34'' Inseam and Paprika

Welp. 

In general, pants here for men are 34 inches in length regardless of waist. (I now know why people always roll up their pants here now!)

Customer service is better in France. 

H&M is scary.

Today, I decided I needed some pants. So, I went to Les Halles (the closest thing to a mall in Paris) and went for it. Now I have trouble finding pants that look good on me due to my big thighs. The jury is still out on wether they are muscular, fatty, or some unholy mixture of both. That in combination with the “European” style of generally slim pants makes it difficult to find anything that fits well. 

Basically, I was body conscious, nervous, and slightly sweaty while trying to find some pants.  I was a mess. I was struggling and moist until I found Springfield. I’m still confused about what exactly it is, but from what I gathered (from a combination of wikipedia and being in the store) it’s a Spanish brand that pretends to be American. It’s not a British brand because the prices on the tags are more expensive there, and honestly the clothing just sort of looks “American”. I could be speculating though. However, everyone that worked there spoke English, and I think a few of them were originally American (one of the employees definitely had a thick American accent) . Luckily, the very helpful employees there (they would ask if I needed help every five minutes or so) were convinced enough by my French to stay in in the language and not switch to English. (Progress? I think so!) Though, I’m pretty sure they knew I was an anglophone after a few words. Anywho, the pants there fit my American butt well and I ended up buy two paris of pants there. Treat yo’ self!

After, I decided to see what the hype about H&M is all about (they don’t exist in my part of Colorado). Cheap! So cheap! But there were so many people (even in the mens section), and I felt like I was drowning. The line for the men’s dressing room must have been at least twenty people long, and somehow I still got asked a few times if I needed help. I left without buying anything; there was too much of a black friday-esque vibe there for me to handle. I might go back on a weekday. 

On a completely unrelated note, paprika flavored potato chips here are the same as barbecue back home. I think barbecue isn't a thing here so that's why it's "paprika". Seriously though, they are both that weird red-orange color and are oddly sweet. Same thing, different name. 

I. WILL. UPDATE. THIS. THING. MORE. BEFORE. I. LEAVE.