Table pour deux, s'il vous plaît!

Table for two, please! 

Over the past few days, Lindsay and I have truly experienced what it means to dine in French tradition. We've visited restaurants ranging from high class brasseries to take out baguette sandwich shops. Through these delicious encounters, I have picked up on so much of the French language as well as the cultural customs of dining out. 

1. No matter how crowded a restaurant is, they will always be able squeeze you into an outside table. This is possible because the outdoor tables are set up in a way that everybody sits next to each other and faces out to the street, as it should be! In America there is always that awkward pause as to see who is going to grab the seat with the great view and who is going to stare looking back at the paneled restaurant wall. The French have certainly got this aspect of dining mastered! 

2. Speaking of dining on the street, some tourists may be hesitant to grab the table with the great view  because of Paris's spotty weather. Well, take it from me, don't hesitate for a moment to eat outdoors. Any decent restaurant with outdoor seating also tends to have a retractable awning. As soon as the light sprinkles start to hit the sidewalk, the awning stretches out and takes you under its cover. This is so essential because the weather in this beautiful city tends to change multiple times a day.

3. Always share a sandwich. Keep in mind that the baguette is a staple to French cuisine. It arrives with every meal in one way or another. When grabbing something quick, like a sandwich, the baguette will still make an appearance. Actually, it's really the star of the show. Meaning, any sandwich or panini that you order, will be served on a WHOLE baguette!

4. Don't expect to be waited on hand and foot by the staff. Don't get me wrong, every patron is treated with respect and a smile, however the general relationship between diner and server seems to closer to equal than in the states. In America, there is a degree of expectation that all diners should be treated as royalty by restaurant staff to a point that is almost degrading to the servers. Personally, I've worked as a server for years, and I have quite a bit of experience with humiliation and frustration due to patrons speaking down to me simply for being their server. Americans need to learn to appreciate one another like the French do. Jobs in the service industry are simply just jobs, and there is no need to demean that title. This is especially true because many people don't have any experience or knowledge of how emotionally draining and physically exhausting that job can be. Ok, enough of my rant! Just remember not to ruin your own dining experience by getting frustrated with the service. Besides, the French food is so exquisite, there is really no reason to be flagging down your server. 

5. However, one result of the laid-back service, is that it can be quite difficult to get the check! Usually, we have to spend a few minutes scoping out the scene until we spot our server, and then flag them down with a "L'addition, s'il vows plaît!" The servers do make up for this wait though, since usually they will the bring the check along with a dish of coins so they can make change for you on the spot. 

6. There are a couple rumors about the French dining experience that should be cleared up. Before coming over here, I was told by many people that I would have to pay for tap water, pay even more for ice, and then even have to pay to use the bathroom. So far, I have not run into this problem at all! Multiple restaurants have brought carafes of water without us even requesting, and we were even able to get some ice with it. Also, every restaurant with table service also provides its patrons with a restroom, free of charge. I do notice that a lot of the shops and take-out places do not provide this luxury, but I don't really see that as an injustice to the people in any way. 

Unfortunately, after quite a few days of heavy spending, tomorrow starts the more structured part of our trip. We begin our class, which lasts 9am-5pm, we also have to stick to a more restricted budget. This by no means will put an end to the galavanting, just that maybe it is time to try our hands in French cooking! 

tourisme avec une torsion

Tourism with a Twist

The journey of day two included a bit of tourism and a lot of vin to get through our travels. We struggled to get the hang of quite a few concepts, but it is paying off and we are beginning to feel like real Parisians! 

Missions accomplished today:

1. Mastering the metro. Unlike New York, the Paris metro machines include many options for buying tickets. We stared at screen and pushed a bunch of buttons. We finally surrendered to heading to the help desk for a ticket. Afterwards, I boasted by confidence by leading the way, knowing to grab the M6 headed towards Charles de Gaulle, which Lindsay, my Paris roomie, was very impressed by. I must owe some credit to my New Yorker boyfriend for warming me up to the hectic subway culture, which has proven to help me immensely! On the way back from our journey, we were bursting with  pride after purchasing our own metro tickets from the machine with no help at all! 

2. Fluently speaking the restaurant lingo. Over the past two days, if nothing else, we have genuinely experienced the French dining experience. Ok, maybe we haven't actually dined at all of them, but we've certainly enjoyed a few bottles of vin around town. Now, we can walk in confidently asking for a table for two outdoors. There is honestly no reason to eat anywhere in doors in Paris because everyday is equivalent to the first warm spring day on the east coast where patrons everywhere are crowding the sidewalk tables. Again, it is like that everyday here! For lunch today, we wanted something light so we asked for a couple sandwich baguettes, whether it was a language barrier or cultural concept, we automatically received ham and cheese on a baguette. It was delicious, however the table next to us received specific baguette menus, and later, deliciously grilled sandwiches. Umm... we didn't know that was an option! If all else fails, we certainly know how to order our wine, unless the servers possibly have fine tuned intuition for thirsty American girls. We've gone from glasses to whole bottles, which are much cheaper and more common over here. Finally, when our plates are cleared  and glasses are empty, we tell the waiters, "Je finis," for "I am finished." Then, we've learned, it is not common for the check to come right away, unless you say, "L'addition, s'il vous plaît."

3. Seeing the Eiffel Tower! As tourists, the first thing we have been asked is, "How do you like the Eiffel tower?" Well, it feels extremely ignorant to shrug and admit you haven't seen it yet, even if it is only the second day. So, after lunch, we took the fifteen minute stroll over to the most romantic monument in the world. As soon as it came into view, I admit, we both gasped in admiration. Pictures simply do not do it justice. I'm sure most people assume that is the case, but it is impossible to put into words how powerful the view of the tower actually is. As we got closer, we gazed at a handful of brides and grooms, met a couple aggressive street vendors, and felt the strong breeze of the Seine. We decided the best way to fit in with all the other young women our age was to do as they were doing, going photo crazy! Okay, it wasn't just to fit in. However, as a avid anti-selfier, I did capture a great selfie with the historic monument, as well as a few with my girlfriend. The hype of the sightseeing left us craving some more vin so we headed over to a restaurant with a partial view of the tower and enjoyed yet another bottle of vin blanc. 

The greatest lesson learned over the past two days, is that it is simply impossibly to become part of another culture, or even wholly understand another language, until you are immersed in the experience. As is true with my experience with Swahili, no matter how hard I tried to learn French, it simply didn't click until I arrived. Now that my adventures depend on my vocabulary, I already feel like I am picking up so much! 

une journée

Day One

After three layovers, two movies, a lot of French studying, we finally made it to our final destination! We arrived in Paris at the Charles de Gaulle airport this morning shortly after 6 am, midnight eastern time. We had our options of cabs and public transportation, however we figured with all our luggage and my friend's recently sprained ankle, it would be best to take a cab. I mean, how expensive could it be? Well, apparently Paris has rush hour traffic that compares to no city I've ever seen. Meaning, it took two hours and a hundred euros to reach our destination, which should have been forty-five minutes away.

Even after a sleepless, uncomfortable night, we were still full of young, positive energy. We of course assumed we would want to bolt out the door as soon as we reached our destination. Well, nature proved as wrong and as soon as we sat down in our apartment, we both took an unexpected five hour nap. The sleep, showers, and unpacking finally helped us pull it together to get out the door and hit the town.

I must say, our neighborhood is AMAZING! If anyone plans on traveling to Paris, you must check out the Latin Quarter, especially Rue Mouffetard. First, my dinner at Cave la Bourgogne was incredible, but it was only followed by amazing experiences. It's an uphill cobblestone road full of culture and friends waiting to meet you. Lindsay and I bumped into two young woman, an Australian and a Belgian. Out of our comfort zone, it felt natural to strike up conversation with the people around us, which may not have typically happened in our small hometowns. It turns out, these young ladies are our new French BFFs, in addition to our Texan friend we met on the plane. Morale of the story, leaving your comfort zone helps your self-esteem and confidence way beyond your expectations.

Because of that, my mere 20 hour experience in Paris has been enough to fulfill a lifetime. I cannot begin to imagine what the next 32 days bring!

Au Revoir, America!

Well, today is the day! After eight months of excitement, nerves, and stress, we will finally board the plane in a couple short hours. 

When I was leaving for Tanzania, I felt vulnerable and unprepared. I didn't know how to pack for a long term trip, didn't know the essentials for surviving a third world country, I hardly knew a traveler's packing basics. Well, I not only successfully packed for this trip with minimal vulnerability, I even helped my friend and co-adventuress get her luggage together. She was amazed at my smooth and collected preparations, especially when I mentioned the foldable hamper. It was about that moment that I realized, Wow, I've got this down! As I was explaining in an interview recently, I feel as though my trip to Tanzania was my threshold into adulthood. I feel as though it has developed my presence, confidence, and appreciation for everything around me. The beggining of this trip has further proved that notion! 

Now, my new, cool, collected self is about to board a flight for a trip of a lifetime! Unfortunately, the hype is a bit diluted by the fact that we land shortly after for a layover in Boston. Next, we stop in an unpronounceable city in Iceland. Then, finally, we arrive in the City of Lights around 7 am, 1 am eastern time. I hope to catch my Z's on the flights with the help of my new travel pillow, because once my foot reaches the cobblestone pavement, the adventures begin! 

un semaine et comptage

one week & counting

It's been seven days since I created my to-do list, and I haven't checked off quite as much as I would like. Since my French has not improved at all, I've implanted the task of writing my post titles in French to help me pick up on key words and phrases! Don't worry, if you're not a read-between-the-lines kind of person (tsk tsk), I will still include the translation within the post.

Despite my lack-ofs over the past few days, I did manage to accomplish a couple items on my list. I  ended an amazing year with a fantastic group of students and said bittersweet goodbyes to talented colleagues. This was followed up with a casual "Au Revoir" party with family and friends. who I am so appreciative of! I also started on a quick packing list. Quick as in I got through four items before becoming distracted with all that Amazon has to offer the 24-year-old jet setter. Did you know you could get an entire carry-on organizer built around your travel needs?

My Parisian thought book (thanks to a fellow traveler and teacher friend) has some other developing lists: 

Addresses for postcard recipients, if you'd like to be added let me know!
Things to do on the plane, any book/movie/series suggestions are much appreciated.
Errands to run before time is out.
Questions to ask my landlord about getting around, our vicinity, and our apartment, which then ties back to my packing list. Do I need to bring my own iron?? 

And here we have the extent of my accomplished packing... 

two week notice

It's been 15 months since I returned from a winter in Tanzania, and about 8 months since I started planning my next destination. It now comes down to a mere two weeks until I arrive in Paris, France for the summer of a lifetime. In some aspects, fourteen days can feel like quite a wait, but in terms of all I have on my to-do list, I have a feeling June 25th will be here before I know it! 

To do: 

1. An extensive amount of daydreaming, planning, itinerary making.
2. A bit of packing.... Okay, more like start packing. 
3. I should probably start by making a packing list, actually. 
4. Packing lists then usually turn into (much needed) shopping trips. 
5. Hmm.. Maybe I should start studying from that French course I bought a few months back. 
6. Oh yeah, wrap up the school year with my awesome 6th graders. 
7. Quite a bit more daydreaming, online researching, day-to-day planning.

Let's hope I get all, or at least most, of my items checked off in the next two weeks!