Run Paris!

Since the beginning of 2012 I have run along the seawall in Vancouver while enjoying the view of the mountains and the ocean, seen the parliament buildings in Ottawa when cruising along the canal and now I have experienced a route along La Seine while looking enjoying the view of Notre Dame, the bridges, and the tip of the Eiffel Tower. Pure bliss!

While all these routes have something in common (i.e. beauty and a body of water) the running cultures could not be more different!

Vancouver is full of lulu clad, super-fit, mega buff bodies running with very serious, and intent looks on their faces. It is so intimidating that if you aren’t going at a fast enough pace it almost feels like people could be judging your every move! Runners in Vancouver are everywhere, it is almost impossible to go outside and not see at least three or four.

Ottawa has a bit more laid back feel. People wear comfortable attire while running at any pace they see fit - pardon the pun.

Then there is Paris.

For a city known for it’s fashion, it is painfully obvious the running clothes were not counted in the poll! Outfits range from tight spandex to cargo shorts and deep v-neck t-shirts. I’m talking about cargo shorts with all the pockets - just to be clear. And I am usually the only one - even on an hour's run. I get the strangest looks when I'm out on a run, I end up looking like the weirdo in my lulus with Vancouverite practically tattooed on my forehead. But of course, no one out here knows about Lululemon…clearly. 

Bringing BC to Paris

Much to my delight, on Thursday my friend Marie - a fellow British Columbian and UBC student - hopped on a bus from Leuven, Belgium where she has been studying abroad, and came to Paris for a three day weekend. From stopping to smell the flowers at the Eiffel tower, enjoying a picnic in the grass outside Sacre Coeur and walking along the Champs Elysees, we just about covered it all!

It was great to see a familiar face in a very unfamiliar city, and we had a blast trying new and different foods. Thursday was 'la Fete de la musique', which consisted of a citywide outdoor concert. Bands were playing all genres of music around almost every corner. From Soul to traditional French music and rap somewhere in there too, there was something for everyone. Allison joined us and we walked from band to band, and café to café sipping wine and enjoying the city.

We spent most of the next day walking…EVERYWHERE. Six hours lost in the streets of Paris, were pure bliss! Marie seemed to be totally blown away by the number of statues around the city and we started a rating system as to how important we thought the person was based on the size of their statue!

The picnic at Sacre Coeur was my favourite. We took the stairs to the top coming to the conclusion that by bypassing the funicular we had already burned our calories. There were artists all over the place and the region was pouring with tourists and locals alike. We enjoyed French bread, champagne, fruit and cheese while looking at the cityscape below us. We finished the trip with a walk through the grounds of the Louvre and Marie waved goodbye as she hopped on the metro!

Perfect end to a perfect weekend.

The Latin Quarter

There is a neighbourhood in Paris called the Latin Quarter - the Quartier Latin. It has a personality of it’s own. The streets are tiny and seem to wind around one another making it impossible to navigate. It is highly populated with cafes, restaurants and bars that people seem to pour in and out of. The Latin Quarter is probably one of the more lively parts of Paris. 

It got it’s name because Latin was the official language of the community until 1753 while the rest of Paris spoke French! Being nearby the university Sorbonne adds to the distinctiveness of the district.  

Friday night, I decided to check it out and brought Allison along with me. We went to a restaurant called La Bousole, which is known for serving French fusion. It was delicious! The atmosphere was very cozy and seemed to have all walks of life enjoying the food and ambiance. There was an assortment of ages of people and groups eating there too.

After dinner, we decided to see what the night life is like so we headed to a bar called Chez George. Never have I been to a bar quite like this. Packed full of 20 year olds holding bottles of wine in one hand and glasses in the other, the bar was bursting with people dancing to 50s music - no I am not joking!

It was impossible to see past the throngs of people on the dance floor so without enough room for me to bust a move, Allison and I decided tonight wasn’t the night to brave the dance floor.

As we hopped on the metro home, both of us decided partying was yet one more thing the French seemed to be better versed in than those of us from  North America. We’ll definitely be back – we have much to learn. 

Finally a chance to catch my breath...

The past four days have been a whirlwind of starting work and moving into my apartment! Needless to say, I’m finally figuring out the Metro system.

The job:

I arrive every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1pm and leave at 930pm when we close. Without any training or even an explanation on how things work, I was thrown into my first shift. I hadn’t even signed anything yet – still haven’t actually... Very different than at home! A very casual agreement, I chat with customers, fetch things from the back room and organize gifts on the floor. 

M. Dupuis is very nice. He is a round man with glasses and grey hair, probably around his early to mid 50s. On Monday he and I closed the store together and he made a point of ensuring I knew where all the dangerous parts of Paris were. I then promised him I wouldn’t find myself near them and he seemed pleased saying if I ever had a problem he would be happy to help. The tone changed after that, and he started describing all the parts of France I had to see, giving me a list about a kilometer long. 

Mme Dupuis is a bit more strict. She, is a big woman with a big presence. She has red hair and tends to command a level of respect from all her employees. She loves that I speak English and has had me translate a few things for her when filling out the order sheets. She finds my French mistakes funny and my pronunciation of some words odd, but in a ‘aw you’re a nice little Canadian girl’ kind of way. Or at least I think that’s how she sees it.

My favourite part of the job is talking with customers. They come from all around the world. I had a nice chat with a couple from Calgary, a man from Minesota and mother and daughter from Indonesia. I find that I speak almost equal amounts of French, English and Spanish - yes Spanish, my high school Spanish teachers would be so proud! All the different langauges swirling around me are nice but do make me more prone to mistakes. On Tuesday I was chatting away with a sweet old woman from the south of France and she asked me for an apron. I tried very hard to sell her a magnet – and it wasn’t until she pulled me over to the rack of aprons I understood. Completely embarrassed I apologized to her and brought her over to the till with her apron AND magnet!

One of the women I work with is from Serbia, and while French is her second language she speaks it as if it is her first. She has a masters degree in Economics from Sorbonne and stayed in Paris because she met her husband here – it seems a lot of people meet and fall in love in Paris. There must be some truth to calling it the most romantic city in the world! She and I have wonderful long chats and she seems to be very interested in my university degree. Throughout the day, she helps me along with developing my French, correcting little mistakes as I go. It is great to have someone who understands how communicating in your second language can be a bit nerve wracking at times but she understands. Apparently everyone she speaks to asks if she’s Italian! 

The apartment:

It is my own little corner of Paris. At 20m squared, which is just under 200 square feet, it is very tiny! The apartment is on the 2^nd French floor - the 3^rd floor in Canadian terms - and my view is all the white roof tops that seem to be connected. I usually leave the windows open to get a nice Parisian breeze. It is conveniently situated right next door to a Patisserie. This is both fantastic and far too tempting as I get a whiff of freshly made bread and pastries every time I walk through my building door.

I live in the Bastille neighbourhood - or the 11th arrondissement - which is known for being full of young people between the ages of 20 and 30.  They all seem to live in the cafes, restaurants and the streets. I am actually sitting at one very lively café as I write this sipping on a café au lait. 

All in all it has been a crazy past few days, but I am finally able to catch my breath. I feel much more at home and as soon as I am wireless in the apartment things will be perfect – although I don’t mind the excuse to come to a café every day to check emails! 

Allison squared

What would you do if you met someone and when you told them your name they said, “That’s my name!” Well, that happened to me a few days ago at my orientation. I was talking to this girl who’s also part of the SWAP program and when I told her my name, she informed me that was her’s as well. I was surprised at that response so I clarified saying mine was Allison Tanner. Well, she said, I’m Allison Traynor. It’s almost the same!

You just can’t make this stuff up.

It gets weirder, so apparently she is also a runner and is studying international relations. She’s from New York and has become my first friend in Paris. She is here on a year's exchange so she’s been here for a bit longer than I have. It's nice to meet someone so similar to you on the other side of the world!

GO!

And did it ever ‘GO’!! Yesterday, I had plans to open a bank account and meet with an apartment agency, and ended up landing a job as well!

It went like this…

I was having a bit of a rough morning. I had been looking for the bank for almost two hours when, almost like in a movie, the sky opened up and it began to rain. Hard. You know when you think it couldn’t get any worse and then you see your reflection and realize it’s worse than you thought? I was beginning to resemble some sort of drowned rat. Now I know what you will say, how can a Vancouverite let this happen?! Leave the house without rain boots or an umbrella on a day with a chance of rain! Rookie mistake, I know.

Regardless, the rain washed away my plan to make my meetings and replaced it with the urgent need to find somewhere to dry off. That’s when I saw a perfect little patisserie to duck into. I ordered a coffee and a pastry, sat near the window, and tried to dry myself with the napkins the employees had given me. Once I was a bit warmer, I pulled out my cellphone only to see it was out of service – just my luck!

I swapped out my French sin card for my Canadian one just to see if it was working and that’s when I noticed an email from my orientation partner, Xavier, at SWAP. He emailed me to let me know a store owner had called him frantically searching an employee to start immediately for a few months. When Xavier mentioned me he said he wanted to meet me today. I explained that I was on my way to two other appointments and I wouldn’t have time. Xavier insisted I go and meet with Monsieur Dupuis. I polished off my coffee and ran back onto the streets to find the bank.

I managed to find both offices, landing an apartment in the process and quickly made my way to the gift shop. Monsieurs Dupuis was waiting for me and said “Vous êtes la Canadienne?!” All I had time to say was "Oui!" before I was hired.

I am now employed at a little gift shop directly in front of the Louvre. It is a family-run business and they own three gift shops in a row all of which seem to sell the same things. It is a husband and wife and their daughters work in the stores, as well as employees from all over the world. The only common language is French, however, so I guess I’ll be getting a lot of practice! I’ll be working only 3 days/week (Monday – Wednesday) allowing me to travel most weekends or just enjoy Paris on my days off!

I start this Monday, wish me luck!!

Ready, Set...

Contrary to popular belief, Parisians are extremely helpful! Although I should add that looking helpless, dazed and confused might have lead to some 'pity-help' from people.

Finding my hotel for the first few nights was a challenge in and of itself! I was a metro virgin with two very heavy suitcases. Thankfully, a woman saw me looking at my map and not only gave me her metro map, but also carried one of my bags for me to my next train. On our walk, she explained the entire metro system to me! After that it was a breeze until I arrived at my stop, and after 16 hours of travelling I was a bit lost. Once again some very nice Parisians helped me on my way.

After many a wrong turn, followed by a rusty "Excusez-moi..." to every person I met, I eventually made it to my hotel and was able to prepare for my orientation the next day. 

Orientation was fantastic, I got lots of great information and it made me confident enough to go straight to a phone company and register for a French phone number! Discussing phone plans, options and payment schedules is never easy in your first language, let alone in your second; but some how I managed to stumble through it and landed my first international phone plan.

Making the Trip

As you can probably imagine, prior to boarding I made a 3 wishes: a) that I not be seated next to someone with bad B.O.; b) that a decent movie would play during the flight; c) that the food be remotely edible; and d) that I would be able to sleep.

I can tell you I was pleasantly surprised to see I had both a window and isle seat to myself not only solving the fear of having to plug my nose for 9 hours but also giving me a lot of space to stretch out for a snooze!

The surprises didn’t stop there! I was greeted in German and watched the most entertaining security demonstration I’ve ever seen. (3 minute safety video - hilarious). Who knew both Queen Elizabeth and Elvis Presley flew on Condor airlines!

The food was the typical unidentifiable airplane food, but wishing for some of chef Gordon Ramsay’s gourmet salmon on a plane was a long shot. Besides, I am travelling to a country where eating, making, and ordering food is practically a religion. Some crummy airplane food will quickly be forgotten with that first croissant and café au lait.

The perfect welcome to Paris, however, was the sparkling wine served on my 1 hour flight from Frankfurt to Charles de Gaulle. I think I’m going to love being in a city where wine plays such a central role in daily life!

Introduction

I was very young when I fell for France. Probably a mixture of being born in Quebec, my French language studies in school and exposure to French cuisine and wine (make that lots of wine) by my parents lead to the fascination I have with France. For as long as I can remember I have talked about one day living in there and I now find myself seated on a plane crossing the Atlantic ocean to do just that!

This blog will hopefully not only share every exciting, embarrassing and educational experience we all know I will have, but allow you to adventure along with me from home. I’d love to hear your stories of experiences abroad too, so post them to the comment section of the blog and we can compare notes.

Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted!