Giverny

June 15th Taylor’s brother Greg & his wife Emily & three of their 6 kids Tom, Eliza & Isabel (the triplets stayed home) finally arrived. We have been looking forward to their arrival since December! They flew into Paris, got their rental car & headed towards Normandy. We had planned to meet them there, but Emily called while we were driving & we realized we were pretty close on the freeway soooo we took a detour to Giverny & met alongside the road! It was quite a sight as the cousins all exchanged hugs & squeals of excitement. Everyone has grown taller and older. We stopped in Giverny and enjoyed a couple of hours touring Monet’s home and gardens. It felt like we were walking right into one of his paintings. The flowers are incredible and the variety breathtaking. Color is in every corner. I especially loved the lily pads and Japanese gardens and bridge. There are huge bamboo plants and it feels like you are in a totally different climate. Every path was picturesque…we took lots of photos, but would have preferred a Monet original instead!

la famille Reed (The Reed family)

Not many folks have the opportunity to move halfway across the world for a foreign experience & have their front door neighbors do the same thing in the same village. Mark & Tifiny Reed along with their children have had their own wonderful adventures in France this year and we have been lucky enough to share in many experiences together as well. We’ve tried many a new bakery, shopped the markets, traveled to Spain, picnicked at the chateau & adventured through the forest of Fontainebleau to name just a few fun times. Monday night (July 1st) they came over for dinner & we laughed at how a year has changed our lives & perspective. Mark said, “I never thought I’d get used to drinking warm soda, but here we are!” The Reed’s returned home on the 9th. It’s nice to know that when we are all feeling a little lonesome for our French days we can step out front and reminisce on our lawns on Browning Avenue. Thanks Reed family for making our year in France so much FUN!

American Independence Day

American Independence Day: There were no parades or fireworks in France on the 4th of July. We did our best to celebrate & remember the USA. I fixed pink sprinkle pancakes with raspberries for breakfast. Clara & Lilly organized a parade and float on the bridge in our house. Our friends from Australia were over so we tried to create a little feel of Americana for them. In the evening we were invited with the Reed’s for dinner at Hal & Suzi Gregorsons home. The kids ran through their beautiful backyard & we all enjoyed watermelon & potato salad for dinner. As much as we love France we also love America. We are looking forward to free & clean toilets, drinking fountains in every building, convenience stores, big parking places, ice, bbq & reuniting with family & friends and all of the other wonderful freedoms & opportunities that the USA offers.

Dernière journée d'école (Last day of school)

July 3rd. Looking forward to summer…la dernière journée d'école brings: the last day of leaving the house by 8am, the last day of walking through the big green school gate, the last day of passing the ASVP street guards, the last day of eating canteen, the last day of CE2, CM2 & 4eme for Clara, Olivia & Spencer, the last time of having a school day in a French classroom, the last day at Leonardo Da Vinci International School & the hardest of all the last time to say “au revoir” to many new and loved friends. Funny how sad we all feel now. The sadness is because we are ending a life changing experience. As everyone was shedding a tear or two because school was over I thought about all of those mornings not so long ago that there were tears because they didn’t want to go to school…it was hard, a new beginning and a real challenge. They overcame the challenge, learned, grew & have realized how satisfying it is to reach a worthwhile goal. We had to have just “one last party” to celebrate. About 20 friends & several parents came to our house after school for a grand fete. It was total chaos, noise and fun. A couple of moms were nice enough to spend an hour filling water balloons for a fight that lasted all of 25 seconds. Afterwards we walked to the park in our village and the kids played. We were completely taken off guard when a gigantic rain storm hit and everyone was soaked to the bone…had we known we wouldn’t have wasted our energy on the water balloons! It was a riot. The kids were thrilled for a natural shower. We had a feast of French dip sandwiches (this is truly American because my French friends have never heard of it!:), salads and fruit. Olivia made a DVD slideshow of the school year. Everyone gathered around the computer to watch. It brought several tears and laughs. So many good memories, so many good times, so many good friends. We feel like the luckiest family in France!

Mon professeur (My teacher)

We are all saying good-byes to our teachers. Mon professeur (& Taylor's too...he was just more advanced than me!), Catherine Couvreur and I became a great friends this year. I took one grammar class and one conversation class every week. All of the women in my class were awesome. We had so much fun and laughed a lot. Catherine said we were the "fun class" of the day...maybe not the most studious of students, but we tried. Considering that before I arrived the only French words I knew were Bonjour and Au revoir I think I have come a long way. I will miss my Monday and Thursday morning buddies, but hope I can continue to learn this beautiful language as we move on. Merci beaucoup Catherine!

Canteen

One of my favorite questions to ask the kids after school is, "what did you eat at canteen today?" I think canteen has been a true culinary cultural experience. It's not your usual "school lunch" formula. First of all the children in France have 2 hours for lunch. They have plenty of time to eat the three course meal that is served every day in the school canteen. All food is served using real plates, cutlery and cups. There are big baskets of baguettes and you can have all the baguette you want with your meal (this is good for those days when the food isn't all that great). The food selection is quite remarkable. For example this year the menu has included: chicken, rabbit, fish, sausage, muscles and liver to name a few. They have had on average 8 different cheeses and a variety of vegetables. While this all sounds amazing for "school lunch" there are plenty of days that it's just not good. One particular meal Olivia has dubbed "slugs served in barf sauce". Desert is limited and usually they are given yogurt or "canteen custard" (no one likes this one!)

The canteen workers take their job seriously. They serve the food and then walk around the tables making sure the kids eat what is on their plates. You can always get seconds, but no one usually wants them unless of course they are having French fries! The girls and their friends have several tactics to make their plates look empty. Everyone is encouraged to take canteen or go home for lunch. If you have food allergies or you just can't tolerate canteen you can try to find a spot in the "lunch box" group, but space is limited. There are no tables or spaces for lunch box and parents have to come and supervise. Personally I've been thrilled to not have to pack lunches this year and I've loved all of our "canteen conversations".
The Canteen building
Serving up lunch

Filling water jugs
This is the best "main dish" served at canteen...chicken and fried potatoes...too bad I didn't go on the day they were having "slugs served in barf sauce"!

The "lunch box" group eating on the playground.

Au revoir CAB

Today was Lilly's last day of school. It wasn't easy for her to say "au revoir" to her teachers and friends. The beginning of the year was difficult. Lilly didn't want to go to school...she couldn't understand anything. About a month into school she came crying to me saying, "I hate school and I hate French. I hate it how girl rhymes with pooh!" ( the word for girl in French is fille - pronounced "fee". She knew it sounded close to a potty word, just couldn't remember which one! As the year has progressed she has made some cute friends & she can now communicate with them. After school we headed to the center of Fontainebleau for ice cream and a few victory rides on the carousel. When we left the school Lilly said, "I'm so sad to leave. The CAB is the best school ever AND I love speaking French!"

Lilly & her teacher Elisabeth
Emille Chappelle, Clara & Lilly on a "victory" ride at the carousel.
Anna, Mathilde, Lilly, Maya - CAB classmates 2008