Thursday, March 31, 2011
Je voudrais GUÉRIR !
I keep getting sick and I am not a fan of it. My eye has been all leaky for two days and it's just gross. In short, I'm about 99% sure that I have pink-eye. Can't I just be healthy? I don't think I've ever been sick as frequently before. Why start when I'm in Paris?!
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Weekend in Belgium: Brussels & Bruges
Well, it's about time I talk about my trip to Belgium! After this, I will pretty much be up to date on my fancy European experiences.
... Until I get behind again, and we all know that'll happen at some point.
So, two weekends ago, I went on a weekend trip with Johanna, Alexandra, and Vanessa. We took a Eurolines bus to Bruxelles Midi. We booked the tickets for Friday at 5PM, and at least three of us had grammar class until 4. Not a lot of time to get to the station. Personally, I rushed. I asked if I could leave my class a little early, so that I'd be on-time (I thought I'd be finding the place on my own) and dashed down the streets of Paris, stopping to get a sandwich and some snacks at a grocery store for the (very long) ride. We all met up at Alexandra's foyer and had quite a time trying to get to the bus station... The metro must've been pretty backed up that day, because we kept stopping randomly between stations. It was very stressful, considering the rush we were in. If we didn't check in by 4:30, we supposedly wouldn't be able to board. Needless to say, we ran pretty much the entire time we weren't standing in a metro car.
[On somewhat of a side-note: when we were on the RER, which was very crowded, I noticed something strange that made me angry. We were pretty much packed like sardines in there, so there wasn't a lot of personal space. It didn't help that we had several bags between us. I had my travel bag with me. It was pretty full and it was slung over my shoulder. I'm very conscious of my belongings when I'm in a crowded place. I got this weird feeling and turned to my left, and, sure enough, this girl had her arm on my bag. I say this, knowing in full that I probably seem like a terrible person, but she looked like she could've been a gypsy, and I was ready to freak. Touching MY bag?! She saw that I was looking and said, « Pardon », or something like that, but I was already annoyed. I mean, she could've just had her arm on my bag because of the lack of space in the car... but I was not feeling sympathetic. Not that there were a lot of interesting things in there, but I was annoyed. I didn't pursue anything, though. I just dropped it from my mind until we got off. End of rant.]
By the time we finally got to the station, totally breathless, we realized that our effort was in vain. We had about 12 minutes so spare, which was great, but totally unnecessary. We didn't end up leaving until about 20 minutes or so after our scheduled departure time. Every seat was filled (and I saw some pretty angry people outside of the bus, who I guess weren't allowed on due to lack of space), and the four of us were, for the most part, spread out. I sat toward the front, and everyone else was further back. It was not the most comfortable ride, but it was pretty cheap, and that was important. My ticket cost 40€, round-trip.
We got to Brussels a little after 9, and then took a train to Bruges, where we would be spending the night. We had a room booked in a hostel there, waiting for us. Our goal: Check in by 11. Our problem: ... Where are we going?
Once we got off the train, we had to figure out which bus to take, and where to take it to. The funny thing about Bruges is that it's a part of Flanders, so they speak Flemish. We were advised by Alexandra's coworker (who is Belgian) to speak English there, rather than French, due to tension between the north and south. Whatever the reasons, we heeded her advice, and even took a little comfort in being able to return to our native language... but it was definitely an odd feeling. We asked what we needed to ask, and got to the part of town we needed to be in... Just without any clue as to where the hostel actually was. We tried stopping some people to ask for help, but didn't really get anywhere with that (although quite a few of them knew English). Even a girl who had lived in Bruges for a long time wasn't sure what to tell us. Not exactly reassuring...
... but then Alexandra randomly found it, so it was all good.
The hostel, Passage, was a nice little place. We spoke English at the desk, got codes for the doors, and headed upstairs. We had a private room with two bunk beds, and a gorgeous view of the brick wall outside.
In all seriousness, though, it was cozy. We put our things down and decided to go out and explore a little. We sought fries and entertainment. Fries were easy to find, and they were quite tasty. Belgians definitely know what they're doing when it comes to frieten. Then we continued our quest for entertainment... which lead us to two bars, juxtaposed in a little corner of town. After being greeted in Flemish and then broken English by some intoxicated fellows that argued over which one was the "real" Bin Laden (I kid you not), we went into one.
I don't drink back in the US, but since I'm allowed to here, I've tried a few things. I hadn't tried beer yet at this point. There was a good deal during what was apparently happy hour there (2,50€), so we ordered four. Johanna waited at the bar while Vanessa, Alexandra, and I tried to move to a less crowded area. We got our beers and, well, drank them. I took a tentative sip, decided that it really wasn't that good, but a little better than whatever else I'd tried before. Eh. I'm just not a drinker. However, I think that Belgium wanted to turn me into one, because the promo for happy hour was actually about 8€ for 8 beers, and that's what we got. Johanna thought she was done getting the drinks, but the bartender just gave her more! We were confused, but amused.
We saw some Justin Bieber look-a-likes, avoided dancing with the short guy that kept trying to get our attention, and headed to the bar next door (which had lots of colorful lights), just to check it out. We didn't stay long and didn't get any more drinks.
Once we were done with all of that, we started walking back to the hostel, to rest up for the next day, in which we planned to eat as many waffles, fries, and chocolates as possible.
After a comfortable night's sleep, we went in search of breakfast and found a little cafe that had beautiful (and delicious) waffles. Check!
We took a boat tour on the canal (a popular, touristy thing to do in Bruges) and saw many bridges, a house that cost a million euros to live in, a beer museum, an old hospital, and the town's mascot (in the form of a stone bear), among other things. The tour was given in both French and in English by a man with a fabulous accent. I really did like it--particularly how he said "century" in both languages. I'd never heard a Belgian accent before and found it very interesting.
After the tour, we stopped in a lace shop (very pretty things), where I picked up a few souvenirs, and then we continued wandering. We visited nearly every chocolatier we passed, but it's a good thing we didn't make purchases at all of them... I allowed myself to get a small box of assorted chocolates hand-picked by someone at Dumon (a well-known artisinale chocolatier in Belgium). Not a bad choice at all! I told the guy that helped me that I preferred dark chocolate, so he gave me a good amount of that (all delicious), and it only cost me a little over 5€.
We visited the Belfry (the bell tower), but, in the interest of saving money, decided not to climb it. Instead we admired it from the outside, as it is quite beautiful, and ate more fries outside of a Disney-themed merry-go-round. We also visited a church that contained an elaborate sculpture by Michelangelo, "The Madonna and Child," one of his only pieces that is not currently in Italy. Toward the end of the day, we headed to the train station to head to Brussels.
I have to give Johanna a ton of credit for planning this trip. It was so organized. She set up the hostel in Bruges and the hotel in Brussels (yes, a hotel), and booked the train tickets, as well. Everything went pretty smoothly. As far as pricing goes, it was wonderful. Our hostel, from what I remember, was only about 15€. That's one of the cheapest fees I've ever heard of for a hostel, and this one was very good. It was really lucky for us that it wasn't expensive. I was grateful for the fact that my memories of my first hostel would be from this one...! The hotel in Brussels wasn't bad at all, either. Johanna decided to go with a hotel because the price was comparable to that of a hostel. For 30€ per person, with breakfast included, it was definitely a good choice. We had two rooms (I shared with Vanessa), separated by one floor. Once we took care of our stuff, we wandered, because it was considerably early in the evening, and had dinner at a place that had decent prices. It was slightly disappointing, though, because they happened to be out of what Alexandra and I planned on ordering... but we made due. I surprised myself by ordering a beer, and by being the only one to do so. Alexandra's roommate told us that Belgium is also quite well-known for their beer, and I was willing to give it another shot when I saw a bière framboise on the menu. A raspberry beer! You know how I feel about raspberry-flavored things. It wasn't expensive so I decided to take a chance on it, and I ended up really liking it. Not enough to order another one or anything, but enough to say that I, you know, enjoyed it. Success!
We were tired, so we rested up in our hotel for a while after, and then went in search of some fun. We explored the city by night, which felt a lot different than Bruges. Brussels is much bigger and busier in comparison, and it was obvious.
We tried to go into a bar we passed by, only to be told by the man at the door that it was « pour les hommes »--for men only! We had found ourselves in the gay district in the city. Brussels, from what we were told, is the pretty much the gay capital of Europe (I don't think that I made that up but I'm probably describing it incorrectly), so it wasn't surprising that we found the area so easily, and without even trying. Afterward we walked by a bar called L'Homo Erectus, and, well, I'll just let you ponder that one for a bit.
We eventually went to a place called Ice Bar, which actually wasn't an ice bar at all. I asked Vanessa what to get, and we ended up each having a Malibu with pineapple juice. "It tastes like what suntan lotion smells like," she described. Extremely accurate. I liked it, but was disappointed when I saw the price. It was ridiculous to pay 7,50€ for so little alcohol. It really wasn't a lot! That was far too much, paying extra to have some juice mixed in--I don't see drinking becoming a regular hobby in my future. Vanessa wasn't exactly happy about it, either, but whatever. We all danced a little and called it a night.
Breakfast has become more dear to me since I've been in Europe. I never made a big deal out of it back home, but I love it here. Breakfast in the hotel wasn't fascinating or anything, but there were plenty of carbs available. Pains au chocolat, bread for toasting, croissants, cereal, cheese, Nutella, juice, milk, tea... There was a lot to choose from. Awesome!
After we ate, we checked out the open-air market going on outside, without buying anything, aaaaand did some other stuff. I don't know how many times I can say that we wandered... but, yeah. That's what we did. We asked the man at the reception (in French, because we were trying to be good study-abroad students now that we were back in an area where French was acceptable/encouraged) for some recommendations. Where could we find good fries? waffles? What sites are worth seeing? He pretty much gave us an itinerary to follow, which was much appreciated. We went in search of another church, a park, the Palais Royal, a gigantic museum (which we did not go in), and, finally, the Manneken Pis.
Oh; the Manneken Pis?
Oh, that's a statue of a child peeing. Hello, Brussels!
There were plenty of waffle places near the statue, so we indulged. I stopped for another small souvenir, and that was pretty much the end of our day. We got more fries (pretty much sick of them at that point), ate them on the steps of a grand forum (uhhh), which is apparently a popular thing to do there. Then came the time for us to get our belongings and catch the bus home. We were exhausted from the weekend's events.
Oh, Eurolines... We had quite a time trying to find the bus stop. It wasn't where it normally was, because we were departing on a Sunday. We asked for help several times, only to keep ending up in the wrong place, until we finally found it... It was amazing that we were able to. It was not easily identifiable. The Sunday stop was a pole that had a Eurolines sticker slapped onto it. Fabulous. Not sketchy at all!
And, to conclude this entry, we met a nice girl from Montreal that is also studying in Paris and we all chatted amiably on the ride home. That's about it!
... I MISS MY CHOCOLATES! They didn't last very long once we got back. :(
... Until I get behind again, and we all know that'll happen at some point.
So, two weekends ago, I went on a weekend trip with Johanna, Alexandra, and Vanessa. We took a Eurolines bus to Bruxelles Midi. We booked the tickets for Friday at 5PM, and at least three of us had grammar class until 4. Not a lot of time to get to the station. Personally, I rushed. I asked if I could leave my class a little early, so that I'd be on-time (I thought I'd be finding the place on my own) and dashed down the streets of Paris, stopping to get a sandwich and some snacks at a grocery store for the (very long) ride. We all met up at Alexandra's foyer and had quite a time trying to get to the bus station... The metro must've been pretty backed up that day, because we kept stopping randomly between stations. It was very stressful, considering the rush we were in. If we didn't check in by 4:30, we supposedly wouldn't be able to board. Needless to say, we ran pretty much the entire time we weren't standing in a metro car.
[On somewhat of a side-note: when we were on the RER, which was very crowded, I noticed something strange that made me angry. We were pretty much packed like sardines in there, so there wasn't a lot of personal space. It didn't help that we had several bags between us. I had my travel bag with me. It was pretty full and it was slung over my shoulder. I'm very conscious of my belongings when I'm in a crowded place. I got this weird feeling and turned to my left, and, sure enough, this girl had her arm on my bag. I say this, knowing in full that I probably seem like a terrible person, but she looked like she could've been a gypsy, and I was ready to freak. Touching MY bag?! She saw that I was looking and said, « Pardon », or something like that, but I was already annoyed. I mean, she could've just had her arm on my bag because of the lack of space in the car... but I was not feeling sympathetic. Not that there were a lot of interesting things in there, but I was annoyed. I didn't pursue anything, though. I just dropped it from my mind until we got off. End of rant.]
By the time we finally got to the station, totally breathless, we realized that our effort was in vain. We had about 12 minutes so spare, which was great, but totally unnecessary. We didn't end up leaving until about 20 minutes or so after our scheduled departure time. Every seat was filled (and I saw some pretty angry people outside of the bus, who I guess weren't allowed on due to lack of space), and the four of us were, for the most part, spread out. I sat toward the front, and everyone else was further back. It was not the most comfortable ride, but it was pretty cheap, and that was important. My ticket cost 40€, round-trip.
We got to Brussels a little after 9, and then took a train to Bruges, where we would be spending the night. We had a room booked in a hostel there, waiting for us. Our goal: Check in by 11. Our problem: ... Where are we going?
Once we got off the train, we had to figure out which bus to take, and where to take it to. The funny thing about Bruges is that it's a part of Flanders, so they speak Flemish. We were advised by Alexandra's coworker (who is Belgian) to speak English there, rather than French, due to tension between the north and south. Whatever the reasons, we heeded her advice, and even took a little comfort in being able to return to our native language... but it was definitely an odd feeling. We asked what we needed to ask, and got to the part of town we needed to be in... Just without any clue as to where the hostel actually was. We tried stopping some people to ask for help, but didn't really get anywhere with that (although quite a few of them knew English). Even a girl who had lived in Bruges for a long time wasn't sure what to tell us. Not exactly reassuring...
... but then Alexandra randomly found it, so it was all good.The hostel, Passage, was a nice little place. We spoke English at the desk, got codes for the doors, and headed upstairs. We had a private room with two bunk beds, and a gorgeous view of the brick wall outside.
In all seriousness, though, it was cozy. We put our things down and decided to go out and explore a little. We sought fries and entertainment. Fries were easy to find, and they were quite tasty. Belgians definitely know what they're doing when it comes to frieten. Then we continued our quest for entertainment... which lead us to two bars, juxtaposed in a little corner of town. After being greeted in Flemish and then broken English by some intoxicated fellows that argued over which one was the "real" Bin Laden (I kid you not), we went into one.
 |
| the first of many frites |
We saw some Justin Bieber look-a-likes, avoided dancing with the short guy that kept trying to get our attention, and headed to the bar next door (which had lots of colorful lights), just to check it out. We didn't stay long and didn't get any more drinks.
Once we were done with all of that, we started walking back to the hostel, to rest up for the next day, in which we planned to eat as many waffles, fries, and chocolates as possible.After a comfortable night's sleep, we went in search of breakfast and found a little cafe that had beautiful (and delicious) waffles. Check!
We took a boat tour on the canal (a popular, touristy thing to do in Bruges) and saw many bridges, a house that cost a million euros to live in, a beer museum, an old hospital, and the town's mascot (in the form of a stone bear), among other things. The tour was given in both French and in English by a man with a fabulous accent. I really did like it--particularly how he said "century" in both languages. I'd never heard a Belgian accent before and found it very interesting.After the tour, we stopped in a lace shop (very pretty things), where I picked up a few souvenirs, and then we continued wandering. We visited nearly every chocolatier we passed, but it's a good thing we didn't make purchases at all of them... I allowed myself to get a small box of assorted chocolates hand-picked by someone at Dumon (a well-known artisinale chocolatier in Belgium). Not a bad choice at all! I told the guy that helped me that I preferred dark chocolate, so he gave me a good amount of that (all delicious), and it only cost me a little over 5€.
 |
| The Belfry |
 |
| The Madonna and Child |
We were tired, so we rested up in our hotel for a while after, and then went in search of some fun. We explored the city by night, which felt a lot different than Bruges. Brussels is much bigger and busier in comparison, and it was obvious.
We tried to go into a bar we passed by, only to be told by the man at the door that it was « pour les hommes »--for men only! We had found ourselves in the gay district in the city. Brussels, from what we were told, is the pretty much the gay capital of Europe (I don't think that I made that up but I'm probably describing it incorrectly), so it wasn't surprising that we found the area so easily, and without even trying. Afterward we walked by a bar called L'Homo Erectus, and, well, I'll just let you ponder that one for a bit.
We eventually went to a place called Ice Bar, which actually wasn't an ice bar at all. I asked Vanessa what to get, and we ended up each having a Malibu with pineapple juice. "It tastes like what suntan lotion smells like," she described. Extremely accurate. I liked it, but was disappointed when I saw the price. It was ridiculous to pay 7,50€ for so little alcohol. It really wasn't a lot! That was far too much, paying extra to have some juice mixed in--I don't see drinking becoming a regular hobby in my future. Vanessa wasn't exactly happy about it, either, but whatever. We all danced a little and called it a night.
Breakfast has become more dear to me since I've been in Europe. I never made a big deal out of it back home, but I love it here. Breakfast in the hotel wasn't fascinating or anything, but there were plenty of carbs available. Pains au chocolat, bread for toasting, croissants, cereal, cheese, Nutella, juice, milk, tea... There was a lot to choose from. Awesome!
 |
| The Palais Royal in Brussels |
Oh; the Manneken Pis?
Oh, that's a statue of a child peeing. Hello, Brussels!
There were plenty of waffle places near the statue, so we indulged. I stopped for another small souvenir, and that was pretty much the end of our day. We got more fries (pretty much sick of them at that point), ate them on the steps of a grand forum (uhhh), which is apparently a popular thing to do there. Then came the time for us to get our belongings and catch the bus home. We were exhausted from the weekend's events.
Oh, Eurolines... We had quite a time trying to find the bus stop. It wasn't where it normally was, because we were departing on a Sunday. We asked for help several times, only to keep ending up in the wrong place, until we finally found it... It was amazing that we were able to. It was not easily identifiable. The Sunday stop was a pole that had a Eurolines sticker slapped onto it. Fabulous. Not sketchy at all!
And, to conclude this entry, we met a nice girl from Montreal that is also studying in Paris and we all chatted amiably on the ride home. That's about it!
... I MISS MY CHOCOLATES! They didn't last very long once we got back. :(
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sneezing, sniffling, and suffering in sunny Paris
Being sick here is just terrible because I'm just not as well-equipped to deal with it as I am back home. With the recent change in weather, my sinuses have simply gone AWOL. Is that how one would describe this? I feel like I have a cold, but I don't know how I could've gotten it... It warmed up a bit here, and then it was cold, and then it warmed up again! Now I'm constantly sneezing, and with watery eyes I sit in a stuffed-up, snotty stupor while I wait for that tickle in my nose to go away.
I'm really reluctant to go and get medicine because I don't think that I'm actually sick, choosing instead to believe that the change in temperature and the sudden appearance of spring has caused my body to go into panic-mode.
It's okay, body! Really, everything will be fine! Just calm down and start enjoying the fact that a winter coat is, for the most part, no longer necessary. I don't find it particularly enthralling to sneeze every five minutes and, I'm sure, if you look down deep enough, you'll realize that you aren't particularly enthralled by it either. So... let's agree to stop this nonsense, alright? Alright.
I'm really reluctant to go and get medicine because I don't think that I'm actually sick, choosing instead to believe that the change in temperature and the sudden appearance of spring has caused my body to go into panic-mode.
It's okay, body! Really, everything will be fine! Just calm down and start enjoying the fact that a winter coat is, for the most part, no longer necessary. I don't find it particularly enthralling to sneeze every five minutes and, I'm sure, if you look down deep enough, you'll realize that you aren't particularly enthralled by it either. So... let's agree to stop this nonsense, alright? Alright.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Group Email Update 7
3/20/2011
Hey, all! A shorter update, this time (although now that I've said it... I don't know if that'll be true). I had a pretty busy week.
On Thursday night I went to a really nice dinner with four other girls in my program. It was at a cute little restaurant in which we had a view of the Eiffel Tower. The bread was made fresh in the restaurant, so it was really good. The whole dinner was very good, actually, and not expensive at all! It was actually much cheaper than we thought it would be. I got a salmon steak (w/ some kind of cream sauce) with vegetables and wild rice, and a macaron (almond biscuit) with a scoop of toffee ice cream for dessert. My grand total? 14€. I was very pleased.
Yesterday I went to the Centre Georges Pompidou museum (for freeeeeee) with two other friends. We explored for a while and saw some odd pieces of artwork (a lot of it was modern). There were a lot of pieces by Picasso and Matisse there, and that was enjoyable. I saw a photography series that I found very interesting and I plan on looking up more of the photographer's (Richard Avedon) work later (I hope that's a safe decision). After the museum we went for a long walk in search of a place to sit down and have dinner. We finally stopped at a small place near a church we had previously visited with our program. My friend Daniel and I both had duck (I wasn't sure about ordering it but, eh, when in France), and my friend Vanessa had steak à cheval--since cheval means horse, I always mistranslated that as horse meat... but as it turns out, that just means that there's an egg on top of the steak. Vanessa explained that it's called that because the egg is sitting on the meat like someone sits on a horse to ride it. Makes sense. Still odd. That definitely makes a lot of the signs I've seen outside of cafes a little less gross, though. I don't think I could eat horse meat... We had dessert from a bakery we found while exploring some more. I had a pretty (and tasty) fruit tart. We all agreed that we'd go back to that one another time. The woman that worked there and helped us was so nice (and even gave Daniel something for free when he went back in a second time... that's what happens when you eat outside the place and stare in the window at all the other treats!).
Today I went to a book convention that I've seen ads for all over the city. I'm glad I went. Since I'm a student under 26 years of age, I got in for free. It was close to where I live, so I took the tram and hung around the convention center for about four hours. It went by surprisingly fast. I got five books for a little over 16€. I was not expecting that kind of bargain! Going to the convention was kind of a prideful thing--I booked my own ticket, figured out how to get there easily... I went on my own, too! I've been to conventions before, but it was interesting to try it this way, more independently. The convention center was crowded (which I expected), but not extremely noisy (not what I expected). There were guest lecturers and prize giveaways (I left my ticket in a raffle, basically, so I'll let you know at the off-chance that I win something... haha).
I hope you all have a great week! :)
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Hey, all! A shorter update, this time (although now that I've said it... I don't know if that'll be true). I had a pretty busy week.
On Thursday night I went to a really nice dinner with four other girls in my program. It was at a cute little restaurant in which we had a view of the Eiffel Tower. The bread was made fresh in the restaurant, so it was really good. The whole dinner was very good, actually, and not expensive at all! It was actually much cheaper than we thought it would be. I got a salmon steak (w/ some kind of cream sauce) with vegetables and wild rice, and a macaron (almond biscuit) with a scoop of toffee ice cream for dessert. My grand total? 14€. I was very pleased.
Yesterday I went to the Centre Georges Pompidou museum (for freeeeeee) with two other friends. We explored for a while and saw some odd pieces of artwork (a lot of it was modern). There were a lot of pieces by Picasso and Matisse there, and that was enjoyable. I saw a photography series that I found very interesting and I plan on looking up more of the photographer's (Richard Avedon) work later (I hope that's a safe decision). After the museum we went for a long walk in search of a place to sit down and have dinner. We finally stopped at a small place near a church we had previously visited with our program. My friend Daniel and I both had duck (I wasn't sure about ordering it but, eh, when in France), and my friend Vanessa had steak à cheval--since cheval means horse, I always mistranslated that as horse meat... but as it turns out, that just means that there's an egg on top of the steak. Vanessa explained that it's called that because the egg is sitting on the meat like someone sits on a horse to ride it. Makes sense. Still odd. That definitely makes a lot of the signs I've seen outside of cafes a little less gross, though. I don't think I could eat horse meat... We had dessert from a bakery we found while exploring some more. I had a pretty (and tasty) fruit tart. We all agreed that we'd go back to that one another time. The woman that worked there and helped us was so nice (and even gave Daniel something for free when he went back in a second time... that's what happens when you eat outside the place and stare in the window at all the other treats!).
Today I went to a book convention that I've seen ads for all over the city. I'm glad I went. Since I'm a student under 26 years of age, I got in for free. It was close to where I live, so I took the tram and hung around the convention center for about four hours. It went by surprisingly fast. I got five books for a little over 16€. I was not expecting that kind of bargain! Going to the convention was kind of a prideful thing--I booked my own ticket, figured out how to get there easily... I went on my own, too! I've been to conventions before, but it was interesting to try it this way, more independently. The convention center was crowded (which I expected), but not extremely noisy (not what I expected). There were guest lecturers and prize giveaways (I left my ticket in a raffle, basically, so I'll let you know at the off-chance that I win something... haha).
I hope you all have a great week! :)
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Well, it IS pretty romantic in Paris...
To have visitors in Paris has been a strange and wonderful thing. I didn't really think that such a thing would be possible. I mean, it's not exactly cheap to fly here. Despite that, though, I've seen Nicole (part of my extra family), and my boyfriend.
Mike and I didn't think we'd be able to make this trip work. In fact, we had practically given up on the idea of it happening. The flight was expensive, and what week would even work? Somewhat miraculously, though, he found money he didn't remember having in one of his bank accounts. That covered a good chunk of the fee to get here. I felt sort of uncomfortable with the fact that he had to use so much money to come and visit me, but at the same time, we hadn't seen each other since Christmas. Yeah...
There was one problem with our plan, however: the weekend he'd be arriving was the same weekend as the trip to Normandy... for which I'd already paid. After unsuccessfully trying to sell my spot to those in my group that were not going, I gave up and started searching for hostels. It was only for one night... but I felt guilty. Luckily we didn't have to go that route. I went as far as making him a reservation at a nearby one, just in case, but it turned out that he would be allowed to stay in my building for the night and wait for me. Good thing I asked for a spare key!
I was anxious to see him during the entire drive back to Paris. He was waiting for me! :D It was kind of surreal, to see him after all that time, and in Paris, of all places. Unfortunately I had quite a lot of classes to go to (phonetics meets every other week and that just happened to be the first week), so we didn't do much for the first few days aside from eating. Still, it was so nice to have company. I missed him.
We went to B.I.A. with a bunch of my friends from the program for a late dinner. It was a great time. The food was good (it really makes me miss diner food from home), but I loved being able to have Mike share the experience with me, with the friends I've come to know and like pretty well while being here. What made me happy was that he got along with everyone (not that I thought he wouldn't). Later on, he said, "I really like your friends. You seem to meet the same kind of people wherever you go." What can I say? My friends are awesome. I feel lucky to be in Paris with them. :)
We ate Greek food twice (once before B.I.A., once after? who even cares?)... and I haven't had any since. It was good, but I think I've had my fill of that for a while... But it was really cheap and pretty filling. I can't complain too much about that! This week was hard on my wallet.
Once the end of the week approached, however, I made the decision to skip an afternoon class and we instead used that time to visit the catacombs. Perhaps not the most romantic destination, but it was very cool--and beautiful in a very morbid sort of way. The entrance to the ossuary read (in French), "STOP: The empire of the dead is here." Skulls and bones were everywhere, lined up in sometimes quite elaborate patterns. It seems weird to call it art, but that's what it was. Once we reached the tombs and such, we weren't allowed to take flash photos, so I didn't take many, but that wasn't such a bad thing. I love to take pictures of whatever I'm doing, but I also enjoy seeing what's around me, sans camera. What Mike and I really liked were the elaborate carvings in stone by Decure. They were started in 1777, finished in 1782--completely by memory. They were incredible. I was very impressed by them. That was early on in our visit, but that was probably my favorite part.
We got a lot accomplished over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower. It's cheaper to walk up the Tower, in comparison to taking the elevator. It's more tiring, but really; what sounds like a more interesting story? "I went to Paris and I took an elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower," or, "I am totally made of awesome because I went to Paris and climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower?" Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point--I definitely prefer walking. We didn't even have to wait on line very long, considering the fact that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
Later that day, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, under the recommendation of Vanessa. We were planning to watch the sun set, but we got there too early and ended up staying for quite a long time, waiting for the sky to change from day to night. The view was worth waiting for, though. It just, you know, would've been nicer if we didn't have to. There was a museum, as well, so we kept ourselves occupied by learning the history behind the Arc. I'd go into it, of course, but I don't remember things like that aside from the fact that I enjoyed whatever it was at the time. That's an unfortunate thing about me. Such is life... ;) If I, you know, updated regularly, perhaps I'd remember a thing or two!
The next morning, we went to the Musée Rodin. Back in high school, we were assigned a project on art in our French class. Mike chose to do his on the work of Auguste Rodin, a sculptor. I don't even remember which artist I chose. I very, very vaguely remember his name, but it just goes to show you how interested I was. Mike really ended up liking Rodin's work and has been a fan of his ever since. When we were trying to plan things to do while he was here, he found a website for the museum via Google. Nice!
The timing of the trip was actually very convenient in this case. The first Sunday of each month means free museum visits in Paris. We took the metro over to where the museum was, found it pretty easily, and walked right in! I was surprised at the lack of a line, but, then again, the Musée Rodin doesn't strike me as something like the Louvre, you know? I loved it, but it was definitely not as touristy (such a shame for the tourists) as other Parisian museums tend to be. The Musée Rodin contains a fabulous garden (which would've been more fabulous if A) the weather were nicer and B) half of it wasn't closed to the public), where we found the Thinker (one of Rodin's most famous sculptures) and the Gates of Hell (Mike's favorite).
We explored at a leisurely pace, since we had so much time (and it was free), and did quite a lot of walking. I have to say, I admire all of the effort it must require to create a sculpture. One mistake and your entire work may have been for nothing. You only get one chance to make it right, basically. I admired Rodin's work, as there is a LOT of it. He was truly gifted. The museum also held pieces by another famous French artist and sculptor, Camille Claudel.
Once we were finished at the museum, we wandered around the area, which was really lovely. We found the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located (we didn't feel like visiting, as we were tired), sat on the bright green grass, and walked across the Pont d'Alexandre III (prettiest bridge I've ever seen in my life), and decided to call it a day.
During Mike's visit, I made it a point to visit the Seine River. The river is quite famous, as you most likely already know, but what may be a little less well-known is this tradition/ritual that couples take part in there. I asked Mike to bring a lock with a key when he came to see me. I did not explain why. When we finally made it to the river (I said I was busy that week...), I showed him what I intended to do with it. Littering one of the bridge's fencing on the Seine River are what seem like thousands of locks. What couples do is, they take a lock, leave it on the bridge in honor of their love, and toss the key over the side, into the water, leaving the lock there forever. Very cheesy, I know, but something I'd been wanting to do since I first learned about it. Mike teased me a little, but took out a pen and started writing on the lock. "M ♥ M," he put. On the back, he wrote 2004, the year we started dating. What was funny about this whole thing, though? The fact that, when we were looking for a place to put the lock, we found graffiti. There's graffiti all over the place, but this piece of writing in particular, on the bridge, said "M + M love forever," and that sealed our decision--we put our lock there. It was quite a coincidence, finding that. Cheesy, again, but just what I wanted.
Once Monday came around, it was time for Mike to fly back to New York. I joined him on the ride to the airport. It seemed like such a tease, only seeing him for a week after it had been so long, but it was much better than waiting until June--when it would've been six months since the last time we were together.
This visit made me realize just how much he cares for me. Enough to come to another country to be with me. How lucky am I?
Very.
Mike and I didn't think we'd be able to make this trip work. In fact, we had practically given up on the idea of it happening. The flight was expensive, and what week would even work? Somewhat miraculously, though, he found money he didn't remember having in one of his bank accounts. That covered a good chunk of the fee to get here. I felt sort of uncomfortable with the fact that he had to use so much money to come and visit me, but at the same time, we hadn't seen each other since Christmas. Yeah...
There was one problem with our plan, however: the weekend he'd be arriving was the same weekend as the trip to Normandy... for which I'd already paid. After unsuccessfully trying to sell my spot to those in my group that were not going, I gave up and started searching for hostels. It was only for one night... but I felt guilty. Luckily we didn't have to go that route. I went as far as making him a reservation at a nearby one, just in case, but it turned out that he would be allowed to stay in my building for the night and wait for me. Good thing I asked for a spare key!
I was anxious to see him during the entire drive back to Paris. He was waiting for me! :D It was kind of surreal, to see him after all that time, and in Paris, of all places. Unfortunately I had quite a lot of classes to go to (phonetics meets every other week and that just happened to be the first week), so we didn't do much for the first few days aside from eating. Still, it was so nice to have company. I missed him.
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| chicken burger... with BACONNN |
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| what Mike so accurately called a "fat sandwich" |
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| one of Decure's carvings |
We got a lot accomplished over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower. It's cheaper to walk up the Tower, in comparison to taking the elevator. It's more tiring, but really; what sounds like a more interesting story? "I went to Paris and I took an elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower," or, "I am totally made of awesome because I went to Paris and climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower?" Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point--I definitely prefer walking. We didn't even have to wait on line very long, considering the fact that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
Later that day, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, under the recommendation of Vanessa. We were planning to watch the sun set, but we got there too early and ended up staying for quite a long time, waiting for the sky to change from day to night. The view was worth waiting for, though. It just, you know, would've been nicer if we didn't have to. There was a museum, as well, so we kept ourselves occupied by learning the history behind the Arc. I'd go into it, of course, but I don't remember things like that aside from the fact that I enjoyed whatever it was at the time. That's an unfortunate thing about me. Such is life... ;) If I, you know, updated regularly, perhaps I'd remember a thing or two!The next morning, we went to the Musée Rodin. Back in high school, we were assigned a project on art in our French class. Mike chose to do his on the work of Auguste Rodin, a sculptor. I don't even remember which artist I chose. I very, very vaguely remember his name, but it just goes to show you how interested I was. Mike really ended up liking Rodin's work and has been a fan of his ever since. When we were trying to plan things to do while he was here, he found a website for the museum via Google. Nice!
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| Le Penseur, AKA The Thinker |
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| Porte d'Enfer/Gates of Hell |
Once we were finished at the museum, we wandered around the area, which was really lovely. We found the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located (we didn't feel like visiting, as we were tired), sat on the bright green grass, and walked across the Pont d'Alexandre III (prettiest bridge I've ever seen in my life), and decided to call it a day.
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| our lock, among many others |
Once Monday came around, it was time for Mike to fly back to New York. I joined him on the ride to the airport. It seemed like such a tease, only seeing him for a week after it had been so long, but it was much better than waiting until June--when it would've been six months since the last time we were together.
This visit made me realize just how much he cares for me. Enough to come to another country to be with me. How lucky am I?
Very.
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| view of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe |
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Centre Georges Pompidou
One of the greatest things about being in Paris is that almost everything is available for students for free or at a reduced rate. We all got into the museum without paying, and even got to check our coats (and my extra bag) for free, too! We spent a few hours roaming around. I tried not to go overboard with pictures, instead attempting to appreciate what was there, not through my camera's viewfinder. There were a lot of... interesting pieces. That's modern art for you!
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| La blouse roumaine by Matisse |
We talked about wandering around, maybe even seeing a movie at some point (there's a cinema in the museum), but in the end we were all just hungry. We left the museum in search of dinner. French food sounded like a good idea. That was the general consensus.
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| "Is that what I think it is?" |
Eventually we found a brasserie with a decently-priced menu, complete with a formule (a special deal). It didn't work out the way we thought it would, but we ordered anyway. Daniel really wanted to order duck, and I didn't want to eat beef (I'm admittedly afraid to because, uh, hello... steak tartare?!), so I ended up ordering it, too. I felt guilty for doing it, because I really like ducks... but it was a very French food, and I felt obligated to try it at least once. I couldn't remember for sure if I'd ever had it back home. Even if I had, France is definitely the place to eat it--they know what they're doing. It was very good, too. Lots of dark meat, which I usually don't eat... but that's practically all it was! Vanessa was a little braver (or maybe just more Portuguese) and ordered steak à cheval, which I learned does NOT mean horse meat... but is basically a hamburger (w/o bun) with an egg on top. The egg "sits" on the meat like a person sits on a horse. Now I get it!... Also, I really want to try the onion soup while I'm here. Daniel ordered it and it smelled so delicious. I regretted not ordering it, too.
After dinner, we wanted dessert (of course), but didn't want to order it at the restaurant because it was a little expensive to do so. We went off in search of cookies and other treats, only to be disappointed by the places we stopped in. What did we really want to do? Go back to the bakery we originally found in the gay district. I took a picture that had the name of the place, so we tried to retrace our steps--not an easy task. We asked for directions, which to me was just funny... No one knew where it was, though. Oh, well. I think we'd only be able to find it if we came from the direction of the museum again, but maybe that's just me.
We ate our treats outside of the bakery, which is not the most economical decision... I resisted temptation to go back and get something else, but Daniel ended up walking back in to get what I think was called a cannelle--well, it looked pretty good. The woman in the bakery ended up giving it to him for free! That was sweet. We'll definitely go back there if we come across it again... Well, I will, if I do! Now if only I had the address... Ha ha!
We went back to my building to print some things (Daniel's concert ticket, my convention ticket), and I showed off my newly decorated room and was all hospitable and such. Afterward we went to Vanessa's foyer for a wine and cheese party with a few of our other friends, and some people I didn't know. I didn't have any wine, but I did try some new cheeses. Yum.
Ugh... Why do I always write about food this late? I just want to have it all over again!
Similar
I don't find it surprising that my blog goes back and forth between different dates, with all of my stories pretty much out of order. That's basically how I tell stories in person. Ha ha!
Group Email Update (6)
3/15/2011
Bonsoir from Paris! :)
Not a whole lot has happened since last time... Well, except for the fact that I went to Belgium for the weekend with three of my friends! That's right! We took a bus from Paris to Brussels on Friday after we got out of class. We went through Eurolines and left from a nearby station. It wasn't the most comfortable bus ride (every seat was filled), and it left late (of course it did, after we practically ran half the way to make it there on time), but it was cheap (roughly 40€, or around $51 round-trip) and easy. Once we got to Brussels, we got on a train and went to Bruges, where we spent the night.
Bruges is a part of Flanders, and it's a smaller town than Brussels, so I wasn't sure what to expect. They speak Flemish there, and, if not Flemish, it's either English or German. Not so much French. It was interesting to not French for a while Our hostel was great (only 15€ per person and we had a private room) and I'm glad that that was the first one I ever stayed at. On Saturday we saw the bell tower (the Belfry), took a boat tour on the canal, and stuffed ourselves with fries, waffles, and, of course, fancy chocolate. That night we took the train back to Brussels to our hotel (which was surprisingly inexpensive, only 30€ per person). On Sunday we explored the city and had more bad-for-you food. They speak French there, so we tried our best to get back into the habit of using the language we came to Europe to improve. Brussels is a much busier place than Bruges, which was touristy, but also quite quiet and lovely. Coming from there to this large city was something... In all honesty, I really preferred Bruges. Both places were great, and I'm so happy and grateful that I got to see both, but Bruges had such appeal that I'd love to go back there someday. We managed to see and do a lot in just one weekend, and we were exhausted by the end. Definitely something I would try to do again, though, if I get the chance. Visit a nearby country on a random weekend? If it's affordable, why not?!
Next weekend I'm going to the Châteaux de la Loire with my program, and to Champagne the weekend after. I love having things to do on the weekends (because it isn't fun to stay in my room in Paris longer than a few hours at a time) and I can't wait!
This time I attached more pictures... [Included in the original email: my first Belgian waffle, the Belfry (two views), the Madonna and Child (a very beautiful sculpture by Michelangelo, in a church we visited--one of the few works by him that isn't in Italy), the Royal Palace in Brussels, me (and a surprising find outside of a record store), and the city square.] By the end of the trip I had taken over 300 pictures.
In other news, classes are okay. Same old, same old. The weather is finally getting much nicer (and staying like that), so that has been awesome. Today, in fact, I walked around in just a light sweater (bye-bye, winter coat and scarf) and had a picnic in the park with my friend. It made me very happy. :)
Anyway... Enjoy the pictures! I hope to hear from you all soon!
Take care!
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Seeing my typos amuses me. :-p
Bonsoir from Paris! :)
Not a whole lot has happened since last time... Well, except for the fact that I went to Belgium for the weekend with three of my friends! That's right! We took a bus from Paris to Brussels on Friday after we got out of class. We went through Eurolines and left from a nearby station. It wasn't the most comfortable bus ride (every seat was filled), and it left late (of course it did, after we practically ran half the way to make it there on time), but it was cheap (roughly 40€, or around $51 round-trip) and easy. Once we got to Brussels, we got on a train and went to Bruges, where we spent the night.
Bruges is a part of Flanders, and it's a smaller town than Brussels, so I wasn't sure what to expect. They speak Flemish there, and, if not Flemish, it's either English or German. Not so much French. It was interesting to not French for a while Our hostel was great (only 15€ per person and we had a private room) and I'm glad that that was the first one I ever stayed at. On Saturday we saw the bell tower (the Belfry), took a boat tour on the canal, and stuffed ourselves with fries, waffles, and, of course, fancy chocolate. That night we took the train back to Brussels to our hotel (which was surprisingly inexpensive, only 30€ per person). On Sunday we explored the city and had more bad-for-you food. They speak French there, so we tried our best to get back into the habit of using the language we came to Europe to improve. Brussels is a much busier place than Bruges, which was touristy, but also quite quiet and lovely. Coming from there to this large city was something... In all honesty, I really preferred Bruges. Both places were great, and I'm so happy and grateful that I got to see both, but Bruges had such appeal that I'd love to go back there someday. We managed to see and do a lot in just one weekend, and we were exhausted by the end. Definitely something I would try to do again, though, if I get the chance. Visit a nearby country on a random weekend? If it's affordable, why not?!
Next weekend I'm going to the Châteaux de la Loire with my program, and to Champagne the weekend after. I love having things to do on the weekends (because it isn't fun to stay in my room in Paris longer than a few hours at a time) and I can't wait!
This time I attached more pictures... [Included in the original email: my first Belgian waffle, the Belfry (two views), the Madonna and Child (a very beautiful sculpture by Michelangelo, in a church we visited--one of the few works by him that isn't in Italy), the Royal Palace in Brussels, me (and a surprising find outside of a record store), and the city square.] By the end of the trip I had taken over 300 pictures.
In other news, classes are okay. Same old, same old. The weather is finally getting much nicer (and staying like that), so that has been awesome. Today, in fact, I walked around in just a light sweater (bye-bye, winter coat and scarf) and had a picnic in the park with my friend. It made me very happy. :)
Anyway... Enjoy the pictures! I hope to hear from you all soon!
Take care!
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Seeing my typos amuses me. :-p
Salon du Livre de Paris 2011
Well--I didn't originally mean to click "new post" so soon, but I leaned over to get my tea and it just sort of happened... So, hello! I just want to do a recap of my weekend (well, just today, really--Sunday), because it proves that I AM a big girl and can go and do things on my own if I really want to.
So, I hate staying in my building longer than I have to. What that means, basically, is that if I'm not sleeping, I don't want to be in my room. It's just irritating. It's noisy, lonely, and just plain uninteresting. I finally decorated a bit, so it feels a bit better in here, but overall, it's just not a place I want to spend excessive amounts of time.
The problem with weekends, though, is that I usually reserve them for shopping or otherwise being lazy. Sundays are especially boring because most things are closed entirely, or close very early in the day. Grocery shopping is a pain on the weekends because, if you don't get it done by Saturday, you'll basically have to wait til Monday (unless you're very knowledgeable about the area, which I am not).
Lately I've been seeing these posters advertising the Salon du Livre de Paris--a book convention in the city. These ads are all over the place. Finally my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to do further research. The convention, as it turns out, stretches over a period of four days (March 18th-21st), and is free for students under 26 years of age. That was what caught my attention. I looked into it more, and finally pre-registered (a requirement for students), thinking, at the very least, that at least I'd be prepared if I did go. Since I didn't have to pay, then... why not? In my original plans, I intended to go yesterday (Saturday), but I ended up spending nearly the entire day with my friends Vanessa and Daniel. More on that later!
Being busy Saturday turned out to be a good thing. That meant that my normally boring Sunday had a chance to be interesting. I got up somewhat early (meaning I got up before noon) and headed to the convention via tram (love it). It was very easy to find, since the stop was right in front of the convention center. I brought some water and a little bit of food with me so that I wouldn't have to spend a lot on things non-book-related. Good plan... but I was extremely thrifty anyway!
I spent about four hours wandering about the convention center. It was interesting. I've been to conventions before, but never by myself. Not only was I on my own, but I was on my own at a convention in a foreign country. It was mostly a journey of the eyes. I didn't speak to a lot of people (two brief "conversations" with the cashiers I made purchases with, and another with two women that asked me to take photos for them), but I had a great time. I felt independent and a little bit proud for finding something I wanted to go to and following through on that desire.
I found a bunch of Folio editions being sold for only 2€ each, so I picked a few that looked interesting and bought those as souvenirs. A total of 8€ for four books? Awesome! Later I stumbled on a bunch of young adult books (for ados, or "adolescents" as they say here) and had fun finding French editions of books I knew from home (and some I had read before). I collect the French translations of the Harry Potter books (I have the first and second back home), so I bought the third and that was the end of my purchases for the day. I spent 16,10€ and got five books to show for it... not to mention a few freebies (which really just included programs/flyers/bags/etc but I like that stuff). I was very pleased. :)
Mostly, I'm glad that I went because I didn't want to look back on this weekend later and think, "Man, I should've gone to that." I didn't want to regret not going, you know? It was free, after all! I ended up having fun, so it was worth it.
I finally called it quits at around 6pm and left the convention center, only to be approached by some guy trying to sell stuff outside. It's like that at every public event, I guess. Concerts, conventions, you name it. He wanted me to buy some bookmarks, to contribute to a charity, but I honestly don't have a lot of money... I told him that my French wasn't very good (true fact), but instead of letting me go, he just asked me if I was Canadian (sure, why not) and that he'd speak slowly for me. Since I was trapped (why did I have to look in his direction?!), I let him talk, but eventually he gave up on me because I was totally a lost cause. Sorry! I need money for meals. :/
I took a very crowded tram back to my building and have been relaxing since. I meant to do laundry, but there are only 4 washing machines and 3 dryers in a building consisting of 5 floors plus the ground floor... So, yeah, my clothes are still dirty. On a Sunday night, there's not much hope of getting that done. I waited in the laundry room for at least 20 minutes, waiting for a machine to free up (because I think it's rude to take someone's clothes out of the washer), but to no avail. Another girl that walked in twice, taking note that all the machines were full, apparently did not have a problem opening two of the previously-in-use washing machines, removing the clothes, and shoving her own in there. I have to wonder what she thought I was doing, sitting there with my bag of laundry in front of me... Ugh. Whatever. Maybe I should've spoken up, but I didn't think it was necessary. Oh, how I miss doing laundry at home (and for free)! I've realized since coming here that I would've HATED dorming back in the US. No one seems to think the way I do. Some things I would never do, everyone else seems to do without thinking. Such is life.
So, I hate staying in my building longer than I have to. What that means, basically, is that if I'm not sleeping, I don't want to be in my room. It's just irritating. It's noisy, lonely, and just plain uninteresting. I finally decorated a bit, so it feels a bit better in here, but overall, it's just not a place I want to spend excessive amounts of time.
The problem with weekends, though, is that I usually reserve them for shopping or otherwise being lazy. Sundays are especially boring because most things are closed entirely, or close very early in the day. Grocery shopping is a pain on the weekends because, if you don't get it done by Saturday, you'll basically have to wait til Monday (unless you're very knowledgeable about the area, which I am not).
Lately I've been seeing these posters advertising the Salon du Livre de Paris--a book convention in the city. These ads are all over the place. Finally my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to do further research. The convention, as it turns out, stretches over a period of four days (March 18th-21st), and is free for students under 26 years of age. That was what caught my attention. I looked into it more, and finally pre-registered (a requirement for students), thinking, at the very least, that at least I'd be prepared if I did go. Since I didn't have to pay, then... why not? In my original plans, I intended to go yesterday (Saturday), but I ended up spending nearly the entire day with my friends Vanessa and Daniel. More on that later!
 |
| some familiar-looking ados |
I found a bunch of Folio editions being sold for only 2€ each, so I picked a few that looked interesting and bought those as souvenirs. A total of 8€ for four books? Awesome! Later I stumbled on a bunch of young adult books (for ados, or "adolescents" as they say here) and had fun finding French editions of books I knew from home (and some I had read before). I collect the French translations of the Harry Potter books (I have the first and second back home), so I bought the third and that was the end of my purchases for the day. I spent 16,10€ and got five books to show for it... not to mention a few freebies (which really just included programs/flyers/bags/etc but I like that stuff). I was very pleased. :)Mostly, I'm glad that I went because I didn't want to look back on this weekend later and think, "Man, I should've gone to that." I didn't want to regret not going, you know? It was free, after all! I ended up having fun, so it was worth it.
I finally called it quits at around 6pm and left the convention center, only to be approached by some guy trying to sell stuff outside. It's like that at every public event, I guess. Concerts, conventions, you name it. He wanted me to buy some bookmarks, to contribute to a charity, but I honestly don't have a lot of money... I told him that my French wasn't very good (true fact), but instead of letting me go, he just asked me if I was Canadian (sure, why not) and that he'd speak slowly for me. Since I was trapped (why did I have to look in his direction?!), I let him talk, but eventually he gave up on me because I was totally a lost cause. Sorry! I need money for meals. :/
I took a very crowded tram back to my building and have been relaxing since. I meant to do laundry, but there are only 4 washing machines and 3 dryers in a building consisting of 5 floors plus the ground floor... So, yeah, my clothes are still dirty. On a Sunday night, there's not much hope of getting that done. I waited in the laundry room for at least 20 minutes, waiting for a machine to free up (because I think it's rude to take someone's clothes out of the washer), but to no avail. Another girl that walked in twice, taking note that all the machines were full, apparently did not have a problem opening two of the previously-in-use washing machines, removing the clothes, and shoving her own in there. I have to wonder what she thought I was doing, sitting there with my bag of laundry in front of me... Ugh. Whatever. Maybe I should've spoken up, but I didn't think it was necessary. Oh, how I miss doing laundry at home (and for free)! I've realized since coming here that I would've HATED dorming back in the US. No one seems to think the way I do. Some things I would never do, everyone else seems to do without thinking. Such is life.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
So, what did I even do in Normandy and Brittany?
... Lots of things! It's just that I'm a little removed from that weekend now, so my details won't be as thorough as I'd normally like to be (and if you know me, you know that I can write a LOT about a single thing). I'll try my best to give you at least the basics.
We left very early that Saturday morning (we met up at about 7:15AM) and took a coach bus to Normandy where we visited Arromanches (and the D-Day Museum), Omaha Beach (and the American Cemetery), and Pointe du Hoc (German beach). I'm not going to get into great details, historically speaking, because I know that I will get those details wrong, and I'd feel like such a cheater by looking up everything after already having visited. I'm a disappointment, I know.
It was quite a feeling to be walking on the very beaches where these battles took place. I tried to imagine what it was like to be there at the time... It was not an easy game of pretend, but I wanted to try and get a feel for this place that is so rich in history. Even just standing on the sand with my eyes closed was an attempt to immerse myself in what was around me.
We visited the D-Day museum in Arromanches, had lunch, and then got back on the bus to get to Omaha Beach, where we took a long walk on a winding pathway to another shore, and visit the American Cemetery. That, technically, is considered American soil. We went back to our roots while still being in France. Pure white crosses and Stars of David covered the land, a beautiful and yet solemn sight amongst the vivid green grass and blooming flowers. What a beautiful place to be laid to rest.
The weather was very agreeable during most of the trip. It rained on-and-off again, but the sun remained bright. After we had seen the cemetery, we headed to our next destination, Pointe du Hoc.
Pointe du Hoc was covered in craters left by bombs dropped by the Germans. I really hope that I am remembering all of this correctly... I really like history, and I find it interesting, but I do not have the memory for it like my brother does.
Our program director's daughters accompanied us on the trip. Most of my time spent at Pointe du Hoc was with her younger daughter, a funny (and adorable) little 8-year-old, who took me on several adventures to find secret pathways and passages among the stone remains... and running up and down the craters. I don't know if that was particularly appropriate behavior, but it was fun regardless. It reminded me of the summer I spent as a counselor-in-training at my beloved summer camp. Sometimes you need to just be silly.
At the end of the Normandy portion of our trip, we headed to the bus one more time and drove to St. Malo, a beautiful town (one that inspired the look and feel of Quebec City) in Brittany ("Bretagne" to French-speakers). We stayed in a nice bed and breakfast and, after we were settled in our rooms, we went to a local crêperie and had galettes (savory buckwheat crêpes, for which Bretagne is famous) for dinner. Mine (which I was far too excited to eat and didn't remember to take a picture of until I was nearly finished) was called l'Océan (a popular choice among my group) and it was deliciously prepared with salmon, scallops, leeks, mushrooms, and cheese. Did I mention that seafood is also pretty famous there? No? Believe it. It is wonderful. It's also worth mentioning that cider is another well-known treat... but not one that I was particularly fond of. I'm not much of a drinker (I never partake back in the US), so every drink I've tried has been a real effort...
After dinner, we split up, for the most part, but my group of friends went exploring. We walked around the quaint little town, looking into shop windows and just generally admiring the way everything there looked. Cobblestone roads, towering walls... It was really lovely. Eventually we made our way to the shore and enjoyed the beach by night. Friends pointed out constellations, which I'm not familiar with finding, and inhaled the fresh, salty air that surrounded us. After a while we decided to head back to the hotel and sleep.
Breakfast was held early, but, as I had paid for it already, I was determined to have it. It's funny... Breakfast in France seems so simple to me, what with all of the breads (croissants, rolls...) and such. It's so different than what we usually have back home, and it always seems to vary, while in my experience, breakfast here only changes when I decide to have a croissant in lieu of a roll or a bowl of cereal, and then switch it up again the next day. The "breakfast" that I have in my room in Paris (whenever I wake up with enough time to shower and eat, that is) is quite simple and often unsatisfying. What I find amusing about French breakfast is that it seems satisfactory, no matter what I've had. I may not even eat a lot of it, either--I suppose it's just a fact that I'm taking in a part of their culture, and that keeps me going. I love having breakfast here, when it's not up to me to make it. So, was it worth it to get downstairs by 8 or 9 AM to have some fancy "bready" breakfast with my program? Definitely.
After breakfast, we (meaning those of us that managed to crawl out of bed in time to eat) took a tour with our program director, who told us all about St. Malo, its architecture, and its history. I've already stated that I can't reiterate all of it, but I do remember the fact that Quebec City in Canada bears a very strong resemblance to this famous town in France.
Once the tour was over, we got back on the bus and drove to our last stop before going back to Paris (and this was my favorite part of the weekend)... Mont St. Michel. I've known about the great monastery since I was 13, working on a project for my French class while most of the other students were away on a field trip. It is a beautiful place, a grand tribute to the Christian religion sitting atop an island surrounded by sand and waves. It was strange to come by bus. In fact, our program director informed us that this year would probably be the last time (at least for a very long time) that anyone would be able to visit in that manner. The tides will be too high by next year, making it impossible to drive. Regardless, it is worth a visit. We toured the monastery, explored the town, and took in all of the scenery.
We were free to get lunch by ourselves... We took the recommendation to have some agneau pré-salé ("pre-salted" lamb) and sought it out. Normally I wouldn't eat something like that (especially considering the mostly-vegetarian diet I was following a few months ago), but I am willing to try most types of food... and, I keep saying it: the food is (at least) half the experience. What is agneau pré-salé, though? Yes, it's lamb, but it's a special kind of lamb. Since Mont St. Michel is surrounded by the sea, the air is salty. Heck, everything is salty. The grass is salty, in fact, thanks to the sea, and lambs eat the grass... Therefore, the lambs are "pre-salted," if you will. I've never had lamb like this before (and I think the one time I actually tried lamb [did that really happen?], the taste I took was far too small to be particularly memorable), so I wasn't sure if it lived up to the hype. Vanessa, Daniel, Pam, and I found a little restaurant with lamb on the menu and ordered it. It was served with a tomato sauce, as well as fries and beans (which are a common side to the lamb). I thought that it was very good and impressed my friends by finishing it... Back in the US I was only eating seafood for three months, as far as meat was concerned, and that was a rare treat. Yeah, I ate the lamb, and I enjoyed it. I almost feel evil saying it like that... but, it was good and I'm glad I decided to try it.
Our little lunch break made us a little late back to the bus, but that's alright... The meal was worth it. We drove back to Paris, where my boyfriend, who had booked a last-minute trip to come and see me, was waiting.
Overall, it was a great weekend. :)
PS: French rest-stops are just plain weird. I felt so strange being in a place that felt so familiar, but also quite foreign. The similarities between what our cultures have to offer is sometimes surprising. I didn't think that the French just, you know, drove right through every road during their trips without stopping, but I wasn't sure what those stops would be like. Nothing fascinating, honestly. It was all basically the same. That was the fascinating part.
... This entry is quite long for one that started out with me implying that I didn't remember much. Eh, that's me.
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| Arromanches |
It was quite a feeling to be walking on the very beaches where these battles took place. I tried to imagine what it was like to be there at the time... It was not an easy game of pretend, but I wanted to try and get a feel for this place that is so rich in history. Even just standing on the sand with my eyes closed was an attempt to immerse myself in what was around me.
The weather was very agreeable during most of the trip. It rained on-and-off again, but the sun remained bright. After we had seen the cemetery, we headed to our next destination, Pointe du Hoc.
Pointe du Hoc was covered in craters left by bombs dropped by the Germans. I really hope that I am remembering all of this correctly... I really like history, and I find it interesting, but I do not have the memory for it like my brother does.
Our program director's daughters accompanied us on the trip. Most of my time spent at Pointe du Hoc was with her younger daughter, a funny (and adorable) little 8-year-old, who took me on several adventures to find secret pathways and passages among the stone remains... and running up and down the craters. I don't know if that was particularly appropriate behavior, but it was fun regardless. It reminded me of the summer I spent as a counselor-in-training at my beloved summer camp. Sometimes you need to just be silly.At the end of the Normandy portion of our trip, we headed to the bus one more time and drove to St. Malo, a beautiful town (one that inspired the look and feel of Quebec City) in Brittany ("Bretagne" to French-speakers). We stayed in a nice bed and breakfast and, after we were settled in our rooms, we went to a local crêperie and had galettes (savory buckwheat crêpes, for which Bretagne is famous) for dinner. Mine (which I was far too excited to eat and didn't remember to take a picture of until I was nearly finished) was called l'Océan (a popular choice among my group) and it was deliciously prepared with salmon, scallops, leeks, mushrooms, and cheese. Did I mention that seafood is also pretty famous there? No? Believe it. It is wonderful. It's also worth mentioning that cider is another well-known treat... but not one that I was particularly fond of. I'm not much of a drinker (I never partake back in the US), so every drink I've tried has been a real effort...
After dinner, we split up, for the most part, but my group of friends went exploring. We walked around the quaint little town, looking into shop windows and just generally admiring the way everything there looked. Cobblestone roads, towering walls... It was really lovely. Eventually we made our way to the shore and enjoyed the beach by night. Friends pointed out constellations, which I'm not familiar with finding, and inhaled the fresh, salty air that surrounded us. After a while we decided to head back to the hotel and sleep.
Breakfast was held early, but, as I had paid for it already, I was determined to have it. It's funny... Breakfast in France seems so simple to me, what with all of the breads (croissants, rolls...) and such. It's so different than what we usually have back home, and it always seems to vary, while in my experience, breakfast here only changes when I decide to have a croissant in lieu of a roll or a bowl of cereal, and then switch it up again the next day. The "breakfast" that I have in my room in Paris (whenever I wake up with enough time to shower and eat, that is) is quite simple and often unsatisfying. What I find amusing about French breakfast is that it seems satisfactory, no matter what I've had. I may not even eat a lot of it, either--I suppose it's just a fact that I'm taking in a part of their culture, and that keeps me going. I love having breakfast here, when it's not up to me to make it. So, was it worth it to get downstairs by 8 or 9 AM to have some fancy "bready" breakfast with my program? Definitely.
After breakfast, we (meaning those of us that managed to crawl out of bed in time to eat) took a tour with our program director, who told us all about St. Malo, its architecture, and its history. I've already stated that I can't reiterate all of it, but I do remember the fact that Quebec City in Canada bears a very strong resemblance to this famous town in France.
Once the tour was over, we got back on the bus and drove to our last stop before going back to Paris (and this was my favorite part of the weekend)... Mont St. Michel. I've known about the great monastery since I was 13, working on a project for my French class while most of the other students were away on a field trip. It is a beautiful place, a grand tribute to the Christian religion sitting atop an island surrounded by sand and waves. It was strange to come by bus. In fact, our program director informed us that this year would probably be the last time (at least for a very long time) that anyone would be able to visit in that manner. The tides will be too high by next year, making it impossible to drive. Regardless, it is worth a visit. We toured the monastery, explored the town, and took in all of the scenery.
Our little lunch break made us a little late back to the bus, but that's alright... The meal was worth it. We drove back to Paris, where my boyfriend, who had booked a last-minute trip to come and see me, was waiting.
Overall, it was a great weekend. :)
PS: French rest-stops are just plain weird. I felt so strange being in a place that felt so familiar, but also quite foreign. The similarities between what our cultures have to offer is sometimes surprising. I didn't think that the French just, you know, drove right through every road during their trips without stopping, but I wasn't sure what those stops would be like. Nothing fascinating, honestly. It was all basically the same. That was the fascinating part.
... This entry is quite long for one that started out with me implying that I didn't remember much. Eh, that's me.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Updating isn't easy when you're behind...
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| My travel duck! I bought her in a cute little toy shop with Nicole. |
The last two weeks have definitely been busy... and expensive. I had my group trip to Normandy and Bretagne (Brittany) and that was awesome. Everything was beautiful, and I had a lot of good food. I'm not kidding when I say that the food is half the experience--it's probably more than half, in fact. I'm attempting to take pictures of all the food that I get, but sometimes I am halfway done eating before I remember to get my camera out. Oops!
Nicole and her family (her brother and mother, anyway) visited London and then came to Paris to see me. To see one of my best friends from back home while being so far away was really nice. I stayed in the hotel with them for one night, which was a VERY welcome break from the noisy building I unfortunately live in.
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| Delightful. |
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| Priceless. |
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| omelet with cheese & home fries |
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| Can I have more? |
Being on a budget definitely makes food more important. I have to find ways to be thrifty, but also smart as a consumer--cheaper is better, but I want food that will last a while, particularly without refrigeration. Now that it's getting a little warmer, I can't leave as much out on my windowsill. I hate using the fridge in my shared kitchen because of theft--someone has been stealing again. Seriously--I saved money for months over the summer so that I would have some money for necessities when I got here, and my mom helps to provide whatever else I need. I did NOT save that money so that some inconsiderate jerk could take my limited-budget groceries from me.
So, when I am hungry, I try to take care of myself. If I'm out and I order food, I make sure that I finish it. I paid for it, and I'm not letting it go to waste! If someone offers to share what they have, heck, I'm not gonna argue. Free is awesome.
Group Email Update (5; overdue)
3/10/2011
Bonjour! :)
First of all, I'm sorry for not updating in a while... The past two weeks have been extremely busy. More of my classes started (so now I have a full schedule) and I've had some visitors! Seeing people from home while I'm far away is such a treat. One of my best friends and her family (which is practically my family, too) came to Paris for a few days, and we had a great time. Then, this past week, my boyfriend came to see me during his break. Hi, guys! :) :) :) I loved seeing you. As it turns out, I'll be having a few more visitors (you know who you are) soon, including my mom!!!!!! So, overall, things have been good!
Two weekends ago I went on a trip to Normandy, St. Malo (in Brittany), and Mont St. Michel with my program. What a great trip--I like history (although I don't really have the brain for it), so the trip itself was interesting, but everything was just so beautiful. The weather itself is so different here--I see bright green grass all over the place; beautiful, colorful flowers; and (when it's really nice out), clear blue skies. That's how it was in Normandy. We took a coach bus, which took about 5 hrs to drive from Paris. It was great to get away from the city for the while and see the gorgeous countryside. The first day we visited the D-Day Museum in Arromanches, the German beach (giant craters everywhere), and the American cemetery--which is considered American soil. So, technically, we were back home for a little while. The whole experience in Normandy was incredibly unique and very touching. After spending the day there, we got back on the bus and drove to St. Malo, a beautiful town that inspired the look of Quebec City in Canada. I've never been to Quebec, so I just had to take my program director's word for it, but the town was almost breathtakingly beautiful. I had a great dinner with the students in my program.
Brittany is known for a few things, food-and-drink-wise, particularly crêpes and seafood. I got the best of both and had a savoury crêpe with salmon, scallops, leeks, mushrooms, and cheese. It was delicious. Everyone seemed happy with what they got and after eating, we went our separate ways and explored. My group of friends and I went walking around and saw a lot. We even walked down to the beach at night and looked at the stars. It was a great end to the night. The bed & breakfast we stayed at was nice, too. Cute, clean rooms with a NORMAL sized bathroom (if there's one thing I can tell you about the bathrooms I'm used to here... it's that they seem to be made for ants)... and a great breakfast, of course. We had to get up early for it, but it was worth it. Delicious bread, jams, croissants... you name it. It was awesome. After that, those of us that were awake took a tour around the outer walls in the town. Soon after, we got back on the bus to head to Mont St. Michel.
I feel like I'd say too much about that part of the trip... but just know that it was probably my favorite part. I did a project on Mont St. Michel when I was in 8th grade and I've wanted to visit it since then. It's a beautiful church/town that rests on its own island, pretty much--I'm terrible at describing it, but the tides usually make it so that it's separate from the coast. Our program director actually told us that this would probably be the last time for a very long time that it would be possible to get there by bus. I've attached a picture of it, if you want to see. I'd send more but my Internet connection is too slow to send multiple files.
Anyway, my classes are good. Grammar is difficult but, hey, that's what I need. Phonetics is interesting, if not for the schedule alone--it meets every weekday for one hour, every other week. Bizarre. The class is split into two sections--repetition, where we take some notes and, well, repeat stuff that our professor says... and the lab, where we sit with headphones and a microphone and do audio recordings of our pronunciation. The professor gives us what to say, and we record over and over again--she can even listen to us individually and help us out. It's very useful, and much different than the phonetics class I took last semester, so I don't mind taking this one. My lectures meet once a week each for two hours. I'm in a 20th century theatre class and one on the history of Paris. I won't bore you with the details.
This weekend is looking interesting... I guess I'll have to discuss that in a later update. :)
Miss you all!
Take care.
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Bonjour! :)
First of all, I'm sorry for not updating in a while... The past two weeks have been extremely busy. More of my classes started (so now I have a full schedule) and I've had some visitors! Seeing people from home while I'm far away is such a treat. One of my best friends and her family (which is practically my family, too) came to Paris for a few days, and we had a great time. Then, this past week, my boyfriend came to see me during his break. Hi, guys! :) :) :) I loved seeing you. As it turns out, I'll be having a few more visitors (you know who you are) soon, including my mom!!!!!! So, overall, things have been good!
Two weekends ago I went on a trip to Normandy, St. Malo (in Brittany), and Mont St. Michel with my program. What a great trip--I like history (although I don't really have the brain for it), so the trip itself was interesting, but everything was just so beautiful. The weather itself is so different here--I see bright green grass all over the place; beautiful, colorful flowers; and (when it's really nice out), clear blue skies. That's how it was in Normandy. We took a coach bus, which took about 5 hrs to drive from Paris. It was great to get away from the city for the while and see the gorgeous countryside. The first day we visited the D-Day Museum in Arromanches, the German beach (giant craters everywhere), and the American cemetery--which is considered American soil. So, technically, we were back home for a little while. The whole experience in Normandy was incredibly unique and very touching. After spending the day there, we got back on the bus and drove to St. Malo, a beautiful town that inspired the look of Quebec City in Canada. I've never been to Quebec, so I just had to take my program director's word for it, but the town was almost breathtakingly beautiful. I had a great dinner with the students in my program.
Brittany is known for a few things, food-and-drink-wise, particularly crêpes and seafood. I got the best of both and had a savoury crêpe with salmon, scallops, leeks, mushrooms, and cheese. It was delicious. Everyone seemed happy with what they got and after eating, we went our separate ways and explored. My group of friends and I went walking around and saw a lot. We even walked down to the beach at night and looked at the stars. It was a great end to the night. The bed & breakfast we stayed at was nice, too. Cute, clean rooms with a NORMAL sized bathroom (if there's one thing I can tell you about the bathrooms I'm used to here... it's that they seem to be made for ants)... and a great breakfast, of course. We had to get up early for it, but it was worth it. Delicious bread, jams, croissants... you name it. It was awesome. After that, those of us that were awake took a tour around the outer walls in the town. Soon after, we got back on the bus to head to Mont St. Michel.
I feel like I'd say too much about that part of the trip... but just know that it was probably my favorite part. I did a project on Mont St. Michel when I was in 8th grade and I've wanted to visit it since then. It's a beautiful church/town that rests on its own island, pretty much--I'm terrible at describing it, but the tides usually make it so that it's separate from the coast. Our program director actually told us that this would probably be the last time for a very long time that it would be possible to get there by bus. I've attached a picture of it, if you want to see. I'd send more but my Internet connection is too slow to send multiple files.
 | |
| View of Mont St. Michel from just outside of the bus |
Anyway, my classes are good. Grammar is difficult but, hey, that's what I need. Phonetics is interesting, if not for the schedule alone--it meets every weekday for one hour, every other week. Bizarre. The class is split into two sections--repetition, where we take some notes and, well, repeat stuff that our professor says... and the lab, where we sit with headphones and a microphone and do audio recordings of our pronunciation. The professor gives us what to say, and we record over and over again--she can even listen to us individually and help us out. It's very useful, and much different than the phonetics class I took last semester, so I don't mind taking this one. My lectures meet once a week each for two hours. I'm in a 20th century theatre class and one on the history of Paris. I won't bore you with the details.
This weekend is looking interesting... I guess I'll have to discuss that in a later update. :)
Miss you all!
Take care.
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Friday, March 4, 2011
Bad Travel Blogger
Although I like to write about what I do, I certainly SUCK at making the time to actually do it. For that, I'm sorry! I want this to be informative and entertaining and that's not exactly easy to do when you don't put the effort in...
I've had some visitors (and one that's actually still here; yay) and all of my classes have officially started, so... to say that it's been a little hectic might be an understatement.
I'm going on adventures today so I'll have to update later.
KBAI
I've had some visitors (and one that's actually still here; yay) and all of my classes have officially started, so... to say that it's been a little hectic might be an understatement.
I'm going on adventures today so I'll have to update later.
KBAI
Group Email Update (4)
2/20/2011
Hello!
It just occurred to me that I didn't do an update this weekend... Mostly because I don't know what to update you all about! I don't want to say that nothing interesting has happened, but... I don't know. I guess I just got lazy!
Anyway... I asked to be placed into a higher-level class and I was approved, so now the work is a little harder, but that's fine--I wanted a challenge and I wasn't getting one in my other class. I took a placement test for a phonetics class (which wasn't actually a test... we sat with someone that asked us to repeat simple phrases in French and they determined our placement based on how we pronounced everything)... and that one will start next week. The class schedules here are pretty bizarre. I've been having grammar review/French civilization classes since I arrived, and the official grammar class started after 2 weeks, and now my phonetics one starts next week... The lectures (AKA my theatre class and my art history class) don't start until this week, either. The lectures only meet once a week for two hours, but phonetics meets for one hour, every day, every OTHER week. It's very weird. Not to mention they're in all different parts of the city. It makes no sense!
Aside from classes this week, I'm going to the ballet on Thursday night, which I'm really looking forward to, since I liked the opera so much (it was awesome).
My friends and I are planning what we want to do later in the semester as far as traveling is concerned and it's all very exciting. Lots of interesting stuff... but nothing official as of yet.
I go exploring after my grammar class and I've made friends outside of my program, which is really nice. I like everyone that I've been with so far, but it's cool to have friends that come from different places. The Cours de Civilisation at the Sorbonne is open to students from all over the world, not just those of us in the US (and especially not just New York). Having interesting places to visit and new people to visit them with is great! I like being able to branch out.
The weather here has been cold... That's unfortunate because it was so nice last week and the week before. It's been chilly and a little rainy. I can't stand being cooped up in my building all day long, though, so despite the not-so-nice weather today, I made myself go outside and walk around. I'm glad I did... Staying in my room gets boring fast. With so much to do in the city, how can I just lay around? I can't wait til it really warms up, though. I need good adventure weather!
I hope everything by you guys has been good! Is there more snow coming? I'm getting sick of it FOR you!
Take care!
With lots of love,
- Maeghan
Hello!
It just occurred to me that I didn't do an update this weekend... Mostly because I don't know what to update you all about! I don't want to say that nothing interesting has happened, but... I don't know. I guess I just got lazy!
Anyway... I asked to be placed into a higher-level class and I was approved, so now the work is a little harder, but that's fine--I wanted a challenge and I wasn't getting one in my other class. I took a placement test for a phonetics class (which wasn't actually a test... we sat with someone that asked us to repeat simple phrases in French and they determined our placement based on how we pronounced everything)... and that one will start next week. The class schedules here are pretty bizarre. I've been having grammar review/French civilization classes since I arrived, and the official grammar class started after 2 weeks, and now my phonetics one starts next week... The lectures (AKA my theatre class and my art history class) don't start until this week, either. The lectures only meet once a week for two hours, but phonetics meets for one hour, every day, every OTHER week. It's very weird. Not to mention they're in all different parts of the city. It makes no sense!
Aside from classes this week, I'm going to the ballet on Thursday night, which I'm really looking forward to, since I liked the opera so much (it was awesome).
My friends and I are planning what we want to do later in the semester as far as traveling is concerned and it's all very exciting. Lots of interesting stuff... but nothing official as of yet.
I go exploring after my grammar class and I've made friends outside of my program, which is really nice. I like everyone that I've been with so far, but it's cool to have friends that come from different places. The Cours de Civilisation at the Sorbonne is open to students from all over the world, not just those of us in the US (and especially not just New York). Having interesting places to visit and new people to visit them with is great! I like being able to branch out.
The weather here has been cold... That's unfortunate because it was so nice last week and the week before. It's been chilly and a little rainy. I can't stand being cooped up in my building all day long, though, so despite the not-so-nice weather today, I made myself go outside and walk around. I'm glad I did... Staying in my room gets boring fast. With so much to do in the city, how can I just lay around? I can't wait til it really warms up, though. I need good adventure weather!
I hope everything by you guys has been good! Is there more snow coming? I'm getting sick of it FOR you!
Take care!
With lots of love,
- Maeghan
Group Email Update (3)
2/12/2011
Hello! :) I hope you all are well and keeping yourselves occupied with interesting things.
As of yesterday, I've been here for two weeks! It's a weird feeling. It doesn't feel like I've been here for very long, yet I'm already pretty used to it. There is a lot to explore here and I really haven't even scratched the surface. For the first week or so, I was sometimes feeling too tired/sick to go out much, so I missed some outings planned by my friends, but now that I'm feeling a lot better (although that stupid cough won't go away), I'm making it a point to go out and explore more. Yesterday I even took out my city map and started looking for things!
Yesterday was also the first day of my grammar class at the Sorbonne. Right now we only have that--I still have the director's course with my group, but we've all been split up into different levels thanks to the (very difficult) placement test we took last week. I didn't do as well as I hoped I would, but I'm comfortable with my placement now (intermediate). That's apparently more like a higher-level back in the US, according to Céline. She keeps saying it, so I guess I'll just have to believe it... Ha ha. Anyway, I really enjoyed the class yesterday. I left my building early so that I would have enough time to find it (since no one else in my group had the same class... when I said we were all split up, I really did mean it), and explore if time allowed. I used GoogleMaps to make sure I knew where I was going, as well as the university map we were given (more on that later), and by that time I had a pretty good idea of what to do. I decided to find it on foot, so I got off the Metro at a familiar stop and made my way from there. It was surprisingly easy and it didn't take a lot of time at all! I arrived about 30 minutes early and used that time to walk around a bit. There was so much to see!
The area that my grammar class is in is lovely. First of all, the building itself looks nice. Second, there are little shops everywhere... and Notre Dame, of course. I can see it down the road! :) I walked up and down the road a little, and eventually came across a sign for a road whose name was IMMEDIATELY familiar. I got very excited and said, "Hey, I have enough time to go and find this..."
... AND I DID! That road was the one this famous bookstore I've been wanting to see for months is... Shakespeare & Company! My friend and I tried finding it a while back, but I couldn't remember the address, and no one we asked help from seemed to know it at all. The thing is, it's an American bookstore, so I don't think that many French people are particularly interested in it.
I was very proud of myself for finding it (all by myself) because, as most of you know, I cannot direct myself anywhere. I just can't do it. Now, however, I have a little more confidence and I'm going to explore more. There are lots of other places I want to see.
Anyway... Enough about my nerdy bookstore adventure. I'll spare you the details. Just know that I was really happy to find it and, since it's so close, I plan on visiting on a regular basis.
The weather here is amazing. Yesterday it was even in the 60s! I'm not kidding! It was such a nice day that I met up with friends after class (well, after I explored some more) and we just walked around for a few hours. We visited the Seine River and it was really nice. We got there just in time for all of the lights to turn on on the bridge and it was very pretty.
This week I also went to the Louvre (the Egyptian art exhibit... that museum is far too big to explore the whole thing in one visit). That was awesome. I want to visit Pompidou (another museum, but a bit of a strange one from what I understand).
I think I've written quite a lot for one email, but that's what's up! :)
Take care and, really, thanks again for keeping in touch with me. I love getting emails from back home! Or, you know... real letters... Those are nice, too... ;)
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Hello! :) I hope you all are well and keeping yourselves occupied with interesting things.
As of yesterday, I've been here for two weeks! It's a weird feeling. It doesn't feel like I've been here for very long, yet I'm already pretty used to it. There is a lot to explore here and I really haven't even scratched the surface. For the first week or so, I was sometimes feeling too tired/sick to go out much, so I missed some outings planned by my friends, but now that I'm feeling a lot better (although that stupid cough won't go away), I'm making it a point to go out and explore more. Yesterday I even took out my city map and started looking for things!
Yesterday was also the first day of my grammar class at the Sorbonne. Right now we only have that--I still have the director's course with my group, but we've all been split up into different levels thanks to the (very difficult) placement test we took last week. I didn't do as well as I hoped I would, but I'm comfortable with my placement now (intermediate). That's apparently more like a higher-level back in the US, according to Céline. She keeps saying it, so I guess I'll just have to believe it... Ha ha. Anyway, I really enjoyed the class yesterday. I left my building early so that I would have enough time to find it (since no one else in my group had the same class... when I said we were all split up, I really did mean it), and explore if time allowed. I used GoogleMaps to make sure I knew where I was going, as well as the university map we were given (more on that later), and by that time I had a pretty good idea of what to do. I decided to find it on foot, so I got off the Metro at a familiar stop and made my way from there. It was surprisingly easy and it didn't take a lot of time at all! I arrived about 30 minutes early and used that time to walk around a bit. There was so much to see!
The area that my grammar class is in is lovely. First of all, the building itself looks nice. Second, there are little shops everywhere... and Notre Dame, of course. I can see it down the road! :) I walked up and down the road a little, and eventually came across a sign for a road whose name was IMMEDIATELY familiar. I got very excited and said, "Hey, I have enough time to go and find this..."
... AND I DID! That road was the one this famous bookstore I've been wanting to see for months is... Shakespeare & Company! My friend and I tried finding it a while back, but I couldn't remember the address, and no one we asked help from seemed to know it at all. The thing is, it's an American bookstore, so I don't think that many French people are particularly interested in it.
I was very proud of myself for finding it (all by myself) because, as most of you know, I cannot direct myself anywhere. I just can't do it. Now, however, I have a little more confidence and I'm going to explore more. There are lots of other places I want to see.
Anyway... Enough about my nerdy bookstore adventure. I'll spare you the details. Just know that I was really happy to find it and, since it's so close, I plan on visiting on a regular basis.
The weather here is amazing. Yesterday it was even in the 60s! I'm not kidding! It was such a nice day that I met up with friends after class (well, after I explored some more) and we just walked around for a few hours. We visited the Seine River and it was really nice. We got there just in time for all of the lights to turn on on the bridge and it was very pretty.
This week I also went to the Louvre (the Egyptian art exhibit... that museum is far too big to explore the whole thing in one visit). That was awesome. I want to visit Pompidou (another museum, but a bit of a strange one from what I understand).
I think I've written quite a lot for one email, but that's what's up! :)
Take care and, really, thanks again for keeping in touch with me. I love getting emails from back home! Or, you know... real letters... Those are nice, too... ;)
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
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