moving to paris
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008Even before Jr. High I became a Francophile and dreamed of living in France. Before I was able to take foreign languages in school (which I did formally for about 6 years) I taught myself French & Spanish by studying the appropriate dictionary and listening to recorded audio lessons on LPs and cartridge tapes.
When I first got divorced, I was determined to move with my children to Paris I began buying books and ordering information from the French embassy. We even set a date. Children’s French Language Audio filled our home and auto. The kids still remind me of this fantasy by singing “Les bon bons au chocolat, un pour moi et un pour toi.”
Growing up on military bases and communities where career military families retired, I befriended neighborhood women from other countries and became a devoted pupil. I learned about manners, culture, cooking and whatever else I could glean from them about their respective homelands. In that manner, I’ve experienced not only France, but Pakistan, Japan, Austria, Germany & Korea among others.
As life would have it, I’ve not yet seen Paris, but my daughter lived out my dream as an exchange student. My dream has been deferred but it hasn’t died. I’ve followed some pretty wonderful sites through the years such as Americans in France & The Paris Marais Newsletter .I still haven’t given up on seeing Monet’s Garden, the Catacombs , Sacre Coeur & Mont St. Michel. Still planning to retire in Marseille and hang out at least once at the Cannes Film Festival.
Keep on visiting me here and one day for sure you’ll be reading about my picnic lunch and art class along the Seine. You just wait and see.