Paris

Over the Christmas break we stayed in Paris at an apartment owned by a family from State College, PA. The trip from London to Paris took 2 hrs and 45 minutes on the Eurostar "Chunnel" train. We were in the tunnel exactly 22 minutes.

I have been asked a few times since returning how we were treated in France. We were treated exceptionally well everywhere... in the tourist places, off the beaten path, with or without the kids. Everyone was very nice to us.

The Trocadero is right across the river from the Eiffel tower. We had lunch at a little Brasserie on our first full day (Dec 27th). There were Smart cars were everywhere! Alyssa decided to keep a tally and upon departure she had counted over 50!

On Thursdays and Sundays there is a street market right in front of the Apartment. Lots of nice looking produce and many different kinds of birds to eat. We enjoyed walking through the market admiring all the fresh produce, meats, breads, and cheeses. There is such great food available in France! Everything is fresh and easily accessible!

It was quite a bit colder in Paris than it was back in Cambridge. We were bundled up at all times. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and saw Paris lit up in the evening. We explored Notre Dame, Sacre Couer, Montparnasse, and the Louvre. The kids saw the Champs Elysee and we explained the route the Tour de France rides when they were in Paris. :)

The appartment that we stayed in had a lovely view from the 11th floor balcony. You could just see the Eiffel tower to the right of the 59-floor Montparnasse tower. The Tower was lit with lights that flashed so that it looked like it was sparkling when you looked at it from a distance. It was quite a site!

Our trip was a great success and despite all the walking we did, the kids are anxious to return. Since it is so close, I am sure we will go again. Perhaps the next time we go it will be warm and all the "jardins" will be in bloom!

Dale & Cory

December summary

December brought with it the distraction of Christmas which was a welcome relief. The kids had lots of school activities. Nathan was in a play and Alyssa was in a school concert. Nathan even got his picture in the Cambridge Evening News for his role as Dr. Clooney in the Christmas play. It was very fun to watch him at work. He was very serious about his part! :)


Another bright moment was that our furniture finally arrived. After ordering it, then having to reorder it since our order was cancelled by the company on accident, we now have a room full of furniture to sit on! No more sitting on the floor to watch movies!!

We had a quite Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We had wonderful presents from everyone! After opening presents on Christmas Day, we started to prepare for our holiday trip to Paris. We had tickets on the Eurostar through the tunnel to Paris. Nathan could hardly wait for the train trip. Even his new Christmas presents were not enough of a distraction for his excitement.

You are stuck with this December summary because I stopped writing for a while. I did not have anything to say. I got tired of people telling me how lucky I was getting to live in a foreign country. All I wanted to say was that it is not as great as everyone thinks! The first few weeks are great since you get a break from life at home. However, that wears off quickly. Soon you are faced with the fact that you are NOT going back. Your friends are there and you are here. There are loads of details you have to work out when you are living in a foreign country as opposed to visiting. Trying to find a doctor under socialized medicine is difficult when you have not lived here long enough an you are a foreigner.

I still have to get up every morning and get the kids to school despite their protests. I still have to do laundry only now it takes a lot more time since I cannot more than one sheet in the washer at a time. I have no dryer so all the clean clothes are stiff from drying on racks that are spread across our kitchen. We have a clothes line outside, but since it is constantly raining, it is useless. My days are now filled with housekeeping, homework, school lunches, and laundry. I have a hard time feeling productive doing housework. Work has never looked so great!

It is a huge lifestyle change. Everyone operates a little differently in life and everyone values different things. I found that a lot of my self worth was based on my ability to provide income for our family. I thought I was doing a good thing by working part time and caring for the kids too. I realize now that I missed a lot of kid stuff along the way. My new lifestyle requires me to redefine my values which does not happen overnight. It is an opportunity given to me. I get to reconstruct my day around myself and my family. I am now faced with the fact that the life I lead is based on my own decisions. If I don't like it, then I have no one to blame but myself. I cannot blame anyone else for my unhappiness. So much for having a scapegoat for your problems! No pressure!