An American in Paris

Historically, France and specifically Paris, have always favored dance. Every opera in the late 19th century had to have a ballet. If it didn't have one in the German or Italian versions, the French would make them put one in. Yes, even Wagner was forced to add a ballet to Tannhäuser. So it should not have been too shocking to find that at parties in Paris there is always dancing. It shouldn't but it was. If there are 10 people or less at a dinner party you are safe but once you hit critical mass, which I would say is about 25 or so, you will not be able to escape it. And I do mean escape. Here I am at a party.  And this is after politely saying no, then insisting no, then saying ABSOLUTELY NO.  You may wonder what is the problem? I love partner dancing. In fact, I spent the better part of 5 years dancing 2-step every Saturday night. The idea of basic steps and then variations from those steps appeals to me and I am good at it. There is something, though, t...

Today, hopes and dreams died. I think many of you are thinking that a few months in a country, like France, where they speak another language and you would be conversing like a native. Maybe with an accent that everyone in that country finds charming, but have total command. Even people I know who should know better have said to me, "well, by summer you should be pretty fluent." Humph. So, today, I am talking to Helmut and he is trying to write a texto (that is an IM on his phone) and he says, "Oh, where is my French. You know, sometimes my brain just doesn't want to speak French." He continues, to tell me that since it is not his mother-tongue, sometimes the brain just doesn't function and you can't communicate. This is coming from someone who has been here for 25-30 years. Oh, no. I know at this point, speaking French is sometimes easy and sometimes it is just hard work and sometimes you feel like a complete idiot. " Je ...(just want to speak...

My friend Paul wrote to me today and told me that I had not written on my blog for quite some time. He's not wrong. I think what is happening is that Paris is become the new norm for me. I don't see exciting changes to my life at every turn because this has become my life. There is absolutely a change in how the Parisians react to me as well. For instance, the man in our local convenience store used to speak to me in English, no matter how I spoke to him. Now he only speaks to me in French. A slight change but important. I was in a kitchenware store and when I checked out, they wanted to enroll me in a promotion. He turned to me and said, "You live here, don't you?" (in French of course). Bien sûr! I am not sure what they are reacting to, but it feels right to me. I was also stopped and asked directions once. Now, for those who know me, this is strange since I can get lost in my hometown, but in this case, I knew what to tell her! Wow. The language is lagging ...