Living in Paris ain't all that - it's more!

I have been reflecting a bit. Thinking about my time so far in Paris and how much I love it here. Paris has been invigorating, scary, exciting, challenging, and wonderful. I look younger - hell maybe I AM younger, and my happiness quotient is sky high.

What is so great about it you might ask? Well actually if you have been to visit me already, you don't need to ask. You might have had your happiness quotient raised while you were here. But just in case you are still wondering, here goes:

• Paris is globally beautiful, the people, the clothes, the scarves, the boots, the parks, the buildings, the windows, the doors, the curbs - well you get the picture. 

• There are 5 bakeries, 3 butchers, 4 cheese shops, 4 wine stores, 3 markets (4 on Sundays!), all within 2 blocks in every direction from my apartment. Oh and more cafes, bistros and restaurants than I can count. And several creperies. So on days I need a boost to my happiness quotient, I get one by walking through my neighborhood.

Buying butter at the market

Buying eggs

• On Sundays a group of singers, musicians and dancers gathers a block away on rue Mouffetard to entertain us. And entertain themselves.

• When I walk up the street everyone smiles and speaks to me - some call me by name! Just like home!
• There is a feeling of living without a safety net. Mostly because I don't know who to call if there is trouble. Like when I locked myself out of my apartment and the locksmith I called tried to open my door with a radiograph. He told me that special tools are only used in Hollywood movies. He may be right, but that damn radiograph did nothing.
• Wine is cheaper than Coke. I can go without coke for a long time if there is wine.

• Food tastes like food. And I think there is still some nutrition in it. My mother once told me that there is more nutrition in the Styrofoam container than in the McDonald's hamburger!

• Words spoken in French sound good. You will want to make love or drink wine - or drink wine and make love while listening.

• Europe is an hour away in almost any direction. Well the rest of Europe I mean.

• It is impossible to be bored. I bet you can't be bored here. Go on - try it!

 I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Yes of course I miss my friends and family, and yes sometimes I wish I had a jacuzzi or even a bathtub. But I have already created those memories.  Here in Paris I am working on tomorrow's memories.

On being a stranger

In France I am an etrangère, or a stranger. We would say foreigner in English.


It is mostly a good thing. I feel very welcomed. People allow me to fumble through my conversations in almost-French and tell me I am doing very well. One very kind lady in the local bakery encourages me to repeat myself because she adores my accent. 


And then I face the various governmental departments and it all seems less friendly, less logical and yes, less clear.


Things are complicated here. Everyone agrees. Now imagine if you were not born here, instinctively knowing how things work. If you want to up the ante: add less than ideal language skills. This means that some hard-to-understand logic is now incomprehensible. Go ahead I dare you to take all of that and face the system. Bon courage as they say.


Here is what I learned all in one day. It is possible to exchange my US driver's permit for a French version at The Prefecture. There are many prefectures in Paris, but my colleague advises me to go to the main one. The internet site seems to favor the one in the 15th. It is neither, nor is it the one in the 1st. It may be the one in the 18th. I will let you know if/when I find out.


Oh and L'Assurance Maladie? You know the thing that gives you almost free health care? Well if you apply in September, and then send an additional document upon request in January, be prepared for a surprise. Your job, although never explained, was to resubmit all documents including those from the first submission and the newly requested one. You will discover this only 60 days after the last submission, and then should expect to wait another 60 days for a response. The response of course may be that you need to resubmit for a new reason. Stay tuned on that.


Now this is not so different from the US, who took 18 months to provide me with FBI clearance for the right to apply for my French visa. Who refused me during my first US visa application, mostly because the officer was pissed off at Canada over Iraq, softwood lumber and Mad Cow Disease. Even though I explained to him that I was in no way influencing any of those initiatives, he still sent me packing. And for all I know Canada might be similar for those who are not Canadians.


 But today my challenge is France, and it aint easy folks.

Bullies not welcome here

So here's the thing. I am tired of being bullied at the airport.
You see I have a medical device implanted in my body. This means every time I go through airport security, which is at least twice a week, I have to show my special card and have a manual pat down. No I do not get to choose a cute guy do do this; I am assigned a female officer. 
Frequently the officer directs me to turn my back on my articles (laptop, iPad, iPhone, Kindle, shoes, coat, belt, you know) which are spread all over the belt.
Frequently I explain that I would prefer to see my articles so they do not go missing.
And yes frequently I am told harshly that no one is going to steal my things, that I should not accuse these nice people of being thieves, that I will do as I am told, that if I refuse I can not proceed, blah blah blah.
And you know, I usually need to get on the flight and I usually comply.
But a couple of times things have gone missing. A newly purchased blue tooth headset. A newly purchased Kindle. And gone is gone.
Which brings me to this morning. My 4AM wake up call allowed me to miss the traffic and arrive at the airport with some time to spare. So when the officer told me to turn my back on my articles I said, 
"If you don't mind I would prefer to keep an eye on my things. Could I face that direction instead?"
You would have thought I had threatened someones life. Seriously this woman went ballistic. She made such a huge fuss I thought I should do something. So I caught the eye of someone who appeared to be higher ranking, and asked him to please intervene. He was kind, but said I would have to comply.
I then asked to speak to the appropriate supervisor.
Soon I was surrounded by 6 security personnel. The security line shut down. They were all suddenly focused on me and the problem I was apparently causing. 
Was I intimidated? No. I was too pissed off to be scared.
I stood my ground. I explained the situation. My unfriendly female pat down artist tried to lie, saying I had never suggested an alternative, such as me facing my things and her moving instead. I looked her right in the eye and repeated the real sequence of events.
And you know what: it felt good.
You know what else: I made my plane with time to spare. And an apology from the guy in charge. And a big old smile from one of the other security guys who seemed kind of proud of me.
All this to say: you have rights. Do not allow your need to get somewhere negate those rights. Ever.
Think of it this way; if you allow them to bully you, you are also allowing them to bully someone much less capable of standing up for themselves.

Bird Issues

At dinner last night it became obvious that throughout my life I have had an issue with birds.
First movie I remember watching? The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. I was 5 I think. Made quite an impression.


Fast forward to Calgary Stampede as a 20 something: I become a bulls-eye for a gull who has apparently been at the beer garden hootin' it up. Memorable moment for a young woman trying to impress her date with her style and class. 


Fast forward again to Rue Mouffetard Paris recently: I am once again trying to look reasonably well arranged when a a pigeon miscalculates takeoff and crashes into my head. I am not sure which of us is the most surprised.


I was once chased by my uncle's guard goose. He had warned me about his guard dog. The guard goose was more of a surprise.


This all brings back the memory of two special bird encounters. I was once walking around a beautiful little pond in Kansas City when I was kind of attacked by a little white duck. He was being quite a nuisance actually, and while I tried to decide what to do with him I reached out with my admittedly muddy hiking boot to keep him away for just a moment. I literally rested my boot against him to hold him off from his determined attempt to attack me. In that moment, with my foot resting gently on the duck, a big Hummer pulled up behind me and out climbed a rather large man. His first words:
"What's going on here?" alerted me to a possible uncomfortable conversation I was about to be a part of.
His next words:
"That's my duck" increased my alarm.
My response, as I removed my gently placed very muddy boot from the duck:
"I didn't kick him. Honest"
And I didn't. And I understand that the little white duck was just protecting his wife and family. But I was kind of caught in the act. The duck was wearing a very big muddy footprint that matched the tread on my hiking boot. No denying it. I left with my head hanging low.


And then there was the time I was sea-dooing down the Connecticut River with my then-boyfriend. We were in a no-wake zone, so I was enjoying the calm, the flora and fauna. I commented on the swans, on how peaceful and beautiful they were. One swan in particular appeared to be posing for us, spreading his wings, turning toward us, and uh-oh coming toward us, feet still in the water but 8 foot span of wings now opening and closing to full effect. 
Fwump 
Fwuump  
Fwuuump best describes the sound of a large territorial male swan heading toward our sea-doo at an ever accelerating speed.
Do you know how big a swan is?
Well double whatever you just answered because it looks as least twice as large when one is coming toward you, completely ignoring the no-wake zone and showing no apparent intention to even try to avoid a full on body slam. At the last minute we too had to ignore the no wake zone and get the hell out of the way. 
He missed us. 
Just barely. I guess he had managed to hit others on different days so our decision to flee while not our proudest moment was nonetheless prudent. 


What is the message? One who is found swanning may soon need to duck?

First and Momentous Paris encounters

Have you had a surprising encounter in your city? Or one that turned out to have a bigger than anticipated result? I will share a few of mine in Paris.


I was kissed by a gorgeous man on the RER. I never saw him before or since. Well only in my dreams since.


A man got up from his seat on the metro, stood in front of my sister and struck his sexiest pose. We weren't quite sure what an appropriate next move was so we kind of giggled. He returned to his seat rather defeated. Remember this Angie?


A man I had never seen before recited a poem to me while I was having dinner in my neighborhood restaurant. Before he started I asked him if it would be a long poem. He admitted it was rather long but promised it would be worth it. The jury is still out on that one.


While dining at a restaurant the server gave me her cell phone. There was a call for me. The restaurant we had visited the night before had the same owner. The server recognized us. I guess we made an impression on the owner as well. My co-conspirators Angie and Tina will remember this.


A man invited me to dinner and then told me I could undress him now if I wanted. I didn't want. I left. 


The gracious owner of a bar took the time to introduce me to a regular patron shortly after I arrived in Paris. He thought we would get along well. She is now a very good friend. Thanks Edouard for helping me to meet Alison! Who says you can't meet nice girls in a bar:)


The lovely butcher I talk to every day introduced me to his girlfriend and in so doing gave me 2 friends for life. Thanks Christophe and Janice.


I went to a social event and discovered the host is from Antigonish. We were practically neighbors growing up. Shelley you rock! 

A very large man kicked me on the metro. Right on the metro.I don't think we will be friends.



My tailor who is from Turkey invited me to spend Sunday with his family. Lovely day and delicious dinner. Incredible hospitality from strangers.


Eating alone one evening I met an Italian economist doing his PhD and then an MBA. His goal - to help companies develop an intrinsically rewarding workplace. I love this idea.


Drum roll for the finale: I met two men who are extra-terrestrials. Yes they are serious. They shared some of the world's mysteries with me.


What has surprised you?

Last Day in Shanghai

I thought I would provide a wrap to my Shanghai trip. On our last day we went to the fake market. Although neither of us was a particularly great negotiator, prices were so low from the start it was not possible to get a bad deal. My pullover sweater cost €10, and I could have had a leather computer bag for €20. Although everyone was fighting hard to make sales by any method, including pulling me into one shop by my arm, at no time did I feel at risk or even all that bothered. 

Modern buildings serve as the backdrop
to the more traditional Yuyuan Garden area

Back to Yuyuan Garden for some higher end items. Hard to get any discount here at all. A young man on the street convinced us to follow him down two flights of stairs into a workshop with adjoined retail area for everything silk. We watched them layer silk to make a quilt, much like our duvets of down. I managed to negotiate the price of a duvet, cover and sheets to half, but in the end was not convinced of the quality and cancelled the deal. 

Hand layered silk quilts

We were looking for a silk scarf we had seen earlier in the week, but did not come across it immediately. Instead we walked around the main shopping area, on a residential street. This was a very different perspective on Shanghai for both of us.

What was I most surprised by? The lack of foreign feel to the city. The modernity of it all. The food I suppose, in that some of it included body parts that just should never enter one's mouth! And the hospitality.In a city of 20 million, every local business has managed the warm welcome very well.

Shanghai First Impressions

What to say about Shanghai...
I could say it is a city of extremes. A city of very little that is original. A city surprising to me in its lack of foreign-ness. Yes the hotel offers some unusual breakfast foods but that is pretty minor. Yes the taxi drivers speak no English at all, but hotels and other local businesses are happy to write the address you are seeking in Chinese characters so you can direct your driver. Okay I guess that is a little unusual.


I do not feel inclined to live here. Today the newspaper reported that Shanghai is more expensive for ex-pats than New York, but less expensive than Zurich, Oslo and Geneva. And of course there are many living here who can barely pay their rent, or who will lose their homes to developers erecting the next skyscraper, expensive shopping mall, or condo building for the very wealthy.


Street food is plentiful in certain market streets with open kitchens, produce, live pigeons, live crabs, and anything else you could possibly imagine, alive and dead. Shanghai is also a wealth of gourmet restaurants,  and cocktail bars with beautiful expensive views. Even the expensive restaurants waste no body parts, as evidenced by the picture below from our Tuesday evening dining experience at South Beauty.

Yuck

Lest I forget, and I hope I can one day put this out of my mind, the delicious pork belly dish also contained meatballs and testicles. Of course I did not know they were testicles. My colleague however put one in his mouth, looked for the closest place to spit it out, and declared "That is something no man should ever eat". I believe in this case I will vote for equality for both genders.

Fake market

In addition to the food markets, Shanghai has well known fake markets, where you can buy a copy of any brand name item you can think of.  Running shoes, jeans, iPad accessories, you name it and they either already have it for sale or will get it for you. Posted prices are typically reduced by 80 - 90% by savvy negotiators. Apparently I am not one.

Marriage market

And don't forget the marriage market, where classifieds of young men and women advertise their height, salary and best qualities to hasten their marriage prospects. The more enthusiastic parents are on site at the Marriage Market at Peoples Square to improve the odds. This is a good location, with an average of 3 million pedestrians passing by each day. After all it is the Year of the Dragon, a fortuitous time to give birth to a baby, providing the marriage, conception and birth can be arranged quickly enough.
                                                                                                         
Bathrooms, always of interest to travelers, are also represented at both ends of the spectrum. Coffee shops simply do not have a toilet, which seems at cross purposes to those of us who have to "go" when we drink coffee.  One restaurant on the other hand had such an elaborate toilet I was almost left behind as I tried all of the available options (close your eyes for this part if you blush easily: wash front, 2 versions of wash back, dry front, dry back, play sounds...) And at a client site the regular bathrooms are next door to the executive version. I guess executives do not want regular employees to hear them using the various options?


Kindness is evident. Everyone is gracious and warm, with staff at restaurants welcoming each guest and generally making you feel happy to be there. (Tipping is not standard practice by the way.) Do however come prepared to give up your personal space. In a city of 20 million people, metros and even elevators are always full. I stood single file in a queue for some time just to catch an elevator in an office building. And it is not always so orderly. If you are in the way you will be slammed into; boarding the metro, exiting the elevator, and passing on the sidewalk are all a contact sport at times!


Ex-pats are usually forbidden by their employers to drive in Shanghai. The driving rules are not so clear as you might wish, with the horn replacing any standard signals including left and right turns, and priority going always to the largest of the vehicles (yes the large truck or bus always has priority over cars and motorcycles). Near-misses are a common occurrence.


The many impressive buildings here include the TV tower complete with roller coaster and transparent floor, towers and hotels with cocktail bars on high terraces with a view of the city, and even restaurants above the clouds on the 97th floor of The Financial Center, soon to be reduced to only the second tallest tower in Shanghai.

All in all a modern beautiful commercial center with the headquarters of many multi-nationals, a warm welcome, and interesting food, to say the least!