14 September 2007

French Toast calling T-Dot. Can you read me T-Dot?

Flight was très normale— totally Dullsville, as per Air Canada standard. Settling in fine, though I though I was going to kill myself and many people around me trying to lug my 80lb suitcase through the many ups and downs of the Paris Métro. The neighbourhood is nice, quite convenient and the apartment is all old-school Parisian mouldings and marble fireplace, which is swank. The roomie seems a bit kooky, but I think it'll be doable for sure. I didn't wake up to him watching me sleep last night, so I guess things are on the right track.

BranTom were in town yesterday and today as they made a train connexion in Paris en route to a friend's wedding in northern Italy. It was so nice to see them and have them around to help me acclimatise a bit. Then it seems as though R&R will make a continental jaunt la semain prochaine and Madame Sly is perhaps hot on their heels. Seems as though I'll be spending more time with Toronto peeps now that I live in Paris than I ever did when we actually lived on the same continent. Strange since virtually no one showed even the slightest interest in coming to visit me in Tokyo...

But I digress. I do have to say that things haven't been all pâtisseries and poodles since I arrived. Ever since I found out that this was going to be a three year deal, I've felt a lot of trepidation about pulling myself up again after so long away and after settling into a really stellar and great bunch of people. While the city is beautiful, it feels very isolating in a way that Tokyo never did (clearly bizarre since Tokyo is definitely the more alien of the two). Perhaps it's because of the shared language that everything seems so tantalisingly close in Paris , but just beyond the surface I can see that I'm still culturally a continent away. So much history and tradition that I just know nothing about (which strangely enough was not the case when I went to Tokyo).

Also I need to find a job toute suite as the lack of cash flow is giving me heart palpitations every time I have to pay for something in this très, très expensive city. I have two weeks now before classes start so hopefully I'll be able to sort something out soon.

Trusting that all is well in Toronto, Japan, or where ever you are reading this.

À bientôt !

6 comments:

Tokyo Tintin said...

I'm looking for a new 'label' for my blog posts from Paris. Any suggestions?

Also, I can happily say that I removed 'My Job' from the Dead to Me section! Woohoo! That is so super exciting I can't believe that I don't ever have to go back again!

Anonymous said...

oh sweetie, i so wish i were there. if its any comfort, coming back to Japan was horrific the second time. how could returning to a place you love feel so strange and weird? it took me a few months to settle in; i think it's just the idea of moving to another country in general rather than the place itself. but you know that you'll settle in, you know that you'll love it, you'll know that you'll be all snooty in no time (snoot snoot) and date beret wearing conceptual artists who chain smoke Gauloise and bathe only on full moons. sweetheart, you were born to be French! (do you love the inexplicable-ness of that statement?)cheese eating surrender monkeys ahoy!
ps so saving my yen to come visit. we can totally do Euro Disney (Le Stitche!) and recreate the storyline in 90210 when Donna & Brenda went to Paris and Brenda took up smoking, dated Dean Cain and came back to find Dylan and Kelly entwined in each others arms. quelle surprise! (i'll even let you be Brenda)fun, fun, fun!
and if all else fails just remember "Le grenouille mange le pamplemousse" and everything will be fine.
i love you lots.
ps did i misread it or did you just say that your new flatmate is 'doable'??

Tokyo Tintin said...

Jase- haha! Roommate is not 'doable,' (yikes!) but rather the roommate living situation is to an acceptable working standard.

It'll be très très amusante when you come to visit. We can step in poodle poo and throw empty wine bottles at mimes. We'll even have to find a restaurant that serves ris à la Brenda and Donna. Le fun!

And if I do manage to get working here, I'm planning on doing a Singapore/Japan combo trip in late winter-early spring. Fingers crossed!

Miss Ash said...

Did you lick your Air Canada meal container a la Jennifer? Haha

Tokyo Tintin said...

Ash- As per my previous post dealing with Air Canada food, the meal choice was infuriatingly "chicken or beef?" and I definately did not lick the container or even eat the whole meal! Le yuck et le blah.

Anonymous said...

Ola my gorgeous, well glad to hear that despite the oddness of your new surroundings you are taking it in your stride. Must admit I found settling into Oz so much harder than tokyo ever was, that was with the other half to help and a language i vaguely understood, although there are some euphamisms that still escape me resulting in the occasional faux pas
I think the greater the semblance of the familiar the more difficult the adjustment.
thinking of you and your gallic adventures, wishing i could join in the wine/mime projectile mullarky. Right now id settle for heckling wannabe artistes in horrendously fake french accents

zeez paintings zey are..how do you say?....les sheeeet

and then hitting overly coordinated people over the heads with garlic filled baguettes

all in good time i say to myself, all in good time
love you lottsles
heren chan who has fogotten her login details