December December December

Now we’re about up to date. Now you’ll get my entries in real time, hopefully still honest. I decided that in order to stay in Paris long-term, I must improve my fluency. You want to (and need to) speak French to really live here. And the difficulty in communicating (no, the French have been amazingly patient and kind) is getting me down. So what to do? Last time I took a course with a bunch of people and I ended up learning and repeating their mistakes. So I picked up a free Paris weekly for the English speaking community in Paris and found the ads for private tutors. I located a man who is a professor at the Sorbonne, who is relatively well priced (15 euros/hour). We talked on the phone, decided to meet (in my café – where the boys were looking out for me!) and got along well. Now I meet him there two times a week for conversation, grammar and phonetics! Nothing like being pro-active.

Thanks to cafedelasoul.com, and Priscilla Lalisse (who I’m still trying to meet!) when it came time to get my hair done, I had a list to work from. Still, it was scary. Hair is nothing to fool around with, I’m telling you. But I tried Feel 'n' Beauty (58, rue Arcade; there should be a link to Priscilla’s article on the menu page). They did a GREAT job on my braids, and are just incredibly patient and helpful. Did exactly what I asked (which is saying something) and laughed good-naturedly at my French (apparently one of my pronunciations turned an innocent little word into a lewd sexual thing!) Felt just like being back in the “beauty parlour” in Oakland. Not cheap, but I didn’t have to sell a body part.

Research goes slowly, and while I’m getting used to being so much less efficient here, I sure don’t like it! If you ever feel like you are too competent and confident, come to Paris. They’ll beat that right out of you! (Smile). And I’m sick. Again. Seem to keep catching the same cold. Hope my next entry isn’t “How to find a good doctor in Paris!” Geez...