We left the house at 7h45. Camille rode in the Renault with me while Léa, Baptiste, and Gregoire were in the car with Céline. I followed her to each of the schools so that I could learn how to get there. At each school, I got out with Céline and signed the kids in. The process at Gregoire's day care was of course more intricate as I explained yesterday. We dropped Gregoire off at Creche de Pin Epince first, then Camille at her catholic school, and then the other two at their school in the center of Aix. Camille wanted to go to a different school to pursue more strict studies.
After dropping off Léa and Baptiste off at their school, Céline and I parted ways soon after. I went back to the house to fold the dry clothes, hang the wet clothes since the dryer is currently out of order, and put another load in the washer. I basically spent the entire morning doing laundry and cleaning the kids' rooms. Though it was time consuming, none of it was difficult or exhausting.
I left around noon for school and got gas on the way. For 45 euro, I got about 3/4 of a full tank. I can't believe I was ever complaining about gas prices in the states. The good thing here is that I don't have to pay for the fuel.
I didn't have class until 13h00 but I knew that parking would be difficult to find. I found a parking garage right behind my school but it was too expensive at 9 euro for 4 hours so I immediately exited. I found off-street parking for 1 euro per hour and immediately stole the last spot before the other cars behind me could. I paid for 4 hours of parking but knew I would need to leave my car there for 6+ hours. I figured the parking fairies wouldn't check the tickets too thoroughly though, assuming I'd be honest and leave when my time was up. I thought they would be content knowing that I paid for a pass at all. When I got back to my car, there was no ticket. I will consider myself blessed this time and test my luck no more.
Thursdays are one of my longest days at school. 6.5 hours. With no break available, I didn't have time to run errands for my family. I had a chance to run to the store across the street while we took an impromptu pause in language class to have some cake for Lucas' birthday. At Schleckers', I bought a super size pack of diapers for Gregoire. I was literally in and out of the store in 5 minutes. By the time I got back to class, there was still food left--surprisingly. It's always difficult for me to say no to food, so you know I must love this family.
I left class around 16h40 to pick up Gregoire. The triplets go home with Céline's ex-husband on Thursdays so I didn't need to pick them up. To my surprise, Gregoire was extremely excited when I came in--reciting my name out loud to all of his little friends and caretakers. He did a complete 180’ when it was time to leave though, continuously asking for his mom and bawling his eyes out. By the time we got outside, he was fine again--I think partially because I challenged him to a race. You know kids can't ever turn a fun challenge down. He was all smiles after that.
We met Céline at home. A little after she arrived, Didier got home from his business trip. Today was the first day that I exchanged kisses with my host parents. It wasn't strange with these two because I've already had a chance to get to know them personally. I always have a difficult time "pour faire les bisous" with strangers.
Around 19h30, I made Gregoire some macaroni with butter and scrambled egg. To get him to eat it all, Céline played some games with him. It kind of reminded me of a scene out of "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie talks about how his mom hadn't had a hot meal in years. Luckily, for Céline, the kids normally eat at a different time :-)
Céline and Didier offered to make dinner tonight. Céline had started on a pot roast earlier that morning so it had been cooking all day. IT WAS SO AMAZING!!! The only ingredients in the dish were beef and water. We had the pot roast with fried potatoes. I made Danielle's and my favorite german vinaigrette for the salad--which my host parents enjoyed. We finished dinner with bread and cheese--Roquefort and a type of Basque cheese. Trés delicieux!!!
We got kind of personal with each other after dinner. They asked me about my family, and since I have trouble lying, I told them the truth. They had the same reaction that everyone else does--surprise mixed with empathy. They kind of gave me that look like 'We'll be your family!' I am fully content knowing that I can truly love this family and they will love me back. I am so blessed...
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