C'est la Vie; C'est ma Vie

So I've been in Fontainebleau for two weeks tomorrow. I think it's time for an update.

The day I flew into France, the family I'm working for took me out to a picnic lunch at the base of the Eiffel Tower and we drove around central Paris a bit. I got to see the Arc de Triomphe, the outside of the Louvre, the Seine, Invalides, Avenue des Champs-Elysees before we drove on to Fontainebleau.

The forest coming into the city is huge and beautiful as well, so it was an impressive introduction to the country. I got the next day to acclimate to the new timezone, unpack, and organize my new space. By the way, I absolutely LOVE my little house. It's perfect for me and it's light, comfortable, and brand-spanking new. Seriously. They just finished all the painting and remodeling yesterday. It even has a kitchenette!

My daily routine Monday through Friday consists of taking the two youngest girls to school at 8h20, straightening their rooms and preparing lunch, picking them up from school at noon to have lunch, taking them back to school at 13h30. After that, I have time to either finish anything I didn't get done in them morning or have some free time to myself to either explore or do whatever until I pick the girls up again at 16h30. They then have snacks and I help with what homework I can or we play a couple games. I try to teach them some English words whenever I can. Dinner is at 19h30, then I read the girls a story and it's bedtime by 21h00. Wednesdays are different because the girls don't have school, but they all have other lessons of some kind--music, ballet, horse riding--so I walk them to each lesson. And two days a week, I have French lessons with an adorable Italian lady. I'm picking up on some basic grammar and vocabulary. Hopefully even more so with the lessons. Those sound like long days (some of them are), but I have a lot of free time during the day, and if I ever want/need the night off, I have it. I just have to ask. I just decided that it was a good idea to make the most of the time the girls have home in the first few weeks so we can bond.

The girls are all sweet--very different personalities, but very sweet. The oldest is very sensitive, but also a very hard worker; the middle one is really capable and likes to help out; and the youngest one loves the spotlight and to make people laugh. Admittedly, I'm having a hard time with the language barrier, which becomes most difficult with the youngest. The dad, mom, and oldest two girls speak English, which is nice. I'm not completely cut off from being able to speak to anyone. The youngest girl doesn't really speak any English though (about as much English as I do French). That's been the hardest part so far and will continue to be the hardest part, I think (aside from remembering to kiss people's cheeks when I greet or leave them--I seriously forget all the time!). I can't always understand what she wants (though we've gotten pretty good at miming to each other), so she gets understandably frustrated sometimes (as do I). I also can't tell what the girls are saying to each other when they decide to speak in French, so insults may fly with reckless abandon and I won't know exactly what's going on until one starts crying. All that makes it kind of hard to establish myself as an authority figure. One day this week, all the girls were being sassy to each other and the youngest two were being sassy to me and I'd had a long day trying to get stuff done around the house, and I broke down and cried a bit (if I could have helped it I would have, but I was tired and frustrated). It actually ended up (unintentionally) guilting them into listening better though! I think it's all just part of figuring out the family dynamics and girls' personalities though. It just takes time.

I've had some pretty great adventures these two weeks too. Last weekend, I walked around the town to get familiar with my directions and what stores and parks and such were nearby and just to get a feel for the place. I ended up going to the Chateau de Fontainebleau and walking around the HUGE gardens, discovered admission into the chateau was free that day and explored where a lot of France's royalty since Francois I had at least been at some point. I saw a chapel consecrated by Thomas Becket, a bed made for Marie Antoinette, a set of rooms built for Pope Pius VII, and the room where Napoleon Bonaparte signed the treaty that sent him into exile on Elba.

I also saw Napoleon's hat. THE hat. Enough said.

I took too many pictures to post here. They will be on Facebook soon though. I'll say one thing though: the ceilings were stunning. Last Sunday, I went to a little town called Barbizon where a bunch of the Impressionist painters lived and went to hang our and get inspired and, you know, create masterpieces or whatever. Jean Francoise Millet, Theodore Rousseau, Narcisse Diaz de la Pena, Charles Daubigny--I saw all their houses like a total creeper tourist. And it's such an adorable town; it's exactly like an Impressionist painting in real life. I about died of happiness. Today, I went back to the chateau with the family because the oldest girl had a dance exhibition there. She and her classmates dressed in 19th century period attire and performed period dances in the garden. Tomorrow, I venture into Paris on my own. I'll be attending a Presbyterian church I found and exploring a bit of the city on my own. It promises to be an adventuresome day.

Also, concerning a question that I'm sure is at the front of your minds: I'm eating very well. I haven't yet gone out to eat (I'll have a chance tomorrow), but the family here eats very well. Since I mentioned that I was willing to try anything once--even escargot--the dad has taken it upon himself to challenge that. As a result, I've decided to keep a list of some of the things I've eaten since I got here. I might have to make a separate food blog. So far, the list is as follows:
A french version of Shepherd's Pie
Shrimp and prawns (that were alive that morning)
Roasted veal
Beef flank
Grilled swordfish
Roasted flounder
Pate (from a local butcher that's apparently won tons of huge national awards)
Tomato salads (I have eaten more tomatoes in the last two weeks than in the entirety of the rest of my life--and I've liked them O_O )
Chicken and gnocchi
Lamb (roasted and in a stew)
Mackerel
Spaetzel
Flammekueche
Brioche au sucre
Freshly baked baguettes every day
So. Many. Cheeses. I can't even keep track.
French wines: a Bordeaux, a Chablis, and a red (don't remember what kind) from a cousin's winery
Black Pudding and stewed apples

That's right. That last one was Black Pudding. If you don't know what it is, look it up. It's not French, but like I said, the dad's taking on the challenge. To be honest, I actually really liked it and would totally have it again. Most of this is what the parents have made for me (and they're fabulous cooks), but I've also cooked some of it too. Before I got here, I was kind of freaked out about having to cook lunch every weekday for a French family because I had no concrete grasp of what French people eat in everyday life (aside from the stereotypes) and lunch is this family's main meal. But, it's actually been really nice because all the ingredients are just fabulously flavorful and basically do all the work for me. In the morning, the parents give me an idea of what they kind of want and I go for it. They've loved what I've made so far (more than I expected), so that's one burden off my mind.

Anywho, that's probably enough for one post. I had to get all the first impressions in, so it was a bit long. I'll keep updating regularly, hopefully. My track record with blogging is unreliable to say the least.

Here's to becoming une Bellifontaine.

A bientot!