Little Things

It is absolutely amazing to me how fast time flies when you are enjoying every second of what you are doing. I'm in love with my time here. Our visitors are still here, and it is so fun to have people to explore with, eat with, drink wine on the river with, and just enjoy company. It's been a busy week since I have last written, and I have so much to share about our trip to Budapest and a day trip to Versailles, but I thought I would write today about a few of the little things that have happened this week and made my smile.


1- We gained a pet. Ellen, Sean, and Hunter were wandering the city on Tuesday while I did some shopping and errand-running of my own. I came home early afternoon with a three cheese panini and a bottle of water, and I was sitting at the kitchen table eating and reading when out of the corner of my eye I saw a movement. I glanced up just in time to see a mouse crawling across the floor and under the couch. I immediately crawled on top of the kitchen counter and called Aidan. We came up with a game plan for disposing of the mouse (without killing him!), and I put the plan into action. Our plan? To create a barricade that would tunnel the mouse out of the couch and out the door. Long story short, 3 hours later I was unsuccessful in getting him out, I had made a mess of the apartment, and I was exhausted from chasing Ratatouille around the apartment with a broom. Here are my three take-ways: 
1. Mice do not like cheese. Ratatouille did not touch the cheese trail I left for him and just ran from piece to piece of the furniture.
2. There are holes in our walls that are connected to other apartments. Ratatouille eventually escaped my barrier and sought refuge in the kitchen where he escaped through a hole and now lives somewhere in our walls. Sometimes I wake up at night terribly afraid he will be cuddling next to me.
3. Trying to buy a mouse trap in France is like playing charades. As much as I love Ratatouille, I did purchase two mouse traps from the store. It sounds simple until you don't know the French word for mouse or trap. Talking to the clerk, I made a mouse noise and then slapped my hands together and somehow that did the job! 

2- I finally have flowers in the flower boxes!! We got home from Budapest mid-day on Monday, and Aidan did not have to go to work, so he went with me to take on the Flower Nazis. I am so pleased to announce that we now have gorgeous pink geraniums that I look at every day (and who knows, maybe that's where Ratatouille is living)!!

3- A late dinner reservation last night left the four of us wondering what to do before Aidan got home, so we took a bottle of wine (or two) and plastic tea cups to the Seine and sat on the ledge next to Notre Dame. It was as picturesque as it sounds watching the boats go by and waving to the tourists on them. My favorite moment, however, was sharing a toast with some people on one of the tour boats. Ellen, Sean, Hunter, and I raised our glasses to them, and behind their glass wall, they raised their glasses to us. Just a simple moment where I knew that there is nowhere else I'd rather be.


4- I love to eat, and I have yet to have a bad meal. BUT our dinner last night may have honestly been the most delicious meal I have ever eaten in my entire life. It was not anything adventurous- I had prime rib, potatoes, and dark chocolate gelato with a praline- but the rich flavors left me savoring every single bite (quite an accomplishment for any teacher who is used to eating lunch in 20 minutes!). My mouth waters just thinking about that meal and the amount of satisfaction I got from enjoying each bite. It also started an interesting discussion about things America could learn from France. More on this later... I'm still processing my thoughts! :)


5- Happy Anniversary (a day late) to two of my favorite people in the world. Thank you for showing me what 25 years of love looks like. I love you Mom and Dad, and I can't wait to see you in July!

Bubbly

My mom always says that the year we moved was the year we saw our family the most. She refers to the year we spent in Los Angeles and claims that when you live in a place far away, so many people visit that you forget you are not at home. Aidan and I were so excited on Wednesday that his brother and sister came to visit and are staying for 10 days! 


When you are from the United States, sometimes I think it is difficult to remember that there are people who have never been there and quite frankly don't care. Being over here is a constant and refreshing reminder that the world exists beyond our borders, a much needed lesson in humility. That said, I do smile a little bit hearing American English, and I love the strike-up conversation between a lost American tourist and myself. Being thousands of miles from home, it is amazing how much I suddenly have in common with a older man from Seattle, and how all of those conversations feel like a piece of home.


Waiting for Ellen and Sean, I got the best little taste of home from a French family. They had just gotten off the plane from the United States and were being greeted by French relatives. The returning family was extremely excited to show their relatives things they brought from their vacation, and they began to open up their suitcase in the little cafe outside of customs. Being nosy and unable to take my eyes off these adorable, bubbly children, I watched as the adults opened a HUGE suitcase. Inside were two bags of American flags and- I am not exaggerating- 25 bags of every kind of M&M that is produced. Peanut Butter, Crunchy, Mint... you name the M&M, they had it. What made this people-watching even better, the little French girl (maybe 5 or 6), started bouncing up and down, waved her arms in a circle, and screamed "Oh YEAHHHHH!" In that moment I was so America sick, it hurt, but seeing someone else enjoy "America" was perfect.


After wandering for a few days, Ellen, Sean, and I decided to take a day trip to go champagne tasting. Reims was a city that I was hesitant to go to but will not forget... a perfect reminder that some great things in life are a complete surprise. Ellen, Sean, and I got off the train, and even in the downpour of rain, we found ourselves in a quaint pedestrian town full of small shops and cafes. Being the introvert that I am, this town appealed to me, and I loved being able to walk down the street without a crowd of 15 million people. We visited two champagne caves- Taittinger and Pommery. Champagne makers take advantage of the chalk caves the Romans excavated in the 4th Century. The first one was a pristine, well-kept cave and a perfect introduction to the making of champagne. Fun fact: Champagne is only considered champagne if it is made in this French region!

While Tattinger was a perfect introduction to something I knew absolutely nothing about, visiting the Pommery caves was an eyeopening and fascinating trip through time. This particular cave was established in the early 1800's and has carried on production ever since. Even more fascinating, the caves were host to a large population of Reims civilians during the first World War. When the Germans destroyed most of the city, the citizens descended into the caves and carried on life there for 400 days. The teacher in me was absolutely amazed by the stories of school in the caves while bomb raids were happening 20 meters above them. Just to give you an idea of how severe these raids were, following the war, only the town cathedral and 60 houses were still standing. 

At the end of the tour the guide took us to their private cellar with vintages that dated back to 1898. The last time a bottle was taken from this cellar and consumed was in 2005 when World War II veterans from the United States and Great Britain returned to Reims to commemorate the signing of the treaty in 1945. Something about that gave me goosebumps and made me smile. Maybe it was the subtle connection to home, maybe it was the charity of the French, or maybe it was just the idea that there is so much out there bigger than you or me.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I love this quote, and though I've heard it a million times, I found myself thinking about it from a different angle today. I know the journey begins with a single step, but doesn't it also continue with one step after another? If our lives are truly a journey, then each chapter is just another step.


The last step I took lead me here, to a summer in Paris with my best friend. I have always loved to travel. I give all credit to my dad who has a love for adventure whether it be running marathons, trying new food, or getting completely lost for hours in a foreign place just for the chance to "explore." It is one of my favorite things about my dad that I have so luckily inherited, and without it, there is no way I would be here.


So six weeks in Paris. It's not the longest I've been away from home or the first time I've been to Paris, but this trip is going to be special. It is truly a sabbatical from my life, a chance to put EVERYTHING (except renting my American apartment.. that was a big, nasty check to write!) on hold, while I explore, read, learn, and ponder in Europe. Tough life, right? I've been here two days, and I already have thanked somebody somewhere a hundred times for this opportunity. There are a lot of people and beings that helped me get here. Thank you :)


In the last two days, here are my mostly wins and a few losses....


Win #1- Walking into numerous stores and being greeted in not English, not French, but GERMAN. I'm really not sure why people who travel to other countries (including myself) are so opposed to standing out. All of my life, I've been encouraged to stand out, make a difference, be bold, so it seems unnatural that we want to blend in to other cultures. I think the reason these German encounters made me so excited is that as I walk the streets of (insert foreign country here), the sizes, shapes, and colors of people amaze me. And when I really want to get lost in deep thought, it is overwhelming to me that if my life had taken a different step somewhere, maybe I would be someone else, a different size, shape, or color (okay maybe not color, but you get the idea). Maybe someone assuming you are from a different culture is just a reminder of that, or it is your alter ego's chance to pretend that you are German or French or British... even just for a moment. Personally I like to think that somewhere my German ancestors smiled at the greeting!
Liz 1 - Culture Shock 0


Loss #1- Aidan has a traditional French apartment with yes, French doors that open and overlook the street below. These doors have window boxes for flowers. Since December I have desperately wanted to plant flowers in those boxes, and I have imagined warm summer days with the windows open, drinking wine and looking at those flowers. So it became my mission on my first day here to plant. I found the greenhouses, gathered together all of the supplies, used my best (minimal) French to pay for the supplies, and was greeted by screaming in French and hand motions about needing a cart to take the supplies home. Long story short, we now have beautiful hydrangeas... on the kitchen table. I have the windows open, I am drinking wine, but I don't have any flowers outside.
Liz 0 - Flower Nazi 1


Win #2- The European Cup is currently being played in Poland. Being the lifelong soccer fan that I am, this makes me ecstatic. Americans do not appreciate soccer the way the rest of the world does, and I love that there is a whole continent of people who love the game the way I do. France played England last night, and curled up on the couch with a glass of wine, a baguette, and cheese, I watched the game, pausing every few minutes to listen to the cheering screams coming from people around the apartments and in the streets. When France scored, the cafes and pubs on the street erupted, and I couldn't help but let it bring a smile to my face.
Liz 1 - European Soccer Nation 1


Loss #2- While I was watching the game, I decided to try out my domestic skills with a little laundry. Widely known fact- I am the most un-domestic person you may ever meet. I don't cook, I can kind of clean, and I clearly didn't listen when Aidan was telling me about the washer because I flooded the kitchen. Water was everywhere!! Silver lining? The kitchen floor was really dirty, and cleaning up the flood definitely fixed that! :)
Liz 0 - Washing Machine 1


Win #3- I'm ending on a win. The last two days, I have spent wandering, reading, trying new foods, and running a few errands, but mostly just enjoying the city. Aidan and I went on a great run last night through Luxembourg Gardens (the area around the French Senate... think the Mall in Washington, D.C.), and when we finished at 9:15, the light in the sky looked like it was 6 o'clock in the evening. If these first two days are any indication, I am in for a fantastic summer! 
Liz 1 - Pessimism 0