Catching up over the holidays

The holidays have given me the motivation to return from my blog hiatus. I can't believe it's been so long since I've written here. November and December went by so fast. It seems halloween was just yesterday. I've been pretty busy every weekend, and the weeks in between have been equally enjoyable I suppose.

Highlights of November and December:

* Trip to Zurich - stayed with friends we met at Oktoberfest. Gorgeous weather and hiking above the city. Enjoyed better nightlife than Geneva has to offer.

* Thanksgiving at Brittany's house - She live just around the lake in Anieres, Switz. My group of friends and I termed the name "Instant Connection" for ourselves. I know, it's cheesy....but it stuck, and we continued to reference it (and incorporate it into Xmas gifts...) ever since Thanksgiving.

* First ski of the season. Chelsea, Rachel, Annie, and I went to Chamonix and stayed in a Chalet of an au pair friend. We ended up getting a really good deal on lift tickets because 2 guys, walking off the slopes, offered us their day passes as we arrive, so we only paid 12euros each for the day. We tried "vin chaud" during our lunch break. Couldn't get better than drinking hot, spiced wine at the base of Mont Blanc.

* Improvement of my French. At the end of November, I had to do a 15 minute presentation for my French class all in French. We could choose any cultural topic, so mine was basically about aspects of French life which are more refined/detail oriented than in North America. It centered on French food and it's influence in the US - complete with references to Julia Child, and a homemade chocolate tart :)

* At some point during November, my friends and I also developed an obsession for two things - The Crazy Canadians (a classic rock cover band who played every Wed and Thurs night in Geneva...we saw almost every performance in Nov/Dec) and the show Dexter (we had several Dexter marathons at Rachel's apartment)

* Amsterdam. I planned a solo trip to visit Anne Remmert, a Dutch friend I met while studying abroad in Australia in 2007. It was the first time we'd seen each other since then, and it was great to remember our crazy times down under. It was bitter-cold and snowy, so we didn't do as much sight seeing as I would have liked, but we did have a canal tour and I tried as much Dutch food as I could (I was so curious about what Dutch food was).

* Birthday. I had a nice birthday dinner with my host family one night, and went out with my friends for Thai food and then to see the Crazy Canadians. My friends surprised me by getting the band to play a jazzed up Happy Birthday to me and bring out a cake....it was pretty special :)

* Montreux. One Saturday, Chelsea, Rachel and I took a train to the other side of Lake Lehman to the famous Montreux Christmas market. It was another gorgeous, sunny (but cold) weekend. Although the general theme of the Christmas market seemed to be tropical (we saw plenty of jungle animal topiaries and palm trees lining the lake), we got to experience the spirit of Swiss Christmas season with all of the hand crafted goods booths and traditional delicious food (sausages, vin chaud, churros).

* Christmas Party/La Rousse - Rachel's host parents had their annual Christmas party. We all planned to dress in Christmas colors, and showed up in different variations of red tops, black bottoms - and got comments on it all night long from the non-festively dressed Swiss guests. The following morning, Rachel, Chels and I took a short drive just over the mountain to a smaller ski resort for a nice day of skiing/boarding. We packed our lunches, and really felt pretty awesome about life - with affordable slopes 25 mins away, we could do this every weekend.

That pretty much brings me up to Christmas weekend. I've just about been on vacation for the last week because Arthur stayed at his grandmother's for the week since he had off school, so I just had to care for Victoire - who is a doll. I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day with Brittany and her family. As bad as it sounds, it was more of a vacation for me to spend it with my friend and her immediate family than traveling with my family to be in a household of 18 French speakers for the long weekend. Brittany has a really nice set up in her house, so we could seclude ourselves when we wanted. We had a very Swiss Christmas dinner and opened presents on Christmas Eve. We got to sleep in on Christmas morning, made pancakes and scrambled eggs for the family, and watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's." We lounged around in our PJs for most of the day, and got to meet each other families on Skype and witness their Christmas mornings. I didn't get to do this last year, and had a much lonelier Christmas. It really made it feel like I was sitting right in my family room, doing the normal Christmas morning routine with my family....and there's a crazy picture to prove it.

Currently, I'm thinking about what to pack for the long-awaited Paris/London New Years Trip. Although there was a little bump in the road last week (our free place to stay, suddenly became unavailable due to plumbing issues, and we were scrambling to find somewhere for 4 girls to spend 4 nights in Paris, the week between Xmas and NYE without breaking the bank.....not fun), we found an apartment style hotel on the outskirts of the city. We won't be as central as before, but it will have a kitchenette, so we can save money by preparing our own French cuisine. The weather forecast is sunny every day for the week. We plan to get as close to the Eiffel Tower for the midnight fireworks on NYE. I know it will be completely different from when I visited when I was 11, and I want to find Hotel Novonox, the hotel my grandmother and I stayed at near Luxembourg Gardens. I'm particularly excited for London - we are going to take the "Chunnel" from Paris, have a great hostel, walking distance from everything, and are going to see the show Wicked. It will also be first time in 4 months that I've been in a native English speaking country - yahooo!!

I am amazed how fast 4 months has passed. I can't really compare it to Taiwan, but the time seems to be going faster - probably because I'm traveling and enjoy my job a lot more. Having met some amazing friends doesn't hurt either. After this Paris/London trip, I'm really not going to plan anymore trips until Spring. This will probably be the biggest one, and I want to have the funds to take warm weather trips in the Spring and Summer. I can't promise that I'll have a post right after my trip, but there shall be many pictures on Facebook.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Hope to be hearing from you in the New Year :)

Zermatt

Well, I'm sorry if anyone has been fervently checking my blog this month. It's nearly the end of October and I've only made one post. Sorry. Soooo to sum up my recent travels, I'm going to try to abriviate the usual narrative.

Nyon station meeting point 8am. Chelsie's alarm failed - result - met bus halfway via scooter still in pjs. literally. not packed for mountain weather either! Train to Zermatt. Hostel room view of the Matterhorn. Picnic lunch. Souvenir shopping in town. Hour hike to Zmutt for apple strudle. Photoshoots. Being rebels who climb straight up the mountain side. Conquering pride rock (and snakes). Rooftops. Coop stop. Hearty hostel dinner. Uno. Pub crawl. Ally's birthday. Blue shirted bar tender. Underground club amazingness. Dirty dancing with the Matterhorn. Traditional German breakfast. Train to the top. Met Lebanon and Mechanicsburg ladies in tour group. St. Bernard "Buscuit." Snowball fight. Picnic lunch and nap in front of the Matterhorn. Steep downhill 4 hour hike. Zombie Au Pairs. Entertained by Swedish conversations on the bus ride home.

Our Oktoberfest video

This is as close as you'll get to experiencing our version of Oktoberfest, it's insanely accurate to how the weekend went (except it leaves out the nights at the campground, which were half the fun)....videos and images compiled by the group, imovie made by the lovely Chelsie :)

Oktoberfest!

On Thursday night (9/23) I departed from Geneva to Zurich along with Rachel, Emma, Brittany, and Chelsie. The tone of the weekend was definitely set when we met up on the train with Rachel mentioning, "Oh you guys brought shower stuff? I didn't even bring a brush." We were in for a silly, roughing it, drunken, crazy-fun weekend...

When we arrived in Zurich, R, B and I left C and E as we walked to the Hotel Foyinger. We planned to meet up with them in the morning for our 9:16 train to Munich...assuming they survived their night of sleeping in the park. The 3 of us made it up to our "women's dormitory" of the hotel - hostel style. The beds were paired off in compartments of 2, separated from the others only by a curtain, but we did have a nice rooftop view of the city, and got probably the only somewhat decent sleep of the next 3 days. We enjoyed a fully stocked Swiss-German breakfast at our hotel. "Complimentary" breakfasts are always a perk, especially one that's more than just toast and tea.

After taking a tram to the train station, we found E and C at our meeting spot with some stories of their previous night in the park. They constructed a "house" (not using their tent) under a bush where, they say, they were completely hidden...funny pictures. They were just conditioning themselves for the ensuing camp grounds in Munich.

The train was clearly headed to Oktoberfest. It was the rowdiest train I've ever been on, with what seemed like private parties in every compartment. Since the 5 of us purchased our tickets individually, we expected our seats would be assigned in different cars. Oddly enough, Rachel and I ended up being diagonally across the aisle from one another! Out of the 72 seats in each car (and there were probably about 12 cars)...what are the chances of that?! We were the tamest travelers in our car, plugging in our ipods to block out the rowdy German men and obnoxious American business travelers.

I was extra excited when we disembarked at the Munich train station - not only were we about to go to Oktoberfest, but I was reliving a little bit of the past. In May 2007, I visited my college friend Colleen who was studying abroad for the semester in Germany. We traveled, with 3 other girls (so 5 total) to Munich and, not surprisingly, the train station was exactly the same - same food stalls and all. My first order of business was marching up to the stand with butter pretzels ("bretzels") and ordering one in memory of my first trip to that station. Neither my friends, nor I realized how affordable Germany is. 1.35euro for the butter pretzel - would have cost 7 or 8 chf (about 7-8 USD). This was the trend for the beer and food in Germany - it was nice, because some of us actually came home with some change in our pockets. Isn't it terrible how accustomed we've already become to paying obscene amounts of money in Geneva for perishable goods?

We took a subway train to a bus stop which took us to Campenplatz - our camp site. It was clearly a choice accommodation for other young travelers. Most people were from Australia (the camp ground is actually run by Australians), America, Belgium, and Germany. I met more Americans at our camp site that I have since I arrived at the end of August. Great rates at this place - you could rent tents, but we brought our own (2 for the 5 of us) and paid 20 euros each for the weekend. We donned the matching Oktoberfest tshirts we made earlier that week and proceeded to the bus stop and on to the festival. It was simple to get there - just follow the crowd. For a general, but accurate description of the festival, I'm going to quote my Great Aunt Donna, who was also there during the same days as my friends and I (we had no way of getting in touch, so I never saw her there). It's pretty cool that we were in the same place, celebrating our German heritage at the same time though. This is from an email that she sent to the family summarizing part of her and her husband's current travels (They are currently on a cruise down the Danube to Budapest):

"The first thing that we did was to rest for a couple of hours. Then I shopped for a dirndl. The train station was across the street and many girls in dirndls and men in lederhosen filled the area as they were on their way to the Oktoberfest. We followed them. The Park had many amusement rides, booths for games and such. Each brewery had its Bier Halle and Biergarten. A team of horses stood outside each. Inside A Halle, a band was erected in the center with hundreds picnic type tables surrounding it. Ceilings were decorated with strips of material and greenery, and there were murals on the side walls. Thousands of people were drinking beer, eating, singing, and having a good time. The beer came in 2 liter mugs, and the waitresses would carry 6-8 at a time. We went into the Hof Brau Halle and ordered Wienerschnitzel and potato salad dinner. It amused us to her the German band play Country Road and Sweet Caroline, and the crowd singing it with gusto. We had come to hear German songs, and they were singing American. At the table next to us, a girl, who was selling breathalyzer testers, tested the men sitting there. One registered 2.82, and it was 5 p.m!"

On Friday, we didn't go in to any bier tents because they were too crowded, and we didn't get into the festival until about 4 p.m. Instead we scouted out the tents for Saturday, indulged in bratwurst, steak sandwiches, and chocolate covered fruit on a stick. We got extra excited about the amusement park rides - they weren't your average carnival rides, let's just put it that way. We rode the Cyberspace (see pictures on FB). It lifts you up above the city, swings you down, and spins you around. Crazy, lots a screaming coming from my mouth - and so much fun, I had some kind of adrenaline high for about the next half hour. Soon after we finished the ride, storm clouds rolled in. It began to pour as the temperature dropped. Chelsie and Rachel picked us up by the bootstraps and lead us through the festival in the pouring rain, with no umbrellas or rain gear - they weren't about to let rain spoil our first night at Oktoberfest....We had sing alongs as we strolled in the rain and random people (probably drunk) would come up and give us hugs and sing with us...good job Canadian girls! We decided to head back to the camp and party there. Everyone else had the same idea apparently because the subway was madness - it was just nice to be in an enclosed, dry area for a little while.

Back at the campgrounds there was a party going on at the bar. There was even a dance floor under some tents and a DJ. We bought 2.50euro .5litre beers at the convenience store at the camp. The beer was really good - I guess I've acquired a taste for it after this weekend! We decided to mingle before dancing and ended up meeting some guys who claimed to have been younger than they appeared and from Iceland. They later revealed that they come up with a story every year that they come to Oktoberfest. They were actually from Belgium and ranged in age from 20-24. One is a restaurant manager, 2 are engineers, 1 is a translator, and 1 is a politician. It was hard to picture these boys as having serious jobs after having met them this weekend. They had to be back at work on Monday morning just like us. The 5 of us girls danced and socialized all night with the Belgian boys. The only negative result was the loss of Rachel’s camera at some point during the night....but it didn't discourage us from making plans to go into Oktoberfest with them the next day. We had planned to meet at 7:45 in order to catch the 8:05 bus, but they never showed.
So we entered the festival (this time with umbrellas and multiple layers) in the rain and cold. We went to whichever beer hall looked the least crowded. They all had mobs lined up outside waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. Being amongst so many people actually wasn't so bad because it generated body heat, and everyone's umbrella's formed a make-shift tent. The excitement built little by little. Every time the front row of people were allowed to enter the hall, the crowd pushed forward, ready to bust out of the security tape detaining the chosen 30, or so, people who were let in at a time. We got our turn at about 9:20.

We got inside and tried to choose a table depending on the location and who (guys) were near it. We wanted to be entertained and able to meet people. We ended up at a table that didn’t seem too promising at first, but then some Brazilian guys asked if they could sit with us. From then, we were pretty happy with the people who surrounded and stood on our table with us! It’s pretty much impossible to be antisocial and not make friends at Oktoberfest. The women came around right away with giant pretzels and cheese bread. We weren’t all keen to start drinking the minute we sat down, but the women vendors asked us when we planned on drinking – guess they thought we were pretty weak haha. I guess 9:30a.m. is late to begin drinking, but it’s the earliest (after having a night’s sleep) that I’ve ever started drinking.

We had partied the night before and right around noon, I started to get a headache. It had to be ignored though. You couldn’t leave he table unless you didn’t mind losing your seat. Even if someone you trusted tried to save it, there was no telling what kind of drunk would make his or her way over to your spot via table tops. The band played “Ein Prosit” and everyone sang/chanted along. This song was played probably 4 or 5 times an hour – and it was the rule, you had to probst and drink when they played it. Another popular song was “Hey, Hey baby (oh ah) I wanna know will you be my girl.” Someone would start cheering and clapping and it would just catch on until the entire beer hall was clapping and chanting together.

The menu at Stand Paulaner (the beer hall we went to) was chock full of traditional German fare. Our table decided to order a bunch of dishes and share (Asia style!). We had sausage, a pasta/cheese dish, French fries, soup, and salad. It was a good option since we weren’t really hungry, nor had we moved much since (aside from standing/dancing on our benches and table) the giant pretzels consumed just a few hours earlier. We had to leave at 4:30 when the table reservations went into effect. 6.5 hours was long enough for me…it was intensely fun.

We decided it would be a good idea to go back to the Cyberspace ride and do it again – this time slightly betrunken…We also did the POWER TOWER which springs you up to the top, high above the city and then leaves you up there for an unknown amount of time (long enough to look around at the city). When you’re dropped your stomach ascends to your throat….awesome. We discovered more wonderful Oktoberfest food – apple strudel, more sausages, coffee drinks, and candied nuts.

Once back at the camp sight, Brittany and I showered while the others napped. It had to be in the 30s (degrees Fahrenheit), plus it was sprinkling on and off. I concluded that I would be better off warming up in a hot shower than attempting to nap in our cold tent.

Some of the girls just napped through the night, but Rachel, Emma, and I wanted to go to the bar and make the most of our last night. We met a nice guy from Holland, Josh, and a fatherly-type man from there as well. The older one also lived in Belgium, so was able to communicate with the Belgian guys – he helped us out a little, but generally said they were “Nice Brussel’s boys.” It was a calmer evening. We taught the Europeans how to play the card game, “Fuck the Dealer.” An American girl sitting at our table taught us how to play Turrets, but it was a little unfair to the Europeans bc you need a solid grasp on English vocabulary.

On Sunday morning we packed up our tents and headed to downtown (or at least the touristy downtown) part of Munich. I’d been there before so the whole day felt like a recreation of my first trip, 3.5 years ago. I traveled there with some college girlfriends, and we saw many of the same buildings that I passed this weekend. Our first priority upon exiting the subway was to find a cozy café in which to enjoy a coffee and breakfast. The first one we stumbled upon was McDonalds, so we indulged in a taste of home and relaxed in a booth there for an hour or two (despite having to pay a euro to use their bathrooms!). Walking through a park, we met two American girls who directed us to a Sunday food market with lots of free samples. It was a laid back day, we were in no rush to see any particular building since the previous 2 days wiped us out. Luckily the sun came out and made for a most pleasant day final day in Munich.

We thought, on the train ride home, that we’d be able to sleep since we weren’t sitting near each other, and there was no presence of a party atmosphere on the return journey. I ended up sitting with guys who had reserved 3 extra seats, so Rachel and Brittany, who were in the same car, came over and joined us. We talked and exchanged stories the entire 4 hours. It really made the last leg go by, and the guys were very interesting and funny. You really make fast friends when you have that much uninterrupted time to share.

Overall, the best part about this trip was the fun had by 5 great friends. I think we are a great travel clan. We all clicked so well, and there was never a moment of tension. Everyone had a “place” in the group and it was the perfect combination to spawn comic conversations and jokes. I think this weekend brought us closer and taught us a little more about one another, though it seems like we’ve known each other for years. I think I can vouch that we all enjoyed meeting other travelers at Oktoberfest and at our campsite. We were able to laugh along the way, with our European friends, and after leaving them. Fond memories with great friends will always be associated with my first “big” weekend trip in Europe – at Oktoberfest!

Places I want to visit in Europe this year

On the train ride home from Oktoberfest, we sat with some interesting guys. 3 of the 4 of them were from the US, but one of them only lived there (in Mass) when he was a kid. He moved to Germany and then lived in England for a while, so his accent was really different. Just like his accent, it was hard to pin him to a specific culture or country. He now lives in Zurich with his flatmate who is originally from Italy. There was also a young guy from LA, Calif who was studying abroad, working on his French/German undergrad degree, in Switzerland. The 4th guy was a childhood friend of the one who grew up in Mass, and he still lives in the US (in upstate New York) and he seemed very American. All of them had had somewhat different backgrounds, but between them and the girls, we all had similar opinions of European cities that we've visited or hope to some day.

The conversations actually gave me the impulse to jot down a list of all the places we were discussing. I sort of made a mental note of the time of year in which each one would be appropriate to visit. I know how to budget travel, and I should have enough money saved (if I keep my spending habbits in Geneva under control) to make it to all of these places this year, especially if I plan in advance. Example - airfare, purchase 2 months in advance can be way cheaper and faster than taking trains. I've already met people who have offered to let me and my friends stay with them (in Holland, Belgium, Italy, and Germany!). I also have friends I've met in Australia and Taiwan who live in Europe that I'd like to see. One of the other American's who studied/lived with me in Sydney, Vicky is taking off 2 weeks for a Europe trip in March, and we are going to try to meet up with other Sydney friends who live in Holland (Anne and Evelyn) and Norway (Peter) somewhere, if not their home countries.

Fall/Winter
~ Prague
~ Amsterdam
~ Belgium - Probably going here in November
~ Italy - I'm going to Florence in 2 weeks - gonna hook up with Shawna Gordon who is taking a TEFL course there! :o) and my friends and I are thinking about going to Milan in January for the 2010 fashion sales.
~ Budapest
~ Paris/London - going to Paris for New Years Eve, followed by London to see "Wicked" :)
~ Skiing whenever and wherever possible - my host family's aunt has a chalet in Austria, so hopefully I'll get to go there with them, and a lot of my friends here ski or snowboard so that will be a hot weekend activity for us I'm sure....I was going to look into renting equipment for the season (I've heard it's only about 200euros), but then I remembered Flo (my host mom) and I have the same sized feet, and I've seen skis in their garage....

Spring/Summer
~ Stolkholm/Coppenhagen/Finland/Denmark
~ Greek Isles
~ Barcelona
~ Interlaken (there's a Link skydiving/bungee jumping/paragliding trip here in May that I'm going to)
~ Berlin
~ Vienna
~ Ireland

This coming weekend, I'm going on a Link trip to Zermatt, Switzerland to see the Matterhorn. I have a feeling it will be similar to hiking in the French Alpes when I visited Mont Blanc, but this will be with a bunch of friends that I've met since that time. We'll be staying over in a hostel, and guided by fearless leaders Becky and Paul.

Any other suggestions? Is anyone thinking about coming to visit during any month and would want to go to any of these places? Where do you think I should go for my birthday at the beginning of December? Originally, I was thinking Italy, but now that I'm going there in 2 weeks, and maybe in January, my choices are Prague, Amsterdam, or Budapest. Help me decide please!

Regular life

every weekday i either see, hear, or experience in some way -
apartment/town cats - at the Nanny's apartment building there are tons of cats that live in and outside, taken care of by a few people in the building i suppose (the building smells like a vet office inside)
lots of bicylers - helmetless(sport and leisure)
couples making out on street corners of Saleve
Mont Blanc
paragliders over Saleve
cows, lambs, horse, goats
French Radio - a good mix of European, French, and American
at least 3 tunnels
stalling out in traffic or while yielding to other traffic on a narrow incline road
window boxes and flowers or neatly trimmed hedges outside most buildings
unexpected people coming to the house who don't speak English like delivery men, or maintainance people - today, it was the window boy - and i probably looked crazy because while he was here I was serching for the key to the front door which i misplaced after letting him in
boulangerie & charcuterie
airplanes taking off and landing
lake geneva
cafes, florists, pharmacies, grocery stores...pedestrians
trams/buses
students from all over the world
geneva world trade center
hitch hikers
diapers, formula - pretty much any baby product or contraption
clothing, feeding, bathing, and (trying) to put children to bed

Santé

It hasn't even been two weeks, and I feel like I've already done and learned so much...even from just a week ago. Some oddities of France (or at least from the experience I've had in the house)
-There is a lot of food in the house. Flo has at least 3 of everything she buys at the grocery store.
-The door handles and faucet handles are never round knobs, they stick out sideways
-Toilets aren't in the "bathrooms," or even attached to them.
-The way the house is run is very systematic....there's a rhyme and reason for everything - especially the laundry and dishwasher routine. Since electricity is 50% off after 11, we have to set the machines in advance so they only run while we sleep....I do not come from a tech-savvy family, so there's a learning curve for me.
-Most of you probably know that in Europe, stores close early (5pm-7pm). On Sunday's the only thing open is the grocery store until 12:30pm.

My general schedule Monday-Friday is:
Wake up at 6:45, get myself dressed (no hair or makeup)
Bring Arthur out of his parent's bed (he goes in their room when his alarm goes off at 6:45), and dress him - he's pretty cranky in the morning (or anytime he wakes up from a nap) and loves to tell me "Je suis fatige!!!" :-?
Wake up Victoire… change, and clothe her
Bring Victoire downstairs and put her in her seat, prepare her bottle (she can feed it to herself)
Make breakfast for Arthur and myself while Flo and Yves are getting ready, they come down around 7:15 for their breakfast.
Arthur and Flo leave at 7:30 for school and work.
Victoire and I leave anytime between 7:45 and 8:15. Yves leaves for work sometime shortly after us on his motorcycle. I drive Victoire to her Nanny's apartment in Saleve (about 15 minute drive). I have to ring in and say, "C'est Jenna et Victoire." Her name is Guida, she's Portuguese but speaks French and a little English. She loooooooves Victoire. Victoire is a really good baby. She’s easier, for me, than Arthur….probably because she can’t talk.

So from about 9am-3:30pm, I am "off" as are the hours of most au pairs. Meaning, I have the day to myself. I will start French classes later, and now have a membership to Vitmin Parc (which I'll talk about later), so I'm sure some studying and exercise would be a good use of my time, but this week, I was exhausted just from all of the French immersion and schedule, and assimilating in general, not to mention learning to drive, making friends, and figuring out my place here.

On Mondays and Fridays Edwarda (the housekeeper) comes to clean the whole house and iron. She's also Portuguese, and speaks NO English....but she's very nice. It's a little strange being in the house with her cleaning though. When I think I’m a lone, I don’t like someone else around, not knowing what time to expect her arrival or departure. I've never had a housekeeper. When she's around she can help with Arthur though because her French is better than mine. He gets frustrated and is tired by the end of the day when I pick him up from a day at school where his teachers only speak English (he’s in an English immersion preschool)....so I'm sure the last thing he wants to do is listen to me tell him what to do at home in English. I've been able to talk to him in French, but I'm sure it's a lot slower and not the same phrases and tone of voice his parents use to discipline him. I’ve heard them…when he does something bad, they speak very quickly to him….so usually I can’t even understand. For me, he speaks very slurred French, with a lot of spitting involved, so it's harder to understand him than an adult, unless he just says nouns….but I have to ask him direct questions to communicate. He's not even 4 yet, so it's hard for him to slow down his speech/train of thought. When I ask Flo and Yves what he says, I know the words when they repeat what he says, so my ear is going to need to be trained for "kid French."

Picking up Arthur from College Du Lemain (CDL) http://www.cdl.ch/default.asp?bhcp=1 is quite an event. When I drive onto the campus in Versoix, I feel like I'm driving and walking amongst the elitists of the world. It is an extremely wealthy school, and there are kids of all ages and nationalities waiting for their parents to roll up in their Mercedes and Audis. The worst part is waiting in the line of traffic on a hill, driving a stick shift. I need to start using the E-brake when I go into first gear so I don't roll back into one of the 6 figure vehicles I see in my rear-view mirror. When I'm walking to Arthur's school, I always wonder if people who see me think I'm a mother or a student. Everyone there should be able to speak English, but I hear passing conversations in many languages. Arthur doesn't like to leave what he's doing, so it's hard to get him off the playground, and to the parking lot. He falls asleep after 5 minutes of driving though, as we leave Geneva and cross the border, so at least I can relax and listen to the radio during the drive (Virgin Radio, Yes FM, LaRadio, Nostalgic are my favs). We go right to France to pick up Victoire. I just let Arthur sleep in the car while I get Victoire. Guida tells me when the last time she ate was, and if she needs me to bring anything for Victoire next time (like a change of clothes or any baby supplies like formula or diaper cream). If it's nice outsie, and they're both in a good mood after their car naps, we go to the playground by the house. Otherwise we just play inside, I give them their baths, and put Victoire to bed at 7pm. I make Arthur dinner, and usually I'm hungry for dinner by then so I have a little of what he's having. At the earliest, Yves comes home at 7:30 (earlier if he knows I need to be somewhere that night). Arthur isn't good at going to sleep until one of his parents gets home.

On Monday, I met Flo at Vitmin Parc for a free Body Jam class....”try it and buy it” kind of thing. Later in the week, when Flo had off, we took the kids to Vitmin Parc and got a family membership, so I can use it and take Arthur their on Wednesdays (when he only has school in the morning). Body Jam was soooooo much fun, and a great way to end my first day. Flo met me there right from work. Even though the instructor was speaking French, I was able to follow everything she did up on stage. She was very energetic, leading the class with her hair down (which surprised me) and made the whole atmosphere loads of fun. Great music too. The fitness gear is much cuter here. Most women wear tight black spandex pants, and I don’t think sports bras are as popular here haha…not too many tshirts and soccer shorts either. There were probably 50 people (mostly females) outside in front of the shopping center learning the hip hop routine. Flo really likes the cheesecake and brioche from McDonald's, so she thought we "earned" it after the class. She brought some home and we had cheesecake after dinner with Yves and brioche the next morning for breakfast.

Every time I've gone somewhere new, I use the GPS. Of course, it's in French, but so far, when it actually detects a satellite signal, it's been helpful. One night last week, I met some of my friends in Geneva for Hooka, the Middle Eastern flavored smoking contraptions. My GPS was not so trusty getting me home from that though, reading “position en cours 0%” …. so when it doesn't pick up a satellite, I get verrrrry frustrated because I just have to keep driving (on unknown roads in Geneva) until it works! I did have a map with me, but it's too hard to use in the dark (and it happened to be raining that night), while driving a stick shift, and still be aware of the circles and crazy roads and drivers. Once I get out of the downtown, I can follow signs to the highway, and France and get myself home now, but for the first few days, I DID get lost!

One day between dropping off Victoire and picking up Arthur at 3:30, I met up with Natalia, a very experienced au pair who's been in Geneva for 2.5 years. She showed me around the old town and "Rive" for shopping and a little of the banking district. We met near an area with a flea market, which is nothing like the old "Silver Spring Flea Market"....it is more so true in Geneva that "one [Swiss] man's junk is another [American] man's treasure" http://www.geneva.info/shopping/ I took lots of pictures, and definitely want to go back to explore more thorough and actually do some shopping. She took me to a tpg office, where we took a number and waited for about a half hour, with aims of getting me my discount Swiss travel card (for those under age 25…phew, just made it). Sadly, after waiting we were told that they do not issue the cards there, and I had paid for the wrong size ID photos – frustrating….I was starting to feel the annoyances found in Australia of queuing and waiting and bureaucracy BS. We took a chance guessing at the photo size, but we wouldn’t have had time to wait with our number, just to ask the question, and draw another number after I had the picture taken.

Thursday was a Geneva holiday (founding of the city day I think), so Flo was home. We slept in and had pancakes...it felt like a weekend. Our plan was to go register the family at Vitmin Parc (http://www.vitamparc.com/). This is a complex that houses a gym, largest climbing wall in Europe, water park, indoor/outdoor heated pools, spa, shops, restaurants, and Migros grocery store, all owned by Migros. Migros is a company that owns a lot of different types of businesses in France and Switzerland (kind of like Virgin or LG) including cell phone companies, gas stations, grocery stores, fitness centers, furniture stores, garden centers, hotels, golf courses, language schools, book stores, travel companies, and even railways. There was a long wait to sign up for membership because there was a special promotion running. The kids did not like waiting, and Victoire is heavy, so we sat in some chairs off to the side, while Flo waited. I even took the stroller up and walked the kids around the mall area. We were given a tour of the fitness facilities and pool. Whoever comes to visit - we MUST go here - it's really impressive and fun...especially the "aqua gyme" (waterpark). We got our pictures taken for our membership cards - which of course are horrible since we weren't wearing makeup. After the locker room "fun" we were in the aqua gyme where I played and followed Arthur around to the different areas, pools (indoor and out), and slides. If anyone asked, we said, "Tu as six ans".... There were pretty many English speakers visiting, but I didn't go out on any limbs to let people know I wasn't French haha. This holiday was a very special day for the kids (and me!) because Flo took us to the drive through McDonalds, and we brought it home at around 3:30, starved from playing at the pool. Victoire was sooooo fussy from missing her nap. Flo sent the kids upstairs (Victoire to bed) and we watched "Twilight" which neither of us had seen and split a McDonald's chocolate chip cookie and had tea. It was nice to relax, because Flo's "day off" was actually more tiring than a normal day, for both of us! I only got to see an hour of the movie though because I had to go to Nyon for the Link meeting, but was first stopping by Natalia's apartment in Geneva. She offered to drive since I've never driven there, and since it was a holiday, there was free parking near her apartment.

After the meeting, some of us went out to Fisherman (aka "Fish") in Nyon….I did NOT want to get up at 6:45 the next morning, and after dropping off Victoire, came home and took a 2 hour nap. That day, I also finally got my Voie-sept/demi-tarrif (half off transportation in Geneva, and Free trains in Geneva after 7pm) at the airport train station on my way to pick up Arthur. Flo said she wanted to try the Waaf class at Vitmin Parc, so Yves was home by 7:20. The class was at 7:30, so I was a little late, but it was okay. Again, of course, all in French, but I was fine. I had never seen or heard of a Waff class. I'm not sure if we have them in the US, but here's what it looks like:

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=UWhGPJLrplY&feature=related

I wasn't as sore today as I expected....but I do feel it in my abs, back, and legs. I'm looking at the schedule of classes to see what I will be able to take once I start French in Annecy (about half hour away), and have Victoire to babysit on Wednesdays. It will be interesting trying to take both of them to the aqua gym by myself. I think Flo and I will do Body Jam on Monday nights. Tuesday and Friday, I would have to just do my own thing in the morning since I'll have my class in the afernoons. I would do Body Balance on Wednesday nights…maybe I’ll need the serenity of this class after a full day with the kids. Thursday, I hope to take the RPM class at 12:30, especially since the trainer said it's not too busy at that time. I got into this class on a pretty regular basis, with my friends in Australia, at Macquarie Fitness. Ha - who knows if I'll actually stick to this plan...but it should be doable for me.

Finally, “Sante” - my inspiration for this blog was what my friends and I said all day at the wine festival in Fechy. More about that in my Facbook album. All I can say is that every day I think that I've seen the most beautiful places, and then the next day surprises me. Fechy was really one of the best days ever. Could it get any better than sunshine, local wine, vineyards, friends, and cheese in the Swiss Alpes?

Saturday fun

Fun at home and away - This morning it was just Flo and the kids and I. This was the first time I got to be alone with just them in the morning, and it was a different and more motherly atmosphere haha. Yves was helping a friend move to a new place. Last night I met Brittany, another au pair whom I've been in touch with since June. She's from Oxford, PA, but last night was our first in person meeting! This was also the first time since arriving that I would get to spend time with other foreigners and au pairs....a much needed social break. We went to Nyon, which is near where she lives, also along Lac Lehman (Lake Geneva), a little past Varsoix (where Arthur goes to school). It is such a quaint old area with narrow roads sprinkled with bars and cafes. There were still people sitting outside eating at 10, and I hadn't had dinner, so I asked her where I could get something. The nearby choices were McDonalds or a Kebab shop. I was so excited when she said Kebab shop because I've only ever had them while abroad (Germany, Australia, Taiwan, and Korea), and in my mind, a clear mark of international nightlife. We met everyone at "Fish" which is an indoor/outdoor, primarily English-speaking pub...mostly expats there (I want to use the term "Westerner" meaning expats in Asia, but here we are Western). Brittany introduced me to her friends who we met there, and before we even went inside, they took me to "the best gelati place in Geneve" around the corner. It was so nice to talk and meet the other girls. 1 had been here for almost a year, 2 for about 4 months, and 1 for just a month....they were all from either Canada or the US.

I certainly didn't feel like the only newbie after this afternoon however. We went to a picnic in Port Du Crans with at least 35 other au pairs, representing 13 different countries. I'd guess 30% from the US/Canada, 30% from Sweden, 20% from Germany, and other countries of au pairs I met were Australia, Finland, Italy, UK, Belgium, Brazil, Romania, Iceland, and the Netherlands. I didn't have a chance to make the rounds to talk to everyone, but the leader of the group, Paul said there were about 13 countries. Paul and Becky are the organizers of Link Au Pair ("Link"). They're a middle aged couple from Chicago who live in Geneva (I assume this isn't their primary job), but they organize trips for any au pair who knows about the group. Link has meetings twice monthly and also a bible study group on Monday nights. The girls I first met, Brittany, Chelsie, and Jen go to a Christian English church service at 5pm on Sundays. They said it's a popular Non-Denominational church where a lot of expats attend. I think I'll try to go to church eventually, once things settle down and I get into a routine.

Most of the au pairs at the picnic have been here for under a year, one girl for 2 years, and is leaving in a few weeks. She's done with work, and bored...she said since I have free time during the day she would love to take me around Geneva and do touristy things like the UN, and renting free bikes to ride around the lake and downtown. I just want to walk around, get my bearings and check out the shopping (I know it's tres cher, but there are also "our kind of shops" like Zara, Mango, H&M, etc. I've also read that a lot of good shopping exists near the border in Val Thoiry. One of the Aussie au pairs, Paige, who I met today lives there...incentive to visit! Apparently Vitamin Parc has a shopping mall too, but I haven't been yet....I'm sure I'll love exploring that.

This morning, before I left for the picnic, I helped Flo put Arthur's "big boy" bed together. It is actually an antique which Flo slept in as a child and which has been in the family since the turn of the 19th century. I also fed Victoire. Since Flo's not home a lot during the day, she likes to change and clothe her on the weekends. I had to make a dish to bring to the picnic, and Flo had a couscous mix, so I made that...it was a hit - cold couscous with veg/dressing. We were there for about 4 hours, hanging out, eating, drinking, mingling, and then about 12 of us had a competative game of beach volleyball....I was not the strongest "digger" on my team, but ironically ended up serving the match point for our team's win!

Venturing to and from the picnic was quite an experience. I was doing this procedure for the first time. I took the highway to customs and followed signs to "Etoile" (Park and Ride)...a parking garage, from there I took a tram (there is no metro in Geneva, but the tram street cars perform that duty) to the Geneva train station central, where I was met by Brittany, Natalia, and Chelsie....from there we rode in Natalia's car to Cran. It wasn't until the ride back to the tram that I recognized where we were, and that next time it would be easier to drive because the route passed right by Arthur's school, but I'm glad I did the "Etoile" because it's a convenient way to get downtown and be right at the public transport. I'm looking into the bus schedule from Jussy (I will use Jussy and Andily interchangablly because Andilly is one of the 3 communities in the village of Jussy, and I haven't figured out which place is better known around Geneva). One BIG mistake of the day --- Missing my exit on the way home. Apparently there's a U-turn you can make before you get to the toll gate for the audobon, but I forgot that Yves told me that, and was looking for an exit on the right. I went through the toll gate, and had to drive about 20 minutes until I got to the first exit. I asked the toll window girl where to turn around and head back to Annecy, but she didn't specify which spoke of the circle to take, so I used my sense of direction to guess, but the road started getting rural, so apparently I was off by one spoke. I ended up in a village (probably not geographically far from Andilly, but I needed to find the highway to get back on track). In the village I actually pulled into someone's driveway because there wasn't any room on the side of the road, and certainly no parking lots. I asked a guy next to the houses who was out fixing his car if he could help programme my car's GPS...since it's in French, and the kind installed in the car (not a garmin), I wanted to make sure it was precise. He was able to enter Andilly for me, and I was on my way. I was fine at following the French directions it gave me in French. It's a good thing I filled my gas tank as I was leaving Geneva otherwise I may have been stranded on the French Audobon with a dead cell phone! I'm glad I got a little lost though because it showed me that I remain calm and rational, and don't freak out in situations like that. I'm also thankful that I was alone and didn't have the kids with me. I didn't have to be home for anything in particular, so I was able to find my way home without being rushed, and it gave me more practice driving through the windy villages and on the highway (it feels strange to see the speedometer go to 120....km/hr that is). Once I got back on track, I recognized immediately where I was and felt such a sense of "Thank God I'm home!" (already...). Flo and Yves were waiting for me, which I felt bad about, but it was only about 20:45, and the cell phone they lent me for the day died around 1pm. I am getting my own tomorrow or Monday, and then I can be responsible for making sure it's charged. I'll never miss that exit again!

Busy day

At breakfast this morning I had blueberry jam on my baguette and, Yves began telling me about the food he used to pick growing up with his family....blueberries, chestnuts, and mushrooms. We also had a conversation about car washes. I said that my family doesn't wash our cars often, and in the winter when everyone's cars are dirty, no one cares. I said, typically in the Summer, we would wash our cars at home over going to the car wash. He pointed out that the car washes here are important because the water is hot, soap is more enviro-friendly, and the water pressure is stronger.

Started by helping get Victoire ready. She has outgrown a lot of her clothes, and we were looking for sweaters in preparation for the mountains. I dressed her in a red and white striped shirt and tight. She was stuffed in everything Yves prepared our bags for the trip to Chamonix. Victoire loves to play this game where she’s sitting in her car seat, or on my lap and if I give her a toy, she will drop or throw it. Then she makes noise until I bend over and retrieve it, and whine if I don’t. She thinks it’s a fun game, but I just get tired of picking things off the floor. Oh well….it’s worth it. Arthur’s most frequent phrase is, “c’est vrai!?” (it’s true – (in affirmative question)) after every other statement. Before taking off, I helped Yves hang the laundry outside on the rack. They have one which they bring into the garage every night and set up in the yard every morning. It reminds me of the pop up tents we use for XC and soccer, and parties, and at the docks in Canada. Leblonds will use their contraption indoors when Winter comes I guess. In the car we passed Collange Sous le leve (under the mountain), where the Nanny lives. Leblonds live on the road Sous le bois (under the woods).

TOmorrow I will drive to the nanny's house and meet her, because Monday starts "real life" (Yves goes back to work, and I start my responsibilities). The Nanny is Portuguese. There is a rather large population of Portugues living here, as their house keeper is also from there. They came to the realization during a world cup type soccer tournament which took place in Geneva in 2008. During that time, everyone would put their team's flags in the back windows of their cars and they saw A LOT of Portugal flags.

On the way to Chamonix, we passed a large sunflower field, but they were facing down and looked kind of dead. I'm sure they looked glorious during June and July. We also passed a HUGE bookstore, owned by Virgin. There was an adjoining movie theater. Yves pointed out that books are cheaper in France than in Switzerland, because there is a reduced VAT (tax). Food in France is more expensive than in Switzerland. The French government feels it is more important to read than to eat, we supposed. Yves said, "good readings can feed a man."

Yves English is far far better than my French, by leaps and bounds, but he uses some funny terms, or doesn't know some uses of English words. For instance, he didn't know the word, "jagged" when I said the mountains looked that way. He wanted to use "needle" to describe it. He also says, "we'll make the exchange" whenever I am to take Victoire from him. When he was talking about picking blueberries he said they used something like you use to "manage your hair" (a comb). When talking about trips to the US he's been on, he said they went to Grand Teton National Parc. Well he said that it means, "big boobs...no well not boobs, but the exterior anatomy" (nipples). And then when I said that he just repeated like no big deal. It was funny.

The Nostalgic radio station is really good. It plays French and English music. There's Motown, and current music. Today we heard, "Say a Little Prayer for you," (Franklin) "Shut up and Let me Go" (The Ting-Tings)and "Waterloo" (Abba). When we're driving around the roads, sometimes I can see the scenes of a James Bond movie because of the way the roads are laid out and the way people drive. We drive through a lot of short tunnels. Yesterday, we DID ACTUALLY drive on a road that Casino Royale was filmed, near Annecy. The road to Chamonix is frequented by carrier tractor trailer trucks (it's not strange for me though, because the roads around Harrisburg are the same). It's a popular highway for trucks en route to Italy.

We got to Chamonix, and put Victoire in the backpack. Took a train to the gorge, and hiked down into the gorge to walk on (in?) the glacier. Pictures on Facebook. We went into Chamonix and met up with Yves' best friend, Ruban and his fiancé, Stephanie after we hiked to the glacier. Ruban and Steph are celebrating their 3 year anniversary (of dating) on Sept. 6. I know this date as my best friend, Colleen's birthday. This was my first time eating at a sit down restaurant since I've been here. I could figure out the ingredients listed in the descriptions, and ordered "Assiette D'Albage" (plate of where the cows go). The cows go to L'Albage in the spring and summer, so this was meat from those fields in the alps. Jambon (ham), a sausage type, and a beef type...along with salad, tomatoes, mini dill pickles, potatoes, and the typical white cheese found here (i forget what it's called). We walked around town, went in a gift shop. There are sooo many cute stores and restaurants there that I can't wait to drive the car back on my own time, but we had to go pick up Arthur at 5.

On the way home, I took some pictures of things we pass between Geneva and Andilly. We stopped by the bakery. Justine always works there, so I had already met her. She's about my age, and it's a really small bakery. Yves sent me in to give the order - quatre pain du chocolat, deux croissants, et une baguette. Success! That was the second French person I interacted with completely in French for the day...In Chamonix, I asked someone if I could take a picture of their Bernese Mountain dog, and explained that I have the same dog.

Once home, I bathed Arthur et Victoire together, and put Victoire to bed. Yves said just to put her in a tshirt (onsie), and gave me a green one that says, "I pulled an All Nighter." Haha I thought that was pretty funny for a baby shirt. Played with Arthur and Yves fed him and put him to bed. Flo got home earlier than the previous two nights, so we had a nice dinner of turkey with some cream sauce and zucchini, and bread. We caught up on things that we need to do this weekend, and coordinated our schedules.

I've been keeping the TV on while I'm in my bedroom just for extra French exposure (this is what the school administrators suggested in the weeks prior to the start of the course). Right now I'm watching "Bones" in French. I saw on the guide that "The Office" was on as well, but it's a channel like Pay Per View, so I couldn't watch :(. I'm sure that would have been hilarious. This morning there were some cartoons on, like Scooby Doo. I don't really pay attention, because it's just on in the background. Tomorrow I take the wheel...wish me luck!

Day 2

To start, here are just a few random observations and things I've learned in the last two days...
~ All of the windows in the house have white mechanical covers that we close at night. They seal out the light of the morning 100%, so when my alarm went off at 10:30 this morning, I was not only out-of-it from jet lag and being in a new place, but it still felt like night time since my room was pitch black. I have 2 remote controls that raise the window shades in my bedroom and bathroom to whatever level I like.
~ Yves and Flo are both fluent English speakers (and thank goodness, for my sake). I haven't been around Flo as much because it's a busy time for her at work now. In a conversation w/Yves he's referred to different cars "eating gas" when we were talking about the different types we were seeing on the road. He also said, "This is a good parking spot because it's in the shadow" - meaning "shade."
~ I can tell I'm dehydrated since I've been here. The LeBlonds make their own soda water, which is what I've had to drink at the house, but I don't think it hydrates as well. Their glasses are also short (small) and I was glad to finally get a bottled water at lunch today.
~ The LeBlonds told me about two of their neighbors. One family is German and one is Swedish. I haven't met either yet, but Flo told me that the German family is very organic conscious, and uses those diapers and that food. They are also very exacting. The LeBlonds, like other French families, aren't always as timely....more like the Italians than the Germans. Flo said it would be interesting for me to chat with the Swedes to get another outsider perspective on the opinion of living here.
~ I spotted a kebab shop today on the main street of Geneva, right on the way to Arthur's school :)
~ Yves said there is a lot of Moroccan influence in the food here (more so than in the US, at least) because so many of the present North African countries were, at one time, French colonies. I had couscous with my sausage tonight.
~ My breakfast was baguette, toasted. I put butter on some, and jam on some. All of the LeBlonds eat baguette for breakfast with an array of toppings. They have cereal, but it's expired.
~ I really like the meat sauce that I had on my sausage the last two days, it's bourguignon - I'll have to check the brand later.
~ During the car time when the children were awake, we listened to the CD I gave Arthur, but on the way home from Annecy, they were asleep and we listened to satellite radio. It was a station called, "Nostalgique." Can you guess the translation...? Yves said he likes the "old music" because you can actually understand the words and lyrics.
~ I haven't taken many pictures of the downtown areas, but I promise I will when I'm alone and don't feel so much like a tourist. It seems like every business we pass is in an old, beautiful building. The doctor we saw today was in a big old house...it felt more personal. The doctor is a friend of the LeBlonds who used to be an ER doc.
~ Another headquarters we've passed several times is the ICC - International Chamber of Commerce.
~ I was incorrect in my post yesterday, saying Yves is the eldest of 7...he's one of 8(4 girls, 4 boys). He gave me the stories of each of his brothers and sisters tonight at dinner. There is a 20 year gap between him and his youngest sister, 11. His 3 brothers all live in Lyon, one attending uni, one on break between travels beginning his masters in accounting, and one starting an international furniture trade business.
~ My only "problem," if you look at it as so, is that Arthur talks to me only in French. Usually I know what he's talking about, and a lot of time it's nonsense. I'm not comfortable speaking because I'm not fast enough. I just say short phrases. I can also understand what public people, like the administrators at my school and the family doctor are saying, but I'm embarrassed to speak. Flo said that's how she was during her first 2 weeks in Chili (she studied there for a year). Since my class doesn't start for a few weeks, I'll have to rely on the TV and my books to improve. But I'm getting along just fine with the family, and I think we're all happy to have each other.
~ The school I'll be going to is very small. There are two tiny classrooms (not really set up like classrooms though, just a table that we'd all sit around). There will only be other au pairs in my class. So far, there are 12 registered. If the number goes up to 18, we'll be in a room at a nearby location which the school will rent. We'll be divided into two groups, beginner and advanced. I was given the rubrics for each level, but I don't know which one I'll test into. I feel like I'm in between. More like an upper intermediate level, but not confident enough for advanced. I don't want to be bored/not make progress in the beginner one, but if I start off there, maybe I can move up if the teacher thinks that's a good idea.
~ My Google, and Blogger (what I use to write this blog) and probably all other search engine websites have automatically gone into French mode. So I have to use my Microsoft Word spell check for these, otherwise 95% of the words come up as errors in spell check. I'm not going to try to figure out how to get Google back to English because I think it'll be a good way to improve my French.
~Arthur talks to everyone everywhere! Yves said he takes him to the fire department and the guys there love him. He was chatting it up with the lady at my school and the doctor.
~ From Annecy to Geneva, we drove over a bridge which connects the two sides of land over a gorge. I NEED to go back here - it's got amazing views of the countryside, and there is an old walking bridge which is really really high (and prob scary). It's the suicide place in Geneva, and there's no one regulating who gets on and off the bridge. I think the best views I've had so far are while we're driving, but it's hard to get pictures then, and usually I'd been talking/entertaining. Yves points out all of the geographic/historic facts. From one point, we could see their house from quite far away because the roads wind around and go down into valleys. Driving through the little villages between Annecy and Geneva makes me want to pull over and explore à pied. I just can't get over how pretty the towns are! Plus car pictures just don't turn out very well....you will just have to come visit, and I'll drive you around to see what I mean!

I posted pictures on Facebook from the day at Lake Annecy, so I'm not going to talk about that on here...they're pretty well captioned.

Les enfants et la ville

This post covers a relatively short time period from the time I left Mburg to laying in my new bed in Andilly in the LeBlonds home - about the past 30 hours of my life. It felt like a whirlwind and 360 degree culture spin from America to France. I just want to get this out there now because I have a feeling you want to know my first impressions/experiences.

Jet Airways - flight departing 6:35PM Newark, NJ. Pretty easy drive, during which Mom and I practiced French conversation - she had fun quizzing me on the "making friends" and “dating” conversation section of my book. Hit minor traffic, but still had ample time at the airport. As soon as I got in the check in line, I realized I was a minority American to board the plane....and that's when I got really excited! This was the fastest/easiest check-in and security experience I've ever had. Didn't even charge me for an extra bag like I expected. Quick bathroom/Hudson News stop, a few pictures, and said bye to Mom and Dad. They were heading to NYC for 2 nights, so I think we were all in good spirits about our upcoming travels.


The final destination was Mumbai, India, but most people on my flight were European - I noticed the most Spanish and French passports. There was also a group of American study abroad students scattered around who didn't know one another, but were all heading to Italy. It reminded me of my flight to Sydney from JFK. There were 8 seats across. I was in the middle, seat F, between a French man (early 60s) and a younger Indian guy. I only got out of my seat once to go to the bathroom between dinner (for me, Indian Chicken curry) and watching the French movie, Entre Les Murs (http://www.sonyclassics.com/theclass) Sex and the City 2. I started to fall asleep after that, but soon the lights came up and we were being given hot towels and breakfast. After landing in Brussels, I knew it was going to be a rat race to the gate for me. There were longgggg lines at customs and security. I was so worried, that I pointed out my boarding time to one of the agents, and she said the lady in front of my was on the same flight. She was Belgiun and said that the plane wouldn't leave without us, so that put me at ease. It would have been nice to have a longer layover there though because it was such a nice airport with lots of shops, restaurant, and chocolatiers.


Only an hour flight from Brussels to Geneva, and I slept between take-off and landing. My bags were circling the belt when I walked up to them - this was the first time I've not waited for more than 30 seconds for my luggage - how lucky! I exited avec n'ai rien a declarer, to see Yves standing with my welcome sign over Victoires stroller at around 10:30am. They were parked nearby, and we set off to drive around Geneva. We stopped at one point for pictures, but throughout the whole day I learned how to open the stroller and car seat and secure Victoire in it.


Here are some other things Yves taught me throughout the day -

Geneva - sales tax 20%

France - sales tax 6%

Both countries' tax are included in the sticker price, unlike in the US.

Most cars are manual, and can be either diesel or petrol filled. Their Mercedes is diesel, but the other car (which I'll be using) takes gasoline. Diesel is cheaper in France, and petrol is cheaper in Geneva.

In France, elementary school kids have off on Wednesdays. In France, kids get a 2 hour lunch break - many go home during this time. These days are longer though, 8:30-5.

Arthur, attending school in Geneva, gets 1.5 hour lunch.

The Rhone and the Rheine (Netherlands) both meet in Geneva and filter out to the Mediterranean.

He also pointed out which mountains that surround us are French, Swiss, and which ones were not considered the Alpes.


Yves drives his 125cc scooter to work every day. I told him that's what I drove when I lived in Taipei, and he is allowing me to use his scooter if I ever want to take it downtown. He also threw out the idea of me driving the car to Zurich, where I'll leave for Munich for Oktoberfest. This would be more economical, but I'd have to know exactly where I were going and be comfortable enough driving by the end of September. Also around that time, I will begin my French class au Butterfly et Papillions, and it will continue to June, twice weekly (I think I'll have 2 weeks off per semester).


Their house is nestled in the Alps in Andilly, a small village, 6 miles from Geneva city. We have to pass over the boarder (customs), but there are only random checks, so you don't have to stop. From the highway to Andilly, we pass by a Casino, night club, and Vitamin Parc (a new activity park built last year). It consists of alpine waterslides outdoors, with the Alps in the background, a huge fitness center, aqua park and pool. I'll need to take some pictures of this, when we go check it out soon. There's a discount on membership, beginning Saturday, so I'll be checking it out soon. There house has a two car garage, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, open floor plan kitchen/family room, side yard, and community playground next door. You can see town below, mountains, probably water (?) from Lake Geneva, and cow pastures from the house. Andilly is comprised of three sub-communities, I forget the names, but the LeBlonds live in one of them.


Yves prepared lunch for he and I - rice with butter and cheese, bbq sausage (the white kind), and raw veg. He offered dessert of "chocolate yogurt" (aka chocolate pudding) which I enjoyed. Today’s weather was around 23C. Crisp enough for jeans, and breezy enough for a jacket, but sunny and hot in the sun. After a late lunch, we went to pick up Arthur at the Geneva International School where Flo, Yves wife, also works. It is very convenient for them with her new job. Parking was a mob scene though, but that's because everyone was there at once and the roads were so narrow. Beginning Thursday, Arthur will have after school activities, so I won't have to pick him up when it's that crazy. EVERYONE that I saw, students, parents, children of all ages looked SO GOOD! I don't know if it's because everything is so different looking because it's new, but they were such a stylish, international mix of people. I was introduced to Arthur's teacher, Julie, since I'll be dropping him off/picking him up everyday. She's in her 40s or 50s, really nice, and of course bilingual. When I first met Arthur, he was with Flo and wasn't shy at all with a "Bonjour, Jenna!" greeting.


We stopped at the jetty for a waterfront view of Lake Geneva on the way home. Then once we got to Andilly, Yves explained that they have a monthly account that they pay to the bakery because they go there everyday for 2 fresh baguettes! He introduced me to the girl (my age) working there. She only spoke French to me, so I was a little timid. On Sundays, they usually get chocolate croissants....tough life.


Yves knew that I was really tired and hadn't slept since Sunday night in the US, so he offered to take the kids to the neighboring playground for 45 minutes while I rested. I passed out immediately, and woke up about an hour and a half later when Flo came home. Both of the kids go to bed around 8pm. Sometimes Victoire 730pm, and they wake between 7 and 7:30. When I came out of my nap, Arthur was finishing up his dinner, of what appeared to be just potatoes. haha. He is such a chatterbox! I understand most of what he's talking about, but so far, haven't responded with much other than 'oui,' 'non,' 'tres bien, ' etc. I know he'll be my best teacher though. Victoire pretty much says, "mmmma mmama." I gave Arthur the toys I had brought from Toys R Us, and he was really excited about them, and gave me kisses, "Merci, Jenna!" Then he went to bed, and Flo, Yves and I ate -- grilled steak, potatoes, red wine, and raw veg. Yves insists on dessert, so I said I would try their favorite chocolate and decaf espresso. They have a machine similar to our Keurig...except it's not Cafe Americain.


Yves and Flo seem very enthusiastic about taking me places to tour around in France. On Thursday, Yves said we will go to Chamonix (city at the base of Mont Blanc - highest summit in Continental Europe). One weekend in September we will go to Yves's father's house in Cannes, France. Yves is the oldest of 7, so there are birthday celebrations year round. This one will be a joint 20th, 50th, and 90th (Yves grandfather) birthday party. I can't believe I'll be going to Cannes! Sept 25 I'm going to Oktoberfest in Munich with 7 others from (Link Au Pair), and in October, I want to go to Zermatt/Matterhorn with the au pairs too.


Je suis fatiguee. Time for bed in my new room! I know I'll sleep well, especially having already tested the bed during my nap. Tomorrow I have to get some admin stuff done like my carte de sejour, but Yves said I could sleep in since our first errand will be to pick up Arthur at noon.

Bon Nuit.

5 Weeks to go

At this time, five weeks from now, I'll be making my way to Andilly, France. Lately I've been getting a lot of, "so it's coming down the wire for you isn't it?" "are you starting to get nervous?"

.................Since being in Taiwan, whenever I read or hear the word "nervous" I always think "nevrous" or "nevers" in my head. That's the way most Taiwanese students and teachers said it. They could never quite manage the correct pronunciation, but I thought it was cute....................

My answer is "no," to those eager questions. Of those asking, there seems to be a preconceived expectation that my response will be something like, "Yes, I'm really nervous about the language, whether or not I'll get along with the family, if I'll feel isolated with the children, and I'm just not ready to leave home again after having just returned from Taiwan 3 months ago!" Well all of that is false. I'm sure if I dwelled on those possibilities, I could become worried or nervous. However, as irresponsible as it sounds, I'm not really thinking too much past what will go in my luggage.

....................I've decided not to pack my Dynastar ski equipment, circa 1999. Besides the bother of a ski bag, I figure they'll be too old school for the Alps. I'm content to rent or borrow. Compared to Taiwan, however, my clothing is going to be much bulkier since it will be all-around colder (not to mention snowy) during my stay........................

I know from previous travel and living abroad that any expectations are never perfectly met, positive or negative. I can only hope for the best, but I'm prepared for challenges that I'm sure will come. I remember, a few months into Taiwan, trying to recall what I thought it would be like before I arrived. I could only recall about 10% or what I imagined because as soon as I got there, I was LIVING it. Whatever images I had before had disappeared. So why should I waste the time thinking about France now, when I'm in the midst of such an exciting and fun summer?

I have been staying in touch with Flo throughout the summer, and she's shared pictures of the kids, and I pictures from our Canada vacation. Pretty much the only other business in the France department right now has been applying for my "long term stay" visa, and collecting the appropriate documents for that. I did get to schedule a trip to the French consulate in DC for a visa interview :) Yay, day trip! So I'm looking forward to that on Wednesday.

I intentionally booked the appointment on hump-day to break up this work week since my two best friends at work are on vacation this week. Serene and Megan have both left me for beach vacations at LBI and OBX respectively. Hopefully the mid week trip will break up the days of filling in as lunch hostess until Serene returns :P I had a good old fashioned BBQ/Badminton fete last week, and at request, hopefully another one before the summer's end (aka when I leave). Got to catch up with some church ladies at the Ledvina's one night last week (despite my lack of Sunday morning attendance this summer).

Dad's report from Canada: one of the Fickel girls lost something whilst tubing today, and had to swim about 20 meters to retrieve them (no pictures were taken :P ) hahahaha...wish I could have been there to witness that. Stefan comes back from Canada on Tuesday, and thank god because these pets need ATTENTION. Well, maybe Nick Nick's grown used to my ignorance by now since I shut my door so he can't sleep with me at night. I let Ruthie in the house most of the day to be in the AC, but she gets wound up by the squirrels, groundhogs, barn lifters, and neighboring dogs outside.

I'm reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," a crime-thriller/mystery. Has anyone read it? It's hard to get into at first with in-depth Big Business and Political jargon, and lots of Swedish characters. I'm excited to see what happens though.

I'm going to eventually rename this blog, but I'm still waiting for it to hit me. I want a French phrase that describes what I'm doing, but I don't want to think of one now. I want it to be fitting and have a story behind it. So I won't know what that is until I get there. Any creative suggestions are welcome.

I'd love to hear from anyone reading via facebook, skype, phone, or email :)

Summer update

I've been back in the US for about a month and a half, so I'm due for an update. I'm just going to continue to blog on here, even though the title's not really fitting anymore.

I'd be surprised if you're reading this and DON'T already know what I'm embarking upon at the end of the summer since everyone I've talked to (who my mom hasn't already informed) has asked me, "what's next?" While I was in Taiwan, my mom notified me that a friend of ours, who had an exchange student from France 13 years ago, was now looking for someone who would be interested in au pairing for her French friend, Florence ("Flo"). Although studying abroad in Australia was the best time of my college years, I still wished I could have done it in Europe as well (at one point, I was considering Greece, and was one course away from France). I thought, "Here's my chance. How can I say no?!"

I still can't believe I've been so lucky to have another great opportunity. Flo's children will be 3.5yrs (boy) and 10 months (girl) when I arrive August 31. My role will be to get them ready in the morning, drive boy to school and girl to nanny (yes she also has a nanny...), then pick them up from their respective places around 4, feed, bathe, and play with them until their parents get home at 7:30. I'll have French lessons twice a week, gym membership, my own car, room/bathroom and no housework. As Flo put it, I'll be like their big sister. Both she and her husband are fluent in English, and other languages. They live in the village of Andilly in the Rhone-Alps near the French-Swiss border, 10 km from Geneva and Annecy. My weekends will be free for travel, I can choose to accompany them on their trips, and have 4 weeks of vacation (so everyone is welcome to visit me!) during the 10 months-1 yr that I'll be there.

A few weeks after I'd been home, Flo told me that she was coming over for the weekend for her "American Mom's" (our mutual friend) birthday party. She would be the surprise guest, and I would get to meet her. She was just as our friend described, "tons of fun!" Great sense of humor, easy going, and fun. We had her over for brunch the day after the party, and we went through the paperwork together. She's very organized, and making everything as easy as possible for me. I can't wait to get over there. I know the hardest part will be understanding and being confident to speak French. I've been reading "Provence A-Z" by Peter Mayle and am surprised and impressed by how much I understand. I also had to write a cover letter in French (which Flo helped me translate into "improper french" so it looked the part). I think writing, speaking and reading are a lot easier than listening though.

Flo and I at Candy's party

Aside from that excitement, my life has been pretty normal and consumed by the typical summer waitressing job. Although I must say that this has been an enjoyable one so far. It's nearby, I'm getting good hours, making good money, pleasant co workers, and the food is AMAZING! I admittedly never even ate there before I walked in to apply, and there isn't anything on the menu I wouldn't eat. On the days when I work doubles, I go to Grammy and Bopsie's, two minutes away between shifts to chill out and nap! So come to Cafe Magnolia (my recommendations: (lunch) Jess's Favorite Salad with shrimp, Ensalata Romana, Greek Chicken Wrap, Tuscan Wrap, California Cheesesteak, Tequila Chicken soup, Red Pepper Gouda soup ....(dinner) Key West scallops, Blackberry Flat Iron, Chicken Chesapeake, Creamy Chicken Pesto....and all the desserts.

About half my weekends this summer are consumed by weddings, showers, and bachelorette things. The highlight, so far, being Lauren (Rebuck) Andrews' wedding. It was at Liberty Forge Golf Course, beautiful day, lots of fun - Lauren was over at our house this weekend, telling about her honeymoon in Utah. Steve had to leave for 13 weeks of training, so newlywed Lauren is alone with her new kitty in their Philly apartment. I can't wait to visit her at the end of the month.


When I'm not attending showers, graduation parties or weddings on the weekends, I am visiting family and friends near and far. The Karkuffs will be up in Canada for 3 weeks in July, but I'll just stay for 1 because of my job. I'll be anticipating Colleen Boate's return from South Korea to PA (this time to Hershey/Harrisburg area) mid-end of July, Janet Richards' birthday and a mini Etown reunion at Kristin Flowers' wedding in August.

For any of my Taiwan buddy's reading this - I really miss how nice people in Taiwan are. I have to be extra patient with the ignorance, materialism and grumpiness of people around here. So many times, I've had encounters where I want to say to them"step back, take a chill pill, and go to Taiwan!" Other than my friends of whom I'm partly jealous for still living in such a cool place (but who also have my sympathy for enduring the draining summer weather), I miss the orderly disorder of everything, Engrish, crowded spaciousness of the land, 7-11s, modern tradition of the people, driving my scooter, curry!, night markets!, shi bas!, my coworkers, and even stinky tofu.

My Last Night In Taiwan

Well, since this is the last opportunity for me to write in my Taiwan experience blog, I figured I'd better make an entry to update everyone. I feel a little guilty for being so MIA on here, but I guess my excuse is that I wanted to enjoy my last few months without having to scribe every detail.

I've been out of my apartment for about a week, and for the past two nights have been staying with my friend Amy who lives near the airport. Before that, I spent 5 days in Korea visiting Colleen...so a little about that trip...

It was my second time visiting Korea. Since the first time, in October, was only for 3 days I really felt Korea deserved another go from me. This time, I spent the entire stay in Busan. Colleen worked during the first 3 days, so it was up to me to get around and satisfy my touristy desires. By her recommendations, I seeked out different parts of Busan. During those days, I enjoyed a mixture of mountains, ocean views, shopping, and Lotteria (Korean fast food). I would meet up with Colleen and friends when they got off work for a late dinner and various post dinner activities. On the weekend we went to a town that I visited during my first trip, Haeundae. It's actually a beautiful beach where the Pusan International Film Festival is held. This time, with the weather not quite ready for us to lay out on beach towels, we opted for a ferry ride. This took us around 5 nearby rock islands and stayed inland. Unfortunately for me, I was still feeling the result of having a little too much fun the night before, and spewed my french fries off the back of the boat....but it was still a fun cruise along the coast. Joining us for part of the day in Haeundae were Paul and Nick, two of Colleen's closest friends. We parted ways after they escorted us to the Jinjapan we'd been mysteriously anticipating...reason being, a jinjipan is a fully-nude bath house extremely popular among Koreans, and quite normal to enjoy in the company of friends and family. As the guys departed to enjoy Fuzzy Navel's renowned burritos (which I sadly missed out on during my trip) and catch the movie "Kick Ass," Colleen and I paid $8 to strip down and and relax in the saunas, hot baths, aromatherapy steam rooms, and lounge areas of the jinjipan, all the while trying not to be obviously the only white girls curing our hangovers as Korean women and girls scrubbed down their butt naked friends. All jokes aside, the jinjipan felt completly normal after the initial shock, which was due to the fact that North America is the only place where nudity is shunned....the jinjipan was as clean and fancy as any spa I've been to. If there were one in downtown Mechanicsburg, I'd happily soak away my worries on a weekly basis. On Sunday we met up with friends and we enjoyed the culinary delights of an Indian restaurants that rivals the one in Taipei, followed by a performance of The Vagina Monologes....(this weekend just continued to take me out of comfort zone) - but I couldn't have enjoyed it more!

After a long day of travel back to Taipei, it felt good to sleep in this morning. Amy and her roommates went to work, so again, I set out on my own. I walked to TaiMall which basically ate up any money that I had left over from Korea - oh well, I ate well, saw a movie and picked up some Taiwanese necessities that I wouldn't be able to get at home. After hearing my friends come home complaining about their days at teaching, and seeing the extra work they brought home, it made me feel good that I was finished. I leave tomorrow night and arrive in Philly early morning of the 29th. I can say that although my time here was somewhat abbreviated, Taiwan has exceeded my expectations. I feel completely at home in a country that couldn't be more foreign. The friends I've met will be missed, and I hope to see them again. This place will always hold the memories that we've shared over the past 9 months. Taiwan and teaching have molded me and been the perfect transition to post-college life in this job deprived economy. So, what's next for me? What will the title of my next blog be? At this point, let's just say that I will keep you posted on douceur de vivre.

Chinese New Year ramblings

Banquet chatter

Thursday thoughts

Hello - I decided to do this quick post during the week because normally I post on the weekend and can never remember anything interesting from the week.

Today was a performance day for one of my classes. They did two plays, "Going to the Zoo" and "The Wizard of Oz" (a very condensed version). It was probably the least theatrical version of Oz that I've seen...but their parents liked it. I wish we could show them the film one day in class, but that's not part of the curriculum. They also sang a song called, "If I were" which was very catchy, and two students gave their speeches which they will be doing at the National Speech and Writing contest. Then the CT talked about the books and materials for the next level, and I gave out awards for perfect attendance and the highest overall averages in the class. It never seems like that big of a deal to me, but the parents always like to take pictures of me with the students and their awards. My friend Asheigh jokes that she will buy this purse that says, "look at me. I am famous" because people stare so much. On the note of other "Engrish" items, I saw a hooded sweatshirt that says, "I only sleep with the best" on the back. One of my students was wearing a sweatshirt with a paparazzi picture of some teeny bopper hollywood star (like miley cirus or someone), but the student had no idea who it was. I think it's so interesting that people will wear anything even when they don't know what it means.

There have been a lot of changes going on at my branches since the new year. People leaving and preparing to leave, which is completely normal with Hess, and not a bad thing. That's one of their accolades. They are very good at adapting each branch to the frequent changes and keeping everything running smoothly. As a result, my schedule will gradually be changing over the next 3 weeks with new classes. I'm glad because sometimes I think that my students get bored with the 4 or 5 games that I rotate, so now they'll be exciting again for my new classes.

I know I always talk about the weather, but it's really a large determinant of how good or bad my life is haha. It's been in the 70s and 80s this whole week! Friday (tomorrow) is supposed to go back to being in the teens (so...50s and 60...which is cold, I know it doesn't sound like it, but it is). In fact, I was in short sleeves today, in 70 degree weather and my Taiwanese coworkers thought I was crazy haha.

I've been trying to be good about keeping my apartment clean, and have been at least sweeping every week. I probably dust and clean the bathroom every other week. I am waiting for a day that is less than 50% humidity to air out my apartment though, because I still come home and it feels like I'm walking into a sauna (if I don't leave the AC on). I actually have the fan function of my AC running now, along with my heater (they are separate units) to keep the moisture out of the air, but keep it warm too. My electric bill will probably be higher than the summer when I just had the AC running. Ahhh... I dream of the day when I'll have central air and heating.

I've been working on my Treehouse portfolios since the end of the semester is almost here. This is a compilation of all of their quizzes, tests, writing assignments, and any extra creative work they've done. I only have 12 students, so it's not that bad. It reminds me of scrap booking which I used to do, so I don't mind coming home to do that.

Hope you're all having a good week...the weekend's almost here!

Tired but happy

Regarding the Haiti earthquake, my heart goes out to the country and anyone who's lost friends and family. The conditions there, from what I see on CNN, are dire, and I can't imagine being in there, in what is described as a "death camp." For anyone worrying about Taiwan being on the same latitude as Haiti : since I've been here we've already experienced two earthquakes between 6.0 and 7.0 with no deaths or destruction. The reaction of people while these earthquakes were happening was minor, and not alarming at all. The earthquake in Haiti was 7.0 and has destroyed most everything and killed over 100,000 people. This makes me feel better about the quality and design of Taiwan buildings and cities. Most of the buildings may be made of concrete, with thin metal roofs (to prevent downward destruction) but at least they can withstand any rumbles that impact the island.