Sunday: Pancakes à la Natalie!

Upon rising, I discovered Ralf and Margot watching a rugby match (Italy v. Ireland) on TV. I joined them and enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I think I get the general idea (if you have the ball, you book it towards the other end of the field and if it appears that you’re going to be tackled, you toss the ball backwards to a teammate) and I look forward to going to a real game in Tyrosse. They have a pro team and everyone around here is really into it.

When Catherine got up, we headed into the kitchen to attempt the pancakes. I had failed to make it clear that I needed whole-wheat flour, so we ended up using white (not a big deal). The curious mixture of the yogurt/cheese and milk seemed to work rather well and the pancakes cooked perfectly! While I was standing by the stove cooking them, Catherine was constantly yelling at the kids, who kept coming in to get more bread and jam (or nutella) for breakfast. They were very skeptical of pancakes and claimed that they didn’t like them. The maple syrup really weirded them out. In the end, when we all sat down to eat, they all loved the pancakes! Of course, they ate them with nutella instead of syrup, but who cares? Next time I’m supposed to make a double batch. J

This afternoon we went to the beach (it’s still super hot here)to cool off. There were even more people than last time! Families, couples, surfers, sunbathers (some with their tops on, a few without)--just lots of people enjoying the sun and waves.

Photo: Look down the beach, the little blobs in the background are ALL people!!!

I got in touch with the English assistant at the high school in Tyrosse (who is living in the seaside town of Capbreton, where we went to swim) and she came down to hang out.

Her name is Alison and she’s from Scotland! It was really nice to hang out with someone who is in pretty much the same situation and compare experiences. Unfortunately she forgot her bathing suit in Scotland, so we just waded in the water and talked. I didn’t get much swimming in (sadly), but I got a nice sunburn! I’m not a tomato, but I definitely got a lot of sun today.

Photo: Alison relaxing at the beach

When we got back to the house, I relaxed in my room and listened to music. It felt really nice to be in a dark, cool room. After dinner I watched the news with the family, then took my shower (I might have had a bit of sand in my hair…), and am heading to bed early. This week I have my orientation (on Weds), but Monday and Tuesday I am supposed to be at the school all day. Probably a good idea to start off with a good night’s sleep! And hopefully the internet will be fixed tomorrow!!!!