Paris Holds the Key to Her Heart...

DON'T call 911

2008-06-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

To all my wonderful blog readers, please do not panic. I have made it back to the US all safe and sound and have actually been here since the first of June. In trying to clear up the hazy blur that was my last two weeks, I can use the following phrases:

1. Crazy busy but lots of fun
2. Belgium: mussels in brussels (gross at best) but visions of chocolate covered waffles and a kid statue peeing on beligum itself - americans love it but the belgiums are not too fond of it!
3. test after test!
4. study hour after study hour!
5. shop shop shopping for gifts!
6. late night metro rides all on my preferred lonesome
7. fun nights out with my friends over the semester
8. meeting random strangers with whom I finally had the courage to speak in French!

And...that's about it.

I've been home for just under a month and am dealing with the torn feeling of wanting to be in Paris but yet happy to get back to a life of which I know the ins and outs.

However, I have to say, there's a change that I feel from over the semester. Suddenly, I don't want to be anyone but myself. I have suddenly fallen in love with the idea that I get to be whomever I want, I get to make my own decisions every waking moment of every day. I love being able to get up in the morning, decide to wear plaid and polkadots together and no one will ever be able to forcefully make me change (even though they should because that combination is awful!). It's a fantastically freeing idea, but for the larger decisions (believe me, my outfits are actually pretty low on my priority list in all honesty) there is a certain angst that has swept in. What will I do with my life? How will I live, survive on my own, especially in today's continually more expensive life? Hm. A wonderment no doubt.

For now, my overseas adventures live only in my heart. I no longer wake up to the angry Parisian drivers or the smell of bread. I no longer will be sitting in cafes on rainy days just to have a favorite cup of cafe creme. However, there is always the lingering scents I have tucked away in the corners of my brain that when almost imitated in my American life, trigger that nostalgic feeling which will bring me back to Rue La Fontaine. I shall always remember my host mother, Madame Poupon. I shall always remember the American who lived with us as well, Bonnie, but almost as importantly, I will always remember the person I once was in comparison to the person I have become and whom I dream of becoming.

'Til next time.
Molly

PICTURES!

2008-05-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

For all of you that were sitting there waiting for me to post pictures on my blog, I have to make a very sincere apology. I lied. I just have too many to go through to figure out what I'm posting and what I won't. I want to post everything, but that'll take about a month, so I'm sorry. You'll just have to wait utnil I return and we are in the same part of the world to show you.

Take care!
Molly

P.S. However, to rectify this gros lie, (big in french, not gross) I will eventually be getting a picture of Madame and I together and will post that. That I promise you!

2008-05-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

I realize that's it's been some time since I've written on my blog and actually, a lot of time has passed since I was on my spring break, but I think something needs to be said about the week I spent in Italy! My first stop was Rome and it was awesome! Bonnie and I stayed in the same hostel so we were able to plan our evenings out together, spend the days together, and that was fantastic! She had gotten there a day before me, so she had already seen the Sistene Chapel, but we ended up going to Vatican city and saw Pope John Paul II's burial. How neat! No photos were allowed and I grudgingly responded with the proper holy respect they demand. But how are my grandchildren going to believe that I was there? Oh my gosh! In any case, it was really cool, but as is usual at this time of year in Europe, very hot. I have found the only cure for this hotness is gellato. Oh darn. I think I gained about 10 pounds in eating gellato alone, not to mention I had tons of pasta and bread (PS Bread in italy = definitely not as good as in Paris...). But in all seriousness, gellato is soooo good. Mmm. Anyway, Bonnie and I only had one day together before she went to Florence a day before me, so we made the most of it as possible. Another mutual friend of ours, Cesar, was in Rome during the same time and just happened to be in the same hostel, so he, Bonnie, and I all went out to dinner Sunday night and then found a 5 Euro mojito bar which was absolutely fantastic! The heat of the night was cooled by the deliscious minty drink and Bonnie, Cesar and I had a wonderful time laughing and talking about life.

The next day, I was by myself so I did as many of the touristy things I could before leaving for Florence. The one thing I wanted to see in Rome was the Sistene Chapel and that for sure happened. I MAY or may not have taken a couple of illegal pictures there and luckily got a great shot of the reaching fingers between God and the first man (I think that's what it's all about at least). However, the pictures will never ever capture the beaty and awe-inspiring painting that is the Sistene Chapel. Michaelangelo had amazing techniques that are probably ahead of his time. Amazing! I kept staring up at the ceiling and felt like I was being pulled towards it. The shadowing and the 3D look of the painting is just stunning. Kudos, Mikey, kudos!

The train ride from Rome to Florence was absolutely stunning. The beautiful hills were covered in trees and the sun was beaming down just in the right way to make it look as though I was seeing flashes of heaven rather than any place on Earth.

Florence was a little less touristy and a little more homey. I saw a lot of my friends from Ripon who I hadn't seen since they came to see me in Paris. It was really great to see them. We caught up about things in life and got to find out future summer plans, future life plans and general life dreams. It was great! Sarah and I walked up to Piazalla (sp?) Michaelangelo where there is a beautiful church and the bronze version of David, which pretty big, but I've heard that the real one is bigger. The reason I say I have heard that the real version is bigger is because I actually never got to see it. The dull day that I was there was May 1 and everything closes on the first of May for some unknown European holiday (there are a lot come May and I think it's the European way to take a day off of work personally) so I wasn't able to have a chance to see it until the following day, morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't really thinking about how huge a thing it is to see the David, so there was a HUGE line. I didn't have the time to be waiting there because I had to catch my plane in Pisa, but I suppose not having seeing the David is a way to promise myself that I will return to see it.

Sarah came with me to Pisa and we had the mandatory dose of gellato and then set off to find the Leaning Tower. Finally.....we found it. When I think about the path we took to get there, it was definitely not direct. But that's okay. We had no map, and I don't speak Italian so my inhibitions were definitely down about asking for directions. There's nothing like being TRULY pinned as an outsider (though I imagine my huuuuge backpack gave them a hint about it too).

The tower was DEFINITELY leaning. Sarah and I plopped ourselves down in the grass surrounding the tower and took some cliche pictures of me holding the tower up, her kicking the tower, etc. Twas merry and joyous.

My flight back to Paris was pretty uneventful, but I have to admit that hearing a language I understood showed me how much progress I've really been making while I've been in Paris in terms of my fluency. It was great to be able to turn to the person next to me and politely ask when we were supposed to be landing and him understanding me, no problems. Fun, fun fun!

My spring break was fantastic overall. I couldn't have asked for better hostels, I couldn't have asked for better people to meet, or sights to have been seen. I couldn't ask for better flight times or better adventures. I am content in the two weeks I spent outside of Paris and it's definitely a trip I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

From Dublin to Italy

2008-04-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

The second full day in Dublin was crazy fun! I walked around most of Dublin and saw Dublinia, which is a Rennaisance looking part of Dublin. They had some cool little jewelery boutiques and craft stands, so it was great! I was still very amused at this point by the cars-on-the-other-side-of-the-road thing, except for the moments when I still didn't QUITE look in the right direction, so I nearly became squashed on the road.

Around 1 I went to the Guiness factory well-fed, knowing that there would be free pint at the end of the tour (you know, after you paid the gazillion to get in...I would HOPE there would be something free at the end). The factory was actually really interesting. I now know what's in beer- barley, water, hops and yeast. However, I think, thought I can't be sure...but I think the factory had a bit of a bias when they said that their beer was the best brewed...it was gross. Sooooo, basically, I paid money to see a factory of a beer I don't even like. Weird. It was pretty cool anyway.

However, what WAS really neat was that I met an old retired couple up in the Galaxy room (where the pints were being served) who is from Minnesota. Not only that, but they knew and had been to Eagle River!! Here I was standing in Dublin talking about Highway 8 and heading north through Rhinelander. It was fantastic. They were so fun and very good conversationalists. The husband also confessed to me that he was no Guiness fan so we shared in a laugh about having paid to have a free glass of something we don't even like!

On my way out of the factory, you won't believe who I met up with! Brad Pitt!! Okay, that's a lie, but I think the real answer is better - I saw the group of 8 Italians who were riding on the Paddywagon tour yesterday. They were saying "Hey!! Ciao!" in their crazy Italian way and I ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the day. After a few more hours hanging around in the brewery, the Italians and I all walked towards the center of Dublin, went to Starbucks, had dinner, and by then, they were going to catch a taxi to the airport really early in the morning for their flight. I was sad to see them go, but they are for sure my favorite social memory of my 2 week adventure.

I said goodbye to Dublin with both a heavy heart, but with a looot of excitement at what was ahead. ITALY!!!

...then I got there. Everyone spoke Italian!! And being a French major really didn't help. However, apart from the language barrier, Rome and Florence both have been amazing.

In Rome, I saw the Vatican (more importantly, John Paul II's tomb), the Sistene Chapel and then I went to the Coloseum. The Sistene chapel was more amazing than I could have ever imagined and I think that God will forgive the three pictures I snuck regardless of the "NOOO PHOOTOOS" being shouted by the guards there. I know...I'm a true sinner.

The Coloseum was absolutely amazing! I kept pinching myself, saying "Wow, this is where the Roman games were! That's crazy!" Overall, it was really cool. I will be posting my pictures as soon as I get back to Paris, so I think I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.

I took a train from Rome to Florence and I am not feeling a little curious about the security of European trains. There was no one to take my ticket, no one to tell me where my seat was like there was in Paris. I suppose I should have just not bought a ticket at all and just hopped on regardless!!! I asked the woman across from me if there was any sort of security person, and she said that there was one that came through during the ride. However, what are they going to do with someone that doesn't have a ticket? Throw them off a speeding train? Hm....

However, the trainride was absolutely gorgeous. The clouds in the sky were perfectly filtering the sunlight coming through and shedding light across the mountainous hills on the horizon. It was just gorgeous. Unfortunately, I was so tired that I missed a lot of it, but the glimpses that I had were quite amazing.

Yesterday, I met up with some of the Ripon students studying in Florence and we had a picnic in the park. It was fantastic - the food, the company, the wine and even the weather.

Today I plan to see theeee David, but for the most part, I just want to do a little more relaxing than sightseeing. I wouldn't say I'm burned out...but...

These past couple of days in Italy have been wonderful, but there is a sinking homesick feeling that I was starting to face. My clothes are ragged, my body hurts from walking everywhere, I don't truly have a place to call home, and the money draining from my wallet is actually starting to get to me. However, I will be back in Paris tomorrow night, so I'm going to live it up as much as possible!!!

Well, as the Italians say, Ciao bella!

Au revoir! Until next time!

Paddy Hell-on-Wheels

2008-04-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already Friday! I've been having a whirlwind of fun, especially traveling offically on my own to Dublin. I met people on the plane, in the airport, and I've been finding myself very comfortable with the people in my hostel.

I landed in Dublin just yesterday and finally found the hostel after asking not only another hostel (in poor taste? not sure, don't care...) but some other people on the street where the location was. After going around in circles for a while, I found it (the biiiiig reeeed banners gave away its location and I was feeling a little foolish). Check in was a breeze and I was feeling good. No one was in the room when I got there, so I decided to boldy go to the kitchen and meet some people.

...everyone was speaking French...

There was a group of teenagers and their chaperones in the hostel last night from France and it was really fun being able to talk with some of them, mostly their chaperones, not the crazy teenagers.

In any case, I met a girl named Maudelaine from Montreal (that's in Canada!) and she and I went to a grocery store down the street for dinner fixings. I was pretty hungry (ps, don't ever go shopping when you're hungry) so I got pasta, pesta sauce, yogurt, veggies, fruit and other assortments of food. Needless to say, I cooked a verrry mean plate of pasta for myself even Italians would be slobbering over.

Last night, I went out with a couple of French girls from the Lyon area and another guy from Germany (poor guy - not understanding much French) to a really famous bar called Temple Bar. It was fabulous. Smoky, but fabulous. The girls were sooo much fun - really outgoing and it was nice just to be myself. I had to be up by 6:00 this morning to go to a tour of the cliffs of Moher (prounounced more) so the late night was simply not the responsible choice, but it was what I will not refer to as the "holiday" choice. I did it because I'm on vacation.

In any case, the Paddywagon tour to cliffs of Moher was reeeeaaaallly early this morning, but I made it there on time. The cliffs themselves were amazingly beautiful, breathtaking and it was soooo neat to FINALLY see the ocean. Sad that I had to see it from the European side rather than the United States side, but I'm not judging.

However, the bus driver was crazy. We had a bus that was (apparently) big enough to hold a significant amount of people but juuuuuust little enough for the driver to think that it was meant for off-roading. Going over little bumps felt like mountains, and he seemed to be going well over the speed limit. It shouldn't be called Paddywagon but Paddy Hell-on-Wheels. "We shake life up". Anyway, I was feeling pretty nauseous for a lot of the ride, and was in some ways thinking the money I spent for the trip wasn't really living up to the hype, but that's okay. It was still an experience...

On the bus, I met a girl named Christine who was pretty neat. She's a conservation major at River Falls in Wisconsin and it was fun to see her excited about all the natural land forms we were seeing today.. On the ride back, I was paired up with a girl from Italy and she spoke broken English. She was very funny and was teaching me a little bit of Italian. Am now in love with languages and am thinking French will not suffice.

I think I have decided what I want to be for the rest of my life.. : a student.

Tomorrow I plan to see Dublin by foot as it is both at my pace of sight-seeing, WON'T be another bus, and is FREE! :) Later in the afternoon, I will be going to the Guiness factory that I've heard a lot of good things about. Not only will I be able to have a taste of the delightful brew, but I will also they have a 360 degree window of the view of Dublin, so I'll be able to take some pretty cool pictures, providing the weather doesn't stink as it has in both Scotland and Ireland since I've been here.

Not much more to say except that I'm really happy. It seems I have a new lease on life in the fact that I'm loving it over and over again seemingly every minute. Meeting new people, even if I know they're only going to be in my life for a day, an evening, a few hours, feels so incredible. It is fun to swap stories and laugh about traveling adventures. But for now, I'm going to go off and start creating some more.

Take care all and I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy!

Love, love, love,
Molly

Bonnie Scotland!

2008-04-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

My adventures getting to Scotland were a little interesting. In the airport, they almost didn't let me get on the plane. Awesome. The lady checking passports said that I would first have to go to the alien office in France to be able to travel out of Germany. Now, I'm no scientist, but wouldn't I have to first get on a plane to France to get to this alien office that I truly didn't have to go to in order to get the "correct" visa. Was a little bit ridiculous. I was going to say to her, "Would it help if my associate, Mr. Five Euro, had a conversation with you?" but I'm not sure that would have helped my situation. Oh well. Finally got on a plane and was off to Edinburgh...again, pronounced Edinburah, not Edinberg.

The bus ride from the airport to the bus transfer station and then that bus ride to St. Andrews was pretty uneventful, but if anything, absolutely gorgeous. The hillside of Scotland was breathtaking and I had arrived on a very sunny day for Scotland. It was one of those days where the sun casts shadows of the clouds on the ground. Just wonderful. I was even able to successfully take some pictures from the bus, which made me think that I should totally work for National Geographic. I would have the best of two worls - traveling and taking pictures. I could do that. I think I could.

In any case, there are a few things about Scotland that I noticed right away. As I was looking out of the bus window, I looked down at a woman in her car. First of all, she was drinking something from McDonalds...sigh...but then grabbing for something infront of her. The steering wheel. But wait, she was sitting on the right side of the car. Oh my gosh - do the other people know about this?.... Wait a tick...

They drive on the other side of the road!!! When I realized the no one else was panicked about this, I remained calm, but there was a period of time when I thought maybe I should let someone know.

There are a lot of other things that the UK doesn't actually paticipate in..such as the Euro or the seasonal time changes. I didn't countries were saying no to that. I think the US should rebel too. Sigh.

In any case, I finally arrived in St. Andrews. I was looking at the local map in the bus station to get myself acquainted with the city and a gentleman came up to me and said,

"Gibber jabber blarney blunder."
"Um, excuse me?"
"Aye! Gibber jabber blarnez blunder!"
"I'm sorry, I can't understand you."
At this point, someone came up to the both of us and traslated for me. "He's asking you if you need some help."

"Yeah! I need some freakin' help! I need a translator!" Wow...I was NOT prepared the language barrier in my native language. Wow.

Finally got to my hostel and was greeted by a friendly staff member. The place is painted real nice, it feels clean and generally was feeling good at that point. I hadn't taken a shower since a few days before that, so I decided a nice long hot shower would feel reallllly good.

The shower was awful. First of all, there's a shower within a stall much like a toilet stall so that you can have a little privacy while showering, undress, etc. However, the door opens in and I had to *fwoop* suck it in to close the door. Awesome. The floor was made of fake wood floorboards and the nails were coming out of the floor. The water was warm, but the drain was clogged, so I had to turn off the water halfway through my shower out of fear that the shower would flood out of the stall not only all over the bathroom, but all over my nice clean clothes. Awesome.

Have officially decided to wait it out until Dublin to shower again. I will not remind you of what day that is but lets just say I might be a little more French in my BO for the next couple of days.

However, St. Andrews has made up for the questionable stay here. As a small town, I found myself very easily acquainted and feeling like it's nearly impossible to get lost. The town feels very midieval in it's architecture and there are a lot of quaint tourist shops that remind me of my wonderful hometown of Eagle River. It is a city populated majoritily (word?) by students, so it is a very friendly town. I smiled at a woman today and she smiled back. A good feeling in comparison to the dagger eyes I would have gotten from the usual Parisians.

Monday night, Bryan and I had dinner together in his kitchen and it was good to see where he's living, knowing he's safe. We had an amazing stir fry with rice and a honey chicken sauce (naturally without the chicken) and it...was...good. I left around 8:30 and with a long days travel behind me, I felt tired by 10 or 10:30 so I went to bed.

....for just a little while. A drunken Scot rolled into the hostel room and passed out in his bed only to commence the most horrible snoring I have ever heard. It was awful. This was about 1 am. His girlfriend came in a little later, yelling at him for waking up the entire room...I think it might have been her doing that though moreso than him. Oh well. Needless to say, my first night sleeping here was a little rough, but the hostel is still okay in my eyes.

Had been feeling really homesick for Paris and French in general yesterday and I think God heard my prayers because as I was cooking dinner at the hostel, a French family walked in. So I got to 'parler' a little 'francais'. Awesome. Also, a girl I had met at the Cologne airport, who was taking the same flight walked into the hostel yesterday as well, so I'm feeling both a small world feeling and very grateful to have had a familiar face. Her name is Hendrickje and she's from Germany. She speaks English very very well and French as well. She's living in Paris this semester, so she said we should get together once we return to the States. Very awesome!

Last night was fantastic. I went to a Scottish pub with Hendrickje, Bryan and a bunch of his friends. They were all really really nice. I had a dark beer (not bad, but very heavy) and then Bryan and I had some gooooood whiskey. I chewed it to get the most taste from it, and I was breathing fire. It was really good though. After the pub, his friends and I (Bryan left early because he needed to get up early in the morning) went to a place call KFB and I had my first deep fried snickers bar. Basically....it was heaven. I've never had a deep fried anything (to my recollection) but I'm pretty sure the amazingness is something I would have remembered experiencing. FAAAAntastic. I arrived back at the hostel to find everzone else in bed, sleeping...and the room was silent....no snoring. Sigh of relief.

Today I plan to go to the Botanical gardens and climb the tower. Should be a relatively cheap day, which I'm definitely excited for. Tomorrow I will be leaving really early to get to Edinburgh for the morning and spend a little time there before getting on my plane for Dublin. People I've met in the hostel have been telling me that I'm going to love Dublin, it's a great city. I sure hope they're right...

Peace!
Molly

Bonn was "bon"

2008-04-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

I finally had everything ready - my baggage, my passport (which is really the most important thing) and...well, my adventurous spirit. However, my adventures started before even leaving Paris.

I stopped at a Tabac (which is your Parisian newpaper stand, a place to get gum and postcards and they are scattered everywhere on the sidewalks here) to buy a calling card a friend recommended to me. The man said hello to me in English, suspecting I was an outsider (and rightly so with my baggage on my back), but I simply asked him in French. Before I could even finish my question, he responded "Oh, you speak French?"

"Oui."
"Are you Canadian?"
"No, I'm American."
"You're American and you speak French?"

He was impressed...and I was a little flattered, not going to lie. :)

Needless to say, things were really starting to seem wonderful and my day started off on a great language beat. Too bad they don't speak French in Germany. Sigh.

In any case, I husteld myself to the train station in a VERY excited fashion. I couldn't stop smiling on the metro - I think people thought I was a freak in all my happiness. I didn't care though; I was seeking my own adventures, and doing it all on my own - it was great. I had planned my own trip, made all my own arrangements. Now all I had to do was go!

The train ride to Cologne was pretty uneventful. I was sitting next to a French man, so I felt more at ease that there wouldn't be such a language barrier than if I was sitting next to someone who spoke German or Dutch...you know, in case of emergency. When the train started to go, emergency ensued. We were going backwards....backwards I say!! Actually....it was more or less that my seat was facing the other way, but I had a bit of a hard time with that, a little dizzying, a little nauseating, and I was sure glad to step on German soil and see Jon waiting for me almost exactly infront of the door I came out of. Thank goodness.

The first thing Jon and I did was walk around the streets of Cologne for about an hour or less just taking in the scenery, checking out the Dome, and generally catching up and having a good time. After a decent walk, we hopped on the train back to Bonn which was only about 20 minutes away. I was all pumped to try some German beer, but by the time we got to his room, he and I both decided that we were in the mood just to chill and stay in. Perfectly okay with me. He and I made dinner (MMMM) and had some wine. Fine dining if you ask me! (Thanks Jon)

Sunday was fantastic!! Jon and I headed out the door and did a walking tour of Bonn. He pointed out a lot of the historical hotspots and gave some really interesting background that I probably wouldn't be able to repeat for others simply because I don't know history as well as he does, but at the time, it was really interesting! :) I came on a really eventful weekend in Bonn. There was a marathon that cut through the entire city, so instead of being able to take 20 minutes to get somewhere, it ended up taking twice or thrice as long. Oh well; in the end, I saw more of Bonn than perhaps was planned, but I have no problems with that as it's a beautiful city. There is a lot more plantlife in Bonn than in Paris, which made me miss home (in the US) a little bit, but at the same time, I'm so happy here...soo, needless to say, it was a pretty shortlived emotion. :)

Lunch in Bonn was hardcore to say the least. Jon and I stopped at a cafe type place to have pizza, beer, and a baguette. Both were what Jon would describe as "man sized". We had beer and soup which were both good (even the beer...and I'm not normally a beer-drinker) and both took turns saying "This is soooo good." The food was really good. I don't even like swiss cheese, but for some reason, it tasted amazing on that sandwich. Mmmm. Let me take a moment to reminisce.

When the waitress came to collect our cash for the meal, I had a rather embarrassing moment. The waitress directed a question at me in German, and I looked at Jon in that "Help me, I'm ridiculously unprepared for this" kind of look. He translated for me, but the waitress was asking me another question, and all I could do was look from Jon to the waitress again. Finally, between Jon and I we communicated that, yes, I was finished with my meal. Oh man. Foolishness, just foolishness.

After lunch, Jon and I were soo full. So, naturally we got ice cream. :) I had a scoop of mint chocolate and another of chocolate. However, the "man-sized" cone it came in was alittle too much for me to handle, so Jon finished it off for me! You rock, Jon! Now feeling 10 pounds heavier, Jon and I made our way to some benches in a park area and watched people go by. As he and I both really like to people watch, the lazy afternoon was a perfect finish to spend the day before we headed back to dorm building. For dinner, Jon and I met up with some of the other students in his program (or at least other American students) and we had another fantastic meal. I just love the freshness of European food - the market, the freshly cooked vegetables in soup, the fresh salads. Oh man. I'm in heeavvveen. In any case, dinner was a very interesting experience for me because it was the second time a waitress came to the table and I had no idea what she was saying. Throughout dinner, I had been reminding myself of short German phrases like "Yes (ja)" and "No (nein)" but in the waitress' test, I failed miserably:

In English: "Was your meal good?"
Me...: Oui....

Holy crap.

As Jon once said "Everyone in Germany speaks German" and it's true. It was so hard to get used to listening to something and having absolutely no idea what they're saying. When I first got to France, I know my comprehension was low, but not understanding a word? It would be tough getting around without someone who could speak a little bit, especially when under pressure...hahaha.

Sunday night, Jon and I went to bed pretty late just hanging out in his room and having good conversation. I was sad to be leaving the next day, but was also very excited about going to a place where they speak my native language....kinda. (Scotland understands me but I can't seem to understand them)

Overall, I had a wonderful stay in Bonn (thanks Jon!) and was pleased to make it on the plane for Edinburgh (pronounced Edinburah, not Edinberg!!!)

Stay tuned for my Scottish adventures later!

Peace!
Molly

P.S. I will be posting pictures when I get back to France. Sorry for the wait, but it'll be easier that way! Thanks for the patience!

Explained pictures

2008-04-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

So, to the pleasure of many of the people out there who keep up with my parisien adventures, I have finally posted some pictures!! Unfortunately, none of them are of Madame Poupon herself, which has been the biggest request, but this week has been a little crazy, and I'm a little nervous about asking her simply because she doesn't seem to like being photographed. However, for her "petites filles" I think should do it!

Many of the pictures below are of my week with Kate. There are some of Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church on top of a hill in Paris, which as you can see is posed in a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky (the only one that week for Kate). There are other pictures of our adventures to (the freakin') chateau de versailles. I unfortunately couldn't take pictures until the chandelier room, but it was the biggest and brightest anyway, so pictures in the other rooms may not have turned out. The pictures of the cafe (inside and out) are of the café from Amélie (in France, the title is Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain by the way! That's a mouthful.).

Anyway, this is just a tidbit to some other adventures! Will probably be posting more later!

Au revoir!
Molly

Added Pictures...explanations to follow!

2008-04-11T06:30:00.001-07:00

Some metro sightings....

2008-03-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

Have been enjoying watching people on the metro (in a very non-creepy way mind you). Sometimes I try to imagine what their lives are like. For example, I saw a very Italian looking man with a gruffy beard and some rather worn clothes and I imagined he was heading to his family restaurant which, of course, was actually a front for the mob he runs. Needless to say, I had the Godfather theme music running through my head.

Overall, it's very hard to watch people though because everyone is watching everyone else, making sure that no one is actually watching them. It's quite the comical and viscious cycle and something I'll probably never forget about Paris. However, this morning on my way to classes, there was an amazingly sweet older lady sitting across from me. She pulled out a notebook from her purse (because real Parisiens don't actually wear backpacks like me) and reviewed some of her notes she had written. After about 5 minutes, she pushed that back in her purse and pulled a book to read. The expression on her face was near smiling and I couldn't help but feel a sense of connection to her in her seemingly happy aura. The "I'm Parisian and I hate life" expression that most people have plastered on their faces on the metro didn't seem to persuade this woman to change her expression and I was in awe. I smiled to myself and then got off at the next stop.

Tonight I will be going to choir practice at the American Church in Paris. They'll speak English, and most likely sing in English, so I'm hoping to make some friends or at least build a different connection to people other than through my group of peers in classes. The choir director seemed pretty welcoming and even went out of his way to e-mail me to see if I was still coming. It's the same sort of persistence that got me wanting to come to Ripon - perhaps there will be a similar feel in the people here as there is on campus as well.

Am still fighting what is either allergies or a cold. I'm starting to think it's more of a cold now because the course of time has really changed how I've been feeling. I've been having a balloon in my head for a couple of days (since Sunday or Saturday) but even today, I think I'm getting better. I think the 10 hours of sleep for the past couple of nights has really helped.

Speaking of sleep, I've been having a bit of a war with my pillow combinations but haven't quite worked up the courage to ask Madame for a different one. I have one flat pillow, one perfect sized pillow that's as hard as a rock, and then a pillow no man should ever use to sleep with out of fear of breaking their necks. It's rather comical, but only to the point before I realize it's starting to affect how I sleep. I'm not sure if all Parisians are walking around with stiff necks/backs (perhaps this could also explain the sour faces on the metro as well) but my body seems to be taking a toll.

In any case, I have to go to class soon, but I hope all is well with whoever has taken the time to read this blog. :)

A bientot!

Where has all the time gone?

2008-03-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already March! The first five weeks seemed to feel like ten, but this past week has all of a sudden felt like a day. It's insane!

Kate, my sister, came last Saturday and spent a week here while I was on vacation. I got to play tourist again and saw a lot of Paris that I haven't seen. While the city is very compact, there is SO much to do, see, taste, and smell. Kate and I hit up a lot of cafés during the day which got us nice and jolted for the rest of the day while we walked around and saw some great Parisian hotspots.

Here's a rough list of the things we saw and did:
1) Café des deux moulins: This is the café where Amelié works in the film "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulin" also known simply as "Amelie" in the States. Was very cool (but looked different) to be in a place I knew was filmed in a movie. Cool.

2) Sacre Coeur. This is a gorgeous church that sits up on a hill overlooking most of Paris. It was gorgeous! Kate and I also FINALLY figured out how to use the public outhouses that were available up there and in other parts of Paris, so now I don't have to wonder about that! We also sat on the steps and had lunch and then met these nice Parisian men who simply wanted to talk and didn't want to hit on us. It was fantastic. :) Found out one of them works at another part of the University of Paris, so perhaps if I ever get lost in that area, I'll be able to have a friend.

3) Centre Pompidou - This is a modern art museum, but we didn't spend a WHOLE lot of time here because Kate and I are both not very big art people. After saying "I don't get it" for about an hour in response to a lot of the artwork there, we ended up walking up and down the streets of Paris, enjoying the view and trying on berets. I actually don't look too bad in one!

4) Chateau de Versailles: After quite the adventure on the trains, including not understanding the overhead message saying "this train needs to be emptied. The line is ending here", we finally arrived at the Chateau de Versailles, home of Louis XIV. It was pretty fascinating to see such a luxuriously decorated house. The gardens that you can look out over were gorgeous as well, but the day was extremely windy and cold, so we didn't end up walking around too much. Oh well. It was still worth it!

There are other things I'm sure I'm leaving out, but overall, it was a fantastic week! I'm exhausted now...being on vacation is hard! I need a vacation from my vacation!

Well, that's all for now. I will try to post more often to keep those of you who read my blog posted.

Take care! Hope this post finds you well.
Molly

Some Parisian hotspots...

2008-02-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pictures that have made me feel a bit like a tourist - but when you're in Paris and surrounded by History, it's almost impossible to avoid getting sucked into its beauty. Enjoy!

Above is a picture of the Notre Dame. Above that are some of its internal workings.

This is me at Palais de L'Elysee (which, for those of you who knew about the plays I was in - it was the place my character was trying to trick the guards into entering...)

Bonnie and I in the gardens at le Petit Palais

This is me infront of le Petit Palais!

Here's one most people already know without note, but it's the EIFFEL TOWER!! YAY!

L'arc de triomphe

A little visual tour...

2008-01-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

While we can all imagine what it is like to wear someone else's shoes, I decided to show personally where I'm living.

One of the cool things about Europe is their different setup of bathroom stuff. In Mme Poupon's apartment, the toilet (sorry about the neck tilt) and the shower room are two different places. It's not me turning around to take a picture of a different part of the bathroom.

Third is the living room - quite nice actually. There are HUGE paintings on the wall of Napolean's return from the war. He seems to be quite the hero here :)

Here is a picture of the kitchen. You will have to crick your neck to the left, sorry about that! She's a very tiny older woman, so she fits perfectly but I'm finding my American and clumsy hips to sometimes be a problem. It's a bit of a squeeeze.

Here is my room, with a balcony and just about as clean and tidy as it will be for the next four months. Well, in all seriousness, I don't spend enough time in this room to get much more untidy than this, so I'm not too worried about it getting messy.

And that's the apartment. There is another room for my roommate (or flatmate?) but I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate me just going in there and posting pictures of her place of residence. We have, after all, just met. :)

Will update with more adventures (and probably pictures) later. I do have quite a few already of the Eiffel Tower (yeah, yeah, I know, how American of me) that I would like to share, so those will be posted soon.

A Bientot!! Bisous!

Does anyone have any Grey Poupon??

2008-01-26T00:18:00.000-08:00

I have safely arrived in Paris and will be moving in with my host family today. I am still jetlagged, so quite tired today, but am still very excited about everything I'm seeing, learning, and experiencing. The directrice of the program - Madame Schneersohn - has been so very helpful with all problems and concerns and has been making sure we are fed plenty of good wine, cheese, and fruit tart.

I had my first café au lait yesterday with my roommate and it was wonderful. I could speak as much as I needed to for the waiter to understand, and it was absolutely one of the coolest feelings to be able to feel like I'm starting to fit in. Being American is not nearly as hard as most people think it is - as many French people (I think) are simply happy to see that I'm trying my best and being polite in the process.

I will keep you posted later! I must be going!

Au revoir et avez-vous une bonne jounée!

Pre-flight jitters

2008-01-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

Though I haven't set foot in Paris yet, I can feel my excitement (and nerves) growing steadily. My mom and I have successfully gotten my passport signed, which is a fantastic feeling considering the angst in paperwork we had experienced prior to our drive to Chicago.

I have already been reassured by many people who have traveled abroad and been to Paris that I will have an experience of a lifetime. I'm sure living with a host family and taking classes that are specific to learning more about French as a language will make the experience all the more memorable.

Wish me luck!!