Wednesdays, A Miss!!

Celia, Ella, Elise and Jonah

School in Paris follows a fabulous week schedule. Oh to be a maternelle teacher! You're looking at a four day work week, with Wednesdays off. Who wouldn't love a hump day sleep-in followed by a slow cafe and croissant breakfast. Then top off your morning with a stroll through the jardin des tuileries. Man, I hope my fantasy world of teaching in Paris is really true! That's sweet!

But seriously, school is off on Wednesdays for most levels of education in Paris. When I look up why on the internet, I was directed to a site reporting the news of Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris, being followed by bodyguards on the first day of her new school, a Wednesday. Not the information that I was hoping for but there is only so much we can expect from the google and my patience for doing research while I try to blog....

Any way...no school on Wednesday meant the ladies and I were always free for a mid-week adventure! When we first arrived in Paris we were invited to join a Wednesday morning play group at the Champ de Mars. It was an incredibly organized play group in which one mom would plan games, songs, readings, and activities for the little ones for an entire hour. I met my first group of great Paris friends. It was also during this time that the ladies named the once well-known Eiffel Tower to Elise's Tower. It stuck the whole two years.

Eventually the Kids Play at the champ de mars ended and we had to find a new adventure to busy ourselves on Wednesdays. And here come the Daniels.

I met Kirsten near the beginning of our Paris stay, we're talking fresh off the boat and a total mess. We crossed paths on a play date at the Luxembourg splash pools and it was a moment that I will never forget. I met the friend that helped me survive this life and provided me with advice and support for every battle and obstacle of being an expat in Paris. She also happened to have a son four days older than Elise and the two of them clicked instantly. Thus, I scored the mother load, literally: a cool mom that I can relate to and get along with that has a child who is cool and gets along well with my ladies. Now for those of you out there who understand the troubles of finding such a combination will know that I hit the jackpot!

Jonah and Elise at the movies...

Thus, Wednesdays quickly became associated with Daniels Day. Unless on holiday or hosting family/friends, we, the ladies and I, always counted on seeing Jonah, Ella, and Kirsten for lunch on Wednesday, maybe a movie, and for lots of running, playing, and screaming!

We had a lot of great times and all within the confines of Park Montsouris, our apartments, or at the mall. The easiest of days were turned into hours of fun when we got everyone together. And I think that's what I loved most about it: our time together was always low key, uneventful, (yet very eventful, you get what I'm saying, right??), and we could count on throwing our kids in a room and have them entertain each other while we drank a coffee and gossiped. What could be better?

But alas, all these good times and good things are coming to an end. We had to say goodbye to our good friends last night on our final Wednesday extravaganza. The Daniels are off to the States for their annual summer visit to family and they won't be back until August, when we are long gone.

So we left their house last night with heavy hearts but minds full of wonderful memories. And once again I am grateful for having children at a fabulous age of not completely understanding what it means to say goodbye to good friends. There was a quick wave and walk to the train and we were off. Their sweet souls were unaffected by the heartache I felt at our goodbyes. But I also realized how much my ladies taught me about being in the moment with my friends, I enjoyed every moment with them, and I have no worries as to what the future will bring because I know one day we will meet again. It's a fabulous way to live and I love my ladies for it.

And deep down inside, with the passage of every Wednesday for the rest of my time, I will smile at the thought of our good friends and think happy thoughts at our time together.

Gonna Miss vs. Not Gonna Miss, Part One

So I'm starting to play this game, Miss versus Not Miss and I thought I'd start documenting some of the results. This whole leaving thing is coming down hard on us and in exactly three weeks from this very moment, I'll be sitting on a plane that is descending onto the Chicago O'Hare runway. Crazy, eh? Has it really been two years?

But we're ready and I'm about half way through my good-byes. July has hit Paris, vacance has commenced, and lots of our friends are out of here. Who wants to spend July in Paris? I guess we're the only ones, plus the billion tourists.

Oh well, here we are and now let's get on with the game, part one...

1. My new group of fabulous friends, Miss! I've met some of the most amazing people on this adventure, many of whom saved my ass when I was ready to book a one-way ticket home back in '09. I have formed a wonderful support group of fun, interesting, and exciting people that are either in the same boat as us with temporary lives here in Paris or are here for the long run. They have all been great, have added so much to my life, and will be greatly missed.

2. Dog poop and cigarettes, Not Miss! There's just too much of both all over the place in Paris. My favorite is the one, last, mother of all drags performed before stepping on the crowded train/tram. Must you blow that smoke out right in my face? Come On! Not only do I get a face full of smoke, but I gotta stand next to stinky guy for the ride. This is a big N.M.

3. Rush hour at the boulangerie, Miss! (Well, just boulangeries in general...I'm sorry, I'm a huge bread snob now. I may need to go on suicide watch as I transition back to life without my fabulous 85 cent baguette that is warm and delicious and just heaven!) Today was especially awesome. Allow yourself to picture this....it's 18h30 and everyone is on their way home from work. Alas, before you hit home, if you live in Paris, you must stop at the boulangerie and pick up the nightly baguette. So, the line is out the door and winding its way around the block. And the smell drifting from the boulangerie is just heaven in and of its self! Our mouths are watering and we're ready to get that baguette in hand and be on our way. However, tonight for some strange reason there is only one worker, (at rush hour???) and she is swamped, of course! I'm next in line and gearing up for my order when the woman in front of me orders a few pastries and a small cake. Seems like a non-issue to the untrained Parisian. To those of us in the know, this is going to turn into a 15 minute preparation for the Best Looking Wrapped Box of Cake and Pastries you've ever seen! It's really awesome...this lady is going to wrap the cake for her customer as if it were a newborn and it's going to look amazing. (Only to be torn open like Christmas morning but still, it'll look good for the walk home!) The rest of us will all wait, patiently, for our turn. I love it!

4. Feeling like a stranger and not understanding a thing, TBD. Sure, I'm am so so looking forward to landing in the States and being able to understand every person, conversation, sign, radio announcement, billboard, it all! I'm Not going to miss the constant wonder of it all. (Well, the conversation part might be okay. I sometimes celebrate that I can't understand the conversation between the crazy teenagers on the train. Sure, it's all in french but I've been around kids that age for too long now and no matter where I am in the world, I know I don't want to have to listen to what the latest world ending crisis is about....) But how boring will life be when it's all in english? Plus, the experience of struggling yet always surviving life minus words has been good for me! I mean, there's nothing better than making that call to the doctor's call service to make an appointment for the ladies and actually getting an appointment. I have yet to show up for a rendezvous at the doc's office sans rendezvous. And that's something I'm very proud of!

Yet, I do wish I could have understood more. I wish I could tell our favorite boulangeie ladies that we are leaving for the States, for good, and will miss them. They were so good to us and always treated Elise so nicely as she worked up the courage to order her own pan au chocolate, (and pay for it!). They were there for us every day after school, same ladies, for the last two years. That's pretty huge! And all I got out on Friday, (they are leaving for vacance and closing shop. Did I mention it's July in Paris. I guess July is the new August...), was a "Bonne Vacance" and "Au Revoir". Dork! They deserved so much more! Deep down inside, I hope they know how much we appreciated them. Even though I don't know their names or a thing about them, they were our daily goûter and we love them! (Mmmm, goûter! That's a miss...but more on that later, thus the part one.)

I wish I could just be myself with people and express my thoughts and feelings better in french. Instead I'm living in a world of limited communication with lots of smiles and hand gestures. And that makes me feel badly about myself and my lack of commitment to the french language. But then I remember that I came here with my ladies to hang out in Paris, travel the continent, meet lots of people, and I just LIVE! So I didn't master the language, who cares? I can get by, I survived, and during it all managed to obtain health care, call the house-call doctors, and understand a lot more than I could have two years ago. So, it's not the worst and I am a better, more understand person because of it.

Alright, enough for now. Part two is coming soon. Now, I'm off to relax on the couch with a nice glass of rose. Mmmmm, cheap, delicious, fabulous wine....what do you think, miss or not miss? :)

Happy 4th of July!

June

June turned out to be a pretty great month. We started with a trip in Disney and ended with the last day of french school EVER for Elise. (Well technically the last day is today, July 1, but we're going to bend the definition of "month" to make it work.) In between we visited Prague, our last Euro adventure before coming home, missed one of our last opportunities for an RER B greve, (while in Prague, shucks!), played some fut, and enjoyed some good riot police action. Not bad for the last full month in Paris, eh?

So yeah, Paris Disney, awesome! I will miss our Disney trips with our good friends the Daniels. It takes so much work to get to the Disney's in the States, and hard cash! Disney is an easy train ride, with one transfer, and with our Disney Obsessed Annual pass friends we always get a deal on tickets. Plus, the pure excitement and joy on the ladies faces with one look at any princess is worth a million bucks. It's just a great place and we are leaving Paris with fond memories of our time there.

Prague was a great trip too. I think we're all a bit tired and for the ladies, there is all this talk about going back to America and then we get on a plane and go to the Czech Republic where the language is strange and once again we are lost in a mysterious city. So, we're all a bit off but still managed to see ALL the sites, drink a lot of cheap beer, and eat a LOT of pork! We hit the jackpot of food by visiting Prague during their annual Prague food festival and ate in the main square for just about every meal. It was pretty huge. The second awesome decision we made was to get out of the center of the city and hit the south side for some incredible BBQ. If you ever make it to Prague, the Hospůdka na hradbách is a must!

Finally the riot action: Celia and I are off to get our laundry when we hear some good yelling and arguing coming from the boulevard out front followed by four dudes sprinting by us through the Cite. They definitely look like they are running from the law and up to no good. (the funniest part is the Cite Security guard who is standing outside our main building just enjoying the day, shouts out, "Ca va?" with half interest, as the dudes go running by. Now, I'm not formally trained in law enforcement, but anyone can tell, these guys aren't out for a quick run around the park. Plus, did you just hear the same loud yelling and disturbance from the street? They are running from something. I think the security guard got the hint to react and do something when the two large riot policemen in their full gear and helmets came running in after them a few seconds later...)

So sure enough something is going on. The Parc Montsouris is on lock-down and Celia and I have to walk all the way around to pick up Elise from school for lunch. Riot Police are all over the place with helmet, big guns, and shields. There are random groups of people that look like they are instigating some trouble and up to no good, but things are overall quite peaceful and calm. Except for the undercover bust Celia and I just missed being in the middle of while walking along Rene Cote. Very exciting!

Great ending to the month but the excitement was really limited to our first interaction with the hoodlums racing through the Cite and the undercover bust. (which was really just a cop in street clothes and a backpack talking to a group of suspicious looking people while his buddies were hiding in the bushes. Celia and I had passed the group just as the cop was approaching to pull the trigger on the arrest. It was pretty cool, but I'm super glad Celia was playing beast and running ahead of all the action. Not sure it would have been so cool if we were in the midst of the action!). Still, the riot police make a good story. I think my favorite part is where the lock down the park with lots of people still in the park. Nannies with their babies are trying to get out so they can go home and feed the kids some lunch and the riot police stand in the street with their backs to them, not more than 25 feet away, completely ignoring them. They most be trained not to trust those nannies.

Any how, we're getting to the end. Less than a month away from departure and I think I'm ready. I got to enjoy what could end up being my last futbol game of my Paris career Wednesday night. We got to play at Parc du Princess where the professional PSG Futbol team plays their games. It was a mini 6 on 6 game on a small portion on the field but on the artificial turf and so super cool! Not a bad way to end the career.

So that was June. Now we're looking at three more weeks come Monday and I know it's time. My biggest lady has finished a brilliant career of maternelle and I just can't wait to see what great things she works on next. Celia is working out an excellent fro and I can't wait to get her in a salon in the states where I can clearly explain how I want it cut, be understood, and understand what they ask in return. It's going to be glorious...not so much the taming Celia's hair, but the being understood/understand part.

Not that I'm complaining. I keep thinking that it's time to live it up. I gotta go back to the "real" world when we hit State-side. Job, hopefully a mortgage, grocery shopping on Sundays, and being able to buy just about anything I want whenever I want it! Glorious! However, I don't think the fabulous nap that I took this afternoon is going to be much of an option on most Friday afternoons this fall!

See you all soon!

un diner presque parfait

I don't think I've mentioned this much, but we live in a pretty awesome, beautiful, picturesque area of Paris. It's quiet, green, full of trees, and now a days the flowers are in full bloom and it is just wonderful! (Here's Celia totally taking advantage of the sun and beautiful location...I'm sure this picture was taken while Sleeping Bleauty was playing on the computer in front of her...I'm surprised she was able to look away long enough to somewhat acknowledge my presence!)

Being such an amazing location, the Cite is home to many many movie, commercial, and TV sets. And it's always interesting to watch scenes being filmed here. So much action and excitement comes with seeing camera crews, all their fancy stuff, and of course, the snack tables, (they always have a crepe pan and Nutella! Awesome!). Plus, I'm always wondering if I am just 10 meters from the Brad Pitt of France. These actors could be huge stars for all I know and they are hanging in my backyard! (Dang! I should have spent more time watching french TV!)

It's pretty cool to watch all the action behind the action. We've witnessed some great fights, puppet movies, car acciedents, and Saturday was the mother of all shows: Un Diner Presque Parfait! It's a cooking show competition among three two-person teams. And from what we gathered while watching the filming in our courtyard Saturday afternoon, the individuals from each team get a chance to cook and create while being timed. Once time is up, the partner comes in and finishes whatever his/her teammate started. Then I think they get to collaborate for another few minutes before turning in their final creation to the judges.

In the picture above are two of the three main kitchen stations. To the right of these cooking stations were three stations of fresh vegetables, herbs, eggs, cheese, milk, lobsters, and we're guessing some crab, (one crab got away and was hiding in our stairwell! It was quite a surprise)!

So, the competition was laid out all over the courtyard. From the kitchen stations, the teams had to run to the food stations and collect their ingredients for that meal. Then run back and cook it up while being filmed and timed. Below is the team that I think won this evenings showdown:

But here's the best part. While lounging on the grass and half watching the ladies, half watching the filming, Brian and I hear the crew people behind us rolling in a huge garbage bucket. A few minutes later we hear them tossing all the leftover fruit, vegetables, herbs, and cheese into the bucket. What???!!! We raced over to investigate and then asked if there was any way we could have the totally fine, beautiful looking, fresh, delicious leftovers versus them throwing it all away. They were totally fine with us collecting as much as we could and thus, we scored enough eggplant, zucchini, peppers, herbs, strange containers of cheese, and this thing...

....to last us through our remaining time here! It was so cool! And so fun! Last night we cooked our fresh artichokes while learning about the celery root, (pictured above). Not sure exactly what we're going to do with it, but how fun is that to learn about something new to cook with! Let the adventure begin....

Yeah, we scored lots of great food. We were able to take down half those mushrooms yesterday and hope to finish off the rest tonight. Our only problem is time: the carrots are withering away and the mint I used up today in the Tabouli was almost near it's breaking point. We gave Andy a bag full of eggplant and zucchini and now I have the wonderful task of trying to figure out what to do with this bucket of cheese: Brousse de Brebis...

Either way, dinner is almost perfect and it was a pretty awesome weekend!

Shared space!

So I can't take it any more. Maybe the heat is getting to me. Or perhaps with my mind being preoccupied with thoughts of jobs and moving and all the stress that comes with it I have little or no patience. Or maybe I've been here too long and the romance of this life has worn off. Whatever it is, these people are really getting to me!

For example, (since you asked, here is the first of many....), Celia and I were coming out of the metro on the escalator this morning behind a normal looking french couple. I've got a folded stroller over my right shoulder and a tiny hand in my left and as I look up to step off the escalator, BAM! I hit the lovely couple square in the back. A quick, "pardon", French shrug (more on that another time), an annoyed look that I have done something wrong, and they are off. Yes, how dare I expect to be able to walk off a moving escalator with my young child, (or single or with 50 young children, I mean, does that part even matter?), without dying. These are narrow, tiny escalators with no movement on either side at the top if the people in front don't do their job. The job where you move away from the top! Who am I to have the nerve to expect to be able to walk off the escalator without having someone stop right in my way. I mean, who stops at the top of an escalator? Really? Where do you want me to go? Awesome!

Thus, this is my life. My rant for the day. I can't take it anymore and these people driving me crazy...

Another one of my favorites is the move where a group of friends or runners form a wall of bodies. You can't get around them or through them and they are totally "oblivious" to everyone else in the world. The fireman, (well known for their good looks and fabulous bodies...not so much for their running courtesy), take up the whole Montsouris walkway every morning during their workout run. Now yes, they deserve my respect and space and yielding. But really, do you need to run as a horizontal line across the way? Can't you all double up?

The wall of bodies across the stairwell leading down to the metro is another great one. How can you NOT be aware of all the other people in the world trying to enter and exit that same space? Seriously! Move! But no, something has come up! Should we get on the metro or walk? Go back to the party or grab some food? Is it time for bed or do you want to hang out? All this MUST be discussed on the stairwell, in a line, perpendicular to the entrance, thus blocking all reasonable traffic.

Let's not limit ourselves to the metro. I can do some good sidewalk trash talk....

1. There's the guy that walks in a zig zag. You try to bust right and make a pass at the exact time he's feeling more favorable to his right. Try left and ditto. You are stuck behind this zig zag genius that should have been a race car driver! No one can pass him!

2. Texting! Arnold made it illegal to text while you drive and we need his services here. I mean really: can you just pull over for a second and finish that message before moving along? You almost nailed my kid!

3. Which brings me to 3: The Sudden Stopper! We're moving, we're grooving, I'm pushing the stroller and then BAM! The lady in front of me decided to stop and text/answer her phone/look at the map/check out the shop window! (Okay, you got me here...I asked for the text pause. However, I did say pull over, you know step aside to a reasonable stopping point. Not right in the middle of the sidewalk!) I get nailed by the sudden stopper at least twice a day! (did I mention SS at the top of the escalator???)

Okay, so it's been a tough day. I mean, not really, it was fabulous. I dropped Elise at school, had a great run, and Celia and I headed up to Cimetière du Père-Lachaise for a great stroll through the cemetary before strolling through the streets of the 11th and stopping for lunch at a new falafel place. It was so so great.

But I just can't help but get annoyed with annoying people...

Am I going to miss this? Heck yeah! All my life I have wanted the urban experience. Who'd have thought I'd get it with a french twist? Just last night I got out with a group of friends for a drink and a movie. We watched Woody Allen's latest Midnight in Paris and relished in this amazing life. The movie was fabulous and was so fun to watch while living in Paris! It was so fun to enjoy this great movie of our own lives. Now granted, I'm not hanging with Salvador Dali, (Rhinocéros), or taking trips back in time but I am living in a great great city that is still great even when it rains!

I love it! And I know I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to stupid decisions while out on the street. I'm a sudden stopper all the time. Granted, I've got two kids that distract and want and need and I have tiny excuses for being annoying. But who can resist the need to walk and text once in a while...

All I'm saying is I think we can do a better job of sharing this space. And for the most part, the people here are kind and caring and will go out of their way to help carry a stroller or help a tiny lady off the bus/train/tram. I've had a number of very positive encounters walking these glorious streets and riding the public transport. It's just these silly annoying space stories that are just too fun to share!

Ma belle-mère et beau-père

My in-laws came to us in Paris this week and we had a wonderful visit. We took them all over the city and they did a fabulous job mastering the metro and were great tourists. It's not easy to visit the Fischers in Paris: we are very excited about this beautiful wonderful city and squeeze in all the greatest hits over a few days. Brian really worked them and I'm proud with how well they did with his busy schedule.

I think they saw some of the best that Paris has to offer. We took them out for some of our favorite foods and it was really fun to share with them our Paris.
The ladies especially loved having the grandma and grandpa here. The grandparents did an excellent job of loving and spoiling them silly and we ate lots and lots of chocolate and ice cream.
But now they're gone and it's back to our quiet Paris life. Brian is back to work, Elise is back to school, and Celia and I have returned to Celia Boot Camp 2011. We're working on her feisty attitude, (I don't know where she gets it!), and the potty training. And I can happily report that we are 1 for 2! She's still feisty, but giving attitude in underwear! I'm so proud of my lady. I thought potty training her was going to be a beast but the lady has come through. After about 2 days of accidents and lots of paper towels, she is a super star!

So, here we are. We've got two plus months of the Fischer Paris/Euro Adventure left. It was great to have the grandparents visit and help me appreciate Paris again. I love taking people around the city and the sites just never get old. I could sit at the Sacre Coeur every day for the next two months and never ever get bored with it. I love the Seine, strolling through Lux Gardens, and sitting at the steps of the Pantheon looking down the Rue Soufflot at the Eiffel Tower. It's just such an awesome place and we're living the life here. It's simple and fun and with the weather being absolutely outstanding, I almost want to stay here forever.

But alas, our time will end here soon and we will be following ma belle-mère et beau-père back to the States. And I'm okay with that. I'm going to live it up for 2 plus months: I'm going to eat lots of bread and cheese, drink super cheap fabulous wine, explore the city with my feisty beast, and enjoy the easy life. And sercretly I am hoping that one of the ladies will marry a frenchman one day so that I too will be refered to as la belle-mère, literally translated as beautiful mother.

And now, back to the sun and Paris and the life!

C'est la vie!

au revoi, french style

For Celia's last day, the creche threw a proper good bye party for her. All the kids and most of their parents were there, Elise and I were late in our own special as always way for creche parties,(darn the Bus 62! just when you need it most!), but the party was a fabulous success. I could not have been happier for (a) finding this wonderful place full of fabulous women that loved and cared for my daughter for 6 months and (b) being able to participate in a proper french good-bye party. Fête français? Not complete with out the champaign. See the guest of honor's mommy below accepting her first glass of many....

Doggy/Princess Celia hanging out with Virginia

A very happy mommy accepting the celebratory champaign...I was one of the lucky ones that sipped from a real glass...notice the big yellow plastic glasses of champaign.

Celia rocking out with her friends and mommy Jemima at the creche

Now, don't get me wrong. Had I not lived in Paris for the last what, 20 months, I too would be appaled at parents and staff drinking champaign, at their child's daycare while the children are off in the back jumping off dangerous contraptions and doing their best to hurt themselves. By American standards, yes, something is wrong with this situation...

Back in the day in Los Angeles, what feels like a life time ago, Celia and Elise's daycare lady threw a Christmas party for all the parents. It was great. An evening for all of us to come together and get to know the parents of the kids that our own kids are spending all their time with. (Not too mention an awesome Sri Lankan caterer that blew our minds.). The evening was fabulous but the best part was when Nat's dad joked about the fact that we were eating and drinking in Achchee's precious daycare room. The same place where our kids sang songs and stacked blocks, we were partying the night away! But the very idea suddenly made us all nervous and awkward. We were afraid to do something wrong, or spill, or make a mess. Then we'd get in trouble and end up on the dreaded TIME OUT bench. Sure our kids were afraid of Achchee, but we were terrified of her!

So it's funny how the tables have turned. Back in LA, it seemed unnatural and silly to be drinking alcohol at the daycare. But here in France it is almost uncomfortably natural to drink with my child at her daycare. Of course, no one is getting drunk or obnoxious and I think that is one of the first things that comes to mind when considering the differences in our cultures. French people eat and drink in moderation. (Just think about it: all the best pastries and heavily creamed/buttered food of the world and NO, except us ex-pats and tourists, are fat! They are all born with this special skill that tells them to stop after a taste and move on. It's a gift)

Thus, we toasted the end of an era and enjoyed each other's company one last time. And it's just the thing to do: sip some delicious champaign, enjoy life, and be with your people. It was a fabulous au revoi, a great french experience to add to the books, and another beautiful lesson of the french life: take it all in, take it easy, and don't forget the champaign!