Today I found myself wearing a blue and white striped shirt, scarf around my neck, and a baguette under my arm.
Yes, I would say the transformation is almost complete.
I'm in love with the little things about Paris.
The pleasure of sitting down for a cafe creme at our neighborhood brasserie.
The fact that the weather has changed so frequently here this summer, and yet the Parisien's always seem so ready for it. Raining? Got my trench coat and parapluie. Sunny and warm? My Havaianas and linen skirt are ready to go.
In Paris, it's never too early in the day for red lipstick, and it's never too late for a scoop of ice cream.
It's no mystery that the French have a paramount understanding of the importance of taking pleasure in one's life. And with their 6-10 weeks of paid holiday, it's easy for them to take time to create that pleasure.
I was speaking with my new Parisien girlfriend, (yes, I have one now), and we were discussing our love for each others mutual cities. She loves her visits to NYC, and went on about the cute boys at Abercrombie & Fitch, and how much she craves a good burger from Burger King. (Obsession with Burger King is a French thing. I have tried desperately to convince them otherwise, claiming it isn't anything more than a basic fast-food chain and most Americans I know don't eat there, but alas, their fascination remains.)
Being that we are 20 something girls, naturally the topic of Sex & the City came up. I asked if she watched the last episodes when Carrie goes to Paris.
"Mais, oui! But you know, it was just such a typical representation of what Paris is like. People walking around with their little dogs, in their beautiful clothes, eating baguettes...We don't really do this. This is not really the French way!"
And I thought, oh but yes you do. You just don't see it that way because you are in it, living it.
It made me think of how people view Americans and how easy it is to become defensive when one's country is narrowed down to things like, oh I don't know...Burger King and Abercrombie & Fitch.
But isn't that how we begin the process of acclimating ourselves into something new? We take on the style and attitude of a place and just hope to blend in with the natives.
As for the status of my french-ness, I might say I am doing pretty well.
Mistaking me for a Parisien, a handsome man stopped me on the street today and asked for directions.
Silly man...he thought he was in the 2nd arrondissement. But I quickly showed him on the map that we were indeed in the 7th.
Maybe it was the striped shirt or baguette. Or maybe I am beginning to exude that certain "je ne sais quoi" that is so inherent in the people here.
Either way, with little then a week left before I head home, I am already beginning to miss the city that has stolen my heart. In more ways than one.
