Dave had another busy week - surprise surprise! His second team project was due on Thursday, so the majority of the week was spent working on that. On Wednesday night he stayed at ISU to work with his team and did not get home until 4am Thur. morning! He then woke up a few hours later to go back to school for classes and to finish the project. He is always asking me what day it is as one day blends into an other for him....Weekdays are only different in that he has to be up to be at ISU in the morning, but every day of the week he is working the majority of the time. I definitely did not marry a slacker!
While Dave was extremely busy this week, I was only ordinary busy! I am so thankful that I have been able to find things to do so that my weeks are not empty. I am the kind of person who needs routine and a schedule, so having most of my weekdays filled with things to do helps keep me sane.
On Monday I spent the morning doing some errands and walking around outside. In the afternoon I picked up my little girl from school, took her home and helped her with her English homework. We take a bus and a tram back to her house after school and the tram is always so full I fear she will be squished by all the big people crowding in - but she just smiles and sings to herself! Everyone uses the tram here, so from a young age you must just get used to being jostled around by all these bodies crowding in around you. I think she handles it better than I do!
On Tuesday I had a wonderful day just enjoying the weather and wondering around Strasbourg. In the morning I met with a few ladies from church for coffee and just a really nice visit. We went to an adorable little cafe called La Tarte'Rit that serves coffees, teas, cappuccinos, croissants, tarts, quiche, etc. Any of you who may come to visit me in the next year - La Tarte'Rit will be on our to do list! I am so glad that I was introduced to it and am eager to go again. I did not take a picture of the inside, which is very cute and cozy, but here is the outside of the cafe:
After meeting for coffee I wondered around a nearby neighbourhood called Robertsau and came across a market! There are always different kinds of markets going on around the city, but this one was fun because it was not spread out over too much area and had so many different things for sale! There were clothes, shoes and scarves (and no I did not give into temptation and buy 10 different cheap scarves as I was at first inclined to do), flowers, watches and jewelry, hats, rugs, kitchen supplies, and of course food! There were vendors set up with fresh produce, vans with cheese, meats, fish and even Vietnamese spring rolls! I even saw a van with the side panel lifted up and rows upon rows of rotisserie chickens cooking! It was very cool, lots to see and buy!
Cheese!
On Wednesday I spent the day with the two little French girls, doing the usual - going from Art class to lunch to Dance class to home. It was a beautiful day and when we arrived home I suggested we go to the park for the afternoon until their parents came home....but they did not want to go! I was not going to force them to enjoy the outdoors with me, but I must say I was a little disappointed! I had envisioned spending a couple of hours in the sun at the playground rather than in the apartment pretending the hallway was a river and that blankets were boats! But they had an enjoyable play time and I guess that is what is most important!
That evening I made homemade meatballs in marinara sauce and took a dinner of meatball subs and steamed broccoli to Dave at ISU...when he is really busy he will sometimes forget to eat, so I thought it would be good for him to have something hearty and healthy as he worked on his project. In the end, while I think he enjoyed the meal, he was not overly interested in food at that point and a sandwich would have sufficed! Oh well, I really enjoyed my meatballs and broccoli!
I have been finding that with extra time I am enjoying cooking more. Our kitchen has limited space and resources, and of course the foods available here are different that at home, but I have been trying out different recipes and cooking more than I ever have before in my life! In the past, Dave has been the one to cook more often than I have (and with better results!). But now that he is so busy, for the first time in our relationship he is the student and I am not, I have voluntarily taken over the cooking role and have found that I do enjoy it. And in the last year or so I have been doing more reading on nutrition and health and am becoming more and more aware of the things that I put into my body and how they affect my concentration, mood and overall health. So being the one who buys the ingredients and puts the meals together has given me more to think about and more motivation to ensure that both Dave and myself are eating as healthy as we can be. Now, for those that know me well, you know that I have a huge sweet tooth and a propensity for eating large quantities of junk food without a second thought. This part of me has not changed! I still have so many weaknesses and so many bad eating habits - however, I am getting better at realizing the consequences of feeding those habits and the benefits of making better choices! So if any of you have some meal ideas that you think I may want to try out in my little French kitchen (i.e. no stove) please email them to me as I would greatly appreciate it!
On Thursday and Friday I spent the day with the pre-schoolers again. Wow - nothing tires me out all week like those two days! On Friday morning the kids participated in a community initiative to clean up their neighbourhood - so we took to the streets wearing sponsored T-shirts, gloves, and carrying garbage bags! It was interesting to see how each child approached the task at hand. A few of them really got into it and were slightly competitive about how much garbage they collected and how gross it was - proudly showing me their finds before depositing them in the bag! Others looked at the time as an opportunity to play outside and had to be reminded that they were not at the park to play on the slides! And one poor little guy was truly disturbed at having to pick up garbage....he did not want to get his disposable gloves dirty! So one of the teachers endeavored to find him "clean garbage" to pick up so that he could still participate! It was really cute.
Thursday evening I went to our Pastor couple's home for small group (a meeting of a few people to do a bible study, pray with each other, etc). There was a couple there who I met for the first time who had a 16 month old daughter - and she reminded me of Lily so much! I am afraid at some points my concentration was more focused on the little girl than the discussion - she just captivated me with her mannerisms and smiles that so reminded me of Lily. She was a truly sweet and lovely little girl and I look forward to seeing her weekly on Thursdays and getting to know everyone else better in the group!
On Friday afternoon after pre-school I headed out to ISU to see the presentation of group projects from that week. The students were divided up into 8 teams and were tasked with selecting an upcoming space mission, researching it, and designing a conference style poster on it. On Friday all the teams set up their work at the campus and were judged by a panel of professors and other professionals. It was a good opportunity for me to see the finished product from Dave's team after hearing about it all week and to see the other posters that were presented from the other groups. I actually found it really interesting! In the end 3 posters out of 8 were selected as the best, with one poster earning the top spot (and the team members receiving a prize!).
On Friday evening a big group of ISU students went out to celebrate another student's birthday - Louis. It was a really good night and I hope that it was a memorable one for Louis! The students are a really fun group of people and there is never a dull moment when you are out with them! I had my first cherry beer - just what it sounds like, cherry flavoured beer - and it was so good! I am not a beer lover at all, but with the cherry flavour the beer flavour just subtle enough to be enjoyable!
Tomorrow Dave and his class leave for Prague by bus early in the morning and I fly out and meet them in the evening. So we will be in the Czech Republic for the majority of next week...Dave taking in the conference and me taking in the sights of Prague! Should be lots of fun! Will definitely post about the trip on the blog and share some pictures!
Love Heather & Dave
hey heather - that market sounds like a lot of fun! love reading your updates!
ReplyDeleteYou don't have a stove?? What do you have in the kitchen?
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoy the detailed updates, BTW. How's the arm healing?
Love you lots.
XO
Malinda