Sabrina in Senegal: an Ode to Emily in Paris

 Have y'all watched the series Emily in Paris on Netflix?  Well, you should.  It's really quite good.  I know it was a pandemic kind of a watch but nothing in my mind could top the Tiger King so I skipped it until last week.  And then it sparked an idea for a blog post.  

My lack of French language skills.  

I will be the first to admit it, and the last to utter a word of French to a French speaking person.  

In the show (no spoilers!) Emily lives in Paris unexpectedly and doesn't speak a lick of French.  Quite like myself!  Well except the 'unexpectedly' or the 'Paris' part, but you catch my drift.

Ever since that faithful day way back when the Army said we were going to a French speaking country I was like "I can do this!"  Think again, oh little Army wife with big ideas.  You are NOT a language type of person.  Those people ((ehem Ryan)) just get it.  No trouble at all.  Not me.  It just doesn't click.  Sure I took so many years of Spanish.  Took about a years worth of German lessons while living there.  And the Army even sent me to fancy French school in DC.  But it still just doesn't click.  

So, back to the point.  When Emily shows up they all make fun of her for moving there and not speaking French.  Hate to break it to y'all, sometimes shit happens and you cant learn and entire language before you move some where.  I have been made fun of TWICE this week alone. To my face.  

                                                "You moved here a do not speak french??"  

Thats right, I did.  And I'm here now, so why don't we just be a little nicer about it.  Though, I cant actually say that to anyone.  Not only because I am too afraid to, but because I just plain don't know how.

Yes, google translate is a great app.  I use it often with our sweet, kind, and oh so patient housekeeper Delphine.  But shit literally gets lost in translation on the regular.  For example, asking to wash the sheets.  I googled linens.  Nope, that just means all laundry.  Ok, maybe sheets?  The damn word looks like drapes.  I don't want her to wash the damn window coverings!  UUUUUUUgh.  Once at a restaurant in Rabat I asked for shampoo on my pasta, not the mushrooms I intended.  Awkward. 

It's the pronunciation of  french words that really gets me.  I was taught in German to say every damn letter I see.  Now, nope not that one.  Oh yes, we MUST say that one.  This one looks like it should say this but its actually this. Let's not even start on all the special characters and accents.  One goes this way the other goes that way.  Two totally different sound. Duh! 😑 

Are y'all actually serious??  So confusing. 

       I.am.lost.in.the.damn.sauce. 

I am taking classes here.  It's like riding a bike.  I get it. Kinda. Two hours a week, its a good start.

But it's the speaking part that throws me off.  Im so intimidated.  Ryan corrects me all the damn time.  I know he means well and is just helping but it throws me off bc he is correcting just about every word bc I am so bad at it.  But practice makes parfait, am I right?  I know I need to have more confidence in myself.  I know I can do this.  I have three years to at least get a grasp on the language where I am not too scared to go out on my own.  I want to do that, my soul needs me to do that! And I truly want to make my boys proud.

 

And with that, I leave you with my fave meme of all time. It truly sums up my brain at most waking minutes of the day. 

If there are any other FAO spouses reading this right now I encourage you to get on the learning a language train asap.  Even if its just an app on your phone you check everyday. I use Duolingo.  It will help so very much once y'all arrive to wherever this grand 'ol Army takes you!

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

A bientot! (see, I dont even know how to put the damn hat on the damn o!!!)

xxxoooo -Bean

Traveling with Pets: A Blessing and a Curse

 Disclaimer: 

If you don't like what you are about to read, you should just stop now and never come back to this blog. 

IF YOU GET RID OF YOU PETS BECAUSE YOU MOVE, YOU SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO HAVE PETS.

I said it, and I will say it to your face.  Too many shelters are filled with pets that are just dumped and left behind bc its "too hard" to move with them. Well, I am here to tell you that it's not true.  If we can do it (multiple times) you can too! And before you get at me about Frank and Bowie, they both couldn't leave the country and we found them BOTH loving homes to go too. 

Anyway. here are our well travelled and well loved bebes:

Oh our old lady LaceyLu. We think she is about 16 years old, we have had her for 15 years and she wasn't a teeny tiny kitten when we adopted her.  She has lived with us on every continent, and just goes with the flow.  Always with RBF. Its just her way. 

Our Swodric Godric Spicy Cat. This is his first time in Africa, but he was with us in Germany! But this was the first time I got the pleasure of flying with him. And what a trip it was!  

Let's start off a couple of months ago.  We knew we were coming to Dakar.  No biggie.  We knew Lu would be coming with us, duh.  Godric was living with my mom at the time and she said something was off about him. I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with Diabetes.  Not the beetus?!?! 

 So, Swodric had to come live with me and Lu and Knoxer so we could feed him his special (VERY EXPENSIVE) food and give him his insulin every day, twice a day, at the same exact time.  Life went on.  It was good.  Then it dawned on me, my precious grey and white bebe would have to move with us to the Continent.  Squeeeee!  I was so excited bc I love him so much, but sad for Oma bc she loves him so much too!!  But, it had to be done.  

We have done this a time or two before so we understood the processes of bringing animals into a foreign country.  Vet visits. Immunizations.  USDA approval.  Airline okays.  Hotel rooms that allow pets. Find a vet in receiving country.  It's a list of tasks not for the weary.  Thank goodness Ryan is a patient man and loves a good task list.  We tackled that list like a well oiled and seasoned machine! Everything went smoothly.  

So first off, for the USDA approval.  You have to find a USDA certified veterinarian.  Thank goodness all Military Veterinarians are.  Next, is actually getting an appointment with them.  Bc they paperwork has to be done and filed no more than 10 days of arriving in your new country.  Vet clinics are always busy, and having a specific time line on our end just adds to the headache. Cancelled flights. Negative COVID tests.  So many factors come into play when you have a ten day timeline. But shout out to the Belvoir Vet Clinic.  I mentioned a well oiled machine before, and I cant even describe a step up from that.  THEY ARE AMAZING.  Our paperwork was done and done within an hour. We were good to go. They even went out of their way to give us paper work for our layover country (France) just in case.  That is customer service, bc we didn't even think of that at first. 

USDA

(and to add, not once was their paperwork asked for while in a foreign country. As it has been for every country we have ever lived in before.  We work our asses off to get everything in order just for no one to ask.  Its totally better to be safe than sorry, but sheesh! Getting back in the United States is a whole different ordeal and please read my postscript at the bottom of the blog!!!)

Air France.  ::le sigh:: Trying to get pets in cabin is not easy.  Its a first come first serve deal, and often the pets can fall off of the reservations.  Ryan was diligent and called once a week just to make sure that they were still ok to fly.  Plus COVID protocols made things a lot different and just recently airlines started taking pets on flights again.  But step two was done.  Sweet.  

Hotel rooms were easy.  Another shout out, Hilton.  You guys are amazing and thank for dealing with the cat litter.  (I wrote that like they are personally reading this!  ::shakes head at ones self::

Vet in receiving country.  Thank goodness for WhatsApp and Ry's french skills.  He got in touch with a vet here and asked about medications, since both gatos are needing them. And thank goodness we asked!  Lu's thyroid meds are everywhere.  Any pharmacy.  But Godric's insulin.  There isn't even enough insulin in the country for human patients.  Let alone prescribing it to a cat.  So, what did I do?  I ordered enough insulin for this damn cat to last a year.  

A YEARS WORTH OF INSULIN.  

Its like carrying around a lunch box full of Harry Winston diamonds.  I should have had the damn lunch box handcuffed to my wrist.  Speaking of lunchboxes. We bought this damn cat his own Yeti lunch box so the precious insulin could stay cold our entire trip. 

What we do for our animals!!

This is a photo of Godric and I in the Dulles airport. Family bathrooms for the win!  He got to eat, wait his 15 mins and then get his shot in peace.  Was it filthy, oh lerd YES.  But we made it work!  Peep his lunch box!  

Ok, so where was I?  Ok so our journey. The cats new something was up when we lived in a house with nothing in it.  They get it. A bunch of weird men show up and take away all of our possessions and chaos ensues.  Got it.  Our hotel stays were uneventful except the one time Godric escaped the Embassy Suites in Old Town and I had to chase him down the hall, catch him and carry him to the pool for a room key.  That was fun. 

They day we left the US.  Ryan and I were very good about changing feeding and medication times so that not too many schedules would be disrupted with time zone changes.  Ryan was getting up at five am to do so while in the states.  This worked out well for travel until we realized shortly after take off from DC that Godric had gotten sick all over his cage.  Poor kiddo.  But all seemed well.  Until.  Literally TWO minutes until landing at CDG, and I could smell it.  Poor guy just couldn't keep it in anymore.  Thank goodness we cleaned it up best we could and headed to our "Plane Side" hotel room in the airport.  Yotel. Not for the faint of heart, but it worked and at least the linens were clean.  Oh speaking of airport hotels.  We knew we had an eight hour lay over.  No one likes being in the airport for eight hours, so we booked a room.  Realizing that it was outside security.  Our restful relaxation time would be cut in half bc of security and customs and blah blah blah.  Thats when Ry remembered the Yotel.  BUT, the Yotel didn't allow animals.  Unless the are ESA. So, now I have two Emotional Support Animals.  Certified.  Special little passport card and fancy collars.  Sheesh. 

What we do for our pets!! 

 But our time and the Yotel was well spent resting and letting G eat and digest in peace.  Lu had to live in the bathroom by herself bc she hates new situations and us.  Oh yeah, and Godric got a well needed shower while there too.  He is so spicy on the regular.  Now add being cooped up in a box for ten hours, getting sick on yourself, soiling yourself, and THEN getting a shower.  I swear if he were an actual human teenager, he still wouldn't be speaking to us.  

OH AND! 

When going through security in Paris, homeboy TSA dude said 

"You can send them through the x-ray machine in their carriers." 

Straight faced. Like nothing was wrong.  

YOU WANT ME TO WHAT, MONSIEUR?!?!?! 

Needless to say I carried them both through the scanner in my arms.  (At Dulles we asked for a private room and received the utmost perfect care!)

But we lived.  Our flight to Dakar was delayed. Eh, whatevs.  Until ry and I realized it cut into Godric's schedule. As it was before we would be cutting it close with landing, baggage, and the almost hour drive to our place.  So, I had to feed him and give him his insulin right there on the plane. He was a champ.  Thank Goodness. 

Photo proof that he made it to Dakar unscathed and happy to be able to stretch out. This was after exploring the entire house, of course!

I think thats about it for our journey across the ocean. Of course my human boys were champs the whole way! 

The most precious piece of mail I sent to myself.  G's prescription cat food!  

A years worth of Insulin. Well, we hope it lasts a year!  Oh, and did i mention that we totally forgot his entire special lunch box in our old house and started driving to DC?  Yeah, that happened.  I took it as an omen that our PCS was already going down the shitter.  Ry saw it as the one bad thing happening right off the bat.  Half empty Half full kind of a relationship we have.  

Godric's view everyday. 

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind

Our Lu, being Our Lu.  Hiding in her daddy's closet bc he is her favorite. Grrrrr.

Ok, so my second blog post from Dakar went a lot better than the first.  Guess I just had to get going again.  It's like riding a bike.  But I haven't done that in years either.  Anyway, hope y'all enjoy.  Thanks for the encouragement and all the love. 

 Til next time, tata from Delightful Dakar!  

(Im gonna have to work on that saying!)

xxoo, Bean

P.S.-

Y'all I don't know if you have heard about the new CDC travel ban on bringing animals back into the US from abroad, but it's kinda a big deal to families like ours.  

CDC Travel Ban on Pets

Many people are trying their hardest to get things worked out, but it will literally take an Army.  Stupid people have falsified documents and made a mess of the whole situation.  And that is not fair to anyone, or any pet.  Please do what you can, so we all can bring all our family members home with us when the time comes.  Also, I know the paperwork says dogs but many airlines are understanding is as ALL animals.  

Sign every petition you come across!  I want America to stay safe but if we are following all the correct precautions and having our animals vaccinated they should be allowed back in the States!

Guess who's back, back again Sabrina's back, tell a friend...

 Well, it sounded catchier in my brain when i was singing it to myself.   

Hey y'all, IM BAAAAACK!

I know, I know.  Everyone missed me, my antics, and my craziness.  But thats why you should follow me on social media.  Bc I don't ever stop on the Facebooks.  Anyway.  

We are back!  On the continent that is.  In beautiful beach-y Dakar, Senegal! 

It's been a while, folks.  And as you know from other posts from other Posts (Ha!) the internet here isnt the most reliable.  So just bear with me and I will try my best.  

Where should I begin?!?!

Let's go back, say December 2019.

-Knox, LuLu and I moved back to the United States bc we were OD'd from Ouagadougou.  Was it going to be for 6 months?  Indefinitely?  We had no clue.  (More on that whole fiasco in a different post.  I have to let Ryan proofread it before I post it bc I am going to get quite spicy with my opinions.)

-March 2019, Shit hits the fan and the world implodes on itself.  We all went through it, no need to dwell. Homeschooling parents, seriously kudos to you.  Y'all are the real MVPs.   

-The rest of 2020, a couple of visits from Ryan.  Thank goodness he could come visit as much as he did.  It really was great.  Of course I had my wonderful friends and family around, they are the bestest.  

-2021, so far has been a true whirlwind of a year.  Found out we got our dream Post of Dakar. Ry came home for good in March, but was in DC and going to school for Portuguese.  Knox finished his first entire school year at one school in person the whole time!  Quite an accomplishment for that kiddo! And then dealing with another Transatlantic move.  

Lerd, hear me and help me.  I cant keep moving over the ocean all willy nilly nonchalant.  So we went from California to Morocco, Morocco to Germany, Germany to DC, DC to Ouaga, Ouaga to Ohio, Ohio to Dakar.  All since 2014.  THIS MOMMA IS TIRED.  

So here I am.  Sitting at my absurdly large dining room table, in a new apartment, in a new city, in a new country, telling you all my life story.  Once again.  

I hope Dakar is as friendly, inviting, and as fun as Ouaga was.  I truly did love it there.  But I am sure Dakar will have its charms and its quirks.  Our apartment is really nice, our furniture is beyond (NO DREXEL?!?!) and the people we have met so far have been so sweet and accommodating to all our needs and asks.  I learned during our last tour in Africa that I need to put myself out there. I have to initiate conversations.  I need to put my big girl pants on.  But thats hard for me.  I know I seem like the outgoing type but my crippling anxiety leaves me in my bed with the lights off wanting to be left alone.  Not this time. I can't.  I won't. 

I even applied for a job, y'all.  Thats step one. Like my first big girl job in over 12 years. A paycheck?!!  What?!!?  Im putting my big girl work pants on, fingers crossed.  

So this post just turned into a rambling of nothing.  But I will be sure to be more focused and to the point in future writings.  Just wanted to give y'all a run down of what has been happening.  I have miss you!  Missed you comments and your "I totally read that in your voice" and "I can hear you laughing from over the ocean".  

Thanks for sticking with me.  Nothing like a new experience to get me in the mood to write!

xxxoo, Bean

PS- I am so rusty at this. I don't remember how to take down the back round photo!   Please disregard Franklin. He is not with us in Dakar, but we did find him a new lovely home in Ouaga, along with Bowie the cat.  Miss them both!