What can you get for 3 Euros?

I'm home! Home sweet home! There is something so exciting about coming home from a vacation: flying over those majestic Rocky Mountains at sunset, opening my closet to find those beautiful clothes that I have been missing over the past few weeks, finishing a batch of laundry and putting it neatly away in my drawers, sleeping in my own familiar bed (this bamboo bed picture is NOT my bed, but I think it would be a nice bed)...this lasts for a couple of days and then I start remembering all the fun times I had on my vacation. I pull out my camera and relive all the good memories. The hard moments where I felt like crying (see "More than Turbulence") don't seem so bad in retrospect. Here are some of my last memories:

On Thursday evening, our professor booked us tickets for a dinner cruise of the Seine River. This was the most picture perfect evening! We floated by all of the lit-up monuments of Paris, beginning and ending with the Eiffel Tower.

They gave us all of these crazy appetizers that I would never order on my own: Foie Gras (goose liver) spread, tomato stuffed with goat cheese, something unrecognizable wrapped in salmon...a cold tomato soup is in the middle. Very unique. I appreciated the gourmet flavor and tried to soak up each second of the luxurious ride.

My airport shuttle dropped me off at Charles de Gaulle on Saturday afternoon to catch my flight. After passing through security, I decided that I was pretty hungry. I had a 10 Euro bill that I wanted to spend. I started looking for some yummy lunch food in my terminal. Soup? Salad? All that was there were two gourmet pastry shops and this Caviar Seafood House.

People sit on these fancy bar stools and order wine and caviar.

Don't ask me why, but I decided to glance at the menu. I love that France always has their menus posted for all to see. Why don't we do that in the states? My jaw dropped: what?! 106 Euros to 495 Euros?! For a plate of caviar?! Are people crazy?! This is food, people!

I was just about to leave when I glanced at the side dishes. Were my eyes seeing right?! Mashed potatoes for just 3 Euros!

I called over the server. I asked her if I could order just the mashed potatoes. She looked at me with eyes that said, "Seriously, weirdo?" I kept my smile and confidence up. She nodded and said I could get whatever I wanted. I then watched her make me the most delicious mashed potatoes. She displayed them so nicely and included gourmet dipping sauce. She asked if I would like anything to drink and I said, "Non, merci." When I was through enjoying each and every bite, I handed her by 10 Euro bill. She gave me 7 Euros change (that's right--the price in France includes tax and tip) and included two dark chocolates as well as a beautifully packaged hand towel. Now I call that a super deal!




Awe! Trips are so great (I will just forget that Delta lost my suitcase once again--I did get it back last night)! Now I have to plan another one someplace else!

Magical Moments

My three and a half weeks in France will be ending this Saturday! On one hand, I don't want to accept that this huge European adventure is really about through; on the other hand, I am honestly ready to go home to my regular life. Isn't that crazy to say? I am in the most romantic, fast-paced city in the world and yet I am excited to get back to the humdrum of my everyday life! Go figure. Being here, each day has honestly been jam-packed with adventures. I have gotten up early, pulled out the map of the metro system and filled each moment with new discoveries and tasty treats. Amidst all of this busyness, I have also had a lot of time for self-reflection. I have realized that most of the time, life's best moments are not in the events we are living, but in the people that we are sharing them with. My best memories from France this year will not be racing up and down the Eiffel Tower (I did wait in a two-hour line for that today and it was pretty fun, overall) or admiring the lavish gold plating on the Palais de Versailles, but in the quiet scenes that I was able to be a part of and the people I was able to meet. So even though I am excited to get back to my friends and family at home, I will definitely be a changed person because of the great people I have met here and the experiences I have had.

For example, every day on my walk to the metro, I see a really cute family. They are living in a tent on the side of the road. In the early morning, the tent is zipped up and you can only see their sandals, lined up nicely by the door. In the evening, I always see the two little boys playing with mini toy cars outside the tent while the parents are cooking Ramen noodles in a small pot. They are always talking and laughing as a family. I honestly wonder what their story is. What got them into this situation? You can tell that family is everything to them and they are trying to make the best with their resources. I ask myself if I am trying to make the best with my set of circumstances in life and really enjoying the journey or if I focus on the things I don't have.

On Monday, Janine and I were really craving some Italian gelato. They have some really good flavors out here like praline and nougat or cherry and chocolate sauce. This guy was outside of his gelato shop, talking with another guy when he saw us approaching. "Hello!" he said in English. Do people just look at me and think I am American? Is it my shoes? The way I smile at strangers as I walk down the street?! He didn't even give me a chance to say anything. I told him, in French, that we were so excited for some gelato. He told us that the delivery wouldn't be for another 30 minutes, but that we should definitely wait and it would be worth it. He saw me taking pictures of his shop and so he went up to his delivery car and posed for a picture.

We ride the metro everywhere here and it can be tiring--especially when you have been walking around all day and then you get squished in rush hour traffic--body to body, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Last night, after most of the masses had gotten off, a really energetic guy jumped aboard the train. He started playing this upbeat tango-type music on his violin. He also had a boombox that played background music at the same time. It instantly lifted my spirits. I felt like dancing! He was smiling and soon the whole train car was smiling. I forgot for a moment that I had been walking around Paris for hours. I don't give money to every beggar and musician I see here--I'd go broke! I did give him a Euro, though! It was worth it!

I am trying to take pictures of different professions that people have here, so I can bring them back and show my students. Sometimes I ask for their permission and sometimes I don't. This guy was painting some front door frames in Montmartre. He was one of the few French who was actually flattered to have his picture taken. He posed for a few of them and gave me a winning smile. He then told me that he was Picasso's grandson. Fun guy!

I really like the saying that life is not measured in how many breaths you take but in the moments that take your breath away. There are so many good people in this world. We can meet them anywhere. I am so blessed to have been able to meet such great people out here, even if just for a moment. I am even more blessed to have wonderful people to go home to, making the trip home something I am very much looking forward to!