Paris – Culture “at My Fingertips”
Monique Benarrosh, UCLA
Moving to New York City was appealing, except for its harsh winters. So the next best thing was Paris. I was looking for culture “at my finger tips.” Time will tell if it is a permanent move.
For 12 years now, I give my Mondays and Thursdays to AIDS patients at a Paris hospital as a militant volunteer in a large association fighting AIDS.
My experience did not influence my decision to move out of the country. I miss UCLA. One of the things that surprised me here is that “conges payes” (paid vacation) is five to six week per year! For salaried people, the work week is 35 hours.
Among my favorite things to do: walking through the city, walking through history; touching a wall built in the 13th century; seeing what inspired so many artists; and so on.
France is a lovely country, but at the moment the drawback is the grat weakness of the US dollar facing the strong Euro.
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