Neuf Aujourd’hui
It's all coming together! Charlie's talking with vendors at the Halles, Luke's having his share of school adventures, Gabe had a successful food tour with Luna, and I've started speaking French in my sleep. Just last night, the four of us gathered for dinner, sharing laughs and jokes around the table in French, savoring fresh pasta covered with white truffles from Alba. C'est ça la vie!
Since Wednesday for Charlie is school-free, he gets to come to the Halles for the morning routine. This week, we started with a "coffee" at Lobita and ventured on for ingredients. For the past eight weeks, Charlie hasn't spoken much French. However, now everything changed. As we approached each vendor, he confidently pointed and ordered in French, a remarkable departure from his usual reserve.
On Thursday, while walking to school, we unexpectedly heard Charlie's name in the Jardin Public. When we turned around, there was Evie, Gaspar, and Basil rushing towards us with big smiles, incredibly excited to see Charlie. They greeted me and then headed off to school. I stood there, observing Charlie walking to school with friends—French friends in Biarritz. My eyes welled up with tears; it was a poignant realization that this transition was indeed happening.
Luke seems to be navigating a whirlwind of experiences at school, and his daily stories have become quite interesting and a bit concerning. On Monday, he animatedly described a fight involving multiple classmates off campus, which escalated to the point where older ladies felt the need to involve the police. Two versus one, full-on punching—the whole school as an audience. Luke found it exciting, but my parental concern meter hit an all-time high. And if that weren't enough, Friday brought news of a kid lighting fireworks in the bathroom. What on earth is happening at Fal? My French friend Cécile nonchalantly remarked, "C'est normal," chalking it up to the quirks of middle school-aged kids. Luke, however, found himself in hot water. Yep, Luke. It turns out he's been hanging around with some of the more mischievous kids, and, surprise, he got in trouble too. According to him, the teacher was yelling at the girls for unplugging computers, and despite him unplugging a computer only once, he ended up with a write-up that I had to sign. The plot thickens, and the middle school drama unfolds. Oh, the joys of navigating the antics of teens! This situation turned out to be a valuable teaching moment for us. We explained a fundamental life lesson: the company you keep shapes how others perceive you. While he might feel upset about the teacher's reaction, we emphasized that the true issue lies in the choices he made in associating with troublemakers. It's not about blaming the teacher; it's about taking responsibility. We stressed the importance of actively choosing better friends and putting in extra effort in class without any hint of bad behavior. The goal is to demonstrate to the teacher, over time, that he is genuinely a good kid committed to hard work and positive choices. It's a journey of self-improvement and building a reputation that reflects his true character.
On Mondays, I have a Pilates class instructed by Monika, one of the Surfmamas. We've decided that she should lead the session in French. During the last class, as she was giving instructions, I found myself frozen in my current position. A pause ensued, followed by laughter. It became evident—I had no idea what she was saying. As the class concluded, we decided on a 50/50 language split. Slowly but surely, I'm becoming familiar with the names of body parts in French. However, there's one word that continues to perplex me: "sol," which means ground. So, as I'm mid-Pilates move, all I can think is, what does the sun have to do with finding my core? Oh! I'm supposed to find my natural spine, you know, being grounded. The humor in the mix-up adds an amusing twist to my fitness routine. Oh la la, the joys of language confusion!
Last night marked a unique milestone for me—I was sleep-talking in French! Yes, you heard that right. Gabe, being the ever-vigilant documentarian, captured a video of the moment while Luke couldn't stop laughing in the background. While it adds to the collection of amusing videos showcasing Shawanda's nighttime revelations, this one holds a special place—it's a genuine testament to my progress. Sleep-talking in French? Now that's a language milestone worth celebrating!
Gabe: Where do we live?
Shawanda: We live at neuf aujourd'hui!
