France 3.0

It's been just over a week since I arrived in Paris. It's pretty amazing that I've been able to live in France 3 times in 10 years.

Paris is a city that I absolutely love. It's interesting to see it this time after living in Korea. Things are still good, but they're much different. I guess I got used to not seeing too many tourists in Korea, rather all the non Koreans were either English teachers or US military. Paris, on the other hand, is teeming with tourists. The masses of people with their cameras and outdoor voices don't annoy me that much. My French friends, however don't really like being around the popular tourist spots because for many reasons, those being two. I'm a tourist, but I'm lucky enough to get to stay for longer. I guess I'll just wait to revisit all the popular spots when my friends and family who have promised to come visit arrive.

It's funny, in Korea I couldn't put my camera away the first few months I was there. Everything was so new and interesting and exciting. I wanted to show my friends and family back home just what it was like there as best I could through images.

I guess what's different this time is that I already know what everything looks like and I knew what to expect. I know the subway pretty well and I know what's where. It's kind of like getting a coffee with an old friend. I'm happy to see her and everything is just like it was and it's good to catch up, but I'm not exactly overwhelmed.

It's funny how things just come flooding back to you with one sight or one smell or sound. There is nothing like the smell of walking past a boulangerie in the morning!

I guess I'm just trying to take in the language mostly at this point. There is so much French that I have forgotten and have to relearn. It's crazy that it's been 5 years since I really spoke French. I'm so rusty, but it's (very) slowly coming back to me. It's funny how far away I feel from becoming bilingual, yet when I compare it to how much Korean I know I'm light years ahead. Learning a language is hard. No, that's an understatement. You can learn the words, you can learn how to pronounce, you can learn how they put their words into order. If you do all of that you're only part of the way there. I had forgotten that the french love to add words in "verlin" which is the reverse sound of the word "l'envers" (meaning reverse or backwards). So when they feel like it's boring to call a party "un fete" they change it to the reverse sound "un teuf". And don't even get me started on the way they shorten ALL of their words when writing text or instant messages. Like it's not hard enough to just learn it the correct way...

Anyway, I'm getting there. I've got my grammar books and my friends who are here to help. I live with a friend and we spend the days flip flopping between our two languages. It's not so bad.

I'm going to stay with Sebastien until he moves to Toulon (in the south of France) at the end of Jan. or until I find a job that is too far for me to commute and I decide to get an apartment of my own. It's nice to live with someone in the beginning as I'm getting adjusted to everything.

I've been filling my days with getting a bank account, cell phone, metro pass, and most importantly looking for a job. I've been filling my nights with parties, exhibition openings, dinner/drinks with friends, and wandering the city. All is pretty good.