Still in the South

Hey guys,

So, we're still in the south of France, at this great house in St. Maxime. The weather has been beautiful all week--probably in the upper 80s every day, with perfect blue skies and all that. I had forgotten how much I enjoy swimming in the ocean; something about the saltwater is so pleasant. The beaches are a bit rocky for my taste, and really small. Ben tells me that most of the Mediterranean coast has only short beaches, not the big long ones like in California, which I guess is what I always imagine a beach should be like. Being here has reminded me how much I enjoyed going to the beach when we lived in Ventura--makes me wish I had my boogie board, even though there are no waves over about 1 foot here. 

Things have been picturesque, but to be honest I'm getting a bit bored. We spend every day going to the same beach, or sitting by the pool, and I'm a little tired of it. I think this must be a very American mind-set, the feeling that we can't sit and do nothing for too long. Ben and Victoria were lamenting that, because of Ben's work load right now, they were only able to take 2 weeks and not their normal 3...if we had to be here for 3 weeks, doing the same thing, I think I'd go slowly mad. But, one of my goals in coming to Europe was to partly integrate their mindset--less work-focused and frenetic--which is probably in the end a far healthier way to live.

The boys have been fun and exhausting, as usual. Like any 2 year old, Henry is always testing boundaries, seeing what he can say 'no' to and what he can get away with. In a lot of ways it's more difficult to discipline him with so many caregivers around (me, Ben, Victoria, and Victoria's parents) because when one of us says something he doesn't like he screams for someone else to play with or take care of him. It's all very normal, and I'm sure he'll return to normal when we get back to Geneva. Alessio finally came down with the chicken pox yesterday, but he has it so much worse than Henry did. I feel really bad for Victoria and Ben because they were up with him all night while he screamed. It's good to have Victoria's parents around right now, because they can help care for Henry while Alessio gets the attention he needs. However, I'm finding them a bit exasperating. They are very nice, but they often tend to undermine me with Henry when I'm trying to take a firm stance with him and, like all grandparents, they choose to spoil him and give in instead. I can't exactly contradict grandma, even when, like today, she insisted Henry didn't need a diaper on after lunch and he subsequently pooped on the floor. I cleaned it up without complaint. What are you gonna do, right? Plus, I'm still pretty new in the house so I don't think Victoria's mom really trusts me with them--she tends to take over situations, and I kind of feel like she's always watching me. Thus far, I'm not sure she approves of what she sees. This makes me a little apprehensive about having to spend a week with the grandparents staying over while Ben and Victoria are in Hong Kong. 

Speaking of Hong Kong, I told Victoria and Ben that if they are able to take me, I will go with them. The basic hindrance to this will be whether or not they can find an apartment with enough extra space to house me. If all goes according to plan, they will find a place while they are in HK the week after next and be able to tell me what's what when they get back. I suppose I'll have to suck it up and make it through until then...

St. Maxime

The view from my bedroom window.

Pictures can't really do it justice--it's so much more expansive than it looks here.

The back of the house.

Henry and Alessio at the beach.

Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate it :)

Well, we're on day 4 of the holiday in the south. It took us about 5 1/2 hours to drive here. Thank god we took 2 cars, so I was able to get away from the kids for a couple hours on my driving shift in the alternate car. The kids were good for about the first 2 hours, but after that they were just fed up with sitting in their car seats so they were pretty whiney--understandable I suppose. Henry's chicken pox are clearing up finally, and Alessio is still pox-free, so they are both in good condition for enjoying the seaside. 

The house that Victoria and Ben rented is beautiful. It's bigger than our house in Geneva, decorated in a kind of spanish-morrocan theme. Very tastefully done, and very comfortable. I have a room in the upstairs corner, with my own balcony, which is really nice when I need to get away. The deck on the back is huge, with a dining table, big square seating area, and an infiniti pool with a view of the hills and the mediterranean. Victoria and Ben usually take the kids to the beach in the mornings, so I've had a few hours everyday to enjoy it by myself. The weather wasn't great in our first 2 days here, but yesterday and today are perfect--about 85, clear blue sky and all that. 

We took the ferryboat over to St. Tropez on Tuesday, and that was a lot of fun. You should see the yachts sitting in harbor over there--I've never seen so many huge, luxury boats in one place. There was one that was taller than the buildings on the land next to the harbor. Obviously all of them cost millions of dollars, but they were all just sitting there! I guess gas prices are effecting even the uber-rich these days. There is a great open air market there with food, clothes, etc., and then tons of higher-end shops. I really want to buy one of those big floppy-brimmed hats, so I'm going to take the boat back over on Saturday to spend the day shopping and looking around. I'll take pictures of the yachts.

On a final note, I'm reconsidering whether or not I ever want to have children. They even make a vacation difficult. I tend to write it off by reminding myself that this is my job, kind of a working vacation, and I'm being paid to handle this stuff. But if I was Victoria and Ben I'd be a little resentful of the kids continuing to wake up at 630am, throwing several temper tantrums a day over absolutely nothing, despite this beautiful setting, etc. I know they're little kids, so I don't blame them because they can't help it, but it certainly makes one evaluate whether or not the payout is worth the effort and sacrifices...that's just something kicking around in my head :)

Well, that's all for now. Kids are at the beach, so I'm going for a swim in the pool. Talk to y'all later.    

Euro2008 - Austria v Poland

As a few of you may know, Euro2008, the huge soccer tournament, held every 4 years for all of the European teams, has begun. I'm super excited about it, because it's being hosted in Austria and Geneva! The city has been packed with tourists here for the games, and everything is decked out in Euro2008 flags. This past weekend, I saw a motorcycle parade of about 500 bikes go streaming down the main road in Geneva, all waving scarves and flags for Portugal--it was very cool. Unfortunately, tickets ran out about 3 months ago, so I won't get to actually attend a game, but I'm planning on going to watch a few in Plainpalais, the section of Geneva where all of the bars show them. Should be fun.

Last night I went to a gathering to watch the Poland v. Austria game. In support of my new friend Ania, who is Polish, I and several others painted Polish flags on our cheeks and yelled 'Polska!!' throughout the match, mostly just to bother the Austrians we were watching the game with. The game ended in a tie when, in the 92nd minute, Poland, who had been leading 1-0 since the first half, fouled Austria in the box, giving Austria a penalty kick to tie the game. It was quite intense.

I'm looking forward to more games, and to making my few friends and family who are actually into soccer extremely jealous of my proximity to this very exciting event.

Henry has the Chicken Pox

Henry, age 2.5, is now experiencing one of the great joys of childhood--the chicken pox. He's covered in red dots, though he doesn't seem to be itching much. If it is actually The Pox (we're pretty sure it is), it's relatively mild--he had a small fever at the end of last week, when we are figuring he got it, and now there are the spots but they are only a little bit itchy. Victoria has taken him to the pharmacy to get some ointment--their doctor doesn't work on Thursdays, how nice for him. I think I had The Pox when I was a kid, so I should be okay, but we're leaving Sunday for our vacation to the South, so I'm really hoping that this clears up and that Allesio doesn't end up with it too. That would make for a great vacation, right?

Oh, the fun never stops when kids are around...

Fondue and Crepes

So, I had my first experience with Swiss fondue last night. The weather has been complete crap--cold and rainy--so Victoria made fondue, which is apparently THE thing to have in cold weather. Basically, they melt 2 types of cheese together (I can't remember the types, but they were typically Swiss, made in this region), and then we dip bits of bread into it. Victoria was worried that I wouldn't like it because the smell is pretty intensely bad, but how could anyone not like melted cheese?! It was amazing, so incredibly delicious and cholesterol filled that I almost felt like I was eating Tex-Mex. It definitely satisfied my craving for queso.

Then, this morning I had crepes for breakfast. By the time I got up, Victoria and Ben had taken the kids into Geneva to run some errands, but they left me some crepe mix in the fridge. They did not, however, leave instructions. I had the general idea, I've made crepes before--put it in the pan, swirl it around, wait for it to cook, and viola! bon appetit! Things didn't go quite that smoothly. They have this hi-tech stove, so I wasn't sure how hot it needed to be. I burned the first two attempts trying to figure that out. After that, I successfully made 2 edible crepes--a little undercooked, but better that than burned. I smothered them in powdered sugar an strawberries and blueberries--this house always has tons of fantastic fruit around, which I love. It ended up being quite satisfying, though I may ask Victoria to let me watch her do it properly next time.

Basically thus far, French and Swiss food is awesome.

Some Recent Pictures

The mountain that I can see from my bedroom windows. It's gorgeous; I check every day to see if the light is good for a picture.

Some of the mountains that can be seen from the harbor in Yvoire. I thought the clouds made it look like the mountains on the left are floating.

This is the port at Yvoire, a village nearby. It's kind of touristy. I walked there this weekend to look around.

My car. His name is Thunder.

A street in my village, Nernier. The village was founded in 1603, and a lot of the original buildings are still standing, which I think gives it a lot of character.

Some Recent Pictures

Alessio

Henry

Sharron and Louie

Should I Move to Hong Kong?

Yeah, that's right. The title is a serious question, not a figurative one. A couple of days ago, Victoria and Ben approached me to tell me that on the very same day I arrived (note the irony), Ben was offered a position with his company that requires a several year move to Hong Kong, starting in September...

None of us saw that coming, huh?

They were very cute when they told me--they seemed so nervous, and Victoria kept apologizing, like I would be mad or something. I'm not mad. It's unexpected, and it's kind of unfortunate that things have to change when I feel like I've found the ideal situation, but shit happens. They gave me 2 options. First, I can work for them until September and they will help me find a family in the area to work for after they leave. Second, I can move with them to Hong Kong in September, stay until December when I come home for Christmas, and then come back to Geneva, or anywhere else really, to work for someone for another 6 months. Just a note, though, we do have to find out first whether or not the company will allow them to take me to Hong Kong; we won't know until the final meeting in the first week of July.

I want some opinions. What does everyone think? Go to Hong Kong, or stick with Europe as I had originally planned?

Some things I've considered: When else would I get the chance to move to Hong Kong, free of charge, in some amazing company accommodations? Why not stay as long as I can with a family that I really like? Wouldn't it look great on my law school applications and future resumes to say that I've lived in Scotland, France and Hong Kong? Why not, it's only 3 months, and if I hate it I can leave early. HOWEVER, I've never had a great interest in Asian culture, or in traveling in Asia. I'm far more interested in traveling in Europe, and that's where I am now. Can I afford to lose 3 months of French lessons, 3 months of making lasting friendships? I don't know what life is like for a Americans in Hong Kong--will I be able to make friends, or will I sit for 3 months in a high-rise apartment building with only toddlers for company? Will it be easier to find another family in Geneva if I can start in Sept instead of December, since apparently that's when a lot of families get new au pairs?

These are my thoughts so far. I would really like some opinions--post them here, or email me if you'd rather. I promise to write something more frivolous next time, and to take some pictures--it looks like the weather might improve, so I'll see what looks amazing enough to make everyone jealous :)