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!