Lessons Learned While Living in Paris

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a southern girl.  Not only that, but I was raised in a small town in NC.  Although I live in a "bigger" city now, I by no means live in a big city.  I've always dreamed of what it's like to live in a big city...and here's what I've learned from living here.

1 - Paris is like any other big city.

I know I've never lived in a big city, but I've visited plenty.  You hear all the time about people coming to Paris and being completely overtaken by it so much that they stay for years.  But, I've also heard the same thing about New York City.  Really, Paris is like any other big city.  There are lots of people, it's crowded and expensive.  Sure, there's amazing architecture to look at and loads of history to take in.  Don't get me wrong, I've loved my time here, but it's not so much different than I would expect living in big city USA would be...except more people would speak English, which would be helpful.

2 - Disney Paris is a smaller version of Magic Kingdom.

Thanks to the help of a sorority sister from college, we were able to take the little one to Disney.  It was her first experience there, and she loved it!  She warmed up to the characters quickly and made tons of "new friends" waiting in lines for rides.  I had a blast too, but I have to admit, that I was a bit disappointed not to see many different rides.  I did get to meet Jack Skelenton though, and that was INCREDIBLE!

3 - Christmas time is just as crazy as back home!

So there isn't any Black Friday shopping, but it's still pretty nuts.  Christmas markets line most major streets (and are always packed with people), stores are over flowing and everyone is out to get their hands on Christmas goodies.  However, I did find out one interesting tid bit.  In working with my new French friends, we constantly compare stories of Americans verses the French.  Would you believe that EVERYONE celebrates Christmas in Paris...and most of France for that matter...no matter what religion.  And it's not "offensive" to say Merry Christmas to anyone.  Even Disney displayed those two words proudly.  You go France!

4 - Food and wine here are really cheap...if you're not eating out.

Restaurants are going to mark up food wherever you are, but the grocery stores here are much more affordable than back home.  Produce, for the most part, is very affordable (as is meat) and bread is dirt cheap.  Wine is crazy inexpensive...it's not unheard of to find a really good bottle for under 3 Euro.  Cooking has been a blast and cost efficient even without coupon clipping and comparison shopping.  Still...there was one food that I had really missed...BACON.  Bacon over here is sold already cut into small strips, lardons as my fellow culinarians will know.  Then today I found actual bacon...hello breakfast paradise!  Now...if I could just find the makings of Buttermilk Pancakes...

5 - No matter how much fun your having, you get to a point when you miss home...

It's been the last week that's been really hard.  Working in a kitchen all day where you can barely communicate with the people you work with gets very lonely.  I'm thankful that my family is here with me, but I've gotten to a point where I miss the little things about home...like driving a car, or calling a friend, or working in a kitchen where I can shoot the sh#t with the rest of the guys.  Soon our time in France will come to an end and we'll travel to Ireland for the holidays.  I don't want to rush that, but a part of me wants to get back home...sleep in my own bed...cook in my own kitchen...do laundry with an actual washer AND dryer! 

I'm sure it will happen before I know it...