It's been over a month and that means I only have 9 more months to learn french!

Recent happenings:

1. -This is the fourth and final week that I am to take french courses at Alliance Francaise. It's too expensive for me, and I'm taking much more personal, though less professional courses here in Houilles.
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3. -I went to visit the basilica de Sacré Coeur. The church is on top of this huge hill that over looks most of the city... it was beautiful. While touring that beautiful district called Montmartre, I also came across the Moulin Rouge! I hope to go see a show there one day. This end of Paris is a lot more lively, and full of character, ... one of my favourite parts of Paris so far.
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5. -Original plan: Spend a unusually hot sunday after noon in the Chateau de Versille gardens, play soccer, relax. Changed plan: Spent and hour finding a parking spot, boiled in the sun, decided against seeing the gardens in the blistering heat, I snapped a few pictures, and then we spent the evening at the cousins house who live in the town of Versaille.

Great week once again. Insanely busy week once again.

Museums!

Time for another update!

Two weeks of french class has gone by, and I am really enjoying them! Most of the others in the class are over 30, and falling asleep.. but thats okay, because I get extra help! There is always homework, and Christine is always willing to help me with it, so french has been on my mind a lot lately. After four weeks (which is what I've payed for) I might stop and take up some other classes that Christine has found here in town. The options that the town offers are run by volunteers and are much cheaper. I'm told everyone gets a lot of individual attention, so it sounds very progressive. I will decide once I start these other classes where I want to stay.

I went to see the Eiffel tower not too long after my last update! It was nice.

This past week has been very busy with the starting of all the kids activities, so I haven't had much free time, and today is Philiberts birthday, so there has been party planning, and family visits! This weekend was a weekend where most museums and exhibits are free. It is not prime touristy season, so the free weekend is geared towards the residents of france. The family and I (minus Honorine) went to see the House and Garden of Claude Monet. He's the one who painted those famous water lilies with the bridge. The pond, was probably my favourite part of the yard. There were not many flowers in bloom, with it being fall and all... but it was all still very enjoyable. The museum of his house had everything just as it was when he was living there, and it was filled with replicas of his paintings.

Yesterday, we had Christines brothers family over, along with the Grandparents to celebrate Philibert's birthday. After the cake and some macarons, we went to the town next to us to visit the Carriers sur Seine (tunnels under the Seine), which was also once again very interesting! These were caves that had been mined for the stone. With the stone, they built many popular touristy churches in Paris, like the Sacré Coeur basilica. This place was privately owned, so Christine and I were surprised when we found out that the driveway that we drive by on bike, and where I've ran by, lead to tunnels!

Guess what Honorines first English words are! "Oh my God"... I can explain... the boys asked me what Oh mon Dieu was in English, so I told them. Naturally Honorine, copies everything the boys do. Oh mon Dieu is not used in any negative religious context here in France, even the priests will say this. Nicolas tells me it comes from a "God save" expression, that isn't, and never has been offensive. I explained to them that if the 2 and a half year old Honorine were to walk around Altona yelling OH MY GOD, a large number of people would stop in their tracks.

Nicolas is gone to India for the week on a business trip, and so with Honorine having caught a cold, this could be another busy week. No big deal, Christine and I have this house under control!

Never a dull moment,

Au Revoir

I'll do it eventually...

Week two is here, and it's hard to believe that the real routine has only started yesterday, because I feel like I've beed here for months. I still haven't seen Chateau de Versaille, the Louvre, Notre Damn, and sadly ...the Eiffel tower up close.. I have a good excuse for the last one though! I was going to see it yesterday after my FIRST french class, because there is a stop close to it on the metro that takes me home. It was a solid plan until... I sat by this Middle Eastern 22 year old hairdresser in class. I can't remember her name.. and she doesn't speak english, so we have to manage in French which is great. After class she was on the same train as me and she didn't care that I was on my way to see the Eiffel tower... she wanted me to follow her because she knew a faster way to get to my town. Great. So I sacrificed a trip to the Eiffel tower for some quality bonding time with my new friend. I know... I don't sound enthused. I think it's the fact that she has never gone to see the tower and she has been living in Paris for 3 years that bothers me about her.

French progress! not very much lately :( Which I why I was so excited to start my french classes. We made a deal (the parents and I) about 4 days ago, that once my first class begins, I will only speak french with the parents, and I will speak only english with the kids. Today, we've done okay with communicating in french, but I can tell it will be a challenge to just stick to French.

BBQ with the Neighbours: Great. All are nice. All speak and understand english

Bike ride to Seine river: Great place to sit down and relax with a book. New getaway destination.

The Nanny next door: Is cool. We have play dates at the park with our kids. I can see us being friends.

There are generally no boring moments here which is nice. Opportunities of discovery and for me to challenge my self with the language are not scarce, but less obvious than they were in Katimavik. On Katimavik, I had a whole team of people with similar motives by my side. Here I am by my self. I am just hoping that the lack of boring moments here won't be an excuse for me to go out and do things. ...I'll work on this.

Time for some French Homework,

Taa Taah!