Day 7 - Anduze (SJDG)

HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY TO HUSBAND!!

We went supposed to take a bus at 835am to the nearby town for a visit and the market
Luckily, aunt decided to go with us in her car that we left home at 930am instead.
The town was more lively and bigger that Saint Jean Du Gard
that husband and i really love the atmosphere and buildings...

We had lunch at a restaurant

but was trapped indoor when a big storm and wind came

which make it unsure to drive through the mountain roads.

after some waiting, wwe managed to brave through the rain to the car

and reached home safety 

We had a small birthday celebrations at home

and husband received plenty of gifts from the family

while my gift for him was still somewhere in the shipping. Haha

In the evening, we went for the bistro again for a family dinner

to celebrate husband and mother in law birthday.

We managed to see some shooting stars as it was the period for shooting stars in the area

and then it rained through our last night in SJDG

Day 8-

We woke up really early to prepare ourselves and spend some time with the grandparents

before taking the bus at 0715 to the train station.

As usual, i took the carsick pills and remained sleepy through the bus and train ride,

we reached home at around 1300.

And that was the end of our summer holiday 2015...

Day 4, 5 & 6 (SJDG)

Day 4 
was the best day of the trip because i did nothing
After the previous days of mountain and river,
i rested the day at home to nurse my muscle aches
while husband, his sis and bf  went to climb a more difficult mountain.

Day 5 
In the morning, we went to the market of the town
Which is supposed to be the most happening event of the village.
There was plenty of food, clothes and items 
Just that we didnt had enough time to explore all the market before lunch.
Anyway, i wasnt feeling too well from the heat and crowd...

we went back to the river but this time was to nua
We didnt walked too far into the river
and found a point to just lie and relax.
I think this is more my type of river exploration.
Lying around, do nothing, occassion into the water...
and finally i have the time and attention to look around,
instead of focusing on my feel in fear of falling in the river

Day 6  

In the morning, his sis and boyf went leaving for their 7hrs drive home

While the rest of the husband and i spent the day at home

and i managed to finished my book in a day.

Crazy how i left this book unread for 1yr+ and only ended up to be super interested in it

to finished it within 24 hours.

In the evening, we went for a show on the history of Catholics vs Protestants with mother in law

Again, my limited french did not help me to understand it

And that ends the slacking period of our holiday...

Day 3 - My first river (SJDG)

We went for a family lunch at a nearby bistro.
After lunch, we accompanied the sis and bf to buy the region's famous vase.
We thought to buy something for the new home,
but couldnt really think of what to buy.

Since sis and boyf went for canyoning at the river nearby the previous week.
We decided to go to the same river to explore.
Canyoning was basically going through the river, sliding down small riverfalls 
and jumping from the edges:

It was my first river exploration and i thought it would be an easy walk.

With my limited swimming skills and not loving water,

it ended up to be a very difficult river walk for me.

Husband assured me that it was a difficult route for canyoning

so it was normal for me to find it hard and suffer cuts on my the other leg

Yes, Saint Jean Du gard is dangerous for me, haha

I did tried my first jump from a 3m cliff

I think fear of bad swimming stopped me from trying other jumps

or going further into the river

that i just find a spot to relay and wait for them to return

We spent about 3 hours at the river and went back for dinner.

After dinner, we went for a theatre play with mother in law.

Sadly, my level of french is insufficient to understand the play

but its my first theatre experience in France.

With body and mind totally tired,

we knocked out early and fast that night...

Day 2 - My first mountain (SJDG)

We woke up early and had breakfast by 0845
Husband decided he want to come up a simple mountain
But first,
We are to visit the small local produce market,
Take a small walk around the village, 
And visit his uncle's grave.

Im not a big mountain fan,
So I suggested to do the above except the mountain.
In the end, I ended up accompanying the husband
To go up the "simple" mountain.

Rule no 1:
-Never trust the husband's memory
Husband been up the same mountain xyz times
He assured me is the smallest and easiler mountain
There are markers to follow and a path
In the end, we managed to fall of the trail
And end up really climbing the mountain.
There was no proper path for us
we went through scrubs, trees, rocks and slopes
Halfway, I was cut on the calf and fingee by a thorn
Crazily bothered by bees and some sort of mosquitoes 
flying around me and near my ears
That I wanted to give up
But realises the way backdown is as bad as how we came
And only can look forward to reach the top
Where a normal road will lead us down.

Rule no 2:
- When you are dressed for a walk, 
Dont go up a mountain.
I was dressed in shorts and a tshirt
I didnt even tied up my hair
And the worst, I put perfume!
I was totally unprepared to go through scrubs and trees
And insects loving my perfume.
At one moment, I was so desparate
That I tried to use husband's smelly tshirt as a hair wrap
But decided I cant stand the smell, haha
At least, I managed to reach the top 
Looking like a crazy woman
With cuts on my legs.

Rule no 3:
- Dont try to do so much, when you know grandparents are very particular about meal times.
The climb took far more time as expected
That we didnt really had time to rest on top
And even nees to do brisk walk
To be in time for lunch at 12pm

Thankfully, husband stayed calm despite my panic eps
And managed to calm me down
To survive to the top
I still got chased by few insects on the way down
But I was so glad to be on the road.
So much that I could kiss the road.

The rest of the day, I was just so tired
That I slept while husband went to the river
With sis and boyf.
The night, everyone was exploring the house
Digging old cupboards for books etcs
And we ended the day...

Day 1 - Saint Jean Du Gard

So, like typical french, 
We took another summer holiday!
This time, we went to Saint jean du gard
A small village amidst the river and mountains,
Near nimes (south of france)
Since husband and I are not great fan of sun,
It seems strange to be in the south
Where is hotter than in paris.
But the family house is here
And we get to spend a really wonderful time
With his mum, aunt, grandparents,
Sister and her boyfriend :)

Husband was happy that I came
To tell me stories of his childhood holidays here
I appreciate the opportunity to know the family better.
So, last friday, 
I woke up at 530am to make sandwiches 
For the 3hr-ish train ride.

There was a 50min train delay 
We reached nimes later and missed the direct bus
In the end, we took another bus to a nearby village
And aunt picked us all.
As usual, I was knocked out by the carsick pills
To survive the winding roads.
And I spent the rest of the day sleepy and eating. 

We managed to take a walk around
And a drink after dinner
And I drift to lalaland.
Sometimes, im amazed why carsick pills 
are sleeping pills to me
-,-" 

Durians!

After all the tempting fb post
I finally got my craving satisfied!

although they sell durians here 
at the asian supermarket (10€/kg)
I dont have the confidence to:
- choose a good one
-carry spikey fruit in metro
so, I bought a box of frozen durian!

Initially I was afraid that it wont be good
since vietnamese version of durian is hard
they claim our version of durians is over-riped
with the asian supermarket full of vietnamese stuff
I was worried that it will be their version of durian

After 2-3hrs of thawing,
I was happy to smell the familiar stink
and super glad the flesh was soft!
in the end, it tasted the same
as our normal durians!

Husband dont mind the smell
and finally tasted his first durian
well, in singapore he tasted durian puree
I will say he is very brave
he wanted to vomit at first bite
but thereafter enjoyed it
and want to share my precious durian

It is not cheap (5€/box of 4 seeds)
but im glad to know I can have durians!

Roles in life

Last week, i was complaining to husband (as usual)
and i think what i said made him feel really bad
But i guess is normal im feeling this way
especially now that im on holidays and staying at home to avoid the sun, haha

I miss the different roles i used to play in my life
I know with the technology advancements, eg whatsapp, FB
im still playing these roles virtually (mentally and emotionally)
Yet, i cant help missing to be physically involved in these roles.
As usual, i should do something about it than complaining
or licking my wounds and indulged in self pity
but is hard.

Being a daughter
Maybe because we are at the stage of looking to be parents
I reflected (brain fuck) myself about my parents
how they did so much to provide for us that we can achieve what we have now
Seems like an investment with no repayments 
I have done little to thank them or do something nice to repay them
For my father, is a little too late to do anything

For my mother, I think I spend more time being bochup or getting pissed off at her
She may not be a perfect mother
but Im not a perfect daughter too
I guess distance makes the heart fonder
I start to appreciate what she did for me
Like how she often cook mee hun kway for me and tell me is so easy
when i try to cook it here and realised how much effort is needed

Frankly, i dont think i have a close relationship with my mum
I know i should call her more often than once a month
Part of me just want to call her when i have good news to share
I think this is common throughout my current relationships with everyone in Singapore
I dont want people to worry for me while being 6000+km away

In Singapore, i used to be so lazy to go out on weekends with my family
or worked so much that i dont even see them much on weekdays
and now, I actually miss (regret) for not doing that 

Being a sister
I think im really lucky to have a good relationship with my sister now
When I was really young, I think my sister took up the mothering role
LIke reading me stories during blackouts or feeding me when i was lazy to even hold my own spoon
We didnt have a good relationship in our teens because i was been a bitch
But as adults, we managed to build up our current relationship
that Im always so thankful to have her as my sister
And is not a surprise how I (even husband) feel closer to her kids than my brother's kids

At times, when she share with me her issues with my mother
I wish I can be there to share her burden
If im living in Singapore, maybe the pressure for caring for my mother can be lessen
well, at least my mother will have me as another outlet to vent her frustrations
Yet, there is not much that i can do for my sister
Although I can only see her once a year,
I hope I can still be a good sister to her like how she is to me for so long

When I was really young, I am closer to my brother
because we often gang up together to bully my sister, haha!
We do not speak often even when im in Singapore
But i do appreciate how he do take time to spend family time with us
whenever im in Singapore

Being a friend
Everytime when im in Singapore or friends come for a visit
I really enjoyed all the time with them
Of course, I enjoy having friends to verbal diarrhea and speaking in Singlish,
i realised what i missed the most is being a friend
being someone they trust to tell me stuff or ask for advice.
Im glad that husband's friends include me into their group
but I really miss being a friend as myself and not known as cyril's wife
I always suffer from friendship withdrawal symptoms after SG or visit
I never knew how hard it is be away from friends
Or maybe, i miss this part of me when im with friends

Yes, i can make new friends here
Im blaming that im too old and lazy to develop friendships 
Especially friendships that took so many years to build and maintain
The old jokes and how well they know me
I do not have many friends
but is crazy how my closer friends now have known me for so many years
and i miss this kind of connection

Being a colleague
I never ever expect myself to miss being a colleague
considering that I work better individually and dread teamwork
But i actually miss having a group of people working towards same goals,
with same knowledge and complaing about the boss
Now as a babysitter, I should be happy how is really an individual jobscope
However, I miss having people at work

I think the new role of being a wife is what i enjoy
Sadly, im not satisfied having a solo role in my life
Maybe someday when i take on the role of being a mother
life will be better for me
or maybe not
Hell, Im missing everyone back in Singapore...