The first full week

Okay.  I was planning on updating this a lot more than I have.  But it's only the first week.  A lot has gone on!

So, last weekend was great.  Saturday is when we really started feeling a little more at ease in the area.  It's also when we got internet access.  Coincidence?  I think not.

On Sunday, we found our way to The Bridge Church.  And when I say we found our way, it was 3 trains and 40 minutes each way.  It's an English based congregation of expats from the US, England, and other countries.  They setup and tear down every week, like we used to do in K-town.  They were wonderful.  The kids enjoyed their class.  They found kids their own ages of the same sex.  It was great.  We really enjoyed the worship and the message.  It definitely felt like a 2nd church home to us on just our first visit.  We left with emails and phone numbers of people willing to help us if we needed anything.  After all, they had all been through that tough transition of moving to France.

I think the funniest thing was that when we said we were from NC, a number of people immediately said "UNC or Duke?"  We met a guy from the Outer Banks that is a UNC fan and a guy that is a Duke fan.  When we said, "Actually, Ohio State!" we got a few laughs.  Overall, we really liked it and enjoyed ourselves.

On Monday, our boxes arrived!

Remember a few months ago when I said I hated stuff.  We loved this stuff.  It was like Christmas morning for us.  These boxes were filled with clothes and other personal items we hadn't seen in well over a month.  These were the pieces of home we decided to bring with us.  Seriously good.

On Tuesday I started work.  My commute is about an hour each way and requires 2 trains and a bus. There was a guy from the office that met me at one of the train stations on Tuesday morning and guided me into the office.  The great thing is that he also told me which trains were the "fast trains" that didn't make all of the stops, so my commute would be less.  I figure that saves me about 20 minutes of commute time per day, which is pretty large over the course of a year.

This week, Sandy found Monoprix.  It's kind of like a Super Target.  Food, clothes, home stuff, electronics... right in the middle of the city.  When we went back a few days later, I was amazed both at how big it was and how close it was.  Things like this will make life a little easier here.

That may sound funny, but we have to go to several stores to get everything we need.  There are a number of small markets within a 5+ minute walk, but it's a pain to not get everything you need in one spot.  Plus the prices were very good there!

At the Monoprix, we bout some cheese, including some actual French bleu.  We bought some fresh pears, too.  That night, we enjoyed a wonderful snack.  Bob and Claudine, you would've loved it. And yes, that's a cider behind it.

Overall, we are adjusting very well to Paris.  We've realized that we can communicate with just about everyone here, we can get around (including Sandy taking the kids on the metro and the bus), and things are good.  Although Morgan was homesick last weekend, she told a friend of hers on the phone just a little while ago "I love Paris!"

Sandy's brother and his wife came on Thursday.  I'll save their visit for another post, though.

Au revoir, my friends!