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Published: September 28th 2009
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Place des Vosges
This is where we walk every day. Finally, we've got it under control and have it all figured out. The routine, that is. Four full weeks of school and work under our belt, still hard to believe. All of the mysteries have become crystal clear, well, kind of! One of our reasons for giving Paris a try was a change of pace and this we have managed to alter drastically. Instead of driving close to four hours a day, back and forth to school and activities, we now spend an average of 30 minutes walking back and forth to school and going to soccer practice. All that extra time! In my dreams I am visiting museums, discovering parks and rooting out cute boutiques. But alas, I must be serious and have started working with Emmanuel in earnest! It feels good! I actually feel like I have a purpose in the morning other than chauffeur extraoridinaire!
School has been a learning experience (for the kids as well as the parents) to say the least. Having been a new parent coordinator at the kid's school for several years I had higher hopes for being integrated into this new school and foreign experience. When I called for an appointment to simply
Yohan at a scrimmage
This is where the Little Angels practice and play some of their games. visit Tatiana's school before the big day, I was greeted with " But no, she is a big girl and doesn't need to visit." I thought to myself how wrong this assumption was. I did manage to show up unannounced and squeeze in for 5 minutes with Tatiana. I hoisted her up so she could at least peek at her new classroom. The first day of school was total chaos as the main advisor yelled out children's names to get them to their classes. Children have no idea who their teacher is or what class they will be in until the very first day of school. I saw more than one child cry as he or she learned that their best friend would be in the other class. As in the US, the first day of school, all the parents take pictures, reassure their children and stick around until their child has turned the ultimate corner to enter the school. We all gathered in the courtyard as the primary school director circulated with a sign reading "Silence". The parents continued to chat as the kids slowly lined up and left class after class for a new year. Emmanuel and I
Place de Concorde looking toward the Eiffel Tower
This was Sundays walk followed by lunch with Valerie at the Tuilieries laughed to ourselves as a well dressed business man and father yelled out "Congratulations on the organization this year!" in a sarcastic tone. I have been running back and forth between Yohan and Tatiana's schools asking questions about supplies, procedures and hours at the school. What a painful process! I keep telling myself that I'm in France and that's just the way it is. I have recently found out that I am to be the parent correspondent for Yohan's 7th grade class. This means that I will be able to attend meetings with the teachers when all of the children's grades and behavior are discussed each semester. I will be a liaison between teachers and parents, I am feeling better already!
On the bright side, the kids are doing fabulous and have integrated without difficulties. They have found common ground with the English speaking students whether from England, Australia or the US but I am slowly hearing about more and more French kids. In the evening there is never a lack of anecdotes to keep us entertained. Some of the funniest take place during recess where in a space the size of a big back yard, there are some three
Boutique Merci
This boutique is everything from art gallery to cafe, to library to high end clothing to flowers!! hundred or more kids running around ranging in age from 4 to 14 years! One soccer goal may serve for 3 separate groups of kids playing 3 separate games! The activities take place in layers with some sitting on the ground while others wildly whack rubber balls just above their heads on the wall. It sounds very stimulating and intense but Tatiana claims that it's great for a good game of cat and mouse since there are so many places or rather people to hide behind!
Something rather shocking at school is the very high percentage of teenagers that come out of school and have to light up!! Yes, that would be cigarettes! I watch with my mouth agape as youngsters try to look their coolest. A cigarette in one hand, the cell phone in the other and always a cat walk type strut! An American nanny picking up one day let out a laugh and as we made eye contact I knew we were thinking the same thing. Why?? How stupid can they be?? Emmanuel was surprised when I told him that many a French woman uses the cigarette to keep skinny...
What I'm enjoying most right now is
the element of surprise that seems to accompany each day. I feel like every time I take a new road or turn an unknown corner, there's something that happens. Whether it's a hidden garden or park or a restaurant tempting me with it's cuisine, every day is different and offers up something new. I've taken to having notebook and pen always within in reach to jot down all of my finds. Some of the most outstanding are a boutique called Merci where hundreds of colorful tea cups are suspended from the cathedral like ceilings, our Thursday and Sunday market where every vision creates ideas for the next dinner! Right now we are getting our fill of oysters and mushrooms which are in abundance. I've heard that there will soon be boar heads and pheasants. I can't forget Le Marche des Enfants Rouge which is a covered market where food stands intermingle with prepared foods from Morocco, Japan, and Lebanon. Tables line the outside of the market, easy enough for Emmanuel and I to pop over for a quick lunch and some fresh air. Yes, it does seem fresh in that part of town! A stroll along Canal Saint Martin on
a sunny Sunday with all the boats going up and down and roads closed so that families can roller blade and bike, little stone faces always staring down at us no matter where we go, that's what I love! Yohan playing soccer for the Little Angles under the Eiffel Tower, Tatiana participating in a bilingual theatre group with kids from the US, Britain, Australia etc., having the most delicious macarons in Paris at Laduree on the Champs Elysee, watching passers by as we sip a café creme, stumbling upon one of many Jewish festivals in our neighborhood, traversing the Place des Voges each morning and admiring the crystal water in one of the four fountains, walking to school in the morning and seeing Bob Sinclar(aka the French Kiss, google him!!) on a bike bringing his son to school (same one as Yohan and Tatiana!), arriving at school to find that the school courtyard has been covered in works of art overnight by young artists, these are the things I adore about Paris right now. Yes, there is a routine but it is never the same!!
One last event that merits mention is our visit to the Elysee which is the
equivalent to the White House. One of the father's of a soccer player on Yohan's team is the Maitre d'Hotel for the president. Twice a year it is possible to visit the Elysee but this means 5 to 6 hours of waiting. Our friend invited us to go in the back door and do a private visit of the kitchen! He is in charge of the silver and we learned some fascinating facts about the way the president eats and what he eats it on. We saw dinner plates made by Sevres valuing minimum 3,000 Euros a plate, all dishes washed by hand of course! A state dinner takes up to eight hours to prepare and get this... 30 minutes to eat!! When the president has finished, everyone has finished. Can you imagine being able to visit the White House's kitchen?? We actually drank champagne right next to the president's tray. This would be beyond thinkable. This just shows how important food is in this country, the president's employees are allowed to show off the kitchen and inform the public on how a president eats! Now that's civilized!
We love the news that we are getting from your end.
Even though this is a new adventure, we still think about our family and friends who aren't with us and savor all that you send our way in terms of news. I will try for more people pictures next time. Sometimes it's hard to think about dragging the camera around!
Abientot!!
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Dana
non-member comment
How fun!
Almost feel I'm there! Wish I were...possibly this spring. Who knows. Cheers, Dana