I’m exhausted!

As you may have noted, it's been a while since my last entry. I thought I was coming to France to bring my life back into 2^nd gear and slow things down a bit. But I've been here for three weeks and so far, it's been in overdrive every day.

Now, I don't want to complain too much! I'm in France for Pete's sake (or for Pierre's sake). On my way to and from school, I (quickly) stroll by 500 year old buildings, charming cafés, little boutiques with stuff I really can't imagine wanting (but it looks cool), statues and historic plaques here and there… But I think the best thing is watching the French in action. I have to admit, they make me giggle from time to time. Here are a few glimpses of what goes through my head.

• My neighbors across the courtyard are very cool, that is, cool neighbors in a French context. Many people here don't even know their neighbors and I have the privilege of getting a wave from them whenever we're outside at the same time, and a smile from their son, Mateo, who's about 2 years old and adorable. I have another neighbor, just next-door, who goes out of his was to not look my way. It's more of an effort for him than for the wave from the others.
  
• The French somehow learned to not smile on the street and to mind their business. It's a safe way to go about your day. Today, as I was heading down my sidewalk, I saw a gal heading out, still talking with people inside, smiling, laughing, the cute "au revoir, oui, oui, je t'appelle, je t'aime" and she's still smiling when she shuts the door. Then like elevator doors closing on the fun floor, she suddenly brought her emotional pendulum back to zero and took to the streets with a 'get out of my way' attitude.
  
• People here are not usually in a hurry, unless there's a chance they may have to wait. I know, that doesn't make sense. Let me explain. The French, as you know very well, can stay at the table for hours after a meal, can savor a tiny cup of coffee for a half hour and consistently engage you in interesting conversation. They can be walking down the street, stop to study a store window, or read the headlines at a newspaper stand. Then, as soon as they head down the steps to the subway, it's 'get out of my way I have a train to catch.' Why the sudden hurry? And then, there's how they wait in line. And for Pierre's sake, the subway here comes every 2 minutes, really!
  
• When French professionals do their business (not that business, come on!), they are always serious and seem to have two goals at once. The first, answer your question, or provide you with the information, or not. And the second, show you that they know what they're doing. Perhaps it's a default in the American character but we often don't have a problem saying "I'm not sure", or "Let me check" or "Can I get back to you?" Here, you get "no" for the "I'm not sure", "I have to consult with my colleague" for the "Let me check", and "You'll have to come back tomorrow" for the "Can I get back to you?"
  

  This is perhaps a reaction on my part to a problem with our bank today. Three weeks ago, we ordered a business visa card for me. When I got back to the office, I noticed that they had spelled my name wrong on everything; it was "Irvng" Ya, YOU try to pronounce that. Anyways, three weeks later, still no card. I go back yesterday and they can't believe me. They wanted me to go back and check my mailbox. So after insisting for a while, the lovely gal checked in her computer, made a call, and realized that she had never really hit "send" to start the whole thing going. Remember, however, that I had explained that we need to correct the spelling error. This was her chance! So of course… no correction. Luckily here in France, nobody checks your card, or signature, or whatever.
  

Then there are all the things that make you smile no matter where you go here.

• Moms and Dads dropping their kids off to the elementary school just up the street.
  
• And the voices of those kids… like out of a Truffaut movie. Adorable.
  
• There's the ever pleasant "bonjour" waiting for you everywhere.
  
• The yeasty wafting smell of bread when you walk in the bakery door.
  
• The pointy, colorful, fringed or striped or whatever SHOES…. oh, ya, on the men!
  
• The American reruns on French TV. Ever hear the Fresh Prince speak French? Oh, and the French version of the Wheel of Fortune? They have a French speaking 6 foot tall Scandinavian blond to turn the letters, a goofy funny-face-making presenter who just seems to be there to waste time, the contestants who talk a heck of a lot more than ours do and are always trying to be funny (is this an audition?), and a cute little dog that roams free on stage for the entire show.
  

So I know it sounds at times like I'm making fun of things here. But I'm really not. Simply said, I would not be here if I didn't have an enormous respect for the people, the places, and the ideas that France puts in my head. So I'm exhausted, but I manage to crack a smile, inside my head our outside for real, all day and every day. Pas mal, non?