My First Month in Paris
Well, it's official, as of yesterday I have been in France for a month and I have survived! You best believe I'll be celebrating avec beaucoup de vin ce soir [that's french for: with a lot of wine tonight] <-- not a bad phrase to know!
Moving to France (or any foreign country) is NOT easy. Not only is french a freaking beautiful mess of a confusing language, but it's also difficult being away from friends/ family. Also, those who know me personally know I'm a bit of a work-a-holic. For the past 4 years my life & schedule has been structured with grad school and the start of my career right afterwards. Being jobless, I find myself not knowing what to do with my time. But best believe, fun projects are brewing in my mind ;)
At the beginning of this week P and I signed the lease for an apartment, which we were SO blessed to score! It was only the second apartment we looked at too! I had heard from a lot of people that it's either really easy or really hard to find a place in Paris. I imagine it would've been 100 times more difficult had I been looking alone. In Paris, you must make 3 times your rent in your monthly paycheck. For two people that's easy to do. But I'm not currently working right now, so like I said, we got lucky!
Whilst here I've made some observations of everyday life.
2 Observations + 1 Fear Overcome
Observation 1 - Room Temp Milk: If you ever find yourself in a french grocery store, you will notice that the milk and eggs aren't refrigerated. You will find them on a shelf just like you find the canned peas on a shelf. As the daughter of a food scientist, I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to get over this. But my darling mother has assured me that all is well and I will live. So nothing to worry about! Supposedly, because the milk is less processed than what I'm used to in the U.S. it doesn't need to be refrigerated (I think... don't quote me on that).
Observation 2 - Crutches Everywhere: I'm not completely sure what's going on here, but I've been noticing a lot of women with crutches. Most of the time they carry a single crutch. What's strange about this is that I only ever see women with these and not men. I blame the cobblestone streets. Walking on those things in heels is just asking for a twisted ankle. Yet, we all do it anyways cause we gotta be cute :) Also, I've witnessed a lot of people tripping up stairs. I too have tripped up stairs and many times on flat ground and I'm not usually a clumsy person. So yeah, not sure what that's about, but just tread carefully when you're here.
Fear Overcome - Tiny Elevator: I have overcome the fear of the Tiny Elevator at the apt we've been staying at. Not only is this thing tiny, but it makes weird banging noises when you're in it and makes sudden jolts. A friend visiting from SF compared the inside to that of a microwave, whereas I compared it to the foil of a burrito and we were the filling. This elevator fits 1 person - comfortably, 2 people - kind of uncomfortably, 3 people - we're definitely all up in each others personal space and I'm uncomfortable about it & 4 people - impossible as the max is 3 people. Ladies and gents, I give you the tiny elevator...
This month has been a whirlwind. I've been learning lots about myself, my beau, food, patience, language, this country and my country. Until next time!
bisous,
Jessi