It all started last Wednesday when a man left his mail on the roof of his car and drove off. I was behind him, watching papers fly. The childrens and I decided that following him was smarter than stopping to pick up the papers. He wouldn't know where he lost them even if I collected them and handed them into a nearby business. The oldest one immediately concluded they were his passport papers. We literally had a bit of a car chase, caught him at a light two miles down the street, told him where he'd lost them, then circled around to make sure he found them. Ok, so not magical or anything, but it felt sorta like something that could only happen in France. And chasing him in the car was honestly thrilling.
Either that day or the next, I got my Swiss passport in the mail. I mean. Come on! Talk about exciting. And this thing is tricked o-u-t! I can't wait to use it, and I have a vacation coming up at the end of October. The sister, Sarah, and I are gonna figure out where to go. Switzerland maybe? Belgium? What's good in October?
Last Friday, I spent an hour or so in St Germain en Laye, and I checked out the chateau, the gardens, and the sweet view of Paris from the hillside. The sun did that thing where it rays from inside the clouds. The perfect fall day, spoiling my eyes with beauty. I also got my mobile that day. I also made a friend last week.
Saturday, I went to a techno parade through the streets of Paris. This is more or less how I described it to Daina earlier (I don't feel like typing these days):
"oh daina. i wish you could have been there... it was like.... the maddest people on earth. those you want to make fun of. those you want to hug. those you just know didn't come on purpose but dig it anyway... and the other day i realized something. techno is the new disco!
Daina: what is a techno parade exactly
me: k. think... dave yarus gets ten ice cream trucks the size of 18-wheelers....
and every person in the paris area between the ages of 15 and 25, and 20% of everyone else too ,on the perfect sunny day. and we all march, er rather, rave from a campus-y area of paris to the bastille, drinking in public, smoking in public, wearing absolutely anything, following these trucks that are blaring techno music, each sponsored by a different company or radio station... with people dancing on them and old important men in suits dancing on them, and people dressed as pimps dancing on them, and of course. DJ's
oh!
and then these idiots on the column at the bastille started throwing glass bottles into the crowd below! it was like some crazy horror movie until we figured out what was goin on and the gendarme or whatever came with their helmets and those shield thingies. imagine panic opening up on the other side of the column.... people running in drones away from that side in your direction, and it turns out to be because someone without a cause is drunk and throwing glass bottles
oh. and some woman during the parade was knocked down and started gushing blood from her head and i gave this dredded (dreds) boy my water to help her.
i have to admit to being nauseous."
also, i was hit on by a hippie backpacker, a Tunisian guy who spoke no English helped me skip an RER meter to get on the right train (I feel bad for not giving him my mobile number), and some guy let me on his meat truck , which was actually really gross (and not metaphorical at all). After a full day of mad people, dancing, and wine, my head was about to explode, but I met another really cool au pair who'd like to find an NGO in Africa to work with over the summer. Sounds like a plan. Techno Parades: great one-time experiences. Emphasis on ONE-TIME.
Gah. I just can't keep blogging. I'll try to do one about my educational Sunday trip to the President's castle and about this week... maybe tomorrow.
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