Le Premier Copain

So yesterday I met up with my first Paris friend.

When I found out that I would be moving to Paris, I went on something of an online networking spree.

I posted an ad on craigslist. No, I posted two ads on craigslist (one for friends & one searching for someone to pass on their kitchen skills), joined a facebook group for au pairs in paris, wrote lots of people on couchsurfing, one person on okcupid, and one on myspace.

So yesterday I met up with Clement.

Clement grew up in Paris, only child to two busy journalists. He said that as a kid, he had to beg his parents to have a "normal" conversation, or at least one that didn't revolve around politics and scandal. Now he says he could actually see himself as a journalist, but his parents warn against it, complaining that the media isn't what it used to be. I thought that was interesting.

We drank wine instead of beer at Café au Thé Vert, because "now you're in France", and then hung around the Luxembourg Gardens (my new favorite place to be). I immediately recognized the scenery from a language video I'd seen in my high school French class where Pierre follows Miriam from La Sorbonne to the Luxembourg Gardens, and spies on her from behind a statue.

I told him that the videos got worse when you study German; Zita catches her boyfriend cheating on her and slashes his tires.

"No wonder Americans don't travel" he said "you think we're all stalkers and tire-slashers."

Now I'm sitting again at the same Luxembourg gardens, where Pierre once spied on Miriam.

This time I'm in the caged off playground which Adrien & I paid 4 euro to enter. The scene is manic. Model pretty mothers and a crazed swarm of laughing, bouncing, running, climbing "enfants".

I'm sitting on a bench in the scorching sun. They say it's the last day of summer but it feels like the climax. You know when you're wearing shorts , sitting with your legs crossed, and they begin to slip and slide? That's how hot I am right now.

I guess summer's decided to go out with a bang.

Bangbangbang.