A moment to reflect

Can you believe that I've been in Paris for exactly one month already? Well, I can't. It seems much, much longer than that. School is in full swing - 9 demo sessions, 8 practicals, 1 minor injury in the kitchen, yelled at by Chef twice (but multiple très biens from the same Chef too) and soon we'll be having our mid-summer break, right after Bastille Day. Vacation time again! I know, we're living the tough life here.

During the past month, I've transitioned from being a tourist to living life as a local. The touristy attractions in Paris are simply outstanding - I still marvel at the view of the sun setting over Eiffel Tower from my apartment everyday - but I'm starting to know the city and her people from a different vantage point. Very different; something that's not necessarily good or bad. Just different.

• I've learnt to navigate the city using the Metro, knowing some of the main lines from memory without having to look at the Metro maps
• I'm enjoying the conveniences of public transportation, something which I never had to use back in the States where I'd drive everywhere and felt very much in control of where and when to go. The dependance on the Metro has quite a humbling and grounding effect; it also feels somewhat robotic  - you get to the station, you wait for the train, the siren sounds as the train approaches, door opens, people stepping in-out, the siren goes again, door closes and the train moves on to the next station......strangely hypnotic.  Once in a while, you get a bonus ride. Listen.....

Metrobot from Jencrafted on Vimeo.

• I know the exact spot to stand - square #6 from the first step when you ascend the stairs at my metro stop - so that when the metro arrives, the door will open exactly that spot and I can just step right in!
• I counted and it's exactly 89 steps from the metro exit to the front of my apartment building
• I also know which section of the train to pick on the way home from school so that when it arrives, I'll be in the car nearest to the sortie (exit)
• I can't stand the awful stench in the Metro stations enroute to school, and learned when to hold by breath while walking pass certain areas of the Metro
• Jay-walking has become second-nature - somewhat unfortunate but I consider it necessary in order to blend in with the locals. After all, pedestrians still don't have the right of way at pedestrian crossings (go figure!) and one would still have to give way to vehicles regardless!
• I've learnt to stop feeling guilty about spending hours in a cafe, watching the world goes by and sipping from the same cup of cafè creme and water I ordered when I got to the cafe 2 hours ago
• I've adopted the habit of saying "Oui Chef" and learning to say it on cue, even though I sometimes have no clue what the Chef just said (it's better to say yes then ask him later, I've learnt the hard way!)
• I've learnt new French phrases: je vous en welcomed, maintenow and s'il vous please. Don't get your hopes too high though; my French still sucks but I'm learning toujours. 
• I've stopped feeling irked by annoying public habits like smoking, no, call that chain-smoking or how those standing at the entrances of the subway would never bother to budge and make place for people who have just stepped into the train.
• I still can't figure out why I have to unlock in order to lock and lock in order to unlock the front entrance of my apartment but that's the only way it works. The quirkiness of French keys. Comprende?
• I promised myself I'll not be a couch potato in Paris and to date, I've only watched the TV once 
• I'm now an expert in manuevering the narrow flight of stairs up my apartment, knowing exactly when to turn, balancing knives, tools, tupperware, etc. in my heavy duffel bag whilst juggling keys all at the same time.
• I have a new appreciation for the term efficiency: learning to be comfortable in tight spaces (gosh, I miss my kitchen back home so much!) and accepting the fact that the lack of air conditioning in shopping areas is good for the environment  (nevermind that it's pushing 35˚C i.e, 95˚F, balmy and exceedingly humid outside!) and discovering, in the process, why perfume is such a necessity to the French.
• I've learnt to live with unthinkable minor inconveniences like not have a dryer and having to air-dry your clothes. Good thing that the school gave us 2 sets of uniforms 

• As local as I try to be, I still can't get myself to buy un-refrigerated meat from the open markets but prefer to undergo some inconveniences to get my poultry, meat and fish from Le Grande Epicerie, my favorite grocery store, which is two metro station changes and a twenty-minute ride away.

my latest obsession

and soups in bottles - good and healthy (I hope)

I love it that simple everyday food like brown eggs are so nicely packaged in colorful egg cartons.

and no wonder why I don't meet as many French students at school. Why learn when you can buy as-good items off the shelves?

• I love it that you can get macarons everywhere, including Mac D's or MacDo's as they call it here. Speaking of macarons, can you believe that I've not had any since I got here? I've somehow lost interest in French macarons - a temporary thing, I hope - but there's just many other exquisite pastries to try at the moment.

• I have enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, both in and outside of school, making new friends and fun get-togethers

• I've never realized how difficult cooking for one can be. Do I really want to go through all the effort of preparing an appetizer or soup, salad, entré and dessert just for me? On the other hand, one-pot meal gets old after a while. I was inspired by this and it's now become one of my favorite prep-at-home meal for myself.

In the end, I realize that I can be in Paris, the most wonderful city in the world but being here on my own and enjoying all this without D is only half the fun. This is an experience of a lifetime for me, definitely, but this past month has also helped me realize there's really no place like home and taught me to truly appreciate what I have back home. I'm excited about what I'll get to learn in school in the next months, but at the same time, perhaps it's too still early to say,  but really, I can't wait to go home and see D again!