Ma Première Semaine à Cherbourg

My first week here in Cherbourg has been really good. Marc started school for the first time this week, and I spent lots of time walking around, getting to know the routes to school and garderie (nursery), and to the shopping centre. I've just about learnt the route to school and town, and I think I know how to get to garderie too just about.

Marc has struggled with school this week. He's only 3 so starting school at 8:30am and finishing at 4:30pm is a long day, made longer by the 20 minute walk there and back, and also coming home at 11:30am for an hour and half lunch (not quite an hour at home).  As a child in 'Petite Section' he also has a scheduled nap time - which they call 'dark school' - for an hour when he returns after lunch. This involves taking a blanket, pillow and teddy to school, then taking off shoes and lying on a little bed in the semi-dark. He hates this as he doesn't usually have a nap, and although he is allowed to read books, it's not really that fun to have quiet time when you'd rather be learning/playing! On Thursday, he got sent home as he didn't want to lie down quietly in the dark and I think Fran & Charly have a meeting with the headteacher at some point about getting him out of 'dark school'.

Marc's school is a private catholic school. Private schools in France are apparently not very expensive. I think Fran said they only pay something like €11 a month, although in France, private apparently doesn't always mean better education. Private schools are also allowed to include religious aspects, such as in religious assemblies and prayer/hymns, whereas State schools are not. They are also allowed to adapt the curriculum slightly to suit them (provided they are still achieving results in the government regulated exams), and can have the Wednesday off without making up time on Saturdays - I think the state schools have to do standard Monday-Friday in most places now. Private schools can also have extra days holidays (though I think there's a limit) provided they give a clear reason for why - this means religious schools often have extra days off for religious holidays.

This week I have also been knitting again. Although I brought all of my needles and hooks, I didn't bring very much wool so was a bit annoyed because I don't have the colours I wanted. Fran is an avid knitter/crocheter however and offered me pretty much full rein of her wool supplies! (I'll just bring a load of mine back next time I'm home and let her use what she fancies to repay the favour). She's got some really nice DK wools and lambswools so I spent a long time trying to decide which to use! Fran also has a large collection of knitting magazines and one evening I sat and flicked through them all. I've been having a lovely time!

I've been eating much healthier, though still not back down to my happy size 8 (darn it). They eat well here. It's muesli and fruit/yoghurt for breakfast. Occasionally there's Croissants or Pain au Chocolat but only once or twice a week. Lunch tends to be either a soup (Fran made a lovely courgette soup the other day), or baguettes with ham/cheese/salad, or just salad. Today it was a really nice grilled chicken and mozzarella salad.

Carpaccio (raw beef) with four cheese Ravioli
and mixed Veg. Very tasty!

Most nights the kids will eat at around 6:30pm and then Charly with bath Aurianne while Fran reads Marc a story (in English), then they swap and Charly reads Marc a story (in french) while Fran gets Aurianne ready for bed, gives her milk and then tries to put her to sleep. I tend to stay out of the way of this as it's a pretty good routine, and so clear up the destruction that has befallen on the dining room table.

Charly, Fran and I tend to eat after the kids are asleep - often around 8:30pm, or sometimes later. This week we've had Thai/Asian takeout, homemade burgers, risotto, carpaccio with ravioli and veg, roast chicken and some pasta ready meals.

I'm also very pleased that my energy is finally starting to increase. I think that's a mixture between more sleep, being able to get up whenever I'm ready, rather than forcing myself up (Fran doesn't usually need me in the mornings - lunch times, afternoons, after school and dinner mainly), eating better and getting out more. I might even consider joining a gym or doing some other kind of regular sporting activity!

I'm also looking into doing an Open University degree - possibly English Literature and Language. I've got 5 more days til the deadline for this year's entry and am very tempted. They even have the option to do a French module which would be pretty handy given that I need to learn French! I think I'll make some enquiries on Monday!

I'm really pleased I'm enjoying my new life in Cherbourg. Life with Helene was so awful and I was really worried that I wouldn't get on well here either.