The Good the Bad and the Ugly

As I'm preparing to leave France I thought it might be time to write a list of what I'll miss about France, what I won't miss and what I am looking forward to returning to in the U.S.

Things I will miss about France:
1. MATT (obviously)



2. Cheese...roquefort, cantal, forme de ambert, brie, chevre...oh I will miss you

3.Fresh baguettes from the bakery every day!



4. Cheap wine that actually tastes good... its been nice to be able to afford wine once a week instead of once a month

5. Old buildings, old bridges...the sense that history is all around you. The narrow streets, stone buildings and interesting archways that seem to pop up out of nowhere.



6. Dark chocolate- from the artisan shops that are truly one of a kind (BERNACHON!)to the unique grocery store chocolate filled with things you just don't find in the U.S.

7. Saying bonjour,au revoir, bonne journee etc when entering and leaving a shop

8. Ornate Cathedrals



9. High Speed Trains and train systems that are efficient and well-used.

10. The pretty countryside and villages and cities



11. One and Two euro coins- there's just something nice about having 10 euros in coins in your pocket... seriously I don't understand why the $1 coin hasn't caught on in the U.S.


Things I will NOT miss about France:
1. Having to avoid the copious amounts of dog crap on the streets

2. Worrying about being hit by the speedy speedy drivers

3. Constantly being surrounded by people that I can't quite communicate verbally with

4. The lack of interesting vegetarian ingredients to cook with

5. People parking on the sidewalk

6. Feeling like I'm never dressed up enough... and don't have cool shoes


Things I'm really looking forward to enjoying in the U.S.
1. The mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest



2. All my kitchen equipment and working as a pastry chef again (I've missed my pastry!)

3. Thai Food, Cuban Food (Pambiche happy hour and dessert), Chinese Food, Mexican Food, cheddar cheese, peanutbutter, Trader Joes, Burgerville

4. Vanilla Lattes

5. My friends in Portland

6. Sleeping under my Grandmas quilt again

7. Wearing clothes other than the 6 shirts and 2 pairs of pants I always seem to be wearing here

8. Living with cats (especially a certain fluffy cat named Serena)



9. Being able to drive to trailheads instead of walking or taking the bus

10. Cheap second run movie theatres like the Laurelhurst

11. Seeing my family...and enjoying the California sunshine before returning to rainy Oregon

12. Getting back just in time for wildflower time of the year!



I'll be leaving France exactly two weeks from tommorrow and as you can see from my lists I have rather mixed emotions about it. I'm sad to be leaving Matt and the little joys I've come to love about France but I am also happy to be returning to Portland and working again. So two more weeks to enjoy all the things I love about France!