You, us, them

Even though I have only been here for 6 years Chicago feels like home. Sweet, comfortable, warm and welcoming. Home.
And it did almost right away. It's challengingly hard to explain why, and even if it weren't I probably wouldn't try to.
Some things are best left unknown.
Unanalyzed.
Unscrutinized.
(you get the drill)

And yet - when I refer to 'home', I do not have Chicago in mind. My thoughts are usually focused on a far away land beyond the sea and the clouds. A land of cultural wonders, romance and magic. Of crusty bread, soft cheese and bubbly wine. A land of permanent gray skies, soiled sidewalks and post-structuralist theories. Of rampant racism, collective complaining and prevailing incivility.

A land I often long for but don't really miss on an everyday basis.
I assure you that yes - it does make sense.

Being an expat is probably one of the safest ways to flirt with absolute schizophrenia. No matter where you are, what you do or how you look at it - you are irremediably split in two. Sometimes in halves but more often than not - one part takes over without totally silencing the other one. The most obvious manifestation of this essential dualism of mine is my speech - English worded but definitely French sounding (at best; every now and again I am so incredibly confused that my words just collide in the two languages); but really it 'affects' my life on all possible levels.

AmeriFrench is my identity, and I happily and proudly sport it. Why shouldn't I?

Being AmeriFrench assures you the best of both worlds; it allows you to not have to always deal with the worst. Win-(half) win situation whose petty highlights (no downsides here) I would like to share a bit, free list form, just for the fun of it...


US Benefits:
- large coffees, lattes, chai and other hot delicacies; I do hate the skimpy little thimbles you receive at the oh so charming but often smoke-polluted cafés. If I want a shot - I prefer something....stronger?
- accessibility: you can get almost anything at any time. Delivered at your door if you wish. Such a huge convenience. And stores open on Sunday? Yes please! You still need to go to work the following day but not mourning all day long in deserted streets whose sole animation are church goers and people hurrying to the weekly family lunch makes a huge difference.
- breakfast and brunch fares......no additional comment is required. Heaven on a plate. Sometimes I just want to jump on a plane and export the concept. But then I stop and think, and realize that someone must have tried it before and totally failed. Next.
- fairly civil and disciplined crowds: people don't walk over your head to get into the bus before you. They don't (often) try to pass the lines just because. To survive in a waiting room in France you'd better have a padded jacket with extra elbow proof cushioning at the rib level.
- movies and books: being able to brag to your friends that you saw/read what they are going to have access to only months after? Truly priceless. And a bit cruel. Who cares?
- the freedom to walk in the street looking up: a huge privilege. Quite impossible, or at least pretty risky at home, sweet home. Wasted shoes are one thing...broken bones because of a slip - quite another.
- great tasting burgers and macaroni and cheese: oh yeah. I am not ashamed to say that my hips and I embrace a whole side of the most traditional American fare, and quite gladly so. Please don't tell.
- the grid system: best invention ever. I never got lost in an American city, and neither should anyone with an ounce of common sense. Now if only Chicago could get rid of its diagonal streets.

France benefits:
- UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
- a supposedly cute accent, and many silly anecdotes to talk and write about. I seem to thrive on cultural relativism...also helped quite a lot in the seduction department. But that is top-secret information.
- a solid base to a culinary education I of course keep expending; what better country to learn how to eat well? I have loved the 'plaisirs de la table' as long as I can remember....and will always do.
- the presence of history, everywhere you look. Old churches in every single village, ruins, landmarks....they give you a sense of permanence and belonging. Almost provide you with roots. And always allow your imagination to run wild and (re)create stories of the past.
- a baseball/football/hockey-free environment. Soccer is already enough to deal with, thank you very much. The Tour de France is a light price to pay in comparison to all the wasted-in-front-of-the-TV sport Sundays I hear about. 'Hear' being the key word here. And the mascots? I am not even going there...
- dairy products: galores of them. Yogurt obsessed? Search no longer and move in a French mega-supermarket. The choice is overwhelming. I. LOVE. IT. I even took a picture of the said aisle during my last trip three years (!) ago and was asked what was wrong with me. Didn't care - I had to document it. Seeing is believing.
- a pocket size country where you can go and play with all your Belgian, German, Swiss, Italian and Spanish neighbors in a matter of hours: best thing ever. OK, I forgot Luxembourg (as if it really mattered). And England since technically we are now joined together for better or for worse. But really all Europe is at your fingertips. Makes for weekends far more exciting than Wisconsin or Michigan. No offense kids.


If you were wondering: no - this is not by any mean an exhaustive list. Far from it. I am sure I forgot essentials, things I am probably so attached to I will curse myself for omitting. But I wanted this to be a snap-shot. A collection of vignettes I could occasionally add to but whose purpose was to tell my here-and-now/ici et maintenant.
Gotta love the blog format...