Saturday, June 28, 2008

Paris: Day 2




So here we are in Paris France! It is a strange feeling to be in the US one day and the next in France. The flights were pretty good. After traveling I always think "flying is not that bad" and then when it is time to fly again I forget that I ever thought that! I know! So silly of me!

Yesterday was a pretty difficult day for me. I believe that it was equally difficult for Phil. At the airport things got a little tense. Suddenly we were WAY outside of our comfort zone! The people that we had become familiar with on the plane were all going their separate ways. It seemed that no one spoke English. When we got off of the plane and inquired about our checked stroller and airport worker thought that we were asking where the toilet was! That was only the beginning.

Luckily we were able to finally locate our stroller and all of our baggage was located. We took a taxi to our apartment and that was kind of scary. The driver did not speak any English at all. He kept talking to us and all we could do was smile. The ride was long and I was drifting in and out of sleep. When we got to our apartment the landlady, praise the Lord, was still waiting for us! She quickly gave us instructions and then she had to catch a train to the South of France for her grandson's wedding. Then we really knew no one! We were thinking that we were crazy for bringing a baby to a country that we did not know the language.

We took some short naps in the afternoon and then ventured outside of our apartment. I was still very scared. We walked down to the end of our street and found a grocery type store called a G20 supermarches. That was overwhelming as well. There were some familiar things there. I got 2 bananas, Gouda cheese, a funny looking loaf of bread, butter, yogurt, paper towels, jam, a huge bottle of water, 4 yellow potatoes, a carrot, and napkins. We walked around a little bit and it felt wonderful!

Even though things are scary it is also exciting and gratifying. It is so fun to be in a different place and I feel like we have accomplished something just by making the decision to come here and then actually follow through with it! Some tears have been shed (on my end) but that is part of the learning experience. I feel so much better today. I am so irrational when I have had literally no sleep. We love our little apartment and neighborhood. It is so old and wonderful! Our windows are the size of doors and they open right up. There are no screens or glass. Funny huh! The wind blows the curtains just the right amount. I feel like we have stepped back in time. How fun! I have always dreamed of time travel.

Each day will get better and better as we venture farther from our home base. It takes some bravery that I didn't know that I had. Luke is just having a ball! Phil is around a lot to play with him and they have become pretty attached. That feels good too! Well, until next time... au revoir!

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