Today at lunch I went with my coworker Manoela to her gym. Gyms aren’t advertised here as much and have small store fronts, so I would’ve missed the gym if Manoela hadn’t pointed it out. It’s much larger than you would expect (although still not that big) and reminded me of the older gym I went to in New York. I decided to take the “Abdos-Fessiers” class (abs and glutes). The room and class was rather small; maybe about a dozen people, half of which ...

Last Thursday I came to the realization that I only had 10 days left in Paris but so many things left to do. I made a list of everything I still wanted to do before I left Paris. It seemed staggering based on the little time I have left and that only 3 of those days are weekend days. This weekend turned out to be a great weekend to tackle my list. It’s finally stopped raining in Paris and the weather was absolutely perfect for sight-seeing—about 70 degrees a...

I’ve been amused and/or surprised by some of the differences between France and America. Here are a few things I’ve learned: The French don’t use top sheets. I thought I was going crazy my first day in Paris when I couldn’t find a top sheet in the huge armoire of linens. But, my coworker confirmed it—they just don’t use them. Elevator and subway doors close even if something’s in the way. You know how if the elevator is closing, you can ...

Today I found out the Paris office’s hidden secret: the last Friday of every month, instead of working, my coworkers go to a bar, drink espressos and talk about football (that’s soccer for you Yanks). I kid. This is not the case and is exactly what Manoela and Hans didn’t want me to tell the Chicago office. When I got to work, the light in the lobby was off. I thought “that’s odd,” but proceeded hi-ho-ing up to my office. There was no one around and...

…do as the Parisians do and try not to be an “Ugly American”. Or at least that’s what I’m trying to do. I have really tried not to be the tourist that expects the host country to cater to her. As part of this endeavor, I have been trying to use the little French I know whenever I can. The only problem is, when I’m struggling to say something in French, many people have switched over to English. This is helpful, but not helpful in my goal to learn mo...