Improvisation

So usually I have more photos than words, but today I went to a two hour improv class. Yes it was all in French. No I wasn't the only non native French speaker. In fact, there were just 3 others girls, 2 Swedish and 1 Italian. All were au pairs. The teacher, Sebastian, was very funny. At first it was nerve racking. And I was really confused as to why I signed up for it in the first place, but I missed theater and acting. Plus, it was free! I knew it would challenge my French, but how do you expect to get anywhere if you don't challenge yourself.

It was nice because we didn't jump straight into speaking. He gave us time to get use to each other and him. He let us walk around the room and pick up props, familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. Then he would clap and we would have to freeze as if we were doing an action like playing a sport and someone would have to come and finish the action with us.

Next was "ah, j'ai compris, je vais" someone does an action (without speaking) and the first person to figure out what they are doing would jump up and do it with them. One time I pretended to plant a tree, so I started digging, some one comes and helps me dig and I hand them an invisible tree and we plant it together. 

After that we started adding speaking lines. Making up scenes and plots with only 2 minutes to prepare. Quite funny. We played a game where the point was to get the other person to say oui or non. 

Another group of girls came and joined us after that, they were the singing group. Then they chose our theme, and we got only 1 minute to make something up and we did it for them. It was called "The Gun and Love." I had a super beau gun which I adored so much and my femme got annoyed with me because I was always admiring my gun. Everyone wanted my gun it was so magnifique. So she left and ended up getting kidnapped. And when I went to find her they stole my gun and I had to chose between the fun and my wife. Of course I chose mon amour, c'est évidement. You had to be there, lots of improv going on since we only had time to get a rough plot line in place, had to make up lines just like that (it was very good for my French). 

We changed it up a bit and the girls from the singing group would be our voices, as we acted out, and make the sound effects. Very fun and interesting! I would do it again.

Selfies!

Went to see la belle et la bête musical production!

In jardin des plantes.

Last Saturday! This is our lives

Daisy chains and summer time

Bzz bzz

"Allo?"

"Bonjour Ashley! Ça va?" Sœur gerad 

"Euh... Oui, ça va, et vous?

"Ça va, merci, est ce que tu viens avec nous ce matin?"

"Ah, non avec Karl. Il vas m'amener."

"Ah! Mais oui, d'accord d'accord. Je vais te voir a l'église!"

"Oui à toute à l'heure."

What time is it anyway... 7am?! Are you telling me I had that whole exchange in French before I was even fully awake?

 Literally my conversation the other week

London!!

Carly, alandra, and I on our forty minute flight from Paris to London! Yes 40 minutes... The train to the airport was longer than the actual flight. We were sitting in the very back of the plain and when we got our drinks we had to chug them because we we starting our descent.

There were these telephone booths everywhere!

Love this picture!

Buckingham palace! We stayed for the changing of the guard. It was great... Not the best view, they did a lot of just marching around. I almost got ran over by one though! We were walking in the Princess Dianes memorial walk, and this guard was marching around and I didn't see him, luckily Carly and Alandra call me out of the way at the last moment. He did not look like he would have moved either!

We really lucked out with weather. It only rained the first day we were there!

Also.. So many different accents! It was hard to understand everyone!

And they had this at kings cross station! 

Museums

The last week I had vacation as the family went skiing in the alps... I wish I could've gone.. But it was nice to be alone, with no kids. As much as I love the girls, it gets tiring.

So, I had plans to visit 8 museums, if their was time. Knowing I probably wouldn't get to all eight I picked out the ones I ABSOLUTELY had to see. 

The first, Centre George Pompidou. If you are into that modern art sort of style then this is the one for you. There were some pretty cool exhibits, but mostly they were weird and I was surprised that it was considered art. For example, I walked into this one room that had all white walls, white ceiling, white floor, and that was it! That was the art! I felt like going up to someone and asking where it was. Another room was all red, but had raised shapes coming out of the walls.

I visited the pantheon. Gave me the creeps, as there were dozens of crypts in the basement. Crypts from famous French people like, Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Jean jaures, etc.

The rodin museum and the bourdelle museum, were both fantastic. Close to each other made it easy to visit both the same day. Very well layed out, you just had to follow signs and you would see everything. And both being small one could see all in an hour. 

Monet was amazing, loved him and water lilies. But they had a lot of other impressionists showing at that time too, and I loved them more. I couldn't take pictures sadly.

Oh right, and I dyed my hair! Red ombré! Carly and I did it together! 

Nickname

The girls have given me a nickname, it's so cute, with their Italian accents and everything.

They call me Ashley-o, but it ends up sounding more like ash-laay-o.

Ash-LAAY-o!!! Viens!! Regarde ash-laay-o! Ash-laay-o est-ce qu'on peux jouer sur la tablette?? 

Love them to pieces! 

Giulia and I.