Today began a dreary and overcast. I also went to the Prefecture thinking I was going to start the process of getting my carte de sejour. As I walked up to the door, I noticed a sign saying that the only day it was closed was Wednesday. I had misunderstood the recording over the phone thinking that it said the only day it was open to get a carte de sejour was Wednesday. So, I had made a 30 minute trek in vain. Not wanting to waste the day, I decided to head to Paris to go in the Sacre Coeur and maybe another church. I was walked up to the base of the Sacre Coeur r, took out my camera, turned it on, and the error message came on saying that I didn't have my memory card. I had left it in my computer. Rather then go in the Sacre Coeur without my camera I just decided that I would look around the shops in Montmarte. It was not a totally useless trip as I did buy a sweater and a scarf. I also had a pretty good pizza in a little Italian place. As much as I love France and its cuisine, I still think my favorite country to visit for the food has been Italy. I returned to Massy and stopped at the fruit stand by the train station.
The last time I went to the fruit stand, I had a different guy from usual. The peaches the other guy picked out were terrible. Today, I went to the guy I usually go to, and I got much better peaches. He actually checks to make sure they are good peaches before he bags them up. Plus, I love it that he asks me how my days is and shakes my hand when I walk up. It is amazing how much I love the social niceities during the day. Then, I went to the boulangerie which I think has the best baguettes and order my baguette from this nice old lady, who also really friendly. Another guy in the store helped me as well with my pronunciation of baguette, in the most friendliest of ways. It is these types of things that really go along way during a day when things haven't really gone the best for you. Finally, on the bus, I was struck by the fact that I have already been in France for almost a month. As I looked outside and watched the sun go down, I noticed that I have been here long enough to really start to see summer turn into fall. All this combined to really make me feel in a small way like a part of this little village outside Paris that will be my home until May. It is that sort of an experience that I had never been able to have just traveling for a week or maybe two at a time in a place.
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Bonjour, Chad.
What an adventure! I told the other CK that I am living vicariously through you while you're over there so you must forgive my intrusion. I couldn't help myself. I had to leave a comment or two. My family and I spent a week in France this summer and we loved it. We found the French to be helpful and friendly for the most part. I'm glad you are experiencing some of the same. I must ask, have you considered rounding up a couple of the other ESL teachers and grabbing the train for Switzerland / Germany / the European country of your choice on one of your weekends? I travelled all over europe by train (with friends) when I was in my early twenties and don't regret a minute of it. Well maybe the whole smuggling-jeans-across-the- Yugoslavian-border thing I could have done without but maybe I'll tell you about that over a pint of Fullers London Pride at the Scottish Arms when you return. In the meantime, relish every minute and see as much of Europe as you can afford. And in years to come, as Shakespeare almost said, you will tell your stories "with advantage"!
Cheers.
Carl Bradbury
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