Prague

I am writing this in this beautiful garden is Paris to the tranquil sound of the water running through the fountain. I have been terrible at updating my blog, but I will try to do that now because right now seems like the perfect time. Also I wrote a guest blog on my sister Madelaine's blog: www.madaboutfood.blogspot.com Check it out!

Prague:

I spent five nights in the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic at the beginning of April. Two of my friends from Emory were studying there and there were more from Emory whom I knew. I got in around 11:00 PM on Thursday night and immediately went to my friend Josh’s apartment. The cab ride was interesting because the driver didn’t speak any English and I had no idea what to expect in this country. I was greeted with Czech beer and a big group of people to hang out with. I wasn’t staying at Josh’s apartment, so after a few drinks, I went with my friend Ben to his place to drop of my stuff and get ready to go out. We went to a club and had a great time. The clubs in Prague are not as pretentious as the clubs in Paris which was a relief. The night was fun and Ben and I ended it with a late night snack and a movie.

Friday, I woke up and ate lunch at a Moroccan take out restaurant. The owner was really friendly and we spoke in French. The food he cooked was delicious and I never expected to be eating Moroccan food in the Czech Republic, but I guess that is globalization! After lunch, we went on a walk through the main areas of Prague, saw some of the architecture for which it is famous, and made an important stop for some ice cream. We met Josh once he finished his classes and grabbed a beer in one of the main squares. I admired the architecture and lifestyle that was so different from any other place I had ever been. I continually forgot to bring my camera with me throughout the trip so I don’t have pictures. After hanging out for a little bit of time, we decided to grab dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant. The food was really good, but really heavy. We shared this huge plate of meats, dumplings, and vegetables. The meats were ham, pork, and chicken. The dumplings were good and different from other I had had before. They were doughy but a little dry at the same time. The vegetables were cabbage and sauerkraut (not really a vegetable I know). That night we went to another club and met some people from Slovakia which was interesting.

This is really difficult to recall a month later.

Saturday was a lazy day. We woke up late, got food at the Moroccan place, and hung out for a lot of the day. It was time to pick classes at Emory so we went to an internet café and chose classes for senior year. It was an interesting experience to be thinking about year. College has definitely gone really quickly, but it has been filled with a lot of fun! We decided to BBQ on the patio at Ben’s apartment that night so Josh came over and all the guys and girls the Ben lives with were there and it was fun. The food was good, the beer was good, and it was a nice way to start the evening. That night I think we took it easy, but I don’t remember exactly because it has been a long time.

Sunday the Moroccan place was closed so our morning/afternoon routine was ruined. We had to do some more planning for senior year and we hung out a lot of the day. We walked around some of the parts of the city I hadn’t seen before. That evening we went back to the traditional Czech place and had dinner. After that we went to a bar that my friends love and had a fun night. Ben had class in the morning, so he left the bar early and I had to get myself home. It was a little bit of an adventure, but I had a grasp of the city and it’s not as big as Paris so I got myself to Ben’s.

Monday, I did some sightseeing with Josh. We went to a park, the famous castle where we saw one of the actors from Prison Break (William Fichtner), and then we went to these cool gardens that were enclosed on one side by this amazing rock formation. We relaxed in the gardens for a while and planned the rest of our day. My friend Josh had a lot of work to do, so he couldn’t go out that night. We said goodbye and I hung out with Ben and his roommates. We went out for a little while and had fun in the main area of town, but we got back at a decent hour because my flight was at 6:30 AM.

I woke up bright and early Tuesday, got a cab, and left the Czech Republic. It was nice to be back in Paris, but it was only for a few nights until Spring Break. SPRING BREAK…Coming Soon

Reims

EDUCO offered weekend trips and I signed up and was selected to visit Reims in the Champagne region of France. The arrangements were all taken care of by EDUCO and I was to stay with a family for the weekend. Reims is near all of the major Champagne companies and it is home to one of the most amazing cathedrals in France. The evening of Friday, March 23, I departed on the TGV (France’s High Speed Train). The ride was quick, and the scenery was beautiful as I arrived in the Northern part of France. Although the plants were dead, the hills and vineyards reminded me of the Tuscan region of Italy. I arrived at the train station and was greeted by my “Host Mom” for the weekend. We met her husband in the parking lot and drove back to their house on the outskirts of the city. As we drove back, they showed me some of the important areas of the city. We arrived at their house, had a nice dinner (not gourmet like my family in Paris, but I enjoyed it). That evening we didn’t do much, but I watched TV with their children. We watched a lot of the Simpsons in French which was really funny. The next day, I awoke later than I expected and I was disappointed to see that it was raining really hard. I had breakfast and a late lunch, and then we went into the city to visit the cathedral. Our first stop was the famous Cathédrale Nortre-Dame. It was beautiful and gigantic. Then we walked around the city seeing some of the other cool sites like city hall and the main pedestrian area. It was a nice town, but it made me appreciate everything Paris has to offer. Our next stop was a bakery. In Reims they are famous for their biscuits. However they are not biscuits like you would find at Popeye’s (which I miss a lot!). They are sweet and crunchy. They are actually a cookie. The famous biscuits in Reims are rose biscuits. They are pink in color and have a sweet taste with a hint of a strange flavor. They are very good and go back to the 1700's when they were first made to accompany wine, especially Champagne. My family bought me a few boxes of biscuits to bring home with me. They were delicious. That evening we returned had dinner and watched a very important soccer match between France and Lithuania. France won and it was a great game. It was fun watching with French people because they were very emotional during the entire match. Sunday we went to Champagne country. The drive from Reims to EpernayChampagne where many of the companies are located was great. We went through little towns, over a mountain, and then arrived to find vineyards and champagne houses. We visited the Mercier Champagne House (Champagne Factory). We went on a tour of the wine caves and they are so large that we took a train to travel through the caves. I learned a lot about the process of making Champagne and the history of this individual company. The story behind the company is interesting. To promote his product, Mr. Mercier went to Paris with a hot air balloon and took important people of ParisChampagne. for rides in his balloon while they tasted his The Champagne was brought in a huge barrel with him to Paris that had to be pulled by oxen and horses. At the end of the tour we were able to sample a glass of the Champagne. It was tasty, but I didn’t notice a difference from other Champagne I have tasted. From the factory, we took the scenic route back to Reims. We stopped at this very old mill that overlooks the entire valley. We then drove back to their house, I got my stuff together, and it was time to head back to Paris! It was a relaxing weekend and I enjoyed the sites of the region.

An Update...FINALLY!

To the many loyal readers of my blog (haha), I apologize for not posting in a month, but I have been traveling a lot! Here is a quick update and I will write some detailed information in the next week or two. The first trip I took was to Reims in the Champagne region of France. It is home to many of the well known champagne companies and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. I stayed with a French family while I was there and had a great time. My next trip was to Prague to visit two of my friends from Emory. It was a nice break from the expensiveness of Paris. It was a cool city and very different than Western Europe. I had a lot of fun until Georgetown lost in the Final Four. I returned from Prague on Tuesday, April 3rd and left for an 18 day Spring Break on April 5th. My trip was a loop in Europe with 5 friends from my program (4 Cornell and 1 Emory). First stop was Berlin, next Munich, a quick stop in Vienna, and then Ljubljana, Slovenia, after that Piran, Slovenia, followed by Split, Croatia, our last stop in Eastern Europe was Dubrovnik, Croatia. We then took a Ferry from Croatia to Pescara, Italy (which is where my Italian family is from) on our way to Florence. Our last stop was Florence, but getting to it and from it, were two of the longest travels I have ever been involved in. Now I am home and ready to give short run down on the trip. Berlin was a really cool city. It is pretty modern because it was destroyed in WWII. Great social scene and really interesting history. Munich was rebuilt after the war also, but most of the city was restored so it was a completely different feeling than Berlin. It was much smaller which I think is a good thing. The beer was incredible, and it was a great city to visit. Vienna is filled with huge, beautiful buildings. I have some amazing pictures of the sites in Vienna. I only spent about 5 hours there, but enjoyed my time. Now the interesting part of the trip. First Ljubljana: This is the capital city of Slovenia. It is very small but one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The train to it went through huge snow peaked mountains and the city center is divided by a small canal that is lined with beautiful trees. The city has a welcoming feel and I would highly recommend visiting. Next was Piran, Slovenia. This is a beautiful, but quiet coastal town. It was a great place to relax, but there wasn't much to do. It is Italian influenced and one can see the influence in the food, architecture, etc. Beautiful and great place to hang out but nothing to exciting. Next was Split, Croatia. Croatia was a little run down, but Split was really pretty and had some cool beaches. It is a big port city and it is home the world's oldest Catholic Church. It is part of the old city of Split which was beautiful. Split had a fun night life and is another good place to go, but it is more touristy than Slovenia. Next was Dubrovnik. It was another one of the prettiest places I have ever visited. It was a picturesque coastal city. With huge cliffs, clear, blue water it was amazing. It also has an old city which is very beautiful. Dubrovnik is another place worth visiting. That is a quick rundown. I am exhausted and ecstatic to be back in Paris. Here are a few pictures. Hopefully I will be able to provide details on all of my trips, but I will be very busy with work for a while.


Ljubljana, Slovenia















Piran, Slovenia















Dubrovnik, Croatia

Angers and fun in Paris!

Thursday I finished studying for my European Economy test and took it. It was really straightforward, but it was difficult to express some of the complex ideas that I wanted to talk about in French. Hopefully the Professor understands, but if not she said she would work the foreign students to make sure everything works out so I am not worried. After the test I grabbed some dinner and relaxed until I met my friends out in the Odeon area of Paris. We were celebrating my friend Fredo’s 21^st birthday and we decided to go to this cool bar that has a huge underground area for dancing and lounging. It’s really cool because you feel as if you are in a really old place but at the same time there is good music and dancing. It was a really exciting night and we stayed at the bar way too late! I had to catch a train at 8:00 am for Angers and I didn’t get back to my house until 7:00am. I took a shower, got my stuff together, and headed to the train station. I was joining 5 other students from EDUCO and a tour guide and we were taking the TGV from Paris to Angers which is in the Loire Valley. Some of the other people had had late nights also so I wasn’t alone. I napped on the train ride there and when we arrived we were in a beautiful little French city. Angers is in the Anjou region of France. Our first stop was a café so that everyone could get some caffeine so that we would have energy for the day. It is important to note that the Loire Valley is filled with old chateaus from the kings and nobility of France. Angers has an amazing chateau that was first built in the 1100’s and then it was developed over the next few centuries. Regardless it was really old and amazing. This was our first stop. Not only is the chateau amazing as you can see, but it also contained a gigantic tapestry that has been divided into multiple pieces because originally it would have been about 100 meters long. I took a lot of pictures! After the chateau we walked through some of the streets of the small town seeing architecture from different periods and cultures. Next we stopped at the Cathedral of the town. It was incredible. Next we had lunch! EDUCO treated us to lunch and everything was delicious. My first course was boudin noir et blanc served over a small salad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudin). Next I had venison or cerf in French which was prepared with a heavy brown sauce and served with noodles. After that I had a cheese course of chevre or goat cheese which the region is known for. Finally for dessert I had gauteau noix which was a cake made with walnuts and served with hot fudge. It was a great meal and I was so full. After that we saw some of the other important landmarks of the town including an old hospital, an abbey, and some more architecture. Then everyone split up for a few hours so I went to a park with some friends and we just relaxed and took in the cliffs that overlooked the park. Finally we regrouped at the train station and headed back home. I was exhausted and took a nap when I got home and when my friends called me to go out, I decided that I had no energy, so I went to sleep really early on Friday. Saturday, I was still recuperating and didn’t do much during the day. I made some really good pasta for lunch. I tossed the pasta in Sriracha hot sauce, chili paste, two cloves of diced garlic, and olive oil. It was delicious. For dinner I made my signature chicken dish with some rice and after that I went to my friend’s apartment to hang out before going to the Irish bars for St. Patrick’s Day. I went with my friends to our favorite Irish Pub, O’Sullivans and it was packed! It was a fun night but I went home fairly early. Sunday I had brunch with my family. We had two types of pate, rack of lamb, a delicious salad with everything from avocado to radishes, great cheeses, and coffee and chocolate to finish the meal. As always we had great wine to accompany the meal. The rest of the day I caught up on some work, watched some of the NCAA games, and relaxed. Monday, I woke up ran in Bois de Boulogne, did my laundry, and made myself some lunch (just rice nothing special). That night I went to my host aunt’s house for dinner. Again it was really good. We had a Chinese soup to start, followed by a Belgian specialty of endives wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce, next we had incredible French and Italian cheeses, and finally we had a tasty tart with raspberries for dessert. It was another fun night with my friends and my host aunt. Tuesday I only had one class and afterwards I went with my friends to get food and stopped at EDUCO. Then one of my friends came back to my house with me to do a project. The day wasn’t too exciting, but the night was fun because I went to my friend Drew’s apartment for dinner. He made some great pasta dishes. Then I met a bunch of my friends in Odeon at a bar called Fubar. There were a ton of people visiting on spring break and after leaving Fubar we went to another bar called Highlander and stayed there for awhile. I met people who know people I know from home; it really is a small world! It was a really fun night. Wednesday I woke up late, finished my grammar project, and went to class. Then I hung out at EDUCO for a long time. I came home, made myself some dinner, and then went to a play called Cet Enfant. It was a really good, really short play. It was modern and was about family problems. It was really entertaining and interesting. After the show a few of us went and met people at our Irish bar O’Sullivans. It was a fun, but relaxed night. Thursday I had class and will probably go to a club with some people from EDUCO. This weekend I am going to Reims in the Champagne region of France. Until then…

Au revoir!

GO HOYAS!!!

Some Busy Weeks!

Since I am still busy and have a test tomorrow I am not going to proofread this right away but I will post it since it has been so long since I posted. Enjoy and don’t criticize if there are mistakes!

Sorry for the delay I know you are all waiting anxiously to hear what I have been doing, just kidding but let me update you on the past few weeks. They have been very busy with school work, traveling, finding internships, and a lot of fun. Tuesday I had class and after a long day I had two of my friends over for dinner. We bought bread, cheese, wine, salad, and I cooked chicken with my signature sauce. If I like you enough and you like spicy food I will make you the sauce anytime. We had a great time as always. Wednesday was a busy day because I had class, I worked on internship applications, and then in the evening I went to La Comédie-Française with the entire EDUCO program. Before the play I met a few of my friends at a little café for a beer and a small meal. La Comédie-Française is an incredible traditional theatre. The theatre is across from the Palais Royal and the Louvre and although the area is very touristy, it is beautiful. The theater is known for being one of the best in Paris because of the pieces that are performed there, and the troop of actors is unique to the theater. It dates back to 1680 and it has five semi-circular balconies facing the stage with plush red seats. We saw another piece by Molière, La Malade imaginaire. I liked this piece a lot more than l’Avare. Although most of my friends went out after the show I decided to go home and do some work since I was leaving for Brussels the next day.

After a long day of anxiously awaiting leaving for Brussels, my classes finished and I was on my way. I took the train from Paris to Brussels which took about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was really nice and quick. Also I met a man on the train who gave me some ideas of what to do while in Brussels and answered a crucial question that I wanted to have answered, “What language do I speak in Belgium?” He said, “Français!” I took a cab to the hotel and saw beautiful palaces and architecture. I met my friends and they immediately told me I had to see the Grande Place. It is the center of the city and it is a large square with amazing architecture that dates back hundreds of years. My host dad told me that it was Spanish style architecture from when the conquered Belgium. At night the place was one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. After the quick tour we immediately searched for a place to eat dinner. This process was strenuous because there were restaurants everywhere and the narrow streets of Brussels are filled with people promoting each restaurant. It was really annoying and we decided not to eat at a restaurant where someone had to harass us to enter. We found a place called the Drug Opera. I had scallops because I wanted to have seafood which is one of the many foods for which Belgium is known. The scallops although there were only a few were delicious. Next we saw something on the menu that we rarely see in Paris, ice cream sundaes. We all got one and they were amazing. Next we went to a bar that a friend of Geneva told us to try. It had beer for 1 or 2 euros until midnight which is a fraction of the price in Paris so we took advantage of the occasion. After having a few drinks at Celtica we decided to go to a club. On our way there we got a little lost because we didn’t have a great map and when we asked an older man if he knew where it was, he told us that he didn’t, but he had GPS in his car and he could take us there. At first we were hesitant, but he had a very nice car and he was a nice man. The club was only about a minute from where we were, but this was an example of how friendly the people of Brussels were the entire time we were visiting. The club called Le You was really fun and it was packed with people. It was two stories and the second floor overlooked the huge dance floor. Everything at the club was also significantly cheaper than in Paris. We had a lot of fun and since we were all exhausted we left, returned to our hotel, and slept really well. The next morning we woke up and decided what to do for the day. First priority was getting food! We found this really cool organic restaurant that was delicious. Next we went to some of the beautiful cathedrals, the Manneken Pis which is a small bronze fountain of a little boy peeing, the Palais de Justice, and we even found some cool little gardens. After all of our sightseeing we ate waffles (Belgian waffles) and met some other people who are studying abroad. We then spent some of the evening at Celtica enjoying Chimay, Duvel, Hoegaarden, and Leffe to name some of the well-known Belgian beers that they serve. Next we went to Delirium Café which is famous for having the most beers in the world in a single location, 2004 to be exact. It was really cool and full of people. After that, we went back to the hotel. We woke up in the morning and my friends were going to Amsterdam, but I had to go home because I had a paper and presentation to finish for Tuesday. Since we were all staying at different places my friend and I arrived late and she missed her train. I was buying my ticket at the station so it didn’t matter to me, but I ended up having to take first class which I didn’t think would be anything special, but first class is really nice on the European trains. There is meal service the seats are huge and really comfortable. I was really happy that I was forced to do that.

I returned to Paris and was exhausted so I took most of Saturday recovering from Brussels. I wasn’t planning on doing anything Saturday night, but one of my friends called me and told me that there was a lunar eclipse and she wanted to go to the Seine to watch. So she came to my house, we bought some wine and chocolate, and headed to the Seine. It was really cool and the Eiffel Tower was sparkling for some of the time we were there which was also really pretty to watch. The lunar eclipse wasn’t at its strongest point, but it was still orange in color and different than normal. Sunday I started the day by eating lunch with my family. We talked about our vacations, and as always, politics. The food was delicious and the meal really big like always. Later in the day I decided to run for about an hour in the Bois de Boulogne. It felt great to run for a long time like I used to, until I stopped! Then I realized that for the first time in my running career, I had a huge blister on the bottom of my foot. It was huge, about two inches long, and extremely painful. The rest of Sunday I worked on my homework and projects. Monday, I tried to run, but my blister prevented me from doing much of anything. Tuesday, I had my paper for Theatre class corrected by a grammar teacher. Then I had a presentation with another student in my Grammar and Communication class on the northern regions of France (Le Nord-Pas-De-Calais, La Picardie, La Champagne) and we served Champagne to the class! Then I turned in my theater paper! In theater we had a guest lecturer who is an expert on Koltès who wrote Le Retour au désert which we were seeing at La Comédie-Française the next night. Tuesday night I was invited to my host aunt’s house to eat with some other students. We had a good time and since I had just finished a lot of work, I rewarded myself by going out to the Odéon area after and hanging out at a few bars. We went to some really fun bars that we hadn’t been to before. Wednesday, I had class and then went to the Theater. Although I liked the performance, the audience did not. People in the front few rows left during the show. Finally when it was time for applause, it was the dullest round of applause I have ever heard. It must have been really terrible for the actors and people involved in the show, but pleasing the audience is very important. After the play my friends and I went out to a bunch of really cool bars in a few different areas of the city. We were showing some of Geneva’s friends around so we took them to some really cool places. Thursday, I had class and after I had a cooking lesson with a group of students from my program. It was with the same woman as the last time I had a cooking lesson and once again it was really good and entertaining. We made avocado pâté, chicken with fruit in a curry sauce, rice, and a really rich chocolate cake for dessert. It was excellent and once again if you are nice to me maybe I will make it for you. After the lesson I hung out with one of my friends from EDUCO at my house. Friday morning I had to wake up early for the International Salon d’Agriculture. For those from Pennsylvania and others who have been to the Farm Show, it was exactly like that, except with a touch of Parisian class and French quality. Also I forgot it was HUGE. There were 7 or 8 buildings full of animals and agricultural stuff. I tasted a lot of cheese, some wine, some great meat, and some really good sauces. Also I bought a baguette fresh out of the oven it was incredible! It was really interesting and in France it is an important political event where ALL of the presidential candidates make an appearance. The day I was there Nicolas Sarkozy was there, but I didn’t have a chance to see him. Later in the day, I went to a makeup class for my European Economy class and afterwards, I rested before grabbing some dinner. I had my dinner and after that I met one of my friends, Katerina, at one of her friend’s apartments where everyone was hanging out and speaking what seemed like every language in the world! Saturday, I went for a run in Bois de Boulogne since my foot finally felt better. The park was full of people and I stopped to watch a soccer game for a while. After showering I met Geneva, Katerina, and their friend Sam who is visiting at Trocadero, here are some pictures:

Then, we got lunch and went back to my house and had some great wine that was recommended to us by the man who owns the wine shop on my street. We have become friends and he helps me find really good, cheap wine. Later that night we met at this Fondue place called Refuge des Fondus (here is a good article about it: http://www.parisist.com/archives/2006/12/04/the_girl_who_ate_everything_cheesy_death.php ) where their trademark is serving wine in baby bottles (I think because it is fondue and the place is not big they had problems with people spilling wine all the time so they decided to switch to baby bottles since they don’t spill). It is a fun place. The food is not great, but the experience is worth every penny. Next we went to a cool bar with a huge dance floor and spent the rest of the night there. Sunday, I woke up and had lunch with my host family. It was the best meal I have had here so far. We had Steak Tartar and it was excellent. I ate it just like they do by mixing in homemade mayonnaise, mustard, onions, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. Also instead of wine with Steak Tartar we drank beer because my host dad said it is much better that way. Next, we had bread, cheese, great coffee, and chocolate. We sat and talked for about two hours. It was really nice I felt like became very close that day. Next, because lunch went on for so long I had to rush to get to the Theatre National de la Colline. It was similar to the theater where we saw King Lear. The show we saw was Électre and it was incredibly bizarre. Visually I loved the show, but I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on. It was filled with weird scenes of dirt throwing, moving chairs, and falling red confetti. After the show some of my friends and I went to Place des Vosges a beautiful square in the East side of Paris. It was beautiful and we sat at a café for a long time hanging out. Then I went home and did some work until we met later at a museum of modern art called Palais de Tokyo. It is right near Trocadero and it has a café that is open really late into the night. It was beautiful and afterwards we went outside and had a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Some of us went to Chatelet to go to a bar and then we called it an early night. Monday I woke up to finish my work for Tuesday and I received a call from my host aunt who invited me to her house for dinner. This was one of many really nice things she has done for me since I have been here so I took a break from my work and bought her flowers. I didn’t do much Monday because I had a busy weekend, but in the evening I went and had a great dinner at my host aunt’s house with two other EDUCO students and one of their friends. We talked about everything from art to politics and she offered to take a few of us to the Pompidou Center to take us on a special tour. Also we were talking about what we want to do after we graduate and I said I think I want to live in the D.C. area and she told me she would get me in contact with her son-in-law about a job in international business and relations. This relationship is not only great because she is so interesting and reminds me a lot of my Grandma, but she is very helpful in Paris and maybe even in the U.S. When I gave her the flowers she jokingly yelled at me and said older people are supposed to give the gifts to younger people and if I do it again I will not be invited back to her house! I hope that isn’t true because we had a great dinner. First we had tomato bisque, then we had stuffed peppers, baked cauliflower with cheese, and noodles, next we had salad and cheese, and finally we had a fruit tart for dessert. As always, the wine was delicious. I went home very happy! Tuesday I had to do a lot of work for Wednesday and didn’t do too much besides going to class and doing work. Finally I am caught up to today! I turned in my assignments which felt great, but first this morning I ate breakfast with my host sister which was really nice because I haven’t seen her much at all. It is nice talking to French people my age, not to mention she is cute. Finally, after class I took a nice nap, got some dinner, and now just finished writing this! Now you are updated.

Au revoir!

CONGRATS TO THE HOYAS ON THE BIG EAST REGULAR SEASON AND TOURNAMENT TITLES! NOW GO WIN THE WHOLE THING! HOYA SAXA!

Friends and Home Alone!

(Radio de la France a block from my house)

After not doing much on Monday I had a very busy day on Tuesday. I had to give a presentation or “exposé” in theater on the eight hour play that we had just seen. Luckily I had plenty of material, but it was difficult to focus on one aspect without including everything, but I did well. After class we had a mixer with students from one of the French universities. We went to a café and had crepes and talked for awhile. The students were really cool and a group of us went out afterwards to go to a bar that they highly recommended. It was really fun and now I can integrate into French social circles. Wednesday, I had a long day of classes and after I had dinner with my family. We had duck which was prepared really well and once again it was a bird that he shot on one of his hunting trips. I didn’t have class on Thursday so I decided to meet some of my friends who were going out. First we went to a hookah bar, then most places were closed so everyone went home except. My friend Geneva and I stayed out and sat down for while on the street looking at statues and other crazy people who were out. Thursday I woke up really early to go to a 9:00am movie sponsored by EDUCO. It was called “La Mome” and it was about Edith Piaf the famous French singer. We saw it at this really cool mall called Forum des Halles which I just read sits above the largest subway station in the world. The film was like “Walk the Line” and “Ray” and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. Later, I met my friend Dan at Jussieu (a French university) when I was trying to figure out what happened with my class that was cancelled and if it was being rescheduled. We went to his house and then to a park to hang out. There were so many people at the park as there always are in Europe. There was an amazing bird (a crane or egret) that was in a lake at the park that we watched for awhile, after we realized it wasn’t fake, because it was hunting. Then we went to Starbucks. So now I have eaten at McDonald’s and Starbucks while in France which I am not pleased about. That night we went to see a play by Molière called “l’Avare” at this really cool and old theater near the middle of Paris. The theater is called Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin and it the style is traditional and quite different than the other theaters I have visited. I felt that the other plays we have seen were better than this one but it was funny. After the play a lot of people from the group went to our favorite bar, O’Sullivan’s, which was only a few blocks away. It was really fun having everyone in one place. The next morning when I woke up, my host family was packing up for their ski trip in the Alps. They showed me how to lock up the whole house and said see you Saturday. I thought they were only going away for the weekend so this was a complete shock to me. I went to EDUCO to watch a really funny and stupid movie called “Brice de Nice.” It was a nice way to end the week. Friday was my friend Julia’s birthday and her parents came to visit for the occasion so they took a group of us out for a really nice dinner. It was great French cuisine and I think it was a modern style of preparation. Her parents were really fun to eat and talk with. Then the group came back to my house and we hung out for the rest of the night. Saturday, I met my friends at the Rodin museum. It was a beautiful day so the gardens were incredible and there was an interesting exhibition of his drawings. I loved the whole museum, but the drawings were the best part. Here are some pictures of his sculpture “Le Penseur” or The Thinker.

After the museum we came back to my house and had bread, cheese, and wine. Then later we made dinner and had a crazy night. It was a really fun even though we didn’t really do anything except sit in my kitchen. Sunday I went ice skating in front of l’Hotel de Ville. The building is incredible and except for a few falls I had a really good time. It was funny because there were kids there who were amazing and any time someone fell, they quickly skated towards them, stopped abrubtly, and sprayed ice onto them. It was a funny tradition until it happened to me. It was the last day the outdoor rink was open so I’m glad I was able to go and enjoy it. Paris has so much to offer regardless of what you’re looking for. Today I did laundry and caught up on some school work. Although, I had a funny encounter with a French family on my walk back from the Laundromat. It was a mother and her two children. The young son, who was probably about 7 years old, looked back at me, and then kicked his mom in the butt. However I was behind them so she looked at me and as she began to say, “What the…?” I pointed to her son. Luckily she knew her son well enough to know it was him and not me and I quickly walked away laughing. In other news, this weekend I am going to Brussels and Amsterdam!

Au revoir! GO HOYAS CLINCH THE BIG EAST TITLE!

More museum pictures:

Paris: City of Lights

(Musee Bouchard)

Another week has passed and I have yet to travel…but plans are in the works. I left off last Saturday. I didn’t cut my hair on Saturday because I ran out of time, but that night my friend came to my house and from here we went to this really cool lounge that is a few blocks from my house. It was a really nice place; there were no drinks for less than 14 euros! Sunday I woke up and had lunch with my family and my host mom’s mom (my host grandma?). Once again it was a delicious meal. First we had pate, the chicken champignons, salad, bread, a frozen dessert of some sort, and some Belgian chocolate. The wine we had was Bordeaux from 1999 and I have noticed that we drink 1999 Bordeaux a lot so it must have been a really good year. The rest of the day I did some school work and went to my friend’s apartment and finally cut my hair. Then I went home and was going to go to a party at another friend’s apartment, but I left my phone at my friend Dan’s and had no way of contacting anyone. So I stayed in for the night and started to plan out the summer and senior year. I was looking at internships and thinking about where to live in a year. If anyone has anything to offer me let me know! Monday I went to EDUCO to see my friends and do a little work, but nothing too exciting. Tuesday I had my two favorite classes, Grammar and Theatre. After the class I walked around with two of my friends and searched for crepes, but we didn’t find anything great so we went home and I did my work for the next day. Wednesday I had Sociology and Grammar, and then I went home to prepare because I had some friends over for dinner on Valentine’s Day! I prepared a nice meal with bread, salad, cheese, chicken, wine, and some nice chocolate for dessert. We had a good time. Thursday I had one class and went to EDUCO to prepare for it, but while I was there they offered a spot in one of the cooking classes that someone had dropped out of and I decided to seize the opportunity and went to the cooking class instead of real class. Two older women taught the class in one of their apartments. We made salmon pate, quail with grapes, and a lemon tart for dessert. It was great and the women were really nice and funny. I think it was a good decision to go. After the cooking class one of my friends and I went back to my house, had some wine, and then I met some other people in the 6^th arrondissement. Friday I was really exhausted from a late night, but I forced my self to do some sightseeing. I went to the House where Balzac lived while in Paris which is only a few blocks from my house. Then I checked out the Turkish embassy which is right near Balzac’s estate. I also found a really cool park and this is all within 5 minutes of my house. I came back, made myself some dinner, and then went out with my friends to a bunch of really fun places in the Latin Quarter. We were out late enough to have some breakfast in the morning and see some light before getting back to our houses. Saturday I wanted to continue exploring my area and the guidebook my parents gave me had a self-guided 90 minute walk that was in my area. So I did this, but it turned into a four hour walk for me because I found so much cool stuff. I started by Radio France, and went to Place Rodin where this beautiful statue sits and right next to the circle there is a beautiful park. The tour led me to streets with really cool buildings and churches, and I saw a sign for Musee Bouchard which I decided to check out. The building was the old studio of Henri Bouchard, a Parisian sculpture whose works are scattered throughout the city and the world. Here is the website www.musee-bouchard.com and I would encourage everyone to visit, but the museum is closing in March. It is run by his children. They were there and his son or son in law gave me a personal tour for about 30 minutes and told me a lot of very interesting things. It was incredible seeing exhibits on his techniques, the progression of his style, and finally some of his most interesting work. After that I continued my walk and saw some more really cool architecture, some historic areas and houses, and a lot of buildings designed by Guimard a famous architect. The walk was one of my favorite things I have done since I’ve been in Paris because everything was very interesting and the day was beautiful. When I returned I got ready and met at my friend’s apartment with a group of people. We were going to cook, but it got too late so we got Chinese food and just hung out at his apartment for awhile. It was a much needed relaxing night. Sunday I had another busy day. I went to see a play that was about 8 hours long called “Les Éphémères.” Although it was long it was an amazing show. It was at a theatre in Bois de Vincennes which is a beautiful park on the eastern edge of Paris. The theatre was designed like a barn and it reminded me of a high school gymnasium because the stage was in the middle of the sets of “bleachers.” The sets were on wheels and were constantly spinning in circles so that both sides of the theatre were able to see everything and it also had a lot to do with the theme of the play. There was not one united plot, but many different events, some were tied together as the play continued and some were simple short skits. It was about life, death, and everything in between. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it although it is very depressing at times because it shows the worst parts of life and qualities of people. Sunday night I returned home and was ready for bed. Today I have to catch up on my work and get ready for the rest of the week! My class schedule is finalized and I have classes Tuesday through Thursday so Mondays and Fridays will be touring or travel days from now on.

One of the really cool streets that I saw...

Au revoir! KEEP IT UP HOYAS!

More pictures of the house

A Week of Culture

(Nicest day yet so I took some pictures)

So I was a little bit lazy over the past week, but I left off on Thursday…I went out with my friends and went to some of our favorite bars. Friday I went to EDUCO in the afternoon to watch a movie called “Paris je t’aime.” It was a really cool movie about Paris and the people. It was fiction and it was comprised of about 20 short stories. It was very interesting and it showed the entire city. It was a mixture of really happy, sad, and bizarre stuff and it had a lot of famous actors in it. Then I had to go home quickly and get dressed for the Opera. EDUCO gave us the choice of three different Operas to see and I chose to see Don Giovanni (Don Juan) at the Opera Bastille. The building is modern and right of the square where the Bastille was before it was destroyed in the revolution. It was my first Opera and I really enjoyed it. It was in Italian but there were French subtitles so I was able to understand it. It was also set in the 20^th century so it was a different take on the famous story. After that, my friends and I bought some wine and sat outside the Pompidou Center where they have a really cool light show. Saturday I met my friends in the afternoon at a café by the Pompidou Center. We grabbed a quick meal before going to see the Yves Klein exhibition which ended right after we saw it. It was amazing. Here is some information about Yves Klein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yves_Klein. His work was incredible and he even has his own color that is stunning to see up close. My favorite piece was a blue canvas that he painted and then took out in the rain. The drops did really cool things to the paint and although it doesn’t sound that amazing it was stunning to see. I was in awe. He also did amazing things with fire. The Pompidou Center itself is a sight to see. It is taller than any of the buildings around it and it is mostly glass so the view is incredible. It was (Pompidou Center)
difficult to get pictures because of the glass. However we were especially lucky since we were there for a while, we saw the day and nighttime view. Next we went out in the gay district of Paris to a restaurant that was all pink with funny pictures on the wall; although the atmosphere was a little bizarre, the food was really good. Then we went to my friend’s house to hang out and had a fun night. Sunday I was exhausted from the busy weekend (Pompidou Center)
and didn’t do much but some schoolwork and laundry. I didn’t watch the Super Bowl and I don’t think my friends here will ever let me live it down, but it didn’t start until 12:30 and I had class the next morning.

I woke up on Monday morning and went to my class at the Sorbonne. I got there and a lot of the students were standing outside, and once again, the class was postponed for two weeks. I was checking out another class later in the day and I did some errands until that time. I didn’t like the other class, so during the break I left and went home. I was supposed to have dinner with my family, but there was a question and answer session on television by Nicolas Sarkozy and my family wanted to watch so we postponed dinner until Tuesday night. I watched the event on TV and it was very interesting. He is the moderate right candidate from the UMP and some of the people questioned him at length about gay marriage and adoption, minority rights, and unemployment. It was very interesting to see their views on the issues that we also face. Tuesday I had my grammar and communication class and my theater class. The grammar class is my favorite because we are learning how to speak French and sound like a French speaker. We are learning the current vocabulary and slang. It is a really good class and the professor is excellent. I have already learned a lot about the way I speak and how to talk to people. In the theater class we discussed King Lear which we were going to see on Wednesday night at the Odeon Theater. On Tuesday night I had dinner with my family. I told them about my weekend and my host dad told me that he was a friend of Yves Klein. He had some funny stories and an interesting perspective about his art. Then we discussed the Sarkozy television special and how the issues are not that different here and in the U.S. While talking about politics they told me that they are friends of the Kennedy family and had just been invited to the premier of the new movie about Bobby. The dinner (Steak), stories, and conversation were great as always. I hung out with my friends later that night. Wednesday I had a sociology class and the grammar class. Then I went home and got ready for King Lear. Two of my friends came to my area and we grabbed some dinner, then headed to the northern part of the city to go to the theater. King Lear was interesting. It was set in the early 20^th century and King Lear was a mob boss. I thought it was interesting but I liked the original storyline more. The theater was really cool because it was small and there were not any bad seats. After the show we went to my friend Drew’s apartment for a housewarming party. He cooked some great food and we had a fun night. Thursday, I had my Economy of Europe class. I made some friends with some of the kids in my class and was actually able to understand them because I have learned a lot of the slang that they use. I also had no trouble understanding the professor which is refreshing because I think my French is really improving. Thursday night, I made myself a delicious dinner. I cooked chicken and made a delicious and spicy pan sauce with chili pepper paste. I was in withdrawal from spicy food so it made me very happy. I met my friends at Fountain at the place Saint Michel and we went to a really cool bar. The downstairs was like a cave it was stone walls with a low ceiling and there were dance floors. It was a cool place. Friday I didn’t do too much except buy books and hang out at EDUCO. Then Friday night, I went to a really cool club with a lot of my friends. It was a really fun night and an excellent club. We stayed out until the metro opened. Now it’s Saturday and I had a nice breakfast, I am going to go for a run in Bois de Boulogne (my first run in Paris), and after that I am going to buzz my hair with my friend because there is no place to get a reasonably priced haircut here. Au revoir! GO HOYAS!

Pictures of my House and Garden:

Really Learning About Paris

I’ve decided to stop naming the entries by days because as time progresses it will remind me of how few days I have left in Paris and I don’t want to think of that!

This week was supposed to be the first week of real class for me. Monday morning I woke up prepared for three hours of class. I went to the Sorbonne and went into a beautiful lecture hall expecting to be in my class on the History of Contemporary North America. I sat down alone and listened to all the French students chatting while waiting for the professor. The professor entered and told us that we had to have our Student ID cards verified so everyone exited the classroom. While waiting to go back in I heard some students talking about how much they had studied and whether they thought the exam would be difficult. I was thoroughly confused and scared. Finally I approached one of them and said in French “I’m a foreign student and I’m a little confused. Is this an exam?” When he replied “Oui?” with a puzzled look, I asked when this semester’s classes start and he told me not until next week. This did not really surprise me because the university system is disorganized and my program had been told that classes started this week, but in this country things change all the time.

I returned home having most of the day free so I called one of my friends who lives in the same area. We decided we would do some sightseeing. We met at Trocadero which is directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. I forgot my camera so I don’t have pictures, but it was overcast so I can wait to take pictures on a day when it is sunny. We decided to walk along the Seine, then down some beautiful streets, and we decided we would walk around and visit different monuments. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower which had a banner on it that said “It’s Not Too Late – Greenpeace.” I later read that “Greenpeace militants” had put the banner there without permission and it was taken down later that night. Here is a link with a picture and a brief explanation <http://fr.news.yahoo.com/29012007/74/photo/greenpeace-activists-display-banners-one-showing-a-thermometer-on-the.html>. We walked around the Parc du Champ Mars which is the park surrounding the Eiffel Tower. Then we went to Les Invalides and the gardens around it. Then we crossed the Seine and walked down the Champs Elysées. Two funny things happened on this road. First a woman approached us and said “Do you speak English?” I realized she was a asking for money because I have fallen for that trick before and I continued to walk, but I didn’t realize that my friend stopped and talked to her. Finally she met back up with me and said “That woman was from Bolivia and that’s where I was born.” I replied, “Do you believe she is from Bolivia? Do you think she speaks BOLIVIAN?” I realized immediately that I had misspoken but my friend called me an idiot, but I responded that she was the idiot for stopping to talk. She said it was my fault for not warning her and I said I was experienced with this thing because in Rome I got taken by a guy who tied a string around my finger and then demanded money. We were both extremely tired at this point because we had walked about 5 miles so we decided to stop for some ice cream. We stopped at McDonalds! I didn’t want to, but I did enjoy my McFlurry. We then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and turned off back into our neighborhood and that was the end of our adventure.

I returned home exhausted and didn’t do much until dinner with my family. We had a nice dinner, but the wine and cheese was incredible. It was only my host dad and me eating and drinking because my host mom didn’t feel well. He continued his tradition of pouring a lot of wine and of serving the most delicious cheese I have ever eaten. It is called Vacherin from Mont d’Or and it is only made from the late fall through the winter. You have to use a spoon because it is so rich and creamy it is almost a liquid. Here is some information about it http://www.frencheese.co.uk/cheeses/detail-cheeses.php We finished a bottle and a half of the delicious Bordeaux from his wine cellar and the cheese, then he said that he wanted to take me on a night tour of Paris. So we got in the car (even after all the wine) and he took me around the entire city. We drove down what he said is the nicest street in the entire city (Avenue Foch). Then we proceeded down the Champs Elysées to a street with part of the American Embassy, the Israeli Embassy, the Presidential mansion, and other heavily guarded places. We stopped at points and walked around and he drove slowly even when the traffic on the street was going very fast just to show me the details of what he was talking about. We drove through the Louvre, he showed me the building that the White House is a copy of, and we saw all of the famous sights and more. I learned a lot and saw so much. Everything was so beautiful at night and he is very knowledgeable about the history of the different areas. Also I saw some places I would have never even known about. When we returned home I was so tired I went right to sleep.

Tuesday I woke up at noon feeling very refreshed. I actually had class so I made myself some lunch and went to my first class with the EDUCO program. The professor is from Emory and is an expert on Theatre. With the class we have seven trips to the various performances throughout the semester. The class will involve some work, but it will be cool to go to the theatre. After class I went back to one of my friend’s apartments and four of us made dinner together. It was fun and afterwards we met up with more people and went to a bar a few blocks from my house. Then, we went to an Irish pub for a few hours and had a blast. I got home late and had to wake up early for a class.

On Wednesday morning I had Sociology. I don’t know if I am taking the class or not because I would prefer to take the history class at the Sorbonne instead, but I sat in on the class in case the other one doesn’t work out. Then some of my friends went to a Thai restaurant for lunch and hung out for a while. My friend who I walked with on Monday and I decided to walk home from the 5^th Arrondissement. It was a long walk but once again I was able to see beautiful parts of the city. First we got Crepes with Nutella and Banana to give us energy for the walk. They were incredible! Then we started our journey. We started in the Luxembourg gardens, then we proceeded to the Louvre, from there we walked through the Tuileries gardens, through the Place de Concorde where there is a 3,000 year old obelisk from Egypt covered with hieroglyphics, once again we proceeded down the Champs Elysées, this time neither of us stopped when we were asked if we speak English, and finally we headed back to our neighborhood but we took a small detour going down Avenue Foch (the nicest street in Paris). Once again we were both really worn out. The rest of the night I relaxed and prepared for my European Economy class. Today I woke up, had some breakfast, finished my work, had some lunch, and went to class. As soon as I sat down a woman came in and said the class was cancelled for the week! Classes are finished for the week and after dinner tonight I’ll meet up with my friends and begin the party! Au revoir et Bon Weekend!

The Photos I promised from Bourgogne....

Abbaye de Fontenay

Me and some of my friends at the abbey....