August 30th

It's funny. I find myself telling different things to different people. I don't know if it is because I get bored of saying the same things over and over again, or because I know some parts of this one person will enjoy, while someone else would find that boring. For example, I will tell (for lack of a better description) one of my jock friends about TV here while I will tell one of my Berkeley friends about the museums I visited.

That may not have made sense. It's been a long day. This morning as I was getting ready to leave for Paris on the train I was told that I would be staying until Friday in Cannes with another family in the same house we had been staying at.  I am helping the mom get acclimated to the city and watching her two kids. While I am excited to get to Paris, this way I can move into my room when I arrive and it will give the boys a chance to settle back in before I get there.  This is an American family and being with them for just a day reminded me of how different things are in a French household. Not shocking, but it was funny how quickly I forgot that I could eat pizza with my hands with a cold beer still in the can, instead of a starter, a main course, a cheese dish and a dessert.

One of the greatest things today was the fact that I held my own in a one on one conversation with a Frenchman who didn't speak any English. He was good humored and patient, but regardless I think I got everything over the net and I could understand (for the most part) what he was saying. He and his wife were the housekeepers and I helped them dress the beds for all the rooms.

The Museum Count.

I am going to start writing down the museums I visit and when I visit them. I am at four now and will be writing them in my journal. I will let you know how many I have at the end of the year.

My chin.

I kinda, sorta, maybe, might've split my chin open again.

It's Nice in Nice.

I know, my titles are hilarious. No need to tell me.

I took the train to Nice on my day off (approximately 40 minutes by train) and spent the day walking around the old town and the city. Somehow, on the trainride over, I ended up on the Nightcar and got a whole sleepers car to myself. It was very peaceful and I was able to lay down and watch the Mediterranean pass by. The sun was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds except right at the waters edge so it made it look like a Californian Sunset during this summers' July. The water was so beautiful and no one was there yet. It really was very peaceful.

Once I got there I began walking around old town. It was quite beautiful. A huge street opened up to a water fountain and that lead up to a large courtyard. I wandered around and somehow I came to the panorama of the city. Somehow I always gravitate the the highest point in whichever city I visit. (I did the same last week here in Cannes as I was looking for a quiet place to read.) Anyways at the top there was a Jewish cemetery and to the left a man made waterfall.

Seeing these two things right next to each other made me realize that when I die, I don't want my body in the ground or in a tomb.  Instead I would like to be donated to whatever and I would like a bench in a peaceful area with lots of trees.

Reasons?
1.) Graveyard with above ground tombs are creepy.
2.) It was really hot and the trees afforded nice shade.
3.) Benches are just so quaint and very helpful to the traveler with sore feet.

Anyways, after exploring I began walking back to the train station when I ran into the Modern art Museum of Nice. The art was very good and I realized that I really enjoy modern art. However it wasn't so cool to look down onto the courtyard five stories below and see a guy getting a handjob. I mean, it was funny. Just not modern art.

The Vacuum.

Sorry if this one sounds a little too bloggish. But I feel like I need to justify some of my stupid moments since I have been here.

Not only am I experiencing culture shock... I am experiencing the shock of leaving my family, hearing a new language, being new to Europe and European history/common knowledge, and living on my own. 

That's how I justify the fact that I couldn't figure out how to vacuum up the kitchen while trying to help the housekeeper.  

The Icecream.

It's ridiculously hot here. So I keep eating Ice Cream. They have baby drumsticks at the house which are adorable. I have had Creme Bulee Ice Cream, Minthe Ice Cream, and today I bought Rum Raisin Ice Cream because it had a Bacardi Bottle on top as decoration.

Life's a Show.

You wouldn't think that while I don't miss hamburgers, hotdogs or apple pie, I definitely miss dancing. Now, don't misunderstand. I am allowed to dance, no problem. But I really really want to go to a school dance, or have a living room dance session with kids who are as weird as me (Dayna, Christina or Julie).

This is just one more reason I am looking forward to Paris, so that I won't have a curfew and I can go out with friends. What brought this on?  Last night we finally went out to see some Cannes nightlife. We saw another fireworks display and we took the 00:00 bus home. While I continually saw the groups of kids my age that I wanted to hang out with, I was content with my party, but I definitely look forward to having friends.

We did see nightlife. We saw a dancing crew and a guitarist who pulled in crowds of at least a hundred. We sat on the beach and looked down La Croisette and it looked like a fairground. The hotels were lit up and reflected in the Mediterranean, the kids ran around with their toys they bought from a street vendor, kids practiced breakdancing in the street, and a two story Merry-Go-Round really completed the scene.

While we were listening to the singer, I wanted to dance so badly. An old bum was walking around trying to get people to participate, it was so funny to watch how uncomfortable people became. and it was very enjoyable to eat my creme-bulee flavored glace and watch the show.

Some Pictures.

Emma

I finished Emma and while I can actually say that I predicted it from the beginning (I swear I did I wrote it in my journal back on the plane), I really enjoyed it.

So in the past two weeks I have finished Emma and Candide and am half way through Treasure Island. I think it is time I started watching French TV.

The Laptop.

My built in camera on my brand new laptop is broken. MSI suggests rebooting my whole computer and wiping it clean. I left my external hard drive in Paris, and quite frankly I don't want to loose my music and the pictures I took of Cannes, thank you very much.

The clouds.

Nick Ogasa, Kristen Kehlet and Kaitlyn Goodman. I wish I could show you the clouds. 


Everyone knows that I have an obsession. I think you understand the obsession.

The Man in the Iron Mask

I realize now that if I don't constantly blog then things build up that I want to blog about then it becomes a chore to narrow it down to a sizable readable amount.

Yesterday was lovely though. It was my day off so Olga and I took a faerie over to the Isle de St. Maguerite on which Port Royal is situated, the famous prison that the man in the iron mask was kept for over 20 years before he was moved to the Bastille where he died in 1703. It was very cool being in the same room where he was kept,  L'Homme au Masque de Fer. I wiki-ed it when I got back because I was very intrigued and I want to add The Man in the Iron Mask and the The Three Musketeers to my list of books I want to read. I just finished Candide by Voltaire and I really enjoyed it so I hope The Man In the Iron Mask, is as good. On the tangent: I am half way through Emma by Jane Austen and I started Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson today. (I feel like I have mentioned this before).

While at Fort Royal, I desperately wanted my camera. First to show the few of you how beautiful the view was and the private beach that was allocated to the right of the tower and had a hotel and dock, and second of all, because the water had so many shades of blue and the way it was crashing on the rocks was like something out of a movie. A lot of things have seem unreal. I am ok with that.

On Being an AuPair.

I should probably deticate a new blog to being an aupair for girls who were in my situation: very confused as to finiding a family, getting documents, packing lists, and eventually what to do once you are with that family. These are all concerns I have run into in the past few months and while I had some friends to help me, I would've loved a detailed first hand account.

I will post blogs to address the first three problems I ran into:finding a family, Visas, and packing lists, later, but right now I am addressing the position I am in with my specific working family.

This past weeks, for it has now been one week since I left Orange County, has been up and down as to my level of confidence with the children and my level of comfort with the position. When I first arrived, I was in general shock and awe. The flat I would be working in is beautiful and the kids received me with such warmth, all pulling me to show me their rooms and their toys. Right off the bat I wanted to start helping, but I was recieved more as a guest the first  night. I had dinner with them and when they asked to to somply put away some towels I was lost and confused because I didn't know where anything was. the first few days continued like that. I wanted to help, but wasn't exactly sure how. A couple of nights I have gone to bed feeling completely helpless because of one reason or another. Two would get in a fight, one would say "No!" to me and the mom would have to step in and intervene. In that respect it is very different from babysitting. If they don't like what you do, they will go to a higher authority. (It should be said that the higher authority normally agrees with you, but the whole process of the child asking in the first place makes you feel like you aren't doing your job because the child has ignored you and bugged the mom, which I am sure doesn't matter to her, but to you, it feels awful.)

But on other nights, like tonight, for example, you feel like you are starting to get the hang of it. I am getting used to the boys habits, who likes which foods, and who gets cranky when they are hungry and so on. The past two nights I have read the boys a bedtime story and got them ready for bed, which is quickly becoming routine. It is reassuring to have something solid that I can be sure of helping with. It is also a great feeling when I have done something before their mother gets the chance to, because I know that I am helping and she can feel it too.

That feeling, plus the three course dinner I had tonight, plus the apple I stole for a bedtime snack, plus an e-mail from my lover Kaitlyn and a post from my fiancée Sarah has made me very content.

p.s. It should be noted Kaitlyn is not my lover, nor is Sarah my fiancée, but they might as well be.

The Language Barrier.

Here at the house this week we have the following: a house keeper who speaks Russian and French, a mom who speaks French and English, a friend who speaks German, English and some French, and an au pair who speaks English, a bit of Spanish, and is learning French (that's me).

I am understanding more and more everyday, and often I would like to respond in French to practice, but I know I am supposed to speak only English with the kids. I listened to a French song on my iPod today and I found that I could translate quite a bit of the song. He was singing slowly, but still... progress.

The Beach.

Well, I can't say I miss the ocean yet. I have been swimming in the Mediterrean everyday. I get a few hours to myself every afternoon. Because I don't know how far I can go in that time I keep going to the beach because I know I can get back in 15 minutes by walking. Soon I want to figure out the bus system and go into town. Corrine is taking me to the market tomorrow so hopefully I can see more. But at the beach, you see old women with their tops off, boys wearing speedos, and girls wearing trunks. At the beach I have been listening to my French podcast and reading Voltaire's Candide. I really enjoy it. On the plane I got a third of the way through Jane Austen's Emma and was very excited to keep reading, and only yesterday did I realize I left it on the plane when I fell alseep. Oh well. Maybe one of you will send me a copy. ;)

Cannes you do da can-can?

As much as you hate to admit it... you love my title.

Anyways, it's hard to keep the familia updated when you don't want to spend too much time on the computer repeating yourself. But, as to where I left off... after my brief introduction to Paris, (which waas completely pictureless because I left my little one at home and was afraid to take out my SLR) we left bright and early for Cannes, in which my family owns a house. We have been here two days and I am starting to figure my way around. Family Life that it, not the city. The first day we spent hours in the pool and I ran around trying to keep the three boys together. Each boy has a different agenda and wants you to play with him, and not the other. But we figured out a sort of routine and It has been getting easier. That night we went out to dinner because we had not yet filled the fridge. The boys were veyr hungry, and therefore, very grumpy. But it was amzing to walk past buildings seven stories high built on cobblestone streets and bustling alleyways where restaurant goers watched the people passing and enjoyed wine. Walking down the street (and I mean down, there was a steep incline) we were stopped by a troop of street proformers who did flips and handstands and somersaults and went meters into the air. After, everyone went on their way without so much as an applause, I was just astounded. (But again, no camera) We ate dinner near the harbor at a ncie restaurant Wanting to be conservative I ordered a slice of 4 frommage pizza. But instead I got a whole personal pizza the size of a dominoes large. It was much thinner so I ate about half, but it was still so much food.

After our beautiful dinner we walked down to the harbor to see the fireworks show. Every Saturday for six weeks, Cannes holds a competition for professionals from around the world who put their show on display set to music. It was one of the most beautiful fireworks displays I had seen because it featured my favorite type. It had shower after shower of large gold explosives, some which would drop and some would twirl in the sky after detonation and it was all very nice. It was like Cannes was welcoming me there.

Here We Go

Hello friends and family and those who have lost their way and found this little blogspot. I don't know how to blog so this may be filled with meandering and out of place thoughts. You have been warned.

Two days ago I arrived In Paris, Il-de-France, France, after an ordeal of flight changes, lost baggage rooms, mixed emotions, German beer, Baileys, a sleeping pill, a 55 euro taxi, and two new friends. Long story short, I said goodbye to my home of 18 years and got five hours of sleep. As my very quiet Mercedes taxi took me into the heart of Paris, my excitement grew and grew and grew and grew. I have bragged about it to everyone, the my room is two blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Well after meeting my very charming family of five. Corrine and Victor took me on a walk to see the Eiffel Tower at twilight, and the surrounding area I am going to be walking in the coming year. Is it possible that those pictures we have put together in our heads, from movies and photos and gossip, could be reality? Walking around the 7th Arrondisement was like walking through an old painting. Statues everywhere, the Eiffel Tower light up surrounded by tourists (because it is August, you know they are tourists) people drinking on the streets, sidewalk cafes, and smoking frenchmen.