When we first moved to Belgium I couldn’t read a word of French. This meant shopping at the supermarket took quite a long time, and I usually just went with what was pictured on the side of the box. For the dishwasher, I bought powerball dish-washing tablets, with Calgon, to fight all the limescale that we have in the water here. They worked rather well.

So then for the washing machine, I bought the powerball clothes-washing tablets, with Calgon. The box even had a picture of a clothes washer on the front. After a while, I noticed that my clothes were not getting very clean, but were all turning quite grey. I sat down to finally translate the box, and found at the the tablets contained no detergent at all, just zeolite and polycarboxylate. The joys of living in a non-English country, where the instructions are clearly written in at least two languages, and I still can’t manage to figure them out.

As I was walking down Rue Neuve the other day I saw that H&M now offers a Style Advisor service – two hours with a personal shopper, free of charge. As I needed some new clothes, and everything is a different shape to what it was, I made myself an appointment to get some help picking out some new outfits.

I had a very fun Saturday afternoon with the consultant, who apologised for her less than perfect English. This always makes me feel so embarrassed – English isn’t even an official language of this country. I can’t imagine someone working in a clothing store in Australia apologising for their imperfect French. We looked through some fashion magazine for half an hour, chatting about my likes and dislikes, as well as any practical constraints and the type of occasions that were likely to arise.

She disappeared for a while, then returned with a whole rack full of clothing for me to try on. She even had picked out matching accessories for all the outfits, and showed me how to put them all together. With each piece she analysed the fit and popped out to get a new size or style if something didn’t look quite right. I returned home with two new outfits, feeling a bit more like my old self and looking forward to getting out and about.

When I arrived at my hotel in Atlanta I received a gift pack of some of the local specialties. I have also been introducing my European colleagues to some North American tastes. I have witnessed grown men take their first mouthfuls of marshmallow peeps, guacamole, and cheesecake (“it doesn’t taste like cheese”).

As all the shops are open until 9pm, I have even been able to sneak in a bit of shopping after work. The hotel is situated right next to a mall, however due to the highway and car park, they recommend that you take the hotel shuttle rather than attempting to walk.

For once I have the upper hand as a native English speaker, and it is I who is able to translate from the local vernacular. I must admit, it is refreshing to be able to communicate effortlessly with everyone around me, making small talk with the taxi drivers and hotel staff. I can even understand all the TV channels, which gives me the privilege to watch such informative documentaries such as “Extreme Couponing” and “Kate plus 8″.

Two hours ago, our train was just departing Paris, and now we are settled back home, looking through our photos and getting ready for bed.

We had a wonderful two days in France with our four friends. After a quick journey through the snow-dusted countryside, we met up in the hotel and set out to taste our way through the city. After a quick stop at the Pantheon, we sat down to some crêpes at the Crêperie Josselin for our first meal together in a bustling restaurant filled with Dutch decorations and an astounding number of menu choices.

Once our bellies were filled, we caught the cramped metro to the Les Halles district. While the others admired the shelves of sweets, teas, spices, chocolates, teas, mustards, dried fruits, and pâtés at G. Detou (“J’ai de tout” – I have it all), I bought a brightly coloured insulated coffee mug at the evanescent Pylones design store.

After a few more hours strolling along the streets while some soft snow fell upon our noses, we turned up for our reservation at A La Biche Au Bois (The doe in the woods). Adrian had a goat’s cheese omelette while I had a tender fresh salmon with wild mushrooms, then stole spoonfuls of crème brûlée and chocolate cake from the others’ desserts.

The next day, breakfast was a fresh pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) dipped in steaming hot chocolate before a stroll through Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens were looking a little grim this time of year, with most trees preparing for the impending snow to soon descend upon their boughs. After a seafood lunch – I had crayfish tail and mango salad – we said farewell to Liannabanana & J who were off to watch their other friends get married in Paris.

Our final stop with Shyla & Luke was to explore the Galeries Lafayette, which were packed to the brim with shoppers. We rested our legs and revived our hearts with some drinks at the champagne bar while admiring the sparkling tree reaching towards the center of the 1912 glass and steel dome. All too soon it was time to say goodbye to our amis américains and hop back on the Thalys to home in Brussels.