Jackie du Monde

As the cold weather sits in and the days grow darker, I begin to lament the passing of summer. So I thought I'd revisit it before the mittens come out... Summer vacation in Southern Europe is an event .  People go away for two or three weeks at a time, even a whole month and every conversation from June to mid September invokes or recalls the year’s summer adventures.  This is one of the things I love about Europe.  Nobody bats an eye, nobody gasps when someone is away for weeks at a time (except the Americans, lol) and it's ok if we're a little less productive so as to recharge and be productive the other eleven months (which are intense). This year it was time for a vacation where I didn’t have to think about details.  I didn’t want to build an itinerary, have an agenda or stress about immersing myself in all things local and authentic. There is a time for that – this was not it.  I wanted to get on a plane and end up by the sea, with no agenda but "time

This month marks the start of my fifth anniversary in Paris and I begin my sixth year in Europe.  It feels so trite to note this, but how, oh how, does time seem to pass so quickly? When you are in your day to day, everything feels so normal and well, sometimes, boring.  But when you stop, take a moment to be mindful and step outside of yourself, you realize the whirlwind you are living. I was in the US for nearly an entire month this year.  It was a good time to go back and reimmerse myself in America.  I have changed.  I no longer snap back into being an American 90 minutes after my flight lands.  Things shock me - things that used to seem so normal to me.  People think I ask weird questions, like "Do you take credit card?" One guy even said to me, "Ma'am, whoever doesn't take a credit card is just plain stupid."  Weirdly, this abrupt retort even seems almost more rude to me than the standard and infuriating Parisian response of indifferenc

Many ideas have been bubbling in my head to restart my blog in the new year, but this week was a week of a different kind of reflection in Paris. And usually in times like this, I internalize what's happening. I rarely share my point of view or speak my mind. I live most of my life as an observer, and while this has its merits, I often ask myself why I don't get involved more. So today, I got involved and joined the march in remembrance of the 17 people who lost their lives this week, and in recognition of the values of democracy. I'll be honest, I complain about France, a lot.   Admittedly, many of my frustrations come from life in a big city. A love-hate relationship is a pre-requisite to living here - ask anybody. But let me tell you one of the things that I love about France and especially French people. The French know how to speak up when something is wrong, and they don't tiptoe around it - they just come out and say it. They debate, respectfully , an