Finally!

Et, voila!  We've been here exactly two months now, and we finally got motivated enough to set up some semblance of a blog.  Will we post every day? No!  Will we dazzle you with wit, brilliance and the kind of insight you've always longed for into a foreign country? Well, hopefully sometimes, but I guarantee not always.

First, who are we?  We are expatriates (despite the fact we hate that term) living in Paris for 3 years as part of a NATO assignment. Troy is in the military, Dana is a occupational therapist, and Allie...well, she's an almost-4-year old about to enter the French public school despite only  knowing about a dozen words or so of French.  Bonne chance, ma fille!  

Soooo, while we've been a tad lazy about getting this whole endeavor going, it has given us time to reflect and sort the wrong initial impressions from the possibly wrong "findings".  First, let's work on some common misunderstandings about the French.

The French are rude and hate Americans.   

Some French people are rude.  Some American people are rude. Some Brazilian people are rude, some Malaysian people are rude, etc etc.  You get the idea. On the whole, our experience with the French has been largely positive.  If you make an effort, they will usually be patient with you and try to help. Usually.  If you respond to their non-comprehension of English by tipping back your cowboy hat, tightening the laces on your white sneakers, pulling up your shorts and speaking English louder and slower, well....you deserve what comes to you, mon ami.  quick footnote:  Old women here can be mean. One of them kicked Allie out of a seat simply because it was forward facing, despite the fact there were plenty of designated crotchety-old-bitch seats.  Another reason Dana comes home wishing she knew more French, just to tell that old bitty off.

As far as hating Americans, Troy doesn't see much of that. He works in an international office with a significant American presence. Therefore, most negative stereotypes that other nations hold about U.S. citizens have already been dispelled.  That said, there is some evident antipathy in the French press not only about the U.S. government, which is widely abhorred, but also by proxy to American people, who by the principles of a democratic republic must have been stupid enough to elect it.  Oh well. C'est la vie.

French people wear silly berets and smoke constantly.

Troy has seen one beret since arriving, and it's not certain whether that was a tourist being ironic or an actual Frenchman. But yes, there is a lot of tobacco being burned here. There are special shops, called tabacs, that specialize in cigarettes, cigars, and pipe products. Oh, and also lottery tickets, mobile phone cards and sometimes coffee, draft beer and light snacks.  Go figure.  You can't walk 100m without encountering a tabac. 

French people say "Ooh la la!!"

Yeah, they totally do.  And then there is the superlative "Ooh la LA la LA LA LA!"

French women have hairy armpits.

No, not really. At least not in Paris.  In fact, for the most part Parisian women take a great deal of care in their appearance.  You won't see a Parisian woman cruising the supermarket in her sweatpants and her hair pulled up in a scrunchy, even when the store opens in the morning.  Looking good is a huge concern here. (Again, for the most part...)

French people eat lots of cheese and stroll around with baguettes under their arms.

Holy crap, I've never seen so many different kinds of cheese. Some is great, some is OK. Some smells like a bad diaper (a soiled nappy for our UK readers). There is a heap of cheese

here. And yes, it is very common to see folks coming back from the boulangerie with a baguette

under their arm. But guess what? Baguettes don't fit comfortably in bags, and after your first

couple efforts to carry one in your hand in a non-French manner, you realize it's just plain

easier to tuck it under your arm and go.

So this the start of the Monkeys in Paris blog. Next, we may (or may not) go through some 

quick retrospectives from our time here so far.  It's best to commit thoughts while they're fresh,

oui?

It is now 25 July 2008, and our belongings arrive on the 31st. Then, we may actually feel like 

we live here.