Je retourne à Paris (Aug 12th)

Arriving in Paris was exciting, but mostly a very strange experience for me. I have been in new places, moving relatively quickly, for nearly 9 weeks now. It turns out that the longest I spent in one country was a week, and the longest in one place was just over four days, maybe five.

We were exhausted; after slipping into the Alliance Francaise to use the bathroom, we went to Naturalia, a health food store, to get things for lunch. After sitting for awhile on a bench in the Jardin du Luxembourg, we walked to the patch of grass that you are allowed to sit on, and fell asleep.

Sometime in the late afternoon, we walked through the Latin Quarter to Notre Dame, and then to the flower market.

My French came back, though a bit choppy, and the most difficult to recall after a long conversation in English. At one point, a family of tourists was asking directions from a police officer. I heard them struggling to communicate, and even though I usually don't do this, I stepped in and translated.

In the evening, we met our CS hosts, who were a young couple living just at the border of Paris. Their apartment is small but classy, and we cooked vegetables and rice. Sitting outside in their little garden, we had a very French meal: distinct courses, rosé wine in drinking glasses, fruit for dessert... It was all very familar.

After dinner, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and heard the history of the area. A cup of tea, and off to bed.

In the morning, we left early, and bought fruit at the marché at the Bastille, and fell asleep in the little park along the canal.

Later, we walked from the Louvre, to Place de la Concorde, then across the river and back up to Notre Dame, so that Megan could see the famous sights. We wandered along Book East, where I found an old copy of Les Fleurs du Mal by Baudelaire. After flipping a few pages, it fell open to ¨Recueillement¨, the poem I memorized for class. I still know it.

We picked up some things for a picnic, and went to the parc de Bercy, near where I used to live. After sitting for awhile on a bench, we walked through the gardens, sat by the pond with the willow trees (where there is now a small reed reconstruction of the Eiffel Tower).

Then we explored the shops of Bercy Village, listened to live music, and went to the local grocery store so Megan could see the many different kinds of cheese, yogurt, and jam.

We went to my French mother's apartment to pick up my suitcase, and sat with her and chatted for awhile. Then, we returned to our host's apartment, and opened it up to see what I had actually put in there in June.

It was like Christmas: I am wearing new clothes after carrying the same two shirts for months. I already had to donate a pair of pants that did not fit anymore, and I wore large holes into my sneakers. They are pretty much destroyed...