parisienne is a state of mind

Oh, Paris, I can't get you off my mind so I might as well devote a little of my energy to writing about you. These past few days I've been skimming other blogs devoted to Paris (and there are so many!) in search of inspiration and in hopes of curing my homesickness. Unfortunately, seeing gorgeous pictures of baguettes, charming bistros, and iconic symbols of Paris have only compounded my desire to be there. But it also has made me say to myself again and again, "God, how lucky am I!" I mean seriously, how did this happen to me? I used to daydream about what life in Paris would be like, and when I got the opportunity to study in Paris for a year I thought it was my one chance to live out this dream. Somehow, everything fell into place and I am actually moving to France. No more make-believe for me, this is the real deal. The other day someone told me, "You're not moving to France, you're becoming French!" I smiled, but you know, it a way it's true. After all, Parisienne is a state of mind.

the wonderful world of french bureaucrats

Lately I've been making a bunch of lists: a list of things I'd like to do in Paris (such as the cooking classes), a list of things I need to take care of before leaving the country, a list of things I must be sure to pack, a list of things I need to do soon after arriving in France, etc. Since I'm forced to wait for a piece of paper -- the ever elusive arrêté -- from l'Académie de Créteil (the school district I'll be teaching in) before being able to apply for my visa (and thus buy a plane ticket to Paris), making these lists seems to help me feel better about this state of helpless waiting that I am currently in. At least planning out my future is the one thing I can be proactive about.

Today the teaching assistantship program sent out a list (what a reoccurring theme today) of my fellow Académie de Créteil teaching assistants so at least I can get into contact with others who are in the same helpless state as me. It's in moments like these that I realize how much control the government (French and American) has - I mean, who are these people to demand paperwork from me so that I can move to France to be with boyfriend? It's weird how much of a role they are playing in my personal life at the moment. Anyway, I guess an answer to that is - they are the French bureaucrats and thus a piece of paper stands between me and being able to move in with the man I love. Correction: actually, several sheets of paper stand between us. We're talking about bureaucracy here after all.