So many visitors!

I haven't written in awhile because I have been really busy with a ton of visitors from home!! It was like a mini-vacation back to the U.S.!
I visited Amboise on March 15 with a group from school. It is just a short bus ride to the West of Paris. Leonarda da Vinci spent the last years in a cute cottage there. We visited this gorgeous chateau and cathedral there that Leonardo is buried in. It was a charming little village and was so cool because they had duplicates of Leonardo's inventions all through his house and garden. We played on his bridges and frolicked around the yards. It started to rain in the afternoon and we stopped in a cute little café where the waitress could not understand my French no matter how hard I tried. Perhaps it is my Parisian accent?
I picked up Callie (from Tulane who is studying in Grenada, Spain) from the Metro stop that night when the airport shuttle dropped her off. I took her to her hostel in the 15th arrondissement so she could get all settled in. It was also technically St. Patrick's Day according to the Pope so we had a Guinness at the bar before I headed home.
Sunday morning I went for a run in Jardin du Luxembourg then met Callie at her hostel. We walked to the Marais to meet friends for lunch. The Marais is the gay slash Jewish area of town. On Sundays when the rest of the city shuts down the Marais comes alive! There are adorable little vintage boutiques, Jewish bakeries, gay bars, synagogues, falafel restaurants, and a funky ambiance. Six girls including Caila (from Tulane who is studying at AUP) met us at this fabulous little falafel place. It was of course packed and buzzing with activity. We had vegetarian falafel sandwiches and Callie, Caila and I got to catch up on each other's lives and the little Tulane gossip we are aware of;)
The three of us walked to the Bastille and had cafés under a heated terrace while it sprinkled on us. That evening, Callie and I went to my favorite little wine bar and were able to just sit and talk. It was nice to be just with her and tell stories and hear all about her Spanish boyfriend, crazy landlady and fun times at the beach in Grenada.
On Monday I met her at Musée de l'Orangerie and walked through the Tuilerie gardens to the Champs Elysees. Around 2 we picked up Scott and Kristen (on Spring Break all the way from Tulane!!) at the train station. They had spent the weekend in London and I was sooo happy to see them! We dropped off their bags at my apartment, grabbed a couple croque monsieurs (toasted ham and cheese sandwiches) then met up with Brendan (from Tulane studying at Sciences Po in Paris). It was fun having to order in French for them and navigating around my city. We went to the rum bar by my house and shared a tray of rum shots including fun flavors like melon, coconut and lemon. We went out that night at an Anglophone bar for the real St Patrick's Day, partied and caught up Tulane style and Kristen and Scott stayed at Brendan's apartment.
I had class on Tuesday but was able to meet Kristen and Scott at the Notre Dame for lunch. That evening Eren and Lauren (my roommate in NOLA who is at Tulane this semester) finally got to Paris!! We went to the Duplex (an underground club on the Champs-Élysées) and danced the night away. There are two big rooms--one plays house slash techno music and the other is more mainstream American hip-hop. There were 7 of us close friends and we had such a blast. Lauren turned 21 at midnight and it was really cool to all be together in Paris.
The next day Di, Tom, KC and Brooke all got into Paris in the morning! They stayed at the Hotel les Jardin du Luxembourg--just a 35 minute walk or a 15 minute bus ride from my house! I met them at the hotel and we went to breakfast a café across the street. The girls and Tom had omelettes, Di a croissant and I had a crepe with nutella and bananas. We were all pretty beat but I was soo happy to see them! Our waitor was a character! He told us he was going to America in a month to meet a wife and Tom noticed he changed from wearing a bow-tie to a regular tie half way through the meal. We made dinner plans and while those guys took a nap, I met the Tulane crew under the Tour Eiffel to have a birthday picnic. My present to Lauren was a big bag filled with four different cheeses (roquefort, chevre, brie, camembert), two bottles of wine and two baguettes. Although it was cloudy and we were sprinkled on I thought it was a perfect day. I was so lucky to be with my best friend on her birthday under one of the prettiest things in the world. We talked and laughed like I hadn't missed a day at Tulane:) I was sad to see them leave but so lucky to have spent a few days with Callie, Eren and Lauren.

Patine sur la Glace à l'Hôtel de Ville

Saturday I went on a run around Jardin des Plantes, then met Hayley and Amy à l'Hôtel de Ville to go ice skating! We rented ice skates, even though Amy is like a pro or something. She has been ice skating all her life and has won all sorts of competitions and tried out for big shows and things. She was all upset she didn't have her ice skates because she couldn't skate as well and pull as many tricks. Hayley and I spent most of our time on the wall or holding Amy's hand to stay up. It was a bright warm day and they were playing Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and other American pop singers over loud speakers. The ice was melting really bad so there was a layer of water on top of the ice that was a little scary but still fun. We definitely made a spectacle clutching each other and scooting around the edge of the rink.
We then went inside l'Hôtel de Ville to see a photograph exposition, "Paris la Métisse." It was all photos of Paris and each one had the arrondissement distinguished on the placard. Everything from little kids painting in a park to a couple kissing on a bridge to a homeless man sleeping on the streets. They were all in black and white and very pretty.
Saturday night, I went to Amy's house because she made dinner. Her host family was supposed to be out of town but they surprised her by coming home early. Liliann, the wife, is friends with my Madame, but they are on the outs right now. Liliann asked me all these questions about Madame (like "what do you think the problem is in her family?") and of course I didn't know what to say. Finally, the couple went to a movie and Amy and I had a nice dinner of pasta and vegetables, salad, cheese, bread and wine. We met my friend Lauren Kelley from Tulane that night and went out dancing around Chatelet.
Sunday I went to Hayley's house for lunch. The lady she lives with, Laura, is a sweetheart and invited me over. She made couscous (she used to live in Algeria) and invited her Muslim son over. It was really good but she insisted we eat so much! She is a classic grandma figure so sweeeet and constantly giving us food. After lunch, she insisted I stay and take a nap there so I wouldn't be home alone in my apt. Hayley and I watched "Juno" and then went out just the two of us. We ended up meeting 4 American boys who are MBA students at WIlliam and Mary College and hung out with them all evening.

Happy Leap Year!

It only took me about a day to recover from London and this week I did a lot. Madame and I had dinner on Monday night and she made falafel balls, rice, and veggies. She was surprised I knew what falafel was. It was nice though and she was very interested in my trip to London.
On Wednesday I went to the Cluny Museum. It is right next to the Sorboone in the Latin Quarter and is a middle ages museum. Mom and had told be there was a chastity belt there, but I don't think it's there anymore. What the museum is really known for is its tapestries. There is this one huge one called The lady and the Unicorn that is in a dark room to preserve the colors. It was really pretty. I also saw Middle Age jewelry, tombstones, Roman baths, intricate and elaborate altars, statues, shoes, swords, stained glass, and armor. Very cool place if you are into the Middle Ages.
That evening I went with Henry to an American jazz club. We heard a girl named Felicia from the US who has lived and studied in South Africa and is now in Paris. Henry met her while he was doing volunteer work in South Africa. She sang some really great soulful stuff and had this deep sultry voice. The pianist and bass player were American, but the bass guitarist (Michel) was French. My favorite song of hers was "Summertime" but she also did renditions of "A Few of My Favorite Things" and "God Bless the Child." It was gorgeous and we were sitting right next to her.
Madame went out of town this week and left the apartment all to me! So on Friday after class, I rushed home to make dinner for Hayley and Amy. I had know idea how to work Madame's oven. I needed to set it at 200 degrees celsius and the two knobs were only numbered 1-6 and 1-10. I also didn't know if I needed to light it with a match because she has a gas stove. I was making a chicken and potato casserole and was worried i would overcook it on the stove. It turned out ok though! I found the recipe on an easy-French cooking website. it is made with white wine and was really good. Hayley and Amy came over and brought wine, cheese, bread, and salad. We lit a candle and used Madame's prettydishes while listening to Edith Piaf, the French singer.
Afterwards we went to a bar near my house. It is a rum bar so they had about 20 different kinds of rum in these big jars. From chocolate to mango to raspberry. All the French kids in there were singing along with the music, these French songs we had never heard. It was so rowdy and fun. We really need to learn those songs though. Amy spent the night because she is home alone too.

Funny Frenchisms

This will be a rolling list of things I find funny. According to the French:
1. black and brown do match
2. white shoes go with anything, at anytime of year
3. iced beverages do not exist
4. ham trumps chicken and turkey
5. peanut butter is extremely rare and expensive
6. stale bread is ok
7. police officers rollerblade
8. rollerblading is masculine
9. so are Longchamps bags
10. two heterosexual and grown men may ride together on a motorcycle
11. eggs need not be refrigerated
12. milk is always whole
13. when walking your dog, leash is optional
14. a grassy patch in a park is no place for sitting, playing, or doing sit-ups
15. tax and tip are included
16. accidental eye contact with a boy on the metro="please come talk to me and ask me for my number"

London with my Best Mates!

First of all, I had a blasty blast in London! I love that city so much! I saw pretty much everything I wanted to and was so happy to share the weekend with some of my best friends!
The train ride there was so easy and awesome-it was really early in the morning so I slept most of the way and it was only about 2.5 hrs. Crazy to think I was under the ocean for part of it! Eren and Jonathan met Hayley, Jayda and me at the train stop and it was such a happy little reunion! We checked into our hostel--it was out in Greenwich, real cute--and explored the area including the old royal navy academy. We tried to do some sightseeing but only made it to St Paul's Cathedral before 4 pm when all tourist spots close. We had pints at a pub on Fleet Street (from "Sweeney Todd") and just caught up. That night we met up with 2 other girls from Tulane who are studying in London and went to this pub/restaurant for fish and chips--my first time! I didnt like it that much, honestly, but it was the experience that counts. We then went out to the bars and clubs around Piccadilly--this one club had a cover band that we all really liked. Jonathan and I stayed out longer than everyone else and just explored some more bars. We even rode on the top of a double decker bus! Saturday morning we rose very early because we wanted to get tickets to a show for that night. We ended up scoring "Spamelot" tix for only 30 pounds (1/2 price!!!) Saturday was a sightseeing day and we did it all! Saw the changing of the guards, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, the London Eye (we didnt go up though), Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, London Tower--did go in here and saw Britain's crown jewels (breathtaking!), the old torture chamber instruments, the famous ravens and everything-So neat! especially since I just finished reading THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL about King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. We even stopped while we were walking over a bridge to play "London Bridges." We had lunch at a Subway (haha) and then went back to the hostel to change. We had dinner in Chinatown --so good. Poor London isn't exactly known for its food.
The best part for me was "Spamelot" that night. I really loved it. I was quoting the lines and thinking of Robbie the whole time. "'Tis but a scratch," "Five is right out" and "We are the Knights who say 'Ni.'"
It was really funny and cute and the singing was wonderful. The entire audience even joined in when they sang "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and whistled along with them. After that, we went to a pub in Euston Square and just enjoyed each other's company for a few hours before we caught the bus back to the hostel. Before my train back to Paris this morning I had a cup of tea and even put a little cream in it for the effect.
Such a fun weekend and so nice to see some really good friends across the pond. We all loved their funny phrases, "cheers (or cheerio)" "mate" "bloody," and the styles are so different than in Paris. It was also a nice break to speak the language;)
Here are some funny things I liked about London: on the street, they have printed "look left" or "look right" depending on where you're crossing so tourists don't get hit by unexpected oncoming traffic (driving the wrong way), their cigarette packs say "Smoking Kills" in big block letters--no Surgeon General's polite warning here, the girls there are thicker and wear tighter clothes than Parisian girls, they also have no rules about white shoes after labor day.

J'aime aujourd'hui!

February 13, 2008
Ah! Today was the best day. I woke up and headed over to le marché on Place Monge. So cute! I was a little intimidated at the meat and fish counters, but I did buy fruits and veggies. I was just really proud of myself for finding my way there on foot (only a 20 minute walk) and ordering in French (even though a whole kilo of carrots is too much lol). I caught the metro to school because I wanted to use the internet and I booked my tickets (en train!) to London! I am so excited! Jayda (studying in Switzerland this semester) is meeting me here and coming with me from Paris and Eren (studying in Madrid) is meeting us there. My buddy, Consalvo (studying in Cambridge) is also coming into the city for the weekend. I am going to try to meet up with my friend, Vic, from high school who is going to grad school at Oxford. I know, right, how cool is she? We are going to try to see “Wicked” also while we are there. Could life be sweeter?
I came home, used Madame’s salad spinner to wash my lettuce, did some Art History reading, and then took a run (aaah best part of the day). I almost didn’t go because my shin is a POS and has been giving me problems lately, but today it was good! I went my normal route across the Seine (!) but turned left for a change, ended up on a little footpath that ran right along the river! I was this close to being in the water (I am making a small space between my forefinger and thumb right now) and a Bateuax Parisian, those tour boats, even floated by me! I wouldn’t suggest it though because the cobblestones were a little awk to run on. I randomly came across a little park that I have seen from the Metro window, there were a lot of young kids and musicians sitting on the grass looking out over the Seine and playing music, I continued on and found myself at the Bastille (!) next to it there were a bunch of skateboarders pulling tricks on a slab of cement. I crossed back over the river and followed a directive sign towards Place d’Italie (chez moi) and ran smack dab into the Jardin des Plantes—oh what a happy surprise! It is known for its botanical gardens, the Grande Gallerie de l’Evolution and three other natural history museums. Supposedly Paris’ oldest tree is in here somewhere, too. I ran behind this older man in short shorts for awhile and then took a steep hill up and around some sort of monument—I was smiling the whole time because the park is just breathtaking…I can’t even imagine what Spring will be like. I found my way out and figured out my way home from there. Oh it was just such a glorious day—plenty of sun, yet perfectly chilly. L O V E L Y.

le Week-end

February 11, 2008
This weekend flew by as usual. Thursday night, a guy who works at the center (Alex) and his friend met three of us girls from my conversation class at a restaurant to practice French conversation and just to hang out. The restaurant, Chez Gladine, was wonderful! So typically French! Small and crowded—with only a couple of servers for the whole place. We ordered a charcuterie plate, a tray with about five different types of ham and a few pickles. It had chorizo, smoked ham, little sausages, big sausages, and I tried paté for the first time! It was ok, but I prefer other things. i was struggling at one point to pick up a slice of sausage with my fork and Alex told me to just grab with my hand. I said, “C’est impoli, non?” and he said that it is totally normal to grab things off a plate like that, even in a restaurant…Perhaps not a fancy restaurant, but this was ok. I ordered a salad that came in this huge silver mixing bowl (like the one we have at home, mom) and it came with diced cheese, round slices of fried potatoes, a large slice of ham and the best part an egg…over EASY (!) on top. It was sooo good and I was surprised I liked the egg. The conversation went well. We talked about the recent (January) ban of smoking indoors and Alex got into it. He thought it was crazy for the government to be able to prohibit something like that. I said it was bad for one’s health. He shot back (wine glass in hand, and motioning towards mine) so is drinking...and driving a car. He said it is part of the atmosphere and that people shouldn’t be criminalized and sent outside during a meal if they like to smoke. I strongly disagree with him on that, and tried to argue for as long and well as I could…but my vocabulary ran out. ;-)
On the walk home, I suddenly realized we were standing outside of the hotel that I stayed in my first time in Paris (Di and Mom!) I got all nostalgic and happy remembering our fun times there back in 2005—at the marché dans la rue and the Tabac ordering petits café au laits. I can’t believe how close it is to where I live now!
After a day of class on Friday, I met my French friend, Emmanuelle at a little café. We shared a crepe with nutella and bananas (staple food here) and each had a hot drink. We ended up talking for about 3 hours. She studied in London during her college years so her English is really good and she puts up with my French. She asked me about the presidential primaries and who I though would win, etc. I explained that although in France it is portrayed as a competition mainly between Hilary and Obama, that the real competition comes later between the Democrats and Republicans. I even talked to her about the Electoral College which, surprise?, she thinks is pointless.
Saturday I checked out Musée de l’Orangerie right by the Tuleries Garden with Hayley and Amy. It has Monet’s big water lily paintings. We also saw pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne and Guillarmi. It was a beautiful day so we sat outside for awhile and enjoyed the view of the garden on one side and the Tour Eiffel on the other.
That evening, the whole program went to a play, “On ne badine pas avec l’amour,” by Alfred de Musset. It was really well done—the actors were great and the set was just a large, slanted slab of grass. Unfortunately it was in Classical French so we didn’t understand a whole lot. We got the basic love triangle, but were a little confused about the deaths. One of my friends was upset because the only word he understood was “cousine” and that was what the two lovers called each other.
The theater, Théâtre de la Tempête, was really interesting and nice. It is located on the outskirts of Paris in Cartouchie. We had dinner, quiche, salad and a brownie and a glass of red wine.
I live in the 13th arrondissement and it is known for its Chinese population. On Sunday we went to the Chinese New Year parade just down the street from my apartment building. It was packed! The streets were sooo crowded. We watched the parade on Avenue de Choisy—floats carrying Chinese women in traditional costumes dancing with fans, men with drums, masks, painted faces, flags, confetti, balloons and big dragons. It was my first time going to something like that—how funny that happened in Paris. Every other storefront is a Chinese restaurant and a few girls stopped to get fried rice. When I went to bed that night I could hear the fireworks going off.
We have been discussing President Sarkozy a lot in both my Modern France and Muslim Presence in Europe classes. I even tend to bring him up in conversations with French peple I meet or my host mom, Madame Lafont. Lately we have discussed his nomination for the mayor of Neuilly, suburb of Paris. A man who has no political experience and seems like an absurd choice for the well-to-do area…Also, his personal life is very interesting to me. The fact that it is being made so public in the first place is extremely unusual for France’s president. Also, that he has been divorced twice and is now married again would never fly in the U.S. Plus, the way he is going about reforms now that he is in office is driving the French people, especially Madame who thinks he is “un dictateur,” crazy. My friend Mary’s host mom thinks he can’t do his job as president because he is in love with Carla Bruni. How is anyone supposed to run a country when they’re in love? … Wait, what?
Madame and I had dinner together last night. She made rice, Ratatouille and little tofu patties. She said she had to buy the tofu at a natural food store, but she told me where one is so I can go there. We talked for a long time and I learned that when she was 21 and left home for the first time, she went to Morocco to teach French to little kids! I thought that was really interesting. She said my French was really improving and commented on how well I can construct my sentences (lol). She’s sweet.