Friday, November 26, 2010

in the garden

Thank God it's Friday! Though the beginning of the week always starts off slowly, the days accelerate as soon as Wednesday hits. I have only 3 more full weeks left in Paris, and the rush is now starting to hit me - there is hardly any time left! Where has all the time gone?

Last weekend, my program took us to Avignon, a small town in the South of France! It was nice to get away from Paris for the weekend, to relax from the hustle and bustle and really enjoy a slower, more carefree taste of country(ish) life. Though we were met with rain on the first day of our trip, we were still able to enjoy the beautiful Palais des Papes (did you know that in the 1600s Avignon had a pope? actually, several). There was a really pretty rainstorm Saturday night - it reminded me of home! Because of the Christmas season, France  Sunday, the weather was beautiful. My friend Caroline spent the day walking around the small town, saw the bridge (the Pont d'Avignon) and even bought some souvenirs!

If you recall from last post, one of the things that I want to do is run more in the Luxembourg Garden, or well, spend more time there in general! And this week, I have definitely been able to do that! Out of the 5 week days that have passed by, I have been in the garden every single day (walking through it to get to class/from class, running, having lunch, etc)!

It's amazing to see how the gardens change with the seasons. When I first arrived in Paris, everything was very green and bright. Now, most of the trees are bare, but the grass is still green (I do believe that they replant it . . .  perhaps often) and the flowers have been changed to bring out fall/winter colors! They have also replanted a lot of the shrubbery that surround the fountains.

Since today is Friday, you may be wondering what I did for Thanksgiving - I'm still an American, after all! Well, to answer your question, I did not really celebrate it! (What?!) Thursday I met my friend Austin to have lunch in the Luxembourg Garden and that night, after my volunteering, I met up with my Host Team from Hillsong Paris for a little rendez-vous. (Most of the members are French, so they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But we did have lots of goodies to eat!) It didn't even feel like Thanksgiving in France. There are no advertisements for Black Friday Sales (their shopping season similar to black friday happens after New Years) and the supermarkets don't change their inventory to carry more stuffing and cranberries. Ah well, this just means that next Thanksgiving, I will have to make up for the missed festivities of this year, no biggie!

Something exciting though, today we had our first snow in Paris!!!!! It was wonderful!!!

Well, with 3 weeks left of school, I have lots of work to submit! This weekend will be spent working on projects and doing more homework, but I will take a break on Sunday to watch Harry Potter with some friends from school! Yes, most of you have already seen it (if you are reading this from the US or England, the film was released one week before it debuted in France), but that's okay! Until next blog . . . . we will discuss Harry Potter! (haha . . . probably not)

p.s. It was so hard for me to pick which pictures to put up. There were just so many fun ones from spending time in the garden and from Avignon! But, enjoy!

While walking home from school, one of the flower shops had these pretty flowers for sale!  

Elephant sculpture outside of the Palais des Papes in Avignon

Dessert in Avignon (Meghan, Emily, Courtney)

Lights from the Avignon Christmas Market
Walking through the Luxembourg Garden after class
Check out these colors in the middle of November!

Caught in the act of replanting the Luxembourg Garden!

Wahoooo! After our Thanksgiving Picnic!!

Walking around Paris: Pinecones on a stick!

First snow of Winter! It was Beautiful!!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

falling

First of all, let me preface this entry with "Yes, I realize that it has been two weeks since my last update." And for that, I do apologize. Second of all, I would like to apologize to Christine for accidentally naming her Catherine in my last update. I know who you are! Really, I DO!!!!

These past couple of weeks have been marked by midterms and meetings, and more of everything inbetween! In all honesty though, not too much has happened since my last update. I have successfully registered for my Spring 2011 semester back at Trinity, met lots of new people that are involved with Hillsong Paris, taken an Art History Exam, went for a run in the Luxembourg Garden, attended Leadership Vision Night (with Hillsong Sydney's Robert Ferguson), volunteered for the second time at my benevolat (Centre Social Belleville), and will have taken a Phonetics Exam by the end of class tomorrow (Friday).

It's amazing for me to think that I have less than 5 weeks remaining in Paris. Where has the time gone? I remember my first day arriving, leaving Heidi at the airport and getting lost in what I now refer to the neighborhood as "home." I have sent more than 40 pieces of mail. I have been to Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, the musée Fragonard, the Musée d'Orsay two times, the Champs Elysée two times, the Arc de Triomphe three times (climbed up to the top once), the Eiffel Tower five times (and up to the very top one time), and the Louvre six times! And those are just the "major" places in Paris, not even including all of the gardens and parks!

The thing that I appreciate most about Paris is that it is so easy to get around the city! Whether by metro, bus, or even walking - nothing is ever "too far" away. I have mastered the route to walk to school, and can make it there in less then 30 minutes if need be (taking the metro to school only saves me about 5 minutes)! Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days, and they have not disappointed! Also, the gardeners take very good care of the plants and flowers in all of the parks and gardens - the weather in Paris is changing (my first real FALL!) and so are the plants in the gardens!

The things that seemed so strange to me when I first arrived in France - what? Stores are closed on Sundays? what? The store closes at 9pm on the weekday? what? Nothing is open 24 hours? - have now become an accepted occurence (though I do know of one grocery store that is opened on Sundays in my neighborhood). I have also come to have a greater appreciation for dried fruits (namely strawberries) and nuts, and have become quite skilled at making soups that come from a package taste rather delicious!

So what are some things that I would like to do before I leave Paris? Well, in case you were wondering, here they are!
  • be more rested (not necessarily sleep more, but take it easy)
  • run in the Luxembourg Garden at least 3 more times
  • run along the Seine
  • take more pictures
  • visit the Monet exhibit at the Grand Palais (online reservations are booked until January)
  • finish the jar of Nutella in my cubby (though I don't think that will be a problem)
  • come back with only 1 bit suitcase and (if need be, a maximum of) 2 carry-ons

I think those are some obtainable goals. I will hopefully update again (sooner than 2 weeks) with a status check. But until then, enjoy some more pictures from Paris!

Fall in the Luxembourg Garden

A really funny t-shirt I found at a sportswear store

The Louvre - crowded like I have never seen it before

Caroline and me, Tuesday before our fashion class
(we are, quite obviously dressed like we take a fashion class)


A French board game that I played today with some of the kids
(it was fun! we turned into ghosts)
Holiday decorations in my arrondissement!
Christmas is on its way!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

more than halfway

This week of vacation has flown by (ha. literally). As I sit here and type this blog, I have already been in France for 8 weeks, with less than 7 weeks left in this not-so-foreign-anymore land.

For Fall Break, my friend Kelly and I ventured to Barcelona, Spain! We left on Monday and returned on Thursday. Here is just a little re-cap of what we did!

Monday: Our flight left Paris at 10:45 am and we arrived at our hostel in Barcelona at about 2 pm. After settling in, we headed out to La Rambla (a big boulevard of street vendors and human statues) to scope out our new town, and of course to find little souvenirs! The funny thing about La Rambla, like any souvenir infested street, was that almost every stall sold the same merchandise. Though it was pretty fun haggling with the salesmen to get the best deals!

Tuesday: We started our morning at Barcelona's Arc de Triomphe. It was pretty small compared to the one in Paris, but much more colorful! We then made our way down through a park, that apparently, America's Next Top Model used for a photo shoot. The Barcelona parks are pretty cute - this particular park had a really fun playground and some cool sculptures! But the best part of the day, came after the park. Kelly and I went to the Barcelona Zoo (former home of Snowflake the Albino Gorilla). I experienced my first Dolphin Show and can honestly say that I LOVED IT! After the zoo we went to the Picasso Museum - where we spent a good amount of time learning more about Pablo Picasso's history. For dinner we had Paella (a traditional rice + seafood dish) with some friends from our program who were in Barcelona. It was fun to see them since we hadn't all been together for almost a week!

Wednesday: Kelly and I made the trek up to Park Guell, where Gaudi has his famous mosaic/tiley art. For lunch we stopped for Kebabs and then headed to the beach! Though it was November, the weather was very mild - but the water was so cold! There were still plenty of people sunbathing, but only a few in the water!

Thursday: We made a quick trip to Sagrada Familia - a cathedral that is still under construction, even though they started building it in 1882! It is pretty massive, but looks really really cool! We returned to Paris that evening, and good thing too! We walked around so much those few days!

Friday: My friend Jane was in town! This semester, she is studying in Copenhagen, Denmark but is also on her Fall break. I met her at a train station close to my foyer, and then we packed a lunch and headed out to see Paris! Our first stop was Montmartre to Sacre Coeur (a cathedral that overlooks Paris from atop of a hill). It is in the artsy part of Paris, and we even took a stroll past the Moulin Rouge! Next we headed to Notre Dame and marveled at the beautiful stained glass windows, as well as the other works of art inside! Afterward, we met up with Caroline and her friend Christine at the Musée d'Orsay to check out impressionists and other painters. We then split up with Caroline and Christine and took a stroll down the Champs Élysée all the way down to the Arc de Triomphe. Jane and I were able to climb up to the top and have a great view of Paris at night! We spotted the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc and decided to walk there. It was a little bit further than we had estimated, but still made it in one piece! To end the night, we met back up with Caroline and Christine and went out to a British Pub, that day was packed with activity, but all in all, I had a great time!

Today, Saturday, Jane and I tried to make the most out of the rest of her layover in Paris. We went to the Saturday market and to the Luxembourg Gardens. I took her to the Institut Catholique and then we spent the rest of our time (before we had to leave to get her to the bus) at the Louvre. The weather today has kind of been dreary, sprinkling on and off with hardly any sun in the sky. So after I said goodbye to Jane, I spent the rest of the night in the foyer.

It's crazy to think that November has arrived so quickly. I really appreciate all of the emails, chats, and real mail that you all have been sending me! (And of course the personal visits!!!) But, it's getting late, so I think I will end here! As you have read, I have a little bit of recovering to do from a hectic week! So, please enjoy these pictures, and check out facebook for the rest!

As always, thanks for reading!

Kelly and I waiting at Beauvais Airport, ready for Barcelona!

Stalking a peacock at the Barcelona Zoo (they were just walking around!)

Paella - mmmmm!!!

Sagrada Familia - it's HUGE

Just outside the Musée d'Orsay

Taking a break to enjoy Fall

Hanging out next to a big head

The open-air sculpture garden - my favorite place in the Louvre!