Two Words: Les Desserts

Dessert is one of my favorite things in the whole world, and I suppose one of the reasons I am having a fabulous time in Paris is because DESSERT IS EVERYWHERE!
The other day I made a cake with Sylvie-Anne. The recipe was really simple - two bars of dark chocolate, a cup of sugar, two sticks of butter, and six eggs. We had fun making it (I didn't tell her that one of my favorite things to do back home is to melt chocolate while baking) and it was honestly one of the best cakes I have ever had.
The next day I had class at the Louvre, so I went with some friends to check out this famous hot chocolate place that's right down the street called Angelina's. As soon as we stepped into this place, I felt like I was in heaven. There were little pâtisseries everywhere, and I wanted to try them all. We wound up ordering two hot chocolates, and they came in these little pitches so we could share them. They came with whipped cream, which was absolutely necessary because without the whipped cream it was basically just melted chocolate. I also ordered a dessert called a Choc Africain that was made with very high-quality African chocolate, and a chocolate eclair. I know when people come to visit me, this will be one of the first places we will go!

For class on Thursday we went to a medieval building which has been turned into a museum of the middle ages. There were so many things to look at, but I had two favorites. The first were the original stone figures from Notre Dame. If you look at pictures of the cathedral from the front, you can see the 12 disciples on the front door. The original stone pieces had to be removed after they were vandalized. The second were the stained glass windows, most of which were from the 12th and 13th centuries. I have always admired stained glass windows (in French, les vitraux), and the ones in the museum were so old and so beautiful that I decided to do my project for this class on stained glass windows in the middle ages. Other things we got to see included tapestries, armor, and ivory sculptures.

Yesterday we went to the Salon International de l'Agriculture, which is basically like a huge version of the Wisconsin State Fair. When we first got there I felt like a little kid because there was so much to see and so much to do - they had seven pavilions all with a different theme. We spent most of our time in the livestock pavilions, but we were also able to get wine, cheese, and beer samples, walk through gardens, and explore the food in the different regions of France. We had so much fun, and it was nice to be outside on a day where the temperature was warm and the sun was peeking through the clouds!

One of the coolest things about Paris is that there is ALWAYS something to do. I can't believe how busy I've been, and I'm very grateful that I have made friends with a group of girls who are also interested in getting as much as they can out of this whole experience.

Phish...in Paris?

It's been pretty dreary in Paris lately - if it's not raining, it's cloudy, and I haven't seen the sun for at least four days. The other day I was getting ready to go to the Louvre with some friends and I realized that the weather had put me into some sort of rut. As I left my apartment and headed to the nearest métro stop, I realized that what I needed more than coffee or a pain au chocolat to get me feeling better was a dose of pure, unadulterated funk.
So I whipped out my iPod and put on my favorite rainy day album - The Story of the Ghost. Suddenly, Paris was an entirely different city. It was like everyone on the street was grooving to The Moma Dance - even the businessmen looked like jive-ass turkeys (thanks, Trevor, for teaching me that term). And I finally got the bounce back in my step. Lesson learned? The only way to get yourself out of a funk, no matter where you are, is to dive head-on into some more funk.
That's not to say that I haven't been keeping myself busy - I've only been in Paris for a week and a half and I've already been able to cross nine things off my "TO DO IN EUROPE" list. The ones I haven't already written about are:

Go to the Louvre: Even though I have already been to this palace-turned-museum, it was wonderful to be able to be there of my own accord and to be able to spend as much time there as I wanted.
Go to the Chocolate Museum: Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to eating, chocolate is in my top three. At the Chocolate Museum, I learned about the history of chocolate (did you know that some ancient civilizations actually worshiped a chocolate goddess?), tasted a variety of chocolate samples, and saw a demonstration on how chocolate is made.


See a French Movie: My new friend Keri and I went to see a French romantic comedy called La Chance de ma Vie. Even though it was a little confusing at the end, it was cute and it was nice to be inside on a rainy day. It was also a great way to get more exposure to the French language!

Visit the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres: Chartres is a charming little town about an hour and a half outside of Paris (depending on the traffic) where the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres is located. We took a day trip there yesterday and we actually got a guided visit with Malcom Miller, a legendary Chartres historian who has been giving tours of the cathedral for 53 years. He has also written several books on the subject. The cathedral is actually the most well-preserved Gothic cathedral in all of Europe, and they claim to have the tunic that Mary was wearing when she gave birth to Jesus. Even though it was foggy and cold, it was truly amazing to go to a place where so many pilgrimages have been made for centuries!


Go to the Centre Pompidou: The Centre Pompidou is a modern art museum in Paris. The Building itself is a statement in modern art, and it's so big that I will probably have to go back two or three times to be able to see every floor (luckily it's free for residents under 25).

"It is actually a sin to eat this cheese."

I had my orientation and oral placement test at the ILCF yesterday. The campus is beautiful! It's nestled back in a little courtyard, and there is a garden that is green year-round. My placement test went well, and I'll be taking three classes at the ILCF. Two are language classes and one is a cinema class. The ILCF is a branch of the IC - the Institut Catholique - that was founded in 1875. Apparently it was mainly used as a school for those who wanted to be nuns or priests. They have a beautiful chapel there which was the first chapel in France to have a dome. The ILCF was founded later on and is specifically designed for students from other countries to come and learn French. I am excited for my classes to start next week, and hopefully I will be able to meet some students from places other than the United States!


This morning we got up early and decided to go to the Catacombs (Les Catacombes in French)! They are actually a series of tunnels that run underneath the city of Paris, and they serve as an ossuary (a place to keep bones). They were built at the end of the 18th century, during a period of extensive urban development.
Because you can get lost down in the tunnels, we decided to go through the Catacombs of Paris Museum, which was very inexpensive. There were also several paths blocked off with gates so that there was a clear pathway through one section of the tunnels. In this section we got to see the Port-Mahon corridor, where there are several sculptures carved into the walls of the quarry by a quarryman named Décure. My pictures of the sculptures didn't turn out, but they were truly amazing.
When we got to the entrance of the ossuary, there was an eerie sign that read, Arrête! c’est ici l’empire de la mort. In English, it means, "Stop! This is the empire of death." Even though it was really interesting and it was one of the things I really wanted to see, it was still incredibly creepy! For some reason it was extremely humid, and there were lots of drips coming from the ceilings of the tunnels. I actually stepped into a huge puddle.
Here are some other pictures I took:Tonight for dinner at my host family's house we had some curried chicken and rice. We also had a cheese that Sylvie-Anne told me was her favorite. Jacques told me that eating it is a temptation because "it is actually a sin to eat this cheese." It was definitely as good as they said it was - I ate so much of it! And of course nothing is better than a great cheese with a French baguette.
They also paid me a great compliment this evening - they said that I had the very French quality of having good taste in everything!

Do as the French do

Yesterday was the first day that we didn't have orientation, so we decided to get up early and meet under the Eiffel Tower. After talking to my host family, I decided to walk because they said it was supposed to be very nice out. I am so glad I did because the neighborhood I live in is quite charming. I live very close to the Trocadéro, which is a little area with a market and several shops and museums. I also got to see the most stunning view of the Eiffel Tower from the steps of the Palais de Chaillot as the sun was rising. I saw a girl waiting on the same steps, holding a rose. I wonder who she was meeting.


After meeting at the Eiffel Tower, we wanted to find a museum to go to, but none were open yet so we decided to go to the Aquarium at the Trocadéro. It was a little expensive but it was totally worth it and we had the best time! There was a giant koi pond with a "No Swimming" sign that I thought was hilarious, and we also found a room with a green screen where they were playing Beach Boys songs sung in French lyrics. We were having fun dancing and singing until we remembered that the people walking by could see us.


I had to meet with a professor named Madame Beauvy at Fénelon Sainte-Marie (a private school in the 8th arrondissement) at 1:00 for my internship. I was nervous at first, but then I found out that I will be responsible for preparing presentations in English and, let's be honest, I'm VERY good at talking in English. The neighborhood surrounding the school is very quiet and it almost seems like it doesn't belong in Paris. There is a beautiful church down the street from Fénelon called Saint Augustin. I am looking forward to having some time to explore this quaint area of town.
When my meeting was over, we took the metro to Père Lachaise, a famous cemetery where Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, and many other famous people are buried. We went around 3:00, and the light in the cemetery was beautiful because the sun had just begun to set. Even though I had gone there in high school, it was different seeing it by myself because I had more time to spend looking at the graves. I was excited to see the graves of Eloïse et Abélard. There's something about starcrossed lovers that has always intrigued me.


When I got back to my host family's house, I got to meet their daughter Alix who is home for the weekend. She invited me out to dinner tonight with some of her friends. I think it will be intimidating, but I am excited about going.
After eating dinner with them, I took the metro to La Bastille to meet up with the girls, where we sat on the steps of l’Opéra and drank wine. We were having a wonderful time until a group of guys came up to us and started asking our names and trying to give us their phone numbers. When it became clear that they weren't going to leave us alone, I asked what the French word for "STD" was. When even that didn't work, Meredith and I started singing "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas very loudly. It was a pretty funny experience.
This morning we took a boat ride on the Seine, which was actually pretty miserable because it was cold, damp, and windy. We did, however, get to eat lunch at a famous restaurant, Le Grand Colbert, and it was already paid for! I had mussel soup, a beef roast with puréed potatoes, and chocolate mousse. It was one of the best meals of my life.


It's exciting to me that I am starting to get an idea of how the Parisians live. One of the most thrilling things so far is being able to take the metro and actually getting to where I was trying to go! I have also been eating some wonderful food (apples, baguettes, toast with Camembert, pain au chocolat, and quiche)! I'm not sure that I'm experiencing any culture shock, except for with one thing: the shower. If you have never used a French shower before, you might be in for a shock as well. The shower head is actually attached to the faucet, and there is no place to hang it so that it will be above your head. I have had to get used to "showering" by crouching down under the faucet so that the water will actually spray on me. There is no shower curtain, so if I stand up and hold it above my head, it basically floods the bathroom. I have been trying to think of a creative way to adapt, but so far nothing has worked.

If you worry about everything, you'll miss everything

Yesterday was a VERY long day. Not only was I extremely jet lagged (I woke up in the middle of the night thinking it was almost time to get up when it was really only 12:30 - and then I couldn't fall asleep for another three hours!), but I also had two different orientations at the Accent center. The first was a general orientation where a staff member talked to us about our agenda for the next four months (I will have a busy schedule!), some safety issues, and just living in Paris in general. The second was our home stay orientation, which was lead by the home stay coordinator, Jim. At first I was nervous - he told us that the apartments would be cold and small, and that our host families might not be very friendly at first. He did, however, give us some good advice: (1) everything in France is different and a closed mind learns nothing (something I have had to remind myself of several times today); (2) keep in mind that you are a guest, not only in your home stay but in Paris as well; (3) keep your sense of humor activated and laugh, especially at yourself because mistakes will be made. I wrote these things down in three different places because I think they will help me get through my four months here.
After the orientation we had lunch at a restaurant that was attached to a Tabac (a weird little French store where they sell phone cards, metro passes, cigarettes, and other small things). Then I had to return to the hotel so that a taxi could pick me up and take me to my host family's house.
Despite my worries, I LOVE my host family! They are Monsieur et Madame de Panisse (Jacques et Sylvie-Anne) and they live in the 16th arrondissement. Their apartment is HUGE (even by American standards) and luckily it's very warm.


Jacques works at a bank, although I'm not sure what he does. He told me that he likes wine, chocolate, and rum. Sylvie-Anne volunteers for people with AIDS (in French it's called SIDA). She loves to hunt and she actually took third place in a national hunting championship. They have three children, all of whom are either in college or graduated from college. One of their daughters, Alex, is coming home for the weekend. She is also 22, so I'm hoping that we get along!
For dinner we had pheasant (that Sylvie-Anne shot!) cooked in white wine sauce and served with rice. They bought a nice bottle of wine, called Mercurey, and they were glad that I liked it. We talked a lot, and I was happy that we were actually finding things to talk about. This is the first time they are having an exchange student, and I could tell they were really excited that I was there.
Also, I can see the Eiffel Tower from the living room.
This morning I had to take the métro by myself to the Accent center. I think Jacques could tell I was feeling nervous because he gave me some great advice at breakfast. He said, "Listen, have your eyes wide open, and watch. Don't worry - if you worry about everything, you'll miss everything." I thought it was very nice of him to reach out to me like that.

After going to the Accent center for a brief orientation on classes, we were free to do what we pleased for the rest of the day. Some of us wanted to explore the city, so we walked past the Gare de Lyon (a HUGE train station) and down to the village of Bercy. In Bercy there is an amazing park where we spent most of the afternoon. We even found a little hobbit hole!

When we decided it was time to eat dinner, we found a cute little pub called Le Frog. I didn't write down the French names for everything, but I had cheese walnut bread, onion beignets, and (of all things) nachos. I also had a beer made with ginger, and a piece of crème brulée cheesecake. It was all very delicious.
I have nothing planned until Saturday, so we will see what adventures tomorrow will bring!

Je suis une parisienne - for real!

I can finally say it - I LIVE IN PARIS! - although it has all been quite surreal and there have been moments where I have actually forgotten that I'm not in Wisconsin anymore.
The flight took about seven and a half hours, but it went rather smoothly. Luckily there were four other girls from the program on the same flight, and I think it helped to make the time pass more quickly. Charles de Gaulle wasn't very busy, but it was still hard to function because I was so exhausted from being on the plane.
As the five of us were standing around waiting for our driver (one of the girl's moms had arranged for a car to pick us up so that we wouldn't have to pay for a cab) we started talking about how we all needed a shower after being on a plane for so long. I'm not sure if what happened next happened because we were severely jet lagged or simply because it's inherently funny, but somehow we wound up laughing about how the French word for "shower" is douche. So there we were, in the middle of one of the busiest airports in Europe, saying things like, "Takin' a douche," and, "Could you point me in the direction of the nearest douche?" I don't think we could have made it any more obvious that we were American. I personally feel that it speaks to our superior maturity levels.
The ride from Charles de Gaulle was weird in the sense that France, from the freeway, doesn't really look all that different from Wisconsin, although the lack of mountainous snow piles helps.
After checking in with the Accent center (the organization that has put together the whole program), we had to drag our luggage over to our hotel. There are about fifteen girls from Milwaukee and Madison, so you can imagine the scene we caused trying to get our bags and suitcases up the tiny spiral staircase.
Once we had gotten settled, Adrien from Accent came to take us on a short walking tour of the neighborhood. After that, we were free to do whatever we wanted, so the five of us who were on the same flight went to this charming little crêperie, where I got une galette au fromage et jambon (a salty crêpe with cheese and ham) and a café crème. I couldn’t believe how delicious the crêpe was, and I ate the whole thing in about three minutes. The coffee was a life saver, and it was so good that I decided to have a second cup.


There are several things I've noticed about Paris that lead me to believe it could soon become my favorite city:
1. Rooftop gardens. Why don't we have more of these in Milwaukee?
2. Coffee shops. There is literally a place to get coffee on every corner in Paris. And it's good.
3. Florists. I think that for every coffee shop, there's a florist down the street. It gives the city some color and it smells wonderful!
4. Funny-looking cars. I want to drive one!

Although blending in has been one of my main concerns (not only because it makes you less of a target for pickpockets, but also because I think it will help me get better at speaking French), the girls have helped me to come to the conclusion that I'm allowed a two-week grace period in which I will be a tourist (taking excessive pictures, laughing too loudly, etc.). his includes taking a picture of every sign with the word douche on it. Needless to say, the phrase douche creation was used quite frequently throughout the remainder of our first night in Paris.
To finish the evening, we bought some baguettes, some camembert, and a few cans of Orangina and had a delicious late-night snack. Overall, I can't see how my first day in Paris could have turned out any better.
Tomorrow I get to meet my host family - I'm excited to see what they will be like. I hope they like me!