Le Premier Jour

Today was my first full day in France. I spent the afternoon wandering through my neighborhood-- a suburb of Paris called Saint-Cloud. The houses are picturesque and incredibly charming with small gated driveways, mosaic details above the windows, and a tasteful yet creative combination of colors. The streets are narrow, the cars are small, and motorcycles are everywhere. [A note on the motorcycles: the moto drivers pay little to no deference to the rules of the road, and exhibit no reluctance when driving the wrong way on a congested one-way alleyway. In my walk around town I saw one motorcycle with three full grown adults riding down the main road, and another with a child who appeared no older than four years. The child, I must say, amused me, as s/he looked like a rag doll flopping around behind his/her father (I presume), not holding on to the father, showing no concern, and toting a backpack bigger than his/her own body]. Neighborhood pictures to follow in a later post.

I needed a few things at the market, including a voltage adapter for my laptop, so I ventured out of my neighborhood to Monoprix, a large "one-stop" store with groceries along the perimeter, and clothing and house wares in the middle. This type of store is far from ideal, but looking for electronic equipment for an American computer on day one in a foreign country is no easy task. On my way to the blessed Monoprix, I came upon the French version of the "Dollar Store", and was comforted to learn that I can buy cheaply made Chinese goods in France as well as in America. Ha. Due to the exchange rate, however, the dollar store here is more like "the five dollar store" for me. Oh well.

Well, now that I've soiled the picture I painted of my surroundings by introducing you to banal Monoprix, let me assure you that this is place is lovely. I treated myself to lunch at Les Tonnelles Creperie, an enchanting restaurant decorated just the way I imagined a French cafe to be furnished. After lunch I picked up Lou, my tutee, and began another sort of adventure: ESL.

It's midnight here, and I'm exhausted, but happy. I hope all is well back home.

Hugs,
Melissa