Relaxing in Paris

I'm back in Paris staying with the Tournes. I'm a bit under the weather, so I'm strolling slowly and trying to rest up for the flight home. My new friend Erin, who teaches French in the twin cities, and I had a snack and beverage at a cafe and are just hanging out in the eastern part of Paris. We are both tired from the Lyon experience and glad to just hang out in the city of lights. I'll venture back into the center of Paris tomorrow to catch some of the last day of the Tour de France. The cyclists make a loop around the city and then the award ceremony takes place on the Champs-Elysees.

Apart from being surrounded by the French language and French countryside, the best part of the experience has been making contacts with other people like me from the US. They love the language and culture as much as I do. Yesterday when we all parted, some of the directors and teachers made little speeches to us. One mentioned how he found it amazing that he spent three weeks with a group of Americans, and he never heard any of us speak a word of English. Another person thanked us for propagating the French language in our country.