This weekend

While most of this week was spent doing the usual archival work, and was thus uneventful, Saturday night was rather exciting as there was a dinner party at the apartment. The party was set in motion on Monday night when we were at trivia for the second week in a row. Jessica, the au pair that was there the previous week, was there again and she introduced us to her friend Sam, a Moroccan who lives in Paris, and it was determined that Saturday should be a get together at our place for food and wine. The party plans were very tentative in terms of what to eat, and we actually didn’t know what we were eating until Sam and Jessica showed up. Jaime put herself in charge of appetizers and fried rice and stir-fry veggies, and I volunteered to get the dessert from the local pastry and bread shop that I love. They put the desserts in the cutest little box that I plan to keep. Sam and Jessica showed with veal, lots of wine, and chocolates. Sam had a “couch-surfer” from South Korea who also joined and since she did not speak much English, so it was a good way to practice my French beyond my usual three or four phrases. Sam, who speaks both French and English, was very helpful in correcting me and I was able to communicate fairly well. All in all, everyone had a fabulous time and I’m looking forward to doing it again.

Today was spent sleeping in and heading up to the Montmartre area, which is where the Moulin Rouge is. It’s the red-light district of Paris and thus filled with exactly what you would expect to be there. We found a lovely Irish pub to have lunch and take in some soccer and I partook in some fish and chips. The bartenders, as most bartenders tend to be in Irish/Scottish pubs, were great fun, but weren’t Irish. One was Dutch and the other was Swiss. The Dutch guy was a trip, he put on a Ween album and was singing along and let us ask questions to his magic 8 ball. I find the bartenders to be very nice here as they at least try to make conversation with you. The cafes are a little stuffier in that respect. I would go back to the pub, for sure.

One thing that I’m not pleased about is the fact the owner of the apartment informed me that my phone card access number was a charge number. So beyond paying for the phone card, I was paying per minute that I used the card to the tune of 35 euro. While it could have been worse, and I am thankful to the owners for giving me the heads up on the charges, I’m still pissed. But, that’s not really a slight against the French as it is against the phone card company. Anyway, I found a different number that I don’t think has charges, so I’ve been using that.

I’ve been here a month and while some things are getting easier, such as riding the metro everyday and navigating the archives, I’m starting to miss things more. I miss driving my car so much. I miss being around my friends and family and Dan. I enjoy meeting the new people, but in a way it makes me miss everyone else even more. Anyway, I’m getting by and I hope all is well back home!