a few reflections

Now that we've been in France for three months, a few reflections:

We are feeling very fortunate to have this experience, and we are enjoying it a lot. The girls (including Martha) have had great attitudes about learning the language, and are making a lot of progress. My dormant French (from living here for a year as a ten-year old, and then taking a couple classes in high school) has been better than I expected, although I won't ever be mistaken for a native speaker. It hasn't been all peaches and cream for Eve and Ella, as they often feel some boredom or frustration at school from not understanding what people are saying. Right now they're at the stage where they can say and understand bits and pieces, but not much more.

One of the best parts of our time here has been the natural beauty we're surrounded by. We are living in the countryside, and the sun light in Provence is as good as advertised. We've gone frequently to Aix en Provence to get a bit of city life, and it's a great place to walk around. One of our favorite aspects of Europe is how pedestrian-friendly a lot of the cities are.