It's been almost three months since I've been back in the U.S. When we first arrived, I couldn't bear to switch my home address in Google Maps from our Paris apartment. Finally, after months of having to type it in every time I wanted directions, I ripped off the band-aid and updated it today. So … Continue reading Stray observations: St. Louis edition
Lily of the Valley Day
Bonjour à tous! Do you know what day it is? It's Fête du Muguet! My favorite French holiday, when everyone gives little bouquets of lily of the valley to their friends and family. (It's also French Labor Day, when everyone protests. The two holidays aren't related.) In any case, I'm trying to ease back into … Continue reading Lily of the Valley Day
To Notre Dame, with love
Yesterday was a horrible day—the day that 850 years of history and art and architecture went up in flames, as Notre Dame burned. When you live in a place as old and beautiful as Paris, these landmarks quietly integrate themselves into your life almost without you noticing. Every time I ran along the Seine, it … Continue reading To Notre Dame, with love
2018 by the numbers
What a year 2018 was! Even as I’m getting used to living in the US again, I still miss France more than I can say. It’s strange not to be able to hop on a train in the morning and be in a different country by lunchtime. It’s strange not to buy fresh bread at … Continue reading 2018 by the numbers
Scene around town
I took so many photos last year that I couldn't possibly share them all, but in looking back at my photo library, I realized that I have some real favorites that never made it into a post. Paris is just an unbelievably beautiful city, and I miss how much of daily life happens outside. Here, … Continue reading Scene around town
Re-entry
Re-entry seems like an appropriate term to describe the process of re-adjusting to life in the US. Most days, I feel like an astronaut plummeting to the ocean with only a tiny parachute to slow the impact: Everything looks familiar, but the perspective is all wrong. Everyone speaks my language, but bars and restaurants are … Continue reading Re-entry
France vs. America
I follow enough French accounts on social media that the targeted ads I see are often in French, even now that I'm back in the US. Normally I don't give the ads much thought, but the fine print of this one caught my eye: Pour votre santé, évitez de grignoter entre les repas. For your … Continue reading France vs. America
Where to go (and where to avoid) in Morocco
Reverse culture shock is real, guys. Colin and I have been back in the US for two weeks and in St. Louis for one, and things like SUVs and billboards and noisy restaurants and supermarkets completely overwhelm me. I mostly spend my days searching online for nearby wine and cheese markets and then crying, "Mon … Continue reading Where to go (and where to avoid) in Morocco
Begin again
We've landed! We've now been back in the US for ten days, but those ten days have been chock-full with visiting family and driving all our earthly possessions from Maine to Missouri. Most of our things have been boxed up in a storage unit for the past year, and it was overwhelming to see it—I … Continue reading Begin again
One sentence per day
While we're traveling/en route back to the US, I've scheduled a couple posts summing up our year in Paris. Today: excerpts from my daily journal. One of the ways I documented this year was through “one sentence per day” journaling. (Disclaimers: (1) The idea only occurred to me in September, so I don’t have sentences describing … Continue reading One sentence per day
Practice Makes Parfait 