Bienvenue a Paris

When I was a child I owned a picture book about France.

The photos were large and glossy. I had read every word of the text explaining the history and the culture of the country a million times. The pages were worn and dog-earred from the amount of times I had flipped through them dreaming of the day that I would be there...

France, and in particular Paris, have always been a source of magical inspiration to me. And, even before the first moment I stepped on French soil in 2004, I was passionately in love with this country, its culture, its language and, most importantly, its capital. Paris.

Since then I have lost count of how many times i have visited France....from England it is so easy - just jump on the train or the ferry and in a couple of hours there you are...sampling the cheese, tasting the wine, letting the melodic language wash over you.

From 'Booze Cruises' with friends (a day trip to france on the ferry to pick up cheap booze followed by moules, frites et vin rouge before the journey home...why not?) to weekends spend exploring one Parisian arrondissement at a time on my own and week long holidays in the Loire Valley visiting chateaus and vineyards, I have always jumped at every opportunity to come to France.

There is only one thing I have always struggled with - the language. My dream is to one day speak French with the same fluency and melody that you hear on the streets of Paris. My best friend who, as you know if you read this blog regularly, is French - and a frustratingly clever linguist - 'taught' me the language for a year before he gave up on account of my incredible lack of language prowess. Funnily enough - his lessons are the french conversations I remember the most - I associate numbers and directions and nationalities and greetings with laughter and fun. From there I have done years of more formal classes complete with verb lists and grammar and have never seemed to be able to progress past the basics to the point of being able to have some sort of relatively intelligent conversation....

So here I find myself - in Paris once more. This time I am determined. I have rented an apartment in beautiful St Germain des Pres, the 'Left Bank' of Paris - an area historically rich with artists and writers and inspiration. For one whole, glorious month I am ready to become Parisian in every way possible. I will study french every weekday morning at the Alliance Francais - the famous language school just down the road from here. I will immerse myself in the language, the food and the people. I will, if only for a month, live a lifelong dream...to BE French.

There will be challenges of course. I know the Parisian metro system quite well from my many visits...but once i was outside of that today I was lost (if you know me at all you know that being lost is an everyday part of life for me and therefore not too concerning). My french gets me by, and I was even able to give directions to the metro station to an equally lost semi-french speaker tonight...but when it comes to meeting new people and trying to make normal conversation I will be confused and speechless.

All things to worry about later - for now I am esconced in my cute little Left Bank apartment with appropriate supplies of wine and cheese...For now I am content to begin my Parisian life with a hot shower and early night...

Till next time...