I just got done emailing Uncle Eric and I figured I'd post a new message since I'm just sitting at home for the night.
I decided to relax tonight and take it easy because I have a sore throat and a runny nose and my legs are full of bruises from falling down the stairs. Oh, and the weather is terrible and rainy.
And after calling around, it seems like a lot of people are similarly sick (maybe it's going around?) and just staying home. I could go over to a friends house and just watch a movie but I don't even think I feel like doing that.
On Sunday I'm going on my first "cultural excursion" that I signed up for at school. We have to meet really early and a bus will take us to the Champagne region of France. I'm excited for this because I like champagne better than wine. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures.
This is what it said on our itinerary sheet:
Sunday, 3 February 2008
08h00 bus departs 31, ave Bosquet for Reims
10h45 Tour and tasting at Lallement
12h45 Group lunch at Le Jéroboam
14h45 Departure for Pommery Champagne House
15h00 Tour and tasting at Pommery
16h30 Visit Reims Cathedral
17h00 Depart for Paris
20h00 Arrive back in Paris, 31 avenue Bosquet
So it'll take 3 hours to get there? Fun.
**ATTENTION**: The following three-course lunch with champagne will be served on this trip:
Salade du Pêcheur: Saumon Fumé, Chair de Crabe, Crevettes Roses, Asperges, Agrumes.
(Fisherman’s Salad: Salmon, crab, shrimp, asparagus and citrus).
Pavé de Mignon de Porc rôti au Romarin
(Pork with side dish)
Rondeur Chocolatée et sa Tuile Croquante
(Chocolate dessert)
Sounds good to me! I love smoked salmon. I hope I can get a nice bottle of champagne while I'm there, if it's not too pricey. I'm partial to Veuve Clicquot but only because the company's CEO is the woman who wrote the book "French Women Don't Get Fat." Did you know that a drink can only be called champagne if it was made in this specific region of France? Otherwise it's just sparkling white wine.
And tomorrow will probably be bad weather as well, so I think I'd like to go to a museum. It will be crowded since it's Saturday so maybe one of the less popular ones?
I'm also thinking about what I'm going to do for spring break. It's a month away, the first 2 weeks of March, but everyone else seems to have plans already. It's actually nice for me, because since I have no plans, I've received lots of invitations and I can just listen to what everyone else is doing and pick which trip I want to join.
I'm really not interested in going with anyone who is doing a whirlwind tour, visiting, like, 1 country every 2 days. That sounds exhausting and I'd rather relax and spend a longer time exploring one place. Also, I'd prefer not to go with a big group because it's easier to travel with just 1 or 2 people; you're more flexible and independent when you don't have to deal with a lot of people's individual wants and needs. And I want to go with a financially likeminded person who's not going to want 5 star restaurants each night. Oh, and no tagging along with couples. How awkward!
My friend Emily suggested we go to Italy. That sounds good, because there's so much to explore, we can spend the 2 weeks taking our time making our way by train across the country. I do want to go to the south of France eventually, but the beaches may not be warm enough in March.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Observations:
Casual Observations I've Noticed About Daily Parisian Life:
-ALL the eggs here are brown. Try finding a white egg! Go ahead, try!
-Girls frequently wear fur coats, high heels, and designer purses to class and don't look particularly overdressed.
-A chocolate bar at the supermarket can cost upwards of 8 euros. That's, what, 10 American dollars??!
-They serve beer at McDonalds.
-Dogs seem to be welcome everywhere, even in chic department stores like Le Galleries Lafayette.
-When things go on sale, it gets cutthroat. Think of the day after Thanksgiving in America and how hard it is to go shopping then. That's what it feels like when I approach the 3 euro rack at H&M.
-I don't feel like a minority being white. UCR is such an ethnically diverse school, but at AUP most of the other students (not visiting students like me, but actual students who go there) seem to be white. But I love that so many students there are from other countries around Europe. There seem to be quite a few people from Switzerland and Belgium. I've also met several fellow Brazilians.
-Everyone seems to think I'm English!! "I can tell by your face...You look like an English girl...Are you from London?..." Non, je suis americainne.
-The toilet (aka water closet) is in a separate room from the bathroom! Whoever heard of such a ridiculous thing?? There is this thing in the bathroom and I have no idea what it is. It looks like a sink, but very close to the floor. I am scared to go near it in case it's something gross.
-A spoonful of nutella can be a delicious snack in a hurry.
-Children don't have school on Wednesday. Why couldn't we have that in America?
-Evian is no more expensive than any other bottled water. In America, Evian is, like, twice the price.
-I feel naked walking out of the house without a scarf. They're such a prevalent part of one's wardrobe here, men and women wear them everywhere.
-Beware of color. A little bit in your outfit is okay, but you'd better have some black and neutrals in there to even things out. It sort of seems like my hair is already the color I'm adding to my outfit...
-They think Ratatouille is a French film? HA! It's American! You just can't tell it's dubbed because it's animated.
On another note, I fell down the stairs at the metro station today. It was pretty embarassing because there were a ton of people around and now I have a couple of bruises on my legs. It was bound to happen sooner or later with all those annoying stairs!
Also, I have been trying to find a babysitting job. Nothing too time consuming or demanding, just a laid-back way to make some pocket money. I've already met 3 women looking for babysitters, but I think I'll only take one of the jobs. One of the women lives really close to school and only needs me 2 or 3 days a week, so I think I'll do that one.
You know, I think that all the warnings we've been given about staying safe in Paris have been a little...superfluous. I have not had anyone try to steal from me or attack me, even though I've done some of the things they warned us not to do. I have approached random strangers on the metro, I have walked home alone at night. I think using common sense and adapting to each unique situation is more important than abiding by a strict set of guidelines. I am so glad I decided to study abroad! I definitely want to do this more in the future.
Also, I started painting class on Tuesday. It's going great, it really looks like it's going to be a fun class! Our first assignment is due in class next week: a still life. I decided to paint the table at the Angelina cafe with the macaroons. It's not done yet but this is what I've done so far:
Monday, January 28, 2008
"Aren't we classy?"
scarves are my vice... I've bought about 8 of them so far. And 2 hats. I got a keffiyah today! A pink one.
I got the funniest text from Serena today! i started giggling on the metro... See, the other day we ate lunch at Pigalle, which is the red light district of Paris, where the Moulin Rouge and all the sex shops are. And today I went by myself to this area of Paris that's a lot like downtown LA; dirt cheap and interesting but kind of scary and unsafe. I left after only 15 minutes because I didnt feel comfortable being there alone. So I texted Serena that she should come back here with me so we could look at the stuff together. So she texted back:
"Sounds neat! Seedy and cheap? We sure are classy! First the sex shops, now this..."
The other day not 1 but 2 people thought I was English! It must have been the outfit, it looked very London.
I got the funniest text from Serena today! i started giggling on the metro... See, the other day we ate lunch at Pigalle, which is the red light district of Paris, where the Moulin Rouge and all the sex shops are. And today I went by myself to this area of Paris that's a lot like downtown LA; dirt cheap and interesting but kind of scary and unsafe. I left after only 15 minutes because I didnt feel comfortable being there alone. So I texted Serena that she should come back here with me so we could look at the stuff together. So she texted back:
"Sounds neat! Seedy and cheap? We sure are classy! First the sex shops, now this..."
The other day not 1 but 2 people thought I was English! It must have been the outfit, it looked very London.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
"These Gates Were Made For Sneaking Into!"
So on Friday, I woke up too late to do anything except go to class at noon. I bought a crepe in between classes at this little stand I've been going to. I've fallen in love with their cinnamon sugar crepe! Anyway, after class I took the metro across the city to go to this art store to pick up supplies for painting class. It was a little confusing, wandering through the store trying to find all of the exact products my teacher wanted us to get, and the store owners didn't speak very good english, but I ended up getting my supplies, plus some pastels.
Anyway, there was a dance later that night at a club for AUP students. I went to my friend Katie's apartment and ate dinner there and got ready. It turned out to be really fun, since I knew a lot of the people there. We evded up taking a taxi back because the metros had stopped running.
The weather has been excellent lately, compared to all the rain we had before! It's still chilly, but at least the sun is out.
On Saturday, I went shopping with Rachel all day! We scoured the shops looking for sales, which end in about a week. H&M, Zara, Gap, Claires, and a lot of little boutiques. We spent well over an hour in United Colors of Benetton, because Rachel bought a pair of shoes and 2 pairs of pants, and I bought the same pants but in a different color. We got so excited about the pants! Theyre soft and dark gray and very European looking. I also bought new tights from Monoprix and a couple scarves.
We ate lunch as McDonalds, which turned out to be exactly the same as every other McDonalds, except they serve beer! When we got tired we went to the place I found earlier with the carousel and shared a cotton candy!
So today is Sunday and since it was such a nice day, I went to the Tuileries Gardens, by the Louvre. Serena met me there and we took a billion pictures. There were some bronze statues of naked women and we had fun dressing them up in our sunglasses, scarves, purses, jackets, etc. The other people in the gardens were laughing and taking pictures of it too. Then we went to Pigalle and had lunch, but we were tired and it had gotten cold so we went home after a while. And now I'm meeting Emily in an hour for dinner...
Anyway, there was a dance later that night at a club for AUP students. I went to my friend Katie's apartment and ate dinner there and got ready. It turned out to be really fun, since I knew a lot of the people there. We evded up taking a taxi back because the metros had stopped running.
The weather has been excellent lately, compared to all the rain we had before! It's still chilly, but at least the sun is out.
On Saturday, I went shopping with Rachel all day! We scoured the shops looking for sales, which end in about a week. H&M, Zara, Gap, Claires, and a lot of little boutiques. We spent well over an hour in United Colors of Benetton, because Rachel bought a pair of shoes and 2 pairs of pants, and I bought the same pants but in a different color. We got so excited about the pants! Theyre soft and dark gray and very European looking. I also bought new tights from Monoprix and a couple scarves.
We ate lunch as McDonalds, which turned out to be exactly the same as every other McDonalds, except they serve beer! When we got tired we went to the place I found earlier with the carousel and shared a cotton candy!
So today is Sunday and since it was such a nice day, I went to the Tuileries Gardens, by the Louvre. Serena met me there and we took a billion pictures. There were some bronze statues of naked women and we had fun dressing them up in our sunglasses, scarves, purses, jackets, etc. The other people in the gardens were laughing and taking pictures of it too. Then we went to Pigalle and had lunch, but we were tired and it had gotten cold so we went home after a while. And now I'm meeting Emily in an hour for dinner...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Shopping up a storm!!!!
Well, I had to write today because I did something very special. It was one of the reasons I wanted to go to paris actually. Angelina. The best chocolat chaud in Paris! (hot chocolate). It really did live up to its reputation.
So I met up with Emily after class and we took the metro to the Tuileries, which is right by the Louvre. While we waited for Joanne to show up, we walked around a bit on the Rue de Rivoli, Rue Saint Honore and Rue Cambon. Do any of those streets sound familiar? Those are the streets with all the expensive designer stores!
We stumbled upon Collette, which was pretty cool upstairs. There were mannequins set up everywhere, each dressed in a gorgeous outfit, complete down to the shoes. Emily and I wanted to take pictures, but we decided we'd come back another time when we were feeling more touristy.
We wandered through a few more stores and eventually found our way to the famed Chanel store on the Rue Cambon. I was reluctant to go inside because I didn't feel I was dressed chic enough, but we ventured inside and tiptoed around the designer purses as though we were in a museum of priceless art. And when my cell phone went off, with its tacky ringtone, I felt just as awkward as I did when it went off in the sacred Sacre Coeur.
Joanne met us there and we left and took pictures outside. We finally got to Angelinas! The decor was beautifulo inside. It looks exactly as one would imagine a Parisian salon should look! It seems like such a pleasant place to go for a cup of chocolat chaud in the middle of the day. We ordered colorful macaroons and 2 orders of hot chocolate for the 3 of us to share. Next time, we'll just get 1 order because the chocolate is so thick!
It tastes very strong and rich, sort of like a melted chocolate bar! They serve it with a dish of whipped cream and glasses of cold water. I felt very heavy and sleepy afterward. Of course, we then spent about 10 minutes working out how to split the check (one of us only had a 20, so we had to figure out who owed who what, etc...) One order is about 6.50 euros. So next time if 2 or 3 of us share 1, and we don't get the pastries, it's really not any more expensive than buying a cup of hot chocolate on the sidewalk.
Yesterday was fairly uneventful. I went to a cemetery early in the morning. I couldn't find the graves of Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, or Oscar Wilde, but after about an hour of wandering about, I gave up and was happy just to find an exit. That place is huge, like a maze!
I ended up in a really cool metro that sold makeup for 2 euros. It actually made me think of Marissa, and how fun it would be for us to pore over the makeup selection! And after class I went to Free P Star again, and this time visited their other branch which was a block away. I bought a fuzzy purple beret, which I wore today, a scarf, and a white angora cardigan (10 euros!) that I think I might give to Marissa. As I was leaving, I saw a beautiful 2 story carousel with vendors selling cotton candy for 2 euros. That is definitely on my to-do list!
I'm still on the hunt for a good, cheap touristy store where I can buy postcards and mini eiffel towers and t-shirts and the like! Oh, and I'm thinking about pursuing babysitting jobs with a family who wants a native English speaker. Nothing time consuming, just for pocket money to keep up with my shopping!
So I met up with Emily after class and we took the metro to the Tuileries, which is right by the Louvre. While we waited for Joanne to show up, we walked around a bit on the Rue de Rivoli, Rue Saint Honore and Rue Cambon. Do any of those streets sound familiar? Those are the streets with all the expensive designer stores!
We stumbled upon Collette, which was pretty cool upstairs. There were mannequins set up everywhere, each dressed in a gorgeous outfit, complete down to the shoes. Emily and I wanted to take pictures, but we decided we'd come back another time when we were feeling more touristy.
We wandered through a few more stores and eventually found our way to the famed Chanel store on the Rue Cambon. I was reluctant to go inside because I didn't feel I was dressed chic enough, but we ventured inside and tiptoed around the designer purses as though we were in a museum of priceless art. And when my cell phone went off, with its tacky ringtone, I felt just as awkward as I did when it went off in the sacred Sacre Coeur.
Joanne met us there and we left and took pictures outside. We finally got to Angelinas! The decor was beautifulo inside. It looks exactly as one would imagine a Parisian salon should look! It seems like such a pleasant place to go for a cup of chocolat chaud in the middle of the day. We ordered colorful macaroons and 2 orders of hot chocolate for the 3 of us to share. Next time, we'll just get 1 order because the chocolate is so thick!
It tastes very strong and rich, sort of like a melted chocolate bar! They serve it with a dish of whipped cream and glasses of cold water. I felt very heavy and sleepy afterward. Of course, we then spent about 10 minutes working out how to split the check (one of us only had a 20, so we had to figure out who owed who what, etc...) One order is about 6.50 euros. So next time if 2 or 3 of us share 1, and we don't get the pastries, it's really not any more expensive than buying a cup of hot chocolate on the sidewalk.
Yesterday was fairly uneventful. I went to a cemetery early in the morning. I couldn't find the graves of Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, or Oscar Wilde, but after about an hour of wandering about, I gave up and was happy just to find an exit. That place is huge, like a maze!
I ended up in a really cool metro that sold makeup for 2 euros. It actually made me think of Marissa, and how fun it would be for us to pore over the makeup selection! And after class I went to Free P Star again, and this time visited their other branch which was a block away. I bought a fuzzy purple beret, which I wore today, a scarf, and a white angora cardigan (10 euros!) that I think I might give to Marissa. As I was leaving, I saw a beautiful 2 story carousel with vendors selling cotton candy for 2 euros. That is definitely on my to-do list!
I'm still on the hunt for a good, cheap touristy store where I can buy postcards and mini eiffel towers and t-shirts and the like! Oh, and I'm thinking about pursuing babysitting jobs with a family who wants a native English speaker. Nothing time consuming, just for pocket money to keep up with my shopping!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
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