La vie en Rose!
bonjour!
I haven't been able to update my photos for a while sorry!
But at least I can give a shout out!
Firstly, nope, still haven't seen anything and am still safe.
Life is continuing on...I think you are getting a certain side of things through the media.
My sister has left and is back in the States. We had a French breakfast at McDonald's before she flew out. Now, what on earth were we doing at McDonald's you say? Well, they have these minature croissants, chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat) and various other delicious pastries for less than 2 Euros so we decided to check it out with a cup of Orange Juice. Hmm good! She then got in line to go to the gate and I waited to make sure she got off ok. While I was waiting, I people watched. What amazing people come through Paris. I saw lots of Americians on their way to and from the States. I got to see the Indian airline crew come through in their saris. Gorgeous!
I got to see a band come through with all their equipment. I don't know what band this was, but one of the musicians had dyed his hair a neon yellow, his beard a neon orange and other parts of his hair neon pink! When he walked through...conversations stopped and heads turned! Now, up until this moment I had not had one conversation with anyone being as most Parisians mill around minding their own buisness, but upon seeing this guy waltz through gasp! people exchanged glances and an airport worker rolled his eyes and (hold on to your seat here!) addressed me! Yes, he spoke to me and said wow that was a sight! Well, that is not exactly what he said, that is the translation. Anyways....more fun memories to add to the journal of Parisian memories. I jumped on the bus back to Paris and sat with some visitors from Dallas, Texas. Small world!
A cold front has moved in. Rain in Paris is very refreshing as it cleans things up a bit. Still must mind the occasional dog pile!
Paris is so alive and starting to feel like a home away from home. The other day, I was in the metro, and these two people got on and wouldn't take their seats. I thought that was odd and then, they burst out in an argument. Lo and behold I now had a front row seat to a modern play! These two people recited a whole scene to our listening pleasure and then promptly introduced themselves as travelling actors who work to promote the arts. They want the theatre to be as easily accessible to all as the TV is to most. It was very amusing!
I have been hanging out with other language teachers. One is from Germany and we are having a blast! We went to the special services for Armistice Day in Notre Dame. OH my! When the bag piper came down the aisle...well, it was just so moving to think of the centuries of people that have sat in the same space through times of peace and times of war. It was a beautiful British ceremony and we saw lots of government officials and lots of kilts with legs peeking out! We kept looking up at the decorations and having to pinch ourselves I mean Napoleon was crowned here in the cathedral of Notre Dame.
The Christmas decorations are coming out and are making Paris nights magical. Gallery Lafayette and Printemps are huge shopping centers like Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza and they go all out! Champs Elysées is getting strung up as I write. It is really breathtaking really to see all the lights, stars and various other decorations.
So, what are you all doing for Thanksgiving? This year, I might go to a local restaurant that celebrates Thanksgiving with some foreign friends to share the tradition with them. Our oven is much too small to roast a turkey so to a restaurant we might go!
Just in case I don't get to update between now and then. I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots of delicious home made pumpkin pie for me!
Love to the Laffertys and whoever else might be celebrating with y'all this year!
Have to run!
love from Paris,
Grace
I haven't been able to update my photos for a while sorry!
But at least I can give a shout out!
Firstly, nope, still haven't seen anything and am still safe.
Life is continuing on...I think you are getting a certain side of things through the media.
My sister has left and is back in the States. We had a French breakfast at McDonald's before she flew out. Now, what on earth were we doing at McDonald's you say? Well, they have these minature croissants, chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat) and various other delicious pastries for less than 2 Euros so we decided to check it out with a cup of Orange Juice. Hmm good! She then got in line to go to the gate and I waited to make sure she got off ok. While I was waiting, I people watched. What amazing people come through Paris. I saw lots of Americians on their way to and from the States. I got to see the Indian airline crew come through in their saris. Gorgeous!
I got to see a band come through with all their equipment. I don't know what band this was, but one of the musicians had dyed his hair a neon yellow, his beard a neon orange and other parts of his hair neon pink! When he walked through...conversations stopped and heads turned! Now, up until this moment I had not had one conversation with anyone being as most Parisians mill around minding their own buisness, but upon seeing this guy waltz through gasp! people exchanged glances and an airport worker rolled his eyes and (hold on to your seat here!) addressed me! Yes, he spoke to me and said wow that was a sight! Well, that is not exactly what he said, that is the translation. Anyways....more fun memories to add to the journal of Parisian memories. I jumped on the bus back to Paris and sat with some visitors from Dallas, Texas. Small world!
A cold front has moved in. Rain in Paris is very refreshing as it cleans things up a bit. Still must mind the occasional dog pile!
Paris is so alive and starting to feel like a home away from home. The other day, I was in the metro, and these two people got on and wouldn't take their seats. I thought that was odd and then, they burst out in an argument. Lo and behold I now had a front row seat to a modern play! These two people recited a whole scene to our listening pleasure and then promptly introduced themselves as travelling actors who work to promote the arts. They want the theatre to be as easily accessible to all as the TV is to most. It was very amusing!
I have been hanging out with other language teachers. One is from Germany and we are having a blast! We went to the special services for Armistice Day in Notre Dame. OH my! When the bag piper came down the aisle...well, it was just so moving to think of the centuries of people that have sat in the same space through times of peace and times of war. It was a beautiful British ceremony and we saw lots of government officials and lots of kilts with legs peeking out! We kept looking up at the decorations and having to pinch ourselves I mean Napoleon was crowned here in the cathedral of Notre Dame.
The Christmas decorations are coming out and are making Paris nights magical. Gallery Lafayette and Printemps are huge shopping centers like Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza and they go all out! Champs Elysées is getting strung up as I write. It is really breathtaking really to see all the lights, stars and various other decorations.
So, what are you all doing for Thanksgiving? This year, I might go to a local restaurant that celebrates Thanksgiving with some foreign friends to share the tradition with them. Our oven is much too small to roast a turkey so to a restaurant we might go!
Just in case I don't get to update between now and then. I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots of delicious home made pumpkin pie for me!
Love to the Laffertys and whoever else might be celebrating with y'all this year!
Have to run!
love from Paris,
Grace
posted by gracy at 5:11 PM
2 Comments:
we're not doing anything special for thanksgiving as usual...
Well, part of the media coverage is the panic factor, and I think part of it is also that many Americans (including myself) are not familiar with the suburbs of France... heck, I stayed in a suburb of London, and I *still* can't tell you what some other suburbs are. It's not like Orange County, CA, which is a suburb of LA that has the audacity of pretending to be its own main event!
I don't know if you watch The Daily Show or have heard of their new spinoff show, The Colbert Report, but in the case of the latter show, the host kind of satirizes the stereotypes of American ignorance, so his commentary on the riots were along the lines of: "I don't know which sporting event you just won, but congratulations. I hear you take that sort of thing a lot more seriously than we do."
Oh, I have a weather story that trumps yours, too. Just this week, we had tornado warnings one day (warm, rainy, windy weather, to those of you who haven't been there), and the next day, we literally had snow. I have no idea how it made such a radical transition overnight, but it happened. That's the midwest for you!
Anyway, I'll be doing Thanksgiving with some friends from high school, one who lives in Indiana, and one who'll be flying out from California to have a vacation staying with me. It should be a blast. :)
Keep fighting the good fight!
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