Madrid!

Last Wednesday I went on a walking tour of the ''Banlieue' which is kind of like the suburbs of Paris. It is so much different than the inner city-much more diverse and ...comment-dit on? ghetto? It was interesting though and I love seing pqrts of the city I haven't yet.
My Art History Class started on Thursday and that seems like it's going to be sooo interesting! We loked at slides of 30 paintings from the transition period into Impressionism. Our professor was so interesting in his explanations and interpretations. Degas, Monet, Manet..the best part=next class we are meeting at the Musée d'Orsay to see the real life actual paintings!
I witnessed my first grève (strike) last week! It was the lower grade school teachers. Just outside my school on the main road they were marching with banners, balloons, and cars playing loud music. It was like a big party in the closed off street and I thought it was cool to see them with so much pasion and conviction. The political activism of the French is one of the things that has drawn me to them!
This past weekend I went to Madrid, Spain! I have two good friends who are studying there--Eren and Deborah--and I also hung out with the other dozen or so Tulane kids there! It was awesome. I had never been to Spain and really loved it. Hayley and Amy went with me and they were such good sports. We had a bunch of mishaps on our way there so it was good to be there with laidback girls who just want to have fun. We flew Ryanair (cheap, but kind of a hassle so I wouldn't suggest it) and stayed in a hostel near the Chueca metro stop/area.
Eren met us and tok us to this cute tapas restaurant. I loved it! They love ham as much as the French do. We had these little croquettes that remind me of pigs ina blanket, and this rice dish that reminded me of jambalaya called Paella and sangria. Then Eren showed us all the cool landmarks of the city on Saturday-the Royal Palace and cathedral, two really beautiful squares, Sol (the Madrid times square) then we went to this Chocolateria for churros dipped in creamy warm chocolate. Probs my new favorite food. We then went back to the hostel for a siesta. (yes, i embrace cultures everywhere I go).
Dinner was at this awesome restaurant/bar where we again had tapas. My favorite ones were the chorizos (spicy sausage) and the salad with cod (yeah! fish! i know! i actually really liked it!). It was sooo good and fun! then Eren took us to this 7 story club, Capitale, where we did the Soulja Boi on one floor then danced to techno music on stage on the lowest floor. It was crazy and so packed! I loved it obvi.
The next morning we went to the biggest flea market ever. It was huge with soooo much...junk. It was cool to see so many people dressed in colors other than grey and black (haha) and to hear Spanish. Its a beautiful city with gorgeous architecture and huge buildings. That afternoon we spent at this great park with this lake, all these families, a crystal palace, all these ducks and dogs, rollerbladers, people playing music and dancing everywhere. It's like a party every Sunday!
Ok random fact--Madrid is a huge seafood town! We went to a restaurant that night and basically had a crab feast! Two guys from Tulane joined us and they were hilarious. Super wonderful weekend all in all. Good to be back though...I'm sure Marie Claude missed me...even though she thinks I broke her little washing machine.

Love you all!
Chloe

ps i love getting mail:
CIEE/CPEC
37 bis rue de Sentier
Paris, France 75002

Wagg

January 21, 2008

On Friday the 18th, I went with Henri from Morehouse College in Atlanta to the BHV to buy an adaptor. Oh my gosh it’s so huge!! Imagine a Target, JCPenney’s, and a smaller Barnes and Noble and Home Depot all in a six-story building.

At 9:30 we met up with Hayley, Amy, Shallon and Audrey in St. Germain. Gosh that area is cool. We mosied around for awhile and then settled on Café Jade, this hip little bar/restaurant/café. They were playing (fairly loud) really cool techno beats, although it’s January and kinda cold, a lot of people were sitting outside lining the street, smoking and ddrinking these drinks with the craziest garnishes—pineapple wedges and marshmallows. We grapped a couple tables near the door and admired how chic the place was. Our waitress was the pretty blonde who spoke a tiny bit of English and was wearing a cute little blue dress that resembled a flight attendant’s uniform from the 60’s. We had a good time just talking, getting to know each other and laughing.

Later, three more girls met up with us and we went to a Boite, a dance club, down the street. It was suggested by our waitress and was a little cher for our blood so it will probably be our only time in there. It’s called Wagg and the theme of the night was “Disco Carwash” so the music was all disco and funky beats. (Hilarious French dance moves, obvi.)



Saturday I met Hayley and Amy on the Champs-Elysées for a bit of strolling and people watching. That is the place to do it. The “steeles” (Dad) are incredivble, everyone is dressed like they are set for a runway show or something. It’s all so sleak, chic and flattering.

At 9, we met with Eva from GWU at a wine bar, Les Tartines, in the 4th arrondissement. It was so cute! It seemed very old-fashioned and was playing oldies (Al Green and the Jackson Five mainly). We told stories about friends, guys, families and laughed a lot. We then met up with these two guiys we met from Florida at a nearby bar, Bar Five. We met a few Englishmen and Scots there, too.

So, I’ve got another Metro story. I got on by myself, heading into the centre to meet up with girls and was following the Metro rule of not making eye contact or smiling too much, I was just looking at the floor. Out of nowhere this little French guy sits down next to me and starts speeding a long in French. His buddy is standing by the sliding doors and I can hear him saying he doesn’t think I’m French. The one who I learn later is named Hills keeps trying to start a French conversation with me and insists I do know French I am just ignoring him. (Franchement, it was a little bit of both, but he spoke too fast for me to follow.) We ended up having a conversation when he realized I was American (obvi. asked if I liked Bush “Tu aime Bush?”). He would ask me broken-English questions and I’d answer in French with my awful accent. Pretty amusing. We exchanged numbers and he later texted me “C (I think that’s short for c’est) Hills. We can see us the thursday.”

Last night I sat in a brasserie/café, La Rosaraie, in my arrondissement and sipped an espresso while I read this book, “Almost Frnech” that I picked up at school. It’s about a young woman who follows her heart and moves to Paris from Australia. She talks a lot about cultural differences and the funny way French have of doing things. The café was really cute, decorated in burnt orange, red and deep purple with rectangular lamps hanging from the ceiling and there were quite a few étudiants in there studying. Rue de Tolbiac where the café is located has strung these beautiful blue Christmas lights that blink above it. Many of the rues in the city have this cute detail right now.

With my class schedule, it looks like I don’t have class on Monday or Wednesday. How cool! So I will probably be exploring and stuff on these daysJ

Très cool!

I live with a little old lady, Madame Laffont in the 13th arrondissement. I call her Madame, but her first name is Marie Claude It is a very modern quarter and has one of the China towns in it. I live on the 9th floor of an apt . The apt is small, but cute. She has a teeny kitchen which is attached to the living room. Then a small doorway goes into her bedroom so there isnt any real barrier between her room and the kitchen/tv room. Because she doesnt wake up until after i leave for school I eat breakfast at her house, in my room. I have a refrigerator and a microwave which is really nice! She has provided me with muesli, a coffee pot, coffee, yogurt and milk. I am on my own for the rest of my meals, except for on Tuesday nights when I eat with her. Last Tuesday she made pork chops in celery and tomatoes. She eats every lunch and dinner with wine and finishes a meal with cheese--they have a different one in france for every day. Then comes dessert. I live right by two metro stops so thats cool. You can get anwhere on the Metro--it takes about 35 minutes and i make just one change to get to school. I went to the movies on sunday night--''Reviens-moi'' (''Atonement'' in the US) with English as the lang and French subtitles. On Monday 6 of us girls went to dinnner at a sushi restaurant in the 7th arrondissement. As we left the restaurant, we were walking down a hill toward the metro and just above the trees, we could see the top half of the Eiffel TOwer. At just that moment, the clock struck 11 and on the hour all the lights on the tower go into this beautiful flashing sparkling mode. So we just stopped and watched for awhile. So beautiful.
On the metro home, this drunk French man approached Hayley and me and harassed us:
''Americans. F* America...W. BUsh. F* Bush!!''
cool.
Two nights ago I went on a walking tour of Belleville, this cool eccentric part of the city where a lot of artists live. We had a guide who explained to us the murals and graffitti and their artists. We stopped in a studio of this artist, Pedro, who does stencils and spray paints them. Famous people, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Beethoven, and others. THey all have cool backgrounds/frames that he paints them onto. My favorite was Rosa Parks sprayed onto a map of the RER bus system in Paris.
We stopped in a café for hot chocolate and then walked out to a beautiful view of the entire city.
Then a few friends and I went to a cute/chic/happenin restaurant where a poetry reading was going on. We sat out on the street even though it was pretty cold. I had this incredible sandwich with 3 cheeses and tomatoes.

My friends are from colorado, atlanta, austin and minnesota. they go to GWU, UC Boulder and UMinn. My classes start on Monday for real. We are just doing intensive French right now and it is good i am learning a lot.

The French women are all so beautiful and chic. They usually wear skinny pants: dark jeans or dress pants, all of them are extremely thin and over 5'5'' i'd say. tthey also wear really cute tops and really cute coats. always heels usually boots up to the knee.
Last night was the most fun night so far! Madame had 3 of her good lady friends over for a New Years dinner party and invited me to join them. We had champage with the caandied/choc pecans I brought from home, then 4 types of ham that she insisted I try (Rox and Di would have been SOL), then this old-fashioned French dish--like a sliced potato and sour cream pie thing with crust covering it? i dont know but I helped her make it :), then salad, of course 3 types of cheese and bread and then pumpkin pie for dessert. She was all excited that she made an American dessert and the ladies were impressed--they'd never heard of it before! It was really good on homemade crust. The conversation was so interesting and I kept up as best I could. Madale thinks Sarkozy is ''un dictateur'' haha that's new. The other ladies are all very cool. One's from Algeria, one is really into art and musuems and the other has a granddaughter my age!
Then I met 10 American kids at this bar just a few Metro stops from my house. It apparently is super old-- from the Revolution? It was blasting Spanish music and totally happenin. They were a blast and we got shots on the house from the bartender. Then as we were getting ready to leave, one bartender hollers at us and sprays us with a bottle of champagne! haha so fun.
Love you all!! take care

First Days in Paris!!

Bonjour!!Everything en route to Paris went really smoothly! I have met all the participants and directors/coordinators of the program. Everyone is so nice! I lived in the hostel with the rest of the participants (just a 10 minute walk from my school/centre). My roommate, Kelley, was from New Jersey and studied in London last semester. She is really sweet and I have also met really cool girls and boys in the program. We have gone out topractically everymeal and had really great wine and food. We all try to speak French as much as possible and are getting better all the time. We took our language test two days a ago and were placed in our Intensive Language Program groups for next week. We have 3 hrs of hardcore French monday-friday. we also get to meet our professors at the wine and cheese meet and greet on wednesday.This cute girl, Alanna, from Providence and I went running yesterday morning. We went from our hostel,through the Tuileries, down the Champs Elysees and around the round about that circles l'Arc de Triomphe and back. It was 7:30, but still very dark out b/c i think the sun rises around 8:30. We were two of the few runners that morning and mainly Parisians rushing to work. It was so nice! Beautiful lights and the weather wasn't too cold at all. I am having the best time ever! we went on a walking tour and saw the Notre Dame, had a French-speaking tour guide who told us all the hoistory and stories of the city. SO cool. I also went to the Louvre, but only for about 1 1/2 hours b/c I have already been there and will be getting an unlimited pass to go whenev i want again this semester. Everything we do and everywhere I go I have to stop and pinch myself just a little bit to make sure it's all real...I am actually living in Paris and actually doing this. I have almost figured out le Metro system and look so cute in my ballet flats, black sweaters, and red pea coat. the French girls are incredibly chic and stylish! My school is in the fabric district so there are tons of cute boutiques and designers' offices around. This evening I am moving into my host family's house and I am so nervous/excited! I have no idea what to expect! I am practicing such phrases as "thank youfor having me in your home" and "where is the can opener?" Love you all very much--I hope everything is well! I'll talk to you again soon!Chloé