Deux Semaines de la France

... where do I even begin? Well, two weeks ago I arrived in France and it's been pretty hectic since day one. I plan to make some dedicated posts soon in regards to my experiences being an au pair as well as the TAPIF program, but for now I wanted to provide a quick update about some of the fun stuff... traveling!

Place Jean Jaures in Saint Etienne.

I have made it a real point to explore my new city of Saint Etienne. I really have already come to love Saint Etienne and appreciate that it isn't as large as I may have initially wanted. It's still big enough that it feels like a city, but not so big that it's difficult to walk all around. In my 14 days of being here, I have already made it into Saint Etienne 7 times, so I am starting to develop a pretty good idea of the different areas.

There are so many different squares that are so nice to sit at for hours. Just the other day I had some time to kill between appointments, so I went and had  lunch all by myself in Place Liberation Peuple where it was sunny, quiet, and I read a book and people watched. To put a cherry on top, I ordered a nutella crêpe afterwards-- perfect day and perfect 2 hour lunch.  I need to take some more pictures next time I am downtown, but I've been holding out for blue skies. Next step is discovering the nightlife a bit because I have heard good things, but that's easier said than done when living in suburbia... it will happen though! I am incredibly happy that I was placed in this region and am really excited to explore some of the nearby towns more-- the train really makes that so cheap and easy, so there are plenty of day trips in my future.

Saint Chamond, the suburb I am living in, is definitely less walkable and requires more access to a car than I initially anticipated, especially from my house. I am making do without, though, and trying to figure out the best ways to take advantage of some of the public transit available. I recently found out that my program can reimburse me for 50% of my daily traveling costs, so now I am  considering getting a monthly card in order to ride the trams/buses whenever and not need cash on me.

I may or may not have taken two different buses to the end of their lines thinking I had gotten on the right bus and/or direction or that the bus stopped nearby my house when in reality it just made me have to walk farther... Luckily, the bus drivers have all been incredibly helpful and enjoy talking to me about Chicago! Overall, Saint Chamond really is a charming town with the Loire hills as a daily backdrop, but I need to explore the area a bit more on my own as I have only been with la famille while running errands.

In between TAPIF meetings and being an au pair, I have still managed to stay pretty social, though I hope to be more so in the coming weeks. Recently, I took a day trip with a new friend from Alaska, Maria, to Lyon for the day. We walked all over the deuxieme arrondissement taking pictures for hours, stopping only to grab lunch or do a little shopping. We felt like we had seen a lot of the city, but in reality, Lyon is much larger than most cities in France so there is still a lot left to discover!

It's actually probably a good thing I didn't end up living in Lyon, despite how absolutely gorgeous it is, because I probably would have been able to get by on English a bit more and I really don't want to have the option to speak English if I can avoid it. Because it is a tourist destination, there are many more English speakers around-- menus are even in English in some areas. While this may help me to avoid eating the wrong thing, like duck liver or raw strips of beef, how else am I going to learn if I am not exposed to the vocabulary? Lyon is an absolutely beautiful city, but I am truly becoming more and more of a believer of the saying, "everything happens for a reason" and I think Saint Etienne is the right place for me and what I want to accomplish. I am definitely looking forward to making many more trips to Lyon and exploring its other neighborhoods. Below are some of my favorite photos from the day trip-- but I am sure I will have more after spending the next two days there!

We ate at one of the cafes off to the right-- next time, I am visiting the church on the hill way in back!

This reminded me so much of Montpellier, such a beautiful pedestrian area

A sculpture I actually really loved called "The Weight of Oneself"-- deep haha

As for future trips, I already have a few planned and plenty more to plan later. I have 8 weeks of vacation to fill up and I am definitely going to take advantage of that. I am really looking forward to my trip to Aix en Provence because so many of my friends have said how gorgeous it is there-- now I'll finally get to see for myself! La famille is going to Paris later this fall to celebrate Guillaume's birthday and have offered to pay my way for me to join them. After having already done all the touristy stuff in Paris, it'll be nice to see it from a different perspective... maybe I'll even end up liking it more.

Oct. 4-5: Lyon

Oct. 10-12: Montpellier

Oct. 17-20: Aix en Provence

Oct. 21-23: ??? Marseille ???

Oct 31- Nov 2: ??? Switzerland ???

Nov. 14-16: Paris

Things with my teaching program are still falling into place and I have at least made visits to the two schools I'll be working at, but I am still awaiting a lot more information before I actually begin teaching. The fact that I am not yet teaching is helpful because it's allowed me all the extra time I needed to set up a bank account and get better acquainted with life here.

Being an au pair has definitely had its ups and downs, but overall I really do enjoy it and think certain things will become easier with time... except potty training, that won't... but everything else. The kids love the books I brought them and we HAVE to sing Wheels on the Bus daily because it's now their favorite. My room should be done soon and I will be grateful when it is because it will give me a way to have a space separate from "work" where I can truly relax.

As of now, I still have 248 days to make the most of my life in France before heading home... and I think I am on the right track!

Things I've Learned:

• I live in an old mining and factory town. While the many of the factories and mines are no longer in operation, most of these towns have an incredibly large smokestack somewhere near town. I was told the other day that these smokestacks are considered historic sites and it is illegal to tear them down.
• Driving in France is kind of... scary. Never thought about it much before, but in the US we have signs EVERYWHERE telling us how to drive: stop, go, one way, speed limit, etc. There are much fewer of these signs here. For instance, highways without a median in the middle have a speed limit of 90km/h, but if they have medians it is 110km/h. Most towns have a speed limit of 50 km/h unless otherwise posted. BUT if you didn't know this from taking driver's education here (or asking a local) you would have a hard time figuring it out-- the signs are far and few between. Stop signs are somewhat rare as well, you have to look to the ground instead to see what markings there are. Solid white line at intersection means stop, dashed white lines mean you can stop if necessary, and no line? Well, whoever is to the right of you has the right of way. Wish me luck figuring this all out while operating a manual car in a very hilly region! But really. 
• I have been able to find the following American brand names here and it makes me stupidly happy: Minute Maid, Ritz, Oreos, Skippy, Crest, Tampax, Redken, and... Sephora!
• I FINALLY found skim milk here-- most milk is demi-ecremé but that was too much like 2% or whole milk for me. Guillaume and I searched in three different stores and found ecremé, the equivalent of skim. I was worried about the taste, though, because the milk here is so highly pasteurized, it doesn't need to be refridgerated until it is opened. Luckily, the taste is not affected and I can continue to being a milk lover while abroad!
• I am not a big cheese person, but I found one I like-- Cantal! It's not very strong, pretty similar to cheddar actually. My family ends their dinner with cheese every single night. Just cheese. No crackers. I have to have crackers or bread with mine, but maybe by the end I won't!