We’ve been crazy busy “closing up shop” in Paris.  It’s very surreal to think we will be leaving our village of Garches behind, with it’s palm trees and parrots and view of the Eiffel Tower.  As we’re packing suitcases and the apartment is starting to empty out; it feels strangely similar to when we first got here.  Our life is temporarily in disarray again, but we seem to be handling all of the stress surrounding the move back home quite well. We are posting everything in our apartment to sell or we are giving it away so that we only take 10 suitcases back with us and 8 carry ons (Did I say “only”?). That’s the goal…So as I banter and answer questions in French (trust me, no English allowed!), on “French kijiji” sites, over our items for sale, and we downsize more and more every week. We have many meetings with our bank, the landlord, tax office, our employer, phone companies (you go to a store to return your modem and TV box here to be re-used), and more.  Final inspection of the apartment by the rental agent is June 27th. Flight is June 29th. We are in a tailspin trying to close things down while still working around the clock at the school and getting ready for Greg’s graduation this coming weekend.

 

We have now spent seven years living in Europe and we honestly love it.  It has become our second home.  So familiar and comfortable.  But, we all feel that we’re ready to be back in Canada with family and friends.

So now that we are on the other side of our European adventure, we thought it would be fun to ask each of the kids what the top 10 things are that they will miss about France (and top 5 things they won’t miss).  We did this before leaving Peterborough, at the beginning, with 2 weeks before the move as well, so here is the ‘flip side’:

Greg says:  Top 10 Things I Will Miss…

1. The Paris Club Scene and its VIP sections
2. My favourite Boulangerie (the raspberry torte!)
3. Travelling across border with friends (Mykonos – legendary)
4. Views of the Eiffel Tower (even from our dining room)
5. The metro and RER system to navigate on my own
6. Speaking French with Uber drivers (free French lessons)
7. Carravaggio’s in Vaucresson (Favourite Italian Restaurant), Five Guys and Frog
8. ASP events; especially prom nights with sunrise at the Eiffel Tower
9. Working out at the PTC – Keith and Parnell
10. The Garches Market crepes and speaking French with local merchants

Greg says: Top 5 Things I Won’t Miss…

1. Dog poop on the streets
2. Smokers everywhere
3. The cost of clubbing (80 euros at the door)
4. The L-line from Garches to La Defense in hot weather
5. The winter gloom – cloudy, dull days

Brianna says:  Top 10 Things I Will Miss…

 

1. The Eiffel Tower at night with friends
2. Walking through Champ de Mars (without being thrown in the fountain!)
3. Watching the sunset over Paris
4. George V Cafe (especially the chicken penne) and other amazing dinners out!
5. Social Studies class at the American School of Paris
6. Crepes at the Saturday Market
7. Hanging out at ‘Frog’ with my friends
8. House parties (mansion parties) and ‘SolisDays’ concerts
9. Hearing French spoken everywhere (especially with friends)
10. Shopping on the Champs d’Elysee

Brianna says: Top 5 Things I Won’t Miss…

1. Vocabulary lists from English class (see a sample from 1 week below)
2. Zero air conditioning anywhere in summer (apt was SO hot!)
3. Touring museums (“Not again!”)
4. The odours wafting up from the sewage system
5. French ‘attitude’

So there you have it… From the mouths of babes. After the two years is said and done, this is their Top 10 Will Miss and Top 5 Won’t Miss of Paris.  I’m certain it may be different answers if we ask them a month from now and even a year, but it gives some ‘teen perspective’ on the whole experience. Some of those items I’d have to agree with on the ‘Won’t Miss’, but there are so many things I will miss and hopefully they pull me back here one day.

For Chris and I, the children were the driving force behind all of this…so we have many discussions about their experiences with them. We are happy that their learning was rich and we know their growth was tremendous.  An incredibly rewarding two years…

Overall – unforgettable!

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One Grade 9 Vocabulary List so Brianna doesn’t forget the rigour of her ‘day to day’ at ASP:

Lists had to be memorized and used properly in different types of sentences and spelled correctly. (ie., either as a noun or verb). 🙂 New every week, related to the novel being studied…

Clamour – loud (confusing) noise

Contemptuously – behave in a scornful way

Decorous – polite and restrained

Dubiety – uncertain, doubtful

Ebullience – being cheerful and full of energy

Enmity – feeling of hostility

Furtive – secretive, not wanting to be noticed

Gorge – valley between mountains ;  to eat a lot

Grudgingly – in a resentful/reluctant way

Hinder – slow down, impede

Incredulous – unconvinced, unable to believe

Indignation – dissatisfaction, resentment

Loiter – wait around for no reason

Mortification – great embarassment or shame

Stupendous – extremely impressive

Corpulent – fat

Cynicism – distrustful, pessimistic

Daunting – difficult; intimidating

Demure – quiet, shy, reserved

Diffidently – shyly (diffidence)

Impervious – waterproof; water resistant; impermeable

Interminable – endless, never ending

Irk – annoy

Lamentation – grief/sorrow

Obtuseness – insensitivity

Perilous – dangerous

Rebuke – scold, criticize

Sagely – to do in a ‘wise manner’

Saunter – stroll, walk slowly

Vexed – problematic or debatable