Unexpected Asian Friends in France

I'm loving my time at the little French language school. The instructors are fantastic teachers, and they are also excellent actresses. Actresses? Why? Because there are two Asian girls in my class who don't have the luxury of all the French/English cognates. And the teachers take great care to ONLY speak French while inside the building, so sometimes, in order to get their point across, introduce or explain vocabulary, they must play a game of charades. It's quite entertaining for me to watch. It makes the four hours of sitting at a table go by quickly.

I asked the girls today if I could take a picture with them. They were beyond delighted. Missu is from Japan (she is the girl in the black). She is living with a French family for the six months she is here to learn French. She is hilarious and expressive and very hard worker. Chun Ping is from Taiwan (she is wearing glasses) and is in France because she is going to marry her French boyfriend very soon. (I asked her how she communicates with her boyfriend because she doesn't speak very much French at all...she told me he speaks Chinese). Chun Ping is much more reserved but she too works very, very hard.

As I sit there in class I'm amazed at how hard these girls' brains must be working. I mean, they don't even use the same characters...looking at the alphabet is all foreign to them. They both have electronic dictionaries that they furiously type words into in order to follow along with the class. And they too are excellent actors as they too try to find words to be understood.

Today, Missu discovered Skype for the first time. The other American in the class had his laptop with him and in order to explain it to her, he just dialed her home phone number in Japan. What happened next made me cry....she was able to talk to her Mom for the first time in two weeks. (She had just been buying calling cards--which are very expensive here--and so she wasn't talking with her family very much). Anyway, you can see from the pictures what a big deal it is for her. She asked the teacher to come and say hello because she wanted to assure her Mom she was at school!

So, I'm learning tons and tons at my school. Like a nerdy, nerdy student, I totally love every minute of it, and I am smiling for nearly four hours straight. As I sit there, I'm reminded of how big the world is...which is a good reminder for me not to be so obsessed with my little "world". I'm very thankful for this opportunity to meet these new friends.

PS--hearing French with an Asian accent is just too funny to explain.

What Not To Wear--The Playground Edition

I took the kids to the playground by the sea today. It's been coolish and rainy all week, so today's sunshine was a treat for everyone.

I love being able to walk to this happening area...there are restaurants and crepe stands and sandy beach fronts and a giant playground...sounds wonderful, chic and upscale, right? But you should also know there are "pay to jump" trampoline stands, kiddie size go-cart tracks, and right now, there is a traveling "farm" underneath big, white circus-looking tent in one of the parking lots, blaring music from their speakers. The whole scene is kind of Myrtle Beach-esque with a French flair. And it is this area that offers some of the best people watching in town.

Here are pictures I was secretly taking of the "folks" watching their kids at the playground...sorry, some of the pictures aren't the best...I was trying to be discreet...you know, like act like I was taking pictures of my kids and then swinging the camera around to snap the shot of the unsuspecting fashionista. (I would recommend clicking on the pictures so you can make the images bigger).

Are people in the States wearing shorts with tights and boots? Because here it is all the rage. Do not miss this woman's cigarette in her hand. She is classic Toulon if there ever was a candidate.

I think I had a sweat suit like this when I was in fifth grade. Don't miss the hair color. I'm pretty sure it wasn't natural (but neither is mine, so I'm not judging).
Angsty family. Mom wears denim skirt with black tights and boots. Who doesn't own a V-neck shirt with a fake black fur neckline? And don't miss that everything she is wearing is black.
More of a Bohemian look...black leggings and silver shoes...and layers and layers of shawl??? Her daughters are embarrassed because she's one of the only Mom's not wearing knee high boots.
Another classic outfit. Longish sweater that hugs the buttocks with black tights...and black boots, of course. The points this lady would have lost for not wearing any fake fur were given back to her because she is wearing a leather jacket. She passed the animal test with that. Whew, that was close.
Something else I haven't figured out...silver leg warmers that peek out over the tops of the boots??? And you still have to wear the black leggings? The jacket is typical. I'm not sure hers is real leather, so maybe that's why she went with the fake fur "hood".

Denim capri pants, with hose, with black boots. And a fitted jacket. Really? Denim capris?

Clothes are expensive here, so I guess you need to make a statement with them. What did I wear to the playground??? Jeans, a cardigan, and my walking sneakers....classic Sarah. It's just so funny to me because in America I wear cardigans and jeans everywhere to fit in, not be noticed, or draw any attention to myself...but today I stood out more in my outfit than these ladies did in theirs.

école pour moi

I've been waiting for this day since Thursday October 22nd 2009. On that day, JP picked up our family at the train station in Hyères. We had just arrived and we were moving into our little vacation rental to begin our life here. JP said to me, "Do you speak French, Sarah?" "No, I don't," I sighed in total frustration. "Oh," he says, "there's a good school here in Hyères...you should go...it will really help you." Soon after my chat with JP, I met another American who went to the school. She is married to a French man and raved and raved about the school...she went there herself to learn the language.

And that was that. Some pivotal moments where I set my heart on, and closed my brain, to all other options for learning French other than this school. Its been nearly four months since those conversations, and as I drove to the French language school in Hyères this morning, I was so emotional about it I was crying tears of joy for the majority of the commute. I know, I know, I'm a little bit of drama queen, but until you live in a place where you CANNOT communicate, where you CANNOT accomplish simple tasks, ie, getting a hair cut, taking your kid to the doctor, ordering at a restaurant, getting out of a parking garage with no money, it might be hard understand the level of frustration I am coping with. Today was a big day for me.

God is good, and His timing is perfect. Although, I'll readily admit I have been an impatient, grumbling person waiting for His timing...He IS faithful. Because now, all the details that took us four months to work out have fallen into place. The "details" mostly revolved around my kids and finding people to watch them. But even the way the "babysitting" schedule has come together is too good to be true. This first week, we have a college student here with them. Then Phil will be with them for a week. And then my totally giving, be-there-in-a-second-to-help-you, Mother-in-law is coming for three weeks to stay with the kids. At the end of March, my parents will be here, so the kids will have another week of Grandma loving. All in all, I have six straight weeks of childcare, mostly with family, lined up...six weeks for me to concentrate uninterrupted and undisturbed at this school to learn French.

What's so great about this school? I'm most excited about the schedule. Classes are five days a week for four hours in the morning. I can be home by one o clock in the afternoon and resume my mothering/wife/homemaking duties. The school is very small. I have three other students in my class, so I have all the time I want to practice speaking and ask questions. The school has rolling admissions, so I could jump in today without waiting for the beginning of a semester. The tuition is based on the number of weeks of class you sign up for. The more weeks one commits to the cheaper the rate per week is. (We've actually paid for eight weeks, but I'll take some time off after the six straight weeks in order to get the next round of childcare lined up). But the school seems to be flexible and willing to work with me to make sure I can have my kids taken care of....and that is invaluable to me.

And after my first day, I'm thrilled. The teachers were fantastic and welcoming and thorough. It's funny because the school isn't technologically advanced at all...I felt like I was in my sixth grade math class again with the overhead projector and dry erase markers everywhere (sorry, Dad, no Smartboard here). They were even using cassette players for the listening exercises. But I don't need to be wowed with fancy gadgets and podcasts for my ipod. I'm too desperate to learn to be picky about small things like that.

I can't convey how excited and ready I am to make the most of the opportunity. I want to speak French...I want to learn...and today my heart feels lighter...because NOW, there seems to be a way to make that happen. Maybe someday I'll be able to get my hair cut, order a pizza, understand the repair man telling about some problem with our roof, follow along during a sermon at church, ask for another size at the department store, sign my kids up for swimming lessons. These are experiences I cannot wait to have. And experiences I'll never again take for granted.

Urban Outfitters

I grew up in suburbia. And Phil did too (although he'll tell you a good story about growing up on a farm and his favorite song is "A Country Boy Can Survive"). So I can say, without a doubt, Toulon, our current city, is much more urban than any place we've ever lived.

Toulon is not one of the largest cities in France. There are 170,000-ish people who live within the 16.5 square miles that make up the city...However, a quick comparison to other cities I know well...Columbus, Ohio, for instance--has four times as many people, but they have thirteen times as many square miles making up the city. Jacksonville, Florida, for instance---also has four times as many people living within the city limits, but they have fifty-fives times as much space within the city limits. All this to say, the city of Toulon isn't very big (we can drive across the city in ten minutes)...but compared to other places it has a much higher population density.

Here are some of the issues that make it feel so much more urban on a daily basis. Every place is crowded. The green space in Toulon is very limited, although there are some good playgrounds. We are surrounded by tons of apartments. In order to go the super market I have to park in a parking garage. In order to go other places in the city, you have to allow extra time to park because in general parking is very limited, and sometimes it seems like our Subaru Outback is the equivalent of a Hummer compared to the Renaults, Citroens, and Fiats on the road. And traffic during the week can be infuriating.

But living the city life has positive aspects to it as well. I've been able to take the bus the morning markets and mall a couple of times. It costs 1.40 Euro each way (kids are free), and for a Wednesday, Lily's day off school, she thinks it is the most exciting adventure ever.

(Here are some pictures from a morning bus ride)

This is the bus stop closest to our house--it's about a quarter mile walk away from us.
I promise I do wear makeup---but on this cloudy day, I didn't particularly feel like it.
Our bus fare ticket
The twelve minute bus ride takes us here... the bustling daily market in Le Mourillon (a "neighborhood" within the city limits of Toulon)
And I couldn't resist this picture--what you can't see from this angle of the picture is the age of the woman. I would guess in her seventies---wearing a fur, leopard print coat, and short skirt to the market on a rainy day. And who wouldn't wear heels to grocery shop??? This is why some days I don't wear makeup--I can't even begin to keep up with this!

It's taken me two months to be able to say this (I had to get over my initial disappointment of not finding a house in Hyères) but I'm coming to realize that we're experiencing the best of "a city life" and the suburbia we're used to. Our house, with a yard, is on a very quiet, dead-end street with mostly single family homes on it--the suburbia we love. And yet we can easily walk to bus stops, Lily's school, the beach, and a favorite pizza kitchen and a bakery - tastes of an urban life we are beginning to appreciate.

Schooling Update

It's been five weeks since Lily started school. I know this because today is the first day of her two week winter vacation. Five weeks on...two weeks off...not a bad school schedule if you ask me. And it's not just schools that get this vacation. Phil is eligible for a week off right now (he does only get one of the two weeks off). Other French workers I know are also taking their winter holiday at the moment. For better or worse, vacation is an entitlement here and not just a perk!

Anyway, here's a quick update on how Lily seems to be doing at school. I'm saying "seems to be doing" because I've never asked her teacher how she's doing...I can't...I don't speak enough French yet. Phil picked her up one Friday (during week three, I think) and quickly asked the teacher if things were going OK? The teacher said yes, things were fine, and said if Lily is happy, that is good enough for her. So just know I'm reading into a lot of things and taking cues from what Lily is saying and doing for me to announce...

It is going great!

Lily is now staying for lunch every school day of the week (they don't have school on Wednesdays). So, I drop her off at eight twenty in the morning and pick her up again at four twenty. I was worried about how long the day would seem for Lily without coming home for lunch, but she seems to be doing better by staying. She was crying for the first couple of weeks when I would drop her off, but now that has completely stopped.

The only issues we started having when she began staying for lunch were bathroom related. But Phil taught her words to say, so now she can ask to use the bathroom when she has too. (I could write an entire blog post about the bathroom situation at her school, but I will save that for later---just know there are NO doors---boys and girls use the same huge rooms of toilets, lined up against a wall, all at the same time---Lily had some American modesty and notions of privacy she had to get over before she felt comfortable joining the rest of the kids (I'm convinced her issues had more to do with this than the language barrier)--but she hasn't had an accident in a couple of weeks.

Lily also seems to be making friends. She talks about two little girls in particular all the time. She waves to them in the morning as we wait for the school gate to open. And they all smile back (waving seems to be more of an American thing than French...I can never get French people to wave back at me--they sort of nod their head, if anything). Her two friends also stay for the school lunch every day, and Lily talks about eating with them and how much fun it is.

And let me tell you about the lunch. Oh my word. It costs three euros a meal (which is automatically withdrawn from our bank account every month). Lunch is three courses long and takes about an hour. The kids all sit down at little tables and are served--no cafeteria line here. They eat on real plates, with real cups and silverware. Nothing is plastic. The first course is the salad course...an example from her school's menu...endive with vinaigrette. Next up is the main dish...an example from her school's menu...a filet of veal with buttered carrots. And finally they have their dessert. Most of time it's fresh fruit or yogurt with cheese...because all four year olds eat Camembert for dessert, right? Apparently, in France they do. Lily raves about the food, and I'm happy she's being exposed to the variety. (I can only ever get her to eat peanut butter and jelly for me.) I've heard from some French friends that the teachers also instruct the kids about table manners. So that's great...I'll pay three euros for that any day!

And the language...it is truly amazing for me to watch the transformation taking place. She spoke NO French before starting school. And simple words that we were trying to get her to say, like "bonjour" and "au revoir," she wouldn't say because she was embarrassed. Five weeks later, she is singing entire songs in French. Granted, she might not know what she is saying exactly, but she knows all the words. I've heard that I won't know how much French she knows until I can watch her play with other French kids her age...and I can kinda already see that. She now says "Assieds-toi" (sit down) constantly to Zachary and she says, "attendre" (wait) to everything. The funniest word to me is "Voilà!", and the frequency with which she uses it. The French say this word so, so, so, often for everything- and Lily has picked right up on that. She sounds like a native speaker when she says it! She is counting in French and the other day she asked me to wear the "rouge" sweater (she wasn't being funny, it seemed like it was the first word that popped into her brain). So I'm dumbfounded and jealous and in awe at a child's ability to understand a language.

And even though Lily has made all this progress and we were just getting used to new schedules and routine, I am thrilled to have her home for two weeks. I miss her while she's at her long, long day at school. I wish I was the kind of Mom who had tons of fun, child-centered activities lined up to do with her during the two weeks off, but I don't. Today we went to IKEA for some stuff for the house. As she pushed her little shopping cart around the huge store she said to me, "I'm so happy to be shopping with you Mommy. Aren't you so happy to be shopping with me?" I almost broke down in tears. I love having my little side kick next to me! We didn't have filet of veal for lunch today, I treated her to McDonald's.

Her school and her language learning can wait--she seems to be doing well and I'm proud of how brave and flexible she is about all the change. But right now, it's vacation, and I'm "entitled" to enjoy my kid for a couple of weeks.

Monday

What could possibly endear you to a country, a people, a culture more than the feeling you have in your heart when you receive in the mail your first international, French speeding ticket! I wouldn't know. You'll have to ask Phil that question (WHEW!!!)

Forty five Euro (60 bucks) for going thirteen kmph (7 miles an hour) over the limit. He was caught by one of the many speed cameras posted all along the autoroute (highways). I've heard you can get a ticket mailed to you for going just one to two kmph over the posted limit. Phil said tonight he hopes we don't get more letters streaming in from the French Republic--the return address on the envelope. I guess the trip to Germany just got a little bit more expensive. But cheez-its and diet coke still make it totally worth it.

It's been a true to form case of the Mondays happening here...like not realizing until today while standing in line with all my groceries that my debit card which I use for everything had expired yesterday, then being stuck in parking garage with NO cash, no credit cards and no way to get out (oh yeah, and no ability to explain myself out of it), babysitters falling through, and plumbing problems at our house...the speeding ticket was just the icing on the cake for the day. It's been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day...some days are like that, even in France.