Endless Song of Happiness

Sunday was my day in Paris and it was actually breathtaking when I first saw all the buildings! The family drove me there and the only time we left the car was when we got onto the boat that took us down the Seine. We found seats on the top level and it took us on a guided tour around Paris, which took about an hour and a half. I saw the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower (of course), L’Arc de Triomphe, Princess Diana’s memory site, and many other important buildings and places. Afterwards, we drove around for a while so the family could show me some of the places I can visit. I already have all of October planned out, starting with the Louvre on the first Sunday of the month (free admission, you know!). The Louvre looks HUGE though, and apparently it takes way longer than a day to explore, so I will just have to continue again in November. And for those of you who don’t know what the Louvre is (ahembencoughcough), PLEASE read The Da Vinci Code and then think about visiting me.

Monday was the beginning of a new week. I’m really getting used to the whole living in France thing and every morning, I look forward to opening my shutters and taking my first breath of fresh air like they do in the movies. I’ve thought about singing to the birds or starting a song with the neighbours but that might be going too far, plus I’m not sure if they’d know any Enchanted songs. When I walk to school with Julien, I love hearing the bells ringing for a full five minutes at eight, filling the town with sound. I had labs at 8:30 in the morning so Catherine arranged for me to get a ride with one of the moms to my school because she works there. The mom is actually the prettiest and most in-style of all the moms with blonde hair and the nicest clothes, and she has two adorable blonde kids. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to maintain a French conversation on the 15-minute drive there, even though she could easily speak English with me. Well, I got to the school, went to my lab, and it turns out she’s my teacher! So that works out nicely. The picture on the left is my school. After class (which I was counting down the minutes to finish), I ran downstairs to the piano, yay! I was so excited to be able to play again, and I spent a good 30-45 minutes playing the songs in the book that was there. I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot more time in that basement. When I got home and picked up Julien from school, we played another game of Monopoly and when Catherine came home, she said no more monopoly for the next few days (thank goodness! By the way, no Monopoly when I get back. Ever.).

Tuesday was my two-week point since I’ve left. Now, I’m officially 5% done my trip! So I guess you all have that to be happy about. I spent pretty much the entire day talking to Andrea on msn, and then I made supper for the kids and myself. Wednesday (yesterday) was grocery-shopping day again, but we hardly got a lot of groceries because we’ll be gone for the entire weekend. Yesterday was also the day that I finally got a cell phone. I have unlimited incoming calls from anywhere, so feel free to call whenever you feel (preferably not between the hours of 3pm and midnight your time on weekdays, but if you have to then I’m sure I can have a short conversation in the middle of sleeping). My number is 011.336.74.27.11.47 and I hope to hear from you all!!! Also, yesterday in the middle of lunch, Catherine asked me if I wanted to know what I was eating and instantly, I knew it was the rabbit. So I’ve gotten that over with.. it wasn’t gross, just the idea was. Today, I had a lot of stuff I had to get done, and I still have to pack for the trip this weekend. This afternoon, I might be doing something with Adriana and if not, then I’ll be going to Rambouillet to look at some of the castles.

I’m thinking that even though I’m not in Saskatoon, I’m still going to plan stuff out for you to do because I would so do them if I was there so you can just do it for me. Saturday, October 25th – road trip anyone?? Fort Battleford has a Halloween Adults Haunted Fort from 7-11 so why don’t you go (dressed up of course! – I think best dressed might get a prize), have a nice supper, then go to the fort and see who gets spooked the fastest (my bet’s on Katie). I think there are more details but I haven’t been able to find a lot on the topic. But I hope you guys think about it! This weekend, I’m going to Deauville with the family. It’s a town about two hours away from here, and we’re staying in a house right by the sea. I hope you all enjoy yourselves this weekend! Love always
Endless Song of Happiness - Yael Naïm