It has been exactly one month since I left Minneapolis for Paris.
I can HARDLY believe it. It was just five weeks ago that I was hot as the dickens down in Mississippi. It seems like that was so far away.
Everyday here I feel like I have new break throughs. I have the odd position of being a complete outsider in this city that i've become very familiar with. This is all due to the fact that I'm very isolated by the language. I have become fluent in listening. The true test of this is when I watched a french standup comedian Franck Dubosc and laughed...at all the right times. The problem is the speaking. I can put together sentences but rarely is it grammatically correct. This is not to say that I don't try. I really do. and usually succeed. every conversation i have in french is a complete success.
Anyway, my point is, I'm this silent observer of all the goes on around me and it is isolating in a lot of ways BUT each day i find myself breaking through this isolation. Either in my french class, or when i make a friend at the park, or when i have a conversation with a waiter in french. I do still think there is a small part of myself holding back because I know that I'm going home in just two months.
That being said, I have felt homesick at times. and mostly at times when things are strange to me. (and not "wacky" strange but different from what i know) for instance, when I'm lost in Paris, I'll think of 32nd and Nicollet; It's not an intersection i "frequent" but it is the last intersection I turn off of after leaving 35W on my way home. 32nd and Nicollet means that I'm minutes from home. I've also thought about my grandma's house a lot. Again, we don't go there often, maybe two or three times a month but it is such a place of comfort for me. I know where everything is. Usually the house is full of people I know and love. that is really what I miss.
The good news is, France is feeling more and more like a home to me. I take the RER and Metro with ease. I know where things are in relation to one another. and I'm really enjoying living here. At least once a day i have a "I'm living in France" moment where I just beam for a few seconds as i think about what my life is like right now.
So. That's that.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
More "WHAT THE HELL FRANCE??"
I've noticed some more...
-Cars. and driving in general. Parisians don't really drive a lot. but when they do they drive quickly and politely. The small road I live on always has cars parked on it and it really is a small road. But here's the deal, the driving part and the parking part of the road switch off. for example. right outside my window there is the parking side closest and the driving side farther away BUT, just two houses down the parking is on the OTHER side of the road. I hope this makes sense. Because of this, the drivers have to be very polite about driving, if they see a person coming at them, the move over and WAIT for the other person to pass them. Another consequence of this awesome method is that cars are parked which ever direction they're driving, BUT ON THE SAME SIDE.
so at any given time, a car may my be parked bumper to bumper, facing the front of another car. I hope this makes sense. It is very odd indeed.
-Yogurt. every night after dinner they eat cheese and then yogurt. sometimes just one, and sometimes both. personally, never been a big fan of yogurt. but seriously, EVERY night after dinner. it's crazy. I love the cheese though. that stuff is GOOD.
-A lot of women carry two bags circa Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds seasons 1-3. but probably not for the same reason as Parker. Really though, usually a nice, maybe leather or fake leather purse and then another purse. and the kicker is, usually both of them are kind of small. Today I even saw one woman carrying THREE bags. one purse, one backpack and another purse. WHY NOT ONE BIG PURSE FRENCH PEOPLE???
--This is a subtopic of purses. MAN PURSES. all over the place.
-Some french sayings i love a lot:
-- "ça veut dire" translated directly it means "It wants to say" but you just use it to ask what something means.
-- "Beacoup du monde" translated it means "a lot of the world" but you use it to say that a lot of people were there.
-- "elle est neuve" translation: "she is new" but you use it to say that something you purchased is new. (or you would say "il" if it was a masculine something.
-- "un smoking" translation: tuxedo. yeah. keep it classy France.
-There are about 8 different words for jackets. and each word means a specific KIND of jacket. It is so confusing.
Well that's it for now. I THANK YOU.
-Cars. and driving in general. Parisians don't really drive a lot. but when they do they drive quickly and politely. The small road I live on always has cars parked on it and it really is a small road. But here's the deal, the driving part and the parking part of the road switch off. for example. right outside my window there is the parking side closest and the driving side farther away BUT, just two houses down the parking is on the OTHER side of the road. I hope this makes sense. Because of this, the drivers have to be very polite about driving, if they see a person coming at them, the move over and WAIT for the other person to pass them. Another consequence of this awesome method is that cars are parked which ever direction they're driving, BUT ON THE SAME SIDE.
so at any given time, a car may my be parked bumper to bumper, facing the front of another car. I hope this makes sense. It is very odd indeed.
-Yogurt. every night after dinner they eat cheese and then yogurt. sometimes just one, and sometimes both. personally, never been a big fan of yogurt. but seriously, EVERY night after dinner. it's crazy. I love the cheese though. that stuff is GOOD.
-A lot of women carry two bags circa Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds seasons 1-3. but probably not for the same reason as Parker. Really though, usually a nice, maybe leather or fake leather purse and then another purse. and the kicker is, usually both of them are kind of small. Today I even saw one woman carrying THREE bags. one purse, one backpack and another purse. WHY NOT ONE BIG PURSE FRENCH PEOPLE???
--This is a subtopic of purses. MAN PURSES. all over the place.
-Some french sayings i love a lot:
-- "ça veut dire" translated directly it means "It wants to say" but you just use it to ask what something means.
-- "Beacoup du monde" translated it means "a lot of the world" but you use it to say that a lot of people were there.
-- "elle est neuve" translation: "she is new" but you use it to say that something you purchased is new. (or you would say "il" if it was a masculine something.
-- "un smoking" translation: tuxedo. yeah. keep it classy France.
-There are about 8 different words for jackets. and each word means a specific KIND of jacket. It is so confusing.
Well that's it for now. I THANK YOU.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Hello my people,
It’s me, back for more.
I’ve been compiling a list that I call “WHAT THE HELL FRANCE?”. I’m not angry at France, don’t worry, it’s just a list of things that I’ve observed that are different from the good ol’ USofA.
There is no particular order and I don’t want anyone to THINK there is any particular order, so I will use bullet points.
-Adults ride scooters. Not moped scooters, straight up Razor scooters with over-the-shoulder straps and everything. I’ve mostly seen this phenomenon at or around metro stations and you know what, I wish I had the chutzpah to get myself a scooter but I just don’t have that kind of self-confidence.
-Parisians don’t smile. When you’re walking down the street and you pass someone…nothing. I find that people will make eye contact, but that’s it. My natural instinct when someone makes eye contact with me is to smile nicely and keep walking. Usually this elicits a smile from my fellow pedestrian, but so far, nada. I will keep trying though…
-Everybody reads! On the train, the train station, cafés, everywhere. I love it. It is very refreshing to know that not everyone is as digitally attached as most Americans are. Also, it makes for a very quiet train ride.
There are more that I can’t remember right now. I’ll add them later. Promise.
It’s me, back for more.
I’ve been compiling a list that I call “WHAT THE HELL FRANCE?”. I’m not angry at France, don’t worry, it’s just a list of things that I’ve observed that are different from the good ol’ USofA.
There is no particular order and I don’t want anyone to THINK there is any particular order, so I will use bullet points.
-Adults ride scooters. Not moped scooters, straight up Razor scooters with over-the-shoulder straps and everything. I’ve mostly seen this phenomenon at or around metro stations and you know what, I wish I had the chutzpah to get myself a scooter but I just don’t have that kind of self-confidence.
-Parisians don’t smile. When you’re walking down the street and you pass someone…nothing. I find that people will make eye contact, but that’s it. My natural instinct when someone makes eye contact with me is to smile nicely and keep walking. Usually this elicits a smile from my fellow pedestrian, but so far, nada. I will keep trying though…
-Everybody reads! On the train, the train station, cafés, everywhere. I love it. It is very refreshing to know that not everyone is as digitally attached as most Americans are. Also, it makes for a very quiet train ride.
There are more that I can’t remember right now. I’ll add them later. Promise.
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