Sick…Again

Okay, I ask you. How many times, for the love of God, can one person get sick in six months? If you’re me, apparently lots of times! Normally I get sick once, twice a year. I’ve been in Paris for six months and have been sick FOUR times! Two bad head colds in the first two months, a nasty case of strep throat in month four, and now, another frickin’ cold (with the works: chills, fever, stuffy nose, cough, etc.). The sun is shining and I’m sick. But I’m not bitter or anything.

The best I can discern, the stress of the move, the stress of all I have to do, the stress of Paris, and the actual seasons that Paris possesses -- wind, cold, snow (argh!), rain, thunder, lightening, then sun -- are constantly taking their toll on my body. It’s hard to stop and smell the roses when your nose is stuffed up. But I’m not bitter or anything.

In happier news, for those of you following my weight loss odyssey, I have officially lost two sizes! Yea. It’s all the walking. I swear, I changed Metro lines at Montparnasse and it was a twenty-minute walk inside the station to get there – not including going up and down at least 3 flights of stairs. My metro station (Abbesses) is in the bowels of the earth. The elevator gave out the other day, so I walked: all 125 steps. I was almost weeping when I got to the top. Gotta love the Paris diet, where the motto is: If you can find your way out of the metro station and you’re still breathing, you can have a croissant!

And my glorious (and expensive) new bras are going to be too big very soon. I know, let’s have a fundraiser for yours truly: Donate money so Robin’s beautiful breasts don’t jiggle excessively in Paris. Keep our freakish ebony sister in Parisian lingerie. No? Alright, that’s ok, I’m not bitter or anything! Bisous (kisses) until next time!

Le Soleil

Greetings at the end of month five! I’m so happy I could just sing. Why? Because the sun has returned to Paris! Spring is in the air – no more snow – the sun is shining and all is well. Parisians are notorious sun worshippers; there is not a seat to be had in these sidewalk cafes. But I manage to find one when I need one. Can you spell “glorious?” It’s Springtime in Paris!!!!

Met three lovely young women from USC last week and had lunch at the Amelie Café (what can I say, the food’s great). So nice to see these ambitious, beautiful black women on spring break, making Paris all their own. It took me so long to get up the courage to come here for my first trip. I’m so proud to see these young ladies tearing up the town. I spent a great afternoon with them.

Okay, so I’m supposed to be working. But how can you spend the day in a dark dusty archive when the sun is shining? So I’ve been able to download a few old books and am reading them outside. Nice trade-off. Oh, and my friends are no longer speaking English to me, or allowing me to speak it to them. Sigh. One way to practice! À bientôt!

It's Been a While

Hello again! It’s been a while since I’ve updated, so I know you’re curious about what I’ve been doing. I have had guests visit. A lot of guests. It’s funny. For five months, nothing. No one. And then, 3 different people in 3 weeks! A bit overwhelming, but fun. It’s always feast or famine, isn’t it? My good, good friend Abe arrived for ten days, and we proceeded at whirlwind pace, seeing as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. How lovely to be treated to restaurants (I’m a sucker for them!) and re-visiting museums I normally don’t go to anymore. Of course, all this was during the bizarre snowstorms and freezing cold that plagued Paris for weeks. I hate snow; it makes me cranky! That was in addition to a train ride a few hours ride outside of Paris to a suburb of Loche (where we stayed the night). A very cute little town, where we visited old friends of his. His wonderful friends live near a castle from the 16th century, just amazing to see. Didn’t see another black face while I was there, which was a bit unnerving, to tell the truth. But everyone I came into contact with was so nice – even though the accents were harder for me to follow – will I EVER learn this blasted language?

Two fans of cafedelasoul were in town as well, and treated me to a lovely afternoon, with lunch at the Amelie café (great burgers!). I’m happy to say that they were lovely women, and I had a great day. As a result, I finally have a picture to share! Yes, that’s right; you will now see yours truly. Robin is putting it up shortly, so take a look. I think I look happy. I guess Paris agrees with me!

Things are settling down after the drama of the beginning of the year. I believe that I need another year to complete my research before I begin writing. We’ll see if my fellowship applications will make this possible. If not, I’ll come home, make some money, and come back. No two ways about it; I need to be here. After five months, I am JUST beginning to feel more settled. Yes, that’s right: the settling in period takes time. More than I realized. I have traveled to Paris six times, so I assumed that I would feel at home rather quickly. Bad mistake. It takes time to re-invent a life. So I’m trying to be much kinder and more patient with myself these days, secure in the knowledge that I’m not getting as much as I need to done, and that I’m doing the best I can.