french connections

In the past week I have met a lot of French people.

The Carrousel Man. Everyday after school, the boys and I go to the park, but especially this one park because I can watch them amongst the other crazy kids and their ethnic nannies. And almost everyday we go to the ménage. I met the Carrousel Man the first day I arrived in Paris. He knows, and everyones knows when they meet me that I am an American. He says hello to me everyday we go the ménage. I speak my little French as he speaks his little English.


Jacaues Chirac, ex-president of the Republic of France, aka France. (Bénedicte reminds me of the correct French lingo). Looking my crumiest (since being with the kids all day, I do not come to work in pretty clothes), I met the president. It was pretty cool. It would be like meeting President Clinton. But when I met him I felt utterly stupid. The one time that I wish my French was great and not skimpy, and here I was meeting the president. Sure, he spoke some English, but I seriously did not know what to do or say. Anyway, that was the highlight of my week. And now that he is not president anymore, he has a philanthropic foundation. He is amazing and a very humble man.


Walking home one late night along Pont Mirabeau from I do not remember where, with my pepper spray at hand, just like every late night, a French man approaches me. A little intimidated and unsure how to approach this situation at such a time in the night, I soon become somewhat at ease at the sight of a classic French bohemian woman at his side. The man who talked to me was the kind of man that my parents were afraid of in leaving me alone in a big city like Paris. He was kind of a grungy dirty man with a few missing teeth, but with all happiness in his life. As he began his rapid French at me, he was cheerfully commenting on the beautiful site of the Eiffel Tower. Everyday I see the Eiffel Tower, but tonight and probably on many other nights, the Eiffel Tower was blue. The man loved the blue Eiffel Tower and loved the city of Paris. He loved being a Parisian because there was no other place in the world to see such beautiful things.

Dinner party with Nicolas and dinner party with another family. I met a few of the Rullier's friends this week. They were very nice people that really only spoke French and tried to include me into conversations with their minimal English. They were still good cultural experiences of how the French dine. Do not forget the Champagne for the appetizers and vin for dinner. The dinners started at 2100 and ended almost to midnight, all on weekdays. I really like eating late because then I do not get hungry later in the evening, but man, my stomache gets huuungrrry. Luckily I can sneak in a few bites of what I make the kids at their 1900 meal time, which I think is pretty late for kids. But right after school, in all schools I believe, there is goùter time. Pretty much cookie time. It is a great concept, but is pretty much like afterschool snack time in America. Anyway at these dinner gatherings, I just sit there and listen. I do not really know what they are talking about, unless it is about the kids, but I hope some of the French seeped into my brain subsconsciously. They can probably tell that I am a little bored, but for the free dinner meal, which have both happen to be Asian cusine-French style, I can bear it.

Westmont Europe Semeseter. On Tuesday I met up with a Wendi Hale from Westmont and the rest of the Europe Semester group. It was great to see familiar faces and I think they were just as surprised to see me sitting in their class waiting for them to get out. Because they had class that day and since I had to work that day, Wendi and I only had lunch together, but it was good to catch up with her. To think that on graduation, it would be the last time that we would meet.

Katie. I think every Wednesday we will have to see each other. It is just going to have to be routine. Wednesdays are long for both of us because the kids have short days or no school at all. Yesterday after a hard and irritable day, Katie and I met at 2230 just to be together and have someone to talk to. Again we walked aimlessly until our stomaches cried for something sweet. We ended up near the Champs-Elysées, where there was a surprisingly large amount of people walking the streets and many stores were open. Sorry, I am boring, but on weekdays I stay in the house. None of this going out business on Wednesday night, but times are changing and for my sanity, it is going to have to happen. We walked into a couple of shops and as tempting as it was, we promised ourselves a nice gift after we got paid next week. There goes my savings.

Today I am seeing the grandparents again, so we will see how that goes. This weekend the Pope Benedict XVI is coming to France, so Katie and I are probably going to go to that. Bénedicte gets to meet him on Friday, as this will be her second time meeting a pope of somekind. She met Pope John Paul II a few years back. I am not going to ask her to meet him, I feel like that would be taking advantage of her and really, what would I do other than stare?

My internet is still being dumb, so pictures will come later. Hopefully in a few days. I have to babysit this Saturday so I will probably write another post with the extra time. Most likely on the cuisine.

see you samedi.