Ask an Au Pair: Irene sees all of Paris as a museum containing a plethora of secrets!

Ask an Au Pair: Irene sees all of Paris as a museum containing a plethora of secrets!

What inspires you about Paris?
All the little corners with hidden magical creations. A plethora of secrets to indulge in.

What is the best way to meet Parisians?
Curiosity. Go out and talk to people at coffee shops, bars, shops. Use Tinder (why not?). Language exchange programs.

How do you improve or master your French language skills?
Talk!

What is your favorite neighborhood?
The 10th arrondissement.

What Can you describe a best meal you’ve had in Paris?
To be honest, nothing better than a simple Parisian summer salad with fruit, cheese and a one-euro baguette. If summer, on the Canal St. Martin. If any other cold, rainy time, at home with people you love.

A favorite bar or café?
La Recyclerie, La Cafeotheque, anything around the Chateau d’Eau station.

Favorite shop?
Anything around Canal St. Martin. Or if you are a thrifter (like me) FB Pop or Kilo Shop.

A favorite museum?
Paris is a museum in and of itself. Walk all the streets, the architecture is the art. The trees the background. The Seine its most prized possession.

What is your favorite secret Paris spot?
It’s deep in Le Marais. I can find it but I can’t name it.

What do you dislike most about living in Paris?
There are various “Me’s” that meet in this question. The Me that comes from the tropics, well, I want a perpetual summer and this is not Paris (yet it creates the magic that makes Paris Paris). The Me that comes from Texas, things are not always convenient and you need to give yourself extra time for Everything (also, part of the charm though). The Me that comes from the Pacific Northwest, where are the mountains and huge amounts of nature? (yet this is a city, what did you expect?).

What advice would you give to incoming au pairs?
Patience. Just know that whatever you are gaining in age is being tripled by the amount of patience you are able to put into any situation.

ASK AN AU PAIR SERIES
Get to know Paris, from an au pair’s perspective. Our “Ask an Au Pair” series was so popular that we’ve decided to continue it with our next round of au pairs! We pose a dozen questions about the City of Light to those who are seeing it with fresh eyes and learning all of its wonderful intricacies. And, we decided to expand this series by adding a question about adapting to life in Paris after the 2015 terrorist attacks.

Read more from the Ask an Au Pair series