Thoughts...

As my time in Paris draws to a close, and I make the mistake of having coffee at 5 pm, I find myself lying in bed thinking of things that I will miss and things I won't have trouble leaving once I hop on the plane at Charles de Gaulle on Saturday. My musings...

THINGS I WILL MISS

1. The pride the French take in their food "craftsmanship." Tenny asked me the other day what the equivalent of our favorite Parisian chocolate shop would be at home, and we realized that there simply isn't one! I could only think of Godiva and See's, and those are two very large factory-supplied chain stores and not at all the boutique, specialty, artisanal stores we have here. Granted, a single piece of chocolate costs about 1 euro at these stores, but there's a lot to be said for the love and devotion these artists have to their chocolate, bread, pastries, etc. Even here they're a dying breed, but there will always be Parisians who know that the artisan baguette from around the corner is worth the extra euro and who will support these amazingly devoted people. I will be truly sad to go back to a land of chains and mass production :( Here are a couple of websites for artisan chocolatiers I have patronized...
www.patrickroger.com
www.alareineastrid.fr
www.jeff-de-bruges.com
www.chocolaterie-servant.com

2. The ability to walk everwhere I need to go. I have used the metro probably once a week for the past month and a half and it's been the greatest decision I've ever made! Not only do I get exercise, fresh air, and can now better orient myself in the city, but I haven't been making my normal GIANT carbon footprint for about 3 months! The grocery store is 5 minutes away, the boulangerie is down the block, the laundromat is across the street and great restaurants are often just a short hop away. This may just be a feature of urban life that I haven't experienced growing up in Los Altos, but I think it's a shame that there's no way I can keep it up when I get home. It would take me an hour to walk to the nearest Safeway...

3. History. Everywhere you go in Paris (or in France, or Europe for that matter), there's so much history EVERYWHERE, even if it's just in the fact that many buildings were built about the same time we were heading over on the Mayflower. It's no fault of America's, but it's just going to be sad to have an "old and historic" building be built in the 1800s! I randomly run into cathedrals and towers and palaces in my walks - where else but here could you say that?

4. The language. French is the most beautiful language in the world, and I'm horribly sad that I will lose all ability to speak it once I leave. I feel like I'm getting on a roll with my accent and my ability to interact rather fluidly with people, and that's all going out the window as soon as I hit the US. Tragic. Even though I can't catch most of what people are saying on the street, just hearing French being spoken all around me is very soothing and I absolutely love it!

5. The cafe experience. I'm sure I will get nasty looks if I try to sit in a coffee shop or a restaurant for an hour in the states, and having to find the waiter to ask for a check will no longer be a challenge - or necessary. The French take such a relaxed and indulgent approach to eating, and I think that Americans really need to chill out, have a glass of wine, and CHEW their food. I agree that a 2 hour lunch is a little excessive, but shoveling food down in 15 minutes and then having the waiter slam the check down on their way running to another table is not the way to do it... I will also sorely miss the French "cafe creme," an espresso shot with steamed milk served in a tiny cup. Starbucks tall size looks gigantic to me now - I don't want to drink a whole carton of milk with my caffeine fix, just a small bit of milk and a sugar to tame the coffee! I have to figure out how to make this at home...

THINGS I WILL NOT MISS

1. The prices. It's horrendous. I am totally broke after 3 months and have no idea how I could possibly sustain this for much longer. And honestly, I don't even spend that much. Really. The euro is slaughtering the dollar right now, plus the prices in euros are high! Go figure.

2. The weather. It's really cold and gray, and I don't appreciate not being able to wear cute clothes or feel my extremities. 3. The utter lack of bathrooms. It's impossible to find a public restroom here - even in a large shopping complex, Connie and I spent about 15 minutes trying to locate one. On the street, I once walked for 30 minutes without seeing a single place I could go inside. The Starbucks on St. Germain had a code lock on their bathroom door!

4. My apartment. It's tiny and has approximately... ONE room. Oh and the windows leak cold air, we can't control the radiator, it has no oven, no dishwasher, and no working light in the bathroom. I also have about one shelf to keep clothes on and a fridge smaller than the one in my freshman dorm room.

5. French men. Yes, you may be seductive with your beautiful French accents but it's really NOT cute when you to try to grab my butt as I walk by on the sidewalk or grope me on the crowded metro. Really? In what universe is that culturally acceptable? I don't know how French women put up with it - I looked and was acting like a total local in these situations so I guess anyone's fair game...

6. The complete and utter lack of fresh produce in grocery stores. There are places that you can find good stuff I think, but I haven't found them and the convenient supermarkets have terrible selections, with a vegetable aisle that is approximately 10 feet long and not very fresh. California, I miss you!

It's definitely going to be a big adjustment going home, probably bigger than when I first got to Paris. And, as sad as it's going to be to leave, there's so much to look forward to when I get home. As always, it's a bittersweet ending to an incredible time in my life. I can't wait to see you all and be home for my favorite time of the year!