I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness......years after visiting my sister in the Czech Republic, I've found an imitation of what I've been looking for!!! For the uninitiated, in Prague there is amazing "street food." The sister and I not only enjoyed traipsing but she also taught me to enjoy such food...and by far the BEST thing was the "Smazny Syr," which I tend to describe as fried cheese with mayonaise in a white bun. Nasty, but oh so great.

Well, I am delighted to report that the French fast food chain Quick is carrying an imitation syr. No, it's not the same as the fried delicacies that I may or may not have enjoyed with the sister at 3 in the morning while finding our way home from a 25 cent beer paradise.... BUT, it's pretty darn close. I have to be careful to not devour them all the time!

Yessss!

Bobby

The movie "Bobby" about Bobby Kennedy just came out here yesterday and I am dying to go see it. I think that's going to be my outing for today because tomorrow (Saturday) I have an all-day trip to Angers planned for school. Literally- I have to meet at the train station at 7:00am (!!) and won't get back until 10pm. Ugh.

Anyway, I am having the hardest time finding the movie in VO (Version Original)/English and the thought of watching a dramatic story about Bobby Kennedy's assasination dubbed in French seems really odd to me...I may just have to try though??

I've been inspired...

So, you all are probably shocked- two posts in two days? Is she okay? What's wrong with KEF?

Well, after some great conversation with my most recent visitor Britt last week, I have been inspired to really put in an effort to write more here. Why? Because as my wise friend put it,(she spent a year overseas as well) a blog actually turns into a GREAT diary that I will be able to look back upon in the future. I really got to thinking about how pitifully I have been keeping track of my time here....I mean, who gets to a foreign country the day before her classes start???

I have been running around like a crazy woman since then and am just now finally feeling like I have my "sea legs" and beginning to have a sense of permanency. Also, my new school is a bit on the SLOW side compared to last semester so I am finding myself with more free time (which is SOOO much better than the NO free time I had last semester...believe me!)

So, all that is just to say that you will all hopefully be reading lots more from my end in the near future! It's my New Years Resolution- 25 days late....look at me- I'm turning FRENCH! :)

Check it out!

Wow....check out page eight!!

They really NEVER get new photos...do they?

For some reason I look photoshopped...either that or I look WAY different than I remember.

Funny!

Cool Merry-Go-Round Scenes from the Eiffel Tower

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! This is just a little taste of what I saw on New Years Eve...we went to the Eiffel Tower which was gorgeously sparkling, and I really enjoyed seeing everything there was to see. There were a TON of people out and about, and it was a great time.

In other news, I FINALLY have internet at home (after three months of waiting!! haha) so hopefully the emails and updates will become a bit easier and a bit more regular. :)

Hope everyone had a great holiday and a great 2007 so far. The time is FLYING!
 

On rough days....

When I am having a rough day, miss home, or just feel down for any reason, it's things like the view exiting the Alma Marceau metro station that make my day and remind me why I am here.

Enjoy!

Long time, no update...ENCORE UNE FOIS

This is how I feel about all the schoolwork I have to do in the next four days, the fact that we STILL cannot get internet/phone/cable at home after TEN weeks of trying, the fact that my knee is STILL messed up significantly, AND that I have yet to do one IOTA of Christmas shopping.....

If you can't vent on your own blog, where can you??? :)

Miss you guys!

Thanksgiving in Paris

I had SOOO much fun on Thanksgiving. I had been so scared that I would be lonely and sad, but not only did my school friends come to the rescue, but I was also able to meet up with folks from college as well. We had a BIG, traditional American dinner together and had an awesome time.

Thanks SO much you guys!!

Frustrating day....

Today was especially frustrating bureaucracy-wise....so I went straight to my favorite American place here, http://www.breakfast-in-america.com/ and am sitting here enjoying some awfully unhealthy but amazingly delicious American food....instead of yelling or crying!

I have to keep taking deep breaths and remember that it is Paris, things are like this here, and that of COURSE it's different from the US- that's why I moved here!!! No more furstration!

Look familiar???

So, I finally got around to taking photos of (and posting) the outdoor artwork of Niki Saint Phalle that is in the middle of Centre Georges Pompidou here in downtown Paris. It may look familiar to some of you as there is a replica on campus at UCSD! Pretty cool, isn't it? Or maybe pretty cool just for me because I am a nerd like that......

Check it out here, if you don't know it already: http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/StuartCollection/Phalle.htm

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

I miss you guys....

Do you see a resemblance?

Okay, am I the only one who is FRIGHTENED by the resemblance I see between a poster that is plastered ALL OVER the metro and someone I knew in a past life????

Anyone? RL? MB? MDV? You guys out there?

I am Lady Marmalade herself!

Amazing!!!!

Too bad it costs at least 140 euros to go- I guess I will have to settle with curling up on the couch and watching the movie while singing along. :)

A Tale of Two City Halls....

So, this is the City Hall that I am used to......

And this is the one that I now see almost every day:

While I was walking by the "Hotel de Ville" (City Hall) the other day, my mind wandered a bit and I found myself wondering what it might be like to work there....then I snapped out of it, took another bite of my pain au chocolat and kept on walking, schoolwork in hand. :)

Le Cote d'Azur

I had the awesome opportunity to travel to the south of France a little over a week ago with a group of students from the school I will be attending second semester (January-April). The school, "ISTEC," offers a masters in marketing and event planning, and I will be focusing on that second semester before getting my internship.

Anyway, long story short, we went to Cannes, Nice and the Cote d'Azur to visit various events, meet with event planners and get a peek at some marketing strategy first-hand at the week long "Duty Free" expo. I got to see former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder speak at the conference and it was fun to be back in the political mindset for a moment. He was VERY political in his answers to questions and talked about his staff....kind of funny.

I just had to share some of the awesome photos from the scenery that I saw....beautiful! It was so nice to be back by the coast again- I didn't realize how much I missed it!

Long overdue...

Well, midterm season in school is pretty much done, which has me FINALLY back to the blog...and midterm season in the U.S. is in full swing which is a bit strange to watch from afar.

It's great to have a different perspective on the news, but this is the first time in a LONG time that I am not somehow personally involved in the elections by either working for an elected or working on a campaign. Weird!

Anyway, just a quick hello. I still don't have internet access at home which is heinous, but I am hoping to be better with the blog. It's tricky but important. :)

Miss you all!

I'm SO Parisian right now...

Look at my amazing dinner from the other night! Yup, that's right....a baguette, bottle of reisling, olive tapenade, goat cheese and Rondele. I am living large! Literally. :)

I am so stereotypically Parisian sometimes I cannot even stand it.

American Stereotypes

I saw one of the best things ever the other day....I was shopping in Carrefour which to me is the closest I am going to get to a Target. It's kind of amazing. Helps to quell the burning Target desires by the way...

Anyway, there is an area for "Foods of the World" ou "Produits Du Monde" and there is a section for America. LOOK AT IT!

It makes me laugh out loud to see in the photo even though I've seen it in person already a few times. Please note all of the Oreo products, the marshmallow fluff, barbeque sauce, peanut butter, ranch dressing, etc. I love it and it is hilarious to me. Please also note the "Mexican" section to the left, and if you are looking for the fabulous detail that is so amsuing to me, feel free to click on the photo for a larger view. :)

Are our "international foods" sections in the U.S. this stereotypical???

It's been a while....

Well, I haven't posted in a little while because things have been semi-hectic.

I have been continuing the apartment search again with little luck. It's amazing to me how little the apartments I have been seeing resemble the advertisements that describe them. This morning I visited a place that I read was a two room (meaning one-bedroom) apartment that was supposedly fully furnished and 40 square meters. When I arrived, I was sad to see that all that was there furniture wise was a beat-up old futon/bed and a table with two chairs. And, it was definitely a small studio- maybe even HALF the size of what it was advertised. UGH. I am about ready to throw in the towel and pay out the nose for an agency. Usually the agency apartments are a lot more expensive, and renting this way includes needing to pay an agency fee that is usually at least 10% of the yearly rent. It just might be worth it though....I'll keep you posted.

In other news, I went to see the Devil Wears Prada yesterday- the first time I have been to the movies in France! The movie was in English with French subtitles, and I was surprised at how much the audience was enjoying it! Guess working with a boss from hell is translatable across cultures. :)

I am at school waiting for my class to start. Luckily we only have the one afternoon class today, so I had time to run errands and look at apartments this morning.

Boring entry, I know....more from me later.