Ode to "Ten things I hate about you"

I know you hear this all the time, specifically when someone refers to the passage of time, but… I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since we moved to Paris! I could use the old cliché, “time flies when you are having fun.” On the other hand I can’t say that every minute or day or month has been fun. So, I think it is more logical and appropriate to realize and say that time flies no matter what you do, whether you are having fun or not. The passage of time is constant… tick, tick, tick… we cannot stop it… all we can do is live, make memories, make mistakes, learn from our mistakes, make new friends, keep old friends, discover new places, go over and over to places that we have already been to, do things we enjoy, do many things we do not enjoy… live, love, laugh. 

I cannot say that Paris is the perfect place to do that. I cannot say it, because I think that there is no perfect place out there. Everyplace I have lived or visited so far has had their pros and cons… and Paris, although it’s Paris, is no exception. So on this, the 1^st anniversary of our most recent move, I wish to reflect on my sojourn in Paris by  listing 10 things I like and don’t like (in all fairness) about living Parisian.

Likes:

1. Oh la la! They have good bread and pastries here! “Pain au chocolat”, need I say more! Oh yes! And the cheese!

2. Walking is like heaven. I feel so safe when I walk because I am always surrounded by people and never alone. Even better, there is always somewhere to walk to. 

3. The architecture is amazing!!! Haussmannian buildings are exquisite, charming, and everywhere!

4. I joined a great club for English speaking expatriate mothers called Message Paris and it has been my saving grace. It is full of amazing people with stories similar to mine. I am so grateful for their company and cheer. And I have to admit, their English. LOL.

5. There are so many parks and children’s activities. I live 3 blocks from a café for moms with little ones. It has a play area and good salads; how else could I enjoy a “cup a” with friends. 

6. I can never get board in a place like this… there is always something to visit. 

7. I live close to family and my mother in law can watch Adrien so that Tristan and I can pretend to be childless from time to time. ;)

8. My mom bought me an early Christmas present when she was here… Sennelier oil pastels… so I have been able to discover a new medium as an artistic outlet for me, and hey! In Paris I really never run out of subjects to draw references from. 

9. Your neighbors always wish you a “bonjour” or “bonsoir.” 

10. Bisous! (French kiss each other when greeting) It’s just so lovely!

Dislikes:

1.  Customer service or even service with a smile… ha… what’s that! I can’t remember anymore!

2. This language is so hard for me to learn! Who came up with French grammar! If I ever meet them… they will get a piece of my mind! I am sorry, but objects do not have a gender… they are inanimate! 

3. It’s a big city so obviously the air is not as fresh as in the country side despite the fact that it is constantly raining!!! Especially  on days you plan to have a picnic in your favorite park. 

 4. Some people seem to think you are an inconvenience because you dare to crowd the street, the metro, the bus, or a store with your stroller and your toddler. Sometimes understandable, but hey, it still annoys me!

5. There is no 1€ menu at McDonald’s or at any other fast food restaurant. On the upside it means I opt for healthier food choices when out an about. 

6. Sometime I do feel that I live a little too close to family. ;) But hey gotta love ‘um! 

7. The French system, like the American one, doesn’t put a very high value on education you received outside of their country. 

8. I miss dill pickles, and black olives, and Reese’s peanut butter cups, although, my recent obsession has become peanut m and m’s, which they do have here. 

9. It is really hard to learn a system that is completely different from that you knew before when you don’t speak the language. Also, a little crazy for a country to expect people to integrate with only having 40 places offered in the French courses through the Paris city hall and like 3,000 applicants each semester. Feels like I am running in mud sometimes! 

10. Lastly to draw from an old favorite, “But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, not even close… not even a little bit… not even at all.” 

Paris is amazing! I mean A M A Z I N G! But! I miss my family and friends like crazy!!! It’s really hard to live so far from them and maybe if I did hate Paris, but really hate it, then I would be living back in Squarefield, California right now. I guess I am better off praying for a great leap in scientific technology and tele-transportation. LOL. Wouldn’t it be utopia if your favorite places and people could all simultaneously be in the same place? Basically, I am starting to ramble a bit, but I mean to say that I love Paris, and despite it’s faults, every place has them, it’s a really great place to live, and my only real complaint is that all of you guys… you know who you are, are not here with me. Paris is awesome! So hurry up and come for a visit… and I will be doing my best to go home for a visit soon too! <3 to all!!!

Down on the farm...

Today was a beautiful day. The weather was beautiful… at least for staying indoors. ;) We woke up this morning to white rooftops, wet pavement, and to sleet that was still coming down in icy bouts. If we hadn’t had plans we would have surely done nothing but lay around in Adrien’s room. Thankfully for me and Adrien, who get cabin fever very quickly, we had plans with Daddy to go to the agricultural exposition, Salon International de l’Agriculture.

It’s a ten day exposition at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles showcasing France’s diverse agriculture. From what I could understand from the brochure, I thought it would be like a zoo, but with farm animals. I didn’t realize that there would be so many stalls selling everything from fish tanks to cured meats. It reminded me of the time that my cousin Josh’s friend Dale got us all free tickets to an expo in Salt Lake area. Tristan and I entered a ton of raffles and won a Wii. This time there were no raffles, but still for a while there I felt like I was back at home. Only when I took a moment to look outside the window I realized I was still in Paris. 

We ate a ton of free samples, but still got great sandwiches and some nutella-banana ice cream for dessert. Yum-yum!

This is what happens when you eat too much fair food. ;)

There were still plenty of animals despite the booths and we all had a great time checking out the big dogs, rabbits, chickens, other poultry, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and work horses. Adrien’s favorites were the baby chicks and the big cows. 

There were also a few booths with musicians. My kid is bound to be one himself with how much he loves to listen to music. It was the only time, besides when we ate, that we were able to sit down and take a break with him. At one point there were little girls who decided to dance to one of the bands, Adrien ran right out in the middle of them, but then just stood there and watched. He’s darling, he wants to participate so badly, but doesn’t know how to. 

Adrien’s other favorite of the day, along with Daddy’s, was all the dried sausage. So we bought some to take home with us. I know what we will be eating for the next week. ;) 

As you moms out there know, it is a big ordeal to go anywhere with kids, but besides all the hustle and bustle, we had a great time spending the day just the three of us at the farm… in Paris…

Snow Day!!!

A couple of days ago we had a real snow day in Paris! We woke up Sunday morning to a blanket of white covering the ground, the rooftops, the cars, and the umbrellas and sure enough it was still snowing.  

View from Adrien's window.

View from one of my bedroom windows.

According to discoverfrance.net, “Paris is known for its frequent showers, which tend to pass just as quickly as they arrive. It is not unusual to witness bright sunshine one moment, then a quick shower followed by a return to sunshine — all within the course of a few minutes' time… it is practical to carry a small umbrella with you in all seasons. Thanks to its temperate climate, however, snowfall is somewhat of a rarity in Paris. Although there is at least a dusting of snow about 15 days a year, most accumulation generally disappears within 24 hours.”

One of my favorite little gems in Paris on rue Vieille du Temple.

Everyone has been telling me that a snow like this is really rare in Paris. A light dusting is much more common, but playable now is rare, and this was playable snow. I went to church in the morning and brought my camera because I love many of the streets I pass through and thought they would be even more beautiful because of the snow cover.

Hotel de Ville

 

I arrived at church only to discover that the rest of the meetings were canceled so that the children could enjoy the snow. Why not? I wanted to enjoy the snow too. I decided to take a walk along the Seine and to the Notre Dame as Tristan wasn’t expecting me home for a few hours and I was for once Adrien-less. Trust me; strollers in the snow are not the business! ;) 

The river, Seine.

 

The Notre Dame

After I got home and we all had lunch we decided to take Adrien out to play at a park. At first he had no idea what to do. I am sure his big clunky boots covered in snow didn’t help much either. But we showed him how to make snowballs, and even better how to throw them. He thought this was awesome and in the end he didn’t want to go home, maybe never!

Walking to the park.

Snow art at a cafe.

Playing with snow balls.

So we had to persuade him with the prospect of a nice cup of hot chocolate. ;)

Making hot chocolate with mommy.

Enjoying a hot chocolate and a piece of almond cake after playing in the snow.

When I was a child I loved to go have a snow day with my family in the Sierra’s. However, ever since I lived in Idaho and Utah and actually lived in the snow, I have hated it and had no desire to play in it either. I feel I have come full circle because it was very nice to have a snow day again, especially because Adrien enjoyed it so much, and I was happy in my thoughts knowing that it would be gone the next day. Sure enough, Monday morning came and there was only slushy outside and today practically nothing. I will be looking forward again sometime in another year to another snow day.