It has been over a week since I have been able to post, but with something to do at every second of the day in this city, it continues to get harder to put all my thoughts on "paper!!"
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to meet up with one of my sorority sisters in Lisbon, Portugal who is studying in Barcelona for the summer. A few months ago when we realized we would both be in Europe at the same time, we decided that it was necessary to pick a country in between so to speak, and go there for the weekend! Finally, the time came and we were in Lisbon together for the weekend! I arrived Friday evening as Paige came earlier that day, so by the time I got there, she already had our bearings of the city. Our first thought was to explore some of the city before it got dark out, and then naturally go out for the evening. Although we were both tired planning to go to bed semi-early, an early night turned into an early morning as we were out until the sun came up, literally, as we walked up the stairs to our hostel and into our room, opened the windows and there the sun was. Yikes. Despite this late bed time, we were still determined to get up and site see for the entire day.
We allowed ourselves a good four hours of sleep before we woke up to site see in the 90 degree heat. We actually got to see most of the city in a matter of hours as we did the typical tourist bus tour. Because it was so nice out, we sat by the water for a good hour before we decided it was necessary to go to the beach for the evening and have dinner and drinks by the Atlantic Ocean for the rest of the night. While it was a short stay, I was more than happy to be able to meet up with a friend from school half way around the world!
Unfortunately, returning to Paris meant that I was approaching my last week here as my program comes to a conclusion at the end of this week. I have made an amazing group of friends on this trip who I will now be able to call my best friends, especially my roommate Ashlynn, lived and soaked up the Parisian culture, ate AMAZING food, explored new areas of city that I did not know of before, and be able to improve on my French that I will hopefully become fully fluent in some day.
However, although almost over, it isn't fully yet! My mom and sister are both in Paris for a few days, mom on a layover just as she is every week, and Mari here for a quick visit from London. She is finishing up grad school and her Thesis before she heads off to Nepal specially asked to do research for UCL. I couldn't be happier to be able to spend my last moments here with them. One of my favorite memories of French was made tonight when my host mother had my mom, sister, Ashlynn and I of course, as well as our other roommate who is attending culinary school at the Cordian Blue, for dinner. We had another amazing French meal turning into food coma after we were done. Because Mari is fluent in French, she was able to keep conversation going as we were able to learn a lot about Madame and her life up until her good ol' 87 year old years. We all sat around laughing, drinking, and talking for over two hours after the meal was finished. In this moment, I truly felt so lucky to be part of the culture that takes place here in France. Family, friends, and conversation is valued more than I have ever seen before. To be able to share this with my mom and sister was truly amazing!
I fully plan on taking advantage of my last week here as I go out with my friends every night, keep eating this amazing food before it is no longer an option, spending time with my family, and overall embracing the rest of my time here!
A bientot!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Bastille Weekend Festivities
To say that this weekend was the absolute craziest weekend of my life would certainly be an understatement! As I mentioned before, a longtime tradition on the weekend of Bastille Day is to turn all of the firestations in Paris into night clubs where techno/ house music blares the streets of Paris until the sun rises the next day. Keeping up with the tradition, my friends and I took part in this craziness by going to one of the "Bal de pampiers" in the Marais area of Paris. However, before going out, we went to a comedy show that was put on by a comedian who is originally from New York and moved to Paris 8 years ago to perform his shows. Although still in English, it was just about the funniest performance I have ever seen, as he made fun of the French as well as the Americans in France too. After attending this, we quickly left to go out to the Firestation, and didn't even have to get directions because just as we got off the metro, the music was able to be heard 4 to five blocks away. As we walked in, there were over 100 firemen standing behind a bar with drinks ready to be given out.
The next morning was a result of how much fun we had because it was a struggle to get up at a reasonable hour. However, we continued to celebrate with the French and went to the Eiffel Tower to have a picnic and await the fireworks and concert that were to begin that night. I had a vision of the fireworks going off over the Seine River for about 15 minutes and that be the end of it. Well after three hours of waiting in order to get a good spot to sit at, (there had to have been over 1 million people visiting Paris for the weekend because there was not an ounce of grass available by the time the fireworks started) music and lights started blaring from the top of the tower as fireworks went off for a solid 30 to 45 minutes. It was the most surreal sight I have ever seen before!
To conclude this weekend, we woke up early this morning to go see Versailles, Louis XIV's castle that he built that took over 20 years to build, and Claude Monet's house in Giverny. It is not a shock now as to how he got inspiration and ended up being such a good artists due to the surroundings he grew up in. At every angle there were flowers with multiple gardens that surrounded his house at every glance. It is hard to believe that I only have two weeks left in Paris, but I will continue to make the best of everything as we all have accepted we will not be getting sleep until we return home in August!
A bientot!
The next morning was a result of how much fun we had because it was a struggle to get up at a reasonable hour. However, we continued to celebrate with the French and went to the Eiffel Tower to have a picnic and await the fireworks and concert that were to begin that night. I had a vision of the fireworks going off over the Seine River for about 15 minutes and that be the end of it. Well after three hours of waiting in order to get a good spot to sit at, (there had to have been over 1 million people visiting Paris for the weekend because there was not an ounce of grass available by the time the fireworks started) music and lights started blaring from the top of the tower as fireworks went off for a solid 30 to 45 minutes. It was the most surreal sight I have ever seen before!
To conclude this weekend, we woke up early this morning to go see Versailles, Louis XIV's castle that he built that took over 20 years to build, and Claude Monet's house in Giverny. It is not a shock now as to how he got inspiration and ended up being such a good artists due to the surroundings he grew up in. At every angle there were flowers with multiple gardens that surrounded his house at every glance. It is hard to believe that I only have two weeks left in Paris, but I will continue to make the best of everything as we all have accepted we will not be getting sleep until we return home in August!
A bientot!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Week Numero trois, already?!
Just about three weeks ago I arrived in Paris with my mom to start my journey in this amazing city! I absolutely cannot believe my time here is just about half way over, but I already feel like I can call this place my new home, especially after being away for the weekend in the north of France.
After an exhausting weekend, it was hard to be motivated to sit through a three hour class the next day! However, although my class is extremely challenging composed of students from all of the world (Japan, China, Korea, Brazil, Poland, Turkey, and of course the US) I look forward to going to class everyday because for those three hours, I do not hear one once of English in my class. Due to the diversity, French, in this case, is the common language amongst all of the different native languages in the room. It has been quite the experience to be able to learn from these other cultures even in the French class itself. For example, the topic we have been discussing this week has been "amour" or love and marriage. We have had various debates in our class concerning what the values of each of these topics mean, and because there are so many different perspectives in the room, it poses for intense discussion that helps me gain an understanding of where these cultures stand in certain areas.
Aside from class, I have also had the joy of being able to see the one and only Mama Maureen Dumbaugh (or as her Delta Flight Attendant friends call her, MoMo) as well as some of the FAs every Tuesday and Wednesday. This week I met her at the Shakespeare bookstore after touring some of Paris with my friends, and then proceeded to walk through St. Michael and eat dinner at a cafe that lasted over two hours! We repeated the same thing yesterday, and while I still feel like I am experiencing Paris for myself, it is still so surreal to me that it has been so easy for me to see her every week! I am so thankful for this.
Tonight marks the beginning of an absolutely wild weekend in Paris because of Bastille Day. This entire city is preparing for what you would think is the turn of a new century, and my friends and I couldn't be more excited to be part of it! We are starting off tonight by going to the "baby bottle" fondue place where you get your wine and drinks served into a baby bottle for the entire night, and of course fondue to go with it. For the rest of the weekend, fire stations apparently turn into clubs, a tradition in Paris that will continue to be a must do on Bastille Day and the day leading up to it as well as a parade down the Champs, concerts, and fire works at the Eiffel Tower!
A bientot!
After an exhausting weekend, it was hard to be motivated to sit through a three hour class the next day! However, although my class is extremely challenging composed of students from all of the world (Japan, China, Korea, Brazil, Poland, Turkey, and of course the US) I look forward to going to class everyday because for those three hours, I do not hear one once of English in my class. Due to the diversity, French, in this case, is the common language amongst all of the different native languages in the room. It has been quite the experience to be able to learn from these other cultures even in the French class itself. For example, the topic we have been discussing this week has been "amour" or love and marriage. We have had various debates in our class concerning what the values of each of these topics mean, and because there are so many different perspectives in the room, it poses for intense discussion that helps me gain an understanding of where these cultures stand in certain areas.
Aside from class, I have also had the joy of being able to see the one and only Mama Maureen Dumbaugh (or as her Delta Flight Attendant friends call her, MoMo) as well as some of the FAs every Tuesday and Wednesday. This week I met her at the Shakespeare bookstore after touring some of Paris with my friends, and then proceeded to walk through St. Michael and eat dinner at a cafe that lasted over two hours! We repeated the same thing yesterday, and while I still feel like I am experiencing Paris for myself, it is still so surreal to me that it has been so easy for me to see her every week! I am so thankful for this.
Tonight marks the beginning of an absolutely wild weekend in Paris because of Bastille Day. This entire city is preparing for what you would think is the turn of a new century, and my friends and I couldn't be more excited to be part of it! We are starting off tonight by going to the "baby bottle" fondue place where you get your wine and drinks served into a baby bottle for the entire night, and of course fondue to go with it. For the rest of the weekend, fire stations apparently turn into clubs, a tradition in Paris that will continue to be a must do on Bastille Day and the day leading up to it as well as a parade down the Champs, concerts, and fire works at the Eiffel Tower!
A bientot!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
La Vie dans la belle Paris!
I told myself that I would make a point to blog at least two to three times a week while here, but when trying to fit seeing every part of Paris in just one month, it poses quite the problem! So, another week has gone by, and in that time, I have experienced new bars and pubs with friends, seen new monuments, tried new food, and gone to a new part of this beautiful country!
Last Wednesday, Ashlynn and I experienced our very first traditional French meal with Madame. We were told that dinner was at 8, and when we woke up from our nap at 7:30, the house was filled with the most amazing smell of chicken and vegetables. She brought out the dinner, and then when we thought the meal was completed, she brought out cheese (four different types) and bread to eat with it. This entire time mind you, she was continually refilling our glasses of wine, and before we knew it, we finished an entire bottle to ourselves. She then brought out ice cream followed by cake to put into the ice cream. Needless to say, I could leave Paris right now and be satisfied just because of this meal!
After a long day of classes on Thursday, we explored a new area of the city for happy hour and found an adorable hole in the wall bar that was famous for their Sangria! The weekend soon followed with an amazing night out, and then had to wake up early Saturday morning to go to Normandy for the rest of the weekend. As we arrived after a three hour bus ride, we immediately went to the WWII museum and saw a silent documentary on D-Day, from both sides of the war. We immediately drove to the exact beaches that were fled on D-Day. It was surreal to have my feet on the same beaches. We then went to the American cemetery where all the bodies of American soldiers who died in WWII were buried; Because the United States constructed the memorial and graves for the soldiers, we were technically on American soil, which was comforting to know that I had a little piece of home even though I was so far away.
Our next stop was to Brittany, another part of France on the coast; we stayed in an adorable hotel right on the water in the middle of the city with an Irish pub conveniently right next to our hotel. We woke up early the next morning to go to Mount St. Michael, which is an Abby that was built centuries ago; it was as beautiful in person as it is in pictures! While the weekend away was so incredible, I was happy to be back in my little bedroom with my roommate in this beautiful city. You know somewhere is starting to feel like home when you are happy to be back!
A Bientot!
Last Wednesday, Ashlynn and I experienced our very first traditional French meal with Madame. We were told that dinner was at 8, and when we woke up from our nap at 7:30, the house was filled with the most amazing smell of chicken and vegetables. She brought out the dinner, and then when we thought the meal was completed, she brought out cheese (four different types) and bread to eat with it. This entire time mind you, she was continually refilling our glasses of wine, and before we knew it, we finished an entire bottle to ourselves. She then brought out ice cream followed by cake to put into the ice cream. Needless to say, I could leave Paris right now and be satisfied just because of this meal!
After a long day of classes on Thursday, we explored a new area of the city for happy hour and found an adorable hole in the wall bar that was famous for their Sangria! The weekend soon followed with an amazing night out, and then had to wake up early Saturday morning to go to Normandy for the rest of the weekend. As we arrived after a three hour bus ride, we immediately went to the WWII museum and saw a silent documentary on D-Day, from both sides of the war. We immediately drove to the exact beaches that were fled on D-Day. It was surreal to have my feet on the same beaches. We then went to the American cemetery where all the bodies of American soldiers who died in WWII were buried; Because the United States constructed the memorial and graves for the soldiers, we were technically on American soil, which was comforting to know that I had a little piece of home even though I was so far away.
Our next stop was to Brittany, another part of France on the coast; we stayed in an adorable hotel right on the water in the middle of the city with an Irish pub conveniently right next to our hotel. We woke up early the next morning to go to Mount St. Michael, which is an Abby that was built centuries ago; it was as beautiful in person as it is in pictures! While the weekend away was so incredible, I was happy to be back in my little bedroom with my roommate in this beautiful city. You know somewhere is starting to feel like home when you are happy to be back!
A Bientot!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Bonjour Paris!
It has been exactly one week since I have been in the beautiful city of Paris, and I cannot say enough that I am absolutely having the time of my life!
My flight was on Monday evening and arrived Tuesday morning. However, since I wasn't meeting up with the rest of my group until Friday, my mom and I had a few days to ourself. We took a nap for most of the day on Tuesday to try to get rid of some jet lag, and then met one of mom's flight attendant friends for dinner, which is always a ton of fun! On Wednesday and Thursday we simply just walked around, saw my school and then went to meet my host mother whose apartment is just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower and between two metro stations!
I finally met up with the rest of my group on Friday and got to meet my roommate that I would be living with this summer, Ashlynn! She walked into the apartment as I was sitting in the living room talking to Madame, I couldn't be more excited and happy that we were placed together! We keep telling each other that we lucked out so well with the placements and needless to say, I am beyond excited for the rest of the summer! After she arrived, we left to meet up with the rest of the people in our program for a short logistical meeting and then of course went off to have wine and a traditional Parisian meal.
As the weekend approached we were eager to start our journey in Paris, but were also exhausted at the same time so Ashlynn and I decided to have a low key night and walk to the Eiffel Tower to see it light up and sparkle (every hour on the hour in the summertime). On Saturday we had an all day tour of Paris with everyone in our group visiting sites such as Les Invalides, la Tour Eiffel, etc. and then four other girls and I found a local bar to and a few bottles of wine later!
Sunday was probably one of the best times in Paris so far because the one and only Lizzy Collier came to visit, and after five years of seeing each other, we were able to meet up! A good time is always gaurenteed with Lizzo. Ashlynn and I took the metro to her stop near Momomatre and watched the Euro Cup finals at a local bar with Liz and her friend, and then made our way to the Moulin Rouge area and then spotted a fun bar with lots of music and lots and lots of Aussie's when we walked in! While it seemed like we were only together for five minutes, four hours later we had to leave!
I started classes today and met mom and her flight attendant friends for another round of wine and dinner! Everything is all catching up to me and I am starting to become exhausted, but with only one month here there is no time to waste!
Missing all my friends and family from home but am also so thankful I am able to have this experience!
A bientot!
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