Some of my favorites...

 Now that my first month in Paris is over, I thought I would post just some of my personal favorite photographs that I have taken thus far. Let me know what you think!

Fall Break

So it's coming time to plan my fall break. We get a week off of school to go and do whatever we wish, and I've been contemplating exactly what I want to do. I finally talked to my roommate Megan about what her plans were and she told me her sister was flying in and they would be going to 4 different countries via train. She invited me to go with them and I'm seriously considering it. It seems like the most affordable option, and even though it's a little bit more than I feel comfortable spending I feel like this is the only chance in my life that I will be able to do this. I feel like I need to just buck up and pay the money and go explore Europe for a week.
We have decided we are going to buy the 5 country Eurail pass and visit Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, and Munich. We will stay in hostels and just explore each country when we get there. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with friends along the way, otherwise it's going to just be us in these wonderful cities!

I hope it all works out and it looks like this week I will be booking all my accommodations. Thank goodness for the good ol' credit card :)

Days Wasted

Well, yet another week where nothing happened. I didn't go anywhere or do anything, and this weekend is proving to be much in the same. I've been sick all week, and while my doctor prescribed more medicine it doesn't seem to be working. I'm the type of person who hates taking medicine anyway and now I'm on 4 different types, an emergency goo like substance, and routinely taking Tylenol PM to help me sleep through the nights. I'm beginning to think that it's more than just mono affecting my body. I am thinking about going back to the doctor's and getting more tests done, because I know that something is seriously wrong and I want to find out what it is.

This weekend already has been filled with gorgeous weather, and many opportunities to explore the city, yet every time I get out of bed a pain rushes throughout my entire body. Eating has become really difficult and I can't keep the food down that I manage to put into my body. My head pulsates and my throat is scratchy. I watch as my roommates get ready to go out to the clubs, or out to explore the day in the most beautiful city in the world, and I have to explain to them once again that I'm too sick to leave my bed.

This morning I thought I would just go to lunch with them, that would be my one activity for the day. I woke up, took a shower and got ready. I felt the need to lay down, and I passed out for almost 2 hours. When I woke up my body once again felt as though I had been beaten down and I could barely stand up straight.

I hate feeling like this, but I hate even more than there is no one here to take care of me. That I feel completely isolated and alone, and I feel like no one else understands how much pain I'm in. Ugh. 83 days until I'm home, just 83 more days.

Excuses, Excuses

I am sorry that I haven't been posting this past week, but I feel like I have a valid excuse! My mono has been flaring up really bad and have basically been in bed all week. I went to see the doctor and got more blood work done, which came back today. Apparently my mono has not gotten any better and is full-fledged attacking my system. My doctor is having me come back tomorrow so we can discuss my options. My program director (who spoke to my doctor on the phone) told me that the doctor is extremely worried about my health and that the stress of school, homework, and being in a new city is really taking a toll on my body. Apparently this news spread pretty quickly through the staff at my school because later in the day my French teacher came up to me and told me that if I ever needed to leave class early because I felt sick, she would understand. It's nice that everyone is so caring, and concerned, so now it's up to me to try and take it easy and attempt to get better. It's extremely difficult when I want to go hang out in this new city and explore all the time, especially on the weekends. The other hard part is that mono lowers your immune system and right now I'm being exposed to new germs and things in Paris so hopefully I don't get even more sick.

On to more exciting news!!!!!!

This weekend was insane (yes I know I just got done filling you in about how sick I am, but hey what can I say...I needed some fun)!!!! My best friend from Theta, who is studying abroad in Torino Italy, flew down to spend the weekend in my city! I met her at around 930 on Friday morning and we did all the sites!

 We started our day at the Eiffel Tower, enjoying what is probably one of the most recognizable structure in the world.

Then we hiked to the top of the Arc de Triomphe!!!

Then we went to the Louvre and explored the gardens as well as hiked around the inside of the museum. Afterwards we went home because I was feeling sick and needed to sleep.

The next day there was a techno parade in the streets of Paris. It started in one part of the city and there were around 10 floats. Each float had a different DJ who played a different kind of music. The floats drove miles through the city and ended hours later on the opposite side. We danced and raved together enjoying the company of thousands of Parisians around us. It was so much fun and just a completely new experience!

Later that night Angela and I went back out and rode to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my mind. I practically cried at the top because I felt like I was going to die!!! It's so tall!

The next morning we woke up early and went to the Notre Dame and Shakespeare and Company and finally ended at Luxembourg Gardens. I dropped Angela off at the train station and then went back to Sainte Chapelle to explore around by myself.

Then I went home and CRASSSHHHHEEEDDDD. Soooo tired. But an extremely funfilled weekend.

The Big 2-0!

*Again, I don't know why it won't let me publish photos right now but I will put them up as soon as possible*

So it’s official, I’m the big 2-0. My birthday was less than exciting considering the night in between the 12^th and 13^th I was extremely sick. I woke up shaking, dizzy, and sweating. My mono had flared up and getting 2 hours of sleep the night before your birthday, isn’t fun. I had early class that day but luckily got out at around 2. I came home took a shower and got into sweats. After laying down for a while I thought to myself, “no Leah, you are not going to just sit inside on your birthday…go do something”. I grabbed my book and purse and headed to the metro. When I got there I decided to go to the Louvre. As soon as I arrived I decided that I wanted to just enjoy the fresh air, so instead of going to the museum I sat in the gardens and read my book. I sat right in between some tree’s and flowers, and was under a statue. I felt so Parisian. As the tourist walked by snapping pictures of the scenery, I just continued to flip the pages and engulf myself in the story. Afterwards I went home and went to bed early.

The next day I went to the doctor and had to get blood work done, which was an interesting experience within itself when no one there speaks English. It was difficult, but hopefully I will get the results soon and will know if it is in fact my mono, or if there is something else wrong with me.

Since I wasn’t feeling well on my birthday my roommates let me sleep, but then last night they made me chicken stir fry for dinner, and surprised me with cake and ice cream. It made me feel so much better, and made me feel like I was at home. They seriously are amazing.

Thank you to everyone who sent me a card, and thank you to those of you who got me gifts, everything was so thoughtful and much appreciated! I miss everyone so much and can’t wait to be home again! Now it’s official! The countdown to 21 begins :D

Last Weekend

 

*For some reason I can't add more pictures, I will put the rest up when it allows me to*

Last weekend there was a wine festival around the corner from our house. Our program told us about it so we decided, why not go check it out! Free food, wine, and the chance to be around a ton of Parisians! We went and all shared the various meals that they had offered us. 

We got a plate of cheese, a plate of meat, and a plate with sausage and mashed potatoes (boy, oh boy, how we had missed mashed potatoes!). It was all delicious and super fun. We people watched, listen to the live band, and the MC for the day came over and picked on us. He announced over the microphone that there was a group of American girls all looking to learn French by some single French men. We thought it was funny and had a good time playing along. Eventually we decided to head home, feeling tired, and warm from the sunny weather. 

 

Later that night we decided to go on a pub-crawl that had been suggested to us, through a note, left by the girls that studied here last semester. We went to the starting bar and paid 10 euro then were lead by a tour guide person through 5 different bars/clubs in the city. There was a huge group filled with people from all around the world. Our leader, Sergio, was from El Paso Texas (aka Michael Soto’s home town), and grew up there and in Mexico. There was a girl from Columbia, Germany, a gentleman from the UK, and many Parisians. It was so much fun meeting new people and just having a great time hanging out with them! Since this was an organized event, each bar gave us discounted drinks and we were able to hang out and talk with all the people. It was such a great time.

 

A Day Lost is Really a Day Gained

So yesterday my roommates Gabby and Megan and I decided to go explore the city for a little bit. We had been reading about this farmer's market and wanted to go check it out.

Unfortunately for us it wasn't really what we were expecting, or looking for so we just browsed on through and then decided to go get lost in the city. The only plans that we "had" to keep was that at some point Gabby and I had to go look at a particular painting in the Louvre for our Haute Couture class. Aside from that, we had no plans, no schedule, no where to be except exploring the city we call home.

 Right down the street from the farmer's market we discovered a park. There were children playing and people reading. It was city and in the heart of the city and as green and lush as if it were in a quiet town. We sat and enjoyed the serenity of it all as we tried to get a grasp on our whereabouts, and where we wanted to go next.

Gabby, our trusty guide, looked in our handy-dandy mapbook trying to figure out where we were and where we should go next. 

Another view from our new favorite park.













After we left the park we decided that we would just continue to walk around and just explore the streets, since this part of the city was new to all of us. After walking for a few minutes I looked down a side street and saw the Notre Dame. It's so funny how one can think that they are so lost, or far away from the familiar and then out of nowhere you discover that you weren't far after all. I think it's also hilarious that I now call the Notre Dame familiar.
We came across some museums, churches, arches, and even found a Mexican food place which looked similar to Chipotle that we decided we HAVE to try. After about an hour of wandering in the humidity we decided to hop on the metro and pop on over to the Louvre.
When we got there there were still a lot of tourists and we were feeling a bit upset because they are the whole reason we haven't wanted to go to the Louvre yet. Since Gabby and I had to go for class Megan decided to go off by herself and enjoy the rest of her day while we waited in line.

]

Gabby and I only waited in line for about 10 minutes before we were allowed inside, and since we are students we get free admission. It was awesome! We jetted over to the paintings we were supposed to analyze and took our notes. We felt bad, and felt like people were definitely judging us since we were just blazing past all these amazing unbelievable works of art...pieces of history. In our minds, we know we are coming back, and when we return there won't be 92083028 tourists around.
After we were done seeing what we needed to see for class I turned to Gabby and said, "Let's just go see the Mona Lisa since we are here." Her response...."alright". We were off! Man-oh-man we probably should've waited for another day because that painting is just a tourist attraction. Although it was pretty amazing to see the painting up close. Especially when it was a complete spur of the moment activity.

After the last picture we quickly ducked out of the room and just ran past all the tourists...we were hot, cranky, and wanted ice cream!

We decided to cave in and buy a McFlurry from McDonald's because it was so humid outside and we were dying! Our justification was that it was a "Magnum" flavored McFlurry, which is a type of ice cream here in Paris. So...it's not like we got KitKat or M&Ms :)
To get away from people, and to enjoy our ice cream in peace we headed over to the park that is in front of the Louvre and pulled up some chairs under a huge tree. We sat. We talked. We watched the parisians. We contemplated how weird it is that we actually live in Paris. We discussed how much weirder it's going to be when we move back to San Luis Obispo.

This is what a typical Parisian man does. He wears a suit. Has an awesome bag/brief case. He pulls up a chair under a tree in a park. He smokes a cigarette. He is NOT on his cell phone. Simply put he is just enjoying a break in his day alone.

It's amazing to watch the parisians. They don't care about being alone. They enjoy going and eating by themselves. Reading a book while sipping coffee at a cafe. You hardly ever see anyone on their cell phone unless they are in the metro and even then it goes right back in their bag once the message is sent. I truly respect them for their ability to cut themselves off from the rest of the world, even if only for a cigarette.

One of my favorite parks of Paris (I feel like ever park I go to is my favorite, but I can't help it, they are all so gorgeous). The leaves on these tree's have started changing colors and I can't wait for fall. I've never lived in a place where the leaves actually change, where they fall off the tree's, where there are actual seasons. I'm so excited to come and just read a book underneath the passing seasons. 

One of my favorite things about this park is that there is artwork everywhere you look. Sculptures. Monuments. Fountains. They scatter the park inside and out. It's amazing how much history and culture there is everywhere in this city.







After leaving the park Gabby and I went to the Royal Square, and then decided that our 6 hour day in the city was nearing an end. We were tired, our feet hurt, and we wanted to take a well deserve nap. We started heading towards the Eiffel tower, but stopped on a bridge to just breathe.

To our right was this scene. The Seine. The Eiffel Tower. Museums. Shops. Trees. Parks. And to the left was the Notre Dame. The Louvre. Shakespeare and Company.
Within one sweep of the horizon so much to look at, so much to discover. So many unknowns about this city. It's just crazy to me everything that has happened here, and how little I know about it all.

For some reason whenever I see this tower I get emotional. It's probably because this is the reason I wanted to come to Paris. Everyone in the world knows the Eiffel Tower, and when I was picking the city that I wanted to live in for 5 months, a city to discover, I knew that I needed to see this sight. I knew nothing about the tower, except that I found it beautiful. Now I can take the metro for 20 minutes and be there with a baguette and a book and just waste my days looking at it. It still blows my mind that I'm here in this city.

So much art and culture at every juncture, every square, every stop light. For those who have not traveled, or seen another country there are no words to describe the feelings one gets. It's crazy that something so simple, something that thousands of people pass by every single day and pay no attention to, is older than our entire country. 

Caught in the Rain

On Thursday morning Mackenzie and I were heading to school on the metro (yes we were being lazy) and we normally get off and transfer at the stop Bastille, but that day we decided that we were going to try and go down to Republique to see if it was faster and less crowded. As soon as we pulled away from the Bastille stop the metro slowed to a stop and the conductor came over the loud speaker announcing, in French, that the metro had stopped running but would be running shortly. First let me just use this as an example of a cultural difference, using what I learned in my global competence class. See, as Americans we are always punctual and if we get off schedule we get flustered and eventually angry...let me just say that when the metro stopped running and was delayed for 20 minutes, not one person so much as said anything. It was funny because Mackenzie and I were getting upset and were freaking out about being late. Eventually the metro pulled into the next stop and Mackenzie and I didn't know if we should stay on the metro or try and get to school (it now being 9:06, class beginning at 9:15). We both looked at one another and bolted out of the cart. We were running through the metro station and through the streets of Paris winding around people, brushing past cafe's as people sipped their coffee's. I'm sure we were quite the spectacle. We finally got to school at 9:20, literally sweating and out of breath. Luckily our professor was pretty chill and understood, it probably helped that Mackenzie and I are both active students in that class.

After class I had to jet over to the Notre Dame for my architecture class (I know, it's a hard life I live). When we were standing outside it began to rain. We went inside, and eventually made our way back to the rainy streets.

After class I started to walk in the direction of what I thought was back to the part of the city I know....I quickly discovered that I was lost. It didn't help when it started to rain on me. I used my scarf to cover my hair and binder and just set off into the unknown part of the city. I walked along the Seine and just breathed in the Parisian air. I stuck in my iPod and enjoyed browsing this city that I now call my home.

Eventually I made my way back to a familiar part of the city and hoped on the metro and went home. That's what I love about living here. You are never REALLY lost because as soon as you find a metro stop you can get yourself anywhere...even home :)

World War?

So, on the first Wednesday of every month the city of Paris tests their emergency warning systems. It happens at noon, and is a series of sirens that ring out across the entire city. They sound EXACTLY like the old war movies before a city would get bombed. It was so creepy. I wasn't able to capture video of it, so next month I will try my hardest to do so.

If you're super curious, watch this video...you don't have to watch the whole thing, just listen to what the sirens sound like. It's seriously boggling my mind.

Culture Shock

Culture Shock-

The definition of culture shock is the trauma you experience when you move into a culture different from your home culture. A communication problem that involves the frustrations that come with the lack of understanding; the verbal and nonverbal communication of the new culture, it's customs and it's value systems are only a few of the problems. The differences that people may experience include lack of food, unacceptable standards of cleanliness, different bathroom facilities and fear of personal safety.

Five Stages That People May Experience With Culture Shock Stage 1:  Excitement and fascination with the new culture.  This is where they will overlook minor problems and look forward to learning new things. Stage 2:  Crisis period.  This is where excitement turns to disappointment and there are more and more differences that occur.  Problems start to be overwhelming and irritating and may use the "fight-back" technique by saying rude remarks or making jokes. Stage 3:  Adjustment phase.  This is where they learn to accept the culture and to change their negative attitude to a positive one. Stage 4:  Acceptance and Adaptation phase.  This is where they will feel at home and become involved in activities and may enjoy some of that countries customs. Stage 5:  Reentry shock.  This is experienced upon returning to the home country and the return may follow with initial euphoria, crisis or disenchantment.  It may be hard to readjust and may feel like they are not accepted. This is what happened to me yesterday. I don't know what it was- the lack of sleep, early morning start, long day at school, but I felt completely uneasy for the entirety of the day.  The hardest part of living here is the language barrier. Most people told me not to worry because coming to Paris everyone would speak English. After two weeks of being here I am discovering that this is not the case. Contrary to many people's beliefs the Parisians are in fact very nice and for the most part do not fit into our Americanized stereotype of them. I've enjoyed all who we have met, all that I have done, and the experiences that I have endured but yesterday it was all too much. I felt overwhelmed by a country that I knew nothing about. I walked down the streets not understanding most of the signs, or the conversations that were surrounding me. I felt more and more disconnected by the slightest differences around me. The smells, tastes, words, textures...everything is not my norm.  I crave the familiar. I miss seeing the stars above the desert. Hearing the cows moo from my window in SLO. I miss driving the toffee mobile and listening to my music. I miss mexican food (A LOT). I miss chewing gum. It's crazy how different Paris is from America. The simplest things like light switches just make me realize how out of place I feel.  I know that it's my job, and responsibility while I'm here to immerse myself into this culture. Learn a Parisian way of life. Recognize the differences and reflect that perhaps our American lifestyle isn't necessarily the best and only way. I do love being here, and those who have been involved in the process know how hard I worked to get to where I am today, right now, writing this entry in my Parisian apartment. I just have to say that I'm feeling lonely and out of place. Missing the familiar and recognizable. Missing the venti Starbucks and In-n-Out burger.  There are 14 weeks remaining in this program. 14. It seems to be going by at light speed, but also at a snails pace, simultaneously. It's difficult to explain to anyone who has never experienced these feelings, but I appreciate all who have tried to help me cope with them.  Every night before drifting off to sleep I look at the pictures that line the wall by my bed. My best friends, my family, my Theta's, my Beta's...I know that everyone is waiting for me at home. I close my eyes and think about sitting on the beach at school, listening to the ocean, and then I realize that as soon as I get back there I'm going to close my eyes and think about sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower.  14 weeks. My countdown. Not only to come home, but also to enjoy every single second remaining, and to make the most out of every opportunity.

Morning Accomplishments

This morning I woke up a bit earlier than anticipated, made my bed, cleaned my room, and then decided to go out and buy my metro pass. Now, you have to keep in mind that I do not speak any French, and so going out into Paris by myself doesn't often happen. I usually try to keep one of my two French speaking roommates close by in case for when I need their help. Today I decided, what the heck, it's worth a try. I got ready and went to the atm and withdrew the cash I would need for my metro card as well as my budget for the week. I then walked to the metro station and used the machine (which is all in French) and bought my monthly Metro pass! It costs 62 euro (nearly $100, OUCH!) but I get to use the metro all month for free.

I went back and forth trying to decide if it would be economically worth it since we have been walking everywhere, plus I feel that $100 to spend is quite expensive. I finally caved after having to use the metro 3 times in the past two days because my roommates all bought this pass. Individual tickets cost about 1,40 euro, and it was already adding up for me. I know I will be using the metro every Thursday when I have architecture because we are meeting in various parts of the city for class. This will also encourage me to get out and explore, rather than just sitting in my apartment all day because I don't want to walk across town, or buy a single ticket. Now instead of reading for class inside, I can just hop on the metro and go to the Louvre, or Luxembourg Gardens. Instead of watching Jersey Shore online I can go watch the light show at the Eiffel Tower or walk down the Chance de Lise (who am I kidding, I'll still be watching Jersey Shore, but you get the point). While it is expensive it will encourage me to get my money's worth and go to various parts of the town that I thought were inaccessible by foot.


But in case you were wondering. I'm still going to be walking to school to get my daily exercise :)

Mystery Excursion

Yesterday was the date of our mystery excursion! What happened was they had emailed us with a message explaining what time to get to the train station, and which platform we would be meeting at. There was also a clue, that was nearly impossible to decipher. So yesterday my roommates and I rode the metro to the train station, and arrived at 8:30 to find out that we would be spending the day in Normandy! The American film festival was going on so there were many American and French actors staying in the town.
We got on the train and had a compartment all to ourselves to talk and laugh as we pleased. Being the nerds that we are we all believed that we were secretly on the Hogwarts Express and were going to be visited by the trolly cart filled with Berty Bott's every flavored beans, chocolate frogs, etc. In case you were wondering...they never came around.

When we got there we decided to first, and foremost, seek out where we could get coffee. We headed to the right, which was more the residential and fisherman's side of town versus the glamorous rich side. We found a cute cafe and all ordered coffee.

I don't know how many of you have been to Europe, but the coffee's here are TINY. They are basically a shot of expresso and they call that a drink. Nothing like the Venti Mocha's I used to slurp down back during finals week in SLO. This cafe however knew what was up. They served us a regular sized coffee and we were all BEYOND excited.

After our quick cup o' joe we kept exploring. We found the cutest houses with quaint little gardens, and church bells ringing. This town is freaking adorable.

We finally made our way to the beaches, and walked on the sand. While the beaches in Southern California for the most part are compact sand and shells, this was extremely different. When you walked along the coast your feet sunk down into the beach and it made me feel like I didn't want to eat anymore nutella or crepes! Despite the cold weather we played in the water and sand and walked down the boardwalk.

After this we took a ferry ride over to the ritzy side of town and went to stalk the celebrities of the film festival. We ate lunch with the 20 euro's that our program gave us (they are so nice to us after all the money we have paid!), at this very nice restaurant. I ate lasagna, which was delicious!!!

After lunch we got some sweet dessert and just sat and people watched. At 5:30, or 17:30 as they say here, we boarded the train and came back to our lovely home: Paris.

All in all it was a fun day filled with new sites and a different culture. We had a great time and I was so greatful that our program gave us this opportunity.