In Paris Again

I have so much catching up to do. I just returned from dinner with my friend Jean-Francois, the acoustician here in Paris. It's the first time we've seen each other in 3 years! We met at Pont Neuf, crossed over the oldest bridge in Paris and ate at a traditional French restaurant on Cite Island (with an accent over the "e"). Soupe l'oignons, grilled duck with pineapple and potatoes au gratin. To drink, Bordeaux. It's good to be in Paris again!

The price was not cheap for a middle-grade meal...40 euros! Yikes! But it was my first dining experience here this trip...so I wanted to splurge. Conversation was good and I enjoyed the company. It's amazing what a difference it makes to talk with someone who is actually interested in what you have to say and not just listening politely with their mind on other things! I have been missing this kind of conversation/dynamic on this trip, so it was extremely refreshing to rediscover it!

Paris is such a charming and beautiful city, that I can even appreciate it in rainy weather! This evening was drizzly and gray, but it seemed elegant somehow!

As for me, I attended an interesting event earlier in the evening called "Franglish". It's a language exchange event I found out about on Craigslist. You pay 10 euros to go sit in a nice bar and talk with people for 10 minutes at a time. Then you switch to a new partner. It lasts an hour and a half, so you end up speaking with 8 or so people. You speak in English for 5 min. and French for 5 min. with each person. It's like "speed dating", but instead of looking for a date, you are practicing foreign language skills and networking with people in the process. I think it's a great idea. I might have found a language exchange tutor tonight. A nice guy who is studying engineering and is dreaming of living in the U.S. I realized tonight how long I have to go till I will truly be able to speak French!