After a long day of traveling, I finally arrived at the Lindburg terminal on Thursday evening. I'm home! Life right now is weird; transitioning from one culture to another is just as difficult as it had been in Paris. I miss the food in France. I miss the metro! I've been sick the past few days so I haven't been interested in going out at all since I have returned, and that comes up with eating too.
Now that I am back, I won't be writing until my next adventure. Thanks to all who followed me on here. Until next time!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Post Five: Home Sweet Paris? Missing family.
It is my last full day of living in Paris 2010. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone; I finally feel oriented. There have been many fun, indescribable moments during this trip. Late-night metro rides after nights out at Le Piano Vache with a big group to watch “the boyfriend” play guitar or to get out of study mode, or the discotheques; running to the crepe stand for that afternoon snack or a nutella crepe; expresso shots after breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner; getting lost in a city that could be a labyrinth and finding world shops, piano bars, italian coffee shops that serve chocolate fondue; sneaking food into the FIAP; “BIG FAT WOMAN” and Le Caveau des Oubliettes; some great-looking Parisian men; cheese for dessert: all of these are things that I hope to never forget.
I can honestly say that I am sure I haven’t loved a city more than I love Paris. Perhaps I am still in the honeymoon phase; who knows? The people here are funny, kind, and interesting to watch. I feel good here, like I fit. That is something I have been trying to find for some time; I never thought it would be in Europe.
I was talking to Rachel about the culture shock that we will be encountering when we return home. Being here, I have become used to eating delicious cheeses with every meal; I can stop in for a shot of expresso at any brasserie; croissants and fruit are breakfast; I walk everywhere, and when I can’t walk I take the metro; I am not connected to the Internet at all hours of the day. When I return home, I will have none of that. I will have all of the free water and refills on soda that my American heart desires. I will drive everywhere. I will have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. My idea of an expensive lunch in the States is 6 dollars. Here in Paris, I gladly pay 4euros for a jambon et fromage crepe and then I eat somewhere else later. I have already realized that when I return home, I am going to be homesick for Paris. Tears come to my eyes already when I think about leaving this city.
I walked across the Seine yesterday on the bridge nearest to Le Palais de Justice and Notre Dame; the sun was starting to set and one was able to see the pink, grey, white, and orange colors of the sky for the first time since we arrived here. Usually it is its Parisian January gray. The aged, different colors of gray, white, and tan arches of the nearby bridges were a great contrast to the green and grey waters of the Seine that passed between them. I looked at the beautiful buildings along the Seine; Le Louvre down the river; Musee D’Orsay; L’Hotel de Ville; The Tuilleries (although they JUST took down the Ferris Wheel), then I looked down to the cobblestone bridge beneath my feet and I realized I could stay here forever for that scene alone.
I’ve got a list of a few more things I would like to do before I go. My list has been decreasing at a steady pace for the past few days and tomorrow should be nearly the end of it. There will never be enough time to see or do all that there is, but I am going to try to make the day count.
I can honestly say that I am sure I haven’t loved a city more than I love Paris. Perhaps I am still in the honeymoon phase; who knows? The people here are funny, kind, and interesting to watch. I feel good here, like I fit. That is something I have been trying to find for some time; I never thought it would be in Europe.
I was talking to Rachel about the culture shock that we will be encountering when we return home. Being here, I have become used to eating delicious cheeses with every meal; I can stop in for a shot of expresso at any brasserie; croissants and fruit are breakfast; I walk everywhere, and when I can’t walk I take the metro; I am not connected to the Internet at all hours of the day. When I return home, I will have none of that. I will have all of the free water and refills on soda that my American heart desires. I will drive everywhere. I will have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. My idea of an expensive lunch in the States is 6 dollars. Here in Paris, I gladly pay 4euros for a jambon et fromage crepe and then I eat somewhere else later. I have already realized that when I return home, I am going to be homesick for Paris. Tears come to my eyes already when I think about leaving this city.
I walked across the Seine yesterday on the bridge nearest to Le Palais de Justice and Notre Dame; the sun was starting to set and one was able to see the pink, grey, white, and orange colors of the sky for the first time since we arrived here. Usually it is its Parisian January gray. The aged, different colors of gray, white, and tan arches of the nearby bridges were a great contrast to the green and grey waters of the Seine that passed between them. I looked at the beautiful buildings along the Seine; Le Louvre down the river; Musee D’Orsay; L’Hotel de Ville; The Tuilleries (although they JUST took down the Ferris Wheel), then I looked down to the cobblestone bridge beneath my feet and I realized I could stay here forever for that scene alone.
I’ve got a list of a few more things I would like to do before I go. My list has been decreasing at a steady pace for the past few days and tomorrow should be nearly the end of it. There will never be enough time to see or do all that there is, but I am going to try to make the day count.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Post Four: Late Night Metro Stops
I've been thinking about making each of these blogs theme-oriented; I figure that I will try that out for a little while.
Using the metro in Paris is very easy. You go to the line that is nearest to you, find a map, run your finger along the line until you find a transfer kind of close to where you want to go, then when you reach that stop, you find a map and find out what it would take to get to the next stop. It's very standard and quite "intuitive", as someone once said. Go east, go south, go north, go west. We luckily have month-long metro passes, so we can get around the city quite easily - THANK GOODNESS because it is such a huge city. I didn't realize it until we were on the Eiffel Tower just how spread out the city is. It goes on for as far as the eye can see. Of course, some of that is suburbs but it's close to all being Paris.
When you are on the metro, you are not to look around or at anyone. People here are like, this is so blasse, tired of the metro, having more of an attitude like, "I've got my own things to look at, why should I look at yours?" It's easy to spot Americans on the metro because we constantly look around. We are also much louder than people here. I am having a hard time with some of my classmates because they are young and don't really care about respecting people's comfort zones. Their mentality is "I'm American; they know it; who cares?" The metro is a convenience, most of the time.
Ashley, one of the girls on this trip, expected a visitor last night; her friend from home is working in the south of France and decided to come surprise her for the weekend. We went all the way to the Gare de Lyon to greet him. After her friend getting himself lost, and us three girls getting harassed two times by drunk Frenchmen (Ashley has pale blond hair so all the Frenchmen stare), 45 minutes later we boarded the train to come "home". The train beeped, which signifies the closing of the train doors and we run to get on. This station has the double doors so there is a set of doors on the train and a set of doors on the platform, preventing last minute riders. Rachel, my roommate, was running into the train when the doors closed. Corey, Ashley's friend, started prying the doors but they were too strong. Rachel was pushed back onto the platform, where the other set of doors were shutting on her. Ashley, Corey, and I were panicking on the train. It was the worst experience we have had yet on this trip. Luckily, we exited at the next stop to wait for our friend. She arrived on the next train, laughed, and said "I am SO DONE with this station!" Attagirl for having a sense of humor. I was really upset at that point.
So that is my story about the metro. I use it for everything. I get up, eat, get on the metro, see some things, get on the metro again and again and again until I come back to the FIAP.
Some things that I have done since I last wrote:
Went ice skating in front of the Hotel de Ville
Saw Monet's, Renoir's, and Rodin's work up close
Saw a fine fashion collection and some of Napoleon's furniture
Hope all is well back home!
Using the metro in Paris is very easy. You go to the line that is nearest to you, find a map, run your finger along the line until you find a transfer kind of close to where you want to go, then when you reach that stop, you find a map and find out what it would take to get to the next stop. It's very standard and quite "intuitive", as someone once said. Go east, go south, go north, go west. We luckily have month-long metro passes, so we can get around the city quite easily - THANK GOODNESS because it is such a huge city. I didn't realize it until we were on the Eiffel Tower just how spread out the city is. It goes on for as far as the eye can see. Of course, some of that is suburbs but it's close to all being Paris.
When you are on the metro, you are not to look around or at anyone. People here are like, this is so blasse, tired of the metro, having more of an attitude like, "I've got my own things to look at, why should I look at yours?" It's easy to spot Americans on the metro because we constantly look around. We are also much louder than people here. I am having a hard time with some of my classmates because they are young and don't really care about respecting people's comfort zones. Their mentality is "I'm American; they know it; who cares?" The metro is a convenience, most of the time.
Ashley, one of the girls on this trip, expected a visitor last night; her friend from home is working in the south of France and decided to come surprise her for the weekend. We went all the way to the Gare de Lyon to greet him. After her friend getting himself lost, and us three girls getting harassed two times by drunk Frenchmen (Ashley has pale blond hair so all the Frenchmen stare), 45 minutes later we boarded the train to come "home". The train beeped, which signifies the closing of the train doors and we run to get on. This station has the double doors so there is a set of doors on the train and a set of doors on the platform, preventing last minute riders. Rachel, my roommate, was running into the train when the doors closed. Corey, Ashley's friend, started prying the doors but they were too strong. Rachel was pushed back onto the platform, where the other set of doors were shutting on her. Ashley, Corey, and I were panicking on the train. It was the worst experience we have had yet on this trip. Luckily, we exited at the next stop to wait for our friend. She arrived on the next train, laughed, and said "I am SO DONE with this station!" Attagirl for having a sense of humor. I was really upset at that point.
So that is my story about the metro. I use it for everything. I get up, eat, get on the metro, see some things, get on the metro again and again and again until I come back to the FIAP.
Some things that I have done since I last wrote:
Went ice skating in front of the Hotel de Ville
Saw Monet's, Renoir's, and Rodin's work up close
Saw a fine fashion collection and some of Napoleon's furniture
Hope all is well back home!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Post Three: Parisian Men
It has finally come to the time when I must talk of what girls all over the world want to hear about: Parisian Men.
The men here leave their apartments in tailored jackets that make their shoulders look broad and their jawlines strong; their necks are adorned with complementary scarves and they generally smell very good. They all have dark hair and dark eyes, and a distinguished French nose which I haven't the time to search for words to describe for those who do not understand what that means. You never see sweats here; save Americans who do not take the time to find a nice outfit to wear. I'm probably infatuated with the men because they are not American men; similar to how some Europeans wish to be in America because it is not Europe. They are kind, and are quite contrary to the idea of what Parisian men are made out to be by Pepe LePeu and other stereotypes (FYI); except for when they walk away from you because you don't understand them. :)
Sorry, it's cheesy, I know.
The past few days have been pretty whirlwind-ish, although yesterday stuck out as a much more relaxed day. Instead of going out with a group of students that were really excited to shove as much into the day as possible, my roommate Rachel and I went out to the FNAC with Professor Lohse. We stopped by Les Halles for lunch at a great place right by the Centre Georges Pompidou; I had my first French tarte-quiche. C'etait magnifique! We chatted and then aimlessly wandered around; it was completely low-stress, which I wholly appreciated. Then we stopped back at Saint Eustache, a beautiful church in the area that has so many pillars, the interior of the church resembles a stone forest. I have many pictures of that church - for those who are interested in seeing them later.
We ended up going to Pere Lachaise: closed due to snow and ice.
We went to Montmartre, where we eventually found Sacre Coeur amongst the windy, narrow streets of the arrondissement.
It was a busy day. I'm worn-out from all of the traveling so I am staying in today to do homework and relax. We plan on going to the Eiffel Tower today but, because of the snow, I am not sure if we are going to be able to. Time shall tell.
Alors, I must go now. I've spent much time on the Internet, updating and e-mailing. Please continue sending me e-mails if you like; I love receiving word from home. I miss you all!
The men here leave their apartments in tailored jackets that make their shoulders look broad and their jawlines strong; their necks are adorned with complementary scarves and they generally smell very good. They all have dark hair and dark eyes, and a distinguished French nose which I haven't the time to search for words to describe for those who do not understand what that means. You never see sweats here; save Americans who do not take the time to find a nice outfit to wear. I'm probably infatuated with the men because they are not American men; similar to how some Europeans wish to be in America because it is not Europe. They are kind, and are quite contrary to the idea of what Parisian men are made out to be by Pepe LePeu and other stereotypes (FYI); except for when they walk away from you because you don't understand them. :)
Sorry, it's cheesy, I know.
The past few days have been pretty whirlwind-ish, although yesterday stuck out as a much more relaxed day. Instead of going out with a group of students that were really excited to shove as much into the day as possible, my roommate Rachel and I went out to the FNAC with Professor Lohse. We stopped by Les Halles for lunch at a great place right by the Centre Georges Pompidou; I had my first French tarte-quiche. C'etait magnifique! We chatted and then aimlessly wandered around; it was completely low-stress, which I wholly appreciated. Then we stopped back at Saint Eustache, a beautiful church in the area that has so many pillars, the interior of the church resembles a stone forest. I have many pictures of that church - for those who are interested in seeing them later.
We ended up going to Pere Lachaise: closed due to snow and ice.
We went to Montmartre, where we eventually found Sacre Coeur amongst the windy, narrow streets of the arrondissement.
It was a busy day. I'm worn-out from all of the traveling so I am staying in today to do homework and relax. We plan on going to the Eiffel Tower today but, because of the snow, I am not sure if we are going to be able to. Time shall tell.
Alors, I must go now. I've spent much time on the Internet, updating and e-mailing. Please continue sending me e-mails if you like; I love receiving word from home. I miss you all!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Post Two: Churches, Food, and a Paris Bucket List
Alors, today was my second day in Paris. I can’t say enough how much I like it here. The food is great: breakfast is croissants, nutella, and expresso; lunch is anything I want; have you ever seen wine dispensed for a juice machine? I have. But it isn’t all about the food, which I am sure to write about in the future. I am staying at a FIAP near Le Centre Hopitalier Sainte Anne, which is much nicer than I thought any hostel could be. I share a room with a girl named Rachel, who I made friends with in the airport right before we left to Chicago. I didn’t find out we were roommates until last night; it was a pleasant surprise for the both of us!
Today, we took a train to the Latin Quarter, where our large group had lunch, bought books across the street from La Sorbonne, and saw a few (old) churches, law schools, and government buildings along the way. On our way back, after I managed to speak to a vender at the post office to procure une telecarte internationale, we made our way back up to the metro station. Unbeknownst to me, the schools here let out at 4 p.m., so on our way back, we were walking up an alley and approached a corner when a long string of young boys, noses pink from the cold and books falling out of their hands, ran around the corner and down our alley, sliding on the snow (did I mention that there is snow in Paris? - from what I am told, it never snows in Paris), shouting “Attendez! Attendez!” and other jeers to their friends in French.
Later this evening, we were given a tour of the neighborhood by a former resident/student of the neighborhood. It was nice; we were given tips about cheap things to do in the city, which I am finding to be quite helpful since many, many things are expensive.
Tomorrow, we are going to the Champs de Mars. It is a park right between the Eiffel Tower and l’Ecole de Militaire (Military School). There are streetlamps that line the rectangular area, as well as fountains, gardens, the like. I look forward to it; I can take a “cheesy” Paris picture with the Eiffel Tower there. I didn’t get all of my homework done tonight so that is disappointing because that means I will need to work on some of it during the day tomorrow.
What I’ve done on my list so far:
Eaten a crepe salee (food-type crepe)
Had an expresso with dark chocolate after a meal
Bought something in French
I’ve done nothing yet.
Today, we took a train to the Latin Quarter, where our large group had lunch, bought books across the street from La Sorbonne, and saw a few (old) churches, law schools, and government buildings along the way. On our way back, after I managed to speak to a vender at the post office to procure une telecarte internationale, we made our way back up to the metro station. Unbeknownst to me, the schools here let out at 4 p.m., so on our way back, we were walking up an alley and approached a corner when a long string of young boys, noses pink from the cold and books falling out of their hands, ran around the corner and down our alley, sliding on the snow (did I mention that there is snow in Paris? - from what I am told, it never snows in Paris), shouting “Attendez! Attendez!” and other jeers to their friends in French.
Later this evening, we were given a tour of the neighborhood by a former resident/student of the neighborhood. It was nice; we were given tips about cheap things to do in the city, which I am finding to be quite helpful since many, many things are expensive.
Tomorrow, we are going to the Champs de Mars. It is a park right between the Eiffel Tower and l’Ecole de Militaire (Military School). There are streetlamps that line the rectangular area, as well as fountains, gardens, the like. I look forward to it; I can take a “cheesy” Paris picture with the Eiffel Tower there. I didn’t get all of my homework done tonight so that is disappointing because that means I will need to work on some of it during the day tomorrow.
What I’ve done on my list so far:
Eaten a crepe salee (food-type crepe)
Had an expresso with dark chocolate after a meal
Bought something in French
I’ve done nothing yet.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Post One: Pre-Packing
It's after 2 A.M. the Sunday morning prior to my departure. I'm going to be away for a month and I haven't started packing, with no ambition to start. It's Tminus 55 hours to when I will be standing in the airport with my (packed) bags in hand and I would rather pop a disc from the second season of "The Big Bang Theory" into the DVD player and veg out. Ah, post-Christmas/New Year laziness - you help me none. Currently, I am filled with high hopes and a little anxiety about the trip. I will be in a new city that will provide hours upon hours of exploring and the use of my second language; conversely, it will be the longest I will be away from my home state and nothing like the numerous road-trips and week long trips around the U.S. of my past.
No, this time I will be in Paris. La cité de l’amour. I am so incredibly privileged and still awestruck to be going on this trip. It all happened so quickly; one day I walked past a table that said "Register for J-Term Abroad", saw the price tag, and I realized I had to go. This type of an opportunity rarely comes twice in a lifetime. There are some people who never leave their hometowns, let alone the state; the country! It is my wish to take a lot of pictures so I plan to post some of my favorites (and maybe a few random ones) on this site for all to see.
It's late and I have some packing to do. Next stop, Paris! (Au prochain arrêt, Paris !)
No, this time I will be in Paris. La cité de l’amour. I am so incredibly privileged and still awestruck to be going on this trip. It all happened so quickly; one day I walked past a table that said "Register for J-Term Abroad", saw the price tag, and I realized I had to go. This type of an opportunity rarely comes twice in a lifetime. There are some people who never leave their hometowns, let alone the state; the country! It is my wish to take a lot of pictures so I plan to post some of my favorites (and maybe a few random ones) on this site for all to see.
It's late and I have some packing to do. Next stop, Paris! (Au prochain arrêt, Paris !)
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