I am not really inspired by the corporate environment. While I was walking around sunny Paris this past weekend I had lots of toughts, but when I am trying to write while sitting in the office (a nice office at that) I start focusing on the conference call that my office mate is having, and then I am trying to rank the French, the German, the Canadian and the Spanish accent in terms of level of annoyance and then that's it, no blogging for that day. Right now it is a little quieter and I let some fresh air in from the outside, where I wish I could be considering that it is sunny and beautiful there. The work has been ok so far - mostly because I have to invent tasks for myself and I do not have to use Standard Form Precedents or track changes. Alcatel, the semi-state-owned French corporation is a strange environment though...I am going to observe it for a bit longer before I make any statements. Plus I have to be careful with confidentiality issues...

I still have not fallen in love with Paris but I managed to explore it a little more over the weekend. Now I know what the "cool" areas are (Le Marais, full of gays and jews, cute little streets and bars), even got to go to a designer sale where I indulged myself in shopping, which - in addition to eating and pouting - is best done in France. Result: I now own the funkiest pair of Prada shoes. This is all thanks to my newest friend Cina, a French colleague who is originally from Togo was educated in strict catholic all-girls schools and at elite French and American universities, and is a true "French-African princess" (if such a things exists) - with an attitude. I am slightly scared of her, so much so, that I stopped wearing my grandmother's diamond ring in her presence - she reckons that I will never find another husband if I continue wearing it.

Otherwise, the fact that I don't know anyone here apart from Cina (and Sammy, my French friend from Harvard who recently moved back to Paris) is good for two reasons: I go to the gym all the time and I don't drink very much. The gym is great because it is pretty much the same everywhere - only in different languages. Reassuring and stable point de repere. The language does not much alter the experience anyway, since it is hardly a place of intense communication for me.

(So it is all fine. Or almost...except that I cannot sleep at night. Typical anxiety symptom that I have not had in a long time. Does it have to do with the fact that I am still wandering from one hotel to the next, which makes me unhappy and in turn draws my attention to the fundamental settling-related questions that I cannot answer? Don't know, but I keep repeating that it is all fine.)