From Nantes to Nancy

I arrived in Nancy on Saturday. Friday night was my last night with the kids, and it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. From the time that I told them I was leaving to the time that I left, it seems like I got even closer to them. On Friday night, they each gave me a picture that they had drawn for me, bearing messages like "We'll miss you," and "Hope you come back soon." Sigh. And cry. But I really think I made the right decision. In any case, it's done. I've spent a lot of time analyzing it and haven't really come to any new conclusions recently.

My trip from Nantes to Nancy...what an adventure (I haven't had many of those since I got to France, huh?). My French professor had offered to bring me to the train station on Saturday morning. With the time it took to lug all my suitcases out to the car and say goodbye to the kids, we weren't sure if I was going to make my train. I did make it (thanks, Noëlle), but then I actually had to change train stations (not just trains) in Paris. Everyone had told me that I would have to take a taxi between the two stations, because with my luggage, there would be no other way to do it. Being as I like a challenge, I thought I'd see if I could take the Metro. Actually, the main reason was that I didn't want to pay €100 for a taxi (I don't know if it really would have been that expensive, but judging from past taxi experience, I knew it wouldn't be cheap). I opted for the €1,40 Metro ticket. But with 2 large suitcases (weighing at least 60 pounds each), a smaller suitcase (maybe 25 or 30 pounds), a heavy backpack, a big purse, and a small purse, it wasn't easy. I got looks from almost everyone in the Metro stations - and there were a lot of people. There were some escalators, but there were also a lot of stairs. Even just walking with all those suitcases is pretty difficult and straining. Thankfully, several people came to my aid along the way and helped me lift my suitcases up and down stairs. They were all horrified at how heavy they were, though. My muscles are finally done being sore, but I was in pain for several days after that whole excursion. I'm going to have to do something about that before I come home, because the airline will charge me if they weigh over 50 pounds.

When my train arrived in Nancy, Jérôme, the dad in the new family, was there to meet me with 3 of the 6 kids. They all have curly hair and are very cute. We walked to my apartment and dropped off my luggage. Then we headed over to their house, which is enormous. They live right in the center of town, within walking distance of everything. My apartment building is about 4 blocks away. I love my apartment! It's funny - before I came to France, I didn't want to live in the city. But it is so fun. And having my own little place is so nice, too. This family could not be more opposite from the family in Nantes. The parents are home pretty much all the time (although next week, the mother will be out some for work), so when I'm here, I'm more of a mother's helper than the director, which is actually how I pictured being an au pair before I came here. It's so crazy how much time I have now. In Nantes, I had literally just little pockets of time and found it very difficult to accomplish anything. Here, life is slow-paced, and they really only ask me to work 30 hours a week. And when I'm done working and leave their house to go back home, they don't mind. It just blows my mind how well this fits me. I'm not trying to hoard my free time anymore, because my free time actually is free. I do want to use my time wisely, though, because I know that these last 15 weeks are really going to fly by.

Oh, and I guess I never officially announced this, but I did accept the University of Minnesota Law School's offer of admission last week. I will be starting there in September. Yay!

Before I came to Nancy, I was told that there is "nothing" to see here, other than the famous Place Stanislas. Au contraire, there are plenty of things to see. And now that I'm in the city, I think I'll take advantage of the sites. I'll post some pictures soon. On the contrary, I won't be posting any pictures of the kids, because I think the parents would prefer it that way. I'll just tell you that they are curly-haired and angelic-looking, even if they don't always act that way. ;)

Well, that's all for now. Just wanted to let everyone know that I had arrived. My trip blog is still a work in progress, but it will be coming along soon.

Bisous.