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Paris Today

My cat, Marcel, on the ledge of a window in our "Passage."
It is once again starting to feel like spring in Paris, the best time to be here. People are much more weather-centric than in NYC, and if it is a nice day, people are nice. I wave to the butcher as I walk to the grocery store. He is really too expensive and I rarely get anything there, but he is friendly and I wave. The waiters in the pizza place are getting started for the lunch service. I stop for a moment and say hello. Marguerite from the green grocer is working furiously on the display of saucissons; I wave as I pass.

It has been a little touch-and-go here. The election in Paris scared a lot of people but especially me. I am a not-quite-legal-yet-now-just-a-tourist immigrant American married to a here-legally-through-the-EU-but-for-how-long German man. We are in the process of buying a Townhouse here in Paris. With Marine Le Pen on the horizon all that might have been taken away from us. If she had her way, she would have pulled France out of the EU (nullifying Helmut's legal standing for being here) and I would have been immediately suspect and been on the radar for deportation. She was also against gay marriage. PACS (the equivalent of civil unions in the US) do not give the immigration rights that marriage does. I have been trying to get Helmut to obtain his French citizenship to make this a little easier. He balked, thinking it was not necessary. He checked into it and started the process, but immediately stopped when he found out it takes about 2 years. We continue to fight the battles for me to be legal here. More on that later.

My life here gets easier all the time. I speak relatively decent French now. I am at the stage where my mistakes are charming but understandable and I have a "charming accent." I was surprised to find that the French find English to be a "beautiful language." Efficient, yes, but beautiful? Well, how nice. I watch French TV sometimes but understand little. Dinner parties are much easier. We have met another neighbour, Kim, who speaks only French with me (although her English is perfect). It helps.

It would be, I guess, easy to just melt into the society here, but a certain orange-haired tyrant keeps pulling me to read the American news. My heart hurts as I see standard ways of behaviour being pushed aside for contempt toward the people on the opposite side of the political aisle.

My heart goes out to everyone and I will vote (and have voted) in every election I can. As I read Facebook tirades, though, I have to caution everyone to be civil and, as Michelle Obama said, "take the high road." When someone calls you a snowflake, ignore it. Don't let Republicans get under your skin. THEY will have to be the ones who take 45 to task and clean house; democrats do not have the power. Wouldn't it be nice to be the element of change? I take a cue from my Italian friends. When Berlusconi was in power, the left was furious and lambasted the right constantly. This only dug the right into their position and got him re-elected. This is what will happen in the US if we are not careful.

Enjoy spring; it is a short season.

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