An alternate universe.....?

I was floored to find 100 calorie pack Toblerone snacks at my local Champion grocery store. Have I stepped into an alternate universe? I am so surprised to see this trend popping up in France already! Mais c'est trop Américain, ça!

Sigh....

I feel the weight of the last eight years already beginning to lift off of my shoulders. A sense of hope. The feeling that the "what if" has occurred, and an indescribable, unwavering and overwhelming feeling of pride. Proud to be an American. Proud to have believed in the impossible. Proud to have witnessed history.

I've been quiet on the blog regarding this election and will likely post no more on this subject than what I say tonight. At the end of the day, I am thrilled and reassured by the ability of Americans to see a situation and turn it around for the best. I am heartened by the strength and determination of not only the candidates and their staff but also the American people. And most of all I am deeply honored to have been witness to it all.

I thank you, Mr. President and cannot wait to see what our collective future will hold in the years to come.

Check me out!

Although you wouldn't know by looking at it, I DO check my own blog almost every day. I'm not saying that I post - clearly - but just a quick once-over to see how it's looking.

I checked the stats today and was blown away to find that I had literally more than quadruple the number of hits I get on a normal day. What had happened? Did I become suddenly and unknowingly FAMOUS overnight?

Well, in a way YES! I am happy to say that one of the photos on my blog has been posted and mentioned on one of my FAVORITE websites: www.theparisblog.com! And, I've also noticed that some of my new Anglophone girls have posts up there too! Congrats ladies!

Check it out....totally fun! And thanks to Laurie for showing the love - of course you can steal my photos anytime! That's what they are there for!

A well-needed break....

I was supposed to leave early from work today. I was supposed to go straight to the gym for some cardio and a yoga class....

Instead, I came straight home, had some snuggle time, made a quick, easy dinner, and shared a bottle of semi-cheap champagne. Just because. And I couldn't be happier.

New Music Monday

Instead of stressing about my crazy job situation, the insane economy, or anything else, I've decided to introduce you guys to what has been on my iPod these days...some old, some new, but alllllll good! It's really funny how easily I can escape into music and totally change my attitude. Hope you can do the same - Enjoy!

American Boy by Estelle feat. Kanye West
I cannot get enough of this song. LOVING it! My favorite is the lyric where Kanye references a "peacoat!" Amazing!


And this one....The Game feat. Lil Wayne - My Life. I've been in a gangsta rap mood lately which I don't mind at all! :)


And finally, my oldie but goodie that's been stuck in my head for about 3-4 weeks at this point after I heard it in the airport...
Stevie Winwood - Back in the High Life AMAZING!!! I think I could listen to this song on repeat for HOURS!

Stormy weather...

We've been having some spectacular thunder storms in Paris lately...which I kind of LOVE.

Here's a view of the storm from our living room. If you listen carefully you can hear some of the crazy thunder. Enjoy!

Off to London!

Just a week and a half after visiting the UK for fun, family and friends, I'll be back tomorrow for work.

I am getting really excited already - I have said for so long that I don't care for London but after my last visit I'm wondering how true that is...it's a BLAST!

It'll be just about 30 hours that I'm there but it will be a nice infusion of English speaking, fun, and a nice change of scenery.

I'll be back on Thursday for more Paris shenanigans. Hoooooray!

Book List - Part two

Okay, so we're about a month and a half away from my deadline to read 50 books! Eeeeeeek!

I'm not done yet by any means but things remain do-able for the moment. The last time I updated you all on the list of books I've read since August 25, 2007, I had read 15 books. Here's the rest of the list for now, in the interest of being totally up to date and putting things out there so I'm more likely to stick to them. :)

16. Kite Runner (Hosseni)
17. Girl With a One Track Mind (Lee)
18. A Clean Slate (Caldwell)
19. Simple Genius (Baldacci)
20. Sammy's Hill (Gore)
21. Is Our Children Learning? (Begala)
22. 1,000 Splendid Suns (Hosseni)
23. Deer Hunting with Jesus
24. Starter Wife (Grazer)
25. Eat, Pray, Love (Gilbert)
26. Dear John (Sparks)
27. Prep (Sittenfeld)
28. The Weight of It (Wilensky)
29. The Other Boleyn Girl
30. The Almost Moon (Sebold)
31. Change of Heart (Picoult)
32. Ca Va Mal Finir (Leotard)
33. Me Talk Pretty One Day (Sedaris)
34. Doctor's Wife (Brundadge)
35. Babyville (Green)
36. Blame it on Paris
37. Second Change (Green)
38. Every Crooked Pot (Rosen)
39. Holidays on Ice (Sedaris)
40. Naked (Sedaris)
41. A Time to Run (Boxer)

Eeeeeeek - as you can see, lots of progress, but still NINE books left in the next seven and a half or so weeks. Can I do it? It'll be rough, but I am really really hoping to succeed on my little goal.

Stay tuned to see how I do!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

My favorite holiday of the year!!!

Last year at this time I was an intern and spent my early morning in the hospital for a heart issue.

This year I'm a real worker at the same company and am spending my day acting like the American that I am, for better or worse. I have struggled since moving here with my identity - I often feel overly critiqued, stared at, different and criticized because of my differences with coworkers, and the French public in general. I often adjust my behavior accordingly. This is not to say that some degree of adjustment is unnecessary (as of course I have to be expecting to adjust slightly), but sometimes I go a bit too far in over-adjusting and changing who I am to please people here.

So today, if only for today, I am taking a break. Not scared to tell my boss that her sexual references and jokes are inappropriate in the workplace and are offensive to me. Not hesitating to wear blue and white. Not ashamed to wear a bracelet with the American flag on it - my standard accessory for Independence Days and national holidays when I was in the States.

Because, at the end of the day, no matter what I do to try to fit in, adapt, or hide it...I am an American. Proud of it. No reason to hide and happy to celebrate the birthday of my country! Now, I just wish I had a great Dodger game, hot dogs, friends and family to celebrate with...

C and J Restaurant Review #1: Anahuacalli

For the inaugural restaurant review post* I am so happy to present Anahuacalli, an amazing Mexican restaurant in the 5eme arrondissement, nestled just off of Boulevard Saint Germain and in the shadows of Notre Dame.

We've passed this restaurant MANY times and have always wanted to give it a try - unfortunately we seem to always pass at lunchtime, and the restaurant is closed for lunch, except on Sundays.

After a particularly hard work week, we decided to head over there on a Friday night on our way home from the movies, and we were not disappointed.

Immediately upon entering, we were greeted very warmly by the hostess who later ended up being our server. She was extremely friendly and welcoming, and made room for us at a great table, despite the fact that we didn't have reservations. Note - it would be a good idea to reserve a table in advance, as the place was packed already around 8:00pm when we were there but became increasingly crowded as the night went on.

Our server spoke impeccable French, Spanish, and English and seemed to want to speak English with us as she overheard us discussing the menus in English. Upon being seated we were presented with delicious chips and (spicy!) salsa as we perused the menu.

We of course decided to start with margaritas which were to die for - certainly the best I've had in Paris.



When we first arrived, we thought of getting a PITCHER which I'm really glad to have not done. The one margarita packed quite a punch on its own. No need for anything else or a second round.

My partner in crime who we'll call "FINO" ordered guacamole as a starter. As some of those of you who have known me for a while understand, I pretty much DESPISED all that was avocado-related until about....oh, five minutes ago. I'm new to the guac scene but have to say that this was pretty delicious.

Finally, for the main course, I hesitated between the enchiladas rojas and the tamale. FINO and I have a running joke about tamales in Paris - another Mexican restaurant that we love in the 5eme has tamales on their menu and I try to order them every time we go, and EVERY time they've run out or are not available. I don't know if it's all a lie or what - are there or are there not tamales? Maybe they're just so good that they've run out by noon, a half hour after opening(???)


Anyway, my chicken tamales were delicious although a bit on the dry side. I was happy to heap spoonfuls of salsa onto my bites to give them that extra "kick!" I sampled FINO's enchiladas as well and they were delicious! I may have to try those next time.

All in all, a GREAT place to get your Mexican food fix in Paris - one of our favorites so far.

Anahuacalli
http://anahuacalli.com/
30 rue des Bernadins
75005 Paris
01.43.26.10.20

* Please excuse the cell-phone quality photos. I'll try to do better next time! :)

New blog feature...

Hello all!

I'm excited to introduce a new feature to my blog that I'm hoping to make semi-regular. It's going to be based upon something that is near and dear to my heart as an American in Paris...

Get excited for.....THE C AND J RESTAURANT REVIEW FEATURE!

Named after Cindy and Jerry, who love dining in Paris and know more about it than anybody I've met (despite the fact that they live all the way across the world in California!), the C and J Restaurant Review will be an opportunity for me to post about and review restaurants that I visit in the City of Lights. I've been to some great ones, so this is going to be lots of fun!!!

Stay tuned for the inaugural installment - to be worked on and hopefully be completed today :)

Work, work, work

Yes - I am still working at 10:45pm - see my screenshot for confirmation....

And yes - I am drinking an amazing glass of Bordeaux and eating REAL, imported KRAFT Mac and Cheese at the same time. It's the little things that keep me from going totaly mad.... :)

P.S. Please note that the photos are poor quality as they were taken with low light with my old, antiquated, last-year's version, not so sexy iPhone. Anyone have $199 to spare?? Or actually $299 for the cute, white 16gig model...I've got to benefit from all of this madness somehow, right??? ;)

P.P.S. Didn't I LEAVE politics to not work until 11:00pm at night anymore??

Only in France

Wanted to share this shot of Chateau de Breteuil that I had the pleasure of visiting for a friend's wedding reception last week. It was unbelievably gorgeous and SO "typically French chateau" to me that I had to share. I have to also admit that I'm proud of my picture-taking!! :)

Only in France....

Space Invader of the Day

I stumbled upon this guy on a lunchtime walk yesterday. Up close and personal!

Lunchtime!

This is what I gazed upon while nibbling on my home-brought lunch this afternoon.....I swear, I couldn't even make this stuff up! Unbelievable!

Drive-By Space Invader

Just a quick post to show you all the BIGGEST Space Invader that I've ever seen...taken from our moving rental car in Champigny-Sur-Marne, a suburb east of central Paris.

Not the only American in Paris....

There's a statue of George Washington in the square immediately in front of my new office. Nice to know I'm not the only American around these parts for once! Maybe I'll go share a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with him one day and revel in the fact that I'm not made fun of....well, not made fun of for the peanut butter, but maybe for the fact that I'd be trying to feed it to a statue! ;)

An office with a view...

As many of you know, my company moved offices this past week and we are finally located in Paris. This changes my life (positively) in SOOO many ways, not the least of which is the fact that my commute is now 30 minutes each way and on only one bus. No more hour and a half, walking 10 minutes in the pouring rain or falling snow, no more waiting for the bus on the freeway, muggings in the RER in the middle of nowhere, mandatory team lunches in the cafeteria every day, etc etc. I can already tell that there's been a change in my mood when I get home from work which is awesome!

I have much more to say but since I actually have to do some work from this new amazing location, I'll leave you with two quick snapshots that I took from my desk....can you believe the view??!?!

Loire Valley Extravaganza

As many of you know, I have old friends in town and we've recently returned from a long weekend in the Loire Valley. I'd never been to this region at all and have to say I was blown away by the castles we visited, the tiny towns we drove through, the meals we had, and the hospitality and friendliness that we encountered along the way (save for one couple but that's a story for another time...)

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures to give you an idea of what we saw. I had a BLAST!



Azay-le-Rideau was one of my FAVORITE of all the castles we saw, and was kind of off the beaten path. I loved the grounds and the little town surrounding the castle and really loved the time we spent there.



Chenonceaux was perhaps the coolest castle, with the long gallery/hall stretching across the river. It was awesome, but very crowded. We called it the "Disneyland of castles" since the tour buses filled the parking lots and there were TONS of people on the grounds and in the castle itself. I would have loved to have visited when it was a bit more empty and even a bit cooler outside. We spent a good part of the morning there and once we left, the entrance was deserted, so it's definitely something to hit up either very early in the morning or later in the afternoon.



Of course, we had tons of great meals and even better wine! My favorite meal was in the little Medieval town of Chinon where we ate at the Musée Animée du Vin, an awesome all-you-can-eat, all you can drink place with hilarious owners. Would definitely recommend this place, as it was one of the most fun and BEST meals that I've ever had in France.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend and I cannot wait to go back and explore more again soon. Have any of you been to the region? Any recommendations for next time?

Why Friends from Home Are Amazing, Part 1

Please see the LOOT that I got immediately upon the arrival of two of my oldest friends last week....note the plethora of amazing American items that I received. God bless Target.



I will draw your attention to the fact that I got THREE, count 'em, THREE new pairs of shoes, along with a bag of enough permutations and varieties of ranch dressing to last a whole year, gum galore, shirts, etc etc.

LOVE IT!

THANK YOU L&L....

Many more "three American girls and a French guy in France" stories to come...

"Correction" is the same word in French AND English.

Just a little recount of a conversation I had with a colleague recently....

Colleague: "KEF, il y a quelque chose que tu dis assez souvent et tu dois vraiment l'arrêter." (KEF - there's something that you say often that you really need to stop saying)
KEF : (Uh oh....here comes more criticism!) "Oui???"
C: "Tu dis toujours que tu fais des fautes en français mais franchement je n'entends rien du tout comme ça...tu parles français mieux que nous parlons anglais, c'est sûr. Donc, il faut arrêter de t'excuser!! (You are always saying that you make mistakes in French but honestly I don't hear any at all. You speak French better than we speak English, so you need to stop excusing yourself!)

Maybe something IS clicking in my head after all???

I was just so shocked to not be corrected and criticized that he left my head spinning! HOOORAY for little victories....

"Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams..."

We arrived together, wide eyed, scared and excited 18-year olds. Worried about what to expect, who we would meet, and where we would live. Is college going to be as fun as they say it is? Are these the best years of our lives? Will I find my new best friend in one of these strangers?

It was 1997, and I moved into my dorm at UCSD along with seven other girls. Our little suite was to be home for the next year...and we had no idea what to expect. Little did we know how much fun we would have and what adventures were in store for us....

Here I sit today, thousands of miles away and fighting back tears, with the terrible news that one of my suitemates passed away last week. Though we had lost touch over the years, she will always be an integral part of my college experience...one of the eight who was there through the confusion, the elation, the hard times and the easy...we created our little family together and in my mind all of these women will always hold a special place in my memory.

I'll be playing Karma Chameleon by the Culture Club in your honor today, Jaci....just the way you would like it! The song will always remind me of our time together in the suite and the madness that was Freshman year. Your energy, smile and determination will be sorely missed.

Oh.My.Goodness...

Are you kidding?!?!?!?

Take a look at this video from a Japanese train platform....



I am officially not allowed to complain about being a "sardine" in the Paris metro trains ANYMORE.

Woah.

Why am I so bad at blogging?

I always say I will be better, I will post more, etc but it never sticks!

I wonder why?

Things here have been pretty "quotidien" or "every-dayish" lately. I've learned that our office is moving FOR SURE on May 13th, so I have less than a month left of my hellish commute. That makes me more and more excited by the day, especially seeing as how all the May holidays will have me out of the office quite a bit. At this point, I only have to take RER B to work 13 more times.....ever. I just might bring champagne on the last day....

Otherwise, I've been doing a lot of reading, not enough exploring, and just a little bit of Anglo friend-meeting which makes me really excited actually. I think that I have been really missing the U.S. so much lately because I've been feeling a bit out of touch in Paris. Not only out of touch literally with friends and family, but also out of touch with my surroundings. My French is getting better which is great, but there is still so much missing...the little jokes, cultural references, etc. that I'm not sure if I will ever understand. It's hard sometimes but I'm trying to have a good attitude about everything.

Anyway, that's my brief update from over this way....hope everyone is well and looking forward to a few more April updates!! :)

A little out of control....

Went to an awesome English book sale yesterday and it looks like I went a bit crazy...please note that three of the books are library books (also picked up yesterday...) and TWO are for S. But still....

Looks like I have plenty of material to help me reach my "50 books by August 25th" deadline! :)

My favorite section of the wall at East Side Gallery

My favorite section of the wall at East Side Gallery
Originally uploaded by KEFINPARIS

Seeing the Berlin Wall (what was left of it) was amazing. I remember when the wall came down and a boy from my fifth grade class brought a piece of it in that we all passed around.

I never dreamed I would actually see the place for myself one day!

Riding on the metro!!!

Riding on the metro!!!
Originally uploaded by KEFINPARIS

Got back from Berlin on Tuesday and miss it already...it was an awesome trip!

I'll be posting a few more photos in a few minutes to give you an idea of what I saw - it was an awesome city filled with so much history.

Enjoy!

Pretty architecture

A view from one of my walks this weekend. I LOVE the sculpture above each of the windows...

Strange Parisian Advertisements...

I've decided to start a new semi-regular feature on my blog that showcases the strange advertisements that I come across in Paris. The following has started popping up in the metro, on bus stops, and includes a HORRIFYING commercial that has started popping up in movie theaters.

Check it out...



It's an ad for Coke Zero that translates to "the taste of Coca Cola with zero sugar" which seems tame enough at first. But look closely - there is a huge TONGUE with elephant-style legs and an eyeball with legs. SO SO strange.



You think that's weird.....

Check out the ad that's been running in theaters!!!



It's a bit much to translate, but just to give you an idea...the tongues think they are drinking regular coke...the eyeball tells them it's Coke Zero, then the tongues get mad and make fun of the eyeball, taunting him and saying that he can't taste because he doesn't have a tongue. WHAAATT????

I can't even get my head around it.

One word...

I'm off to do so this evening at the American Church in Paris and then to two election parties! I cannot wait and am looking forward to updating you all on what it's like voting as an expat.

FUN game!

93

This was so much fun - but it's HARD. The crazy thing is how many countries I forgot! Some of them I knew immediately upon seeing them...some I had never even heard of before!!

Try it - what's your score???

As seen from the train....

So, this morning, I was in transport hell (as usual lately) and happened to be looking out the window more than usual....and I noticed something I've never seen before....




A Hotel named Mr. Bed City??

I don't know why but it cracks me up!

And why hadn't I noticed before?

Thank goodness for a good book and a fully charged Shuffle....

So......it took me THREE hours to get to work this morning. THREE. When normally it should be 50-90 minutes.

There was a problem with the train lines ONLY going out of Paris and to the south....exactly where I needed to go. Perfect!

It made me crazy for a good hour or so until finally I had to give up on the stressing and just shrug...because, what can you do???

"Tant pis!" Maybe I'm becoming more of a Parisian than I thought????

Podcast crazy!

So, I admit it...I think I'm addicted to podcasts. Literally. I am obsessed.

I go on iTunes daily to get my fix and am currently subscribed to TWELVE!

ABC News
Anderson Cooper's 360
Best of YouTube
Comedy Central Stand-Up
The Hollywood Podcast
Katia and KylieMac
MTV News Daily Podcasts
National Geographic Video Shorts
Meet the Press
This American Life
VH1 Best Week Ever
VH1 Celebreality

It's a little bit out of control but I love being able to stay connected to U.S. news and some of my favorite shows and issues.

My newest discovery is the katia and kyliemac podcast which is created by two women (an Australian and American) living in Paris. Their stories are hilarious and they offer tips of things to do and places to go in Paris. I love their perspective and their stories about an Anglo person's wild experiences in the City of Lights. While I only discovered this podcast last week, I've already downloaded all 110 episodes and have listened to 18 of the half-hour episodes. Lovin' it! For anyone who would like to hear of crazy Parisian adventures from a perspective similar to my own, I recommend you check it out!! I personally will be listening to several episodes today along with some other podcasts in an attempt to clear a bit off my hard drive. I'm a fiend! :)

A Day in the Life....

This will be the first in a series of views into my daily life in Paris. I've decided to take my camera with me to capture shots of the various things I see during my everyday errands, work, play, etc.

So, to kick it off - here's a few shots of what I saw while running errands (actually while coming back from getting my work visa) a few weeks ago.


I decided to walk from the visa office to the library instead of taking public transport. It was about a 40 minute walk but the weather was great for January and it was great to be back in the midst of Parisian architecture.



A free merry-go-round, courtesy of the City government.



An old, abandoned metro station. I wonder which station and line it was?


A glimpse at the Eiffel Tower...I still never get tired of seeing it.


A Paris velib' bike station - offers free bike rentals ALL over the city. I still have yet to try it but should check it out and let you know...

My book list

Maybe it's totally self-serving, but I am going to list the books I have read since August 25th as a way to keep myself on track and have a reference online as to what I have accomplished towards my goal so far. Here goes in format Title (Author):

1. In Cold Blood (Capote)
2. Trading Up (Bushnell)
3. 60 Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong (Nadeau)
4. I Know This Much Is True (Lamb) ** please note this one was nearly 1,000 pages! ;)
5. Ninteen Minutes (Picoult)
6. Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) ** YES, I've read it before but missed it and wanted to read it again....which is technically cheating I suppose. Now do I have to read 51??
7. American Short Stories 2007 (Patchett)
8. Shopaholic and Baby (Kinsella)
9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (See)
10. Science of Shopping (Underhill)
11. Street Lawyer (Grisham)
12. Pardon My French (Hapka)
13. Diry Girl's Social Club (Rodriguez)
14. Straight Up and Dirty (Klein)
15. A Long Way Gone (Beah)

So, as you can see, a good mix but heavy on the girly fiction. Next is Kite Runner and then a big trip to the library for some more.

Please keep the suggestions coming - I am loving it. And, wish me luck! :)

Another resolution...

Back in August (on my birthday), I also made a set of "New-Years-like" resolutions for my 28th year. Many of them are personal but the one that may take the most time was that I resolved to read 50 books before turning 29. These would be books of my choice, and ones that I had not read previously.

Now, maybe it was my birthday margaritas talking at the time, but when I got back from Spain and really sat down and thought about my resolution, I realized I was a bit crazy!

50 books in a year means one a week more or less, which is lofty, especially considering that one can't feasibly take the time to sit and read every week consistently. Or, at least, I can't.

Compound this with the fact that I made a good friend at work and she and I began to ride the train an hour (or more) each way, which meant that I was enjoying conversation two + hours a day and my reading time went out the window.

That said, I am now nearly done with my 15th book since August 25th. The book is amazing - "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah. It's a true story/memoire of a young boy growing up in Sierra Leone in the 1990's who is separated from his family and made to be a soldier. That's all I will say for now but I highly recommend the book.

So, this is where you come in - are there any "must read" books that you can suggest? Perhaps I should list what I have read so far this year in another entry. At this rate, I have to read 35 more books in the next 34 weeks to meet my goal. INSANITY!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!

As usual, I have been reflecting on the year past and the year ahead and have come up with a few resolutions for 2008. By writing them here, I am hoping to be more accountable and will be able to look back here during the year to check on my progress.

So, here goes!

* Travel more around France and outside of France (Normandie, Reims, Lyon, Dijon, Marseille, Rome, Berlin, Prague, are among those already on the list)
* Way more exercise - no excuses! I have no car and just my feet to get me around...
* Try the Paris velib bike rental service
* Learn a LOT at work (HTML, other web design, etc) Just wait until I know these things - kefinparis might look WAY different!
* Be better at communicating - no more leaving weeks between receiving an email and answering it!
* Take advantage of my new phone plan - more calls to the US!
* Make new friends in Paris
* Write on the blog more frequently!!
* Be more creative in the kitchen cooking-wise

That's quite a lot to think about but I've got a whole year to do it!

Check back for updates!

Back in Paris

Well, I'm back again after an amazing two + weeks in the U.S. For some reason I always have a hard few days of transition when I arrive in either one of my "homes."

My jet lag is worse than it's been in recent memory and I slept for FIFTEEN hours last night. Needless to say I am a bit out of it today and it's already afternoon!

I am starting my new job on Monday and actually succeeded in getting my work visa taken care of yesterday, albeit after two and a half hours of waiting outside in the rain and the typical French bureaucracy. When one of the people working behind the desk and a fellow immigrant got into a shouting match in front of the whole room, I knew for sure I was back in Paris. :)

Thank you to all who were a part of my wonderful time in California. I really had such a great time and it was harder than ever to come back, which I take as a good sign for the quality of my trip.

I will keep you better updated in 2008 and hope you will still check back here often.