Stylin'

So, I just got a new haircut. I'll admit I think I look pretty sweet. It's kinda short and kinda chunky.

It pretty much rocks to be a student in Paris. There are discounts for students everywhere. My haircut was 18 euros. Yeah for hair!

Erin and I went together, and the guy that cut Erin's hair was tall, very very ashy*, and had red hair. Ok, now his ashiness was probably the palest white I have ever seen on a person's skin. And, his hair was not red...it was orange. Like the fruit orange. No joke.

Craziness...


*ashy...I think this is slang for pale...but I could be wrong. If you know...please inform me.

I heart the Alps

Grenoble: City in the Alps. Getaway for so many French!

Erin and I found lots of retreat here in this wonderful town last weekend! Erin's dad had business in Grenoble, so we took a TGV train down and met him there.
Immediately after getting off the train, Erin's dad had a hike all planned for us! It was awesome! Let me preface this hike by saying that Erin's dad is a Naval Pilot...hmmm.... interesting...

Well, we hiked like crazy! We probably hiked over 10 miles! We were up in the mountains and saw some of the most beautiful sights! We ended up on this off-the-path hike, where we were climbing all over these huge boulders and rocks! It was out of control! I felt like a real Alps Woman!



At one point in our hike, we somehow ended up in a flock of sheep! There was a herd coming through! Oh my! It was awesome! There was this little man with a stick herding the sheep into the pen! I couldn't believe one little man in a wool sweater could control thousands of sheep and goats! It was awesome!

You know the common phrase, "chillin in a sea of sheep"*...well that's what we were doing! : )

All day Saturday we hiked...It was so peaceful and wonderful to see such a huge sky. I will say though...my legs and rump area were hurtin...

Sunday, we hung out around the city of Grenoble. We first took these crazy "bubbles" up to a huge fortress on the side of a mountain, called the Bastille. It was such a spectacular view! The Bastille was awesome! It was so neat to think of all the soldiers who were up there!

After the Bastille, we found ourselves stuck in a deluge!** We then ran through the rain to the Dauphinois Museum...which was an old Nun's Convent. The museum was gorgeous.

After that, we went to the Bishop's Palace and saw some sweet old Roman ruins! The Ancient Romans were really into the whole Baptism stuff! They had a huge building made just to house baptisms. We got to see the ruins were actual Romans walked! The Palace was attached to the Baptism Building. It was awesome seeing all the history and beauty!




The hotel Erin and I stayed at was awesome! It was so modern and the bathroom was so cool! The shower was crazy sweet!

We went to this awesome Bretagne Restaurant one night for dinner...and I swear the entire room became silent the second Erin, her dad, or I opened my mouth! It was hilarious!

The weekend was awesome. It was so nice to relax and see some nature! I'm back in Paris now and I still enjoying this city life!








*And by "common phrase"...I mean, I just made that up...
**Totally massive flood! (Lots of rain!)

My New Photos!

I have a sweet new photo albulm online!!! Please check it out! I'll be updating it lots and lots! Also, I have a link to the site on the right side of my Blog (under links)

(My Flickr* site is out of room for this month! But, if you check back Oct. 1, I will add more pictures of Flickr!)




*Hi Molly! Hi Jake!

Dirty French!

So, there are two types of stereotypical French talk...There is the poodle French (I like to call it)...where there are little French girls saying Oh La La! and wearing light pink, black, and white and are walking their little poodles down the Champs Elysees...















Then, there is my prefered stereotypical French talk...the dirty French talk...This type of dirty French comes out of the mouths of hairy, old French men saying Hon Han Hon in an outrageously French accent. They're smoking their cigarette and drinking their red wine...

Well, I'd like to give you a glimpse of the real, Dirty, France that I have encountered...so far...

Real Dirty French:

-Taking the bus is incredibly hard...Do not stand up when the bus moves...YOU WILL FALL...and there will be a baby stroller in your way that you will fall flat on...(not like that's happened or anything...)

-In the Metro today, I had to ride for about 20 long minutes with two smelly French men's armpits in my face.

-Sexy Poodle French Woman Caught Picking Her Nose in Park by the Palace of Luxembourg*

-Don't say "Je m'oublie" to your French professor...it doesn't mean...I forgot...but, it actually means "My bowel movements are really heavy and out of control." Oops!

-Don't tell a guy he is "tres mignon" (for girls that means cute....but for guys it is a sexual connotation meaning he looks gay!)

-Don't tell a liberal, crazy French man that you are A. A Conservative Christian B. A Bush Supporter or C. From Texas. (I didn't do this one...by my lovely housemate, Erin, did!)

-Number of Mullhawks seen: 4

-I saw another awkwardly old man (but not old enough for this to be funny) performing a puppet show on the Metro. Whatever! Paris is so freakin sweet!

-I was talking to this guy by the Eiffle Tower (and by talking to this guy...I mean trying to tell a vendor that I didn't want to buy a light-up Eiffle Tower) and he thought I was from Holland!! Yeah! I was so excited that my French didn't sound so terrible American!

-I asked, "Est-ce que vous avez un stylo?" to two people (which means "Do you have a pen?") And, they laughed incredibly hard...I still have no idea what was so dang funny...maybe it's some sort of weird French slang that I don't know yet...

-I saw the crypt where Voltaire and Rousseau's body are!! I guess you could say I saw them
"chillin" haha

-The French (particularly Parisians) think George W. Bush made/created/directed Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans because of the black population...whatever...

-I saw a lady totally hit another car the other day while she was parking...and by "a lady" I mean almost every Parisian driver!

-Real French! I like living here with all of the dirty, reality found everywhere!



*see picture above
**Mullhawk= Half mullet/ Half Mohawk

even at the ballet, He stole the show

Les Etoiles du XXIE Siecle was the title.
Translation: Stars of the 21st Century.
Ballet was the matter of entertainment.

Erin and I watched some of the most prestigious, spectacular dancers from all over the world dance their hearts out at the Champs-Elysees Theater. All of the dances were Pas De Deux, and were amazing. There were traditional dances, modern dances, African dances, and even some comedy dances. What held the night together was the cavalier level of ballet performed by each ballerina.

While watching the ballet, so many thoughts raced through my mind. It is crazy to think that just watching mere movements could evoke such thought.

The ballet stole so many emotions from me: there was, of course, smiling, crying, laughing...and more deeply, I even felt some bliss, grief, determination, love, confidence, and joy.

My favorite dance was performed by two amazing ballerinas from Munich.* The dance was entitled, La Prisionere. Translation: The Prisioner (in feminine form). The dance commenced with a girl alone in her bedroom, sleeping and living her normal life. Suddenly, a man comes onto the stage and rescues the girl from her hum-drum life. They dance a beautiful, modern dance. Each dancer complemented the other one so well, and at times, I felt as if they were one ballerina. The dance was one of celebration, new beginnins, and optimism. At times the girl appeared to be the star of the dance, and she would dance like crazy all over the stage.
But, it was always the guy who made her look wonderful. By the end of the dance, it was the man who stood tall as the star of the dance...and it was clear to the audience that he was, indeed, the star.

While watching this 10 minutes of dance, I couldn't help but see the parallel between the dance and my relationship with Christ. I feel just like that girl. Jesus and I are dancing this beautiful dance of my life, and it was only because of Him that I sometimes appear the star. But, in reality, I do nothing. Without Him, there is no show. Without Him, I am just laying lifelessly in my bedroom. To the audience, for a moment, it appears that I am the wonderful dancer, but, it is a lie.

Truth be told...I am a worthless dancer. Jesus, gratiously, allows me to receive some praise and admiration by the audience, but it really is His show.

The dance ended and I smiled. Bliss. Love. Confidence...Joy.



*See couple bowing in picture above.

Introducing...The Canzanis!

Chez CANZANI!

Here is the crazy family I'm staying with for four months! They have given me and Erin sooo much laughter in the few days that we've been in Paris! I thought I'd give you a lil description of the individual units that make up this ecclectic group!

Guilietta: Prononced "Julietta"...She's completely gorgeous! Guilietta's 2o years old, she works at a sweet Brazilian Bar called Favala Chic, has a beautiful Brazilian boyfriend, and is studying at a prestigious fashion school in Paris. She is so kind and has helped Erin and I out so much. Whenever we need anything, Guilietta is always so willing and excited to help us!

Pajaro: Prononced "Pahharo"...He's crazy! Pajaro Canzani is a South American rock star,* and he just got back from touring all of S.A. He's totally hilarious and crazy! Pajaro used to be on the Uraguain World Soccer Team (as well as the Brazilian World Team!), but now he just plays around with the French Team for fun! Whatever! He has a recording studio in the house...it's out of control!

Valentino: Oh, Valentino...He's absolutely hilarious! Valentino talks sooo fast in French, and says all of these crazy slang words...that I wouldn't even understand if he spoke slowly! Valentino is 13 years old, and his birthday is next week! His friends are to die for! They are all such characters! For fun, him and his friends, play the guitar and sing crazy songs! It's so funny. And, Valentino is obsessed with Snoop Dogg, so he always sings the lyrics in his crazy French accents. And, to top Valentino off, one of his favorite past-times is rollerblading the streets of Paris! So funny!

Fernanda: Fernanda is the mom and she is so beautiful. She has the most beautiful, warm smile and is so amazing to Erin and I! She is a wonderful cook, and cooks dinners every Sunday and Thursday night! It's so much fun! She used to be a Philosophy teacher and Modern Dance Teacher, but now she works with people who suffer from discrimination in government. It's actually a very fascinating job! Fernanda wears the coolest clothes! She always sports the super French white, flowy pants with a cute wrap around white top with embroidered flowers. I totally adore her!

Indio: Oh Indio...the crazy dog! Erin and I love taking Indio for walks around Paris! It's so funny! He just loves going for walks!!

*Make sure to scroll down and check out the crazy picture of him on his albulm cover!

Nothing Can Rain on My Parade!

Erin and I wanted to have this wonderful, magical trip to the Chateau Versailles Rive Gauche on Saturday. We got dressed in the morning in our cutest, most Parisian tourist clothes we could find, and were off! We bought a 5 euro round ticket* and headed out southeast of Paris on the RER! As we're riding in the train, we realized that this particular day in Versailles was going to be full of rain! It was pouring outside our train! Oh my goodness! We're totally stupid! And, of course, we didn't bring an umbrella or raincoat or anything.

Now, let me fill you in on a little info about Versailles. Versailles is a huge estate, with a palace in it. This estate is, of course, mostly outside!! Versailles is known for her outdoor gardens, fountains, parks, and beautiful cobblestone paths! Well, now all Erin and I can do is pray for the rain to stop...

We arrived in Versailles Saturday around 11:00am, ready to enjoy some marvelous architecture, artwork, but mainly interior decorating! But, yes indeed, the rain continued to fall...

We exited the train and made the unanimous decision that, yes, today, we were going to get wet. Not just a little, "oh my, I think my shirt has a sprinkle on it..." But...the real, wet, down and dirty, French rain!**

Erin and I then waited in line for the ticket counter (out in the rain) and there were countless vendor people selling stupid parapluies (umbrellas). Of course, all of the vendors knew we were dying for some protection from this deluge. But, being the stubborn, wannabe Frenchies, Erin and I continued to wait in the pouring rain. (It also appeared that all of the other tourists got the memo that it was going to rain immensely that Saturday...)

Finally, Erin and I ented the palace. And, wow, was it worth the wet wait! We bought a 7.50 euro ticket to see the King's Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, and the French History Museum (which somehow we missed...I really don't know what happened with the whole museum part of our tour...) Anywho, the palace was incredible!

It was crazy...All of the ceilings were just intoxicated with Greek gods and Greek mythology stories! Each "apartment" was dedicated to a different god or goddess. The paintings on the ceilings were unbelievable. I can't even imagine what the Sistine Chapel must be like... Some of the ceilings had sculptures protruding from the walls. It was just amazing.

But, the most interesting part about the Greek adoration...was that all of the walls were adorned with Christ images and stories from the Gospels. It seemed that Louis XIV had a love for both the secular and the non-secular...hummm....sounds a wee bit like us American Christians...hummm.... Louis would have a huge painting of the Last Supper on his wall, and then a huge mural of Diana, the hunting goddess, on his ceiling. Very intersting...

But, the thing that struck me the most in this crazy playground of Louis the XIV, was that it truely was just his playground! Everything from the paintings to the carpet to the furniture to the ceilings to the walls was mere decoration. Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette were not trying to display pieces of art in a gallery...They were merely decorating their home! Versailles is simply interior decorating at its finest!

Another fun tid-bit about Versailles...which just makes me smile. Erin and I found all of these secret passageways throughout the palace! It was sooo much fun! Hehe! Yeah for movies teaching us about fun things like secret passageways in palaces!

Number of kilts seen (wore by men, of course, in the complete ensemble.) = 1
Number of times a garbage man has offered me a ride = 1
Number of times I've fallen on the Metro (underground train) = 7
Number of berets I've seen= 2 (and both were American tourists)




*Student discount price. Paris loves her students!
**It was actually kinda dirty...it kinda tasted like salt.

Fran-cais Classe...Day Two...What shall I do?

(Title is a wee little shout out to **Bleeper**)

Today was my second day of my French class. I have class Monday-Friday from 4:00pm-7:00pm. (Yes, that is 3 hours.) Oh my. I have to say class in France is much different than class in the US.

I have to climb 12 flights of stairs, which, in case you were wondering, is 138 stairs, everyday to get up to my classroom. But...I guess the extremely high up classroom gives the most beautiful view! I have a spectacular view (see above photo) from my classroom! It's totally gorgeous!

My class is about 15 students, all international. There are 3 Americans, a lot of Swedes, some Spanish folk, and some other random countries represented...

It's a very intense class though...The teacher is very kind, but very strict. She's about 30 years old and super pumped to be teaching the class. She speaks incredibly fast and expects all of the students to follow with ease.

Oh my. Class is long...but, it actually goes incredibly fast! We've already done grammar stuff that I've never even understood in English. She quickly reviewed a bunch of complicated grammar jazz...saying that "of course, we should all know this very well." I was like, uh, I don't think I've ever even seen... let alone learned this before! It seems, though, that everyone else in the class knows what she's talking about...

We had a crazy placement test last week, and from that test the Sorbonne placed us in our class. I did decent on the test, and was pretty pumped at the level I was placed in! Now...I'm a little nervous...maybe my semi-good French testing skills are getting me into trouble...

I'm hopefully going to totally rock at French in a few months! Right now, I definitely am a little rusty in class...erg...oh well, C'est la vie. The class is going to be so challenging, but I'm really looking forward to it!

I start my two Economics classes on Wednesday. I have Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis every Wednesday from 8am-11am. And, I have International Economics every Wednesday from 2-4:30. Eiks!! (As you can see, my Wednesday classes kinda overlap with my French classes....ahhhhh...) I have to talk with my teachers on Monday, and hopefully we can work something out.

Well, this week has been crazy and sweet! Tomorrow, Erin and I are going to Versailles! Yeah Louis XIV! We decided that we needed a little bit of the Rich 'n Famous life!

Romance Daylight Time Zone

Erin (in the picture, looking at a Monet) and I just discovered what time zone we're living in for the next four months...the Romance Daylight Time Zone. Oh my word...how absolutely gorgeous!

We also recently discovered the wonder known as the Musee D'Orsay. This museum houses some of the most beautiful impressionist artwork in the world, as well as a huge array of other pieces of art. The museum was a train station, turned into a beautiful showplace of art. The entire building is wonderful. There is a huge clock inside, and it puts a beautiful sense of togetherness to the pieces of art.

I adore artwork. There's something so magical about looking at a piece of art and just finding yourself somewhere in the scene. Whether you find yourself basking in the painting, or whether you find a sense of peace from the soothing sculpture. Either way, I completely love losing my soul in a piece of art.

I love looking at a piece and wondering what the artist was looking at beyond the painting. Was the painting solely in the imagination or was he or she looking at something real and elaborating on it? It's so amazing just standing there looking at the artwork, knowing that the artist stood in the same exact location looking at the same piece of art. Wow...

Point to the story: I'm going to buy a museum pass...

Great Big Clump o' Talent (in a sarcastic voice)

So, tonight Erin and I were dying to hear some jazz music, so we set out to find a cafe with night concert. We ended up at Cafe Universel, a total hole in the wall place. There were only about 8 other people in the cafe...it was a really small crowd...and, there was definitely no jazz music..It was a Broadway style singing duet...

Ok, I don't even thing I can explain in words the awkwardness of this evening performance...But I'll try.

There were two singers: a girl and a guy. The girl was amazing...but the guy...oh my...

Imagine...

~gay man
~awkwardly tall
~bald
~in a white suit
~black, mafia style hat
~Tap danced
~Did a little ballet dancing...(uh, super weird and uncomfortable)
~Totally nasal voice
~oh yeah...he sang English, Broadway songs, with a terribly attempted New York accent!

Ok, now imagine the song choices: (All in super bad English)
~Songs from Mame
~Songs from Grease
~Songs from South Pacific
~Songs from Gypsy
~Songs from Funny Girl
~And, my favorite...*wink*smirk* ... a song called Great Big Clump o' Talent...oh my...

...pretty much every bad, old musical was sung by the lovely duet...

I seriously felt like we were at a karaoke night.

Well, Erin and I pretty much held back absurds amounts of laughter the entire time! We finally left around midnight and walked back to our house! We just died laughing the moment we left the Cafe!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Paris Metro (the underground train system) is an interesting mix of weirdness, comedy, crowdedness, heat, and super quiet, gorgeous French women.

Here are a glimpse of some of the countless hilarious moments on the Metro!

~One time, a 40-50 yr old man brought a black sheet and tied it to two poles on the Metro. He then stood behind the sheet and pulled out a handmade puppet, and did a really weird puppet show in French. Noone laughed or even cracked a smile! Erin and I were dying!

~An older lady wearing roller blades attempted to climb and descend down a huge flight of stairs. She did really weird "back cross overs" down the stairs. I was totally mesmorized with her and how she never fell. It was so weird to watch though...

~My first time in the Metro, I was semi trying to act kinda cool (ya, whatever Megan) and I completely biffed it walking up the stairs. It was totally ridiculous. I couldn't even stand back up I was laughing so hard.

Well, more Metro stories later!

WANTED: Somebody to go back in time with me...

So Paris has this publication called the FUSAC. "French USA Connection"...kinda lame name...but whatever, it's a sweet magazine. They have all this useful information for English speakers in Paris...stuff like English moving people, bars, phone companies, housing, schools.... random stuff.
Well...there is a section called "Meeting Places" and anyone can write in asking a particular type of person to meet them at a place for a rendez-vous...
I found one I really want to respond to...

"WANTED: Somebody to go back in time with me. Not a joke! Meet me at N 35, rue St. Georges at Paris IX. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before."

Whatever! Paris is so stinking hilarious! Point to the story: the FUSAC is ridiculous and every English speaker must read it when in Paris.

Last night, Erin and I went to the Eiffle Tower, and oh my, it was gorgeous! I have to admit I'm not much at fan of the ol' tower of Eiffle...but it was wonderful at night! I have to admit I was completely swept away in the romantic atmosphere and alluring lights!

Tonight, I saw (for the third time) Charlie et le Chocolatorie. But this time, in French! It was absolutely wonderful! Although, Willy Wonka's real voice is better than the semi-awkward French version. Either way, it was so fun to hear everything in French. I actually understood most of the movie! Yeah for French.

It actually was a little bit more difficult than Erin and I imagine to see the movie... We wanted to see the movie in French, so that we could practice and hear the crazy dubbed version! We found the address of a movie theater with the film in French on La Rue Gobelins. We walked up the street forever and finally found the theater! We bought our 8,40 euro tickets and waited to go in. While we were waiting we walked a bit further up La Rue Gobelins and realized that we had bought tickets at the wrong theater! We bought tickets for the English version! Ahhh! So, Erin and I quickly walked back to the first Gobelins theater and asked for our money back. Oh la la! The very nice (and cute) ticket boy refunded our money and we walked back the the other Gobelins theater! Now our tickets were only 8,20 euros! Yeah for cheaper movie tickets!

Oh my! What a day! I took my Sorbonne placement test today (oral)!! Eiks!! I ended up talking about Haiti the entire time! It was totally awesome! Hopefully, I test into a decent level!

Oh well...whatever happens happens!

Phase 1: Initial Euphoria

Oh my. It is absolutely ridiculous how gorgeous this city is and how much I already adore it. I arrived in Paris and was greated by the most beautiful French family imagineable. The father is on tour in South America...he's a musician. But the mother, daughter; and brother are so fascinating. The daughter is absolutely gorgeous. She has the weirdest/coolest/chicest clothes and has long, black hair. And, of course, her name is Guilietta...pronounced Julietta. The brothe, Valentino, is a total skater punk, but hilarious. The mother is so kind and has been wonderful.

A part of culture shock is the initial euphoria stage, where everything seems so romantic and marvelous. I'm pretty much positive that's what I'm going through...

*I adore the house I'm living in. My ceiling (see photo above) is a huge window with the most amazing view.
*Erin, the other American girl who is living in the same house with me, is hilarious and great!!
*My first real French lunch was to die for!! The food was so good and we were served this wonderful, dry red wine!
*The weather is fabulous... a little chilly with some sun.
*Walking the streets of Paris is delightful. Parisians are, to my surprise, not mean and nasty, but actuqlly very kind and helpful!
*My French is improving exponentially...and I've convinced one man at a computer store that I was French. Woowoo!



Erin and I are still viciously recovering from fatigue and jet lag...and my luggage is still lost in Amsterdam. Oh well... C'est la vie.


Tonight I think we're going to go chill at the Eiffle Tower!! Yeah for the World Fair!!