"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.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

I find it funny that after a whole year (and then some) that I have yet to share some of my favorite things in Paris.

Here they are, in random order...

Enjoy a brief tour through my eyes! :)

Breakfast in America
My favorite spot in Paris for homesick days...nothing that a pint of Stella, plate of Nachos and fun friendly American wait staff can't cure!

San Francisco Books
This is where I buy and sell all of my English books.

UGC Cinemas and my unlimited movie pass for 18 euros a month!!


L'As du Falafel
Totally old article but informative since there is no official website. Usually there is a long wait, but totally worth it. Plus, the awesome sandwich only puts you back 4.5 euros. YUM!


Pierre Herme
My favorite place for sweets and treats. DELICIOUS!

Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants) and specifically the ZOO
The site's in French but you'll get the idea...The primate exhibit is AWESOME and it's a 5 minute walk from home.


Frog Pub
A perfect spot, with free Wifi and GREAT homemade beers.



___________________________

**** List in progress ****

Gotta run :)