Humor | The Perpetual Passenger

Year Two: A Story of Progress

May 21, 2013 · by Nikki

Last year, I wrote a post reflecting on what my first year in Paris had been like. Though I acknowledged a lot of positive elements from my first year, I also described the sensation of struggling between the person I was inside and the person I was forced to be due to my lack of ability to express myself in French.

Last year it was like trying to understand these singing frogs 🙂

Now I face a whole different kind of struggle. One which I can’t really get into here (yet! but maybe if all you boys and girls are good I’ll save you a nice story for later…;) ), but mostly with money. HOLY HELL Paris is expensive. And the taxes are just, well… that’s a first world problem and I’m just going to go ahead and bite my tongue (can’t hurt any worse than those bills from the government! Ouch!).

However, I am able to happily report that, for the most part, I feel a lot more like myself than I did 365 days ago. There’s a few reasons for that, which include:

Paris is still pretty, even “under” the snow

I’ve kept a lot of the friends I met in year one, and have been able to let go of my insecurities around them. I no longer fear that they’re going to think I’m stupid if I make a mistake in French, and I no longer worry that they’re going to think I’m stupid if I butt into a conversation in English. I think they know me, now, and they’ve decided to stick around. They’re either loyal to a fault, or messy conversation isn’t all that bad.
I’ve improved my French. I mean, let’s hope so, right? Seriously, after being here for 2 years, I’d like to think I can answer my own cell phone and not have a heart attack. Okay, I’m still working on that one, but I can definitely participate in conversations now that I couldn’t before, and people remind me all the time that I’ve come a long way.
I’ve gotten into the rhythm of how life works here. Do I still get frustrated at processes that are painstakingly inefficient? You bet. But do I expect them now, and have a good laugh about it? Most of the time. And it doesn’t hurt that even on its ugliest days, Paris is still pretty.
I made some catastrophic mistakes in 2012. How can that make me feel more like myself, you ask? Well, first of all, I wouldn’t be me without some huge blunders now and then. And second, I forced myself to look at who I was and what I was doing, and realized I was starting to get off track. I have this weird philosophy about myself that I’m always changing, and I still am, but I’d like to at least be changing in positive directions. I was starting to go the other way, and was able to reroute myself.

So there you have it. I spent my Two Year France-iversary watching the rain come down outside of my apartment and watching Saving Private Ryan (for the first time) in light of our recent trip to Normandy. Oh yeah, there was wine in there, too. For what is an anniversary without a toast…

Charlie vs. Waldo: The Story of an Advent Calendar

December 31, 2012 · by Nikki

Before this post becomes too outdated, I wanted to share a unique little yuletide trinket I found here in France, that roused both nostalgia for my upbringing in the States and appreciation for the French in my life. Read More →

I See Blog Readers

December 11, 2012 · by Nikki

I don’t look at my blog stats very often. I am still a wee little fledgling in the blogging world, and I prefer to be pleasantly surprised, so I spare myself from counting my followers or my daily views. It would be a fast exercise, to be sure, but I usually focus on the writing.

Every once in a while, though, I take a peak to see if people are actually reading this thing, or if I just write things for the heck of it. I’ll spare you the details, but did want to share one very cool little piece of the WordPress Stats tool: the viewing map.

It’s meaningless to most of you, I’m sure, but to me, it’s an awesomely orange representation of global readership.

Essentially what this clementine-esque version of a world map tells me is that there are people from all over the world who are reading my blog! The color-coding here indicates areas of the world where someone has taken a peak at Perpetual Passenger, with the darkest areas having the heaviest readership. It shows me that my readers come from everywhere – even Mongolia! Even Peru! Even a whole bunch of other countries that are equally awesome! And thank you, USA, for being my biggest fan, but France is catching up. 🙂

Also, for those who may not know, I finally took the plunge and created a Facebook page for my little baby blog. I’d appreciate it if you gave it a thumbs up (at the bottom of the page, or by going here and liking the page), giving you access to more content from the expat and travel adventures I always find myself in. Help me make more of my map orange (or even red)!

France v USA: Competition of Olympic Proportions

August 2, 2012 · by Nikki

Competitive? Yes I am.

And I’m not afraid to admit that I’m generally a sore loser. Yeah, that’s right, I said it: I don’t like to lose. So what?

Now that the Olympics are on, I get to be vicariously competitive by watching sports that are rarely highlighted on (inter)national television. It’s great. And I get to watch everything right from the heart of the United States’ biggest rivals.

No, I’m not in China! Oh wait, they’re our biggest Olympic rivals? Well, not when you’re an American living in France. In my world, it’s “China Schmina.” Yes, I want us to win the medal race and watch my compatriots rise to Olympic glory, but what I really enjoy is when we beat the French.

Unfair advantage rooting for the US, you say? Try telling that to the US men’s 4X100 relay swim team, who were leading the race until two things happened: the amazing Yannick Agnel got into the pool for the final leg of the relay, and my dear friend Courtney (who, despite the following blunder, is cool, so check out her blog) said the dreaded words “there’s no way France is going to beat us now,” after which we were swiftly ousted from the gold medal position. Thank you both. 🙂

Okay, silver’s not all that bad. And they look pretty happy. But still! (Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

My only consolation was that earlier in the day, the US men’s basketball team trampled France to win by a nearly 30-point margin.

Sorry TP
(image by Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Maybe I’m just being a brat (it wouldn’t be at all out of character for me), but YOU try sitting in a room full of French people who cheer heartily against your homeland. You’d forget about China, too.

And no, this isn’t just nationalistic ignorance where I spew that the United States is the best country in the world, or some other silly nonsense. But just like the New England Patriots are my team, when it comes to the Olympics, the US is my team.

Okay and maaaaybe I admit that when the US isn’t competing, I might support France. Allez! 🙂