back to life

There is always a recovery day after vacation, isn't there? I mean, there is surely a reason for coming home on Saturday instead of Sunday, before returing to work again on Monday, right? Yes, it's because vacations are exhausting! And, in my case, the hours spent riding bikes for two days certainly inhibits my ability to walk normally for a few days. So, today I tried to sit as much as possible. I had to take Melvil to school and Milan to the tennis courts for his lesson au velo, but that was all the bike riding I did today. Sidenote: I am actually becoming quite fond of tennis and will probably always associate it with France. I like that.

I caught up on some reading while lounging on a shaded bench while Milan practiced serving, one ball after another. An exceptional lesson in English followed, and then I set out to cook again. Yes, I am becoling wuite fond of the metric system, and am becoming quite accustomed to cooking here in Europe. I have to note that I am quite impressed with myself, as it is not easy to convert from US to metric. So, lunch was on me today, and it went quite splendidly, I might add! I enjoyed a rather interesting conversation with Laetitia as we restored the kitchen from the lunch mess. I am becoming quite fond of the family, and Laetitia seems to feel more comfortable with me here as each day passes. These are tremendously great things, landmarks for which I have been praying since my rough arrival (remember what a disaster that was!) We laughed a bit and discussed the obvious difficulty in moving to another country, the excitement that can be overwhelming, and even the frightening aspects, especially for a mother of four school-aged children. Having never lived in the United States, she cannot fully anticipate what life will be like. She must not only learn for herself, but also learn for her children, as they depend on her. Thus, her adjustment is 5 times greater than mine will ever have been. She must adjust for herself, a 10-year old, an 8-year old, a 2-year old, and a 7-month old. She has quite the task at hand, but also has quite the patient spirit to withstand whatever may come.

After a few errands en ville this afternoon, I helped fix dinner (can you believe I cooked two times in one day!?), and then another english lesson, this time with Melvil. He learns best by music, so we hoisted ourselves on the veranda outside of his window and sung songs in English while he played them on the guitar. Sondre Lerche is a favorite here, so we played a few of his classics.

The adventures in Aix continue...