Last I left off, I had just eaten a delicious Chinese meal made by my friend Lin. The following days (Monday and Tuesday) were just normal school days. Busy, tiring, and long. However, one of the reasons why I don't remember much about them is because my mommy, Uncle Randy, and Aunt Joyce came to Paris for a visit! They arrived Wednesday, so until then, all I could think about was seeing them, spending time with them, and giving them big hugs! (French people don't give hugs . . . have I mentioned that before?)
So, I will blog about Wednesday. (Please excuse all of my references to the food that we ate while my family was in town. It was just too delicious not to blog about it!)
My language class in the morning went by really quickly. Then came lunch at the office, and Shelley's class. Afterward, I headed straight to my foyer, picked up my laundry (over two weeks worth!) and rushed to meet my family! My uncle found an apartment in the 7th arrondissement, so it was just about a 20 minute metro ride away! I put a load of clothes in the wash, and then we headed out to see the Eiffel Tower! (They were about a ten minute walk from there, and we could even see the tower from a window in the apartment!)
It was super cold, but we ventured up the tower. The view from the second platform was beautiful! But, we didn't stop there for long. We made it up to the top of the Eiffel Tower just in time to watch the sun set (yes, it was better than watching the sun set at the Oasis in Austin). Afterward, we ventured on back to the Rue Cler area where we ate at Cafe Constant - my first real French dinner out! It was a really cute place with seating on the first level as well as a second floor - it was just like eating in a little cabin. We had escargot (one time is good enough for me, though I had had it before coming to France) and for my main dish I had Cod! MmmMMm it was delicious. But, then, DESSERT. Oh my. We ordered French style cream puffs - completely drenched in warm chocolate.
Thursday I met up with the family after my routine workout with Roanne - they were at the Louvre! We walked around Tuileries and even saw a job fair for all of Paris! It was really neat seeing so many people - and they were giving out FREE bags! (Needless to say, my aunt and I stood in line to get some. As if we were going to enter the job fair!) We continued to walk - in the direction of the Champs Elysee and picked up a Nutella-Banana crepe along the way. The Champs Élysée wasn't very crowded and the weather was divine.
A funny little story: While walking down the Champs Élysée, an Asian lady stops me (of all people that are walking, she stops the kid in the group, ME) and says:
"Hello. I am on the vacation. I am Chinese. Are you Japanese?"
-no
"Are you Korean?"
-no
"Oh . . ."
-I'm Chinese.
"OOOHHH." and then proceeds to try to speak Mandarin to me
-I speak Cantonese . . .
and then her husband starts talking - his English is better, and he even speaks a little bit of French. Basically though, they had just come from the Louis Vuitton store (RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET WE CAN SEE IT!) and asked us if we would buy bags for them - that "I give you cash" and they had about 5 different pictures of the bags that they wanted. Needless to say, we had to help out our fellow Asians. So, my mommy, auntie, and I went to the LV store in search of these bags - they gave us each 700 Euros in CASH, and waited across the street with their eyes on the door (of course, what else would you do if you gave 2100 Euros to complete strangers?) Upon entering the store, I was completely overwhelmed. Maybe it was due to the lack of merchandise on the shelves, or maybe due to the sheer number of shoppers. But, in any case, we asked about the five different bags and were told that they had sold out of each one. It was pretty disappointing. We were so close to purchasing purses from Louis Vuitton! (But not for us of course, but still, it's the transaction that counts!) We headed out of the store with bad news, and gave the couple back their monies. Afterward, we were discussing what had just happened and think that we could have been aiding a factory - but nevertheless, it was still exciting! That night, we were walking around, trying to find a place for dinner, and then stumbled upon a restaurant called Chez Pierrot. It was delicious! I had my first memorable lamb dish, and super delicious chocolate dessert!
Friday I met up with my family after my afternoon phonetics class. They had gone to Versailles that day and were tired from walking! We made dinner at the apartment that night and Roanne joined us for a bit! It was a good time of just food and fellowship. Afterward, my uncle, auntie, mommy and I went out for dessert! This is the night that I discovered the Café Gourmand, and it is just as delicious as it sounds! Basically, a small cup (very small, this is France) of coffee, and 3 little desserts. That night, the desserts that came with the coffee were a small pot of crème brulée, chocolate mousse, and a macaroon. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!!!! We returned to the apartment after dinner and I spent the night - kept mommy awake until nearly 3am just chatting, but I know she liked it :)
We slept in on Saturday and then took a boat tour of the Seine. Afterward, mommy and I had lunch in my foyer and then headed out in search for souvenirs! We had such a fun time shopping and exploring more of Paris. For dinner we went to a restaurant called Tribeca. It reminded me of being in a ballroom - the ceilings had little chandeliers and the seats had pillows on them! Uncle Randy and I ordered another Café Gourmand for dessert and it was just as delicious! Though this time, the desserts were a sweet rice pudding, a chocolate custard, and a little pastry that we sweet and chewy. Later that night, mommy, Uncle Randy and I ventured out into the night! We walked along the river to just enjoy the beauty of the moon, stars, lights, and of course an illuminated Eiffel Tower.
Sunday the four of us went to Hillsong Paris - my fourth Sunday! And after, went to a crêperie for lunch. We walked down to my school, and stopped by a small store that was going out of business - they had boots for 5 euros! (and, of course I got a pair) I showed them the outside of the Insitut Catholique de Paris (it was closed, so we couldn't go in) and then we went to the Luxembourg Garden where we met up with Roanne! It was just beautiful outside - chilly but the flowers were still out. Before dinner I was determined to have my uncle, aunt, and mommy try a pain au chocolat. So when we returned to the neighborhood where they were staying, mommy and I set out on our mission to find pain au chocolat (basically, a croissant with chocolate squares in it. DELICIOUS) and had to go to at least 5 different boulangeries until we found some! We found a small boulangerie at the end of Rue Cler and bought some pain au chocolat, and other delicious treats! Uncle John and Auntie B met up with us at the apartment that night, and then the 6 of us went out for dinner. That dinner was also VERY VERY delicious! My favorite part was the appetizer, to describe it I will just say it was a seafood pot pie - BUT SO MUCH MORE DELICIOUS. Everything else was equally as tasty, and I had a mango tiramisu for dessert (I didn't even know that was possible!)
Sunday night I said goodbye to my family. It was pretty sad, walking down to the train as I left them at the entrance to the metro, but they have made it back to Texas safely! I am so grateful to have had them come and visit me. (If you, reader, would like to come and visit me in Paris, please do not hesitate to do so!!!!)
Monday was just a normal school day. Tuesday night, all of us in the program attended a ballet - Paquita. The dancers were phenomenal and the costumes were so sparkly! It was definitely a beautiful performance! Wednesday after classes, I spent time with Caroline, Dustin, Kelly, and Roanne. We made dinner and took silly pictures on Caroline's photobooth.
Today, Thursday, I had the opportunity to start my service-learning volunteering with a small after school program that is at the crossroads of 4 different arrondissements. It is pretty interesting - the dynamics of the neighborhood and the different people that live there. Every Thursday for the rest of the semester I will be spending time with kids ages 7-9. We have a snack when they first arrive, work on homework, and then play until it is time for them to leave. These children come from immigrant families - many come from unstable households, economically and socially. The biggest task is to just love on these children and be a good example to them. Their spoken French is much better than mine - so it was a little difficult to communicate with them at times today, and also a little embarrassing - they could pretty much complete my sentences before I could! However, I am really looking forward to working with them this semester. There are other workers there as well, some paid, and some volunteer, but they all have a heart for the children!
Alrighty now. This has been a very long blog. I think that the next time I make an entry, it will be a more reflective piece. But until then, I will just keep those thoughts a mystery!
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| La grève that is still going on TODAY. |
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| Our first dinner out - Café Constant! |
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| Walking down the Champs-Élysée! My uncle and aunt are so cute! |
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| Lamb!!!! I just had to post this picture - it was so delicious! |
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| Mommy and me at the Luxembourg Garden (see, I had my camera this time!) |
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| Uncle Randy, Courtney, Auntie Joyce (Goo!) |
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| Mommy, Roanne, Courtney at Luxembourg |
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| My ridiculous Uncle (and me) with a ridiculously large tree at Luxembourg |
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| Eiffel Tower at NIIIIIIIIIGHT! |
magnifique!
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