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!

La dernière fois

Today is the beginning of many endings that will soon occur for the Fischers' Adventures. It is the end of TTS and the beginning of CT, Celia Time. That's right, Time To Shine is over and after today I'm back to being full time mom. It's been a great run and I have done a lot of great Paris explorations and adventures sans enfants. I have spent time with great friends, had many lunches with a wonderful husband, and spent some great moments by myself reflecting, visiting sites, and being alone. I found a healthy balance of people time with some solitude and I must say, the last 4 months have been pretty amazing. But alas, all great things must come to and end. Or do they....

With Celia's last day at the creche have come some interesting conversations with friends and fellow creche parents. One parent today explained to me that she moved here from Mexico on a 6 month visa as part of a work exchange program. Twelve years later she is married with two children. Every year she thinks this may be the last and they talk about a return to Mexico; however with the economy and dangers of northern Mexico, (where she has family and roots), they keep putting it off. Thus, the twelve years.

I have other friends that have had two years in Paris turn to five or some that are living day to day. It's fascinating to be a part of this world of ex-pats where people have designated deadlines or just live life as it comes and wait to see where it's going to take them. I don't know if I could do it. Just four months ago I did not know where we were going to be in six months and although it didn't drive me completely crazy, it was a bizarre feeling. The unknown.

Now sure, I knew deep down inside that things would work out and we would end up back in the States, but I guess I also knew that at some point we may have needed to have the plan B conversation. The details of that conversation I guess we will never know, (it never came up), but I do wonder.....

We came here with the intention of a two year stay and it turned out to be two years. It was a fabulous two years and in our case yes, all good things are going to come to an end. But we must not forget that when one door closes, especially in the case of the Fischer Family, another fabulous one opens!

The doorma continues

Get it? Doorma (Drama). Okay, so I know a joke isn't funny if you have to explain it, but I really wanted to make sure that one got through. It's good, no?

So, there are a million other things I should be doing right now, like shopping for lunch as my belly growls, or doing some job research for my phone interview tonight, or just sitting at a cafe celebrating my birth...but I just had to take a few minutes to document what just happened....

How many french men does it take to change a door lock? What I just learned is that it probably takes only one, but you need at least five others to talk it through with, argue with, and then go grab a coffee with after deciding on a plan and putting it off until after your coffee and cigarette. Got it? Good.

Five men were at my door this morning investigating the lock and talking over what to do about fixing it. Now they are talking fast and in french and asking me what I think..."uhhh, oui? C'est bonne?" (please, please, please take that as my approval, fix my door, and go away...)

No such luck. They argue and talk and argue some more, (arguing vs talking is determined by the increase in hand gestures and volume. The main guy got pretty upset at the DDLM administrator when he questioned his decision and plan for the door.) Then the fix-it guy/main guy who has all the tools and appears to know what he's doing, declares that he will fix it this afternoon. The administrator guy asks if I can be here this afternoon while he fixes it. (Again, I'm just standing here...I do not have the ability to give my two centimes and am absolutely worthless. Why do I need to be here?) Fix it guy says he can get in and fix it himself and that I don't have to be here. Admin guy doesn't like that and tells Caesar he has to be here. Caesar doesn't like this plan and tells fix it guy to do it tomorrow. Here's where I jump in holding my door handle, "Pas demain, aujourd'hui s'il vous plait." I'm not super stoked about carrying around my new door handle as my key, it's the only way to get in to the apartment.

So, they talk it over some more. Fix it guy convinces admin guy that it really is not a problem. He can take apart the lock, replace it with new parts, and Voila! it's done. Admin guy keeps asking how he is going to fix it. Fix it guy explains he will remove the lock and replace it with new parts, and Voila! it's done (fix it guy sentence). Admin guy asks for some clarification again (Admin guy question). Repeat fix it guy sentence. Repeat Admin guy question. Repeat fix it guy sentence. (By the way, I'm picking up about 7% of the french in this case but I'm understanding about 89% of what's happening through the hand gestures and motions of each individual. It was great. Oh, and keep in mind that you have Caesar and two other guys just standing and watching this whole episode as well. I felt like I should have offered popcorn or something.) Admin guy comes around and is convinced that fix it guy is going to pull it off and gives the d'accord. Then they head outside to the main building to discuss things further. And as I go to get our computer from the main building, (the confiscated it on Wednesday when they couldn't fix the door. It was a nice gesture in terms of saving it from theft but kind of annoying when we returned home yesterday and it was gone. And we couldn't get it back b/c the security guard who works the main building over the weekend can't get into the admin office. Thus, I went to get it from Simon today and here we are) there are all my fix it friends, drinking their coffee and smoking their cigarettes, in peace. No love lost over the doorma of the handle!

Get a handle on it

We walked into our corridor after a long, tired, crying journey home from Rome. (Oh fabulous, fabulous Rome...more on the trip later when I have more time. Just know this: we ate, we saw some really old stuff, it was warm and beautiful, and glorious!), to this

Notice something missing?

A little background...upon leaving Wednesday afternoon, we realized that our door was not locking. You could close it completely and then open it right back up, sans cle. Hmm, this is a problem. Luckily, Ceasar was right outside and I got him on the problem. We were able to leave for the airport and start our fabulous vacation. However, this is what we returned to. And for those of you out there that don't see the problem, this is what we are used to returning home to....

Ca Va

A former colleague of mine used to complain about the greeting system that many of our other colleagues would use when approaching one another. She felt the casual, "how's it going" or "what's up" were always insincere. When she would stop what she was doing and respond to the question, her inquirer would be on his/her way without even the slightest pause to hear what she had to say, leaving her feeling quite foolish and annoyed. Why ask the question, she would complain, if you really don't care what my response is going to be. She would rather we all give a nod or a smile and continue on our way. (or just drop your head and act as if you don't even see each other...it's not rude, she'd much rather prefer it!) She had to train herself to respond to people's casual inquisitions with a null response and continue on with her own business.

I appreciated what she had to say but also had to tease her about her high level of sensitivity over the issue. It's just the way things go on campus, and in life. You give the nod, the "what's up", and you're off. No one is interested in what you have to say, we're all just being polite and acknowledging your existence at that moment in our lives. No harm, no foul. My friend felt otherwise and after a while, I guess I came to appreciate her observation and trained myself, in her honor, to greet others with a quick good morning/afternoon. I eventually dropped all questions directed to colleagues when I knew I didn't care what they were going to say in return. I'm all for trying new things and I gotta say, it really helped eliminate any unwanted conversations that might have arose had I asked how one was doing.

Here in Paris I have gone back to my old ways and I love it. The proper greeting here among my peeps, (Ceasar, cleaning crew, the guy I pay my rent to, you know, all my good buddies!) at the Cite is a quick, "Ca va?" or if you want to get fancy, "Ca va bien?". What I love about it is the response, "Oui" or "Oui ca va". You answer a ca va with a ca va and can even follow up with a question, "Ca va?". Not only do I love the simplicity, I love that it is my way of really fitting in here in Paris. It may be the only solid french I know and I'm running with it. So when I see Ceasar, the man who runs the DDLM, (our little village of the Cite), I always throw out a ca va and I'm suddenly feeling Parisian and fluent. Our conversations, (and they can sometimes be two to three times a day), go fabulously like this:

Me: Ca va bien? (here I'm feeling fancy)

Ceasar: Oui, ca va. Ca va?

Me: Oui.

It doesn't get old, never gets awkward, and I believe both parties feel satisfied. (This is my fabulously blissful interpretation...not sure how Ceasar really feels about it but in my world, he also loves our daily encounters!) Seriously, we can have this 11-second conversation at least twice in one day. Isn't it nice that Ceasar is always doing so well? Oui, ca va, (I'm good, things are good, it's going well...)

Even my old colleague has to love it. You get out a proper greeting and listen for the response because it's so quick and easy. Now granted, I may one day get nailed and Ceasar will respond with a "non..." and go on to tell me the woos of his life. But then I simply follow up with a good ol' french shrug, my sweet smile, and a "Je ne comprends pas".

So I Suck

...let's just get that out there. I am the worst blogger in the world! I know it's been a long time since my last entry and the time between these pathetic entries is growing. But what can I say? It's spring! I'm in Paris, (not much longer I might add....), and I just can't justify sitting inside in front of the computer when I need to be out there where's it's sunny and glorious! I'm like a caged animal that was just set free! You can't hold me down.

But today is a Monday. I'm working on some laundry before heading off to the Carefour for groceries before heading off to the creche to faire la garde. I'm going to squeeze in a thought or two before I go.

So, March. What a month. I know I was just saying the other day how quickly February went by and now here we are at the end of March (BTW, March Madness! How great is this! No Number 1 seeds! I love it! And thanks to cbssports.com, my new favorite TV station and website, we've been able to catch quite a few games. It's such a nice treat!) I am a bit relieved that I'm not the only one who's feeling that time has been bumped up to some crazy time warp speed. I was chatting with some friends the other day who, like me, are super stoked at how fast the winter went by but still can't believe it's going to be April this week! We're all freaking out becuase there's vacance to be planned! Where are we going to go next? (I know, really hard life. School is out every seven weeks for two week breaks. You have to plan a holiday somewhere out there! It's not an easy task!)

But anyway, let's get focused here. March! What a month!

...Celia got her face painted:

We went to London:

(a real quick London summary: super fun and cool city. We stayed with friends which made it really easy and they were fabulous tour guides. Museums are free and kid friendly so that was super awesome. We checked out the Tate and the British Muesum and both were fabulous and I highly recommend. Especially the view from the 3rd/4th floor cafe of the Tate. We had fabulously uncharacteristically warm, sunny weather and took advantage of that as we explored the city and all the sites! We ate lots of fish and chips, Indian food, and drank warm beer in a few different British Pubs. It was great!)

Brian and Elise in front of the Parthenon Frieze (forgot whether it's really considered a freize or not but one of Brian's favorites!) We joked that we shouldn't have climbed the Parthenon in Athens last summer in 100 degree heat and blazing sun. We could have just gone to the British Museum. They had the most amazing collection of the Parthenon.

The ladies being mummies

Other March highlights...

Our old Cite neighbors from Sweden came back to visit. Linnea is a couple weeks younger than Celia and it was so great to have our old playmate back. It was so wonderful to spend time with Susannah again too. Their family lived on the top floor of our building and we used to spend hours together roaming the Cite when the weather permitted or hours playing with each others toys. They are really great friends and it was so fabulous to have them back for a visit!

The ladies are kicking butt in school and loving it. They are still super happy and doing so very well with their friends and playing! Celia is doing well with her animals and colors in French. The lady will never be potty trained, (I'm afraid this one is pretty stubborn), and she's going to go to prom in diapers, but she'll be there with her French boyfriend dancing the night away! I guess I have to give her credit for that!

Elise amazes me every day with her wonderful observations and brilliant outlook on life. That lady is so smart and loving every minute of life. She really just brightens my world!

I'm not making much progress on French but am making progress in seeing this fabulous city under the sun. It really is a grand site: the cafes are spilling out into the sidewalks and people are just out soaking up the glorious sun. Every green space in Paris is covered with picnic-ers and it's just great to hear the sounds of spring!

Life is pretty good. After about 10 days of illness, coughing, and sleepless nights, we are back on track and off to Rome this week. What better way to end a great month? (too bad you won't hear about it until the end of April...)

Oh, and let's not forget our biggest news: Brian got an awesome job and we have a new home! We are off to Seattle this fall when Brian begins his tenure track position at Seattle University! The payoff is here and we are so very excited to start the next chapter of our lives, perhaps the last chapter of changing cities! It is a great great position for Brian and I am so very proud of him. Things are really coming together!

And lastly, anyone else jumping on the VCU bandwagon? :)

What happened to February?

I know I have been very lame at blogging this month. Hopefully after this entry you will forgive me.....

So, like I said, what happened to February? I know it is technically the shortest month of the year, but come on. Just yesterday I was turning over my calendar from January and tomorrow I'm flipping again. What happened to the 28 days in-between? (and just think, next year we have to deal with 29 days....)

Well, I guess they got last somewhere amongst the Arc de Triomphe, Strasbourgh, a battle against the flu/gastro, Cite des Science, Disney, and single motherhood. Okay, I guess I now realize where those days have gone....

We maximized our free museum Sunday on the 6th of February with a trip to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. Elise proudly climbed all 284 steps to the top while I carried Celia. It was so worth it because the view from the top was very cool, as you can see from the faces below!

The week after our A de T visit was fairly normal and quiet. Tuesday Brian left for the States to interview for three different jobs, (more on that later!). Or as Elise would put it, "Daddy went to America for a job" whenever Celia got anxious about his absence. We tried to keep life as quiet and normal as possible. I spent that Tuesday exploring Paris while my children were kept after by others. I walked, spent money, and enjoyed this fabulous life before gathering up my beasts for the night. We needed our rest for our big adventure on Friday, Strasbourg!

On Friday the ladies and I met Katy and Andy at the train station for an adventure to Strasbourg, France. After about two hours on the train with very well behaved ladies, we walked through the streets of Strasbourg and enjoyed the sights and the German influenced gastronomy of this quaint city. We dined on delicious choucroute and les tartes flambees! It was great eating and drinking and sightseeing. A bit on the cold side Saturday morning but the sun came out and within a few hours we were happy to be strolling around the city. Then we jumped on a train late afternoon and were back in Paris by early evening. It was a great 24 hour adventure and the ladies got to play on their first wine keg as seen in the picture above!

Before Elise and I were happily and healthily sitting in the 3-D theater of the Cite des Science, we battled illness like no other. Upon returning from Strasbourg, I got the flu and Elise's cough took us to another level that I hope to never return to. With all the madness of my own illness and sans mari, we experienced a whole new adventure of Paris, house call doctors. By the time Monday rolled around and death was knocking on MY door, I finally got a look (and listen) at Elise to notice that all color had left her and she was not doing well. So after a three calls to the SOS Medcine, (so I hate speaking french on the phone much less having to listen to french on the phone. The three attempts were due to the THREE automated options on the answering service. I guess this is where "Third time's the charm" comes from...), I got a doctor to come to our house, (after "attempting" my french for about 7 minutes the operator asked, in perfect english, if I would prefer to speak english! This is great as I'm about to pass out from being out of the bed more than 2 minutes in my flu-infested state. Thanks for asking buddy!), check out Elise, and write 'scripts for some antibiotics. And not a day too soon. That lady needed help. (Was that confusing? Should I stop writing so much in parenthesis?) :)

Oh, the miracle of rest and medicine and good friends. My people brought us food, entertained our one healthy beast, Celia, and after lots of sleeping, resting, and movie watching, we were all back to normal by Thursday and ready for Brian's return on Saturday. It was a great ending to our first week o' vacance d'hiver.

To sum of the second week o' vacance d'hiver we took a trip to the Cite des Science, Disneyland, (note to self: Celia needs to learn about the bar automatically moving onto her legs before the first time on the magic carpet ride. She was not happy when that bar came down....but don't worry, those tears you see above disappeared the moment the ride took off! That lady was in heaven!!!), and multiple trips to the park during the beautiful mornings before the clouds rolled in. Did I mention we saw Cinderella's carriage??

Long story short, (my shortest entry, right?), it's been a very short, busy, fly by month and I can't believe it's March. We had a blast, survived some illness, and gave our bodies some much needed rest before having even more fun! We hope you all had a great great February too and just have to wonder, what does March have in store for us????? London, Rome,....

It's worth writing about

Last week my notebook feel apart. The wiring on the side is beaten up and on the verge of unwinding. It's kind of sad because there are still a lot of pages left and I'd like to fill it up all the way. However, I also don't want it to fall apart completely. So we called in for reinforcements, (aka, Brian brought me home a new one), and we've started a new one. The old guy is resting on the desk but receives frequent visits as I look up recipes, restaurants, and places to go.

The notebook. My BFF of Paris. I've never been one to keep a diary. I'm not a good writer and I have also turned into a total computer person, why write when you get type? I'm embarrassed to include that I also used to be very impatient with the hand-writing process. It just takes way too long, (this, as I type away...I'm really trying to change)!

Lame, right? Even writing letters and sending them via post are typed. I never hand-wrote a word. Maybe I'm just embarrassed by my poor spelling and prefer the comfort of Spell Check. That's a good excuse because deep down inside I know it's that I'm just lazy and impatient and silly about getting my thoughts down fast enough. See, with typing, there is never a problem. My hands can keep up with my brain. But hand-writing. Ugh, what a chore. Totally lame!

However, my BFF, the notebook, is full of my life's notes of the past 6 or 7 months, (remember, life only just got started with daycare!). And it's so fun. I've got great walks, restaurants, vacations, and recipes. My BFF is fabulous. We sit together and I gather my thoughts. I write about good days and places I've been. It's my quiet time. Very Zen!

And oh the recipes! I've kept written record of everything I've made, or tried to make, while on my adventure of cooking here in Paris and it's fabulous to have it all in writing and recorded. I know I am especially going to appreciate this notebook when we return to the real world and I'm stuck on what to cook on any given night. I really like my notebook.

As I transfer data, (by hand, so lame!), to my new BFF, (who am I kidding, it's not a new BFF, just BFF part deux, I can't replace you number one!), I am so thrilled that I decided to keep this notebook/diary. Like I said, it's something I've never done before and often kick myself for not. Like when we drove through Utah with Aaron for like 6 days and had the time of our lives hiking and camping, and hanging out with a lost cow! Why didn't I write that down? Or all the silly things the ladies do: I have a record from '10 - '11, but what happened before? Did they not exist? (By the way, if you want to hear the funnies poop story of your life, email me off blog!) My mom bought me those first year calendars where you put first moves and teeth and smiles and the only good they did was collect dust in some drawer. (Sorry Mom!) I just wasn't good about that stuff before. But now...

Now I'm typing to record this day in my life that I'm dedicating to my notebook of hand-written events and notes and stuff with a promise to keep it up throughout the rest of my life. (Did you get that?) There's no excuse not to continue the tradition in the States! This notebook is full of wonderful things and reminds me of a fabulous time in my life when it was simple, slow, and worth writing about.

Spice it Up

On my most recent Tuesday TTS, I took the advice of my friend Katy and checked out some fancy spice houses that are located up in the right bank. Since I don't spend enough time up there, I checked out the blog Katy found and worked out an itinerary to see all the spots that this guy deemed worthy. Fortunately it worked out that a falafel lunch would have to start the day, so I met my friends Kirsten and Julie up at L'As du Falafel in the Marie and we began our adventure with a delicious falafel sandwich. I should amend that, the BEST falafel in Paris and beyond. It was and always is so so yummy!

Since I have become quite the Moroccan chef, my goal for the day was to not only enjoy the adventure of spice shops but also purchase some saffron to help put my already awesome Tagine chicken over the TOP! Thus after our lunch, our first stop was to the Goumanyat & Son Royaume, where they specialize in none other than saffron! So I am not only starting off with one of the cooler, older shops, it's also the place where I'm going to knock out the goal of the day.

Too bad we caught them on a day of fermeture exceptionnelle! Awesome! This is my favorite! If something comes up and a store has to close suddenly, the shop owner will throw up a classic homemade sign stating, "fermeture exceptionnelle". Rarely there will be an explanation and even rarer the shop owner will tell you when s/he is going to once again open but those two statements only occur if you're having a really lucky day. (What's really awesome about this is that less than a month ago when Pamela was here we missed out on my favorite hot chocolate place because of an F.E....oh, and don't even get me started on the Post Office here at the Cite...they're always F.E.-ing and they are a government office! That's just not right!)

The F.E. can happen for various reasons. And sure, I could be considered a huge jerk for talking badly about these F.E. because there could have been a family emergency or something horrible, however I have also heard of times when stores just F.E. for the heck of it: slow day, nap time, just not in the mood. It's just such an odd concept for me to accept: most places in the States have hours posted on their doors and hold to them like religiously. There are multiple people that can handle opening and closing the location and there is rarely a reason to shut down the store if one person can't make it. Someone else can always be called in to pick up the slack. But here that's just not the case. Small families own their stores and have few employees, if any, that are outside of the family. So if something does happen to the family, there is no one left to man the store. It's gotta be difficult. But still, Tuesday is my TTS. An F.E. is just not cool for the first stop!

Anyway, my magical saffron store was closed and we were bummed for all of one minute. We still had a nice agenda planned and plenty of time to make it to the next spice shop before they closed at 14:30. (they other best thing about owning a store in Paris, the afternoon closing for the classic sieste before the evening hours!) So we headed off and roamed the streets of the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements and enjoyed browsing in some fancy boutiques as we made our way to spice houses two and three.

L'Epicerie de Bruno was really cool and a good store to keep in mind when we really need a Mexican fix. They served some nice looking salsas and Cholula!!!! This store specializes in all different kids of combination spices for curries, risottos, and other creations. Plus, they had vanilla bean sticks that looked super awesome! I had to resist purchasing some of the vanilla but wrote it down as a goal to first learn what to do with those sticks before buying a bunch! It's good to miss out on one goal of the day but find another one during the adventure! I somehow see this as a healthy balance....

In between L'Epicerie de Bruno and Epices Roellinger we stumbled upon a really neat candy/wine/spice shop off the fabulous Galerie Vivienne, where I almost bought a bag of blueberry candy at 750 euros a kilo!!! Oh yeah, that was totally awesome! I not only had to return the four tiny pieces of candy that I thought was going to cost 2.50 euros, I had to do it in french and cause an embarrassing moment for me, in front of my friends. Fabulous! And yeah, I hear you out there, 7.50 for a bag of candy sounds intriguing and maybe you should of kept it Sara, when else are you going to buy candy from the deepest caves of the earth where people lost their lives in order to bring it to this fancy shop in Paris? (okay, I'm exaggerating the lose of life, but this guy just went on and on justifying his 750 euro/kilo price!) And here's my reasoning: that one bag of four tiny pieces could have bought me two delicious Lebanese sandwiches. Two lebanese sandwiches versus 4 tiny pieces of candy! I'm sorry, I went Lebanese!

So, TTS was pretty great last week. Despite an embarrassing return and an F.E., I did manage to buy some saffron from Olivier Roellinger, who by the way is a pretty cool guy. Check out his wiki when you get a chance. He also has a pretty awesome spice house that is worth a visit next time you're in town!

Thus, mission accomplished! Stay tuned for next week....

Third time's the charm

Last Friday morning, I took a train to Bruges for the third time., for a good cause. My friend Katy was looking for a friend to join her on her first time and I graciously volunteered to leave my children for the day and be her guide. Not an easy task but I felt up for the challenge. Thus, on Friday morning we met at Gare du Nord for our adventure to Belgium.

And the third time was in deed the charm. Although I've been to Bruges before, the city had an entirely different feel sans enfants. I slowly strolled the streets without worrying about horse drawn carriages running over my ladies. We dined and actually chewed the delicious flemish stew and french fries. And, here's the most special treat of all, we went to a BAR and drank beer! I got to go into an adult area, sit, and slowly enjoy the most delicious Belgium Beers. I even found a new favorite! It was grand!

The Belgian take their beer seriously. Every one has its own glass in order to bring out its true flavor. They come in all different sizes and shapes. It's pretty incredible and so much fun to watch the bartenders!

Katy and I did a great job of seeing the entire city. It's not huge so it wasn't hard and it was great fun to enjoy the sites and take it all in. There is beautiful architecture throughout the entire city and with it's wonderful canals it really is the "Venice of the North". We had a beautiful sun filled afternoon on Friday and climbed to the top of The Belfry. Although our panoramic view was cut in half, it was fun to climb all 366 steps to the top and see Bruges for the FIRST time from the top!

Saturday was a great day of wondering. Despite having a very unhelpful map, we managed to spill upon an awesome restaurant for a soup break, found a really weird thrift store, and topped off the day with moules frites for lunch. You just can't beat it! Then we grabbed some fabulous cookie treats and beers before heading to the train station.

Katy in front of the City Hall in the Burg square

So I can now proudly claim that I have been to Bruges three times in 11 months! It's a proud statistic that I will brag about for years to come and probably obtain jealous admirers from all over the world. And you want to know one of the best parts of number 3? I slept the whole way home on the train! What a treat!!! (Okay, so maybe going into a Belgium Bar was pretty awesome too!)