an entry I meant to post last tuesday:
Bad word, bad word, bad word.
This really hasn’t been my week. I’m not feeling any better – in fact, I’m feeling worse in some ways, so I went to the doctor today only to shell out 40 euros for “well, you don’t have strep throat… sounds viral to me. Rest up, here’s a sudophed prescription for the congestion and codeine for the throat pain. Come back in a week if it’s still bad.” If I have pneumonia, that is not at all helpful advice. I asked her if there was any way for her to test whether it was viral or bacterial, and she said that *she* couldn’t, she supposes she could refer me to a lab but she’s not sure if it would be worth the trouble, and anyway, once you hit 20 you’re pretty much done getting bacterial infections.
French doctors are useless.
I had an art history midterm this morning. I felt really, really prepared for it and I wanted to get it over with, so I called Estelle, my professor/the director of the program, to see if she would have a problem with me coming in to take it. She said no, but she was going to relegate me to the back corner in any case. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have come in: on the way to school, I went through subsequent phases of nausea, dizziness, and feeling very sorry for myself, only to finally break the fever as I was walking into the building (read: schmitzing like a pig). I don’t think I bombed the midterm, but I don’t think I rocked it either. It’s hard to think in French.
The worst part of my week so far is that I dropped my computer and now the airport hardware is no longer registering. This is disastrous. It didn’t drop that far – it just slid off my lap, and everything else appears to be totally fine, but it insists that there’s no airport card, when I know for sure that there is (I can see it!!). Ironically enough, MacHelp doesn’t tell you how to take out the airport card – it says that in order to learn how to do that, you have to go to apple.com. Do you think I would need to reinstall my airport card if I had internet access?? Of course, I would look up directions on Chloe’s computer but considering my condition, she doesn’t want me touching her computer with a ten foot pole. So here I am writing a blog entry on Microsoft word.
That said, if you need to contact me with anything urgent in the next few days, buy some skype credit or use an international calling card and call my Paris cell phone: 33 6 86 38 47 51. In my quarantined state, I’d appreciate any and all forms of company!!
UPDATES:
I'm feeling much better but I still have no internet on my own computer. I borrowed a computer from the Center to use, which gets wifi but not at my house, so I have to trek to McDonals every time I want to use it... barf. In other news, though, Sara and I saw Charlie Wilson's War on Friday night and loved it, I turned in my URP grant proposal which might give me money to stay at Stanford and research over the summer, and I also finished my final French exposé, to be delievered tomorrow. Whew! RA interview followed by "girls night" at Natalie's apartment tonight - I'm looking forward to it! Wish me luck on my expose tomorrow...
dimanche 2 mars 2008
dimanche 24 février 2008
you give me fever
Unfortunately, the only adventures I've been having this weekend have been riding the rollercoaster of a fever which I came down with at 4 AM on Saturday morning. Case of the serious blahs - fever, aches, chills, and an awesome cough to boot. I don't think I have a cold because I'm having no sinus issues, and though it doesn't seem all that serious, it hasn't gotten any better yet. I hope that I wake up tomorrow morning feeling better!
Well, I guess my previous statement about no adventures is somewhat of a lie: I managed to scrape myself out of bed to have lunch with my language partner, Chloe, and her language partner on Saturday. I wasn't feeling all that hungry, so I had onion soup and escargot (my first escargot since I've been here - they were so yummy). I think that the French boys thought I was either anorexic or just a really eccentric eater. The lunch was really nice overall - Chloe had beef fondue (the kind where you get pieces of raw meat to fry in the pot of boiling oil, then you dip it in a variety of dipping sauces. Quite a process).
I have had the biggest, weirdest hankering for McDonalds soft serve - I've had 2 cones in the last 2 days. Soup and soft serve and escargot. Maybe I am an eccentric eater...
I've also managed to write most of my URP grant proposal for my honors thesis so that I can get paid to stay at Stanford over the summer and do research if the Gap internship doesn't work out. I still have my fingers crossed about the Gap (should hear any day now), but this doesn't seem like a bad option either. I'll send the grant proposal draft to my thesis advisor tomorrow - hopefully it makes sense.
Midterm in my art history class this week, final exposé in my French class next week, Berlin that weekend, final exam in my WWII class, final art history paper (2-4 pages, no big deal), then I'm done with the quarter! Hard to believe. I'm trying to make a list of all the things I want to do with my parents, but so far, it's composed of going to my favorite restaurants and cafes and park-hopping. I hope they're hungry!
Off to finish this grant proposal, then maybe I'll download another episode of Project Runway... guilty pleasure, not so guilty when you're sick!
Well, I guess my previous statement about no adventures is somewhat of a lie: I managed to scrape myself out of bed to have lunch with my language partner, Chloe, and her language partner on Saturday. I wasn't feeling all that hungry, so I had onion soup and escargot (my first escargot since I've been here - they were so yummy). I think that the French boys thought I was either anorexic or just a really eccentric eater. The lunch was really nice overall - Chloe had beef fondue (the kind where you get pieces of raw meat to fry in the pot of boiling oil, then you dip it in a variety of dipping sauces. Quite a process).
I have had the biggest, weirdest hankering for McDonalds soft serve - I've had 2 cones in the last 2 days. Soup and soft serve and escargot. Maybe I am an eccentric eater...
I've also managed to write most of my URP grant proposal for my honors thesis so that I can get paid to stay at Stanford over the summer and do research if the Gap internship doesn't work out. I still have my fingers crossed about the Gap (should hear any day now), but this doesn't seem like a bad option either. I'll send the grant proposal draft to my thesis advisor tomorrow - hopefully it makes sense.
Midterm in my art history class this week, final exposé in my French class next week, Berlin that weekend, final exam in my WWII class, final art history paper (2-4 pages, no big deal), then I'm done with the quarter! Hard to believe. I'm trying to make a list of all the things I want to do with my parents, but so far, it's composed of going to my favorite restaurants and cafes and park-hopping. I hope they're hungry!
Off to finish this grant proposal, then maybe I'll download another episode of Project Runway... guilty pleasure, not so guilty when you're sick!
jeudi 21 février 2008
don't tell the spanish, but I prefer the flan in france...
We came, we saw, we conquered! Well, at least we got there. We had an uneventful flight to Madrid on Saturday afternoon, arrived around 5, and wandered around until we found our hostel (conveniently located in the dead center of the city). The first hostel we stayed in was incredibly nice, for a hostel - only shared a room with 2 other people, got clean linens upon arrival, private bathroom, and unlimited continental breakfast. (The second hostel we stayed in on Sunday night actually got better reviews on hostelworld.com but was much worse in my opinion. No private bathrooms, iffy sheets, noisy room, etc - not worth the 5 euros we saved by switching. I think if we had been looking to meet other young people, it would've been the better of the two, but that wasn't our priority. Hmm, tangent. ANYway...)
Spanish people are late to bed, late to rise, and late to eat, so in an attempt to adapt to Spanish culture, we didn't end up eating till about 10. We met up with Jacobi for dinner - one of our friends from Stanford who is currently studying abroad in Spain - but by that point we were all pretty starved - perhaps dinner at 10 was a little ambitious for our first day. The paella, however, was totally worth the wait!
That night, we got into a discotheque around 2 AM (the Spanish way! Get into the club as the metro closes, get out when it opens) and danced our feet off in 3-story club that looks like a renovated 17th century palace, appropriately called "Palazzio". We didn't get out until about 6, and of course didn't even consider going home before getting churros and chocolate (rather disgusting at 6 AM on no sleep in my opinion, but Jacobi insisted they were the way to go).
Sunday, Chloe and I went off on our own to the flea market and to a beautiful park in the middle of Madrid with some of her best friends from high school. By 5, I was falling on my face I was so tired, so I went back for a siesta until about 8, at which point we all met up and went out for tapas and a flamenco show. Olé olé!
Monday, we went to the Musée Reina Sofia, which is a world-renowned modern art museum. They were having a huge special exhibit of Picasso's career, and Picasso is one of my absolute favorites. Four entire floors of all of his artwork - I about died! It was like seeing my favorite band in concert. Afterwards, we ate lunch at a really neat Moroccan restaurant (sitting on the floor on pillows even!) and checked out the Stanford program's facilities before heading over to Jacobi's host family to stay the evening. Jacobi's host mom was SO incredibly nice - she let all three of us girls stay in her apartment and even cooked us dinner!! She talked to me a million miles an hour in Spanish, but she was SO warm and fuzzy that it was hard not to just smile and nod.
Overall, it was a very zen trip - I felt very little responsibility because I spoke no Spanish, and very little pressure to do anything because I didn't have many expectations. My to do list consisted of eating tapas, paella, and flan, drinking sangria, and going to the Reina Sofia, all of which I accomplished with gusto. After having been to Barcelona and Madrid, I think Barcelona was cooler, but I'm SO glad I got to see Madrid and had a really great time. Seville next?
Espagna!
Our fantastic guide Jacobi:
My favorite street performer:
Sangria!
Paella!
Spanish people are late to bed, late to rise, and late to eat, so in an attempt to adapt to Spanish culture, we didn't end up eating till about 10. We met up with Jacobi for dinner - one of our friends from Stanford who is currently studying abroad in Spain - but by that point we were all pretty starved - perhaps dinner at 10 was a little ambitious for our first day. The paella, however, was totally worth the wait!
That night, we got into a discotheque around 2 AM (the Spanish way! Get into the club as the metro closes, get out when it opens) and danced our feet off in 3-story club that looks like a renovated 17th century palace, appropriately called "Palazzio". We didn't get out until about 6, and of course didn't even consider going home before getting churros and chocolate (rather disgusting at 6 AM on no sleep in my opinion, but Jacobi insisted they were the way to go).
Sunday, Chloe and I went off on our own to the flea market and to a beautiful park in the middle of Madrid with some of her best friends from high school. By 5, I was falling on my face I was so tired, so I went back for a siesta until about 8, at which point we all met up and went out for tapas and a flamenco show. Olé olé!
Monday, we went to the Musée Reina Sofia, which is a world-renowned modern art museum. They were having a huge special exhibit of Picasso's career, and Picasso is one of my absolute favorites. Four entire floors of all of his artwork - I about died! It was like seeing my favorite band in concert. Afterwards, we ate lunch at a really neat Moroccan restaurant (sitting on the floor on pillows even!) and checked out the Stanford program's facilities before heading over to Jacobi's host family to stay the evening. Jacobi's host mom was SO incredibly nice - she let all three of us girls stay in her apartment and even cooked us dinner!! She talked to me a million miles an hour in Spanish, but she was SO warm and fuzzy that it was hard not to just smile and nod.
Overall, it was a very zen trip - I felt very little responsibility because I spoke no Spanish, and very little pressure to do anything because I didn't have many expectations. My to do list consisted of eating tapas, paella, and flan, drinking sangria, and going to the Reina Sofia, all of which I accomplished with gusto. After having been to Barcelona and Madrid, I think Barcelona was cooler, but I'm SO glad I got to see Madrid and had a really great time. Seville next?
Espagna!
Our fantastic guide Jacobi:
My favorite street performer:
Sangria!
Paella!
mercredi 20 février 2008
vendredi 15 février 2008
dude, where's my car?
I’ve had myself a very European couple of days. At this point, I was supposed to be in Madrid, drinking sangria and eating paella and going flamenco dancing – unfortunately, we showed up yesterday at the Orly airport only to find that our flight was cancelled due to air traffic controller strikes. The worst part was, we had already gotten through security, and they had already thrown away Sara’s favorite (read: expensive) hair gel that exceeded the 100 mL limit. We flirted with the security guy for a good 10 minutes before giving up on trying to rescue it, only to walk into the lobby and find our EasyJet flight to Madrid had been “ANNULEE/CANCELLED.”
We always figured there’d be a strike sometime (this is France, after all), but I thought it would surely be the Metro or the museums or something else equally inconveniencing but less surprising. The workers and Orly have since reached an accord, however, and we were able to move our flight/plans/hostel reservations to Saturday-Tuesday instead.
Being back for an extra 2 days sounds like a long time, but you don’t really feel like you should unpack, either.
Yesterday, as the whole world knows, was Valentine’s Day, so instead of going to Spain, Sara and Chloe and I went to this patisserie called La Petite Rose, right down the street on boulevard de Courcelles, for macarons and chocolat chaud. Sara’s obsessed with the hot chocolate in Paris and she makes a point of tasting the hot chocolate whenever we go out to a café. She thought that the stuff at La Petite Rose was better than Angelina’s (!).They even asked what percentage of dark chocolate she wanted (we were unsure – 60%? 70% even 80%? She went with the 70%). I tasted some – it seemed to me that they melted a 70% dark chocolate bar into a huge mug and added a little milk, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. She also thought that the macarons were better than Laduree, but you know, I don’t think I can tell the difference. I like them because they’re light and flavorful and perfect with a cup of espresso in the afternoon.
I would post pictures but my internet is not at all cooperating. Buenos noches!
We always figured there’d be a strike sometime (this is France, after all), but I thought it would surely be the Metro or the museums or something else equally inconveniencing but less surprising. The workers and Orly have since reached an accord, however, and we were able to move our flight/plans/hostel reservations to Saturday-Tuesday instead.
Being back for an extra 2 days sounds like a long time, but you don’t really feel like you should unpack, either.
Yesterday, as the whole world knows, was Valentine’s Day, so instead of going to Spain, Sara and Chloe and I went to this patisserie called La Petite Rose, right down the street on boulevard de Courcelles, for macarons and chocolat chaud. Sara’s obsessed with the hot chocolate in Paris and she makes a point of tasting the hot chocolate whenever we go out to a café. She thought that the stuff at La Petite Rose was better than Angelina’s (!).They even asked what percentage of dark chocolate she wanted (we were unsure – 60%? 70% even 80%? She went with the 70%). I tasted some – it seemed to me that they melted a 70% dark chocolate bar into a huge mug and added a little milk, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. She also thought that the macarons were better than Laduree, but you know, I don’t think I can tell the difference. I like them because they’re light and flavorful and perfect with a cup of espresso in the afternoon.
I would post pictures but my internet is not at all cooperating. Buenos noches!
lundi 11 février 2008
... and a happy new year!
What a weekend! The first weekend of the year where all the Stanford students were in town. I met up with KATIE HUBERT on Saturday morning for breakfast in the Marais with her friends from her program - she's studying abroad in Spain, and I can't tell you how great it was to see a face from home. Her friends were also incredibly enthusiastic about Paris, which was refreshing. I gather that they're in more of a rural city in Spain, so coming to Paris was really exciting for them.
The weather has continued to hold out miraculously, so Saturday afternoon, we had a picnic, and on Sunday, we went to the Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown - apparently the biggest Chinese New Year celebration in Europe. Everything was packed - we practically walked along with the parade because we couldn't go anywhere else. We had awesome (and cheap!) food beforehand - even though I'm getting a little sick of asian food after having eaten it every day for the last week (somewhat of a fluke, but I'm not necessarily complaining). We tried to find bubble tea, but to no avail. Highly disappointed. I'll have to go back, though, just for the noodles!
Katie!
Picnic!
I love this picture, partially because of Natalie, partially because it looks like the apple juice (called Morning Pleasure: Apple Trouble!) has a mind of its own:
Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, complete with long-life noodles:
The weather has continued to hold out miraculously, so Saturday afternoon, we had a picnic, and on Sunday, we went to the Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown - apparently the biggest Chinese New Year celebration in Europe. Everything was packed - we practically walked along with the parade because we couldn't go anywhere else. We had awesome (and cheap!) food beforehand - even though I'm getting a little sick of asian food after having eaten it every day for the last week (somewhat of a fluke, but I'm not necessarily complaining). We tried to find bubble tea, but to no avail. Highly disappointed. I'll have to go back, though, just for the noodles!
Katie!
Picnic!
I love this picture, partially because of Natalie, partially because it looks like the apple juice (called Morning Pleasure: Apple Trouble!) has a mind of its own:
Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, complete with long-life noodles:
mardi 5 février 2008
eurydice!
Today was stunningly beautiful. It was sunny and warm - I didn't even need a jacket wandering around this afternoon. Class ended half an hour early, and I met up with my second language partner (a girl) for lunch - she was fabulously cool. We got japanese food (my fifth japanese lunch of the week - I think I'm ready to be done with it, though it was delicious) and went to Laduree for macarons. Laduree is a patisserie which is famous for its macarons - I believe they were invented there. We waited in line for half an hour to get three mini-sized pastries that were out of this world. Out of nearly twenty flavors (orange, vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, dark chocolate, praline, caramel, etc) I chose rose (tasted like it smelled), cherry-vanilla, and chestnut. The chestnut was my favorite for sure. Chestnut paste (crème de marron) is really big here, and it's so tasty - like nutella without the chocolate.
If you're lucky, I'll bring you back some... though at 1,40 per macaron, you'd better be damned appreciative.
This week was a busy week - hence no posting. I had two small papers and a mini exposé due, and spent Wednesday evening eating at the visiting professor's house with 5 other students and Thursday night at the Opéra. The meal was so great - the professor loves to cook, and I happened to be there on vegetarian night, and the meal was wonderful! Pumpkin soup, ratatouille, salad, cheese, and chocolate cake. Yummmm.
The Opera was so wonderful that it deserves its own paragraph. It was an opera-ballet of Orpheus and Eurydice choreographed by Pina Bausch, who is a well-known modern ballet choreographer and uber-feminist. They had two people per role - one as the dancer and the other the singer - and it was so, so powerful. This should give you an idea of her style - at least watch the first 30 seconds of it:
Once again, the Bings generously came through with the tickets, and everyone got dressed up in their sunday best. The Opera Garnier is the oldest opera house in Paris - very traditional, gilded, red velvet seats and all the trimmings. Who would've thought that the opera would be so enjoyable? Needless to say, I've never felt so cultured.
The Opera Garnier:
Of course Sara and Chloe aren't looking at the camera:
But I was!:
Orchestra-level seating, baby:
If you're lucky, I'll bring you back some... though at 1,40 per macaron, you'd better be damned appreciative.
This week was a busy week - hence no posting. I had two small papers and a mini exposé due, and spent Wednesday evening eating at the visiting professor's house with 5 other students and Thursday night at the Opéra. The meal was so great - the professor loves to cook, and I happened to be there on vegetarian night, and the meal was wonderful! Pumpkin soup, ratatouille, salad, cheese, and chocolate cake. Yummmm.
The Opera was so wonderful that it deserves its own paragraph. It was an opera-ballet of Orpheus and Eurydice choreographed by Pina Bausch, who is a well-known modern ballet choreographer and uber-feminist. They had two people per role - one as the dancer and the other the singer - and it was so, so powerful. This should give you an idea of her style - at least watch the first 30 seconds of it:
Once again, the Bings generously came through with the tickets, and everyone got dressed up in their sunday best. The Opera Garnier is the oldest opera house in Paris - very traditional, gilded, red velvet seats and all the trimmings. Who would've thought that the opera would be so enjoyable? Needless to say, I've never felt so cultured.
The Opera Garnier:
Of course Sara and Chloe aren't looking at the camera:
But I was!:
Orchestra-level seating, baby:
dimanche 3 février 2008
the bing mafia
It was the weekend we had all been waiting for: Bing Trip weekend. A weekend of culinary extravagance and cultural overdose, of castles and 7:30 wake up calls. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Bing family, they are Stanford grads who made their fortune in real estate and revolutionized the Overseas Studies Program. They pay for all of the students in all of the overseas programs to go somewhere in the country they're staying in for a weekend and have an eye-opening cultural experience. We paid 25 euros - they paid for 6 huge meals, lodging, and airfare. Not a bad deal?
Carcassonne is a small city in Southern France that they've kept in medieval condition - we stayed in the Hotel de Donjon (=dungeon) and walked on cobblestone streets around 12th century cathedrals for 2 nights. Then this morning, we drove to Toulouse, where we toured the Airbus 380 factory (the huge, huge planes - Dad was very excited about this) and wandered around the city.
It was really fun getting to know the other Stanford students better - we've had a few weeks to meet and greet, but staying in the same hotel sort of forced closeness. We got a little tired of the guided tours, but it was an amazing weekend overall. See for yourself!
Night of arrival:
The Carcassonne Cathedral (we're freezing here):
Castles from hither to yon:
Toulouse (if you can't tell, Natalie and I are saints here):
Carcassonne is a small city in Southern France that they've kept in medieval condition - we stayed in the Hotel de Donjon (=dungeon) and walked on cobblestone streets around 12th century cathedrals for 2 nights. Then this morning, we drove to Toulouse, where we toured the Airbus 380 factory (the huge, huge planes - Dad was very excited about this) and wandered around the city.
It was really fun getting to know the other Stanford students better - we've had a few weeks to meet and greet, but staying in the same hotel sort of forced closeness. We got a little tired of the guided tours, but it was an amazing weekend overall. See for yourself!
Night of arrival:
The Carcassonne Cathedral (we're freezing here):
Castles from hither to yon:
Toulouse (if you can't tell, Natalie and I are saints here):
jeudi 31 janvier 2008
kickin' it with the deceased
It got really cold really quickly here these last few days. Not only cold, but smattered with rainstorms that come out of nowhere and make your hair frizzy. The horror! We've managed to carry on despite the weather.
Today, Chloe and I decided to go to Père Lachaise cemetery, where all kinds of famous people are buried and a whole lot more notsofamous people are ingraciously stepped over to get to the famous people's graves. I can't decide whether I'd like to be buried there or not. On the one hand, I'd get to hang out with people like Apollinaire, Molière, Edith Piaf, Modigliani, and Chopin for the rest of time. On the other, I would probably get squashed in some corner (the cemetery is huge and PACKED. I cant believe they even try fitting more people in there) and forgotten about. Chloe and I were also wondering how one gets to be buried there. Maybe there's a waiting list, like getting married at MemChu. Perhaps I can be cremated and some of my remains can be scattered around Père Lachaise? In any case, I hope I don't have to worry about that for a long, long, long time.
Cemetery kind of day, don't you think?
Rockin' out with Jim Morrison:
Kisses to Oscar Wilde:
The Preeminent Proust Scholar in the Nation:
Bing Trip to Carcassonne this weekend! Get ready for the life of luxury...
Today, Chloe and I decided to go to Père Lachaise cemetery, where all kinds of famous people are buried and a whole lot more notsofamous people are ingraciously stepped over to get to the famous people's graves. I can't decide whether I'd like to be buried there or not. On the one hand, I'd get to hang out with people like Apollinaire, Molière, Edith Piaf, Modigliani, and Chopin for the rest of time. On the other, I would probably get squashed in some corner (the cemetery is huge and PACKED. I cant believe they even try fitting more people in there) and forgotten about. Chloe and I were also wondering how one gets to be buried there. Maybe there's a waiting list, like getting married at MemChu. Perhaps I can be cremated and some of my remains can be scattered around Père Lachaise? In any case, I hope I don't have to worry about that for a long, long, long time.
Cemetery kind of day, don't you think?
Rockin' out with Jim Morrison:
Kisses to Oscar Wilde:
The Preeminent Proust Scholar in the Nation:
Bing Trip to Carcassonne this weekend! Get ready for the life of luxury...
mardi 29 janvier 2008
write a novel / just to save the world
After reading Life of Pi, the stuffed fox in my room has taken on somewhat of a new character - he's a lot friendlier looking, especially in comparison to the 450-pound tiger lurking in my imagination. Devouring a book will do that to you. I started it Sunday and finished it this evening - haven't done that in forever. It felt awesome. It's amazing how school can ruin reading, even reading for pleasure. I bought Life of Pi at a used bookstore called San Francisco Books, then bought Lonesome Dove at Berkeley Books across the street (my next read - the bookstore owner laughed a lot when I bought it, and I assume my parents will too. I guess they turned the book into a cheesy Western TV series? I don't care as long as it's exciting). For future reference, I recommend Berkeley Books, right next to the Odéon metro stop on rue Monsieur le Prince - it's better organized and the owner is really chill. He's actually from Berkeley, if that's any illumination.
This evening I had a first round interview for an internship at the Gap that I'm dying to get, and as a result, I wasted away the entire day either trying to prepare for the interview (obsessing over questions like, what is my greatest weakness? where do I see myself in 10 years? do I have any questions for them? aaugh) or coming up with ways not to think about the interview (i.e., reading Life of Pi and trying to find cheap travel to various destinations around Europe. Sara wants to go to Amsterdam.) The interview went really well though - keep your fingers crossed for me.
On the docket for tomorrow: Paris En Couleur exhibit at the Hotel de Ville, or perhaps an nice long cafe visit, with Conan, and in the evening, an alumni meet and greet complete with champagne and a Galette de Roi - a delicious almondy cake only made around this time of year. Thursday I'll be going to the theater with my language partner... should be interesting, to say the least.
This evening I had a first round interview for an internship at the Gap that I'm dying to get, and as a result, I wasted away the entire day either trying to prepare for the interview (obsessing over questions like, what is my greatest weakness? where do I see myself in 10 years? do I have any questions for them? aaugh) or coming up with ways not to think about the interview (i.e., reading Life of Pi and trying to find cheap travel to various destinations around Europe. Sara wants to go to Amsterdam.) The interview went really well though - keep your fingers crossed for me.
On the docket for tomorrow: Paris En Couleur exhibit at the Hotel de Ville, or perhaps an nice long cafe visit, with Conan, and in the evening, an alumni meet and greet complete with champagne and a Galette de Roi - a delicious almondy cake only made around this time of year. Thursday I'll be going to the theater with my language partner... should be interesting, to say the least.
lundi 28 janvier 2008
the plight of the sunday meal
I found where all the Parisians go on Sundays: Parc Monceau, and they bring their dogs, children, and lovers to keep them company while they "jog." No joke, I saw all of the following during my 3 loops:
- Two women, walking briskly in fur coats around the loop, chain-smoking cigarettes
- Three men stretching along the benches for the entire duration of my run
- A couple in full exercise gear, jogging (or I should probably say galavanting, or frolicking, because their movement was simply too joyous for simple jogging) while holding hands and stopping every once in a while to make out.
Sunday meals are a little harder to come by than every other day because everything closes. I got talked into buying a kilo of strawberries (a kilo=2.2 pounds. yikes) for 5 euros and ate dim sum. You can usually count on the ethnic places to be open. But where do the Parisians eat who don't cook on Sundays? Maybe all of them cook...
Today in my French class we learned a ton of slang words used by young French people. They're really big on inversing words - like our version of abbreviations? For example, musique (music) becomes zikmu, or just zik, and femme (woman) becomes meuf (not exactly derogatory, but not complementary either).
Before I run to get coffee with Sara, one quick side note: there will be no more listening to iPod while walking around Paris. I see French people do it all the time, so I thought I was fitting in, but this may not have been the case.
I'm getting a cold, slowly but surely... bah humbug.
- Two women, walking briskly in fur coats around the loop, chain-smoking cigarettes
- Three men stretching along the benches for the entire duration of my run
- A couple in full exercise gear, jogging (or I should probably say galavanting, or frolicking, because their movement was simply too joyous for simple jogging) while holding hands and stopping every once in a while to make out.
Sunday meals are a little harder to come by than every other day because everything closes. I got talked into buying a kilo of strawberries (a kilo=2.2 pounds. yikes) for 5 euros and ate dim sum. You can usually count on the ethnic places to be open. But where do the Parisians eat who don't cook on Sundays? Maybe all of them cook...
Today in my French class we learned a ton of slang words used by young French people. They're really big on inversing words - like our version of abbreviations? For example, musique (music) becomes zikmu, or just zik, and femme (woman) becomes meuf (not exactly derogatory, but not complementary either).
Before I run to get coffee with Sara, one quick side note: there will be no more listening to iPod while walking around Paris. I see French people do it all the time, so I thought I was fitting in, but this may not have been the case.
I'm getting a cold, slowly but surely... bah humbug.
samedi 26 janvier 2008
ten day forecast of sunshine
Goodness, these last two days have been absolutely beautiful here, and the ten day forecast only shows one day of rain. One!
Yesterday, after my art history class at the Louvre, I wandered over to the Latin Quarter to meet Sara for falafels and book shopping. Though she ended up ditching me to have lunch with her cute language partner, I still did everything on my to-do list. Remember the post about the best falafels ever? Nix that - these were even better, because for 4.40, you got a pita full of falafel and a full salad bar with which to fill the rest of the pita (olives, carrots, beets, sauces, lettuce, etc). Anyway, it's called Maoz, and it's on Rue de la Huchette.
Next I hung out in Shakespeare and Company bookstore for a couple hours trying to find a book to buy. I'm hungry for a good book - I just finished Paris to the Moon, and my bedtimes feel empty. I want a good book, not necessarily a "classic," but one that I won't get bored of after 100 pages and doesn't require an English professor to explain to me. Anyway, the employees at Shakespeare and Co. were baffled by my demands for a list of some of their favorite books (imagine a small brunette British girl saying, "Well, gosh, I cahn't really pick, you know... I cahn't give you any suggestions unless I know what some of your favourite books ahre...") I ended up getting so overwhelmed that I didn't buy anything. Maybe next time.
Last night we met up to celebrate Maggie's birthday, and ended up drinking cheap wine on the bank of the Seine till we got too cold and tired. Apparently half of the group had been clubbing till 6 AM the night before and (if you can imagine) weren't in top form, but it was still really fun.
For lunch today, we went to the market on Rue Cler in the 7th and (with astonishingly good teamwork that warmed the crevices of my heart) bought bread, cheese, meat, fruit, and veggies and had ourselves a picnic on the lawn outside of the Ecole Militaire, surrounded by lively games of bocce ball and tons of people playing soccer. We then walked about an hour over to the Notre Dame area to get "the best ice cream in the world," according to Paul, called Berthillon's. I have to admit that I think Graeter's is better, but this was pretty good - I got two (tiny) scoops of ice cream, one ginger bread and the other nougat with honey.
Then comes the bad part of my day (it can't be all great, can it?): I decided to walk home, since by this time it was about 5 and I had dinner plans with Natalie and it was such a lovely evening. I guess I underestimated how long it was going to take me, because about an hour later, I was still walking, and by then I was moderately cold and it was getting dark and I didn't feel like walking anymore. About 6 blocks away from home, walking on a fairly busy street with my iPod headphones on, this man walking towards me on the sidewalk swerves in as we cross paths and smacks me in the head and pushes me into the building. I screamed, he glared at me, and we both kept walking. Once I realized that I was not hurt and not in danger, I burst into tears and cried the whole rest of the way home. Overreaction? Certainly, but it was more of a realization that this is a big city and people don't play by the rules - a couple well-placed blows and I could've been knocked cold, purseless, and no one else would have been there. It's the things you know in theory that you don't think ever actually happen, I guess. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal and I'm over it, but I think I'll start taking the metro around dusk next time.
On a lighter note, pictures!
At Don Quichotte:
Picnic and a pretty day:
Yesterday, after my art history class at the Louvre, I wandered over to the Latin Quarter to meet Sara for falafels and book shopping. Though she ended up ditching me to have lunch with her cute language partner, I still did everything on my to-do list. Remember the post about the best falafels ever? Nix that - these were even better, because for 4.40, you got a pita full of falafel and a full salad bar with which to fill the rest of the pita (olives, carrots, beets, sauces, lettuce, etc). Anyway, it's called Maoz, and it's on Rue de la Huchette.
Next I hung out in Shakespeare and Company bookstore for a couple hours trying to find a book to buy. I'm hungry for a good book - I just finished Paris to the Moon, and my bedtimes feel empty. I want a good book, not necessarily a "classic," but one that I won't get bored of after 100 pages and doesn't require an English professor to explain to me. Anyway, the employees at Shakespeare and Co. were baffled by my demands for a list of some of their favorite books (imagine a small brunette British girl saying, "Well, gosh, I cahn't really pick, you know... I cahn't give you any suggestions unless I know what some of your favourite books ahre...") I ended up getting so overwhelmed that I didn't buy anything. Maybe next time.
Last night we met up to celebrate Maggie's birthday, and ended up drinking cheap wine on the bank of the Seine till we got too cold and tired. Apparently half of the group had been clubbing till 6 AM the night before and (if you can imagine) weren't in top form, but it was still really fun.
For lunch today, we went to the market on Rue Cler in the 7th and (with astonishingly good teamwork that warmed the crevices of my heart) bought bread, cheese, meat, fruit, and veggies and had ourselves a picnic on the lawn outside of the Ecole Militaire, surrounded by lively games of bocce ball and tons of people playing soccer. We then walked about an hour over to the Notre Dame area to get "the best ice cream in the world," according to Paul, called Berthillon's. I have to admit that I think Graeter's is better, but this was pretty good - I got two (tiny) scoops of ice cream, one ginger bread and the other nougat with honey.
Then comes the bad part of my day (it can't be all great, can it?): I decided to walk home, since by this time it was about 5 and I had dinner plans with Natalie and it was such a lovely evening. I guess I underestimated how long it was going to take me, because about an hour later, I was still walking, and by then I was moderately cold and it was getting dark and I didn't feel like walking anymore. About 6 blocks away from home, walking on a fairly busy street with my iPod headphones on, this man walking towards me on the sidewalk swerves in as we cross paths and smacks me in the head and pushes me into the building. I screamed, he glared at me, and we both kept walking. Once I realized that I was not hurt and not in danger, I burst into tears and cried the whole rest of the way home. Overreaction? Certainly, but it was more of a realization that this is a big city and people don't play by the rules - a couple well-placed blows and I could've been knocked cold, purseless, and no one else would have been there. It's the things you know in theory that you don't think ever actually happen, I guess. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal and I'm over it, but I think I'll start taking the metro around dusk next time.
On a lighter note, pictures!
At Don Quichotte:
Picnic and a pretty day:
mercredi 23 janvier 2008
bisoux to the neighbors
Well let's see. Tuesday night, we saw Don Quichotte contre L'Ange Bleu - a musicomedie starring some really famous lead actress. I don't think I understood most of it because it wasn't very funny, though Natalie assured me that even if I had, I probably wouldn't have thought it was very funny unless I was French. The lead actress looked WAY younger in all the promo ads than she did in real life, and we were all scandalized by how skinny she was.
Today, Chloe left for London, so I've got the whole place to myself! How do you say "rager" in French? No, just kidding. In fact, we got a lovely note from our downstairs neighbors asking us to "PLEASE not make ANY noise after 10:30 because SOME of us have to work in the morning. Thanks!" Psh. The thing is, we don't make that much noise. The simple act of walking around up here is creaky as hell, but we don't make a point to jump up and down or listen to music or take baths or talk above a whisper after 9:30, as requested. We've really been making a conscious effort since we got the note, so if they still can't sleep, I'll send them a little note saying something along the lines of: "We have taken your concerns into consideration, however, we've decided that there is simply no more we can do for you other than offer these two pairs of earplugs. No need to repay us - consider it a gift from your upstairs neighbors. Bisoux!"
I have my first expose tomorrow on a portrait by Ingres - 5 minutes in French, shouldn't be too big of a deal, but I'm still a little stressed about it.
More Brussels pictures - you'll notice the Little Peeing Boy fountain and La Grand Place:
On a final note, kudos to my mom for ziplining in South America! What a pro.
Today, Chloe left for London, so I've got the whole place to myself! How do you say "rager" in French? No, just kidding. In fact, we got a lovely note from our downstairs neighbors asking us to "PLEASE not make ANY noise after 10:30 because SOME of us have to work in the morning. Thanks!" Psh. The thing is, we don't make that much noise. The simple act of walking around up here is creaky as hell, but we don't make a point to jump up and down or listen to music or take baths or talk above a whisper after 9:30, as requested. We've really been making a conscious effort since we got the note, so if they still can't sleep, I'll send them a little note saying something along the lines of: "We have taken your concerns into consideration, however, we've decided that there is simply no more we can do for you other than offer these two pairs of earplugs. No need to repay us - consider it a gift from your upstairs neighbors. Bisoux!"
I have my first expose tomorrow on a portrait by Ingres - 5 minutes in French, shouldn't be too big of a deal, but I'm still a little stressed about it.
More Brussels pictures - you'll notice the Little Peeing Boy fountain and La Grand Place:
On a final note, kudos to my mom for ziplining in South America! What a pro.
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