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.

Milestones

Significant milestones are upon us. For Marc, he just celebrated a milestone birthday, his 50th! And for us as a family our year in France is coming to an end and we are about to embark on a whole new adventure. Merriam-Webster defines milestone as "a significant point in development". Our year in France has definitely been that for us.

First, let's celebrate Marc and his first 50 years! Leading up to his big birthday I kept probing what he wanted to do to mark the momentous occasion. In true Marc fashion, nothing fancy. In his view he felt like this whole year away had been his real 50th gift. I would have to agree although I still felt like his birthday required a proper celebration. Without any movement from Marc I decided to take his birthday into my own hands. Side note here, I did throw a surprise party for him for his 40th birthday but that was in the U.S. where I actually had a strong grasp of the common language. Trying to throw a surprise party in France felt insurmountable. So while Marc was away for a few days (I'll speak to that later) I gathered the troops (aka Marc's brother and Valerie). I really wanted to mark the occasion by gathering his family, his old friends, and the new friends that we've made since being here. I had an idea for a location but didn't even know where to start. Thankfully Olivier and Valerie were on board and willing to help me navigate the French.

In less than 2 weeks we successfully reserved the cellar of a Brasserie in town, decided on a menu, texted, emailed, and phoned everyone, and amazingly everyone was free and able to attend! We decided on the cover of Olivier wanting to take Marc out to dinner for his birthday and the wheels were set in motion. The most amazing part of all of this was the fact that Lola and Teah actually knew what we were planning and somehow we're able to keep it to themselves up until the very moment of surprise as we entered the restaurant and everyone greeted Marc with a loud Joyeux Anniversaire!

I wasn't kidding. It was really in the cellar!

New friends!

And old friends! 

Plus family! Marc with Valerie's parents.

Marc with his Mama and Papa.

And with his brother's godparents.

Proof that there were kids there. Ha! They pretty much roamed between outside and the room adjacent to the cellar which had yummy treats for them. Can't say any of us were very aware of what they were up to. Good thing they made good choices. ;-)

Olivier decided to get behind the bar to play DJ and bartender.

Yes. Those are grown adults doing "The Dab". 

Let's just say this was towards the end of the night.  ;-)

Marc and his brother!

I can't speak directly for Marc here but as many people approach their 50th birthdays I imagine there's often an itch that needs scratching. That moment at the middle of your life where you're even more reflective and perhaps antsier than usual. How it's expressed varies dramatically for everyone. We don't have the money to buy Marc a Porsche and thankfully he's not looking to trade out his wife for a younger model (it probably helps that I'm already younger than him ;-) ) but that doesn't mean he's still not looking for some change, which brings us to the topic of our year abroad.

If you've been following my rambles since the beginning of our adventure you might recall that we had 3 goals for our year in France -- to learn French, connect with family, and re-focus our future. We've definitely succeeded in the first 2 goals. The girls French at this point is almost as good as their English. They've far outpaced me and now when I don't understand what someone is saying I can generally go to Lola for a translation. We've also had such a lovely time with Marc's family and all of us, including the girls, feel much closer to them now. So much so, that Lola expressed to me not too long ago how hard it was going to be for her to leave her family and new friends. She so wisely reflected to me that now wherever she is she's going to be missing somebody. So true!

The 3rd goal of re-focusing our future is a bit harder. Of course re-focusing is never very easy. Change is hard and just taking the leap to leave everything we knew and loved to come here for a year was definitely not easy. Now making decisions that will effect our forseeable future, even harder. But having the space, time, and perspective to actually think through the different options has been really helpful and has allowed us to approach these decisions with much more intention.

Our life in California, specifically Marin County, is beautiful. We literally live in an amazingly beautiful place, with a truly special school, and the best friends anyone could hope to have accumulated at this point in their life. Our home, although modest and definitely in need of more TLC, is where both of our daughters were born and where we laid our dog to rest. I have a job that inspires, challenges, and motivates me to be a better Dietitian. And although not living in the exact same region, I'm within driving distance of my sister and parents and feel blessed that we're all so close and visit each other regularly. I truly never imagined a scenario where I would even consider leaving all of this behind. But with much reflection and meditation that is exactly what we've decided to do.

Our year in France has given us a truly different perspective on what a balanced life could look like. Although everything I just listed about our life in California sounds idyllic it comes at a cost. Actually a very high cost. In order for us to make the money required to live in such a place Marc and I work a lot; long hours with often times long commutes. Ever since our girls were born we've relied on nannies and babysitters to help us care for them; to pick them up from school, to feed them dinner, and get them ready for bed. And unfortunately Marc's work was requiring him to work longer and longer hours, including many weekends, while being paid less and less.

After having almost a full year away from this; away from the long hours away from home, away from rarely having dinner together, away from the financial stresses, and away from a babysitter spending more time with our kids than we did, it became almost impossible for us to consider going back to that. The idea of stepping right back into the stress and chaos was not what we wanted to get out of our year away. In many ways this year away has reminded us what matters most and although we still care deeply about our work and chosen professions we care even more about the health of our family and the time we have to devote to it.

In France we have been able to imagine a new life here. Still geographically beautiful yet with a more balanced perspective to life. A lower cost of living and a cultural appreciation for family and time away from work. There are still some real challenges facing us and of course the grass is not always greener. But weighing all the pros and cons this feels like the best decision for us at this point in time.

So........I guess the French Remedy is transitioning from a blog about taking a year to re-focus and connect to a blog about what it means to move and live abroad. I will continue to write and share all the ups and downs of what it actually means to start over in a new country. I hope it will continue to inspire and entertain you and I hope you will continue to follow along with our crazy adventures.

School Lunch

This is a post I have been wanting to do all year. Of course anything related to food and nutrition is close to my heart and school lunch in particular is definitely a hot button issue for me. I mean really?! What's more important than the food we give our children? How can we expect them to think and concentrate, grow, and be healthy if we're not feeding them healthy balanced diets? But as a parent, let me just be real for a minute and say, I definitely don't love having to make my kids lunches every day. Of course I love that I know what they're eating and I have control of the nutritional content of their lunches but honestly it's a pain in the ass.

School lunch takes on a whole new meaning here in France. For starters, no more preparing my kids lunch for school, it's not allowed! You have two choices:

1. Eat what's provided at the school cantine
2. Pick up your kid from school and bring them home for lunch (they get a 2-hour break) 

That's it. No special meals, no special requests, no bagged lunches.

Image Source: https://karenlebillon.com/french-school-lunch-menus/

In true French fashion the food served to the children is just as thought out and high quality as you would expect. We are provided with the menu in advance and through a website we reserve the days we wish our children to eat in the cantine. Here's what's being served this week.

Notice that every meal includes an appetizer, entree, side dish, yogurt or cheese, bread, and dessert. EVERY MEAL!! It's unreal. In the beginning, the girls were so excited about this that Lola actually admitted to me that she was sneaking extra servings of bread and putting them in her pockets! 

I'll also add here that in an 8-week menu none of the days are repeated and they actually change the menu with the seasons, highlighting local foods and making notes whenever they add something organic (bio). Furthermore the food is served on actual plates with real cutlery, not plastic versions of utensils, and glass cups for water.

A friend of mine who has a daughter in the middle school was telling me that at the parent orientation, following the principal, the chef came out and spoke to all the parents for at least 30 minutes about the quality of the food served!!  Can you believe this? I'm totally blown away by the expectation and thought that is going in to feeding the children of France. This is certainly an area where the U.S. could learn a thing or two.

According to blogger Karen Le Billon (https://karenlebillon.com/) who has blogged extensively on the topic of French School Lunches "the best way to think about a school cantine (cafeteria) in France is to imagine what your school cafeteria would have been like if the food had been made by cordon bleu chefs-in-training, overseen by a nutritionist, and served to you at the table by maternal waiters (who were only too happy to cut your food if you couldn't quite manage it)". She described that so well that I just had to copy and paste it in.

I asked the girls if they could share some thoughts about what it's like eating in the cantine:

Lola:

Q. Describe the school lunches in France?
A. Better/healthier food than in California and a bit more time to eat.

Q. Describe the lunch room?
A. First you get in, then you grab your bowl and utensils, then you walk through the line to get your food, then you pick a table and sit and eat, sometimes you can go back for seconds. At the end we have to all help clean the tables before the next group comes in.

Q. What's your favorite part?
A. I love the pasta (no surprise!), sweet potato puree, this certain meat that I really like, chicken curry, square fish (I think this is similar to fish sticks), and the meatballs.

Q. What's your least favorite part?
A. That sometimes it's food I really don't like and I don't eat very much and then I'm hungry again before the end of the day. (Interesting to note here is she admits that she will force herself to eat the foods she doesn't really like because she doesn't want to get hungry. She also said that over the course of the year she's actually starting to like some of the foods she didn't used to like!) -- Imagine that! ;-)

Teah:

Q. Describe the school lunches here?
A. I don't like the food as much here; in California we got pizzas, nachos, and burritos. Back home we ate in our classroom but here we have to eat in the cantine.

Q. Describe the lunch room?
A. You go into this room where there is a hot food area and a lady or man who serves the food to you. Then there are tables we eat at. Then there's a little area where we get our bowls, napkins, plates, and forks, knives, and spoons. There's another area with shredded carrots or quinoa or fruits and sometimes there's yogurt and banana.

Q. What's your favorite part?
A. I like the square fish and pasta

Q. What's your least favorite part?
A. I don't like the mashed up kale with a different disgusting fish.

The other thing that I really appreciate is that they serve lunch in 20-30 minute intervals and the children are staggered so everyone has plenty of time to eat but still has at least an hour to play. No rushing through their meal so they have more time on the playground.

Now of course as with everything there is a cost. In Anthy we pay 5 Euros per child per day. This is not cheap and in many parts of France it's actually quite a bit less. The average cost most families pay around France is between 2.50 and 3 euros per child, which is actually similar to what we pay in the U.S. And as in the U.S. they do have subsidy programs available for low income families. Unlike the United States however the school lunch program in France is not a national school lunch program. The cantines are funded by local municipalities.

Admittedly no system is perfect but after almost an entire school year taking advantage of the French School Lunch Program I'm definitely a fan!

Family & Friends

Wow!! I can't believe a whole month has flown by. We have had the great fortune this last month to entertain both family and friends. Visitors!! Lovely treasures from home boarding planes, flying 5652 miles from California to France, all to see us.....well, and I guess to see France too. ;-) Thankfully we're in a pretty amazing place, which helps to convince folks to come all this way (& spend all that money) to visit.

It's been 8 months since we packed up all our things, boarded that plane, and flew here ourselves. Although life admittedly has fallen into its new groove little nuggets of home continually remind us how far away we are; memorabilia and pictures we've brought with us, Skype chats, and of course the ever-present blow-by-blow of others lives unfolding on Social Media. To have some of those yummy pieces of home come to see us was absolutely magical.

First up was a visit from my dear friend and neighbor, Rosalie, along with her daughter, Sadie. Not only was this a true treat for me but it was the first friend to come and visit the girls. They were beside themselves. I believe the official countdown to their arrival started after the New Year.

A tearful reunion at the airport. True love, so sweet!

Of course they couldn't escape a French party! My brother and sister-in-law happened to be celebrating their birthdays during Rosalie and Sadie's visit, so the more the merrier. Oysters, cheese, sausage, bread, lentils, salad, tart, champagne, wine....

And a traditional digestif to round out the night made from Genepi, an herb native to the Alps. 

Strong but super yummy.

An afternoon in Yvoire.

And a day in Annecy.

Me and my favorite Sadie Wren.

It was fun to get to be tourists ourselves.

Had to take a pic of these beautiful redwoods; another reminder from home. Redwood trees are not native to France and the few that you do find were all brought here from the US.

Dropping them off at the train station. Saying good-bye is never easy.

We had so much fun showing them around our little neck of the woods in France and the girls even got to bring Sadie to school with them one morning, a bit of a show and tell. The teachers, along with Marc, brilliantly decided to use the opportunity to have Marc come and talk to the kids about life in California. They loved it. They got to see pictures of where we live, the girls school, and the kids actually had a bunch of questions. Typical things, like all the ways you can die in California (earthquakes, tsunamis, grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, spiders....) you get the idea  :-) Kids are hilarious!

We also had lots of time just to hang out, drink wine, eat yummy food, and catch up. It was like a 7-day sleepover for me and the girls. Super fun!!

The day Rosalie and Sadie caught the train to head to Paris for the weekend, our next set of visitors flew in.....my parents!! Not only was this my parents first time to France but my Dad's first time to Europe. A big trip for them. And for me! I've never gone longer than a couple month without seeing my parents. We were definitely overdue for some quality time together.

They were here for 2 1/2 weeks, the length of the girls Spring Vacation. We made the most of it. Had some amazing meals with Marc's family, took a beautiful 5-hour train trip through the Swiss Alps, and flew to Paris for an extraordinary 3-days in the City of Lights. We were also able to sprinkle in a few day trips to show them some of the highlights of our area and plenty of days where we just stayed home and relaxed.

Their first weekend happened to fall on Easter (Paques). In France, there is no Easter Bunny rather les cloches de Paques (flying Easter bells). According to the catholic tradition in France the church bells don't ring between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The bells fly to Rome to be blessed by the Pope and then come back from this trip loaded with presents, dropping them randomly in the backyards of French children. Well, I guess the bells flew over our house because the girls found lots of chocolate eggs hiding in the yard!

The chocolate fruit of their labor. 

Then we headed over to Marc's brother's house to have an amazing Easter meal with the entire family; my parents first taste of a French meal. I imagine it won't be soon forgotten.

And of course the kids were all given more treats then they could possibly eat!! Oh the French and their sweets.

Next up, our train trip through the Swiss Alps.

The last leg of the train ride we got to sit in the Dining Car and have a yummy lunch.

We spent the night in Lucerne, Switzerland about 45 minutes from Zurich. It was so lovely and completely charming. And it just so happened to snow on us while we were there. Springtime in the Alps. We go from lovely 60 degree weather to snowing in the mountains.

After a day of rest following our return from Lucerne we did a fun day trip to Annecy. This cute French town is about an hour from us and is always on the list for visiting guests.

Had lunch at a traditional Brittany Creperie. Just can't get enough of these.

Another Sunday spent with Marc's family.

Which of course means lots of delicious food, drinks, and dessert. Mamie outdid herself with 2 desserts; fresh strawberry tart and flan. My mom "forcing" in the flan. :)

It was a perfect sunny day so after lunch we headed to the park and then for a visit with Marc's 83 year old Aunt who couldn't help telling my parents over and over how young they looked.  :)

They do look pretty good, don't they!

Although no longer a restaurant, this was Marc's Aunt's Bar/Restaurant. Her grandparents first opened it and it remained open for 100 years!! The only bar in town. Needless to say everyone knew their family and they knew everyone in the town. 

Many relaxing moments spent sipping coffee with my mama.

Then, we were off to Paris for 3 unforgettable days!! In all the times I've come to France with Marc over the years we had never been to Paris. Quite silly really when you realize that it's literally only a 45 minute plane ride. 

Found an adorable apartment to rent in the Saint Michel district, 2 minutes from the Notre Dame, in a very old typical French building. Don't you just love this crooked staircase? We were on the 4th floor though!! I think I almost killed my parents.

The Notre Dame was truly a sight to be seen. One of our most favorite parts of the trip.

Teah feeding the birds!!

The architecture was truly breathtaking.

A stop at a corner bistro for drinks.....the quintessential Parisian cafe experience! Love.

Mom and Dad on the metro on our way to an evening boat cruise on the Seine.

Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from where we met the boat. Pictures just don't do it justice.

Practicing our selfie pose for the upcoming attraction.

And the big moment.....don't you just love how cooperative everyone was. Ugh.

After dinner and putting the girls to bed, Marc and I decided to walk around for a bit in the City of Lights. Magical!

Day 2 started with the breakfast of Parisian champions....hot chocolate (coffee for the grown-ups) and croissants of course!

Followed by a tour of the Notre Dame.

Then off to Luxembourg Gardens

And a walking break at Angelina's Tea Room for macarons and the most amazingly thick, decadent authentic hot chocolate I've ever had. Honestly! It was incredible. Each was served in their own little pitcher with a bowl of freshly made whip cream. Dreamy!

High on sugar and deliciousness we caught some cabs to cross the city over to the Montmartre District and a walk through the Sacre Coeur.

We rounded out the day at the Eiffel Tower of course. It is truly a structure to be seen in person. So much bigger than I imagined. 

Not so easy to get the requisite photo though.

  

Before we left the clouds began to separate right as the sun was setting and literally turned the tower gold. It was breathtaking,

Just to continue the magic a bit longer the girls hopped on a carousel in view of the Eiffel Tower with Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose playing. Couldn't have planned it any better.

Capturing the love in the City of Love.

Our last day in Paris we stopped by the Pont des Arts, also known as the Love Lock Bridge,

on our way to the Louvre.

Final stop, the Louvre!

I loved the Louvre. Definitely a must-do again. Since none of us had been before and the Louvre would probably take a week to fully take in we decided to do the "Welcome Tour" and in an hour and a half were able to get a nice overview of the history of the Louvre and some of their most famous pieces. Well worth the extra euros.

We took a million pics but I wanted to share a few that would give you a sense of all the people. Apparently this wasn't even a busy day. I can't imagine what that would look like.

A bit anti-climactic to see the Mona Lisa behind a billion people all fighting to get a better view.

  

After a day to recover from Paris, mostly our legs from all the walking. We rounded out my parents visit by heading to Yvoire; another must-see in our region. A totally charming medieval village right on Lake Geneva.

We toured the Gardens of 5 Senses. Another first that we will definitely do again. Beautiful!

The day before my parents returned to California we hosted Marc's parents at our house for a traditional Savoyard Fondue (Marc's specialty at this point). 

Let's just say my Dad got his fill. Happily succumbing to an apres-fondue coma.

The girls got used to waking up and heading into Grandma and Grandpa's bed for morning cuddles and I got used to having my own personal dishwashers at the ready.  ;-)  It was hard to see them go. But it eased the blow that in less than 7 weeks we will be boarding our own plane heading back to California! Our French Remedy is coming to an end, which of course is forcing reflection and the conversation of what's next. I'll save that juicy topic for a future post.