We received all our stuff today. It finally came and without sounding too materialistic I must say that it feels very nice. It's comforting to look around and see little pieces of home around the apartment and feel like we have finally arrived. I can already sense the change in Elise and Celia. Elise has taken every "baby" around for a ride in her shopping cart and is loving re-opening all her toys. I do feel bad that this is what it takes to feel at home, toys and such, however after spending a month in a strange new city where it's difficult to communicate with the people we meet on the street in a lime green apartment that feels cold and unwelcoming, if my ladies are finally happy and comfortable, I'll take it.
Am I materialistic, I ponder as I blog from my iPhone.
Just kidding, I'm writing from my fairly newly purchased Macbook!
Oh geez, give me a break guys. I'm just kidding! Well, not really but I must stress how good it feels to be home. I have a decent cooking pot and warm clothes, with options. I think my new friends were wondering if I owned something more than the grey, the brown, or the blue gap t-shirt? It was dangerous if I saw them four days in a row without a break in the rotation!
But in all seriousness, we are all feeling very good after being here a little over a month. This has been the best adventure of my life. I have learned so much about myself and even after pondering the materialism issues I'm dealing with tonight, I'm still feeling good about myself. We took a leap and a chance on life and look at where it's gotten us? We are living in an amazing city with fabulous new friends and as I ride the metro up to the Eiffel Tower with my ladies every Wednesday, we are surrounded by so much beauty and mystery. There is never a dull moment.
Speaking of dull moments. I was looking for one the other day as I rode the metro to soccer. There I was on Line 6 listening to some music when the train stopped suddenly. The train lost power for about 15 seconds and then the conductor came on to explain the situation. I guess it was ironically funny but still very serious because there were mixed emotions of anger and amusement from the crowd. I had no idea what was happening but it caused quite a stir in the train compartment. People were excited and talking to one another while I just absorbed as much of the experience as I could. Then as we started on our way ten minutes later, the people on the train went back to their own business of reading, sleeping, jamming, or staring off into space. I loved it!
Okay, off to bed. We had a fabulous evening at Brian's lab. They hosted a very informal party to celebrate the kick-off of the new school year and welcome everyone back. I got to spend some time with Sophie, Brian's boss, and his new office-mate Andy; both of which are fantastic and very interesting people. Brian is really liking his new job and is adjusting nicely to the new world of science in Paris. He has a lot of colleagues and is meeting new people every day. He will make a guest appearance soon and share more with you about his new world but in short, he's happy and doing some great work.
Hope all is well!
I don't think that it is materialistic to want touches that remind one of home. I would want photos and things that bring those things close to me.
ReplyDeleteLOVED the photos from Elise's school. What are the kids doing with that giant spoon?
School finally starts Monday. Miss you, but am looking forward to seeing you in early April!