Baby Shower!

On December 19th, my awesome sister-in-law Jessica hosted my baby shower at her house. It was more of a get-together than an actual baby shower (no games, no gift opening ceremony) and it was perfect. The decoration was really cute, the lion-theme spot on, and our friends and family made the event successful and fun. Here are a few pics of the elegant decoration Jessica put together:




We got tons of books, lots of generous gift cards from our family, and plenty of cute clothes. This baby boy is already spoiled!

it ain't easy studying...

... with a cuddly dog!

Vegas!

A couple of weeks ago, I flew to Vegas for 24 hours to see my dad, who was there for a week-long work conference. He had gotten really sick that week -probably had to do with the crazy A/C hotels put on to keep their guests awake- so we went out for meals and mostly stayed in the hotel and chatted. I have to admit we were quite typically French in that we stayed in the restaurants we went to for about 2 hours, just talking. It was really good to see him one-on-one and to spend quality time together. I miss him SO much. Next time I see him will be at the end of June, when he comes for 3 weeks to visit the baby. I don't think about distance too much but sometimes I pause and realize that I see my family members for about 7 days a years. Total. Now with my parents being divorced it will be even less -because I might not be able to stay in France for a whole 2 weeks. I hope we can manage something where I go there once a year and they come here once a year. That would be ideal!

Here is a picture of us after dinner:

Wordless Wednesday - World AIDS Day

A Message to my Hormones

Chill the eff out!

Crying in front of HGTV when some chump proposes to his girlfriend is ok because I'm home and no one is there to witness the incident but crying at work is not fine. At all. Tuesdays we have devotions at work, and today's theme was AIDS -World AIDS Day is tomorrow. My friend Melanie did an awesome job talking about AIDS projects our organization is funding and about the 2015 Millennium goals. She talked about how infected mothers can, if they take ARVs, deliver healthy babies. She talked about children whose parents have AIDS and about moms who have healthy children but who worry about their kids. And that did it: I thought about how I worry for my baby -am I eating the right thing? Is he going to be all right?- while knowing that I'm healthy. I cannot start to imagine what sick moms must feel about their unborn babies and about the lives that their children will have. Oh man... It's amazing how when you have a child everything that may harm children -from illnesses to child abuse- takes on a very personal face: your child's. So that did it. I cried for a good 10 minutes.

Next time I go to devos -and next time I watch Oprah, and er, pretty much at all times- I'll bring a kleenex or two.

Monday's Random Thoughts

- I am less than productive today. I blame it on the Thanksgiving mini-vacation.

- Joe and I can't agree on a name for our little one. We agree on our top 5 names, but not on THE name. It's okay, we still have time.

- I was entertaining the thought of applying for grad school (master of social work) in March, but I think I'll pass. I don't think it would be wise for both of us to be studying. UW has a great 3-year, part-time program which allows students to go to classes for 2 full days 4 times a quarter only, but still. I have a few months to think about it, but right now it seems that it's not the best choice for our family.

- I decided not to write anything about politics after the November elections. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed that so many people would vote for Republicans whose only platform was to refuse any social progress in the sectors of health care, child care, and overall solidarity. Still, let me just say this... I hope the Dream Act passes before the new Congress comes in place in January. With a conservative Congress, this immigration reform would never pass, so I hope there is time to pass this into law. The Dream Act would allow adults who immigrated to the US as children to become US citizens if they have been in the US for more than 5 years straight and if they enlist in the military or go to a higher institution (toward their BA) for 2 years. The US is, for most of them, the only home they know and it would be good for this country to show a bit of mercy and grace to these now adults.

- To go back to something entertaining, here is a picture of my mini-bump at 20 weeks (we're halfway there!):

and some pictures of nurseries I like and might try to replicate in all or in parts (needless to say, blue is my favorite color):

Thanksgiving Weekend

It is the end of Thanksgiving weekend. I love this 4-day weekend we have every year during which most of us pause a little and remember the things we are thankful for. On my list: Joseph, my family, my friends, a house, a job that allows flexibility and sometimes travels, my dogs (why yes, I am thankful for them, too), and of course, the baby boy who's growing inside me. This past year -November to November- has been eventful. Joe and I have gone through highs (baby! new place to live! grad school!) and lows (miscarriage at the end of December and some recurrent family issues). Overall it's been a good year and I do give thanks for all that we have.

We spent Thursday afternoon with our downstairs neighbors, who are in Seattle for a year only. It was nice to spend time together as both their family and ours are not from here and therefore don't have other family members to celebrate this day with. On Friday, we went to Macy's but decided not to shop further as the mall was crowded and pretty crazy. This weekend, we pretty much relaxed and watched a lot of football. Because of the snow, Joe didn't have school at all this weekend. It was so nice to spend every evening together. Only one more month and we're on vacation. We can do it -well, HE can do it!

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving weekend.

It's a BOY!

So obviously I was wrong... Baby Trainer is a boy! We went for our big ultrasound today and I saw the baby's goods before the ultrasound technician said anything. But then she said "oh yeah, no doubt, it's a boy all right." Yeah... I thought I saw that. Holy Molly... I was pretty speechless. It felt like I had to reboot my brain because every image I had of this baby was of a baby girl -all the decor for a nursery, clothes, name, etc, were for a girl. I seriously was SURE that it was a girl. I knew I had my gut feelings were usually bad, but I didn't know it was that bad. Oh man, what a (good) shock!

So it's a boy, and we're really excited. Now we go back to the drawing board as far as names and nursery decor are concerned (any idea for decor?).

Here is Baby Boy Trainer at 19 weeks -measuring 20 weeks and a few days:

To end this surprising day, I spent 3 hours in traffic tonight because of the snow. I love the snow -but really don't quite like this traffic. I'll post pictures of the PNW under the snow soon. It's really pretty.

Snow and BOY. What a day!!

Grad School

Well, my friends, grad school has been a course in "butt kicking 101." Joe has been overwhelmed with an insane amount of work lately, and of course an insane amount of homework (weekly readings and assignments). It's been quite difficult to organize and manage it all. He's trying to give 100% to both school and work and I'm afraid something's going to have to give. Fortunately, Joe knows he's not alone as his accounting prof made a joke yesterday about how "by that time all of you have probably kicked your dogs and gotten into fights with your significant other." Yeah... That's about right. The first quarter is said to be the hardest, and it hasn't disappointed! It's been tough. I also find myself trying to adapt to not seeing him that much -he studies in the guest bedroom- and to having to do a bunch of stuff on my own, like chores, grocery shopping, etc. I thought I'd be fine with grad school because I am a mega school nerd and understand the need to study a lot when you're in grad school. I actually found myself resenting Joe a lot and pretty much acting like a b- to him. So we had a little talk and we're good. I need to be more supportive. it's not all about me anymore. WHAT?!? Yeah, I know, shocking.

We're only in the middle of quarter 1. I can't wait for our Christmas vacation when we'll chill and get to enjoy time with each other knowing that there is no work or assignment to be done. Only 8.5 quarters to go!

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

The good: my mini-bump is starting to show!

10 weeks. Normal belly bump.

13 weeks. 1st time I wore maternity jeans. I love the fact that they're bigger at the hips!

16 weeks in the morning (this morning). Looks chubby. Ugh. Superficial, moi? You betcha.

16 weeks in the evening (yesterday night). Can you say "bloating?"

The bad: acne! WTF?

The ugly: um, hair growing everywhere. Seriously, this is ridiculous!

The weird: Braxton Hicks contractions. They started about 2 weeks ago. I thought it was the baby "coming to the surface" but nope, those are just normal contractions. They're weird. And they're regular. I don't feel them during the day because of the way I sit, but at night but I lay down to watch TV/read, I feel them a lot.

So I'm at 16 weeks and a couple of days now. It feels great not to be nauseous or tired. In a future post, I'll rant about politics and will let you know of my latest thoughts about the future in terms of career and where we want to live. Stay tuned :)

Parental Rights

I just finished reading "War on Moms." That book was quite the eye opener. I do complain a lot about my child-focused organization's lack of real parental policy, but compared to other companies or organizations, I realize I am lucky to have any rights at all. I'n not going to compare the US to Europe or Canada -or Kenya, or any other other country with actual parental leave, for that matter- because that would not help at all. Ok, just because it needs to be said, Sweden offers parents 3 years off that parents can split any way they want. THREE years to be with their children, after which school is free. That's when I start crying.

The US has very poor parental policies. Paid time off after delivery is usually not universal, and adopting parents often are discriminated against -because they don't need to physically recover. Bonding time with children is not at all facilitated. New moms pretty much have a choice: go back to work full time or quit altogether. It's so rare to find part-time or shared work with good benefits. To add to that, daycare is super expensive.

So on one hand, I am grateful to work in an organization that gives moms partially paid time off after delivery/adoption, but on the other, I am still very frustrated at the lack of compromise companies are willing to make to accommodate new parents. Look around you. How many parents do you know wish they could work part time but don't have that option? I'm sure that would be quite a few.

Ok, that post doesn't really have a conclusion. It was more of a rant. Now I'm going to read some fiction that is not going to make my blood boil!

I Got a Feeling...

That the baby will be a girl. I would be super happy with either. I just feel it's going to be a girl.
I have about 15 names for girls and hmmm, 3 for boys. I'm going to have to massively brainstorm if we have a boy!

Are you now stuck with the Black Eyed Peas song in mind? You're welcome!

Ubuntu Turned Inward

When this blog started a few years ago, I wanted to write about humanitarian issues and how we have to get off our butts and do something to equalize revenue and power in the world. With time, my posts have moved away from this goal and have been more and more about me. With this pregnancy, I feel that this trend is not going to get much better.

I find myself pretty torn these days. I am still interested in what is happening in the world, of course, and really want to be part of the solution. Right now however, my whole focus is on the little one growing inside my belly and I find it very difficult to be energized about anything else. I read books about motherhood in the US (those are depressing), read pregnancy magazines, and don't relate to anything else. Part of it is because it is difficult for me to imagine my life in the next few years apart from motherhood (job, studies, life in general), and part of it is simply because of what is happening to my body. I hope to be bored with pregnancy-related topics soon and regain interest in the world!

As of now, the Ubuntu philosophy ("I am because you are") rings true of this inward phase: all that I do is for another person whom I must nurture. It's a new experience for sure, one that i am enjoying immensely, but also one that makes me self-centered and a little boring. Please give me some grace in the next few months as this blog will probably be about the baby and me. Soon enough, I'll talk about other subjects.

On a somewhat related note, I noticed in the past that a lot of very pregnant women always touch and rub their tummies. I thought that was weird, but now I do it all the time -and I'm not even showing yet!

A New Life

One evening early August, Joe and I came back home from a delicious happy hour -the place is called Bottle House, in Madrona, and their wine/cheese combo is the cheapest and most delicious I have tasted. I thought that one glass of wine was nice, but come on now, another one at home (free!) would be an excellent idea. Just then the image of a baby inside a womb popped into my mind. Seriously! Needless to say, I was freaked out enough that I didn’t get that second glass of wine. Just because you never know. I didn’t think much about it until Joe was away on a weekend at his parents’ and I poured myself a glass of wine. The same image of an fetus came to me. Er… oookay, now that was spooky. So I took a pregnancy test (you know where I’m going with that story, don’t ya?) and sure enough, it was positive.

HOLY CRAP! You’re lucky I’m polite.

Joe and I were just thinking that this life without kid was awesome, that we could wait a few more long months to try to conceive as he would start school in the fall and I wanted to spend a month somewhere in the field. Ha. Haha. Hahaha. Guess who had other plans? MY BODY! So here we were, a few weeks later, expecting a baby.

I was quite ambivalent for the first couple of weeks. Once the shock had passed –no more wine, no more suchi, no more brie, no more spending a whole month in the field, thoughts of labor and stretch marks and no sleep, waaah- I felt elated about the sesame seed growing inside me. Weird how you go from reasoning to falling for someone you haven’t met yet but who suddenly means the world to you and whom you would do anything to protect.

And then the sesame seed started acting up. Nausea, exhaustion, more nausea. I mean, it was not that bad, but I’m a huge wuss, so feeling a little nauseous is really uncomfortable (what? Wait ‘til labor? Hahaha. Shut up). In the morning I didn’t have anything in my stomach and felt like throwing up, but then any kind of food disgusted me and I couldn’t eat anything, which upset my stomach even more. And then there were the headaches and the bloating. Aaah, Heaven. I wrote it all down so that one day I can prove to that screaming teenager that I suffered injustly, too, now go to your room and do your homework. Oh, the good thing is that I was so disgusted by food that I was not craving brie or wine or sushi. I seriously thought that I would not really handle the no drinking game very well, but it has been really easy. Well, my appetite is coming back now, and with it the sweet craving for wine. Oh well.

And of course, there is nothing like the prospect of gaining 30+ pounds to make you realize that, um, these past 8 months not working out are certainly not doing you any favors. So I started eating right and will start working out. Next week, my friend Jen and I (she’s also pregnant and due a month before me) will start yoga.

So that’s it. We’re super excited. I can’t wait to start feeling him/her move inside my belly. I can’t wait to see my belly grow. I can wait to see my butt grow, though. I can’t wait to start teaching him/her French cuss words. I kid, I kid. Kinda.

Here is the baby, at 12 weeks and 5 days (this morning). S/he is due mid-April. Let the countdown begin!

School Is Starting!

Joe's school, that is! He has his first two full days on Friday and Saturday (mainly introductions and first class). He has to finish an accounting book before the first class, will be given an assignment to complete this weekend, and has a crash course in accounting Tuesday after next. The first regular class will be on Wednesday, September 29th. He is quite thrilled to be starting school, and understandably a bit stressed too. He is looking forward to going back to college, learning new things in a competitive environment, students discounts, and new friendships. I am looking forward to watching documentaries and... no more Monday night football! Score. Still, I am wondering how often we'll get to spend quality time together.

I don't think neither Joe nor I imagine how life is going to change because of grad school. We know it will be different, we know Joe will be busy, but we cannot yet really have a clear picture of what it's going to be like. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

La Routine

Life this summer has been good. Tennis, dinners with our wonderful neighbors, walks with the dogs in the neighborhood, work (bleh), chilling at home, trying to find my passport (fail), and some more chilling. The weather hasn't been great so we have spent quite a lot of time indoors. It's been pretty perfect.

It's the end of August already. This is craziness.

I will try to be more interesting in my next post!

Ruined

Joe took me to a play on my birthday. The play is called "Ruined" and it deals with the situation in East Congo -rapes, war, and survival. It was beautiful, humorous, musical, and poignant. I couldn't stop crying when one of the characters recounted her experience of being abducted by rebels, held in the forest for 5 months, and rejected by her husband and entire community once she was released. Her whole story -from her abduction to the horrible rape experiences and rejection by her husband- is the story of many women in Easter DRC. I read quite a few of those in my first days at Panzi, when I was trying to know the hospital and the women better -I didn't speak Swahili and didn't want to have the women recount their stories to a stranger, so I read their intake paperwork instead. The actors are excellent and their attitude -from their accent to their gestures- really rang true. We just loved it.

I didn't know this coming in, but the theater was actually running a donation campaign for the Panzi Hospital. We didn't donate in the theater but I will send them a package soon. That experience in the DRC was so miserable that I slammed the door shut when I left and never re-opened it. Now is time for me to re-open the door and do something to support this hospital and its staff who work tirelessly to heal and re-integrate women in their communities.

Ruined is not playing anymore (if it is, I encourage you to see it pronto), but if you want to know more about the situation in East DRC, here are a few links you can go to:

www.panzihospitalbukavu.org

www.healafrica.org (the other Kivu hospital, located in Goma)

www.womenforwomen.org (to sponsor a woman in the DRC)

www.easterncongo.org (Affleck's NGO -quite promising)

30

I turned 30 on Friday. I was not happy about turning 30 and I am still not sure I'm embracing this age quite yet. I really did like being 20-something. I hope I am not supposed to act all grown up and think before I talk/write now.

Friday was actually pretty uneventful. I usually don't like to celebrate my birthday, so Joe and I went to dinner on Thursday night, cancelled our reservation for Friday night (at a great restaurant, but there's so much fat we can eat in 2 days!), and we spent the day driving around town, running errands -nice errands, though. In the evening we saw the play Ruined -which I will discuss in another post. All in all, pretty good day.

It's fun to compare where I thought I would be at 30 to where I am at:

* Thought I would live in the US: check.

* Thought I would be living in the sun: Seattle, you're killing me!

* Thought I would be married: check.

* Thought I would be married to a famous person: not yet (what? Joe might be famous one day).

* Thought I would have a child: working on that.

* Thought I would work in the entertainment industry: nope.

* Thought I would do something good for other people: through work, yes.

* Thought I would be filthy rich: damnit, no.

* Thought I would have a rock star body (not the mix-of-coke-and-booze type, but the awesome type): hahahha.

* Thought I would be rid of my fear of flying: uuuugh, that's a no.

* Thought I would own a house: no, but I like renting, so that's fine.

Well, that's pretty much all I thought. Not bad, akshully. I like where I'm at. I have been immensely lucky in my life (I wanted to write "blessed" but then I'd have to have a conversation with one of my besties about that, so let's leave it at lucky!).

So I think I'm ok being 30. Let's see what this new decade brings.

And Breathe!

I deleted my last post because I realized it might have been offensive. While I still very much am in favor of gay marriage -and hope that today it will be reinstated in CA- I didn't want to hurt any person who believes otherwise. Well, not that thousands of people read the blog, but still.

Anyway, today could be a good day for progress toward more equality and justice. I'll leave it at that!

Boot Camp Experiment: Bust!

All right, this waking up at 5:30 thing didn't work out for me. I quit. Well, I can still go until August 4 and I might try to wake my butt up, but I have a seriously may-jah hard time waking up early. So boot camp / sweat / pain Vs sleep? Yeah, sleep wins, hands down. Plus I have been feeling pretty much like crap lately. It's Depression Central in my mind, and I just don't feel like doing anything that requires effort. last Monday was the 18th anniversary of my father's death, and while usually I don't really care this time it hit me like a crap load of bricks. I just felt sad and angry. Today I have been cranky and super depressed. I can't blame it on the weather, since it's been sunny this whole time. I don't know what is happening. I just need to stop staring at my belly button and focusing so much on me-me-me. I think I need a vacation -I haven't had one since last September.

So all that to say I am almost officially done with boot camp. I'll just play tennis now. I can play in the evenings and actually enjoy it. Except when I'm cranky and want to smash my racket on the ground. But that doesn't happen too often...

Happy Birthday Mr Mandela!

Yesterday was Nelson Mandela's birthday. He turned 92. He and Desmond Tutu are probably my 2 favorite people on earth -the Dalai Lama is right up there as well. He is the image of peace, compassion, smart politics, and reunification.

I pray he doesn't leave this world too soon. The world needs him a little more.

I Miss France

Just sayin'.

I do well here in the US. I like the country (most of the time!) and love my life. But sometimes -like today because I know it's July 14th and people celebrated- I miss French people, however frustrating they can be, and French culture, especially books and movies. I just miss feeling I'm at home. Actually when I am in France I feel at home and I also feel like a stranger because I have missed so much, in terms of music and TV and daily references. But being in France is... I don't know. It just feels natural and easy. I am so fortunate to have an awesome French colleague with whom I work closely. We laugh together like no other and have the same cultural references. That helps.

So right now I wish I could be home, with my family. I wish I could tease and hug my brother. I wish I could walk in the streets of Paris, take the metro, see my friends, speak French, and enjoy Bastille Day with the rest of my country.

Wuss

My life is not super interesting at the moment (work-home-work-home), so thank God for boot camp!

This past Monday, I realized that, yeah... I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to working out! Kelly says "10 more seconds" and my brain goes "all done!" She says "20 push ups" and my brain thinks "riiight, try 10." And as soon as it starts hurting (push up #3. Did I mention I do half push ups?) my body is all "DOOD, ouch. Stop. Now." And for some reason I listen to my brain and body. I wish I were one of those people pushing through the pain, but nope. I STOP. Seriously, when I was 11 I got a note from my doctor saying I had asthma because I didn't want to run during gym class. Yeah, that's my level of commitment to anything cardio/gym/pain-related. Imagine me giving birth. "Oooh, yeah, ok, that was fun, but I'm not going to go through with that. Pushing? Nuh-uh, I don't think so. I'll just stop and see what happens."

So the challenge to myself for the next boot camp is to go to the end of 2 exercises -plank, running around the block, anything! Just push through the pain and build up some resistance and strength.

On a totally unrelated note, Happy Bastille Day!

Boot Camp - Week 1

I started boot camp on Wednesday morning. It was so difficult to wake up at 5:30, but so great to be done with my workout at 7am! We were indoors and did a bunch of stuff, from push-ups and running around the block to crunches and leg exercises. It was tough, but it was fun. I have no cardio whatsoever, but plan on building that in the next few weeks -maybe I'll run around Greenlake on the weekend. I couldn't finish some of the circuits and cut my number of push-ups from 20 to 10 to... well, not that many! I sweated way too much and breathed like a smoker running a marathon. The next day I rediscovered some muscles I thought were long gone. Well, welcome back to my life, my precious!

The woman leading the boot camp, Kelly, was super nice and encouraging. All the girls there are also really nice. I was afraid there would be some competition, but nope. Oh, the best part: they give you free Vitamin water and I also got a free yoga mat. Score!

Thanks to the heat here I haven't eaten too much and have lost a couple of pounds. I was afraid I would eat like a pig because "hey, I burnt many calories this morning" but that hasn't happened. Not yet anyway.

Next session: Monday. And oddly enough, I can't wait!

Change

Post in which I sound even more spoiled and whiny than usual.

This moving experiment has taught me a few things. The main thing is this: I do not like change when it comes to the place I live. I can handle and welcome any other changes in my life, but where I spend my down time is not something to be taken lightly. I have been thinking about our former apartment building a little too much in the past few days and I do miss it. Yes, the apartment was small and probably over-priced. Still, we had all the amenities we wanted and the comfort of being taken care of by the building people. I had created a routine for myself when I worked from home. I didn't work from home because the dogs are too demanding but I worked from the community room (and I could watch the soccer games from the TV there). Now I have to create a new routine, and, as I said... I do not quite like it. As much as I want to believe that I'd be fine in any environment, I am not. As a child I could never sleep at a friend's house because I needed my bed. Yeah... that should have told me something! Even now, I can only stand to sleep at someone else's place when it's only for a day or two. After that I mentally freak out and want to go home.

This inability to adapt to change in my living conditions is what made me really dislike my time in Bukavu. And that makes me think that maybe I should revise my career and work with kids locally. Because as much as I would like to be seconded somewhere (and I now have to really seriously think about one opportunity with work), I now know I might be miserable and only count the days until I am home again.

Now I am counting the days until Joe comes home and we make this place our home. Hopefully this will happen soon. I don't like not feeling at home in my own home.

Evening update: well, today was a good day actually! It started by a bootcamp session at 6 (more on that later), then the dog park, then work. I actually felt good in the house. I talked a bit more to my downstairs neighbor, Megan. She's the nicest person! She and her husband are from Dallas and will stay in Seattle for a year. They miss their community and want to make friends. I hope we'll hang out often. So right there, in my house, are great potential friends. It's all going to be all right. This feels good.

I am bored.

Joe has left yesterday morning for the East Coast for a few days of vacation and a couple days of work in Boston during the weekend. He's coming back on Sunday. Usually when he's gone I enjoy myself thoroughly. Not this time. This time I am bored. As in I don't feel like doing anything. I don't feel like cleaning, putting things together in the new house, reading (there you know I have a problem!), watching tv (oh wait, I don't have cable yet, so I can't watch TV anyway). What did I do before when Joe left? I don't like being bored. Granted, I am not a very creative person when it comes to finding things to do. You could put me in the middle of Time Square and I'd find a way to be bored. Still. I am almost glad I have to go back to work tomorrow, and I am already dreading next weekend. Come back home, Joe!

Note: I do realize that I am spoiled and that the minute I give birth I will remember this blog post fondly.

Boot Camp!

No more excuses! After years of complaining about my weight, various attempts at working out on my own, and long summers wearing only pants, I have decided to finally do something concrete that will make me work out: I signed up for boot camp. This awesome program has a promotion I just couldn't resist: $60 for a whole month of boot camp. So I signed up and am going to go twice a week in the mornings. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm so excited!

My Husband Rocks

Joe is accepted into the evening MBA program. He starts in September. Thinking that he'll be a graduate in 2013 seems like the end of the world, and thinking that we'll have been in Seattle for 7 years is scary, but at the same time it will allow us to finally settle down a bit and enjoy our friends and surroundings without thinking about leaving.

He's going to work full time and go to class on Mondays and Wednesdays for 3 years. I think he will focus on leadership and international business. He's going to take full advantage of what UW has to offer, from the gym to the tennis courts and French classes. This is so exciting, and I couldn't be prouder of him.

Way to go, Dawg!

The image is the new B-school hall, which will replace the Soviet-like Balmer hall. It's going to be ready in September, just in time for the new class to start.

June Update In Pictures

The World Cup started on June 11. Needless to say, I am a little bit over the top excited!


At the end of the month Joe and I are moving into a new place. Obviously not this house (but posting a picture of a random house seemed a bit awkward). We are staying in Seattle but we're moving to another area, further from the city center but more spacious. We have space for you, out-of-towners. I will post pictures when we're there.


I went to OC last weekend to prepare and attend the shower of one of my besties, Lynn. I can't wait to see her son, Peyton, and to see her as a mom. She's going to rock.

So that's pretty much it for now! June should be filled with work, tennis, longer days, rain (aaaaah, Seattle...), moving out, moving in, and time with friends.

Babies (The Documentary)

On Friday night a couple of girlfriends and I headed to Tacoma to watch the documentary "Babies." I haven't stopped talking about it to Joe since. The documentary shows four babies from their birth to their one year birthday -or about the time they stand up and walk. They're from Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and the US. The first scene is in Namibia and 2 toddlers fight for a toy. One of them leans toward the other... and bites him! This is such a universal tendency it seems. I was almost expecting to hear the bitten baby scream "Charlie bit me!" The whole documentary was just fascinating. It's so fun to watch baby discover their feet, eat everything they find, play with pets, throw tantrums, smile, dance, play, imitate each other, and relate to their parents. All 4 babies, obviously regardless of their country and of the way they were raised, hit milestones at about the same age and in the same way (ah, that proud smile when they stand up alone!). After watching the babies from Namibia and Mongolia, the classes and books parents read in the US and Japan seem pretty un-necessary. I know, I know. I'll probably gorge on books when I am pregnant and a new mom. But I'll keep in mind the documentary and the organic way some children in the world are raised.

If you haven't seen this documentary, go. It's worth it!

And speaking of movies... Joe and I are going to see 10 movies at the Seattle International Firlm Festival. We have been in Seattle for four years and have never been there. So this year I bought a pass to force us to go. We watched The Hedgehog today, a French movie about life seen through a smart 11-year old's eyes. The movie was really good. As an added bonus, it was really good to watch a French movie and see actresses I know and enjoy. 1 down. 9 to go.

Book Quotes

I just started reading a book, and so many good quotes are buried within the first 20 pages that I had to share some with you. I love this book already!

"Women do different things when they're depressed. Some smoke, others drink, some call their therapists. [...] And I do what I have always done -go off on a book bender that can last for days."

I often read books in my baths, so this quote hit the mark: "Within my bathroom walls is a self-contained field of dreams and I am in total control, the master of my own elegantly devised universe. The outside world disappears and here, there is only peace and a profound sense of well being."

Oh, and that one is just spot on as well: "I collect new books the way my girlfriends buy designers handbags. Sometimes, I just like to know I have them and actually reading them is beside the point. Not that I don't eventually read them one by one. I do. But the mere act of buying them makes me happy -the world is more promising, more fulfilling. It's hard to explain, but I feel, somehow, more optimistic. The whole act just cheers me up."

I can't wait to read the rest of this book, called Literacy and Longing in L.A. It's a chick lit but it sounds like a very good one already!

Our Routine Lately

Reports for me and trip bookings for Joe during the week. Plus basketball games and some TV shows I can't miss (Nurse jackie, Tudors, The Good Wife). Weekends are filled with dog parks when the weather is good, church on Sunday morning for me, and afternoons of reading and chilling. Love it!

Joe has received an interview notification, which will be the final step in his Foster application. If he's accepted into the evening MBA degree, we will be in Seattle for 3 years. That means we can really settle in and relax. Our next 3 years are taken care of! Joe is da man. I am so proud of him for getting this interview. Please pray/think positive thoughts about his acceptance in the program.

That's it. Life is good overall!

Mid-Year Resolution

Yesterday I spent some time at the Seattle’s Japanese Garden. This place is a haven of peace and quiet in the middle of the city. It is a place conducive to reflection.

So I reflected.

It’s time I put my money and energy into what is the most important to me at this time. If you looked at my budget, you’d think my focus is on eating out. You’d be right. I love eating out. But it’s not healthy and it’s expensive. It is clear to me –and was really clear yesterday as I sat down in the garden- that I need to be healthier, both physically and emotionally. That means I have to calm down instead of always thinking and fretting about the future –where to live next, what job to apply to next, what school to go to next. That also means I need to get out more, work out again, and above all stop harming my body with gross food and alcohol. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to become a vegan or that I won’t drink wine anymore. It just means I need to do things moderately.

I also need to be a happier person. I need to stop my lazy routine and really start doing things that are good for my soul. That means I’m going to keep on going to church, go to museums, go on hikes, get outside, and do something creative.

I need to broaden my horizon a bit, add colors to my life, and be good to my body.

It’s like New Year resolutions, except I need to really keep these ones if I want to be a healthy and happy person.

I will go back to the Japanese Garden often, to remember to take time to breathe and enjoy the sunshine.

Guess Who's Back!

Moi.

I am just back from a 2-week work trip in DC. I forgot my camera –though I usually forget to take pictures, even when I have it with me. The trip was good. During the weekend, I went to North Carolina to visit Jamie, a good friend who is in grad school at UNC. I had a fantastic time with her –we drank wine, watched a documentary, ate crappy food, and chatted for hours. Chapel Hill is a really cute town –a liberal bubble with a Southern feel populated by plenty of mid-thirty parents and intellectual students. I wouldn’t mind living there. I wouldn’t drive 4 miles out of Chapel Hill for fear of meeting them Confederates, but I still think I would have a pretty good life there. I saw as many Prius and Obama stickers as I do in Seattle. Aaah, home sweet home.

Speaking of Prius, Joe and I bought a new car -a Toyota Camry hybrid. I love it. We still have the 4 Runner, which we now call the Dogmobile, to go to the dog park.

The 2 weeks spent at work in DC were interesting. I realized that our office in DC is where the action happens and where everyone networks with everyone. I tried to meet as many persons of interest as I could. I am really bad at networking -I have no social skills- but I tried it anyway. We’ll see what the future holds. Well, the distant future, since I am very happy on my team and in my job for now.

No more trips for me until the summer. Then I should go to Eastern Europe or the Middle East. I have been away from home for 5 out of the past 7 weeks, and Joe was gone this weekend so it’s time to get back into the rhythm of things.

You know you’re welcome in the world of business travelers when… you are so busy you forget to buy a card for your husband for your 5^th anniversary. Oops. So yeah, it’s been 5 years. FIVE years. That means we’ve been together for eight years. Oh my. I feel old. I also feel lucky to have spent these years with him. We have quite a good life together. I was describing our life to a colleague and realized that we spend a lot of time together. We do the budget together, we cook together, we go grocery shopping together, and we watch UFC together (whaaa?). Oh, don’t get me wrong, we also fight together (though I have been known to give the silent treatment once too many). We’re just good. Together.

Insert yawn.

The Joy of Traveling

I traveled to the Philippines and Indonesia for 3 weeks in March. The trip was different from last one -in Sri Lanka- because we visited our programs for only 2 days and spent the rest of the time in workshops -read in conference rooms. I didn't experience anything truly local -apart from food, which I have to say was delicious.


There are a few elements common to all trips, though. One is that I am always afraid of sounding condescending when I talk to my colleagues -because I come from the US, which is the organization's biggest financial donor, which means that we are both respected and highly critized. Being from the US means that I represent both my organization's point of view, whether I like it or now, and the country's political position in the world, which is better now thanks to people's good opnion of Obama. Also, I don't want to be perceived as a white person who doesn't know anything about development's best practices -which is difficult since I feel I really do not know what I'm talking about most of the time! All of that means that I always try to find a balance when I travel between what I represent, what I can say, and the way I handle myself and approach people. It is always interesting to see yourself through other culture's eyes. I remember that in the DRC people couldn't believe the way white people treat their dogs. They kept asking me: "do you really buy special dog food? Do your dogs really sleep inside your house?" I could see in their eyes that they thought white people -wazungu- were crazy -and who could blame them?


The best parts of business trips for me are early morning/late evening alone time and car rides -the best thing would be to walk, but we mostly ride cars during these trips. The first gives me time to think, reflect, pray, and write. Business trips are draining, and it's good to go back to the hotel and just relax for a couple of hours before bed time. I come to a lot of aha moments when I travel and have time to be silent and think without interruption. I ofeten miss that when I come back home and get by into the rush of life without blinking. The second allows me to discover the culture of a country through landscapes and stolen moments. I love these little flashes of life -children playing, people chatting on the side of the road, women walking together. In the first week in the Philippines, we rode 8 hours in one day and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This trip was interesting. I met a lot of people, networked a lot, learnt a lot about myself (as cliche as it sounds) and about development. I also had time to appreciate new cultures, new food, and witness how people live their daily lives. I really love traveling -and love traveling to Asia in particular. Next up: DC for 2 weeks starting on Monday. I will be back right on time for Joe and my fifth annoversary. 5 years already. How time flies!




Cebu, Philippines.


Jakarta from hotel room.

Beautiful Blogger Award

My friend Jen, beautiful woman, soul sistah, fellow lol cat speaker and colleague without whom work would be dull, nominated me for a blogger award, which is so nice, considering I don't post that often -but hey, this is a good push to write more often! Thanks, Jen!

Here are the rules:

1- Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

2- Copy the award and paste it on your blog.

3- Link to the person who nominated you for the award.

4- Share 7 interesting things about yourself.

5- Nominate 7 other beautiful bloggers.

7 interesting things about me -well, "interesting" might be quite an overstatement...

1- I love to-do lists. I am so obsessed I even make lists of to-do lists.

2- You can bribe me with sour candies.

3- I can spend hours reading. Actually I do spend hours reading -magazines and books. I protest (Joe calls it nagging, I believe) a lot when Joe watches sports but truly enjoy the opportunity to read while he watches TV.

4- I know how to behave but lose all control during the football (real football, not the one sissies play with helmets and shoulder padding) and rugby world cup. I then become a rather loud French supporter.

5-I wanted to be a movie or documentary producer and studied film for a year at UCLA. I didn't like how fake people were and decided to pursue international relations instead. There went all hopes of having loads of money in my bank account.

6- I do not like anything with chocolate, lemon, or raspberry. Well, Snickers and Twix are the exception.

7- My favorite food is bread and butter. Followed closely by wine/cheese/bread. Actually I'll eat anything with bread.

Now on to my nominations:

1- Nancy, who should definitely blog again -because she's witty and insightful.

2- Sarah, whose blog is simply beautiful and inspiring.

3- Jane, emergency nurse and women's champion. She's one of my role models.

4- Sarah, incredible mother of 3 boys and gifted with amazing creative skills!

5- Heather, blogging about her life with her husband, awesome boy, and crazy dog.

6- Heidi, blogging from the OC, and living the life.

7- Kristi, superb writer and political soulmate.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I have been so busy at work and have crashed at home.

Fortunately, I am taking a break from the office starting next Saturday -though I won't be on vacation. I will be traveling for 3 weeks to the Philippines and Indonesia. I am so excited about this trip! I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeing the great work my organization is doing on the ground. I hope to post a few (hopefully) interesting posts from there.

That Was One Good Sunday

This weekend was very good. On Saturday morning I spent 2+ hours at Barnes while Joe was at a workshop at UW. We took the dogs to the beach in the afternoon because -miracle of miracles- the weather was actually good. We didn't do much during the evening but relaxed, which was pretty close to perfect since I have been feeling super tired lately. I mean, I turn off the lights at 10:30p, people. I am becoming a grandma -for all of you readers with children, no offense. I'm going to go to bed at 7:30p when I have kids, it's already decided!

Sunday was glorious!

#1- I went to a church which might become my home church: Ste Therese. The choir was lively and the people were of all ages and ethnicities. The sermon was good and given by an African priest. Most of all, I felt good in this crowd. I felt among "my people." I love the Catholic rites, and the fact that the masses are the same everywhere. I like shaking people's hands and wish them the Peace of Christ. I like taking communion.

I really tried to go to a church other than Catholic but I never felt like this was the right place for me. Don't get me wrong: I pretty much disagree with everything the Catholic church stands for but I am Catholic. That's part of who I am. Being Catholic is as true to me as being French. I might not like my government (I really do not like my government) but I am still French. If you want change, sometimes you have to be the change from within. So I have decided to go back to the fold and go to church in a liberal (the Catholic version of liberal!) Catholic church. I found it, I think.

Next Sunday I am going to another church, St Joseph, on Capitol Hill, and then I'll choose between the two.

#2- Joe and I went shopping! That was long overdue. I don't have enough clothes. When I say this, I mean that I have enough clothes compared to most people on the planet, but I don't have enough clothes for work. So I went to Express and bought a new pair of pants and a pair of jeans. The jeans were on sales and I got them for (special wink to Heidi)... $12. That's right, twelve dollahs. I was pretty happy about that! Then we went to Macy's to buy a pair of shoes with heels -because one day I would like to dress like a laydee!- and found one pair for $15 (regular price $70). I was one stocked woman!

Today I am wearing my usual grey pants/ greay sweater / NGO shoes. The usual. But I know that I have different clothes in my closet and that makes me happy.

#3- The Saints won! For once in my life I was interested in football. NOLA deserved to win and the Saints represent the heart of their city. It was good to witness this victory.

Pretty good Sunday, I'd say.

Now it's Monday and I have a hard time waking up, even with a double shot latte.

Oscar Season

February is back! That means that the Oscar nominations are out and it's time for Joe and I to rush to the movie theater to watch as many nominated movies as we can (in the biggest categories only). We have already watched half of the nominees for best picture: Up, Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds (I hope that Christopher Waltz wins for best supporting actor), District 9, and the Hurt Locker. So far I am on Team Hurt Locker. It's a beautiful movie about EODs (Explosive ordnance Disposal Teams, aka the bomb squads) in Iraq and it captures the difficulties and the adrenaline-induced-addiction of being a soldier there.

Next up: Avatar, the Blind Side, A Serious Man, Precious, Crazy Heart, and An Education.

Bets are open as to who will win in the main categories. Stay tuned as I give you my picks!

Want to read more about children in emergencies?

Then read this: http://ow.ly/XZs7.

Vlad The Man!

That's how Joe calls my brother. Vladimir is 20; He's sweet, funny as hell, patient, smart, and I love him more than I love anyone else on earth. I wish he could just move here with us. Then my life would be perfect!

2010

I am back! I deleted this blog at the end of 2009 because I felt I didn't have anything to write, yet I find myself thinking "I could write about this and that" so I am back.

The end of 2009 was a bit of a rollercoaster. I learnt I was pregnant but miscarried a couple of weeks after. Since then I have felt a bit depressed, a bit empty, but also positive that 2010 will be a good year and that I have to embody the Ubuntu philosophy. So 2010 will be a year of being good to myself, to others, and to the planet, which turned into 3 resolutions

- Be good to myself: cook healthy meals and work out (I have started working out at work during lunch time and we follow the "Insanity" workout, which is... insane!).
- Be good to others: become an advocate on behalf of a cause.
- Be good to the planet: buy organic food as much as possible and recyle (yes, I know... who doesn't recycle these days? Well, until recently, moi!).

I will try to keep updating this blog often, but I don't want this to become a burden. Still, keep checking in.

Of course, I have to mention Haiti. Please consider donating to an organization of your choice. Joe and I donated to the organization I work for, but there are a lot of good organizations out there that are doing a lot in Haiti -and have been there before the earthquake hit. The people of Haiti need your help.