Lundi, lundi.

A beautiful day here in Paris. Spring is in the air, and masks are no longer required. None of us are in a hurry to toss our masks just yet. We’ve all been diligent, and we’ve all been healthy! (Knock on wood!) I will still wear my mask as a bracelet, to have at the ready when I go into small stores, etc., but it was nice to see everyone’s face today. I also found it easier to comprehend what everyone was saying. The class is really clicking now, and La prof has been very engaging.

(Our class is a small enough group, and we are all vaccinated and have plenty of space, so I felt comfortable.)

We are learning to tells stories, switching between three tenses in no particular order: Imparfait, Plus-que-parfait, et Passé Composé. Usage of these tenses depends on when something happened, if something is being described, context, etc. These exercises are challenging ALL of us, but they also lead to lively discussions and participation in class. Today we were assigned 5 random words (victim, place, object, another person, time of year), and we had to write a short narrative, knowing when to switch between those three tenses. Not easy, but we’re learning. And it was an amusing exercise. For example, I had a fishing pier, a dock worker, a leather sac, a summer day, and two best friends. There had to be a “victim,” not of violence, just as part of the narrative.

After class, I went to the grocery store and then to the local “everything” store (FNAC). I needed to buy a USB drive for my presentation on Wednesday. Since I don’t have my computer with me, just my iPadPro and iPhone, I needed a specific USB device — one that has a “lightning” connector. This made for an interesting conversation, but I was proud of myself for communicating effectively with the salesman. The cashier chimed in and complimented my French. That felt good. We had a nice discussion and I got two mini French lessons, too.

Buoyed by these exchanges, I decided since it was so warm, to check out the spring clothing en bas, and proceeded to set off all kinds of alarms in the store. OMG. Just me. The American over here. I don’t know if it was my imagination or not, but I could swear twirling blue lights went off too. I didn’t know what I was going to see when I turned around. Les Gendarmes? No. Thankfully, just a super sweet security guy who asked for my receipt, which I produced. We chatted, as he walked me to his station and removed all the alarm devices from my USB drive package. I told him I was from America and he laughed sarcastically saying, “Bienvenue!” indicating all the noise. (Très drôle!) I really laughed. I told him I knew I needed to have those stickers removed, but thought it could wait as I continued shopping. Nope. Well, it wasn’t long before I was free to leave on my own recognizance, with the guy wishing me “bon chance!” Lol!

So I shopped a little – you know, to take the edge off after my ordeal.

Tonight, I’ve been practicing my presentation because La prof wants us to do it all without reading, so I have to do some memorization. I’m choosing my photos/images/maps too, which is why I needed that USB drive. I just keep fine-tuning my piece. Today we enjoyed a nice talk on Egypt, and I forget where we’re “going” tomorrow. Stay tuned.

À tout à l’heure!