A Taste of Spring

Today was absolutely gorgeous--warm(ish), blue sky, sun radiating. I knew I had to soak in some rays while the sun graced us with its presence! After doing some grocery shopping and some reading, I went on a two hour walk with two destinations--the French National Library and the Jardin des Plants.



The BNF (Biblioteque Nationale de France) was super modern, huge, and very confusing. There are a bunch of different building, above and below ground, which housed everything from the actually library to a movie theater. I've been told it is a great place to study, but in the short time I was there I definitely didn't figure out where to go haha. Next time when I have study material with me I'll have to put in more effort to figure it out :)

BNF was semi-on the way to my more desired destination of one of the many, many gardens in Paris I have yet to discover. It was really a beautiful park, but I know it will be amazing in the spring. As the name Jardin des Plants suggests, it literally has huge garden space where all different types of lovelyness are grown. Still being the beginning of February, like every other park in Paris, it was not yet in bloom.



HOWEVER, there were tons of people out in the gardens planting--definitely made me excited for the months to come!



I definitely opted to take the metro back to my apartment after the excursion haha. I then spent a good while catching up on the superbowl commercials I missed yesterday and after have continued doing a bit of work for classes. I have the day off again tomorrow, so I may leave the rest of my work for then and treat myself to some tea and a movie :)

One month and counting

As of tomorrow, I will have been in Paris for four weeks. So far, I am pretty proud of myself. No breakdowns, not even minor ones, and I feel like I have been able to assimilate fairly well :) I'm prepared for this next month to be a bit more difficult. I'm sure the dazzle of Paris will have to wear off eventually, making it tougher to be away from loved ones and Berkeley--especially with the introduction of the stress of school into my schedule.

However, though I do have a bunch of work for the semester, (don't know how I couldn't with seven classes) I'm actually NOT feeling overwhelmed-at least at this point. I'm pretty sure its going to be a very manageable workload. It also helps that I am a native English speaker, already gives me a leg up! I have three major papers, 3 mini papers, 3 oral group presentations, and 3 finals (still waiting to add the work to the list for the class I haven't had yet). Sounds like a lot, but I am kind of excited haha. I have a sticky note on my desktop with everything so I can delete one by one as it gets accomplished :)

I had a really lovely weekend--particularly today. Went with my housemates to Chinese New Year celebration in Paris' Chinatown, which is only about a 20 minute walk down the main road outside my building. One of my housemates shares a love for Chinese pastries, so we grabbed pork buns for lunch...sigh so good.

Definitely is going to be tempting to go back since it is so close--the 20 minute walk can be cut more than in half by using public transport...just saying.

I next went for a walk around the first arrondisment of Paris organized by my university (they do a walk in a different area every Sunday).





Perfect pretty day for perusing the city, but it is more importantly a good way to meet people--went with some other ladies to a cafe.

Afterward, I headed of for dinner at my "Buddy's" apartment. (If you haven't been reading the other posts--which I expect is the case for many haha--my university gives every international student a mentor which they call a "buddy," mine is named Hannah haha)

Dinner was absolutely lovely. I really lucked out with my Buddy--she grew up in Germany, but I swear she belongs in Berkeley. Vegetarian, chill, intelligent, activisty, so awesome haha. We had delicious crepes filled with spinach and cheese followed by equally delicious dessert crepes with some yogurt and maple syrup. I'm really excited to get to know her better. She already has offered to keep my suitcase at her place while I travel this summer which is AMAZING.

Now I am home. Just got to skype with the familia before they took off for Super Bowl watching :) There are tons of international students going to bars to watch the game (which begins at midnight here), but I think I will choose to sleep instead--definitely not the hardest decision of my life. Tomorrow is Monday, but thankfully no class till Wednesday as I haven't really gotten any work done this weekend.

On another note, just wanted to say how much I love all the musicians in Paris. They are everywhere...outside the metro stations, inside the metro stations, in the metro trains, on the street BAH it is awesome. For example, these guys were waiting for me when I got off the metro today for my walk...



On my way home from Hannah's house, a guy also serenaded my metro train with his violin. This happens a lot..and, for the most part, they are REALLY good (not like the saxophone player on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley--though I have seen some of those here haha). I would say I am definitely more happy about it than the locals. I had to hide my giggles after realizing I was the only one smiling brightly on the metro when the man started playing :)

Classes commence...reality sets in (at least a little)

First week of classes = done. Normally, I will have 8 hours of classes straight on Fridays. However today, thanks to a visit by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to Sciences Po, one of my afternoon classes was canceled. Unfortunately, it was a class I am looking quite forward to, Covert Operations of the US, but I must wait in anticipation for it to begin next week :)

I think I am in for a good semester! All of my professors have been very engaging and interesting. I particularly enjoyed a course today on the Ideology and Theory of American Conservatism--the course I was actually looking least forward too (I only ended up in it because my other choices filled up). The professor seems super awesome--grew up in NY and studied at Columbia and believes that grades are a joke. I'm especially looking forward to the final exam which will consist of an hour 1 on 1 meeting the prof in a cafe to talk about the course--I've always said this is how I think finals should be!

I'm also excited to report that I finally have a native French speaker teaching me French--makes a world of difference! I already had to prepare a 5 minute presentation on someone from my country to deliver to the class. I didn't end up going today, but I'm sure I will sometime next week. It is definitely intimidating because she corrects ALL your mispronunciation and grammar errors, but that is the only way I will actually improve. (On a side note, I wrote my presentation on Geoffrey Canada, the founder of Harlem Children's Zone. There are a bunch of American's in the class, and I figured I should choose something non-mainstream, ie: not Obama. Turns out I was write since the first American to go had chosen Obama haha.)

What else? Had a delicious dinner with my housemates today. A friend of the house, who is crashing with us for a couple weeks, wanted to treat us to dinner as a thank you. Definitely was nice to get a big delicious meal in after a semi-stressful week of beginning classes!

Being dinner in Paris, we didn't make it back to the apartment until nearly 11. Stuffed with good food, wine, and dessert I think the next plan of action is pjs and a movie :)

Standing Out

After finishing pilates this morning, I had a slight dilemma. Since I was gone the whole weekend, I was completely out of food. I particularly wanted cereal and I didn't want to borrow any of my flatmate's goods.

Instead, I decided that I was going to ignore the social norms of Paris. I was going to throw a sweatshirt on and go grocery shopping in my soccer shorts and sneakers, even though it was 30 degrees outside. And I did.

Couldn't even count the number of stares I received on my way to the store. When I arrived at Carrefour, the grocery store I now frequent, five minutes before it was to open at nine, the wait in the cold almost made me regret my decision, almost. I felt completely scandalous walking around my neighborhood and couldn't help but let out some giggles as people gawked as I passed.

After my morning display, I went to my school to use the library and some printing (which is free!). Today, being February 1, marked my first full month in Paris and the first day I got to use my snazzy Navigo Metro pass. Basically, instead of using individual tickets like a tourist, I now have a magnetic card with my face on it to get onto the train :) Best part about it is that for a flat monthly fee, you can ride the metro as many times as you want.

After the library, I met up with Sophia, a friend from Cal, and we went to the Mussee d'Orsay--awesome museum. I love spending my afternoons in museums, it's super relaxing and stimulating.

I then headed home to eat a late lunch and quickly get ready for my first day of rock climbing class. I didn't know what the locker room situation would be, so I decided to just wear my leggings, tennis shoes, and sweatshirt, all topped off with a peacoat because it was FREEZING today. Again, I was entertained by all the odd expressions of those observing my outfit haha.

Rock climbing was really fun! I'm definitely looking forward to actually learning more about how to climb properly. The other students in the class are really friendly--it should be a great way to make some new friends :) Also, no problems with the knees so far!

Tomorrow is my first official day of classes. French in the morning and "Great Liberal Thinkers" in the afternoon. I am excited!

Belgium and Luxembourg

What a perfect weekend to make a trip to Belgium--although the temperature was around or below freezing the entire time, the sun was out and the sky was blue :)







I now understand why some of my friends have suggested train travel around Europe. Both my trip to Brussels from Paris, and then later from Brussels to Chloe and Jerome´s hometown, were super comfortable and a great way to enjoy the countryside.

I arrived in Brussels Thursday around 5:30. My friends picked me up from the airport and we walked back to Chloe´s place which was just about a five minute walk. I dropped off my bag and we went for a night tour of the city, which immediately reminded me of San Francisco.



This artist is all over Brussels on random walls :)

On our walk we stopped by a grocery store for some cheese and headed back to Chloe's for dinner. We started the meal with a Belgian beer that Jerome has been bragging about forever. I must admit, Jerome was right. Belgian beer has made me like beer haha.



After finishing some delicious pasta that Chloe made, a few of their friends came over for drinks. We then headed to a club that is literally a two minute walk from Chloe's apartment, which was definitely a plus because of the cold! It was my first European club experience and it was really fun! Definitely a lot of American music, which I found entertaining, but I really like the French techno I'm getting exposed to.

The next morning, we had a nice breakfast chat with Chloe's roommate Stephanie about the education system in Belgium. I´m really loving the opportunity to soak in the different perspectives of young people from all over Europe.

Chloe and I walked around downtown Brussels during the day for a few hours, during which time I purchased an awesome leather jacket. We then met up with Jerome to grab some lunch. Even though it was just a random sandwich shop, I though my sandwich was amazing haha. Just a chicken pineapple concoction, but I swear everything in Europe is just such better quality.



After lunch we grabbed our bags and headed towards the train station to head to their hometown. However, before we left, we spent time in the Grand-Place in Brussels, which is definitely one of my favorite places I have seen in Europe, made more magical by my first, and amazingly delicious, Belgian waffle.



Just to clarify, waffles are EVERYWHERE in Brussels, so if you were´t sure if Belgian waffles are really Belgian, they are haha





We next went to a famous bar in Brussels to grab a special type of sweet beer before heading out. Again Jerome was right about how delicious it was. I had apple, Jerome cherry, and Chloe strawberry. All three were so good. It's unfortunate that beer doesn't always taste like that :)



The train ride to their hometown took about 2.5 hours, but it was a very pleasant/beautiful journey. They grew up in Arlon, which is a very small town, about 20,000 people. I was really excited to finally see a more intimate part of Europe!

For dinner, we actually went to IKEA since they were having a Swedish meatball special for only 1.25euoro. Sadly, it took me going to Europe to finally set food in my first IKEA. I particularly liked how they served cranberry sauce to the meatballs, definitely something I need to add to my own attempts at Swedish meatballs back home :).



After dinner, Jerome and Chloe picked up some special Belgian candy for me to try, cuberdons, which were really yummy.



Definitely had too many haha. After such a long day of eating, I definitely slept well.

The next day, we took off to Luxembourg, one of the world´s smallest, and richest, countries. To cross the border from their hometown in Brussels into Luxembourg literally takes all of ten minutes. We spent most of the day in Luxembourg with another one of their friends. It was absolutely gorgeous....



The city's fortifications, which I had learned about in European history as some of the best in Europe, were incredibly impressive in person.







After a lonnggg day of walking and sightseeing in the cold, we went back to Chloe´s house. I love how Europeans (or at least her family) treat meal time. First, we began with appetizers and drinks for a good hour, before moving onto dinner. The meal was delicious, a family recipe of fondue, followed by Italian cookies Jerome and Chloe had picked up at a Luxembourg market during the day.



Even though I wasn't able to speak much to her family because of the language barrier, they were incredibly welcoming and wonderful. I think the best thing I got out of the trip was to spend a good amount of time in a European household and observe the differences, but mainly similarities, between our cultures. Staying there definitely made me a bit homesick because of all the familyness and comfort :)

After dinner, we went to their friends house for a drink and visit, but were back to Chloe´s house and in bed by midnight. We were both pretty exhausted and slept until nearly 11 the next day. Chloe had a project to finish for school, so we spent Sunday afternoon hanging around the house, which was more than fine with me! She gave me Harry Potter in French to attempt to read, which was definitely more than enough entertainment!

Her mom prepared a delicious lunch of pork and mushrooms in a yummy sauce, over rice. Later, for snack, we had a Belgian specialty of sweet break with raisins and another with chunks of sugar, yum! I have definitely eaten quite well in Belgium haha.

We headed back to Brussels that night with Chloe's grandparents. We arrived around eight and had some homemade lasagna her mom had sent with us. The next morning, we had a few hours to kill before my train. I had one main mission: buy Belgian chocolate. Happy to say mission accomplished :)

Made it back to Paris by 5:15 and am now focused on preparing for classes which begin on Wednesday. No more travels for me until my winter break trip to Spain, but I'm excited to get into the routine of school and get a better idea of what my semester is going to look like.

Musse de l'Orangerie and the beginning of travels...

Tomorrow morning I will have my first lecture at 8 am (the not so lovely part). After, I will come home, pack, and head to Belgium until Monday. Definitely excited to see Belgium and of course my friends there :) Wanted to do a quick post before I headed out for the weekend...

I've been taking it easy the last few days. I woke up the other morning with a slightly swollen and painful foot, which I think was a symptom of simply too much walking in boots. I stayed off of it as much as possible the last couple of days and am happy to report it is no longer an issue.

Yesterday was another day of attempted/failed usage of French, but I got some necessary errands out of the way. I opened up my French bank account so I can apply for the CAF, a government program that provides ANY student, no matter what nationality, money back on their rent. I recently signed up for rock climbing through my school here, which required me to get a medical clearance yesterday as well. The people at the doctor's office were rather rude about my French, definitely making fun of me, but the appointment was a joke and I got my clearance. I'm hoping my knee can hold up to one day of rock climbing a week :)

I really enjoyed today. Went to the Musse de l'Orangerie with a few friends, which was very interesting. They had a bunch of different artists--Monet, Rousseau, Renoir, Picasso, Sisley, Matisse, Soutine and others. Definitely learning a lot about art :) A few of my favorites...



Monet -- apparently this guy suffered from cataracts and was pretty much blind for the last two years of his work




Sisley




Derain



Soutine -- I'm not a fan of his figures, but the landscapes/buildings were really interesting

I also went to a showing of a French film tonight at my school. Every Wednesday night the BDE (student association) does a free screening of a film. Definitely something I plan to take advantage of--anything to help me develop my French is highly welcome :)

In other news, I have booked flights with a few girls from Berkeley to spend our "winter" break in Spain! The plan is to fly into Barcelona and head home from Madrid with Grenada in between. Can't wait!! Our flight out is February 28--really not too far away! As for this weekends trip, I haven't decided whether I am taking my laptop on the train tomorrow, but, regardless, the Belgium update will probably have to wait until my return on Monday!

Eating my way around Paris...

I haven't eaten out THAT much, but since this week has been mainly orientation, I have spent more time getting to know other international students over pastries/dinner/coffee. It is also the only thing I have really been taking pictures of, despite still roaming around and seeing new parts of the city almost daily :)

First up is my first chaussons aux pommes (apple pastry). Bought it with my friend Sophia at this super overpriced, but VERY popular and delicious patisserie. They had some ridiculously fancy desserts in there...unfortunately I didn't take more pictures inside the shop (however my friend did so I am definitely planning on stealing them). The pastry was basically like eating an apple pie, just more flaky. Though quite yummy, I still prefer the almond croissant from my first week here.



I also went to my first proper crepe place the same day I had the above pastry. Since I was still kind of full, I shared a chicken, spinach, and creme fresh crepe with a friend. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. It was good, but nothing amazing (definitely added my own salt and pepper). However, it was still pretty so I took a picture :)



Today I FINALLY had roasted chestnuts off the street. We had a "buddy" scavenger hunt this afternoon. Basically, every international student is paired with a student from Sciences Po, and today was our first official activity, which was really just a two hour stroll through the city before closing at a bar. These chestnuts were the first thing on our "to do" list and they were awesome. Only about 2euro for a pretty big bag. I definitely plan to get more next time I am at Jardin de Luxembourg.



My "buddy" is an international student from Germany who is working on her masters. Really warm and kind lady, I'm excited to get to know her better.

At the bar after the scavenger hunt I had one glass on wine and a very lovely conversation with a young women from Finland and a friend from Berkeley. If you know me and alcohol, you know I rarely have more than one drink, and it is usually enough to make me sufficiently tipsy. Definitely had that experience today. I don't think I was even half way through the glass before feeling very relaxed and a little out of it haha.

After about an hour and a half at the bar, I headed out to dinner with students from my methodology course (we all got split up into smaller groups for the classes). I thought the restaurant would be fairly easy to find, but getting off the metro in the dark, coupled with being a bit tipsy, really hampered my ability to find the place/ask for directions properly in French (some of my friends here swear their French gets better with alcohol...mine, just like my English, gets worse). I was giving one last street a try with every intention of just heading home, when I found the restaurant. So glad I did....



This pasta was so good, and really reasonable even with the exchange rate that continues to become worse almost daily to my dismay... It was simply basil pasta, but it was definitely done right :) I didn't leave the restaurant until around 10:45. Some international students were going to a Canadian bar for some American football watching (Steelers and Jets I believe?), but I decided it was a much better plan to go home and chat with my parents and friends since the time difference on the weekends is quite perfect in the evenings :)

The last few days haven't been all orientation. I had a really lovely evening last night at a very Parisian venue where a local band was giving a free concert. It was a nice way to just relax and get to know a bunch of other girls attending Sciences Po this semester. My camera died on me so I only got this lousy picture...



It looks like they do a bunch of free music nights. I definitely plan to go back :)

Also had the night boat cruise on the Seine a few days ago. Only took pictures of the Eiffel Tower, but the ride was pretty enjoyable--besides the fact that it was below freezing outside and I had zero time to grab dinner after class and before the cruise. Definitely sank into a big bowl of cereal around midnight once I finally got home haha. French people don't seem to understand the concept of late night food...after the boat cruise and on the way to bars, we assumed we would have tons of food options. Negative..I think there is definitely money to be made for a munchies shack in one of the bar districts. Just saying :)



I am also super excited to report that I will be heading to Belgium this coming Thursday, staying through Monday. My classes don't really get going until the following week, so it is the perfect time to visit my friends in Brussels, who are kind enough to let me stay with them/show me around, before the stress of the semester begins. I'm sure there will be MANY pictures of Belgian waffles/beer/chocolate/awesomeness on the way, so watch out for that :)