Wrapping Up

The last couple weeks have been a bit of blur as we wrapped things up and got ready to head back to California. On the list, preparing our new living space, packing up our current residence, moving our things over to our new digs, and cleaning! It’s amazing how many things you accumulate in a year even when you don’t think you’re buying much; moving clothes, toys, books, kitchen and pantry items, took way more trips than I had expected.

Will definitely miss this view from our bedroom window.

I have loved our house this last year. We were staying there out of the generosity of Marc’s brother and thus the time had come for them to need to rent it. Totally understandable. So Marc’s parents offered us their apartment under their house. Although not as modern or full of light, it is only 5 minutes away (in Thonon), offers us a 3^rd bedroom (yea, office!) and a second bathroom, and still within walking distance (albeit a bit longer) to the lake. All in all a totally good option and best of all it’s still FREE. Kind of essential when both of us don't have salaried jobs yet.

The kicker though is nobody has lived in the apartment for over 10 years and the kitchen was without any appliances. So….Marc got to work, bought us a fridge, oven, dishwasher, sink, and induction stove top and then had to install everything and remodel a bit to make it all fit. Thank you Marc! 

He also brightened up the office for me with a fresh coat of white paint and a new beautiful desk. We got a bunk bed for the girls, did a major cleaning, and started moving everything offer. We’re still not sure what we’re bringing back from the US and didn’t have time to actually put anything away. So the place won’t totally be able to be put together until we return.

Sadie, our amazing chicken, will be vacationing this summer at Chez Veyrat, our lovely friends who have agreed to house her with their 3 other hens while we’re away. We brought her over a few days before we left. They have an incredible fenced in property plus a really cool homemade coop, equipped with an awesome perching tree limb. She quickly took to the coop, started pecking around right away, apparently unstressed. When we left though the other hens had returned to the coop and were nesting inside while Sadie was still outside. She would walk up the ramp to the nests and then stop before the door. When we looked inside, all 3 hens were perched above the entrance and staring at here; giving her what can only be described as the chicken equivalent of a "snake-eye". Apparently hens are not always very hospitable to newcomers. Thankfully when I checked in with my friend a couple days later, Sadie had already been welcomed inside the house and had even laid an egg (a good sign that she’s not stressed). She pecks around the property and surprised everyone when she meandered into their house. She regularly comes into our house and will even perch under the table while we’re working. I guess "normal" chickens don’t do that because they were totally surprised when she started cruising around and exploring their house. In all the time they've had chickens, none of them have ever come into their house. Ha! I love our Sadie Hen.

She recently got adventurous enough to navigate the stairs to see what the girls bedroom was all about.

I guess not all chickens are as curious as our Sadie.

Mamie agreed to care for the fish while we’re gone. In case you forgot, these are the fish the girls won at the Fair after we first arrived. Amazingly Bubbles and Luna are still going strong and they totally engage with us too. Do all fish do that? I had no idea. We keep them on the kitchen counter and whenever we’re around they watch us and swim toward us. When they see us first thing in the morning I swear they wiggle their tails like dogs and practically jump out of the bowl to greet us. Okay I know they want their food but still…..fish?!

Amidst all this I continued to work and the girls wrapped up their year at school. We actually are leaving before the official end of school so they’re missing the last 3 weeks. In honor of their American students this year the principal decided to host an English Day at school before the end of the year and moved it up to accommodate our departure. The Thursday before we left I volunteered along with several other parents at the school who speak English and we had an all-English morning. It was so much fun! It was the first time I got to do something with the girls’ school and that’s something I definitely miss. In California I would get to be in the classroom at least a couple times a month. I read English books to the kids with another woman I’ve become friends with over the year. We used simple books that we could quiz the kids vocabulary with; colors, animals, days of the week. Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See” were perfect for the task. The kids loved them and they actually knew a lot more English than I expected. I think Lola and Teah were especially happy to not only have their mama at school but to also “show off” their English skills a bit. Finally something that was easy for them.

Although the children in France start learning English as early as 1^st grade, it’s focused on basic vocabulary and not a consistent part of the curriculum. I’m learning that many of the children (who can afford to) take extra English lessons outside of school. By middle school English is one of the main classes all the students take and this holds true all the way through high school. English is actually even one of the subjects every student is tested on before graduating from high school! In middle school they pick a 2^nd language and some students will even choose a 3^rd language in high school!! I love this. To think that by the time the girls graduate high school they will have English, French, and at least a working knowledge of 1 or 2 more languages is incredible! I wish we emphasized language like this in the US.

To reflect a bit on how the girls are doing in school at this point. Although they’re still working on growing their vocabulary, their French is spot on! In 10 months they have truly been able to adopt a 2^nd language. Their teachers were incredibly pleased with both of their progress. And I am amazed to see how quickly they adapted. I recognize that it was incredibly stressful on them in the beginning and I only hope the initial trauma won't require therapy at some point but they now have a mastery of a 2nd language!! This was not only our primary goal of coming to France for the year but really a gift I so wanted to give to them.

The teachers’ though are a bit concerned about them being in California for 2 months and losing some of what they’ve worked so hard to acquire. Our task is to keep speaking French with them (especially Marc) and to do some French homework every day. Although they have both caught up quite a bit, they started the year not at the equivalent French grade level. Teah actually skipped a grade and moved into 1^st where she would have been doing Kindergarten at home. Needless to say they still have some catching up to do in order to start the next year at grade level. So, daily French homework has been added to our list of everything else we need to accomplish while in California this summer.

Getting in some pool time at Tonton's before we head out.

Enjoying an evening at the lake and celebrating what's to come.

We wrap up one chapter to embark on the next. Now to focus on packaging up our life in California to start anew in France. So much easier said than done. More on that to come.