This and That

Apartment news: The new apartment is working out well. I can walk to the school in 15 minutes, and the métro station is only 3 minutes away. The connections are not as good, so it takes a little longer, with more connections, to get places, but I am still working out the best routes. I am now living much further from the center of Paris, which is a drag, but the apartment is comfortable, clean and fairly quiet. No restaurant kitchen below my window anymore.

Switching the phone and internet is proving to be rather daunting, though. It really is an inconvenience. I had been in the habit of watching CNN and checking internet headlines every morning to have current material for my class discussions. Now I don’t know what is going on in the world. 

Travelling news: I went to Brussels two weeks ago for a weekend. Karen was there for a conference so I went to spend some time with her. It was quite nice. The first evening we went to a dinner/reception at the Belgian Parliament. It was a beautiful building and we were able to see where their Senate and representatives meet. And the food was fantastic! The next night we went to the Grande Place, which is a large square surrounded by incredible, old buildings, dating back to the 1600’s. There was a festival going on with a huge stage erected in the square. We were lucky enough to snag a table at an outdoor café and spent the evening listening to the music and having drinks.

Next weekend I am heading off to Macon, a town in Burgundy with lots of vineyards. I am meeting Myron, who is my friend Gina’s Dad. He is here in Europe travelling for a couple of months. I’ve been to Burgundy before, but not to Macon, so it will be a new experience.

And --- I am going home! I am heading back to Denver for a couple of weeks and will be there for my birthday and for Election Day. I am excited to be there when we get a Democratic candidate elected again! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and to eating some Mexican food.

Health news: Good news on the health front. All this walking and going up and down stairs has paid off. I have lost some weight, but more importantly, I just had a blood test and all my numbers are better! My cholesterol levels have improved, the good is higher and the bad is lower. The triglycerides are down, too, which is really good. I still have to take my heart medicine, but overall, I seem to be a bit healthier.

All in all, things are going fairly well. It is very expensive here so I am running through my money faster than anticipated. I will need to start working more once I return from the U.S. I’m using French but have not progressed as much as I thought I would, but I’ll keep working on it. Some days I feel as though I am in a third world country (and wonder what the heck I’m doing here) and other days I am quite pleased to be here. I have a small group of friends (albeit all English or American) and definitely now feel as though I live here, not just passing through. It’s hard to believe I have been here over 9 months already! We’ll have to have a “virtual toast” when I hit the one year mark.