Happy New Year! Bonne année! I hope your holidays were merry and bright with memorable times with your family and friends. My Christmas and new year were in sunny, warm South Florida with my family in Ft. Lauderdale in the United States. It was a warm respite from cold, rainy Paris for a short 10 days. Everyday included spending time with my family, eating great food, and enjoying the sunshine at my parent’s pool.
Having spent a few months in Paris, France, it was a little strange returning to the US. While everything was familiar, my perspective was quite different. I was not returning from a vacation in Paris, I was going to the US for a vacation. Going through border control and customs as a guest rather than returning “home” felt slightly odd like some form of a twilight zone episode.
COVID Antigen Test: With the COVID restrictions, I had to take an antigen test in Paris the day before I left. Delta’s Ready to Fly website made it easy to upload all my documents and be ready for the flight back to the US. In Paris, since most pharmacies perform the antigen test, it was quick and easy especially since the pharmacies seem to be on every corner. The pharmacy on my block charged me about 30 euros. The whole process took about 30 minutes. They sent me the results electronically within about 30 minutes after the test. I did have to download a pdf of the test results, upload it to the Ready to Fly website, and print out a copy in case anyone asked for it along the way.
I flew from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport to Atlanta, Georgia, and then onto Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. All the flights were on time with no issues. Security and border control at CDG took about 45 minutes. At the Atlanta airport, I went through border control, customs, and then through airport security check again which took about an hour total.
The Polar Express: The 10 days with my family was a lot of fun. One of the highlights was a trip on The Polar Express in Miami, Florida (https://miamithepolarexpressride.com/). What a fun time! The actors sang and danced in the train car similarly to the movie. Characters from the movie came through and performed scenes from the movie. We also had a visit from Santa Claus! The train trip was an hour and half long with cookies and hot chocolate.
Returning back to France included an Antigen test in Ft. Lauderdale, and completing the attestation paperwork. I uploaded the documents to the Ready to Fly website and had to show all the paperwork at check-in and at each of the flights. Flying back, I went through Atlanta, Georgia and Munich, Germany. There was plenty of time between each of the flights to get some food and relax. All the flights were almost full, on time with few issues. My original seat from Atlanta to Munich didn’t have a video screen that worked, so they moved me to a better seat in an exit row which gave me a lot more legroom and an empty row! I didn’t sleep much on the flights, watching movies and reading to pass the time.
Back at home in Paris: Now that I am back in Paris, it feels like home. Even as I write, it’s raining outside – a common occurrence in winter here. The rain and cold feel like home as I’ve acclimated to the winter here with the right clothes layers and mental attitude. In Paris, it’s now required to wear a mask in most public areas outside in addition to inside areas. They are encouraging and soon requiring a booster shot. Thankfully, I took my booster shot back in September in the US, so I’m all caught up at this time. I also continue French language classes this week at Alliance française (https://www.alliancefr.org/).
Swing dancing: Now that I’m back, I start teaching swing dancing in Paris this month. It will be good to be back in front of a dance class. I will be teaching dance classes in English and perhaps guest teaching with other groups as well. I still can hardly believe that I live in Paris as a swing dance instructor. What a life! Check out my Talenton Dance website (https://talenton.live/talenton-dance/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/talentondance) to keep up-to-date on classes.
Until we meet (and dance) in Paris…
Talenton 