Baguette is my only friend.

It was half past noon. My stomach called out for food. Lunch break had finally arrived after an hour of sorting through invoices and relocating them to their respective folders. I was famished. I walked out the hotel door, and turned right. It was hot outside, for Paris at least; nothing extreme, but enough for me to overhear many Parisians comment on how “chaud” it was.  My knees became weaker and weaker with each step. I glanced forward and saw, in the distance, an establishment where I then hesitantly chose to be a consumer. I started sweating, a confirmation of my inappropriately monstrous desire for food. Soon, I found myself at a busy intersection, the only thing that stood between me and food, glorious food. A green light appeared, I scurried upstream against the flow of pedestrians, and there before my eyes stood my gates of heaven. I ogled inside the building, knowing that I could enter into this comfortably air-conditioned paradise with ten euros and be able to walk out again, replenished, restored, and renewed. Nirvana awaited me. And so, with a rush of confidence, I took one good look at what I was getting into, and did the unthinkable, what any person with even the slightest of common sense trying to cover ground as a tourist in France would not do. I walked into McDonald’s.

I don’t know what’s worse – my relentless craving for Big Macs, or my confession of this fact to you all. But I brought this all up for a reason. I am an observer, and because of this, I constantly feel as if it’s my royal duty to broadcast anything that amuses me or is interesting to me. Having been in Paris for almost two weeks now, I have begun to pick up on the little nuances and details that make up Parisian life – starting with McDonald’s. For one, the portions are noticeably smaller. I ordered a Big Mac with large fries and a large coke, and was presented with food that, in my mind, did not deserve to be branded as “large.” Perhaps America has ruined me. From my perspective, the items on my tray were McDonald’s in miniature. In addition, the fries seemed to be less salted than those I had grown accustomed to. I am not a food critic by any means, but even at a mega-fast food chain like McDonald's that prides its consistency, there are discrepancies.

There are, of course, many other nuances of Parisian life that I have observed. For example, on escalators, people do stand on the right, and walk on the left. It’s an unwritten rule that has been quietly ignored by many. In addition, if Mother Nature is calling, it is not possible to walk into any café or restaurant and expect the restroom to be available. Instead, many places opt to install doors with locks that are only accessible using a code printed on one’s receipt. You have to pay to relieve yourself. And if you decide to have a coffee, be wary that simply ordering a “café” at a café involves you receiving a cup within which the gustatory sense of bitterness has morphed itself into liquid form, ready to attack your taste buds. I have heard that French coffee is supposed to be some of the best in the world, but once again, America has ruined me. So if, like me, this said blend of coffee is too much for you, leave the café; go ahead and wander the streets. Get an ice cream while you're at it. And prepare yourself to inhale a lot of second-hand smoke. Regardless, there's so much to discover. Paris itself is so animated, and the atmosphere is so vibrant - I could be here forever. You just never know what you’ll see.

It's past midnight, and here I am, sitting in the living room of my host family's apartment, two stories above a busy street-side café and bar as the Euro 2012 game of Portugal versus Spain continues to spur loud shouts of I’m-not-sure-what every few minutes or so. Someone must’ve scored just now, for all I heard was an enormous burst of cheering and  subsequently, glasses smashing on the ground. I love it.


And you on the other end, sitting in front of your screen. You probably opened up this blog in hopes of reading a travelogue or a post about all the new things we have learned, and instead, a whole bunch of crazy came at you. Nevertheless, we have indeed learned a lot, and that it's been a fantastic experience thus far.

Ciao.


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