FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

GERER (zher-ay)

    : to manage, to handle things

EXAMPLE SENTENCE 
Maman, ne t'inquiète pas, je suis assez capable de me gérer moi-même.
Mom, don't worry. I am capable enough to manage things on my own.


A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE... by Kristin Espinasse

Un petit coucou de Paris.  A little hello from Paris, where my 17-year-old is settling in for her three week stage, or internship. We are staying in a shoebox on the 6th floor of an historic Haussmanian building. The room is slightly bigger than the double bed where we will bunk for the next week, until I am certain Jackie feels confident to live on here own.

But from the looks of things, she is every bit capable of taking care of herself and those around her. I am touched at how she has looked after me, since leaving home together yesterday. It all began at our train station in St Cyr / Les Lecques. The sun was shining down brightly as we stood on the platform waiting for our train. "I'm going to stand in the shade," I said....

"Maman, you have your hat on. You are OK."

I realized she was right, and relaxed as the train pulled up. But when we stepped abord, there were no empty seats. Struggling with my luggage, I began to panick. "Maman, stay there", Jackie said, quickly scouting for a seat. Next she directed me to a side chair where I could sit with my bags bundled beside me in the passage way. What luck to have a place to rest on a crowded train.

Arriving in Paris, Jackie shepherded me out of the train station and reminded me to call UBER. We would not be using the metro when we had heavy bags to lug. We ended up taking the first cab we saw, and when I asked the cabby to stop at an ATM so I could get cash to pay the ride, Jackie said, "I think I can cover it." She handed the cab driver 10 euros and presto! there we stood in front of our apartment.

Today at lunch I ordered a little flan de courgette for lunch. "Maman, have a cup of soup, too," Jackie suggested.

"No. This is all I want," I said, only to realize how hungry I was later. Jackie hailed the waiter, "On voudrais commander une deuxième soupe, s'il vous plaît," and just like that, everything was taken care of. 

At this point in my story, you may be wondering why a 17-year-old girl is making such snappy decisions, when her mom should be calling the shots.  Briefly, I have not been myself lately. It is a combination of things and it will surely pass. Meantime, seeing my daughter spread her delicate wings and fly--taking me along with her--is the best Mothers Day present any one could ask for.

I'm going to be taking a little time off from the blog, but I will be back for a weekly check-in, whether with a story or with a photo. Meantime, I am posting pictures from Paris on my Instagram gallery and at Facebook. I hope you will stop by and enjoy them, and click the follow button to see tomorrow's photos, too!

Warmest wishes from Paris,

Kristi
P.S. Very sorry about the lack of photos in this edition. Having technical difficulties. Please click on the Instagram or Facebook highlighted links above for today's pictures, including the magnifique bouquet Jackie just presented me with, here in our cozy boîte à chaussures in Paris.