Bonne année et bonnes études

Happy new 2008! A new fresh year, with loads of prospects and promises of prosperity! There's no end to the possibilities, as I always love to exclaim.
Have been home over the Holidays to catch up with all my beloved ones, the days went by far too quickly. Alas, I won't go back until the 16th of May, since the 17th is the D day for me scurrying my little derrière around Göteborg, in a wee humble race nommé Göteborgsvarvet. That's right, Sweden will be Carro-free for the next four months, so...enjoy I guess?
After a bit of a roundtrip through some major cities of Europe (train from Gbg to Copenhagen, flight to Amsterdam, train to Rotterdam and THEN Paris, phew exhausting I'll tell ya! Next time, definitely direct-flight), I finally got back Sunday night to Louveciennes, and now after a couple of days it feels as though I never left. However, I've been restrained to my chambers most of the time (not by the fam! On my own accord...) due to a massive laziness during the holidays which now resulted in me having to study like a maniac. I have a deadline next week on the 18th, when my course officially ends (FYI it's a French distance-cours I'm taking from the University of Gothenburg), thus I need to finish whatever work I have neglected, which pretty much entails everything. Book-reports, book-analyses (Mme Bovary, that'll be a good read), etc etc. Atleast I sent one of the rédactions off last night (at 11.30 pm) after tearing out my hair over Marguerite Duras´ silly little bravado of her escapades in the Far East.
So, it's not all wine and baguettes here in la belle France. On the 11th of February I will join the masses of Sorbonne University and study French, with the French. Oh, I'm scared. They will tear me apart and have me for lunch! Frenchies are known for their ferocity, especially against the meek and foreign. I mean, even the little 8 year old at home laughs vividly at my accent; "Why, I do say, you have one of those Swedish accents when you speak French, how could that be?" How about you try speaking Swedish, child, and we'll see about accents. There!
Naah, the kids are sweet. I mean, they're kids right? Although, being an au pair is without a doubt the best birthcontrol conceptory-pill in the world. 'Course every now and then you get the occasionally "Ah, I'd love one of those little sweethearts, isn't he cuuuute" and then you get yourself together and think about last night when the sweetheart nearly ripped his brother's pyjamas apart, hurling on the top of his lungs. Yes, being an au pair surely gives you perspective on things.
As I said, I won't be coming home to Sweden until Spring has arrived and all the pretty flowers and birds have woken from their wintersleep and whatnot. By the looks of it, Winter won't even come to Paris, we've had +7 degrees and rain all week. Good though, mild weather enables running outdoors. HA! As if that would spur me to go jogging... I really should, ah we'll see, this afternoon I might.

Ta ta, à bientôt! XXX