> An average American buys 1 piece of clothing every 5-1/2 days (NY Times, September 6th)
> A boil is like a giant zit that, when popped, oozes out stinky pus (Youtube - currently making the rounds on the web, of two girls popping one on a friend(!)'s shoulder)
> You get tenured into the NYC education system after only three years of teaching - with only 3 percent failing to be tenured (the New Yorker, August 31st)
> Little Italy is now locally coined "Little Chitaly" - makes perfect sense to me! (the New York Mag)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Back to School!
School is a good thing. Kids at school is a godsend.
Even though Hana was whining that she didn't want the vacation to end (and Manolee echoes everything Hana whines about), the night before the first day of school they were both pretty excited. Then in the morning Hana set her brand-new alarm clock to 7am, about 45 minutes before she really needs to (since we live across the street from school) - and they were off:
Already I am learning a ton of new things with Hanaya. For example, last year we (or more specifically, I) struggled with writing numbers out in French, because of the senseless rule about not making eighties and hundreds and thousands plural if the number does not end in those specific numbers (it is hard to even explain because it is so senseless - so 80 would be quatre-vingtS, but 82 would be quatre-vingt-deux without an "s" at the end of "vingt". I am sure I ranted about this in some previous post). The first night of school, I learned along with Hanaya that when it comes to millions, you always add an "s" at the end, no matter where that falls in a number. Textbooks do not apologize for this random paradoxical rule that refutes all the other "exceptions". Sigh... of more sighs to come this school year!
Even though Hana was whining that she didn't want the vacation to end (and Manolee echoes everything Hana whines about), the night before the first day of school they were both pretty excited. Then in the morning Hana set her brand-new alarm clock to 7am, about 45 minutes before she really needs to (since we live across the street from school) - and they were off:
Already I am learning a ton of new things with Hanaya. For example, last year we (or more specifically, I) struggled with writing numbers out in French, because of the senseless rule about not making eighties and hundreds and thousands plural if the number does not end in those specific numbers (it is hard to even explain because it is so senseless - so 80 would be quatre-vingtS, but 82 would be quatre-vingt-deux without an "s" at the end of "vingt". I am sure I ranted about this in some previous post). The first night of school, I learned along with Hanaya that when it comes to millions, you always add an "s" at the end, no matter where that falls in a number. Textbooks do not apologize for this random paradoxical rule that refutes all the other "exceptions". Sigh... of more sighs to come this school year!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Back in Rennes...
Coming back is much easier when it is not raining. Also making the return easier are the Easy Macs and the Swedish Fish (running low on the latter already now!) - the Bendaroos made the trip, the unbreakable pitcher did not. Neither did the Nesquick Strawberry milk powder (though I think that is a good thing).
Meanwhile, these are the signs I am greeted with every which way I turn:
The French are STILL on vacation. The August holidays are no cliches, people really take them. I guess in Paris it is less so, because it is more tourism-focused, but here in Rennes, lots of stores close for the entire month. I still don't get it. How do they all manage to pay 12 months' rent on 11 months' income??
Meanwhile, these are the signs I am greeted with every which way I turn:
The French are STILL on vacation. The August holidays are no cliches, people really take them. I guess in Paris it is less so, because it is more tourism-focused, but here in Rennes, lots of stores close for the entire month. I still don't get it. How do they all manage to pay 12 months' rent on 11 months' income??
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sad to leave NYC...
You can see why...
...
Seriously, my pack-and-panic routine has officially started as we go back to France Monday night. I did not buy that much this trip, but already my two big suitcases are full and I have lots of stuff left to go, hence the panic. For all the traveling I have done, I am an extremely poor packer. I can do ok for myself, but for the kids? I brought outfits and shoes for all possible permutations of weather and activities, and then some (however I neglected to do the same for the actual plane ride over, ending up with Manolee underwear-less for the last three hours of the flight following an unfortunate seating accident on the plane toilet). Aargh. Re-packing and re-thinking what I REALLY must bring back starts tomorrow morning (do I really need to bring back the unbreakable plastic pitcher I grabbed on sale at Target? The Bendaroos the kids begged me to buy? Can the kids survive without Pop Tarts and Easy Macs until the next trip?)...
...
Seriously, my pack-and-panic routine has officially started as we go back to France Monday night. I did not buy that much this trip, but already my two big suitcases are full and I have lots of stuff left to go, hence the panic. For all the traveling I have done, I am an extremely poor packer. I can do ok for myself, but for the kids? I brought outfits and shoes for all possible permutations of weather and activities, and then some (however I neglected to do the same for the actual plane ride over, ending up with Manolee underwear-less for the last three hours of the flight following an unfortunate seating accident on the plane toilet). Aargh. Re-packing and re-thinking what I REALLY must bring back starts tomorrow morning (do I really need to bring back the unbreakable plastic pitcher I grabbed on sale at Target? The Bendaroos the kids begged me to buy? Can the kids survive without Pop Tarts and Easy Macs until the next trip?)...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
To Flush or Not to Flush
Overheard the other night, Hana shouting at her cousin Leah: "Don't flush the toilet"
Leah: "What?"
Hana: "Don't flush the toilet!"
L: "Why?"
H:"If you are just going to pee, don't flush because I'm going right after you"
I didn't see Leah's face directly but I could just picture it getting a bit scrunched up, wondering why her French cousin would ask NOT TO FLUSH the toilet, thereby overtly breaking a sacred, always-abiding groundrule of a US household - to ALWAYS flush the toilet!
I have personally always trained my kids to always flush the toilet. To do otherwise would be - well, so French! You see, one of the horrors of French living that I faced early on is that they do not always flush the toilet. And they are proud of it. When I first faced the murky waters one morning, PeeWee told me that he didn't want to wake me up during the night. I told him rather flippantly that I wake up ANYWAY if he gets up to go to the toilet, so the flushing sound would be the least of my nuisances. He learned his lesson (he used to be so easily trainable!) and has now adopted the American way of flushing every time.
Now, after this episode with PeeWee, I assumed that it was a one-time thing with him and him only. Boy was I in for a surprise when his parents paid us a visit. I woke up to find, yes, murky waters again. I of course immediately confronted PeeWee. He sheepishly replied that his parents didn't want to wake us. I told him in no uncertain terms that to be awakened in the middle of the night by the flushing is music to my ears compared to waking up to find a non-clean toilet in the morning. I'm not sure what he relayed back to his parents, but I think something got lost in translation because this was a recurring theme during their many visits.
When I spent some time at PeeWee's parents' house, I woke up in the morning to find the toilet - well, used - and I laid out a big sigh, resigning myself to these quirks of the Merlet side of the family.
Then I was in for a shock. We had a friend of PeeWee's come visit and lo and behold, the same thing happened. I knew the guy pretty well so I asked him to explain himself and he said, "I didn't want to wake you up". A second visitor, a female this time, did the same thing and offered up the same explanation. I was at a loss. When I visited my good friend M in Paris, she said her (French) husband never flushes at night either. Then recently, I was talking with a mom friend at drop-off, and she said she had to rush home because she had to wait for the plumber and it's a real shame that her toilet decided to break down in the morning because it is already full from all the night time output.
HELLO?
Are you as stunned as I was? Do you find yourself asking -how can an entire population of a developed country be programmed to never flush the toilet in the night time? Was there like a national civic campaign urging people not to flush after, say, 9pm? Did they spin it as an economical energy conservation effort? Or just a common Gallic courtesy effort?
I wonder what the French say of us - "I couldn't believe it when I was awaken at 1am by Rae flushing her toilet! Can you believe it?" Us - wasteful, disrespecting Americans, flushing just like that, so nonchalantly, so carelessly - the nerve!
Now the fact that Hana was exhibiting that Frenchness is a bit of a mystery to me. I always ask her to flush the toilet, but clearly someone has told her it's okay for a toilet to receive two (or more?? gasp!) different outputs before flushing. I wonder if that someone is PeeWee, asserting his Frenchness on the sly. Hmmmm,...
Leah: "What?"
Hana: "Don't flush the toilet!"
L: "Why?"
H:"If you are just going to pee, don't flush because I'm going right after you"
I didn't see Leah's face directly but I could just picture it getting a bit scrunched up, wondering why her French cousin would ask NOT TO FLUSH the toilet, thereby overtly breaking a sacred, always-abiding groundrule of a US household - to ALWAYS flush the toilet!
I have personally always trained my kids to always flush the toilet. To do otherwise would be - well, so French! You see, one of the horrors of French living that I faced early on is that they do not always flush the toilet. And they are proud of it. When I first faced the murky waters one morning, PeeWee told me that he didn't want to wake me up during the night. I told him rather flippantly that I wake up ANYWAY if he gets up to go to the toilet, so the flushing sound would be the least of my nuisances. He learned his lesson (he used to be so easily trainable!) and has now adopted the American way of flushing every time.
Now, after this episode with PeeWee, I assumed that it was a one-time thing with him and him only. Boy was I in for a surprise when his parents paid us a visit. I woke up to find, yes, murky waters again. I of course immediately confronted PeeWee. He sheepishly replied that his parents didn't want to wake us. I told him in no uncertain terms that to be awakened in the middle of the night by the flushing is music to my ears compared to waking up to find a non-clean toilet in the morning. I'm not sure what he relayed back to his parents, but I think something got lost in translation because this was a recurring theme during their many visits.
When I spent some time at PeeWee's parents' house, I woke up in the morning to find the toilet - well, used - and I laid out a big sigh, resigning myself to these quirks of the Merlet side of the family.
Then I was in for a shock. We had a friend of PeeWee's come visit and lo and behold, the same thing happened. I knew the guy pretty well so I asked him to explain himself and he said, "I didn't want to wake you up". A second visitor, a female this time, did the same thing and offered up the same explanation. I was at a loss. When I visited my good friend M in Paris, she said her (French) husband never flushes at night either. Then recently, I was talking with a mom friend at drop-off, and she said she had to rush home because she had to wait for the plumber and it's a real shame that her toilet decided to break down in the morning because it is already full from all the night time output.
HELLO?
Are you as stunned as I was? Do you find yourself asking -how can an entire population of a developed country be programmed to never flush the toilet in the night time? Was there like a national civic campaign urging people not to flush after, say, 9pm? Did they spin it as an economical energy conservation effort? Or just a common Gallic courtesy effort?
I wonder what the French say of us - "I couldn't believe it when I was awaken at 1am by Rae flushing her toilet! Can you believe it?" Us - wasteful, disrespecting Americans, flushing just like that, so nonchalantly, so carelessly - the nerve!
Now the fact that Hana was exhibiting that Frenchness is a bit of a mystery to me. I always ask her to flush the toilet, but clearly someone has told her it's okay for a toilet to receive two (or more?? gasp!) different outputs before flushing. I wonder if that someone is PeeWee, asserting his Frenchness on the sly. Hmmmm,...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Land of $3 Ben & Jerry's
The US is indeed the land of plenty - and cheap! When there was news that a woman was crushed to death at Wal-Marts by people rushing to score $29 DVD players, my first thought was not, OMG how tragic that she was killed, but OMG how can that cost only $29?
Anyway, it is such a pleasant experience to visit a supermarket in the US. Things that are considered luxury items in France are downright bargains - the other day at the local Waldbaums, I saw pints of Ben & Jerry ice cream being offered at 2 for $6. In France one measly pint goes for at least 5.95 euros. And the choice of flavors are utterly staggering here - and at that price, one can afford to try them all! In France, we count ourselves lucky if we find more than two flavors at any one store.
The girls had a great day running through the giant Toys R Us in Times Square (they still love the ferris wheel) and the Nintendo Store, where an interactive Mario kept the kids entertained for a good while. The Candyland King was a hit too - see below:
No wonder Hana calls NY the greatest country in the world!!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
French (baby) butts
Slow month for posting... Been in the US for the last two weeks and have not had time to post anything. The month of July is a big blur - the end of school, weekend trip to Paris to meet up with friends, getting ready for the Big Trip - then getting here, going almost straight to NJ to my friend M's house where the girls had been signed up for camp for the last two weeks... am back at my parents' house in Queens and am just exhausted beyond belief. Feeding and washing up the girls tonight seemed such an endeavor!!
Anyway, the girls were at camp that was run at this fancy club in NJ and one of the things that I noticed was the ubiquitous signs asking, no, demanding that members ensure that infants and toddlers wear swim diapers AND plastic diaper pants on top. This is, according to the signs, for the health, hygiene and safety of all club members, and clearly directed unprepared members to the club store for purchasing the required items. Looking around the resort-looking outdoor pool, the American toddlers playing around all seemed to have huge butts, with their wet swim diapers and the plastic pants barely covering them.
Such a contrast to the pools in France - I have yet to be in one which demands that kids wear swim diapers. The result: very svelte French baby butts in the pool - but god knows what goes on in the pool!!! And I know all those kids cannot be toilet-trained!
On that disturbing note, I take leave now and will be back when I am feeling less lethargic and more rested!
Anyway, the girls were at camp that was run at this fancy club in NJ and one of the things that I noticed was the ubiquitous signs asking, no, demanding that members ensure that infants and toddlers wear swim diapers AND plastic diaper pants on top. This is, according to the signs, for the health, hygiene and safety of all club members, and clearly directed unprepared members to the club store for purchasing the required items. Looking around the resort-looking outdoor pool, the American toddlers playing around all seemed to have huge butts, with their wet swim diapers and the plastic pants barely covering them.
Such a contrast to the pools in France - I have yet to be in one which demands that kids wear swim diapers. The result: very svelte French baby butts in the pool - but god knows what goes on in the pool!!! And I know all those kids cannot be toilet-trained!
On that disturbing note, I take leave now and will be back when I am feeling less lethargic and more rested!
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