Paris

Paris was like a fantasy city for George and me. We lived in Paris from 1984-88. The city oozes with mystery and romance. There’s Chanel, haute couture fashion, gourmet food, delicious wine, and the Eiffel Tower!  

Yet moving to Paris was very different from moving from New Jersey to London. I was afraid to go to Paris mostly because I didn't know how to speak the French language. I couldn’t immerse myself in Al-Anon because there was only one English-speaking Al-Anon group. 

We also knew that the Parisians were elitist and did not like Americans. We could rent a space, but when people moved out of an apartment they took everything with them, including the kitchen cabinets and all of the appliances. George’s boss advised us to move to a particular posh area of Paris on the border of the 18th arrondissement along the Bois de Boulogne, a large gorgeous public park. 

We moved into a second-floor apartment that had been a mansion with a little gate house across the street. While it was unfurnished, there were marble floors and silk walls. There were no screens on the windows to keep mosquitos out, so we put curtains around the bed to keep them out. The apartment did have a small full French style kitchen which we were very lucky to get. It was a beautiful and luxurious apartment. I felt overwhelmed with the elegance of Paris because it didn’t match up with who I was then. I felt like I was playing a role. 

I remember going out to shop when we first arrived in Paris. I went to the register to pay. The cashier was rattling on in French. She was so angry with me and I didn’t understand why. Then she picked up a pair of scissors and cut my credit card! I figured out later that the card was out of date. It was such a degrading early Paris experience for me. I remember it clearly to this day. But, over time, I did adapt to living in Paris.