Monday, April 22, 2013

In which I take the record for earliest sunburn

It is April 14th.  I have an all over sunburn.  Today is the first sunny day of my time in Paris.  And I got a sunburn.  Let's just take a minute to process this shall we?

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Ok.

Besides the sunburn, I also had one of my favorite days in Paris.  It was 75 and sunny, just absolutely beautiful.  I started off the day walking from my dorm to Notre Dame to check out the cathedral in the sunlight.  The last time I was there was during a blizzard, so it was a nice change up.  I also wandered into the American grocery store in that neighborhood.  It made me so excited to go home in 19 days!  It's not that I haven't enjoyed my time abroad immensely, because I have, but I mentally prepared myself to be here for four months, and now that it's at the end, I'm itching to go home.  Anyways, the grocery store.  It's a good thing I didn't find this place before now, because I could have gone broke.  9.50 euros for a small jar of JIF peanut butter? Please.  I'm desperate but not that desperate.  It was harder than hard to pass up on the overpriced black beans however.  Lately, my friend Jacqui and I have taken to listing all the foods we're going to eat when we get home that you can't get here, and Mexican is at the top of both of our lists.  Tacos are in order for my first night home.

After Notre Dame, I walked to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with Jacqui to take a cruise along the Seine.  We've been holding onto these tickets for months now.  The first day of our program, January 6th, they thought it would actually be a good idea to go on a river cruise.  Really? 30 degree weather is not made any more pleasant by being on the water on a gray day.  Thankfully, the tickets were good for six months, so we ditched, and finally got around to going today.  It was lovely, but I also suspect the cruise is where the sun decided I shouldn't be allowed to enjoy the day like a normal person.  Paleness is a handicap, I can get burned walking from the car to the store.  I should apply for a parking permit.

The cruise was wonderful, and afterwards we sat on the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower like real parisians.  Just delightful.  Our last thing today was to ride the elevator 56 floors up to the top of the Tour Monparnasse.  It's the only skyscraper in the center of Paris, and man is it ugly.  Sticks out like a sore thumb and totally ruins the panorama of the city.  However, if you are in the building, this becomes less of a problem.  What is a problem is the huge group of Japanese tourists that budged in front of us.  Karma got them later though, one of them started coughing so hard she had to sit down for fear of passing out.

56th floor of the Tour Montparnasse, see the Eiffel Tower in the background?

Sorry this blog is actually getting posted the 22nd, Mom, I've been busy writing a 40 page research report in French.  That'll teach you, yuo got called out on the internet.

Friday, March 29, 2013

In which I fall madly in love

....with my internship that is.  Yes, I've found my true calling in life.  That is, if it doesn't work out with Prince Harry.  I mean, being royalty wins any day, and he does like the blonde ladies.

Anyway,  I am the International Relations Intern for the Communication, International Relations and Development department at the National Institute for Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP).  Yeah, it looks pretty sweet in my email signature.  I have a desk, a phone, tape, and a spinny chair.  I have officially entered the working world and it feels goooooooood baby.

Basically, I work at the Olympic Training Center in Paris.  Their facilities rival the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  I'm doing my dream job, but in French!

I can't really say what my major duties are, since on any given day I could be working on a hundred different things.  So far I've written reports, done research on foreign delegations, and prepared fact sheets for our people who go on international missions.  I also go on tours with groups, keep records of some financial stuff, and translate official documents to English.  I have real responsibilities, which is more than I can say for some of the people in my program (sorry all you coffee makers!).  Plus, my boss is 24, and is like really concerned that he's going to give me something boring or that I'm not enjoying my time.  I think I convinced him I like interning there when he had to tell me to go home three times on a Friday because I didn't want to stop working.

Oh yeah, and then there's the fact that I work all day with Olympians hanging around.  My boss is the 2010 men's gymnastics world champ.  He's on Google.

This is my third week of six, and I started to get some more responsibility this week.  I am going to be the one dealing with some upcoming foreign delegations that are visiting.  I also found out that this huge update to one of our reference booklets that I've been working on is going to be distributed with MY NAME on it!  Like, people in the government and various Olympic committees are going to get this.  I'll forever be in their archives, so they can't forget me.  As if anyone could.
Jonathan Horton?

An unexpected perk of this job is that I get to feel like a spy pretty much every day.  There is way more political intrigue and backstabbing than I would have thought.  I really can't go into any more detail than that.  And I'm not joking, I had to get security clearance at work.  Isn't that cool??!


Can't you just feel the gold medals?


So long story short, life is better than good and I'm going to Deutschland this weekend.

Aufwiedersehen!

Monday, March 18, 2013

In Which I Do Not Enjoy Turkish Delight


Turkish Delight is like fancy Dots Candy.  There, I've said it.  It is chewy, and sometimes they put nuts in it, hence the fancy.  And they charge a lot more than Dots.  Those are about the only differences I noticed.
Jelly Logs


In happier news, this is part 2 of my Turkey blog.  I had too much to say in my first one.  This one is going to be nautically themed.  Put on your lifejackets, kids.

One of the really great things about Istanbul is the meeting of the cultures in one huge city.  This culture fusion can be physically felt by crossing the Bosphorus into Asia from Europe.  Istanbul is actually split in half by the Bosphorus, and so their public transportation runs a regular ferry across the strait.  Of course I had to go.  I went to Japan six years ago, and after Istanbul I am officially able to say that I have been on both sides of Asia.  Kind of a big deal, I'm expecting to get piles of job offers from travel magazines any day.  To be honest, the Asia side of Istanbul was kind of boring.  There's no major tourist attractions, and much less English.  I'm not trying to be an ugly American, I swear.  I honestly didn't understand the language, so I was kind of bored.  The real excitement came when a 20 lira note flew out of my pocket and into the water as I was getting back on the ferry.  No fewer than four crew members got down flat on their chest with poles and nets to get roughly the equivalent of $12 back to me.  It was nice to get away from the aggressive sales pitches and street vendors and actually have people just be nice, with nothing in it for them.  I've missed that.
Oh hey Asia
This is public transportation


Ugh, enough feelings.  The other nautically themed thing I did in Istanbul was to walk along the seaside.  I love water, love love love it.  I've been dying to go swimming lately.  This was not exactly a beach type of place, but still awesome just to get the sight and smell of the ocean.  There were also thousands of jellyfish just doing their thing in the water.  You go jelly dudes.

That brought my trip to a close.  The most noteworthy thing that happened on the way back to Paris was that I struck up a conversation with a pilot who is apparently so dissatisfied with his life that he feels the need to rain on everyone else's parade.  He told me that college is a sham, and that my career goal is too lofty and too much in the public eye to be attainable because better schools have people going for that job too.

You sir, are a jerk.  You also told me that you're 59 and never moved out of your parents' house.  There, now the internet knows the embarrassment that is your life.  That'll teach you.


Goodbye Europe....

...Hellooo Asia!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

In Which I have a Crisis of Identity

So I went to Istanbul last week.  It was awesome.  Sadly, I did not make it to Constantinople.  I tried to find it on a map, but I must have been reading it wrong or something.  Hmm....

Anyway, Istanbul.  I felt a little sketched out when I first got there.  I had to buy a visa to enter the country, and I kept getting weird looks from people.   Then I remembered I probably look like an albino to the Turks.  My program director's first reaction when I told her I was going to Istanbul was "Oh! Your hair!"  Yes, once again I am in the minisculest of minorities by having the best hair color.  Sorry, not everyone can be special.

My hotel was nice, wifi, free breakfast, the whole deal.  Lovely.  Except for one thing.  My room didn't face the outside.  I didn't realize this until I woke up the next morning.  My room was completely dark, so I figured it must still be the middle of night, but then when I checked my ipod, it was 9.30 in the AM.  My window was a lie.  It really messes with you.

Hagia Sophia
The first day I decided to go check out the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.  As luck would have it, my hotel was a ten minute walk from both of these.  As soon I as stepped outside I was bombarded by sales pitches.  Every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the street seemed to have something to say or sell to me. Having lived in France for the last two months, where a salesperson won't give you the time of day and follows you around because you don't look rich enough to shop in their store, this was a shock.  I couldn't handle it and I wanted to run back inside and stay there for the rest of the trip.  But, being the amazing trailblazer that I am, I kept on going.  I was walking around inside the Hagia Sophia, when I saw someone I knew.  Weird, right?  It was a guy who had been on both of my flights to Istanbul, and in front of me in the visa line once we got there.  I heard him speaking English, so we chatted for a few minutes in the airport and went our separate ways.  When I saw him in the Hagia Sophia, we again chatted and separated.  We ran into each other again in the gift shop.  We finally introduced ourselves, and found out we are both from Minnesota and know some of the same people.  The world really is tiny.
MN takes Turkey


I spent the rest of the day exploring with my fellow Minnesotan and his friend.  We checked out the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque.  Both were simply beautiful.  Turkey has this amazing fusion of cultures, completely unique in the world.  They have greek, roman, and Arabian influences.  Today, Istanbul is a total mix of east and west, old and new.
Never wearing a head scarf ever again, I look like a chipmunk


I went home at about 5 pm each night, so my days were pretty short.  It is not because I am a weird shut-in.  Despite being a very friendly city, Istanbul can still be a bit sketchy, so as a single, American female, I tried to avoid being out after dark.

The next day, I braved the Grand Bazaar.  This is no small feat.  It's this maze of little booths selling so many things.  The big items are: Turkish carpets, spices, ceramics, and jewelry.  Most of these vendors are essentially selling the same selection of items, so it's in their best interest to get you to look at them first.  Their main tactic is yelling at you.  This is where the identity crisis comes in.  In one afternoon I was asked if I was:

-Russian
-Italian
-Swedish
-Norwegian
-Finnish
-German
-Dutch
-Polish
-British
-Australian

Never once was I asked if I was American.  Which is odd.  Not that I would have said yes, since apparently this causes a bump in the price of their wares.  Nor was I asked if I was French.  Probably because I looked like I still enjoyed being alive, and not like I had just endured a thousand years of drudgery.  Sorry France.

Anyway, any time you so much as glance at a shop, it's too late.  They invite you in, they drop the prices, the whole deal.  If you walk away, they yell after you.  These people have good memories, too.  I got lost and walked down a row I had already been down, and one of the shopkeepers asked me why I had walked away before and would I like to buy a carpet for only 200 dollars?  Still, all in all, it was a cool experience, and not one I'm likely to have the opportunity to repeat.

That afternoon, I crossed another item off my Turkey bucket list, the famed Turkish baths.  I went to the Cemberlitas Hamami, which was built in 1584.  This experience was by far the highlight of my trip.  You put your stuff in a locker and change into a soft cotton wrap and sandals.  Then, an attendant leads you into a huge sauna, with a large marble slab in the center.  This is where you really have to embrace the experience with no inhibitions, because the attendant takes off your towel and puts it on the marble and has you lie down naked.  Yikes, it was like ripping off a band-aid.  Just go for it.  You sweat for a while, and then your person comes back.  This is where the loveliness begins.  First, she exfoliates your entire body, leaving you feeling warm and tingly.  Then, you get all soaped up and massaged.  She even washes your hair.  Afterwards, you're free to chill out in the sauna for as long as you want.  Oh yeah, and the whole time the attendants are singing traditional Turkish chants.  It's an unreal experience, one that I'll definitely remember forever.
Don't worry, I'm not a perv who brought a camera into where people are naked.  This is from the internet.

OK, there Mom, I wrote a blog post.  Geez.  This was only half of my Istanbul adventure, so I'll try to put the rest up soon!

Monday, March 4, 2013

In Which I discover a centuries old conspiracy

You guys, I think I may have stumbled upon clues to the Holy Grail.  Yes, it exists.  There seem to be all these connections between art at the Louvre and the Roslin Line at St. Sulpice Church.  Now I just need to find a crippled English historian to put it all together for me.
Saint Sulpice, and a car that drove through my shot


Ok not really, but I am having fun recreating The Da Vinci Code while I'm here.  I've probably read it at least ten times so I know every landmark and work of art involved.  I visited St. Sulpice yesterday, and it was beautiful, definitely worthy of its role in the book.
I bet there's a clue under that gold disk...

"Offerings for the souls in purgatory"  Who know they still sold indulgences?

It was finally, finally warm yesterday.  I'm talking sunny and no scarf here, people, a big deal.  One for the record books.  Apparently the French feel the same way, because they came out in droves.  I walked around the Jardins du Luxembourg, which is beautiful.  They have tons of chairs scattered around the park so people can sit and enjoy the sun.  It even draws the crazies.  While I was there a man in scrubs got escorted out of the park for erratic behavior.  He was screaming at other people, dancing, and walking on invisible tightropes.  Yikes.
Happy turtles!

First signs of spring!

Pony rides in the garden, how very noble


I finished up with classes this week as well.  Finals were rough, three in one day.  But I obviously rocked them, do you expect anything less?  I'm most proud of my Art History accomplishments.  The final had two essay questions.  One was a picture of a sculpture.  The other simply said "Nouveau Realisme".  No instructions, no direction, just a picture and two words.  I was actually able to write decent essays about both, no way I could have done that two months ago.  This means, no tests, papers, or studying for the next six months.  That's the longest reprieve I've had since I was five!  Instead, I get a taste of the real world starting a week from today.  Full-time internship.  A 9 to 5, the daily grind, coffee breaks.  The whole deal.  I couldn't be more excited.  But first I have a whole week to relax.

Side note, I have noticed that the dryer here had shrunk all my clothes.  Every time that my grandmother worried about that when we went shopping has come back to haunt me.  I should have listened!  I'm just ashamed that it took me this long to figure out the dryer was to blame for my tight jeans, not the baguettes.  Thank goodness.  I've had to resort to some rather unusual drying arrangements since I don't have very much space in my room.  The irony of being an Edina resident and line drying my clothes is not lost on me.  For those of you who don't know, we aren't allowed to line dry our clothes outside, it doesn't look nice.  I quite agree.  Especially now that every door handle, chair, and hook in my room is covered in socks and underwear.
Yes, this is my life now

Monday, February 25, 2013

In Which I am one step closer to being friends with Kate Middleton

I just got back from Milan yesterday.  I do not recommend it.  It is boring.  How can Italy possibly be boring you say?  Because Milan has one tourist attraction.  The Duomo.  Granted, Il Duomo is magnificent, and you can go up on the roof, which is cool.  Apart from that and the shopping center right next to it, there is really nothing there.  Oh yeah, unless you want to pay 40 euros to see Da Vinci's last supper.  I did not.

The trip started out with a little hiccup.  My friend, Jacqui, and I paid 9.50 euros to take the train to the airport at six in the morning.  Three stops later, our train broke down.  Thinking we would be late for our flight, we shelled out 40 euros to take a cab to the airport.  Once there and through security (my makeup turned out not to be a bomb, thanks for checking) we saw that our flight had been delayed for two hours.  Essentially, we had no reason to get up at 5:30 in the morning nor to pay for a cab.  Great.

Once we got to Milan, it was an hour long bus ride to the central station, then another hour on the metro/tram to get to our hotel. Oh yeah, it was half raining/half snowing.  Again, great.  But our hotel was really nice, and the tram line it was on took us directly into the center of town.  The Italian people are extremely nice as well.  This was our experience in London.  Paris still takes the cake for meanest city in the world.  Whenever we needed directions or a dinner recommendation, everyone was quick to help us as much as they could.

Like I said, the Duomo is pretty much the only thing in Milan.  But it was just stunning.  We walked around on the inside for a while before climbing the 250 stairs to the roof.  You can walk around on top, getting views of the entire city.  It was really cool, and definitely worth the trip.  That was definitely my favorite part of the weekend.

Il Duomo

Rooftop Party!

Americans Against European PDA, get a room


Next to the Duomo is an enormous department store called Rhinascente, basically Milan's answer to Harrod's.  This is where Kate Middleton comes in, I found her Issa engagement announcement dress!  It's a beautiful blue wrap dress by Issa.  I was sorely tempted to buy it, but I figured the powers that be (hi Mom and Dad!) might be a little disapproving of that decision.  Still, tempting.

Pleaseeeeeeeee???


I can't write a blog about Italy without mentioning the food.  Yes, it lives up to the legend.  Pizza, ravioli, and tiramisu were my foods of choice, and I was not disappointed.  So good.

It also happened to be fashion week while we were there.  Good thing I only packed a backpack so I had one pair of pants and two shirts with me.  We were definitely not part of the glitterati this time around, but it was fun to see the wacky things people put on their bodies.  It's just hilarious.  Heel-less high heels, rainbow hair, and fur coats seem to be big this season.  Take note everyone.  And P.S, someday I will be one of them, so you can all start sucking up to me now because I won't be bringing everyone with me.

On Sunday, it was snowing even harder than on Saturday, so we decided to call it a day early and head to the airport.  The guy at the kiosk was nice enough to change our tickets for free to a flight for two hours earlier.  Thank goodness he did, since the weather delays caused our early flight to take off two hours late.  Essentially, we sat in the airport for six hours.  I spent good money on a bad book.  It also turned out to be book 2 of a series, so now I'm in the frustrating position of wanting to know the ending but not wanting to put forth the effort.  Icing on the cake.

All in all, I liked Italy, though I wish we had gone somewhere different.  The luxury of not caring where we went as long as it was not expensive came back to bite us in the butt this time, but spring break is next week so we'll see what happens on my next adventure.
Ciao!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

In which one of my nightmares comes true

You know that dream that everyone has where they somehow end up in public with no clothes on?  That actually happened to me.  But more on that a little later.  This morning I had to go to the immigration office to get a specific stamp in my passport.  Here's how it went:

Get to this place in the middle of nowhere.

Wait.  In a line outside of the building.

Get in. Go upstairs.

Wait.

Get my name called.  Go to another room.

Wait.

Get my name called.  Have an eye exam.  Read a paragraph in tiny print in French. What if your vision is perfect and you're just bad at reading French?  These are the things going through my mind during the agonizingly long waits.

Wait.

Go into a changing room.  Strip off everything above the waist.  Proceed to shiver so hard it looks like I'm having a seizure.  Here's where the nightmare part comes in.  Someone barges in.  Not a doctor, another "immigrant" like myself.  Horrifying.

Wait.

Get called into a big room.  Topless.  Get pushed up rather forcefully against a cold metal surface.  Apparently an X-ray machine.  No paper sheet or anything.  I am not confident in the sanitary procedures used in this room.  Door opens,  strange man enters.  Realizes there is a young woman naked from the waist up.  Coughs awkwardly and leaves.  Get X-rays taken.  Realize they didn't put a lead vest on me.  Resign self to probability of sterility.  Remember I don't like kids that much anyway.

Wait.

Talk to an actual doctor.  For 2 minutes.  Get blood pressure taken.

Wait.

Get name called.  Get sticker in my passport.

Done.  And it only took two hours and four strangers seeing me topless.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

In Which I Take London By Storm

Sorry I'm so adorable
I know it's been a while since I posted. So sue me.  But don't really please, I have no time for that sort of nonsense.  I'm too busy globetrotting.  This past weekend two friends of mine and I took a trip to London.  I've been a lot of places.  Like, a lot.  But that doesn't mean I am too jaded to take in all that London had to offer.  In a word (or three I guess), I LOVE LONDON.

We took a train there, which was cool since the last time I was on a train was in Japan (see what I mean about the globetrotting and the jet-setting and whatnot?).  It's a really short ride there, just two and a half hours.  We got in late thursday night, walked around forever trying to find food, and ended up ordering pizza before passing out at three in the morning.  Not so fabulous.

The next day completely and totally made up for it.  I saw, and I'm not lying, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor.  Yeah, I know.  I was ready to pack up and go home right then because the only thing that could have topped that moment was if Kate Middleton was there with him.  For those of you wondering, I did not have to look up William's full name.  I know it from listening to the CD of their wedding and vows on my ipod.  Now that you understand the nature of my obsession, maybe you can begin to comprehend the level of excitement I was feeling.

That's a royal!


We saw the major sights, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye.  It was actually sunny out the entire weekend, which seems like a miracle.  On saturday, we went to the Portobello market.  It's this big open air market with seemingly everything you could ever need.  There's old stuff, new stuff, foodstuffs, and weird stuff.  It was fun just doing something so random.  We didn't buy anything, but it was a good way to start the day.  Our only other mission for the day was to find somewhere that we could sit down and have scones with clotted cream.  Little did we know how much of a challenge this would be.  First of all, two of the major central tube lines were closed.  For the entire weekend.  It took us forever just to figure out how to get to a place that we thought might have scones.  Once we got there, we walked for two hours, stopping in every cafe and tearoom, trying to find our elusive baked friend.  It's a good thing they were totally worth it once we found some at a bakery in an alley.  I'm sorry, mews as the Brits say.

So worth the entire afternoon of searching

Not our friend, and why in the world is the pass called an oyster card?


Sunday was more low-key.  We each had different things that we wanted to do, so we split up for the afternoon.  In the morning, however, my friend Ellen and I walked through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.  Absolutely beautiful.  Besides Versailles, which is way far, Paris doesn't have a central garden or park area of that scale.  In the afternoon I went out to Stratford.  For those of you who are so woefully uninformed, this is where the 2012 Olympics were centered.  I almost had a panic attack I was so excited.  Working with the Olympics is the only thing I've ever been this sure of in my entire life, besides my conviction that blonde hair is the best color.  So that's saying something.  Unfortunately, the complex is closed for renovations until the summer of 2013.  Why they need to renovate a brand new stadium I have no idea.
Casual, me and the worst part of the Olympics, this horrible mascot

All in all, I fell in love with London and I hope that I can go back someday soon, albeit with a larger budget.  The British Pound is not kind to the meager wallet of a college student.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

In which I lose my feet to frostbite

Alright, that statement might be a little melodramatic, but that's how it feels.  It has been snowing or raining every day in the past week.  Since I thought I'd be laughed out of the country if I brought my warm and fuzzy UGG boots, I decided against it.  It turns out everyone here wears them!  So upset.  I am also stuck with three show choices until it warms up: black boots, brown boots, or green rain boots. How am I expected to make my mark on the fabulous world of Paris fashion if I have three shoe choices?

But then, miracle of miracles, it was sunny today!  My friend Jacqui and I spent the entire afternoon walking around the city.  It was beautiful, and when we were walking along the Seine, there was even an accordion player.  It was so stereotypically French we would not handle ourselves.

On our way home, we ran into a rally in support of gay marriage.  This was a response to the rally a couple of weeks ago protesting the legalization of gay marriage.  It was really cool because everyone was very peaceful and respectful.  They were just walking along the street with their signs, not trying to get into anyone's face.  Protests and rallies are so common in France that the police have specially made signs to block off roads, not just caution tape or barricades.



This week was really fun, but exhausting.  I come home every night and fall into bed, honestly it's so sad.  I'm 21 going on 100.  On tuesday, a few of us went to a fashion week party sponsored by a magazine.  It was definitely an experience, and something I would not have experienced otherwise.  We got our picture on the website and in the video too.  I am well on my way to becoming the toast of french society, as it should be.

The biggest news from this week is that I had my internship interview!  It was with the National Institute for Sport, Expertise, and Performance.  I would get to give tours, do translations, help organize their spring conference, and HANG OUT WITH OLYMPIANS.  That's right everyone, I get to eat lunch with the most elite athletes in the world.  Casual.  It is my dream job, and I find out tomorrow or the day after if I get it!  So nervous, but so excited.  

Next weekend, two friends and I are going to London for a few days, which I'm really looking forward to.  One more step in my plan to take Europe by storm!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

In which Paul Bunyan and I have something in common (finally!)

UPDATE: The person above has launched a new offensive in their chair conflict.  They have moved their desk to the opposite corner of the room, perhaps in a strategic maneuver to take the chair by surprise.

I am too tall and too scandinavian for this country.  There, I've said it.  It's out there, we can all address it and move on.  Not only am I head and shoulders above most of the people here, but I also lack the grace and poise they seem to be born with.  I cannot tell you how many times I have bumped my head standing up from my seat on the metro or tried on a pair of pants that only comes halfway down my shins.  There are also a distinct lack of blondes here, a fact exploited on my friends when trying to find me in a crowd.  As the only tall blonde girl, I am a living highlighter marker.
What is this?  My arm doesn't go back any further, I am being discriminated against

This week classes got started for real.  I think I'm really going to enjoy my art history course.  I have never taken an art course outside of middle school, so this should be interesting.  Especially because the majority of the students in the class are art majors, so they actually know what they're talking about.  I am completely lost, but in a good way.  I went to an art show on my own this wednesday, one recommended by our instructor as the subject for our paper.  It was called the "Museum of Everything".  It is a contemporary art show, displaying works by people who never intended to show their work.  Most of it is stuff found in their basements or attics after their death.  By this logic, all the crayon scribblings I know my mother still has somewhere should one day be prominently displayed, and my achievements heralded as the greatest artistic achievement of the century.

One thing I'm really enjoying is walking.  Since you know that if you get truly lost, there is a metro stop somewhere nearby, it is very fun to just start walking in the direction you think you want to go.  After the art show the other day, I decided to go for a jaunt around Paris.  Knowing that my classes are around the Eiffel Tower gives me an easy landmark to work towards.  It was sunny for the first time since I've been here I think.  Of course, it was all a cruel joke since it started snowing that night.
This is not Google Images, I took this myself


I don't have classes on fridays, which is nice since it gives us a chance to explore on our own a bit.  I went to the Stadium down the road and poked around.  It is actually a huge complex, with tons of facilities in addition to the main field.  It also houses the French Olympic Committee headquarters.  I went in to see if there was a souvenir shop of some kind.  The woman at the front desk looked at me like I was some kind of idiot and said "No, the Olympics were in London this year, why would we have souvenirs?".  Of course! I am so dumb, why did I even bother coming in here when I should have hopped on a plane to London.  Thanks for nothing front desk woman.




Yesterday afternoon was a group outing to the Chocolate Museum.  Despite not being a huge chocolate fan, it was interesting and something I would not have done on my own.  We got to actually make praline truffles, using traditional chocolatiers tools.  Definitely an experience.  Today my friend Jacqui and I are headed to the Louvre to soak up some culture, ciao for now!

Friday, January 11, 2013

In Which I Get Down to Business....Sort Of

This week marked my first "real week" in Paris.  I moved into my dorm and got started with my BU program.  My room is decent, a little dingy but big.  I definitely think that it is about the same size as my freshman year double room.  My favorite thing is that I have my own sink in the room.  At least, it was my favorite thing until I discovered I have one because the bathrooms in the dorm only have toilets and I have to go back to my room to wash my hands.  And....some people have their own bathrooms in the rooms!  As a 21 year old female with long hair and an extensive beauty routine, I feel I should have been given priority for one of these pieces of prime real estate.  What does a GUY who is only going to be here for 2 months need his own shower for???  In other news, I have gotten my internet to work approximately two thirds of the time.  Notice that I did not say it doesn't work one third of the time, I'm really trying to look on the bright side here people.  The walls are a little thin.  The person above is apparently on the losing side of an ongoing battle of where to place their chair.  Why under the desk is not sufficient I may never know.

Orientation was...long.  A lot of it seemed like it could have been much more efficiently transmitted via email.  Like the syllabi for all the courses, I don't need you to schedule an hour to literally read a powerpoint to me.  I can do that all on my own, scout's honor.  My favorite part of it was trying some different french foods. We tried wines, cheeses, and desserts from four regions around France.  I'm not a huge red wine person, but I discovered an unknown love for apple tarts from Normandy.

I had my first French class on Thursday.  I am in the more advanced group of the more advanced track, but I still feel like I am miles ahead of everyone.  Not trying to brag or anything, I just think I'm not at the same level.  We were going over pronunciation points that I remember covering in the third grade.  This is going to be a long month and a half.

Today was really fun.  After our class on post-colonialism, my friend Jacqui and I grabbed lunch and walked over to our talk at the US Embassy together.  The walk was beautiful!  We passed the Eiffel Tower and then walked down the Champs-Élysées, oohing and ahhing at the stores we will never be able to afford.  It was still fun to pretend.  The Embassy talk was not so fun.  I am now convinced that all my belongings are going to be stolen and I am going to be kidnapped if I even set foot outside after dark.  My hypochondriac tendencies are creeping into my social life.

The view down the famous street
The actual sign!

Something out of my dreams
This too...sigh.

This is the president's residence, a French White House if you will




On the internship front, I got some good news!  I have an interview on January 25th with INSEP.  It is the French National Institute for Sports and Physical Education.  Basically, they give young athletes with high potential the chance to train at an elite facility while they finish school.  My duties, as I understand it, would be to help organize for when foreign delegations stop by, assist with translating and day to day work.  It sounds perfect for me.  Maybe I'll even meet some Olympians, since meeting celebrities is my only real passion in life.  Honestly though, this sounds like a great stepping stone for my dream of working for the US Olympic Committee.

This weekend I am exploring the "Défense" neighborhood for a class assignment, and hopefully doing some shopping.  Sales only happen twice a year in France, so the discounts are enormous.  Hopefully I can find something that will make my friends jealous (duh, my only goal) and still allow me to eat.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

In which I make two horrifying discoveries

Bad news everyone.  I don't think that I am going to make it the whole semester here.  I found out today that artificial sweetener is not a common thing here in France.  I really don't think I can deal.  I do remember seeing some in a supermarket, so I'll have to stockpile it in my room, like a doomsday prepper or something.  This alone wouldn't be the end of the world, but I have also learned that straws are a rarity here as well.  I get the strangest looks when I ask for them, and usually they don't have any. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am obsessed with having really white teeth, and thus drink literally everything with a straw.  Getting botox for my wrinkled lips has got to be worth a lifetime of white teeth.  Between this and the no Splenda thing, this is my own personal apocalypse.  I am going to have cases of sweetener and straws stored in my room.  I'll probably have an emergency stash in my purse.

 

Why hast thou forsaken me???? 


On Wednesday, my sister, her boyfriend, and I went to the Musée du Quai Branly.  It's a pretty unknown museum right next to the Eiffel Tower.  It focuses on the indigenous populations of Oceania, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.  Definitely very interesting.  Fun fact: this museum was donated to the people of France by Jacques Chirac, the former president.  The best part was that the guard let us in for free!

The next day, we went to the Louvre in the morning.  For just 15 euro I got a year pass for young people.  I can get in for free whenever I want, and skip the lines.  Worth it.  We hit all the big spots (plus recreated scenes from The Da Vinci Code) and then went on to Versailles.  Definitely my favorite spot so far, if only because I can empathize with Marie Antoinette.  In the immortal words of Gretchen Wieners (from Mean Girls) "I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me, but I can't help it that I'm popular".  I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it went down with Marie.  Seriously, this chick got to be a queen, but also had her own mini estate on the grounds with a working farm and tiny village.  Best of both worlds.  It was really cool though.  I'm a history nerd, plus we got a free audioguide to get the most out of it.
Gates of Gold y'all, they just don't make 'em like they used to

Today was really fun as well.  We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  The last time I was in Paris, we didn't go up at all, so this was pretty cool.  We got really lucky with the line as well.  Just by walking to the back pillar, rather than the one facing the Seine, we got right into the elevator.  Paris has a lot of discounts for people under 25 as well, so we keep getting discounted rates.  We rode up to the 2nd floor first, then up to the top.  It was cloudy, unfortunately, and you couldn't see really anything.  Who knows?  Maybe they were lying to us about it being the top because they figured we couldn't tell the difference.  A neat thing they have at the top is a chart comparing the Eiffel Tower to other tall buildings in countries around the world.
View towards Montparnasse from 2nd floor
View towards top from 2nd floor
View from the tippy top
Tomorrow I move into my dorm room (finally!)  I get to unpack for the long haul, and I get my precious gym time back.  Being a vegetarian in Paris has been a major buzzkill, people look at me like I am off my meds crazy when I ask.  I asked one vendor if there was meat in a certain dish.  He looked at me in all seriousness and said, "No, no meat, just ham."  Thank you sir, I am a strict vegetarian with the exception of my excessive ham consumption.

My sister and her boyfriend, Joe, left this evening for the last part of their vacation to Amsterdam.  So now I'm alone.  I better make friends fast, which I'm sure will be no problem thanks to my beauty, wisdom, intelligence, all around great personality, and above all humility.

Thanks for reading, I'll leave you with a fun fact about Paris: there is no warning in crosswalks between  "Walk" and "Don't Walk".  This makes for some fun dashes across the street when it suddenly changes and you're staring down the headlights of a SmartCar.
                                                          




Wednesday, January 2, 2013

In which I do not meet Niall Horan

Bonjour from Paris!  I just arrived at my hostel.  I will be staying here for four nights before moving to my dorm where I'll be staying the rest of my time here.  So far....I'm not impressed.  The elevator doesn't work and neither does the wifi in my room.  But who cares?  I'm in Paris!!!!


I got really lucky with seats on the way here.  Like ridiculously lucky.  From Minneapolis to Chicago, I was in the first row behind first class, so like double leg room.  Not sure how this happened, I definitely didn't pay extra.  And, bonus, it was an aisle seat.  I like those better because I get claustrophobic of weird strangers on planes.  It's like riding the city bus, but you can't get off or move if the person is too weird.  I actually had aisle seats the entire way here, so lucky.  From Dublin to Paris I was in an exit row, so more leg room again!

Check out all that space, I got full straightenage here

I flew through Dublin on my way here, my first time in Ireland.  I geeked out appropriately over their accents and every red headed person I saw.  I was hoping against hope that my favorite boy bander Niall from One Direction would be there.  Sadly my hopes were dashed.  But don't despair!  I saw an LK Bennett store, and I know for sure that Kate Middleton has shoes from there.  Basically what I'm saying is that by walking in, I pretty much met her.  My life is complete.

    Kate Middleton and I are BFF's now                                                     ...but not Niall and me.



Other highlights thus far include hearing my favorite french artist on the radio already, being told by the cabbie that my french is very good, and discovering marmalade is horrible.  Who wants bitter jelly???