Since Moving to France as an Au Pair I have…

Had to sweet talk my way out of paying a €50 fine for putting my feet on the seat while on the train, due to Paris’s strict transport rules.

Tasted over 15 different types of cheese, my favorite being comté.

And grown accustom to eating cheese after a meal, never before.

Eaten rabbit, duck, and fowl. And once learned halfway through a meal that the beef I was eating was actually horse meat!

Had to vehemently insist on speaking French on dates, to the dismay of several men who were hoping I’d be their English tutor.

Tasted the best dessert I have ever had in my life, tarte tartin.

Stopped carrying my ID with me, and have never once been carded.

Waited 45 minutes for a drink in a restaurant because servers are not compensated through tips and service is much slower here.

Been greeted in English before I even open my mouth because my American smile gave me away.

Almost been arrested by a security officer in Sephora for testing a nail polish, an experience that opened my eyes to how different the consumer culture is here.

Seen more rats in the last 3 months than all the rats I’ve ever seen in my life combined.

Learned to get my shopping done before 7PM, as most shops in Paris are closed in the evening and on Sundays.

Begun to say aie instead of “ouch”, oup là instead of “whoops”, and tak tak tak when I’m counting, doing a task, or thinking out loud.

Learned how to use an autocuiseur, which has become my most used cooking tool.

Paid €12 for hairspray, €20 for a cheese pizza from Dominos, and €45 for a gel manicure.

But less than €3 for a bottle of wine.

Enjoyed free healthcare and paid almost nothing for a prescription that would have cost $400+ in the U.S.

Discovered the greatest skin cream on planet earth, which works miracles and costs a grand total of €11.

Have gone from needing my host dad to repeat things 3x to being able to understand the radio in French, sans issue.

Facetimed, Skyped, and WhatsApp videod at the most bizarre hours of the day.

Made friends with girls from England, Spain, Venezuela, New Zealand, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Denmark, and France.

Fallen in head-over-heels in love with children that are not my own.

And not taken a single day for granted ♥