Au Revoir Paris: Until We Meet Again

It's our last full day in Paris after 10 months of living here. We fly out tomorrow morning and will sleep in our own home in Desert Hot Springs tomorrow night. That is such a weird thought. For sure, this has been a year of unexpected pleasure, challenge and meaningful interactions. The American Church in Paris has been a place of growth and joy and even after such a short time, feels very much like a church home, one that we will long to return to in the coming years. There is no doubt that we will miss the worship services and seeing the students who have burrowed deeply into our hearts on a regular basis. We will remain curious about how they will develop and where their lives will take them. We will miss our colleagues who have invited us into this staff in the most affirming and inclusive manner. The church is clearly what has made our time here so special and all of the wonderful people that we've been privileged to know but of course, the backdrop of Paris, added rich dimensions that are worthy of reflection. So here's a bit of a review of the past 10 months.
What I Will Miss The Most:
French Butter. I know, bizarre. But it is better. And the stuff with salt crystals in it is beyond delicious. I am packing a kilo to bring home in my suitcase.
Walking and Wandering. Paris is by far the most fun city to wander around. Lurking around every corner is a beautiful building, an inviting bistro beckoning one to sit and watch the world go by, and beautiful parks and green spaces that urge people to stop and enjoy the surroundings. 
Lifestyle on Foot. While I am excited to drive our car again, I will miss being able to walk to the store, walk to our bakery, walk to go out to lunch, etc.
Public Transportation. Having a car is great for many things but it's also awesome to have the option of avoiding car use when you so desire, like when you go out to dinner and want to have a drink, or don't want to fight traffic or have to find a place to park.
Easy Travel to Beautiful Places. France has dazzled me this year. In short amounts of time from Paris we've been to the mountains and the coast, surrounded by vineyards and taken in amazing views. It's all fantastically lovely and I will miss having it all at fingertips.
Our Local Bakery. They tolerated my inability to speak French, they helped me navigate the choices, they were kind and lovely to me. Buying a freshly baked baguette for about a $1.50, biting off the end as I walked home, slathering it with the above mentioned French butter...the only good thing that could come out of this is that all bread in the US will now taste bad and so I'll be able to cut back on carbs!
Randomly Seeing the Iconic Monuments of Paris. I love that I've seen the Eiffel Tower most days. I will miss spotting the gold dome of Invalides knowing my home and church were just down the street. I will miss seeing Sacre Coeur from random places in the city and the little thrill that came with seeing it each time I did. The bridges that crossed the Seine, Notre Dame, The Louvre and the d'Orsay museums...all spectacular buildings that I never wearied of seeing.
The Food. Restaurant favorites, outdoor markets and the good ol' grocery store will be missed. The food here is just so darn good. It's fresh, it's carefully made and prepared and it's has ruined my palette in a good way.

Cheap, Good Wine. Available in the grocery store. All the time.
Living in A Country with A Sane Leader. No commentary needed. Emmanuel Macron makes me proud. The other one...not so much.

Of course, there is so much more. But these things do stand out. But alas, lest you think living in Paris is perfect there are some things that I won't miss and definitely some things that I am looking forward to in returning to the US.

What I Won't Miss
Not Knowing the Language. I have never lived in a country where I didn't learn the language and this has been tough. I have picked up a fair amount of French vocabulary but having not really studied the language with any degree of seriousness, I don't know how to conjugate verbs or put together a cohesive sentence. Well, that's not entirely true. I did master Je ne parle pas français perfectly. The best I did was learn to read a menu, which proved to be very helpful.
Limited Recreational Options. One of the things I am most looking forward to are the recreational opportunities that CA offers to us. Access to water we can swim in is one of those things. Having tennis and golf in our backyard. And lots and lots of sunshine. Paris is crushingly gray this time of year and I'm ready for a bit more warmth and sunshine.
Living in An Apartment. While I have greatly appreciated the wonderful accommodation that ACP has provided for us, I am excited about living in my house again. Our house is still relatively new to us and we are excited to enjoy the large yard, eating outside, my big beautiful kitchen, gas stove, outdoor grill, king size bed, robotic vacuum, and having all of my favorite things at my finger tips.
We've embraced our life in Paris with vigor and joy. And we've been the grateful recipients of incredible experiences that we will treasure for a life time. But our job here is now finished and it's time for us to return to CA. We will miss many things and welcome other things. We will long for our life in Paris at times even while revelling in the CA lifestyle that we also enjoy. We're thankful for it all and I suppose in our hearts, kind of know that we'll see Paris again one day.
So we join Rick from Casablanca, and thousands who have gone before us, in saying, "We'll always have Paris."

French Learning Curve

A bit more than a week is under our belts. Overall, it's been a great week but the onslaught of newness does make one feel a bit overwhelmed at times. That coupled with the butt kick of jet lag with gray, rainy skies can lead to a bit of a foggy brain. But today is day 10 here in Paris and the old adage says that for every hour of time zone change, it takes that amount of days to "switch over" so with those 9 days behind us, I am hoping for more regular rhythms of sleeping and awake will continue to kick in.

I wish the title indicated the learning curve we're on with the French language but unfortunately our knowledge of French pretty much remains at Parlez vous francais? At least we can also say thank you, good day, and goodbye, all of which are important niceties in the French culture. Most of the young people we are hanging with in public settings speak wonderful French so we rely on their finely honed skills. We are learning to read a menu so that is perhaps the most important quest of all!
It is good for our hearts and minds to be back in Europe and the International church. Our spiritual heart soars in the midst of the diversity and joy of the International church and we find that while the French story differs in some ways to the Swedish story, there are also many resonant similarities. Here are a few of our initial impressions:
--Everything in France starts late in the day and many things happen at night. The earliest we ever start anything is 7.30pm. Last night we gathered at restaurant with a group of young adults to discuss life and theology. The evening began at 8.00 and we were not home until close to 11.00. We have not been out that late for a very long time! We are having to bring our retired, early to bed selves out of the woodwork and into the light once again. It's amazing to see how Paris bubbles late into the evening with people arriving for dinner well past 9.00 p.m. Fortunately for us, we don't have too many early morning events to attend to at the moment.
--A smaller refrigerator and bread that tastes best the day you buy it contribute to the notion that you stop by the grocery store at least every couple of days to buy fresh food. The stock up mentality does not really exist. Fortunately for us, there are many close options in our wonderful neighborhood.
--Paris is expensive in some ways, and in other ways not. I also know that our neighborhood is quite highly priced. Beer is a lot more expensive than wine in a bar or restaurant. No big surprise there. We haven't fully explored the cheaper eats like crepes and other "fast food" options but there is time! With working and living in the church complex, zipping home for a quick lunch is not hard to do but at times, the luxurious 2 hour Parisien lunch is a treat. The 1 euro baguette remains a mainstay.
--It is still a thrill to see the monuments that are so well known when simply wandering about town getting something done.
--Have yet to have a glass of wine that wasn't great. We were given a box of chocolates by a fellow staff member that has proven to be an endless box of amazingness. I know that's not a word, but it should be. Chocolate covered cherries with the stem and pit in tact were on the top layer. Little did I know what awaited me on the second layer. Discs of chocolate with nuts and candied fruit strewn on top. Then the ultimate surprise of finding yet a third layer with other delights that I can't describe. I have eaten most everything in the box. It is there for Doug to dig into but he isn't lead to the box in quite the same manner that I am. The onion soup that we enjoyed before an evening meeting was every bit as delicious as you might imagine. I wondered if was considered rude to just pick up the bowl and lick the interior.
Here are some things that I want to get a handle on:
--Truly figuring out how to grocery shop and meal plan and eat well while here. I also want to figure out where the local markets are as I've heard shopping at these is delightful. The famous one, Rue Cler, close to our house, is amazing and beautiful but a bit high end at times. Have to admit however, that the produce is delicious and smells great.
--A trip to Ikea today should help us more fully get our house in order. We need some decorations and some 'touches' to make it feel less like a vacation rental and more like our home.
--We have to learn some French and are working on figuring that out.
--Get a good plan together for exploring the city, especially the lesser known spots of Paris that being here for an extended time will allow. It's really such a beautiful city that to not more fully know and experience it while here would be a great shame.
--I am excited for the warmer, sunnier season, when the daylight lengthens and picnic become a way of life. I might even start running again as the paths that are available are stunning and beckon.
--We plan to figure out ways to jump on a bus and just see where it goes in order to more fully understand Paris.
What grounds us is the church and the wonderful people we are meeting. We are enjoying getting to know the stories of how and why people have landed in Paris. The reasons range from Embassy appointments to fashion and of course, falling in love with a French man or woman and it's quite a thrill to see how the American church in Paris brings all of these diverse threads together to shape a tapestry of connection and relationship.