Dimanche, 1 Septembre
We woke up in Biarritz, a very last-minute trip to mark the end of the summer. Todd and Oli had been wanting to go surfing, so we decided to head to the place that’s known as the surfing capital of Europe, just two hours south of Bordeaux. We had enough credit card points saved up to get a nice hotel, so we rented a car on Saturday and found ourselves in French Basque country by lunchtime. Saturday was spent visiting the market, browsing the surf shops, hanging on the beach, and eating pintxos (it is just over the border from Spain, after all). This morning, the boys rented surfboards and attempted to catch some waves on the main town beach while I worked on a few articles in our hotel room. After checking out, we walked over to the aquarium, which had all of our favorite sea creatures (sharks, seals, jellyfish), then grabbed lunch at a cafe perched on the edge of a beautiful little cove. We stopped for ice cream on the way out of town, and it really did feel like the perfect way to bid adieu to summer.
Lundi, 2 Septembre
Today is la rentrée in France — back to school for the kids, and back to work for the many adults who took the entire month of August off. Oli actually had a couple of short days of school last week, offered to kids who need some extra assistance. We were all happy to find that he didn’t lose his French over the summer, and in fact he found it easy to converse with his maitresse and classmates. Thanks to a fellow parent at the school, we realized at the very last minute that today was actually a half day, so Oli got to have a chill morning before going in for the afternoon. He’s a bit disappointed that most of his friends were moved up to the next level, CM1, while he’s still with the same teacher in the combined CE1/CE2 class, or the equivalent of second and third grade.
Mardi, 3 Septembre
Like clockwork, there’s been a distinct shift in the weather this week. We went from sweating on the beach over the weekend to pulling out our sweaters and light jackets, the mornings especially brisk. It feels good to be returning to our school routine: Todd and Oli biking to school, Todd having cafe matin with some school parents then heading to the gym while I enjoy some alone time at home and start my own workday. Oli’s first full day back seemed pretty uneventful but satisfactory. He was happy to be able to reconnect with his older friends during the multiple recesses throughout the day. At his request, we ordered Domino’s for dinner. It was not good. Later that evening, he lost his fourth tooth, leaving a gap in his mouth that is borderline alarming.
Mercredi, 4 Septembre
I have some big deadlines this week, so Todd planned to keep Oli busy during his day off school. They hopped on the e-bike and headed across the river to pick up a friend, with plans to go to the rock-climbing gym. They never made it — Oli took a spill on the way there and got a big cut on his knee that required stitches. Plans aborted, they headed to the children’s ER. Todd reports that they didn’t wait too long, and the treatment itself probably would have been faster if the doctor hadn’t seemed so excited to practice his English. Oli was given a bit of gas while getting sewn up, which surprised us — he got pretty loopy, and he thought Todd had turned into the sun. They left without paying a cent, and I’m pretty sure we won’t be receiving a bill, either. Oh, how we’ll miss the French healthcare system.
Jeudi, 5 Septembre
Oli’s birthday is in a few days, so we went on a long-promised outing to the LEGO store downtown. Our mission: To create 12 unique minifigures to give to friends in his party goody bags. We had a lot of fun building some crazy characters, then went downstairs to his favorite local restaurant, a conveyor-belt sushi place. After stuffing ourselves with edamame and spicy salmon rolls, we enjoyed the brisk weather on our walk back to the apartment. It seems that most of the tourists have left, and the locals have returned from their vacations, so Bordeaux feels like an authentic city once again. I am feeling so energized by the seasonal change—I have always wanted to experience fall in France, and so far it is just as gorgeous as I imagined it would be. I’m also loving the return of fall fashions—I’m seeing a lot of oversized blazers and Birkenstock Bostons and, of course, because we are in France, perfectly draped scarves. Maybe one day, with enough observation, I’ll learn how to wear a scarf like the French girls.
Vendredi, 6 Septembre
One thing that I still haven’t gotten used to here is the size of restaurants. The tables are often tiny and packed so closely together that sometimes the table has to be moved to allow for people to reach their seats. Todd and I went out to lunch at a favorite Cantonese restaurant today and I felt claustrophobic, nearly bumping elbows with the stranger beside me. On the other hand, I have gotten used to the lack of background music playing at restaurants and stores. I’ve realized that it’s really rare to hear music playing in public spaces here, whereas in the U.S., it’s omnipresent. Back home, I’ve suffered through so many meals with bad music blaring, struggling to talk over the din. It is nice to not have to compete with some restaurant manager’s poor taste in music. But on the other hand, I do miss the occasional dance party in the grocery store aisles.
Samedi, 7 Septembre
Today, our baby turned 8! We actually celebrated his first birthday in France, but this was the first time we’ve had a proper birthday party here. After waking us up at 5:30 a.m. to open presents, he played with his new Switch games for a while before we got on the tram and headed to Hapik, a favorite climbing gym. We had a dozen kiddos join us, a mix of French classmates and expat buds, so there was a lot of franglish spoken. Most of the French parents left to go shopping or have lunch during the party, while the English-speaking parents hung around and mostly stayed close to their kids. After a lot of climbing and zip-lining around, we had pizza and a brownie-like chocolate cake (no frosting, the French aren’t into that) and opened presents. I felt pretty lucky to look around at the little community of friends we have made in our time here, and especially proud of Oli. It’s been a big year for him, with plenty of challenges, but seeing him having a blast and speaking French with his friends was a good reminder that so much good has come out of this experience—for all of us.