In the In Between

So this week was a week in between two fun weekends.  The previous weekend (or previous blog entry) was a lot of fun because I got to spend it with a familiar face from home.  Then the next weekend (or the next blog entry) I got to spend at my cousins’ house in the countryside for part of Toussaints break.  There isn’t much to report from this week so it will be a brief blog entry and sadly no pictures well because I really had nothing to take pictures of.

Lundi le 17 octobre:

I had Shelley’s class in the afternoon and afterwards I went to a crêperie with Angela and Lauren and I got a really yummy sucre crêpe (sucre means sugar).  I could have easily eaten 10 more of those!  I then went home and went out to the Monoprix to buy some tissues because well I am sick with a little cold and my nose won’t stop running!  I then went to the pharmacie to get some medicine and was trying to explain to the lady that I wanted pills to take but I had no idea how to say “pill” so I was doing hand motions and pry looked ridiculous doing so!  She finally figured out what I wanted and I got some medicine.

Mardi le 18 octobre:

Suffered through my classes today, I made it through though!  I then went to my bénévolat and I didn’t really do much because no one really wanted/needed my help but that is ok it was still fine.  Then afterwards Kacey and I took the métro to Gare Paris-Bercy (I did mention what gare means in a previous blog entry but for those of you that don’t remember it means train station).  I bought my tickets to go visit the cousins this weekend for a nice long weekend far away from Paris in Les Sièges!  I had to buy it from a machine and I will admit I did put it in English but in my defense, I was sick and I did NOT want to misunderstand anything and buy tickets for the wrong day because that would be horrible!  But next time I will do it all in French because it isn’t hard.  I then headed back to the metro with Kacey and we went into the entrance that was closest to the Gare and I scanned my pass and went in and realized that this one did not have the line I wanted to take.  So I then had to leave and go to the further entrance to get to the line I wanted.  I scanned my pass there and it said “déjà validé”!!!  I was sooo upset because it wouldn’t let me in!!  I went to talk to a guy at the counter and he pointed to the right and said something but I had no clue what it was and I was so frazzled and frustrated and tired and I didn’t feel well since I was sick and it was getting late and I just wanted to go home and go to bed!  So I saw this guy coming up and he scanned his pass and I snuck through after him but with one slight problem, my messenger bag got caught in the doors!  I was sooo upset and was on the verge of tears, it was not my proudest moment.  I yanked my bag through and finally made it home.

Mercredi le 19 octobre:

A girl from the foyer, Wen, let me borrow her hair dryer this morning!  I was so excited because I didn’t want to go outside where it was cold with wet hair and make my cold worse!  My nose was already running and I was coughing.  I didn’t need to be making it worse!  It was so nice to use a hair dryer.  I went to class and suffered through yet another day.  During my afternoon class about half way through I could not keep my eyes open to save my life!  It was horrible!  After classes I went home and did homework, had dinner and went to bed.

Jeudi le 20 octobre:

I got up kind of late today and got ready, I got to use the hair dryer again and that was super awesome!  I went to class and had lunch, class seemed to go by rather quickly today.  I then went over to a shopping mall like place near bld. St. Germain and I bought a scarf for 10€!  It was a great deal!  I then went home and did some laundry.  I had dinner with Wen and then we went to the Champs-Elysées because there is a Gap store there and they were having a private sale that Wen had a ticket to.  So we went and it was rather funny because the sale was only 30% off, nothing that spectacular.  It was all too expensive for us even with the sale but it was fun to get out of the foyer.  At this even that they were having there were “bouncers” at the door checking to make sure you had a ticket.  They also were serving free cocktails!!  That was the funniest thing ever!!  I would never see something like that in the States but this is France.  I didn’t get one because well I had just taken some cold medicine and mixing the two is never a good idea.  We looked around and then went back to the foyer and I gave Wen her hair dryer right when we got home.

Weekend with Germaine

Jeudi le 13 octobre:

So I got a text from my Mom saying that Germaine was back in Paris and would like to get together so I texted Germaine telling her that I would like to hang out this weekend.  I was just about to head into my class at 9h00 when I get a text from Germaine asking if I would like to join her at the Jules Vernes restaurant in the Eiffel Tower!  I of course said yes because I wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity like that which I will pry never get again!  My class ended at noon and it just seemed to drag on, I couldn’t concentrate to save my life.  I had to be at the restaurant at 13h00 and considered going back to my foyer and getting my camera because I had left it at home that day.  Well when I got to the metro I decided that I wouldn’t go and get it because then I would be late and miss out on this wonderful opportunity.  I would rather enjoy it than miss it because I am trying to get a silly camera!  That means though that sadly I don’t have any pictures from this but that is ok!  So I got there in time and took the special elevator up to the restaurant, it was very cool!  When I got there Germaine, Rene, and Joan were already seated.  I felt very out of place in my jeans but I had no idea when I got up that morning that I would be going to the Jules Vernes for lunch!  The food was definitely a LOT better than whatever I would’ve ended up eating at the CROUs if I hadn’t gone.  It was all so good!  Oh my goodness.  The view was also breath-taking!  There were luckily not very many clouds in the sky, it was such a clear day and was just amazing to see the city from the restaurant!  When we were leaving they also gave each of us a package of Madelines!  Those were really good too!  I then took them on the metro and dropped them off right in front of the Arc de Triomphe.  I had to say goodbye because I had to go back to my foyer and drop off my stuff before going to my bénévolat.  I took the metro back and hung out in my room for a little while and then left an hour before I had to be there.  I thought for some reason that it would take me an hour but it only took me half an hour!  So when I got there I got to help out with the little kids and that was a lot of fun!  There was this one little boy that didn’t want to work and I tried motivating him to work but he just wasn’t having it.  Then it was time for them to go home and the middle schoolers to come.  That went well and I enjoyed working with them again.  I then went home and had dinner with a girl in my foyer, Camille, and we had a nice little chat in French.

Vendredi le 14 octobre:

Today I got up and texted Germaine saying that I would love to hang out and so I took the metro over and met up with Germaine, Kris, and Joan there.  I took them onto the RER C (which is the most complicated one).  Kris and Joan wanted to go to Musée D’Orsay and Germaine wanted to walk around the Luxembourg garden area.  We dropped off Kris and Joan and then Germaine and I continued on our way to St. Sulpice.  I showed her where my school is and we walked through the courtyard.  Then we made our way to the Jardin de Luxembourg and found a spot to sit and talked for about 45 minutes and just enjoyed the sun and watching the Parisians enjoy the park.  We then made our way over to the St. Sulpice area so that she could find a special soap that she has got in this area before.  Also to find the hotel that she stayed in with her daughter when they came to Paris several years back.  We were walking around for quite some time and she was starting to doubt that it was in this area when she saw the store!  She got her soap and was so sweet and got me some soap too.  We then walked down the street and found the hotel!  I took a picture of her in front of the hotel to show her daughter.  It was right down the street from St. Sulpice, which is a church.

   Germaine and me kind of in front of St. Sulpice (building behind the bus).

We then decided to walk over to Boulevard St. Germain and find some food.  We both got a really yummy hot goat cheese salad at Café Mabillon.

The yummy hot goat cheese salad that I got, I could easily eat that several times a week!

We then met up with Joan and Kris at St. Sulpice.  They made it there just fine on the metro!  I was so proud!  They had to ask several people but that is ok!  We then went inside St. Sulpice and looked around and then headed out to walk around and look in some shops.  We stopped at a boulangerie for café and a patisserie.  I got a really yummy tarte aux fraises (which is strawberries).  I got a French version of a café which was an espresso, pry not the best idea seeing as it was getting later in the afternoon but that is ok.  We walked around the area and made it over to Notre Dame which was just gorgeous because the sun was setting and the colors were just breathtaking!  Sadly when we got up to the doors though they had just closed them!  So we didn’t get to go in but I just told them that it is a reason to come back to Paris.  We then found the metro and they got off at their stop and I went home.  I had dinner and then just hung out.

Beautiful Notre Dame de Paris, it was just gorgeous!

Samedi le 15 octobre:

I got up early today so I could go to the hotel where Germaine and her friends were staying for petit déjeuner (which is breakfast or literally translated means little lunch).  I got there half an hour early so I hung out in the lobby since they pry weren’t ready for me and it was rather amusing to watch people come in and out.  It was really enjoyable because the escalator wasn’t working so you had to walk up and when people would get on they would just stand there for a few seconds and realize it wasn’t moving.  It was too funny!!  There was this one lady that was so boulversée (I can’t think of a good way of saying this in English so I just put the French word) by this, she could just not understand why it wasn’t working and stood there for literally a minute wondering what was going on.  She was the funniest to watch!  I got a text from Germaine saying that I should come up so I headed up to the room and dropped off my coat and we then headed to breakfast.  I ate soooo much for breakfast!  Normally I eat half of a half of a baguette (with nutella of course) so I was really full from breakfast!  We hopped onto the metro and headed over to Montmartre to check out the sites there.  It was very crowded as usual but was a lot of fun!  We took the funiculaire up to Sacré Coeur and I got to use my Navigo pass so that was really cool!  It didn’t cost me anything!  We went in and looked around, Germaine took a picture inside and got yelled at because you are not allowed to take pictures, lol!  We then went to la Place du Tertre which is where all the artists are.  I loved all the works because they were all so different!  I lost Germaine, Joan, and Kris but figured I would happen upon them eventually and if not I could just call them. 

A very busy Place du Tertre!

I found Germaine and she texted Joan and Kris and they said they were at a café on the Place.  It was kind of funny because there are a TON of cafés!!  We had no idea which one!  We finally found them and they got ice cream.  Germaine I sat down at a café because we were tired of walking and a waiter came with a menu and seriously never came back (that is how busy it was)!  We at least got a free seat out of it!  We left after 20 minutes and got some ice cream, I got tolberone and it was sooo good!  We then head back to Sacré Coeur and sat on the steps for a while, Joan and Kris found us and then we walked down a really pretty path.

Me and Germaine in front of Sacré Coeur (the tourist with the funny face on the left makes this picture hilarious!)

The path we took down from Sacré Coeur, it was so green and pretty.

We ate a café that had an amazing view of Sacré Coeur and I had a really good Quiche Lorraine.  Then Fabrice met up with us and I introduced him to the ladies.  They thought it was some kind of date or something and I just laughed because Fabrice is just a friend and I had to keep telling them that it was NOT a date!  We took them to the métro and I showed them how to get back to their hotel and then Fabrice and I went shopping.  He got some stuff and we then ended up on the Champs-Elysees and just sat on a bench and talked.  However after a while we left because there was this guy sitting on the bench behind us and was smoking a cigar and I could not stand the smell!  Ugh.  I was glad that I got to hang out with Fabrice because I was sad that Germaine (my little piece of home) was leaving the next day and hanging out with Fabrice is always fun!  We said goodbye and I went back to my foyer.

Dimanche le 16 octobre:

So Germaine left today and I was super super homesick because my little piece of home got on a plane and went back to the land where things are easy, I have friends there, I don’t have to rehearse what I am going to say before I say it, and it is just easy, living abroad can be fun but it is also really challenging.  It is definitely not like when you visit Europe on vacation, living here is sooo very different, you see a lot more of the culture and it isn’t always rainbows and unicorns.  I did go to Parc Monceau with Wen (a girl from the foyer) and she ran a lap around the park while I checked my email.  She then found me and we walked a lap around (yeah I know, I am super lazy and not a runner).  We then went back to the foyer and I was just feeling super down and actually fell asleep while sitting on my bed and when I woke up at 14h30 I got up put on my coat and shoes and just started walking.  It was the most amazing thing ever!  I didn’t pull out a map once.  I just walked and had no idea where I was going or where I would end up.  I walked for 2 hours and enjoyed every minute of it.  I ran across a stamp market and ended up by Pont Alexandre III and les Invalides (where Napoleon is buried). 

Me on Pont Alexandre III (La Tour Eiffel behind)

I crossed the Seine at one point and happened upon the American Church in Paris and have been hearing a lot about this place so I will go and see what it is like next week.  I then crossed the Seine again and found métro stop and got on and went back to my foyer. 

Looking at the Seine and the Eiffel Tower from Pont Alexandre III.

I am very thankful for my time that I got to spend with Germaine!  It was so much fun and it was great to do touristy things with someone that isn't living here, it was just fun and enjoyable!  She spoiled me so much over that weekend and was just such great company to be around!  As she would say a lot “Merci, beaucoup!”