I mention that it is a sunny morning because they are not too common in Strasbourg. It seems that it rains here or is cloudy the majority of the time, so when we get sun I really appreciate it! The last few days have been perfect autumn days with warm sun and cool crisp air. I hope that the sunny days continue into this week - I find that a lack of sun really affects my mood!
Dave had another busy week at school - he and his group finished their project and handed it in one day only to get another assignment the next day! The school likes to keep them on their toes! He has also begun his International Law & Space Policy classes, which he does not enjoy, but it is fun for me as we sit and talk about what he learned and I am able to help him with the points that are not very clear. While I do not want to be back in school right now by any means, I do sometimes miss it! I think I will do a Masters one day, perhaps in International Law, but for now I need this down time to rest my brain and recharge for whatever comes next!
Dave and his class go to Prague this Sunday for the International Astronautical Congress - they will be attending the conference and participating in cultural activities. This will be a nice "break" for the students, and is a great opportunity to participate in the Congress and see some of Prague's highlights. The trip was arranged by ISU - so the class leaves together by bus on Sunday morning and returns by bus Thursday night.
I have always wanted to go to Prague, as everyone I talk to who has toured Europe has great things to say about visiting the city. So when I found out that Dave and his class were going I asked for the week off from looking after the girls to be able to go too. However, we found out that I could not travel on the same bus as the ISU students due to insurance purposes and I could not stay in the same hotel because it was fully booked for the conference. So if I wanted to go I would have to find my own way there and hopefully find a hostel nearby the hotel where Dave was staying.
As I had asked for the week off work I decided I would go to Prague, even if I could not go with Dave and the ISU group. I found a cheap flight leaving from Strasbourg airport on Sunday night and returning Thur. evening. I looked into taking the train and believe it or not the train was more expensive that flying - so I am paying less to get there on a 1.5 hour flight instead of an overnight 10 hour train trip! Also, one of the students in Dave's class is from Prague, so he will be staying with family while the class is there, so I was able to take his spot at the hotel and will now be sharing a room with Dave! I just have to pay for my portion of it! So I am very happy and excited to be going - I will be sightseeing during the day and will see Dave in the evenings when he is free. Hopefully I can join in on some of the cultural activities that the class goes on, but if not I will be happy to just be there and I know I will not have trouble filling my time with taking in the beautiful sights of Prague! And I know Dave will have a wonderful time at the conference and it will be a great time with the class to get to know each other even better and make great memories!
In addition to the purchasing the Prague flights and hotel room, I have spent even more money this week! On Tuesday I registered for my October French class - it is a beginners intensive course for the month that will hopefully help me to get the basics down for the overwhelming task of learning French! I am very excited to soon be formally learning the language - I have picked up a bit since arriving in France, but I am a structured type of learner - I thrive more in the classroom setting rather than by independent learning. So once October is finished I am hoping I will have more tools to practice my French with and then will continue with classes in the new year.
In November my mom and I are traveling together - so I purchased our plane tickets from Frankfurt-Hahn to Venice! We will begin our trip in Italy and then continue traveling by train most likely thru Switzerland and France. In addition to Venice we are hoping to visit the Cinque Terra, Nice, Chambery, perhaps Geneva and Interlacken and of course, Paris! I am very excited for her to arrive. Even if we were staying in Strasbourg for the entire three weeks she is coming for, I would be thrilled. I miss her very much and will just be so happy to spend time together. And the fact that we get to travel together and see so many beautiful places is just a bonus! We will be gone a total of two weeks straight - one of those weeks the girls I look after have the week off of school so they do not need me that week as I believe they are staying with their grandparents, and the second week I asked for time off. We will return for me to look after the girls in the third week of November until Wednesday and then leave again for a few days to visit Paris before my mom goes home. So Dave will be on his own for a couple of weeks while I am gone - I feel a bit guilty leaving him as he is very busy and in my own my mind I do not think he can survive without me anymore! But I remind myself that he did just fine without me before I came along and he is a better cook than I am - so being a "bachelor" for a couple of weeks will not kill him! He will probably have some fun going out with the ISU students for dinner, movies, etc - so I should not feel too badly for him!
On Wednesday I looked after the little girls, only they started their art and dance classes so I picked them up from art, took them for lunch and then took them to dance classes. They were so cute in their little dance outfits of pink and purple! While they were in their dance class I waited for them outside and read - no parents, etc. are allowed in the dance class - but when I took them home they surprised me by changing back into their dance clothes and giving me a little "recital"! It was adorable! At the dance hall I felt very overwhelmed trying to get the girls into their classes and find out where they should change and be for class - while surrounded by very capable looking French mothers speaking rapid fire French to the teachers and their kids....all I could do was follow their example and follow where they were taking their girls! I felt very much out of my element and inexperienced and not French!
Wednesdays are going to be busy days picking the girls up and trying to get them fed before dance - and it is hard with my arm being somewhat out of commission to make sure the little one is holding my hand and walking with me on the street and to get their lunch at the busy cafeteria - but it is a fun day to be out and about with them! And then after dance we go back to their house and I look after them for about 3 hours and help the oldest with her English homework and then we play - we have played Littlest Pet Shop, Barbies, Lego, etc! They both have quite the imagination so it is always interesting to see what they come up with!
I was also at pre-school on Thur and Friday helping out. I find my days there exhausting and challenging....I definitely give props to all you teachers and day care workers out there! The work you do is so important but so hard - at least from my perspective and I am just getting a glimpse of it! Give me a courtroom and a grumpy judge any day! The kids that I spend the day with are so young, so they are still learning to listen, to share, etc and it does not help that on top of that a few of them do have some social and anger issues - which added to the mix makes for a very chaotic classroom of 3-5 year olds! I have to be honest and say I struggle with my time there - I never have seen myself as a "kid person" - I have never been one of those girls who got crazy over babies and children - until the last few years when my niece was born and I fell in love with her. But for some reason God has surrounded me with kids in France - 4/5 of my weekdays are spent with kids 8 and under - and while I am not sure why this happened, I know He wants to teach me and use me in the environment He has placed me in....
The majority of evenings I make dinner for Dave when he comes home from school - so we are slowly coming in line with French culture and eating later and later. When we first got to Strasbourg we would eat dinner around 5-6. Now two days a week I work until 6:30 and Dave does not come home until 7-8 so by necessity we just have to eat later! I make pasta, curry, stir fries, chicken or pork chops with veggies and buy a baguette, or we have tacos or skillets with eggs and potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, etc. I am trying to expand my cooking but that is a typical dinner for us here. However, we do usually eat out about once a week for dinner. This week a group of students met up after handing in their first project and we all went out to eat to celebrate. One of the students who is from Strasbourg took us to a very cute and cozy Alsatian restaurant that he and his family go to. He told us it was great Alsatian food, without all the tourists at the restaurant for good prices - and he was right! It was called the ladybug, or "Coccinelle" in French and was a warm, dimly lit, cozy little restaurant tucked away off one of the small cobble stoned streets. The French students helped us English speakers translate the menu and everyone was very happy with their meal! Dave had tender beef and potatoes - I of course had to try and the beef was melt in your mouth tender! I had a gorgeous and tasty green salad and a slice of meat pie - again, so good! And of course there was wonderful wine and company! It was a truly memorable evening for me, Dave and I both had a great time! I regret that I did not think to take any pictures of the evening, as I was too busy enjoying myself eating and talking!
On Saturday I told Dave to sleep in to catch up on some much needed rest and I woke up early-ish(!) to go get groceries for breakfast. I wanted to make Dave a typical breakfast that we would have at home - so I went to a grocery store here called Simply that has a "world food" section - and bought Classic Foods of American Pancake Mix and Syrup! When Dave and I started dating we would often make pancakes together on Sunday morning after church and he showed me how tasty pancakes could be with cinnamon, banana and chocolate in them! So those are the type of pancakes I made (I could not find chocolate chips so a cut up cadbury chocolate bar sufficed! and they were sooo tasty! A little piece of home here in Strasbourg!
Again, I want to say thank you for all the kind messages and emails and letters that have been sent to Dave and I - it definitely helps with the homesickness to feel connected to everyone!
Love Heather & Dave
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