but what's la rentrée?
🤗 hi.
back to school has arrived in the united states, but it’s called “la rentrée” here in france and it’s for everyone––not just kids. it’s well known that the french are vacation experts, taking particularly long breaks (2-3 weeks) in august. it’s not uncommon to get an OOO reply from your banker or accountant wishing you a good summer (despite not being able to cash a check) and that they’ll gladly help you in september. this may also apply to your bakery, dry cleaner, wine bar or the vietnamese noodle shop you frequent––they’ll post a little paper sign announcing their own extended closure ✌️
despite the frequent detours and very specific (and unfulfilled) cravings, august is really enjoyable in paris. a few of my favorite places stayed open this year (la buvette and circus, neither are secrets but they’re "idgaf good") and it’s easier to get a table when it’s primarily tourists roaming the streets. but paris can also feel deserted, a bit like a ghost town, and the open air markets feel like a comb missing most of it’s teeth––many of the stalls take the month off (despite produce being peak ripeness!)
last week I went back to the market (marché bastille and marché richard lenoir) and was greeted so warmly by the lebanese man who sells me warak inab (the rice stuffed grape leaves) and moutabal, the two boys who have the best olives (stuffed with orange or garlic or almonds) and medjool dates asked how my summer was. the tiny woman who runs my favorite stand told me i had to take the eggplants home and roast them just so––and with the dirt under her fingernails and bits of flowers, stems and greens in her hair, you can tell she worked real magic growing those eggplants/tomatoes/lettuce/squash, etc. and finally the friendly wave from bespectacled guy always impressed by my need for large quantities of celery––for juicing.
everyone was happy to see each other and to fall back into the routine, see the familiar market faces and be reminded that even in the middle of paris we have a small, supportive community in many ways. I think it was a very strong small talk day for me :-)
september also serves as an important marker for me, it’s my birthday month (oh, hi virgo szn!) and i *fucking love* back to school. i strongly identify with starting fresh in september, my favorite thing was shopping for new pens and notebooks and always eyeing the large sharpie set but never being able to swing the $23.99. it means a fresh start. a new year, new class, new students and new goals.
this year i’m doing my own back to school in a small way and auditing a class. monday night was my first weekly class of history of art (in french!) at the école du louvre––because if you’re going to take art history seems like that’s the place to do it. something about everyone filing into a classroom with their notebooks signals that people are back in action, the energy is palpable. it’s time to get back into gear and sprint towards the next year.
every year for my birthday i sit down and take some time to figure out what i want to accomplish in the next year, so making the most of this increase in motivation and energy, i’m starting a little early to think about my goals for the next year and what thirty-two will bring.
goals for thirty-two (a rough draft)
put myself out there and share more
launch my own business
continue to prioritize my health
focus on learning
create things regularly
experience more art
what are your goals through the end of the year? do you make goals around your birthday? do you do them around back to school? maybe you make new year’s resolutions? If you want to share, i’d love to hear what they are. maybe some of ours overlap. maybe i can help you with one of yours or vice-versa. or maybe you’re like me and just want to be held accountable to more than a piece of paper.
cheers to accountability.
-x