Some Interesting Observations

Part of the reason why it's been so hard to settle into the Parisian lifestyle is because their lifestyle really is very different than ours.  Sure, French people are very familiar with American culture, but they don't really adopt it as their own.  Here are some random tidbits of things that strike me as strange, cool, or just different than I expected to see in France, both the good and the bad:

• French people can recognize Americans immediately because of our bright clothing.  Even if we're not wearing gym shoes and a fanny pack like typical tourists, our colorful t-shirts and backpacks give us away immediately.  The predominant color is -- sadly -- gray; the most popular outfit I see usually involves gray pants, a grayish sweater, and a black or white shirt.  Along with black or gray shoes.  I'm not even kidding.  I have not seen a single pair of sweatpants.  Most of the women wear low heels or wedges (I have no idea how they survive on all that cobblestone).  Some of the little kids wear cute pastel colored outfits.  It seems like people tend to wear color only in the form of accessories.
• Speaking of French kids.... they're so cute!!!  Their parents dress them amazingly well; they all look like they belong in a J. Crew catalog.  Weirdly, they all ride scooters around -- even some high schoolers.  Behind in the times, much?
• There are puppies everywhere; my Dad would love it!  I must have seen at least 5 yorkies yesterday, and a couple of white bichon-frisées too.  I finally saw these two cute mini poodles, one black and one tan, which were adorable.  There are mostly small dogs, but I saw a few golden retrievers and yellow labs too.  A lot of dogs walk around without leashes, which seems dangerous based on the craziness of the drivers around here.  
• The street signs and crosswalk signals make no sense here.  Drivers seem to drive whenever they want to, and pedestrians just cross the street hoping that all the Vespa drivers will be nice enough to stop for them.  Sometimes, while waiting to cross a busy street with no crosswalk, the cars will slam on the breaks and signal you to walk.  That WOULD seem friendly, but it's like, "Ummm there's a lot of traffic flying towards me from the other direction so just DRIVE! I'll cross later!"
• Nothing is very convenient in Versailles.  Even Monoprix (which has everything) is closed on Sundays along with most other stores.  It's hard to shop for bathroom products and simple things that we're used to -- zip-lock bags, notebooks, folders, face wash -- because they just don't HAVE it.  Even though I'm a big fan of the metric system, shops only sell products in tiny little centilitre containers that are way overpriced.  Milk, shampoo, olive oil... they all come in tiny little bottles.  Oh, how I miss WalMart and Sam's Club.  
• People talk very quietly here.  I feel embarrassed walking with just 5 of my friends down a street, because we're so obviously loud and American.
• Overall, I really enjoy spending time in Paris more than I do in Versailles.  It's just so classy and breathtakingly beautiful.  Everything is either a) carved out of stone or marble or b) covered in gold.  The Château de Versailles is awesome, but it rather outshines the surrounding city (literally.... so much gold!).  Paris, on the other hand, has hidden treasures around every corner and offers amazing views of all of its spectacular monuments.