Ok, don't freak out...but this is REALLY long.

That's what he said. But really. I understand if you hate me forever for this. But I'm up to date now. So there. Enjoy!!!

Sunday- So, we were all pretty tired after the previous night’s events. Sleeping in was just what the doctor ordered. (Or as I say, “just what the physician prescribed.”) We got up and I made spaghetti while Eric went online to decide what he wanted to do. We decided to go to the Père Lachaise Cemetery. This is a cemetery located in the eastern part of the center of Paris. A long time ago, each area of town had its own cemetery. Well, finally someone realized this was taking up a lot of room and decided to make one big cemetery for the entire region. And voila- Pere Lachaise Cemetery was…born. That sounds weird but just go with it.

The weather wasn’t rainy, just a few clouds which made it perfect cemetery weather. I’d never seen such a strange looking area before! There were tombstones everywhere! There was not a lot of space in between them at all. There were also a lot of mausoleums which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Those were kind of weird. They’re just tiny tiny tiny covered rooms (they sort of look like mini towers…only about 2 meters tall) that the family can build to put flowers and things inside and keep away from the elements. Of course, the nicer the little tower, the richer the family. There was even one family that had a whole corner! It was huge compared to the others! I’m sure there were pews and things inside so people could sit down. There were some graves that were dug up and looked like someone had just broken the marble and crawled out. Of course, I had to examine only the creepiest and scariest looking graves and mausoleums. And then run over to Eric because I got the heebie-jeebies. He said I should stop doing that, but I didn’t. I had to make sure there was no one there! Lol. A lot of famous people are buried at the cemetery, including Chopin and Jim Morrison. Everyone knows Chopin, but I had to learn ALL about JM. Probably I’ve heard of him and The Doors, but I didn’t recognize any songs Eric was telling me. I’ll take ‘NSync over them any day! Haha. There was a lady next to the Chopin grave that was telling one of the gravediggers that she lives in the house Chopin was born in! I thought that was neat, but then I got to thinking about how maybe that’s not true. I mean, c’mon! For reals? She could have just said that. I’ll believe her, but…I don’t know. Kinda sketchy. There were a lot of old tombs there, Père Lachaise was built in the 1800s but there were really recent ones, too- as early as January 2007.

After about an hour, I’d seen enough dug-up graves to be satisfied that they had not appeared there recently, not to mention the fact my arm hair had grown about 3 inches from all the goose bumps, and we left.

I’d seen online this tower which, like the Louvre Pyramids, sticks out like a sore thumb so Parisians hate it but tourists LOVE it. Of course we had to go. We walked past the Luxembourg Gardens/French Senate but unfortunately it was closed so we couldn’t go inside. (It opens at sunrise and closes at sunset…) Walking on Boulevard Montparnasse gave Eric a little reminder of when he was in Paris a few years ago so I took a few pictures. Lol. We found a small market which turned out to be artsy-fartsy but had some really neat paintings and sculptures. Lots of naked, though. The French sure are a lot more liberal than Americans. I’m still getting used to it. Then we walked to the Tour Montparnasse which is THE BEST view of Paris. I know why people love it now. It had gotten a little bit colder that night so there weren’t a lot of people at the top- like, it was just us and the security guard. Could have been pretty romantic if it wanted to be. I was surprised though, I mean, it was a perfectly clear night, no rain, granted it was a bit cold, but NO ONE was there! It was an amazing place with a 360 view of the entire city. We were there for a really long time, I think, because we saw the Eiffel Tower light up a few times, and it only does so once an hour. It was just a really neat place and I’d love to take every one there! We finally left when our hands froze off.

Appendage-less, we walked to Les Invalides (hospital and retirement home for war veterans), the Esplanade des Invalides (grass in front of hospital), and the Église du Dôme (church attached to hospital). Nappy B’s (Napoleon Bonaparte) tomb is there, a long with a lot of his family, but since it was night we couldn’t go in. It was just really cool to be walking around there and catching up with Eric. Sort of a reality check for both of us. I took a few pictures, which you can see I’ve added (along with others) in my slideshow.
Then, we went home. There was a football game on that night which meant pizza and beer. It was Seahawks and Patriots, if memory serves me correctly. Probably it doesn’t, but yeah. There was a game on. And someone won. Which was nice. We were exhausted and started falling asleep before the game was over, so we knew it was time for bed.

Monday- We got up earlier this morning with a plan to go to Nôtre Dame and La Défense. First we went to ND because it was on the way. I’d been there with Michael for mass but it was the first time in a while since I’d walked through it. I love that place. It’s so pretty and calming. There’s so much history and beautiful artwork there. I took about 80 billion pictures, of course. It was much colder today, but prettier than yesterday. There was so much wind! I got a bunch of cool pictures of the outside, too.

Next to the Nôtre Dame is Hôtel de Ville- still a working hospital. Apparently it’s really pretty inside so we went in. The courtyard was really well kept and it affirmed my Dream House desire to have a house with a courtyard. Yeah…it would be nice. There was a statue at the other end of the garden that looked like a rugby player from far away. Well, it was! I mean, it wasn’t always that, but I suppose it’s like a few places at some colleges where the students always paint a certain surface every year. This man had a rugby ball taped to his hand like he was holding it and painted to look like he was wearing a uniform. Quite funny. I think I posted a picture. Czech it out!

Then we went to La Défense, the business, more “American” city part of Paris with skyscrapers and everything! It was getting kind of cloudy but we walked around and it was fun. I took him to the mall that John and I went into a looong time ago and was still amazed at how cool it was. I wish there was an Auchan near us. However, there were a lot more stores in that mall than I’d expected- even a Toys-R-Us! I was getting the shopping itch, but I was with a boy, so I spared him. We went home a little bit later after it started sprinkling- the first time since Saturday!

John and I took Eric to Picard, the frozen food store, and he had the same reaction everyone does that we take in there. Utter jealousy that he or she doesn’t have access to such gourmet cuisine in America. Ah, yes, Picard. How I love you. We got escargots, tuna steaks, and potatoes mixed with onions and ham. Now, I know that sounds like a lot, but the only thing we finished were the tuna steaks- and there were 2. Chef John whipped out the big guns and went freakin’ nutzoid and made lime crusted, pan seared, tuna steaks. It was SO good!! He’d been hiding his cooking skills all this time! (I know he was just showing off for Eric. ;-D) It was really good. Eric was not so fond of the escargots, though. I mean, he liked them, but he wasn’t all over them. Or chicken chips, for that matter. Not a fan. Which I’m starting to think I’m a little bit of a weird-o for liking all these things. What is it about my taste buds that likes French food so much? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. It would be horrible if I didn’t like the food in the country I was living in, but still. It seems odd. I take for granted liking things like chicken chips, when the majority of people who come over really don’t. (Sauf X-tina, John’s girlfriend, but maybe that’s cuz she’s cool.)

Anyway, so yeah, yummy food and we watch 300 which Eric had never seen before. Criminal, I know! I loooove that movie. You should totally watch it if you haven’t. Unless you don’t like blood. Then definitely don’t. The title’s in blood. That should give you an idea. After the movie, even though it was only like 11pm, Eric and I went to bed. We were so tired after the busy days we’d had before and we had a long day ahead of us.

Tuesday- Woke up early and headed out to the Tuileries gardens (the gardens in front of the Louvre that connects to Place de la Concorde). I had a Nutella crêpe (which sadly wasn’t real Nutella but some knock-off…you get to know your chocolate/hazelnut spreads over here, as Nutella crêpes are just as popular now as crème brulée…well, that’s debatable, but I’m probably right) for lunch and Eric had a sandwich. We walked around the gardens and ate and took pictures. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the Place de la Concorde because the ferris wheel that had been there since I’ve moved here was being torn down! It was so sad! I did NOT get that memo. Michael got some good pictures of it, thankfully, before it was torn down, but I was just so surprised that it was there just the other day when Eric and I walked past it. I wonder why it was there in the first place. I had fun on it with Liz all those months back.

Then, we went to the Musée D’Orsay. I’d never been, but Eric had and liked it so much he wanted to go again. So he was my little tour guide which was a lovely change. I saw a lot of famous paintings and saw a lot that I really liked. I put some pictures up. One of the coolest things was watching the sun set over the Sacré Coeur and Louvre from the Musée. It was one of the prettiest days that day. I couldn’t believe how blessed we’d gotten with the weather.

After the museum closed, we walked down the Champs Elysées, just talking about everything. I mean, we’d been doing that his whole visit, but it’s just one of those things you do on the Champs. It was beautiful- another romantic thing, so of course we saw couples all over kissing like there was no tomorrow. It seemed like there was always someone making out when a tour bus would pass. I can just imagine the tour guide saying, “…and to your left, one of the favorite Parisian pastimes- l’amour….to your right, the Louvre which was built in…” Lol. Eric and I walked up to the Arc of Triumph and walked around it. Kinda cold, but a really great view. Again, we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle its lights. Then, it was dinner time. Eric took me to a wonderful Italian restaurant on the Champs Elysées. We split a half bottle of Chianti and I had lobster (!!!!) and risotto which was delish!! I’ve been missing seafood SO much over here. He had shrimp lasagna with sliced apples. It was an interesting flavor, but real good. Then for dessert, we split this cute little dessert. See, I’m not such a fan of French sweets. Go figure. I guess that’s where I get weird. I like a lot of French food that Americans don’t like, but they like the traditional desserts that I don’t. Well, anyway, on the menu was a dessert with mini-desserts. Just little tastes of tiramisu, crème caramel, vanilla ice cream, and a shot of espresso. It was perfect for us. I got ice cream and coffee and Eric got the other stuff. We spent quite a while at dinner, something I’m getting really good at (taking my time eating) so when we left it was past 10pm!

We went to the Monoprix for a bottle of wine so we could have extra fun playing the Wii, lol, and then went home. It didn’t take long for us to get too tired once we got home, so even the wine didn’t get finished! L Poor little wine. Eric beat me at EVERY game we played on the Wii. I tried to tell him that the girl is supposed to win, but, no. Lol. I’m a pretty good sport, though. I let him sleep inside.

Wednesday- Ugh. Had to get up for class which, in retrospect, probably wasn’t even worth it. I don’t think I’ve missed but one day in that class, so I could have skipped, but I didn’t. When I got home, Eric was just waking up. He had a flight to catch to Berlin later that afternoon so we just hung around the apartment and he went for a run. (I know, Mom, he’s your hero.) For lunch, we did something I’d never done before. We made sandwiches at home. Usually I just buy them at a boulangerie…it didn’t really ever cross my mind I could make them moi-même. Lol. But it was really good! Then, Eric left and I took him as far as I could on the RER and then went back home. I wrote just a bit on my blog, had dinner (beef and ratatouille!) and then finished my paper. 15 pages byotches!! Woohoo! John and I had a celebratory drink and then went to bed.

It's a beautiful day in Paris!!

So, wow. This has been an incredible week. The weather's been awesome- only one afternoon of sprinkling! Hardly any clouds and bearable temperatures- almost warm!!! I'm going to recap each day, and I'll try to keep them as short as possible, but no promises...Enjoy!

Saturday- Eric arrived, a little tired, but convinced to stay awake. He came in on American *puke* Airlines (I only say this because my parents are/were pilots for Delta and United...I'm sure it's a fine airline...) but flew Business Class! That always makes people in a better mood when they arrive at their destination. So, he put down his bags and we went out. He'd never been to the Sacre Coeur so we went there first and just walked around and took pictures. We went to this little square I'd been to a long time ago when I did an exchange here and it was weird. We walked down the hill the same way I'd walked up it all those years ago! I kept having to take pictures of random things that had stuck out in my memory. It was a neat experience to relive those feelings. We did a lot of walking and then, because it was such a nice day out, decided to go to the Seine and take a boat tour. After walking along the bank we found the right boat and it was a great trip. I'd been on it before with my family when we visited over Thanksgiving a while back, but it was a much better tour than another company that did the same route. It's called Bateaux Parisiens- if you ever do a trip. There's the BatoBus also that you buy a day pass and it goes up and down the Seine that you can get on and off, like a bus. That's cool, too, but the trip we did was just an hour and a half. That was enough. From there, we went home. Neither of us had eaten so we got some steak at Monoprix and I made one of my favorite meals while Eric took a nap. I made ratatouille, pasta, and steak. I don't know why I like it so much. Just really good. I love ratatouille- I could eat it every day. It's just a bunch of vegetables cut up together, simple really. Anyway, so after that, since it was a Saturday night, we decided to go out. Hal came over so it was me, John, Hal, and Eric. We went to the Bastille area. There are a lot of good bars there, but I had a bad first experience when I went so I'd been hesitant to go back. Thankfully, Hal knew his way around a little better than me or John. And since Eric was the only legal (by U.S. standards) drinker, he could give us an idea of what kind of atmosphere would be best. We went to a few bars and at one we got a "Mega" drink- basically just a bowl of the beverage we ordered with 4 straws. Thankfully, none of us were sick. That was a lot of fun to do! We went to this other bar, that was a little smaller, but the music was jazz and quiet so we could actually talk to each other. We spent a good amount of time there and then closed up the bar. Haha. I didn't think I'd ever do that, but I've heard from a professor that it's usually Americans that close most bars. In fact, we left so late, we had to walk home! Thankfully, the Bastille isn't very far away. Or, it doesn't usually seem like it. That night I felt like we walked halfway across France! I'm very glad I've got such good guy friends, because I didn't feel unsafe at all walking back at night. Granted, I'm not so sure how dangerous streets in Paris are at night, but I'm not that much of a risk taker.

I'm gonna go eat, so I'll finish the rest of the week later....

xoxo

Wii!!

I had my exam yesterday. It went all right. It wasn't what any of us thought, though. Like I said, I thought it was gonna be a dictee. Well, it was, sort of. We watched a news clip about Komodo dragons (of all things) and then had to summarize what the newscaster was talking about. I think I got that part all right. I mean, I definitely wrote a long enough resume of the clip. But I was having the hardest time with my spelling! I don't do a lot of reading in French here, it's more speaking and writing. But with the writing, its mostly on the computer and spell check fixes all my mistakes. So, I'm gong to have to begin reading more to improve my spelling. Well, accents are my biggest problem, but also French is a pretty difficult language because they don't pronounce the last syllable of a word a lot, so you have to know how to spell it. The second part of the exam (which she didn't tell us about until about 30 seconds before it started) was a short answer question. In keeping with the theme of Komodo dragons and how they are the last living prehistoric animal or something, our prompt was "Would you want to live in the time of the dinosaurs or do you want them to come back to earth?" I thought it was pretty silly, but I wrote a little bit on it and figured it was good enough. There are 15 of us in the class, roughly. I was catching everyone's eye at about 9:30 because, I guess, no one wanted to be the first one to leave. That's ridiculous. So, I was the first one to turn in my papers and leave. As I was getting my things situated outside the door, about 6 other people left. There's no punishment to being the first one done as far as I know. Lol.

Work was pretty interesting yesterday. I was going through French students applications to American universities and looking at specific criteria to see how strong it was.

John set up his Wii last night!! His parents sent him a package with all the necessary plugs and technology stuff. Lol. Yeah, like I know what they are.

Henri came over after his class and we played bowling and tennis on the Wii. I was not the best. Later on, we were able to coax sick Hal out and watched "Juno." I don't know how I feel about that movie, but I think it's a good one to see. It's got a lot of funny people in it that I like, so it was fun to see their little parts. We pulled out the bed on the couch (which we don't normally do...I don't know why- it's fun!) to watch a movie but all fell asleep.

Henri told us all that he was going back to America after this semester is over. I cried. John was surprised and I think Hal was more upset about the fact that he was gonna be back in the States before us. Lol. I was all excited about having a class with him, too! But he's gotta do what he's gotta do. The Gang is losing one of our best men. :-( We're planning a big send-off, though, so I'm excited about that!

I got up and showered and now I'm just waiting for Eric to arrive! It's such a nice day out and it's been warm enough that I've been opening up the windows just to get some fresh air in the apartment.

xoxo

Half the fun is getting there!

I went to French class today and we pretty much talked about euthanasia for the longest time. I remember when I first heard people talking about it and I thought they were saying "Youth in Asia" and I was like, yeah, there are a lot of people in that area, but why do we care so much and why is it so bad? Haha. I looked it up and definitely was surprised with my findings. Thankfully, I was able to contribute to this conversation without sounding like I was concerned about the younger generations in China. On another note, our exam is tomorrow, and it's a dictee. A dictee is where someone (the professor, a tape recording, or, in our case, a video) reads something and we have 3 chances to get everything down perfectly and then turn it in. The process goes like so: listen once without writing anything down, listen 2 times more while taking notes, then, write everything you heard ver batim or as close as you can get, then turn it in. I've done these before, have done them since high school, but it's a lot harder when you can't watch the professor or person talking because a lot of my comprehension comes from being able to see their mouths move. But it's still hard because about 3 different tenses of verb conjugation sound exactly the same, and are spelled only slightly different. On the up side, I think it'll be fine, and it'll be over before I know it. There's really no way to study for it so that's nice. But it IS the exam, so it's worth a lot of our grade.

When I was walking to my econ class, I had a truly enjoyable experience riding the metro/RER. I was remembering all the times I'd ridden the metro- so many things have happened on it! I usually spend an hour a day on it, but it's not been my first time to Paris, so I've ridden it a lot! I mean, I got my first kiss on the Paris metro- so it definitely is special to me- even though it's smelly. (I know, my first kiss on the metro- not so romantic...so I just say "in Paris," it sounds wayyyyy better.) Suffice it to say, I'm really loving being here. It's such a change from the US. I love the people, the food, the culture, the fashion, everything!

I'm finishing up my second paper. I've already written a paper on the same topic, so I'm kinda just tweaking it a bit. It's not plagiarism if it's your own paper, right? It should be good and then that will be a load of stress off. I just remembered about the paper I could write for my International Political Economy class, but I'm not sure...I've already written one and the grade I got (looking back) isn't all that bad. Probably I'll find some time to squeeze it in. There's no use in not doing it and then wondering if that was the reason I got such and such a grade.

Our professors are beginning to tell us about the exams, and they're all the same- essays. Great. But once I'm done, it will be such a relief! So I just have to think of that.

I (well, Derrick the Not-So-Lame-Anymore helped me out a TON and) turned in my award application today. It would be so cool to be honored like that- I mean, this is a big deal, with my name on a plaque that gets hung at a building at Tech and EVERYTHING! I want to make my mark at Georgia Tech and this is just another opportunity to do so.

France is having a huge sale (every thing's 50% off!!) from Jan 9-Feb 9 and so far I've abstained from even walking into a store...but oooh I can hear those shops calling my name. It's just going to be such a nice reward to have once I'm done with papers and tests, etc. I have to wait! ;-)

Class and work tomorrow...then the weekend! For 3 days, this sure does seem like a long week.

xoxo

It's the little things...

I went to work today and changed desks just because I love looking out over the buildings and seeing the top of the Sacre Coeur basilica peek out over them. I'm going to take a picture just so I can remember it. It's cool. I really didn't do much at work today. I looked over some more applications for students who are applying abroad. There are about 300 applicants and half as many spots so Matthew and Marie have quite a task ahead of them. Harvard, Georgetown, and UPenn are the top schools people want to get into this year. Strangely, Princeton didn't have that many applicants. And Georgia Tech has one. Represent! But like I said, every spot will eventually be filled because there are more applicants that slots. I'm excited to get to know the students that will be going to Tech next year- hopefully they won't mind me using them to keep my French up-to-date.

The weather's been a lot warmer here- like in the 50s. We've been really lucky. It's warmer here than in Atlanta! Woohoo! I've seen a lot of sunshine in the morning and it really makes things so pretty here. Then around 1pm the clouds roll in and it drizzles until late evening. But I get to enjoy a clear bright morning to lift my spirits which is great.

Pretty much things have been quiet other than that. I'm going to start planning my trip for my semester break soon, which is exciting. I really want to take the Chunnel, so probably I will. Probably I should figure out where it goes, but, yeah. One step at a time.

John and I usually watch a TV show during dinner and we've started LOST because it seems to be getting a lot of good reviews. The Pilot was pretty good. So...yep.

I guess I'll keep this one short since I got so many comments on one of the previous ones. Again, I apologize, I just had TONS to say!

xoxo

Life's so good when everything's going your way.

Last night I finished a paper. Woohoo! One down, one to go. My French friend is looking it over so hopefully I'll make up for that other bad one. I've been hesitant to have someone look over it as my French professor looks down on it a lot. But, my fellow students and I argue the point that this alludes to the fact that she doesn't really want us to do well. If we just get help with our grammar, we learn something from the students instead of letting our grades be affected by it. But sometimes, if a student gets help and the essay is too correct, she notices that it's not the student's original work and will not accept it. So, it's kind of a Catch 22. But it's done. So that's good.

I'm applying for an award at Tech that emphasizes my "proficiency in a foreign language and a demonstrated commitment to furthering international cooperation and cross-cultural understanding." Pretty much that's my job at the Center and the point of my study abroad, and I think the e-mail I received about 10 minutes ago will seal the deal:

Good Afternoon,

I just received an e mail from Washington and you have been selected to do your internship, in Paris for summer 2008 and should be in the Economical Section. Washington should send the package next week with all the information and how to get the clearance.

MERCI.

No, merci, to YOU Ambassador Stapleton! :-)

I really don't know how these things have happened to me. I'm not worthy.

xoxo

If you think I wrote my paper last night, you're wrong.

Of course, I tried to think of anything that I could do OTHER than paper writing. Such a bad student!

Called up some friends and we went out to a bar instead. It was, bar none (pun semi-intended), the most fun I've had in France. We went to Metro Grand Boulevards to a bar called O'Sullivans. There were tons of young people there, well like 20-30s I'd say. I'd never heard of this place. I thought most of the college students hung out at the Bastille bar area, but this place was really cool. At first it was uncomfortable because we didn't really have anywhere to sit and we met up with some French friends, but they didn't seem to keen on hanging out with us the whole time. John searched the bar and found a little hideaway that was showing the Seahawks v. Packers game. It was snowing there! Very pretty. After I was done with my first drink, I was bored with the game. What do you know- I couldn't just sit and watch a football game in a French bar while there were PLENTY of eligible bachelors creepily invading every inch of my personal space. So I went upstairs to the about 6'x6' dance floor. Maybe it wasn't even that big. Somehow my American dance moves emptied the floor. They must have been that good...or at least that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. They definitely don't dance the same way over here. Oh well. That just meant I was able to teach a lot of people how to rock them hips! (Which was quite a challenge as the best song to dance to that played was "LoveStoned" by JT...horrible DJing) I became an expert belt-loop-grabber by the end of the night. Haha. This really nice guy gave me a 20E note to buy a drink but when I went back to give him the change, he was no where to be found. :-( But this other kinda-sketchy guy found me as I was just livening up the party downstairs with John and Hal. He was fun and was patient with me as I practiced my French on him. We exchanged numbers and may meet up again, but who knows. After a long night of dancing, it was time to go home. Unfortunately, it was too late to catch a metro so we had to get a taxi. The driver was very nice and my drink change from earlier came in handy. Thanks, Stranger! I'm definitely going back to that bar- it was really fun. And not just because I made a profit there. (I'm one of the only girls I know that could walk out of a bar with more money than she came in with AND not have done anything for it. ;-D )

Needless to say, as lazy as yesterday was, today was not much better. I needed to rest my tired muscles from all that bootyshaking! But I really am gonna start my paper. I gotta! Poor little Henri's computer broke so he's coming over to work on the living room one. That is a nice thing about having 3 computers in this apartment. Okay, time to (pretend to) get to work!

xoxo

I think I'm turning into a Frog. It's like, opposite from that fairy tale. Crap.

First off, let me say I wasn't planning on this post to be as long as it is...but I guess I had a lot on my mind.

I feel more like a Parisian everyday. Is it wrong to be annoyed by American tourists? Probably. But I can't help it. I heard this lady laugh down the platform as I was waiting for the metro and knew she was American before I'd even heard her say any real words. Just because of how loud she was. I rolled my eyes like every other stuck up Frog in there and went about my (now habitual) frowning and general snubbing of everything I saw. When in Rome, right? I've become much more critical and cynical. But that's what happens when you live in Paris. There's now a group on Facebook that Henri made "Techies for the Discouragement of Studying Abroad at Sciences Po" that everyone has joined- even someone who never went here. I didn't join- not because I don't agree, just because I don't join groups. I don't want people to define me or assume something about me by what groups I'm in. However, I don't want to discourage people from going to SP- I just want to let them know that it's not going to be as glamorous as they think it's going to be for the first couple of months.

In French, our last essay topic is "Has your stay in Paris met your expectations?" I don't know how I'm going to expand "no" into 3 pages, but I'm sure I'll find a way. We all scoffed at our professor's suggestion of this topic, and one girl was having such a problem with the library that we ended up having an hour-long debate/discussion/story-telling session about all the bad things Sciences Po has done to us. It actually was more of a competition to see who had a worse story. Actually, I was quite surprised to find that the (hot) English boys in my class had absolutely no problems with Sciences Po. They just think its the most brilliant place they've ever been. I think some of the students were ready to kill them. Including myself. How can they not be having problems?! Ah, yes, I forgot, the Eurozone is ridiculously cheap for those who live for daily tea and crumpets at 4pm. And money makes a lot of things easy. But the main reason they prefer SP is because they're home universities are worse than SP. That's right. Worse. They couldn't stop marveling at how brilliant everything here was. Probably they would pee their pants if they went to school in the States. Oh well, there were 2 students out of about 15 who are happy with the system- even the French kids think SP sucks sometimes. Oh yeah, and there's a new logo. Don't even get people started on it. The old one was blue and small and some people didn't even know what it was. The new one is bright red and is a wolf and lion having a face-to-face. I don't really get it, but I definitely prefer it to the old one. No one else likes it. That could prove problematic as I was going to make t-shirts/sweatshirts that students could purchase. Of course, it would have the new logo on it. Hmm. Also, this new logo is everywhere. I don't know how many years they had the old one, but it was not very well displayed and now it's everywhere. Especially in a city that thrives on morbid grey and black toned clothing, a red sign really stands out. At least I can find my classes easier.

On a side note: When I was in Spain, I really felt like a Parisian in Spain. Not an American. It was very odd. A lot of the students in the group I was with (Liz's friends) had never been to Europe, or out of the U.S., so I don't know, it was strange. I found myself trying to speak French and ask questions more than English. Of course, no one speaks French in Spain. So I would use what little Spanish skills I had. God forbid I use my English. I was determined. And actually in Spain, I would get a look from people, like, wait, you're not wearing tennis shoes, so maybe you're not American, but you've got a strange accent. What hybrid are you? Which actually was pretty fun! I may take another Spanish class when I get home. Being semi-trilingual would be pretty flippin' sweet. And I bet it would be kinda easy since I know French. Two things I did notice about Spain: they smoke so much more than the French and there is a lot more PDA- a sickening amount. Both two things I never thought I would say. My last night in Spain Liz and I went to a restaurant and about mid-way through, I started feeling gross. So I went to the bathroom and puked up everything I'd just eaten. I felt a lot better afterwards. So I went upstairs and finished my beer. Guess my tummy can differentiate American Chinese food from Spanish Chinese. It was a really weird thing, so I felt like telling you. It was also the first time in a long time that my puking wasn't, um, "spirit"-induced. Thank goodness!

On another side note: I really didn't go into much detail about Michael's visit. For which I feel bad. We had a really good time and I'm just not giving it the credit I feel it deserves. We did a lot of cool things that, had Michael not been there, I may not have done. I went to Mass at the Notre Dame and it was in French- and I understood the sermon! Basically the guy just talked about the Christmas story, the Holy Family, and New Year's resolutions. But it was fun to understand it. It made me feel bilingual. One night, we also went to the Opera. That was probably something I never would have looked into. Not that I didn't want to go, but I just never thought of one day just saying, oh yeah, sure I'll just go to the Opera tonight. It was a concert we went to. The seats were not great, but since it was more of a "listening" thing, I really didn't care that I couldn't see the 6 people playing their instruments. I got lots of good pictures of the inside though. Also, since I couldn't watch the musicians, I was left to people-watch. Pretty much my favorite thing in the world to do. And of course, it wouldn't have a been a truly cultural experience if I hadn't seen about 8 couples making out like there was no tomorrow. It fulfilled every stereotype about the Opera. I was ready to go home once I realized that. But the music had started about 10 minutes earlier, so I figured I needed to stick around. It was a cool experience. Michael's a sweet guy for taking us- a lot cooler "thanks for letting me stay" gift than money, cuz probably that would have gone to groceries. Haha. We also went to the Eiffel Tower for New Year's. Which was really neat. I'm glad we went. It was different from being at the beach for many reasons. There was no way to tell when it was midnight- so at about 12:15 we realized it was the New Year. What a way to spend your first 15 minutes of 2008- literally living in the past! People really cleared out after the "fireworks show" (consisting of about 3 big ones...I'm just spoiled with some real good displays because my parent's friends are pretty much pyros) so we walked around to the other side of the Tower and took pictures, as that was the goal of every night and day of Michael's visit- get a money-making-worthy shot. We went to the Sacre Coeur one late afternoon and got some pretty pictures. It was a lovely day out- hardly any clouds, but it was so cold. We walked around a bit, as I'd heard there was a Starbuck's near by and we wanted something to warm our hands with and ended up walking through the Red Light District. Let me just say that it was, um, interesting. I'd never pegged that sort of area around the base of a famous basilica, but you learn something new every day. The coolest thing was continuing down the same street wishing the torture would end and running into the Moulin Rouge!! I can check that off my "must see" list! It made going through all the previous unpleasantness worth it. Almost. Going to a cabaret show seems like it would be something interesting to do while here, but, I don't know. I'll be here for a long time. We'll see. Okay, I've made up for Michael's visit. I'll move on to what I did yesterday.

Note: I never mean to offend anyone in my posts and I try to avoid saying mean things when I can help it. So I apologize if I ever hurt your feelings...it's my blog and these are my opinions, not scientific fact. Just take everything I say with a grain of salt. Having said that, here we go.

I went to French class and then headed out to the south of the center of Paris because I was going to meet the group from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and take them to France Televisions. Now, I was not very well-informed of any of what I was to do or who these people were or what they looked like (partly because I didn't really think I was going to do it). So after waiting inside the station, I exited the metro, only to find my group waiting for me all confused that I was inside and not outside. My instructions were to meet them at the exit- which I took for the exit to the street- not on the street. Also, I wasn't told that they were staying close the metro station I was going to, I just assumed they were coming on the metro. Just a confusing start and it kinda put me off. So, my next instructions were to take these people to the television station. On our way down the street we passed their hotel. Up the next block and across the street was the television station. Wow. That was not difficult. Another offputting thing. What was I doing there? I felt pretty useless. If it was going to be this easy, why was I there? Then I was given my answer. The group was completely and utterly dependent upon me. If I stopped to put on my gloves, they stopped and asked if everything was okay. If I looked at my clock, they had to know the time. If I consulted a map, they demanded to know if we were lost. It was an awkward situation to be put in. I didn't really know what to expect as I'd never been a tour guide/slave for anyone. I did not like it. It takes a specific person to be able to deal with groups and I am not one of them. Which kind of surprised me actually. I didn't think I'd be awesome at it, but I thought I would be a little more patient with them. I disappointed myself. So, to give you a little background, when I was "briefed" for this adventure, I was given a petit itinerary telling me basically 11-11:30 Walk to France Television station, 11:30-2:30 FT, 2:30-3:30 Metro/walk to Paris Match magazine, 3:30-? PM. That was it. I asked my boss when and where they were eating lunch. She hadn't really thought about that. So she e-mailed them telling them to make sure they had a lunch or something to eat from 2:30-3:30. Well, go figure, they didn't. Anyway, that was the background...so back to the foreground. Their group leader informed me of this before we arrived at FT and I was still trying to figure out why it was my problem when she came up with a solution- she (or I) would just go somewhere during the presentation and bring back food. I found out there was a cafeteria in the building and assured her we could get food after we were done so not to worry. The actual building was really cool and I learned a ton about French television. This company, France Televisions, is a public company with 5 stations: France 2, 3, 4, 5, and 0. France 2 is news. 3 is regional television. 4 is focused on music and entertainment television (for the younger gens). 5 is more educational television (for the older people. No, seriously, that's what they said.) 0 is the section of international channels they have all over the world. Up until 3 days ago, there were very limited commercials on these channels. Sarkozy, or as I call him, Sarkrazy, just passed a new law that banned commercials on public television. FT had no say in this. The repercussions are enormous. Over 300 jobs- the Advertising Dept of FT- will be lost unless FT is able to find jobs for them. (To digress, this is one thing I find amazing about France. Even with all this, they really don't want to have to let go 300 people. They would rather move some things around and keep them on the payroll. Job security over here! ) Not to mention the fact that 60% of FT's revenue comes from companies paying to advertise on the TV. So, basically, as the man explained to us, FT needed to find 800 million euros by the end of the year to maintain their mode du travail. Easy peasy, right? Thanks, Sarko. There is one television station, TF1, that he can't touch with this law- because it's purely all commercials. The whole channel. How does that work? Anyway, we got to see the 1 o'clock new being telecast, which was really neat. Like I said, I've never been to the CNN Center, so I don't know if that's normal there, but the Frenchman kept stressing how rare it is to have a tour group, so, yeah, we're special. Also, I don't know how this got lost in translation, but FT was planning on us being there from 11:30-2, not 2:30. So we had more time to find food- I thought. The leader of the group asked me to go to the cafeteria and get sandwiches for everyone. (I thanked God for allowing me to be paid for this excursion.) Well, she didn't give me her credit card or anything, so the nice man that accompanied me paid for it and she paid him back. I had to get 17 sandwiches, and when I ordered them, the lady looked at me like I was from another planet all together. What, is that a strange request? What if I was hungry? Lol. It was just funny. So we took the sandwiches up to the group, and, of course, everyone wanted to know what kind of sandwiches they were and then proceeded to complain about what kind of meat was on it, how hard the bread was, "it's just a sandwich with cheese on it?!', blah dy blah. Most people gave up, bought a Twix bar, and called it a day. It's that sort of stuff that really bugs me, but deep down, my American conscience gets mad at me for being annoyed because probably I was the same way when I arrived. That's why I'm not sure if I'm becoming a better or worse person. Moving on. Everyone was fed and watered and so we were off to Paris Match. I was almost done. All I had to do was drop them off and then I was home free. I thought. The group leader was leaving with me and wanted help getting to the Louvre. Of course I was happy to help her find her way, it had just been a long day. I'd been sent information on how to get to Paris Match...which, while not wrong, were not exactly right. There was a much closer metro station and being the fun-loving bunch that they were, astutely pointed this out to me. Listen, kids, I didn't make the directions. I just follow them. If they could have found it without me, I would have been pleased to allow it. As it stood, they didn't want me to leave because they were unsure of how to get home. And even though I told one of them how, and he gave me the "I've been to Paris before, I know how to get around," he was the one most concerned about my departure. Odd...he may have been bluffing about his heightened sense of direction. He was male, after all. So, I left them to fend for themselves with a concierge who was none-too-excited to have 18 Americans in his pitiful excuse of a lobby with high ceilings and a wonderful ability to resonate loud sounds. I was happy to get the heck out of Dodge. (Which, by the way, where is Dodge, and why are people so anxious to leave it?) Now, I've left the good part about this entire adventure out until the end, so you don't finish this thinking I'm a horrible person. I really enjoyed talking to the students. They were very intrigued about what I was doing and what living in Paris was like, etc. Being as it's actually my job at the Center, I was happy to answer all their questions. I recommended a few not-so-touristy things to do, Mass at the Notre Dame, where to shop, and one of them even asked about the gay area of Paris- of which I have limited knowledge, but he got what he wanted. That was the funnest part of the day. Is that egotistical? To be more happy to talk about where you live and what fun things there are to do than finding it enjoyable buying over a dozen sandwiches or having a train of Americans follow you around? Oh well. That was my work day. I was exhausted from all the social interaction (doesn't really sound like me) so I went home, shut my door, and just breathed in all the delicious silence. After I was rejuvenated, I joined Slips McGee (thought of that one last night) on the couch and tried to see who was going to procrastinate the longest and best. He took a nap and I watched a movie. Not sure who won that battle. Hal came over late and we spent way too much time watching movies and trying to drown our sorrows. Sometimes it's nice to just enjoy a cinematic adventure and get lost in it. But now I'm paying for it. Still procrastinating with this blog, though. But I do think John's sleeping...so I think he wins. I may go to the store...it's such a nice day, I gotta get outside. I'm craving chicken. I think I've acquired a slight addiction to these Lay's chips that are flavored like rotisserie chicken. Like, they taste exactly like them. I want a million bags when I get back to the States. I love them more than anything. Oddly enough, every one of my guests that's visited so far and tasted them hates them. I don't know why. I'll continue my research next week. I think Willy Wonka must have invented them because they fill me up just as though I'd eaten an entire rotisserie chicken. Ok, not really, but still. I think I'll put a chicken in the oven tonight and just pick at it for dinner. That sounds yummy.

I planned to write my French paper tonight...so we'll see how that goes. I've just got so much to say! Eric's going away party is tonight and I'm sad I'm missing it...but he's kinda coming to my apartment, so I'm not sure if I should be sad about the going or happy about the coming. Or both? Lol. C'est tous pour maintenant. Je suis fatiguee.

xoxo

Picasa is no longer an enigma!

I think I've figured out how to post pictures on here, but bear with me as I tweak things until I get it how I want it to look. Today's been better. Got an extension on a paper, but I think I'm going to try to finish it before the end of next week anyway.

I'm getting more excited about going to the television stations. It really is a cool opportunity and I'm lucky to do something like that.

When I sit back and reflect on what I've done this past year I really am amazed. It's been 9 months since I found out I was accepted to Sciences-Po and I'm already here with so much ahead of me. I've really changed a lot both in how I think and act, and I'm eager to see what's in store these next few months. All this just goes to show how great God really is!

Just Say No!

Today has not been superb so far.

I woke before 7 to get to class by 8, not realizing my clock was about 10 minutes behind, so I was almost late to French. Then, I sit down, and receive a less-than-stellar essay back. My proffy was like, what happened here Steph? I think it had something to do with the fact that she wanted me to write a paper during our Christmas break, but I'm not sure. Not to mention that I was surrounded by English, which doesn't really help me trying to write in French. Oh well, the lucky thing is that I've done well on the others so they cushion this grade. And we have one more to do, so I've got to do well on that, too.

Which leads me to probably the worst thing that happened: she moved up our exam AND essay due date by A WEEK. So that means I've got an exam and 2 papers due next Thursday and Friday. Awesome. All of my wires shorted when she told us that. Who changes the due date UP, and with such short notice?! Ah, ze Frensh. Zey ahr sew clehver.

About 2 days ago I received an e-mail from Marie of a forward from her colleague asking me to accompany a group of Missouri journalist students to a television station in Paris (it’s called TF1, which is a big channel here) on Friday (instead of work in the office, I would get paid to do this). I don’t know many American students who have seen the inner-workings of a French television station, but I guess they could go to the CNN Center in the ATL. It's a great opportunity, but with all this new work, I was ready to tell them I was unable to do it, as well as tell Marie I was going to take the day off to work on my papers and study. Well, unfortunately, I'd been recruited and there was no replacement for me. I'd never even confirmed I was able to do it and had even told Matthew I would have to check my schedule because of upcoming exams and papers being due. But they took that to mean a whole hearted yes, I guess. When I went to tell them I wasn't able to do it and instead needed to focus on my studies, the poor girl looked like she was about to cry. After about 20 minutes of talking, I finally conceded. A few hours isn't going to kill me, but I wish there'd been more communication. I understand why everyone assumed I'd be able to do it, as it's during my work hours anyway, but I'd even mentioned to my boss that I had a lot of work and may need the day off. Oh well, I'm just looking at the bright side. I think I'm just stressed out after hearing about all the work I was going to have to get moving on sooner than I'd expected.

*sigh* At least I'll have less to worry about when Eric is here. Right now it looks like my aunt may be coming over as well, but we'll see.

I have class again in an hour and then again at 5. I can't believe I only have class for 3 more weeks and then exams. And then, by hours, I'll be a senior! (I'll have 90 credit hours- the limit.)

I've been trying to talk to Liz a bit, especially since she's just brand new over there, but I think she's having an easier time than I did. I knew her experience would be different- for many reasons, not to mention she's not in France, she doesn't need a visa, she had housing found for her, etc. So I'm glad she's able to just go in with it having fun.

Anyway, the day's not over. But I must go. Until next time: good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

xoxo

Same old, same old.

Went to first day of class and work for the year. Nothing much different. I still am getting projects in the last 30 minutes of work when I hadn't done anything the whole day. But I can't complain. At least I'm not like Jim from The Office. He is not a hard worker. Michael can spend all day on a project, and he will finish the same project in a half an hour. So that should tell you something.

I'm getting anxious to finish this semester and get on with the next one. I've learned so much and am ready to try out new strategies, like Operation: Don't Procrastinate For Real This Time, I'm Totally Serious.

It's way cool having Liz over here. I was able to text her when something really strange happened like I would if I was at Tech. It was so weird I have to share: I was standing next to a man on the metro with HIS BOOTS ON THE WRONG FOOT. Like, this was noticeable. The boots had definite degrees of turn in the toe-area. I didn't really know what to do. So I texted Liz. That was the 3rd time today I wished I'd had my camera, as I would have most assuredly taken a picture of this man and his backwards feet and promptly displayed it on my blog for all to see. I mean, do you REALLY think he put them on backwards and didn't realize? No. He probably has his feet switched. I wonder what the odds of that are...

Anyway, French class (*barf* *puke*) tomorrow at 8 am. It's a complete waste of time. I learn more French walking from my apartment to the metro station than I do in 2 hours of that class. Thankfully, I'll have another professor next semester.

xoxo

The beginning of the end

So it's January, and I've got a few weeks left before my Fall semester is over. But before I jump for joy at the prospect of being done, I've got about 3 million pages of reading to do, 3 papers (ranging in size from 4 to 12 pages), and 4 exams (Jan 24, Feb 7,8, and 13). Oh well, then I'll be done for one semester and be able to say I'm half way done! What an accomplishment!

I've put all my posts from my other blog on to this one, so you needn't refer to it any longer, except for pictures, maybe. I'm still trying to figure out Picasa for this blog.

I had a great few days with Liz in Spain, and it's so cool that we're able to be in the same time zone now! She's got a cell phone and we've been texting all morning, just like the old days. I know her time her will fly by- she's in Spain for 3 months! I'll have been in my Spring semester for 2 weeks and she'll already be done with hers! THAT'S crazy! I know she'll have fun, though. Her Spanish is really good, and as her language placement exam showed today, it's the best in the group! I really hope it progresses as much as she wants it to.

My friend, Eric, booked flights over to Paris the 18th of January to the 28th, so I'm really excited to see him! He'll be travelling throughout Europe, not just staying with me. Lol. One of my childhood friends from Valdosta and Derrick have both said they wanna come over for Spring Break, so we'll see. (This begs the questions, Where are all my sorority sisters and girlfriends? Do they think this Paris is a he-man woman hater's club?! It's just not so! (I'm just as happy to have girls visit as boys...so, ladies...the City of Love is calling your name!...)) Thankfully, 2 of my aunts have said they want to come over, and then of course, my family wants to come over again- I'll be SO busy entertaining people I won't have time for school! Ha, no, that would be awful.

Oh well, I can't believe I start school tomorrow. Got a lot to do. I'm applying for a small scholarship today for people studying abroad, and then the International Plan Program has asked me to write an article for their newsletter describing my experiences studying abroad and how IP has influenced it. I've also been e-mailing with the man at the U.S. Embassy trying to see how many people were offered my position or if it was a real offer (as certain e-mails have left me confused), but it doesn't look like I'll know for sure if I got it until they say "Show up for work on such and such a day." Cool. I'm just happy to be considered. :-)

Yesterday, John and I discovered a better grocery store just down the street from the dumb one we'd been going to these past months. We were so excited to have found it we just stood there in awe, then disgust at how much money we just flushed down the toilet at the other store. Prices aren't that much cheaper, but, still. We "Frenched" it out in celebration- escargots, wine, cheese, bread, and even splurged and bought real wine glasses (it was about time). Of course, one is already broken. I'm not saying who it was, but my roommate's name isn't John Spills-A-Lot Schneider for nothing. Lol. He's not that bad...usually. Haha, no, we have fun, he's just a boy. That pretty much explains everything.

Anyway, I guess I should get to work on all this. This year has started well, thank goodness!

xoxo

In Spain!

I´m in Spain with Liz right now using the computers at El Corte Ingles one of the department stores here, like Macy´s. I´ve had a really great time so far and I can´t believe I recognize tons of the stuff I´ve seen because of the other times I´ve been. One of the times I was here last, my dad, sister, and I visited the Royal Palace, and the hotel is a couple of blocks from it! Crazy! Also, the people Liz is staying with are really nice and letting me stay in the hotel. Anyway, that´s it for now. I´m safe and sound. 

xoxo

To Spain I Go!

I'm going to be in Spain with Liz from the 3rd to the 6th enjoying sangria and meeting all the students with whom she's going on the exchange! So I'll be M.I.A. for a while- try to survive without me! :-)

xoxo

P.S. Thanks everyone for the comments- sounds like everyone had a pretty good time, though the Eiffel Tower was pretty cool!!!

Happy New Year! Bonne Annee!

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve.

I've done so much the past couple days, so I'll give you the brief update: went to Mass at Notre Dame, went to the Opera, and then celebrated New Year's at the Eiffel Tower! That was all stuff I'd NEVER done before! I'm so glad Michael and Liz are here to make me do touristy things. Lol. Not that I wouldn't have done them.. Lol. (Also, Derrick The Lame didn't make it over...flights were bad, so hopefully he'll come over for Spring Break!)

Welp, we're gonna go have another great night on the Champs-Elysees! Taking photos and drinking wine- now THAT'S something Michael's never done! :-)

Remember, with this new blog, you're ALL able to write me comments! Just click "Comments" below this blog- I'd love to hear what you did for New Years- even if I don't know you!