There's GOT to be a better way!!

Raise your hand if you like to mop.

... I thought so.

When people ask me what I miss about the States, I have a hard time answering. Because my biggest reason (beyond missing family and friends and my cat) is difficult to explain. Life is just easier there. I usually explain this with examples such as, "I can do my grocery shopping after 8:00 pm or on a Sunday", or "I never have to look too hard for a parking spot."

But it goes deeper than this. For example: at the grocery store. Did you know that French grocery stores are only open until 8 or 9 o'clock? And the government prevents them from opening on Sundays? These are inconveniences, for sure. But there are others ... I HATE the shopping carts. If you don't have a 1 euro coin or a token, forget about using a cart at all, because this is what you need to detach the cart from the pack. And they're only outside, so if I go to the Géant (somewhat like Wal-Mart) at "Espace Anjou" (shopping center) and want to look around at some other stores before doing my grocery shopping, I have to go back outside to get a cart. (Or leave my cart -- with my token in it -- in the hall of the shopping center, and leave one eye on it at all times, for fear that someone will walk away with it.) Driving a cart is the worst, because the back wheels turn, in addition to the front ones; it's a simple difference, but makes driving such a hassle! I do my shopping, and I'm ready to check out. Better hope the lines aren't too long. Because here, if they open a new register, the French will push by you to be the first person served ... none of this "Can I help the next person in line?". This is a notion that the French do not have. Grrr ... Finally, I prefer to do my big shopping trips with Philipp because otherwise, it's too stressful. I've brought my own bags (they don't provide them, as in the States), but I also have to bag all the groceries myself! So I must empty my cart onto the conveyor belt, go down to the other end to catch all the items and put them in bags, and get my money ready so that I'll be ready when the cashier asks me for it. Whew! It's exhausting just thinking about it.

So ... in a lot of ways ... life is just easier in the States.

But let me get back to my original inspiration for this entry: mopping. I'm sure that for most of you out there, mopping is not high on your list of favorite activities. I've never been much of a fan. But now that I live in France, I honestly miss my lovely -- and practical! -- little American mop. Because here in France, we don't mop. We "passe la serpière". Basically, we take a rag, hold it with a broom, and mop the floors. This is what it looks like:

Seems simple enough, but I think you must be truly French to be able to do this easily. You have to press really hard on the mop, or you leave the rag behind. And there's no "easy squeeze" lever, so you have to wring the rag out with your hands. Now mine are really dry and smell like dirt and apples. Over the months, I've gotten better at it, but it's still something I don't look forward to.

I miss my real mop ...