An uneventful week

I fear that this weeks edition will be short and sweet. Last week was pretty uneventful for the most part, and therefore you'll all be bored by my update. Nevertheless, the troops march on.

Lets start on Wednesday... 
As per usual, Marilie had English in the afternoon so I had that time to myself (minus the cleaner, who persists in making strange noises that often scare me). When she returned, she was adamant on making gingerbread biscuits for her school trip on Friday. After insisting that it was absolutely life or death, I obliged somewhat unwillingly. We have established quite a good set up, where if she wants to bake she has to clean up as best she can afterwards. Thus far, it has been effective. They were a bit crunchy when they came out, although I only cooked them for as long as they said. Clearly, I'm not set for the Great British Bake-Off just yet...

For dinner that night we had the closest thing to fish and chips I can manage to make here. The weird creamy spinach stuff took the place of the stereotypical mushy peas, mashed potato replaced the chips and the fish was pretty much the same. I don't know about everyone else, but I seriously enjoyed it. Food from home is very much becoming my coping mechanism, but its effectiveness is starting to wear off a bit.

On Thursday, I struggled through my second 3 hour French lesson. It's far too much and my brain is starting to feel completely frazzled afterwards. I'm not sure how much longer I will keep it up, as it works out pretty expensive for me.
After a speedy lunch, I headed back out for a mooch around the lake. Being outside makes me feel so much better, and now that the weather is getting warmed I think I'll be out every day, at least for a little while. I'm pleased to see the first signs of spring - daffodils. They make me think of my mum, who buys daffodils regularly when they're in season to dot around the house. Thursday marked the 'one week until I go home' milestone.

I'm feeling a little devastated that one of my favourite pairs of jeans has ripped in an unholy place. I will try to salvage them and fashion them into shorts, but I fear that they will be a tad risqué for my liking. 

Early on Friday morning I had to assemble a rather intricate sandwich for the 'princess' to take on her trip to the forest, while simultaneously making porridge on the stove. It's true what they say about women, they are excellent at multitasking. 
Krisztina and I had a run around the lake later on in the morning. I didn't have to get back to pick Marilie up, so we went a little later than usual. I don't even feel like I'm getting any fitter, as it never gets easier. Goodness knows how bad I'll be after basically a month without doing anything!

We ate pizza for dinner that night because, quite frankly, I couldn't be bothered to make anything more elaborate than that. I was supposed to go out afterwards, but I got ditched *tut tut Jason*, so instead I opted for an early night.

Brenda, Mina and I went shopping on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, our options are somewhat limited so we just tried a load of clothes on in H&M and Brenda bought a whole wad of chocolate to give to her family and friends. Manor on a weekend is fab, because they have no end of free samples to dish out. We tried cured meats, 'healthy' cakes, chocolate spread and a rather generous cup of beer. An afternoon well sent if you ask me!
I suggested a walk around the lake for after, as the weather was lovely and I wanted to take advantage of it. There were so many people there, obviously we weren't the only ones trying to enjoy the sun while it lasts. 

Krisztina needed a lift to the airport, so I graciously obliged. I definitely told her a few times that I hate her and that I can't believe she's leaving me. However, I think we all need some time out from this place to recharge our batteries and I've only got a few days without her, I'm sure I'll survive. 

On Sunday, three of us headed to a crêperie in Gex (a village nearby). I was absolutely astonish that anything was open on a Sunday, let alone somewhere to eat. I opted for a hot chocolate, Brenda had a cappuccino and Jason chose a nutella crêpe with ice cream and chantilly cream, then wondered why he didn't feel well afterwards.

I went as usual to my tutoring session, where I was greeted by the usual friendly faces. I even got a little cuddle off one of the twins, who are so cute that I couldn't resist. At the end of the two hours, they offered for me to stay there on Wednesday night and take me to the airport in the morning. I honestly can't describe how grateful I am to them and they definitely deserve something very special from England!

Afterwards, I lured Brenda to McDonald's in a desperate attempt to feed myself (and fatten her up haha!) Due to the rubbish menu here, I had my usual chicken nuggets, but had to supersize it because of how starving I was. Brenda had a Happy Meal and was thrilled to get these glasses as a toy. Major brownie points to anyone who can name what TV programme it's from and the name of this character!

Melanie has gone to stay at her grandparents house down the street, so I only have Kevin at home because Marilie is at school. I chose to only go to one of my French lessons, three hours was too much for me today. Anyway, I had to feed Kevin before he went to his friends house - can you imagine my delight that he wasn't here? That means being childless until 4:30pm, how utterly wonderful. 

I'll leave it here, as I doubt the rest of the week will bring any more excitement. To finish up, all I'll say is that the countdown to going home is well and truly on, and I can't bloody wait!

Grandma is tired

Oh lord, is it Monday already? I feel as though I haven’t slept in weeks and I’m about ready to start napping twice daily in order to catch up. “But why Sara?’ I hear you cry, ‘you’re so young, late nights should be easy for you!” I wish I was like other ‘normal’ twenty-somethings, able to drink and stay up late, but in reality everything I do makes me feel like a grandma. I’m quite content to be in bed at 9, how boring is that?

The first part of the week was quite uneventful. Kevin was ‘ill’ on Tuesday, so I was housebound for the whole day (yes, this was horrific and an experience I do NOT wish to repeat!) Luckily, he was back by Wednesday. I say luckily very loosely, as I had Marilie for the first half of the day and then Kevin came home early because he didn’t have football. Basically, I didn’t have a break until Thursday...fun times. I was forced to do this unicorn mandala kit with Marilie, which was horribly messy and didn’t even look remotely good.

I spent as much of Friday outside as I could. The weather finally warmed up and I seized the opportunity to soaked up as much sun as possible. In the morning, I walked around for a while before I had to collect Marilie for lunch. 

After lunch, Krisztina and I mooched around Manor (because there is absolutely nothing else to do here). It’s kind of depressing that our only escape is a crappy, expensive shopping centre. 
That evening, after filling my belly with copious amounts of homemade pizza, Krisztina and I headed to Paddy’s for a drink. We had no idea beforehand, but there was a live band playing, which was lovely. Kriszti and I agree that the music they play is far better than at Charly’s, where you can’t hear yourself think let alone talk to other people. We didn’t get back too late, because we’re both old ladies and it was past our curfew. 

On Saturday morning, the bestie and I headed to Val Thoiry (another shopping trip, but without the Swiss prices). This trip was much more successful, as we both actually bought stuff. Even Krisztina! I had a slight ‘blip’ in Jennyfer, because I left my phone in the changing room. Thank god someone had handed it in! There are still some good people in the world. We munched on a couple of wraps from Migros, as last time I got ‘poisoned’ with mustard in a sandwich from a café there. I won’t lie, I also bought a pair of apple and cinnamon muffins that had gooey caramel in the middle. Yes, they were as good as they sound. And yes, I ate them both, but not in the same day... 

By the afternoon, I was wondering what on earth i was going to do that evening. Kriszti and I  met up with Jason and Brenda for a drink, in our usual café of choice. Afterwards, I went with Brenda and Isa to the Salon d’Auto in Geneva, which for you Anglophones is the Geneva Motor Show. Apparently, it's quite a prestigious event for the car companies and people travel from worldwide just to see all of the cars. We spent an hour or two wandering around and, although I know nothing about cars, I really did enjoy myself. The absolute highlight of my life was sitting in the drivers seat of a beautiful Range Rover that had a fridge. I REPEAT, A CAR WITH A FRIDGE. What more could you want from life? While I was doing that, Brenda was spending an eternity taking pictures of the new BMW M8 concept car. 

BMW M8

We all got very VERY hungry, so headed off to Les Brasseurs for a drink with some French guys, before going to Ferney for food. Stupidly, we tried to go to an Irish pub on Saint Patrick's Day - big mistake! Eventually we ended up at Buffalo Grill for a late night burger, or five. Yet again, I was the only non-Spanish speaking member of the group. It's getting so bad that I'm hearing things in Spanish and replying in English. I'll be fluent before you know it!

The following day, a Spaniard, a Mexican, a Hungarian and a Brit went to FestiChoc in Versoix. Obviously we only went for the free chocolate because nobody bought anything, as it was far too expensive. The stalls were actually pretty generous with their samples, even though my host mum insisted that they don't give a lot. I felt pretty darn sick afterwards, especially seeing as I didn't eat breakfast - rookie mistake! 

After speeding back to Divonne to drop Isa off, the three of us popped to Nyon for a quick walk around. There's not a lot to do on a Sunday as most things are shut, but we managed to catch the market before it packed up. Again, nobody bought anything because we're all cheapskates. 

Brenda and I had a cheeky McDonald's, which seems to be where I eat every week (hello obesity). Never mind, you only live once I guess...
We headed back so that I could go to my tutoring session. One of David's brothers had a fever and, so that we didn't wake him up, we went on a frog hunt around the local area. It was going super well, although we didn't find any frogs or fish...or anything at all really. However, when we were almost back, David decided it would be a good idea to run around the stream, even after my objections. Before I knew it, he was knee-deep in the freezing cold water and trying desperately to climb out. Clearly, he was very grumpy when he got out and we had to wring out his socks. So as to not catch his death, I had to piggyback him back to his house, which was not fun because he insisted on carrying a huge stick and a flower. Luckily, I didn't get too strangled and we made it back to get him in some warm clothes. He got quite the telling off, but I don't think he'll be doing it again in a hurry anyway!

When I'd finished there, I headed back out to meet Kriszti and Brenda at Charly's. We had a quick drink there, then decided to grab a pizza and eat it at Brenda's house. When you live in such a bleak area, the simple things ( like eating a pizza in a small but warm studio apartment with friends) are some of the best moments you have.

Unfortunately, Monday brought my first THREE CONSECUTIVE HOURS of French. Unsurprisingly, it was hellish and I did not enjoy it at all. The first half (my normal A2 class) was fine and went quite quickly, but the second half (B1) made me want to sleep, particularly seeing as I barely slept on the weekend. When I finally got outside, it was like when Dobby was freed. 
I ate a quick lunch, then went for a walk around the lake with Brenda. It was so refreshing to be outside with the sun shining, even if it's not quite warm enough yet to pack up my warm jumpers!

Hopefully the temperature continues to rise and the rain and snow stays away. I don't know how many more grey days I can cope with!

The sun'll come out tomorrow

Harold is back in business, hooray! I finally have the freedom to go places, not that I can go anywhere too exciting in the week. Once the sun came out and we had a bit of rain, the snow soon began to disappear (thank god!) Krisztina and I took a quick and unsuccessful trip to Carrefour on Tuesday. All I wanted was some fabric softener, which was obviously too much to ask! I swear every shop here is utterly useless. I miss there being a shop nearby that is open until late, or at least open on a Sunday. I'm unsure whether 24 hour shops even exist in France or Switzerland, probably not...

Tuesday evening I almost broke Melanie's finger. She has developed this irritating habit of reaching into my back pocket where I keep my phone most of the time. So, there I was doing the washing up, she went to take my phone and I turned around quickly and pressed against the marble worktop slightly. It must've trapped her finger, because she spent a good while complaining about it, to which her mum simply replied 'well, you shouldn't pinch her phone.' Kevin just kept shouting 'I haven't seen Melanie cry in ages!' Totally not helpful. He said to his mum 'Melanie will be even more mean to Sara tomorrow morning, she's always grumpy and mean to her.' I swear Kev is my hero at the moment, he's always sticking up for me. I am trying my hardest to return the favour, especially after his comments about favouritism a few weeks ago.

Wednesday was...interesting, to say the least. Our cleaning lady came a little later than usual, as she's started a big new job in the centre of Divonne. I don't even know how our conversation started, but she ended up pretty much taking her top off to show me her horse tattoo on her shoulder. Thankfully, both host parents were out, which gave us the opportunity to actually speak for a change (it's basically forbidden.) She explained how much she hates it here, as being gay in this region is IMPOSSIBLE. When she went to rent an apartment, they refused her because she was moving in with her partner. I think everyone here is living in the 1950's or something, it's so backwards. Her dream is to move to Canada, where property is cheaper and people are much more open-minded. Fair play to her, she has a lot of crap to deal with here and anyone who uses the word 'merde' that much in her descriptions of this place and these people clearly doesn't want to be here. 

When he got home from school, Kevin spent his time getting in her way and generally making a mess. He has some 'magic' socks that mean you can do keepie uppies with bubbles, so you can imagine just how wet and sticky the floor got. He's challenged himself to do a 30-day no technology cleanse, which he's already struggling with (surprise surprise!) He seems to have two girls after him at school, who are basically trying to woo him with slime. We all think that this is the source of his new found pride in his appearance, as he's trying desperately to get rid of his spots, change his hair and stop his ticks. This could be the start of the new and improved Kevin, here's hoping. 

I spent an unnatural amount of time on Wedesday colouring a picture from Marilie's book. It wasn't quite as 'zen' as I had hoped, but it definitely helped chill me out a bit. I need all the relaxation I can get at the moment.

Happy International Women's Day for Thursday! I spent my morning in a French lesson, where the only male in the group was late because he was buying flowers and chocolates for all of the ladies in the class. He did proceed to slightly offend them all by saying something to the effect of 'I don't really agree with all this protesting.' The whole time I was praying that he didn't say something too offensive, as I believe 90% of the room were feminists. Thankfully, he didn't put his foot in it too much! 

Here is the first flower I have ever received, even if it's from a middle-aged Russian man.

Unfortunately, Kevin's technology ban didn't even last a day. Quelle surprise! His excuse was that nobody believed he could do it. Ironic that, isn't it? 

EVIDENCE!

On Friday, Marilie threw up...again. Her mum seemed to think that

it was something she ate, so insisted I sent her to school in the

afternoon. Before I sent her off, I made a futile attempt at a French

braid. It’s not too bad, considering I’ve never tried it before and

Marilie has pretty curly hair.

For a change, I was dreading the weekend. Without my two best

friends, my weekend looked to be pretty bleak. However, on

Saturday I managed to sort out my CV, applied to a few jobs and

almost finalised my university course. Perhaps a weekend in

was necessary to finally start sorting my life out!

In the afternoon I did a few laps of the lake (walking, obviously)

while I was on the phone to my mum. The weather was pretty

decent and I managed to avoid getting rained on, success.

When I’d finished walking in circles, I took a solitary trip to
McDonald’s. To avoid seeming like a complete and utter
loser I ate the food in my car. Arguably, that was even more sad...
I spent most of my time talking to a friend from home
and I think we both benefited from a friendly ear. I certainly

needed it, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, the McDonald’s
trip backfired rather ungracefully (I ate way

too much dairy and quickly regretted it.)

After driving back to Divonne, I picked up Niki and Lena
for a pub visit to Paddy’s in Ferney. I’m glad I managed to
get out of the house and actually communicate with other
humans. I won’t lie, I was a little worried that I’d be in bed all
weekend. At least I beat my own expectations!

I took it super slow and steady on Sunday. After a rather leisurely
shower, I got ready for the day and did some more research
into university courses. My host dad went to Costa Rica on
Sunday morning, so the host mum decided to take the kids to the

cinema. That involved me getting kicked out earlier than I’d have
liked, so I took another walk around the lake while wishing my
lovely Mum a ‘Happy Mother’s Day.’ Granted it was in the rain
and I had to grab a rather speedy, unhealthy breakfast,
but you only live once after all…

Luckily, I got a message to meet Brenda and Isa at Charly’s, so off
I went on my travels. After a bit of mooching and debating,
we decided against going ice skating and instead I went to
McDonald’s for a second time that weekend. I sincerely
hope that this doesn’t become a regular thing, because
I can kiss my ‘summer body’ out of the window. Who am I
kidding, I like food too much to have a good body?!

Of course, I had to leave early because of my tutoring.
I was already running a little late when a lovely

Irish lady approached me after hearing me speaking English.
She was looking for someone who could babysit around
once a month and wanted to find someone who spoke
English because it was easier for her kids. We swapped
numbers and hopefully I’ll have a couple of little jobs going
soon. I can’t even describe how much I love the family I tutor for.
I had barely set foot in the door before they were offering
me tea and cake, which is a big bonus for me!
I graciously accepted (obviously) and got chatting
to them all like I really belonged there. Their house is
the polar opposite to the one I live in, except for its
sense of open living. They have photos of the
children everywhere, which makes it feel

so warm and inviting. Although David was a little tired and
distracted, after a little ‘talking to’, he listened much
better and we managed to read some stories.

When I had finished, I drove back to Charly’s where all of the
Spanish speakers were. I am genuinely worried about how
much Spanish I understand, particularly when I’m meant
to be learning French. I shouldn’t be surprised when I
spend so much time with people who speak Spanish.

We made the executive decision to head over to the casino.
I’ve spent a while wondering what it’s like inside, so I was
happy to go along, even if I wasn’t gambling. It’s much
how I expected it to look, however there’s a vast difference
between the ‘electronic’ machine room and the room where the
table games are. The latter is basically silent, whereas all you
can hear in the former is the ‘ding ding’ of the machines
and the sound of buttons being pressed.

Before we starved to death, five of us decided to go to
ÔBrasseur in Saint Genis Pouilly. Thankfully, the wait to be
seated wasn’t TOO long, although the service was a bit slow.
Three of us shared two flammekueches, followed by a sort of
banana split pizza. If you can’t be indulgent on the weekend,

when can you? I can safely say that just sitting and chatting to
such lovely people really lifted my spirits, which were starting to
dwindle away into nothingness. Thank goodness for the people
I’ve made friends with here, otherwise I don’t think I could have
stayed for this long.

My French teacher has kindly informed me that I’m ready to
take the A2 Delph soon - joy! She also keeps slipping
in how she thinks that I (and two others) are at B1
level. I’m kind of hoping that that doesn’t mean I have
to take TWO tests, that seems like an awful lot.

Not long after that, I had to drive to the airport to retrieve my
favourite Columbian. I cannot describe how happy I am that
he’s back and just pray that he doesn’t go away without me again!

Pretty much as soon as I dropped him off at home, I drove to
Krisztina’s and summoned her for a walk around the lake.
Even though it was drizzling a little, she said yes, which is an
absolute miracle (she must’ve been deranged after her family
ski trip!) We both needed to pop into Carrefour for a few bits

and bobs. Unfortunately, this busy day meant that I skipped lunch
completely, which has never happened to me before.
Giant fail on my part. Hopefully I don’t skip any more meals this
week, because that would be an absolute disaster!

Sporting my jazzy new jumper

Arctic winds and snowy weather

Where on earth is Spring? I'm almost positive that it was supposed to begin this week. Perhaps somebody should send a reminder because he clearly forgot! 
On Wednesday, I must've had a blip because I let Marilie make jelly. Two batches; strawberry and lemon. It was mainly due to the fact that I took it upon myself to clear out the cupboards before the cleaning lady came and stumbled across the jelly. One block was already out of date (never mind, nobody died) and the other was soon past it's use-by date. I have to admit, the lemon one smelled like cheap cleaning fluid and the other like hot strawberries, neither of which are particularly appetising. Especially when you don't like jelly...which I very much do NOT. 
Thursday is when the dreaded white stuff arrived, and in full force too. It absolutely COVERED poor little Harold and forced me to make the treacherous journey to French by foot. It's sodding hard work walking in absurdly thick snow and it doesn't help when you've got legs weaker than bread sticks! Somehow, there was actually quite a few of us that made it, hooray for us!
I stayed in town to run a few errands (like buying mincemeat and other shopping bits because I was absolutely NOT walking to Carrefour!), but on the way I called mum. We had a lengthy chat about the usual rubbish, boring, unimportant stuff to everyone except us. She mentioned that she was going to have poached egg on toast, so I decided to do the same, if only to feel like I was sat eating it with her.
I've really struggled this week, with the crappy weather came almost crippling homesickness. To combat it, I made my mums chilli con carne recipe with jacket potatoes and MY GOD it was like a taste of home. Eating that dinner made me feel that little bit closer to home and it did wonders for my brain (and my tastebuds!) 

The beginning of the week sent some of the coldest temperatures I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. I literally nearly froze to death going to French on Monday and I foolishly waked around the lake with Krisztina on Tuesday. My mum has always told me that it's colder when you're by water, but did I listen? Nope. Well, that'll teach me because I bloody suffered, I can tell you that much!

By Friday, we were still shin deep in the cold stuff, much to my disappointment. It wasn’t even nice outside until the late afternoon, exactly when you can’t actually do anything! It’s awfully pretty to look at, but I very swiftly get tired of it. Begs the question, why on earth did I come here? I spent most of Friday inside for a change, which was kind of nice because I was in bed at like 9. I’ve got serious grandma vibes flowing through my veins at the moment. I genuinely get sad when I don’t have enough clothes for a load of washing. My life at the moment is most definitely NOT representative of the average 22 year-old. Never mind, I’ve never been one to follow trends and be like others…

Unfortunately, I had to babysit on Saturday. This meant that I only had a quick outing with Krisztina to Val Thoiry shopping centre. I don’t think either of us wanted to buy anything, we just wanted to get out! Saying that, I did end up buying a rather ‘me’ jumper for when the weather gets a bit warmer. Whoops…

We both tucked into some rather yummy baguettes, although mine had a bit too much mustard in it. It certainly got my nostrils running! I treated myself to an apple pastry thing too, no shame.

When I got back, Marilie, Kev and I tucked into some leftover pizza, followed by popcorn. Yum! We watched a bit of The Voice (and by a bit I mean less than an hour.)

I got busted in the morning for letting Kev take a chamomile tea upstairs and then not checking whether he’d brushed his teeth or not. I’m learning to take everything with a pinch of salt now, so I didn’t take it too seriously.

Krisztina and I had a movie afternoon with tea and pizza (not at the same time) on Sunday. We chose ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ and were not disappointed. Honestly, it’s so funny!

Afterwards, I went to tutor David. His brothers were a bit crazy and we didn’t really do an awful lot. I think they could tell I was ill.

Then, when I had finished Kriszti drove Jason and I to McDonald’s, even though she doesn’t eat it. What an absolute hero! I treated myself to an ice cream because of my sore throat. I definitely needed it!

I managed to sneak in the house unnoticed and take my sick self straight to bed. Success!

By Monday I was convinced I was dying. After the multitude of illnesses Marilie has had, for me to get sick when nobody else is ill is quite frankly an inconvenience i could do without! Nevertheless, I still dragged myself to French and almost died when my French teacher offered me a lift in her 1000 degree car! I spent the whole lesson sneezing and snotting everywhere, much to the disgust of everyone in the class. Luckily, we finished ten minutes earlier so I went to buy some milk and ended up lugging six litres of milk back. It’s safe to say that my arm was numb by the time I got back!

I skipped lunch and chose to have some chocolate and Pringles instead. I had an excuse, I didn’t feel well! Don’t judge…

I spent a vast amount of time laying in bed, crying at Sunday’s episode of ‘Call the Midwife’ and sniffling constantly. Until I got a message from Krisztina summoning me to the lake. I tend to feel better when I’m outside, so I took her up on it. I rocked a thin jumper, ski jacket, trainers and sunglasses...a rather eclectic mix of styles. I’ve been having to find a balance between not getting too hot (hot=coughing) and not freezing to death. The balance is awfully difficult to find and maintain, and I’ve only been semi-successful thus far.

Monday afternoon I spent a few minutes trying to free Harold from his giant snow cushion. He was looking a bit cold and the weather was pretty warm, so I moved a lot of snow and tried to shovel a load down the drain. Fingers crossed it’ll all melt tomorrow so I can use my car again, I’ve missed him…