Lots of interesting food for thought (oops--must be the French influence) here and strangely comforting to know that others have had such similar experiences in other parts of the world. When I first came to France, I remember thinking that once the language barrier came down, everything would magically get better, but wasn't the case until my move to Nancy. Once away from the Parisian region, life slows back down to a reasonable pace. With its one-fifth or more--about 10 million people--of the entire French population, l'Ile de France (Parisian region) isn't an easy place to live! At least here in eastern France, I now have a few friends and have the opportunity to play out once in a while during storytelling evenings. I very much appreciate everyon's comments. . . anyone else?

cheers,

Aux