6 Months...Oh La La!

Today officially marks the 6 month mark of living here.  As I think back to that day we stepped off the plane, jet-lagged and preparing to live with an air mattress as our only piece of furniture for the next 3 weeks, it now seems like a lifetime ago.  We've been able to experience so many things and meet so many awesome people since then, and I can't imagine life any other way.  And at the same time, these 6 months seemed to have flown by in the blink of an eye.  I'm trying not to think about how this means our time left here is shrinking! :(



To commemorate our 6 month mark, I thought it'd be fun to share some of our realizations/lessons from this experience so far.

~The question, "So, where are you from?"  has become one of the most difficult questions to answer.  Who's asking?  A tourist, who really just wants to know, "Do you speak English?" or "Can you give me directions?"; a European who really just wants to know "United States" because they don't really know where Texas is, let alone Wisconsin; an ex-pat living in Paris who actually cares about which state and city you're from (because you might have mutual friends!); or the French bureaucracy who actually want to know where exactly you're living in France and why.

I'm sure many ex-pats struggle with this same problem, but I've increasingly begun to realize that "home" isn't where you're from, it's who you're with and can be anywhere in the world when you're with the people you care about most.  And yes, I now consider FaceTime calls to be home :)

~Texas has a climate of its own.  I know, you're probably thinking this is a strange realization because I live in Paris now, not Texas.  But, one warm May day, I excitedly took out my large collection of summer dresses (accumulated from 3 years in Texas) thinking I'd be wearing them daily.  Total count of dresses worn to date: 3, and usually with a cardigan or sweater over it.  Granted, this spring/summer has been the coldest in a long time here, but I forgot that a normal summer isn't 100 degrees, sunny, and humid every day.  I kinda like it...not only do I no longer look like a sweaty dog from walking to the car but it's a good excuse to go shopping! :)

~The American stereotype that the French are rude and hate Americans is completely false.  However, the French stereotype that Americans are self-centered and don't appreciate cultures that they are visiting is more accurate than I'd like to admit.  We have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the French so far...saying Bonjour, Merci, and Au revoir goes a long way!  And even if they can pick out our American accent from the first word (which is usually the case), they usually are more than happy to practice their English (if they know it) or humor us by letting us stumble through the rest of the conversation in French.

We have seen more and more Americans as tourist season picks up who just walk into places without acknowledging the workers (which is very important in French culture) and who just immediately assume that everyone speaks English.  And while, yes, it's true, many do speak English in tourist areas, at least a "Bonjour" before delving into English would be appreciated.  Even as an American, I am appalled at the rudeness of so many tourists.  So, if you're a tourist, I'm not saying you need to learn French, but at least say "Bonjour" and try to observe the culture around you...it'll go a long way!

~Large, Wal-Mart style stores now give me a panic attack.  The only place they have them here is in the suburbs, so I've only gone a handful of times, but when I have I'm so overwhelmed that I usually end up wandering the store until a headache forces me to leave, with really none of the things I came for.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Target in the States (and I'm quite positive I will frequent it several times in December), but I've come to love the mentality of going to different stores for what you need and only getting enough to last you for a few days at a time.

~Work/life balance in France, and Europe in general, is definitely something that America could learn from.  Yes, customer service may not be as great here, but they value their free time and family time more than any culture I've been a part of.  And, so much of their lifestyle is active and outdoors, even in a big city.  Walking and taking public transportation is amazing; I'm not looking forward to the day I have to go back to driving a car daily.  Picnics along the river and in the parks are my absolute favorite thing about Paris.  On beautiful days the parks and river banks are filled with people, and you can just sense the feeling of contentedness.

~We've decided to encourage our children to be bilingual.  While we'd love it to be French, in reality that's probably not the most practical in the U.S.  But after seeing how children in Europe speak at least 2-3 languages, we really feel it's a priority to embrace acquiring another language at an early age.

Above all, I'm so grateful for this opportunity we've been given.  Not only do I get to see some pretty amazing and beautiful parts of the world with my best friend, but it's given us both a greater appreciation for cultures and opened our eyes to different worldviews.  We've met some great friends, visited some amazing places, and I can't wait to see what the next 24 months have in store! :)

And just for fun...

6 month counts

Countries: 5

Cities: 21