Thursday, July 16, 2009
entering the blogosphere
I'll be posting some writing, random thoughts, and anecdotes from my day-to-day crazy glamorous life as a textbook editor. I'll try to make an effort to write more original stuff, as it's been a while and keeping up a blog might force me to actually stick with it. More to come soon...
Friday, September 28, 2007
Life in Paris
Here are some miscellaneous pics of Paris throughout the summer. Sorry they're so late!
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Monday, August 6, 2007
for your general knowledge...
Apparently there is a difference in the French cheek kiss method if you're saying "adieu" and you will likely never see the person again, rather than a regular "aurevoir." Instead of two alternate cheek kisses, it's four back to back. This led to much confusion and a very awkward moment with my landlord.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Final French Thoughts
Being that I have 24 hours left before I depart, I figured I would reflect on this experience as a whole (I am quite bored with no TV or schoolwork to do. You can only readjust a suitcase so many times). I can say for the first time ever that I will not return home completely loathing France. And if you know my general opinion about French people due to my previous experiences, that's a huge change. Paris is a much different city than Lyon; it's massively diverse in its neighborhoods and populations. There are tons of foreigners here- tourists, immigrants, etc.- so the feeling of being out of place wasn't nearly as strong for me as in Lyon. This past weekend two different Parisians asked me for directions and I knew exactly where to tell them to go; I felt more at home here in two months than I did in six when I was in college.
Now that I've had years of distance from that experience, I realize the good things about Lyon but also know that I had it particularly rough: being an unpaid au pair, the physical assault by a 12 year old, the constant feeling of being on the defensive. I didn't get to go back there to visit, but I think I should have, to give it another chance. Living in Paris this summer has made me a little less cynical, which I didn't know was possible. I encountered more good-natured people here than evil ones and for that I'm happy. I'm happy that for once when I'm asked about my time in France I can say with certainty that I'm glad I came.
Now that I've had years of distance from that experience, I realize the good things about Lyon but also know that I had it particularly rough: being an unpaid au pair, the physical assault by a 12 year old, the constant feeling of being on the defensive. I didn't get to go back there to visit, but I think I should have, to give it another chance. Living in Paris this summer has made me a little less cynical, which I didn't know was possible. I encountered more good-natured people here than evil ones and for that I'm happy. I'm happy that for once when I'm asked about my time in France I can say with certainty that I'm glad I came.
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