened between then and now that I feel like it is almost impossible to catch up completely, so it seems best to just move forward? Suffice it to say that I finished my time in France, I moved back to the states where I got a job, I worked at that job until I couldn't any longer and then I made a mad dash back to Paris.
I am back to being an Au-Pair but I am in such a different situation that I can't even really compare it with the last time. They were two completely separate amazing adventures, just with many of the same details. I am currently living in the 5th arrondissement, basically on the Seine, in the studio apartment of my dreams. I take care of two very busy little boys, ages 4 and 8, I will call them N (4) & L (8). I started my french classes on Monday and am hopeful that my french will continue to improve over the rest of this year.
So far, my host family has been wonderful. They are constantly concerned that I need something, even when I don't, and they are always offering me things. An umbrella (this, I admit, was a stupid thing to forget), a rain jacket (when the airline lost one of my bags, they lost the one with my outerwear, of course), grammar books, normal books, and countless other items. They really are wonderful, and concerned, and they truly want the best for me. As soon as I make friends, they are even going to help me host a dinner party!
The boys are cute, hilarious, weird, and so smart; they make me laugh every day. They don't speak very much English but are eager to learn. N always asks me what something is in English and then when I tell him, he looks at me very seriously and says "hmm okay.' Like he is cataloging it in his little brain for later use. I love it. L has an English teacher twice a week at school, so he comes home and his homework is to practice asking people "What is your name?" and "My name is..." It's really cute.
I am teaching him different English phrases. Two days ago, we took a shortcut home from one of L's activities and he told me "on coupe le fromage." Meaning; we cut the cheese- which means to take a shortcut in France. It made me laugh of course. So I told him what that phrase would mean if he said it in America and he thought it was the best thing ever. So now he repeats it to me often. He also taught his mom. Oops.
Each week I draw them something on their dry erase board that they can practice their English over the weekend. Last week I wrote 'feeling' words and let N draw a picture of each feeling. The week before I drew them a face with all the body parts labeled. I'm not sure what I'll draw them this week maybe different animals... :)
I'm taking language classes that started on Monday and I can't lie, they are harder than they were last time, which is good because it means I have progressed enough to move up a level, but I still feel a little behind.
This weekend is Nuit Blanche, which I assume I posted about on my last go around, but if not: it's a night time art festival; the museums are open late, some of the metros run through the night and there are art exhibits set up all through the city with music and fun things to do. Last time it was rainy, but we walked through this giant interactive art exhibit with light up balloons that you could throw around. From there we parked ourselves at a tent with three guys painting these giant murals to music, all standing next to each other - when the song was over, they'd switch which mural they were painting. I'm excited to see what happens this year, apparently they are turning Gare du Nord into a giant nightclub, so I definitely want to see that.
I think that's going to be all for my first blog post from Paris, it's not very exciting, just a quick catch up!
