Les Soldes!

The sales started today! Credit cards all over France burn and women's wardrobes burgeon.

This is a big deal in France--they only happen twice a year. So from today until February 17th, there will be big spending and mass chaos. A lot of stores shut their curtains early yesterday to prepare. I was reading an article yesterday that said the government poured huge amounts of money into international advertising, and that hotels in Paris now offer discounts on rooms, maps to stores and trilingual shopping coaches.

Caroline and I decided to go see the show. Lines trailed the dressing rooms and cash registers. Neon tickets poked out of piles of sweaters. I tried on 8 pairs of jeans, and the 8th pair actually fit. So now I have one of those weird pairs of jeans that are skinny around the ankles... the sort that I ridiculed and thought I'd never buy... the kind that everyone here tucks into their boots... and that I will wear to school tomorrow. Oh well. America may laugh, but it's normal here. Your legs stay warmer.

I think one of my favorite memories of living here happened this evening. Megan, Caroline and I settled in on the sofa in front of the fireplace and watched Hairspray on a laptop. That's it. It was simple and filled with contentment. I'm realizing that time here won't last forever. And I don't want it to go slower (a picture of beef fajita tacos made me sad yesterday), but I don't want it to go faster either.