What Ana Does

The first week the kids rode their scooters (or les trottinettes) to school, I was a wreck. They careened down the sidewalks, going to fast. They just missed knocking over people on the sidewalks, or would follow so closely to people walking ... it would drive me crazy. "Leah! Slow down!" "Alice, Be Careful!" What is the social expectations of kids commuting to school on scooters? Who has the right of way on a busy city street? But than, after about a week, I started to chill out. So what if they speed past pedestrians? Or messed with traffic patterns while trying to cross the street?  The girls are getting cigarette smoke blown in their faces every time we go out. (Blargh!) They are being force to halt as people just stop to window shop or look at their phone. Or walk their scooters over cobblestoned streets and huge sidewalk cracks. Not to mention swerve to miss dog poo left on the street. This is a small village in a residential district of Paris. A...

Although we have some experience with the quirkiness of a European apartment, it's a whole other thing to inhabit one for a few weeks. Not difficult, just a few things to get used to. For example, the kitchens are closed off and, in the case of our temporary apartment, a bit far from the family rooms. I'm getting used being in my own quiet space when I sort the dishes or grab a snack. And I'm digging not having to look at dirty dishes from my sofa. Also, the toilets get their own rooms, called water closets. I won't go in to more detail (and no photos). It's just odd, especially for the girls. No bidet here, so we didn't have to have that conversation with them. My favorite thing, though, is the "maid's entrance" in all the kitchens. Back when these building were constructed, the servants entered through a twisty, narrow back staircase that lead from basement all the way up to the attics, where their bedrooms would have been located. Nowadays...