I have homework?

This week, it hit me that I'm studying abroad. Thus, I have homework. I can't complain, because I'm in Paris :) It has taken up a good part of my time though. Sunday and Monday I've been working hard to read all the articles and write papers, or at least I've been trying to. I'm taking two 300 level classes,and I just have to budget my time wisely to finish and understand everything. In Europe, people like to enjoy their food and take their time, so by the time class ends at 1pm and we eat lunch and jump on the metro, I don't get home until a little before 4pm. Factor in another hour, more or less, for eating and talking with my host family. Again, I'm not complaining, just trying to get back into school mode and focus. It's really easy to say, "I'll go to Musee d'Orsay after class" instead of preparing a presentation. Since I am transitioning back into school mode, my sleep is being cut down ever so slightly, and I'm starting to drink coffee. I know, I never saw it coming either. The vending machine at school (I posted a pic of it in a previous entry) gives you a little dixie cup of coffee for 50 cents. I've been getting cafe noisette, because its not too foamy or too coffee-tasting. It's only 10 sips of coffee and is not that effective after the first hour, so I might need to factor in one euro a day into by budget for the rest of my stay. In France, there is no place where I can grab a hot tea and go, like Starbucks. It just goes to show how fast paced we are in America.  Sometimes we just need to sit down and drink our coffee!

Besides being lost in my french history class and dozing off from sleepiness and confusion and being freezing in class, things are going well! Sunday, we went to a classical music concert at Sainte Chapelle! Three violinists, a cellist, and a harpsichord player (I'm pretty sure it was a harpsichord). The music was amazing. The solo violinist was shredding the music apart and he could have powered the city with the intensity of his playing. Not only was I in awe of the beautiful stained glass, but the music was fantastic :)

On Monday, I was tired and came straight home after lunch. I powered through a 2 page paper (hey, two pages is tough in another language) and got some stuff done. During dinner, my host family talked about their favorite music, 90% of which is American. They asked me if I knew who The Beatles were, and after the daughter thought they were an American band, she asked, "What's the difference between Britain and America anyway?" :O After dinner, we played a game! We actually had a mini family game night! It was this big board with different tiny drawings of objects, like a baloon, flowers, a birthday cake, etc. maybe around 100 pictures, and one person picked a tile out of the box, and the first person to find it gets the tile. The person with the most...ok you get it. With all five of us, it got competitive! It helped me though because someone would say the word of whatever object was picked and I learned a few new words. Or at least I knew them during the game and forget them now :/

Today, after lunch, we went to Sacre Coeur. It's actually on my way home from school, and very easy to get to, so I think I'll go there more often! They have constant adoration, so I went to spend some time praying and my friends walked around. I really appreciate how they let me do my thing and didn't rush me to leave. I also appreciate how there are employees who keep everyone quiet and don't let you take pics out of respect. 

My friend and I ventured out to in our neighborhood to find dinner tonight, and we found this nifty little place down the road. It's a creperie, and we both had a crepe with capers, olives, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. It was the perfect thing for dinner. We had to splurge on ice cream, and it was so worth it. Did you know banana ice cream is gray?! I love the fact that I can walk down the street and find a tiny cafe or store with something special inside. Paying about 12 euros for it all isn't bad either ;)

Starting my second week here, the metro has been more forgiving, I'm picking up more French language, and I'm noticing more cultural differences. I'd love to expand on that in my next post because now I have homework to do! Versailles tomorrow :D

Praying that this cold spring weather moves to the US! You can use it more than me!

"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust."

<3 Love,
Anna

Au nom du Pere, du Fils, et du Saint Esprit

Today, I was truly blessed to spend the day with my friend Sean from Rutgers. He happened to be in the neighborhood on vacation, so we hit up the city Catholic style!

After I woke up from some much needed sleep, I met Sean at his metro station (btw, wasn't there a band called Metro Station?) and we went to Sacre Coeur! It's a beautiful basilica on top of a hill that overlooks all of Paris. We could have climbed to the top, but that was another 300 steps, and my legs needed a break. We went inside, and to our surprise, we were just in time for daily mass! and then liturgy of the hours! and then adoration!  It was everything we could have asked for in a gorgeous church. Having so many people come to see the beauty of this place and celebrate the mass, whether Catholic or not, was a unifying experience. "Catholic" means universal, and there are people of faith everywhere in the world. Even those who weren't Catholic came and sat down during mass because they knew something special was happening. There were a few girls sitting behind us, and when we shook their hands for peace, they clearly did not know what was happening. They had a surprised smile on their faces which made me feel really happy and that even the smallest kind gesture can mean a lot to a person and welcome them to our faith. After spending a good amount of time in Sacre Coeur, complete with beautiful murals and a choir of nuns, we headed out for the next part of our day.

Polish church we found with JPII

On our way, we grabbed the French version of a hoagie/sub. I had veggies and mozzarella cheese on a baguette and a Coke. For under ten euros, it hit the spot. It was a bit gloomy outside and misty, but we ate in the Jardin de Tuileries. We were very lucky that it didn't rain at all today!

Following this was a visit to Musee de L'Orangerie. It's an impressionist museum. Not only did we get in for 5 euros, but we saw a gallery of Monet's 'Water Lilies.'The paintings were as long as the walls and were of reflections of different things on the water. We could have stayed in that gallery for a long time. His work was truly brilliant and lovely. The museum also included Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, and I ended up finding an interest in Derain. It was the first time I really appreciated art, like those fancy art students or critics do. I love impressionism and so glad this place was recommended to me. (And yes, I could not have passed up the chance to go somewhere with the word 'orange' in it.)

Renoir

Next we walked along the Seine to find this gelato place that Sean was raving about-- Berthillon. Oh. My. Goodness. It was delicious. I know you're probably tired of hearing me say that everything I've been eating is delicious, but you HAVE to try this gelato. They have an insane amount of flavors, and nothing could possibly disappoint you. The chocolate was so rich, and the framboise tasted exactly like raspberries. So yummy. 

After we got our blood sugar back up, we headed to Notre Dame. The vigil mass started at 6:30, so we went in through the line for mass and avoided the longer line waiting to get in for general admission. Immediately, I could smell the incense and feel the grandeur of the cathedral. From the stained glass, to the statues, to the architecture, Notre Dame is a beautiful and magnificent church. I wish I could have explored the areas that were roped off and go upstairs to the hidden parts. Did I mention there was an organist who was going crazy on the organ? I loved every minute that I spend inside.

Dinner was another story. I think we fell into a tourist trap and ate at a restaurant that was sub par  Neither of us cared too much for our dishes, but we did order some nice wine! To make up for dinner, we had dessert part 2. Sean got more gelato, and I had a fresh crepe with nutella and bananas. I'm pretty sure God hand made every dessert I've had so far here. If I could choose, which I sort of can, every day I would have a my cereal for breakfast, a croissant for a mid morning snack to last me until a late lunch. Then a slice of quiche and a plate of cheese with bread for lunch, a macaroon on my way back to my apartment, then a surprise dinner with my host family with more cheese and fruit afterwords. I can only imagine the other things I'm going to enjoy in the next five weeks! 

All in all, today was a wonderful day. Sean and I had a great time exploring the city, I successfully managed the metro on my own, and I checked a lot of things off my bucket list. My list of "must see" things in France consists largely of religious sites, and I'm so happy that I know how to get to some of the major ones! 

Around 9 or 10pm

Friends and family, you are always in my prayers <3

"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust."

Love,
Anna

Go with the flow

Today was full of surprises. Cliche, yes, but accurate. My friend and I got to the metro at 8am to avoid le cauchemar, and it was empty! 15 mins earlier and the metro was basically empty. To reward ourselves for our speedy arrival at school, (1/2 hr early) we walked across the street and got croissants. I learned a new word for can (une canette) when I tried to ask the lady for the can of Lipton iced tea. A nice man behind me helped.

During my first class, we had a quiz. Let's just say that I came in to class, I saw the questions, but I did not conquer the quiz :/ I fully accept whatever grade I deserve. In my second class, we talked about the war on religion way way back in France, and she gave us more croissants! I really do enjoy my conversation class. The professor is really helpful and has a very engaging teaching method.

After class, my friend and I walked a different way to get lunch, and we ended up in a little cafe, of course, where I ordered quiche aux legumes. French quiche, real quiche, is NOTHING like we eat in America. This quiche came from the secret garden, because I have no idea how it tasted that good.

Then we noticed a really big entrance to what we thought was a park. So we walked in, and it was the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery! This is the one with Moliere, Chopin, Jim Morrison, and many other famous people are buried  We just stumbled upon it! It was a cloudy day, but that made everything look really beautiful in the cemetery. There were huge mausoleums and statues all around that were really cool. The grounds are so big that you can get lost walking around. It was so pleasant though to just casually stroll through this place with overhanging trees, moss growing on the statues, and cobblestone streets. It was oddly peaceful.

Chopin's grave

We then had the idea to go to the Musee d'Orsay--a museum with impressionistic work. One metro ride later and we're back on l'Ile. A little lost, we walked and walked and walked along the riverbank until we finally found the museum at 5:15. They clost at 6pm and sell the last tickets at 5pm. Tired and defeated, we sat down on some steps nearby where a man was playing the clarinet. It was nice. Then there was this older man a few paces away from him who was trying to be a street performer. He looked homeless. At first he was awkwardly dancing to the music, expecting people to put money in his tin box, but nothing was working, no matter how funny we thought he was. Then he got the idea to mock people as they walked by. He used whatever little props he had in his bag to mimic passersby, sometimes without them knowing it. We cracked up, and I started crying like crazy. Sometimes he would scare them, sometimes he would try to interact with the kids and parents, and other times he would just awkwardly walk next to people and get in their way. It was absolutely hilarious. A third man set out colored cups in front of the rather large crowd that gathered on the steps and did some rollerskating tricks. He was working with the musician. It was quite a show!

Since today is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, Paris has a fete de la musique. They have musicians everywhere in the city playing on the river, on the corner, and in parks for free! We sat down and listened to a couple, and it was fun! We saw a Spanish group that had one couple dancing the salsa, a group of teens playing instruments, and African music while walking home. It was a party on every street! 

We then decided to treat ourselves and find an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was so comforting to eat pizza. Even the cheese on the pizza is better in France! The pizza is very thin so their personal pies are rather large. We stuck out as Americans in the restaurant because we cut ours into triangular slices and used our hands. Newsflash: the french eat everything but bread with a fork! We ended the night with dessert from heaven. A slice of chocolate mousse cake. I could have stopped after the first bite and have died happy. I may have added a week and half to the end of my life from all the walking I did, but I also may have added it back with all my eating :) I think I've been eating very healthy, walking a lot, and not snacking as much as I do at home, so today, I think I deserved a little reward. At the Italian restaurant, a family next to us was American and trying to order drinks. They didn't know the french word for "lime," so my friend leaned over and said to the waiter, "un citron vert" to help, and he leaned over and said something along the lines of, "I know what they're saying. I just want them to figure it out in French." Moral of the story, the French dislike the Americans who don't make an attempt to speak the language.

Focaccia and margarita pizza

Sent from God's kitchen

Now I get to sleep with a full stomach!!

Thank God that it didn't rain today. Love to all my family and friends back home who are reading this! 

"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust."

Love,
Anna

Room for one more

On Wednesdays, we have no class. There's usually something planned for us through our program, and this Wednesday was L'Ile de la Cite. On the Seine, Paris has two islands. L'Ile de la Cite is the one that everyone thinks of when they think of Paris. It's very touristy, but it does have a lot of history. Some huge landmarks are the Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, the Louvre, La Conciergerie, etc. 

After trying to squeeze on the metro (my friend has taught me that there's always room for one more person on the metro), we first went to Notre Dame. They had an ugly exhibit in front of it that was distracting from it's beauty, but it was celebrating it's 850th anniversary. We didn't go inside the chapel area, but we did climb the hundreds of stairs to the top of the towers. It was so amazing to feel the dips in each stair where millions of people have walked, and even more, of the original Parisians who lived there or rang the bells over 800 years ago.  The view from up top is gorgeous. You can see the whole city, and get face to face with a gargoyle! Yes, the Disney movie contributed a lot to my excitement. I was so excited when I first saw it that I sort of ran through the street to get up close ;) You can see why: 

Next thing after Notre Dame was a boat tour on the Seine. This was about 3:30 in the afternoon, and we didn't stop for lunch, so most of us were hot, tired, and hungry. Luckily, it's cooler on the water, and very relaxing. We all took pictures in the beginning, but by the end, there were too many things to photograph and it was much better to just enjoy the scenery:

Finally, around 4pm, we got lunch/dinner in the Latin Quarter. It's called that because way way back, the university students lived in this neighborhood and only spoke Latin. It was a touristy restaurant, but food was food. We were fancy and ordered a cheese plate!... et puis une omelette du fromage (et jambon)! Then it started to rain, so we jumped on the metro and headed home.

I'd like to pause here and describe the metro. It's like the subway, but the seats don't go against the wall, its like a bus, 2 by 2, so there isn't a lot of room to stand, and not many people feel like moving over. There's three bars in the middle to hold on to, and that's about it. It's hot and smelly. We have literally come out of a metro sweaty because we were squished like sardines. It's worse than a Rutgers bus, I promise. Sometimes it's not that bad, but during rush hour, it's a nightmare. 

I was too full to eat dinner at 7ish, but my family was also making omelettes! Third night in a row that I (would have) had the same thing for lunch and dinner! It they make chicken salad tonight, that'll be four. Yes, I am eating a little bit of meat here, and I'll admit, it's good.

At night, I could see the Eiffel Tower sparkle from my window. It was lovely.Here's the view from my room at night:

 Then, right before I was getting ready for bed, there was a HUGE spider in my room! I found the parents to kill it, after I fumbled to find the world for spider (araignee). The mother saw it and said, "merde!" The father just hit it with his sandal and said it must have come from Texas (that was a joke) and they said that's the first spider they've ever had in the apartment. The French leave their windows open a lot without any screens, and I literally have never see any bugs here except for last night.

This morning, the metro was crowded as ever. We waited for 5 trains until we could fit, and even then, my friend got on but there wasn't room for me! We got separated, and I waited for 3 more trains until I could get on. It was not ideal for 8:30am. I was 10 mins late to class too, but I think I made really good time besides that!

On my way home from class, we stopped in a bakery and I bought a large chocolate macaron. I can't even comprehend how good it tastes. I've had it out for an hour and half and only taken 6 bites. I'm afraid the next bite is not going to be as good as the last. It is so delicious :)

Other pictures I wanted to share were examples of French apartments, the famous bridge with the locks (When a couple first goes to Paris and walks across this bridge, they put a lock on it and throw the key in the river to symbolize their eternal love), and their coffee vending machines: 

God is definitely teaching me patience with the metro and with everyone's slow pace of eating. Thank you for your prayers!

"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust."

Love,
Anna

Happiness is...

First day of school! First day of school! Today, we started classes, and they don't seem like typical classes I would take at Rutgers. My first class was about French history, but the professor (who's actually French) ended up telling us all about the city and what we should see in each neighborhood. My second class is conversation based about the city and its culture. I'm tempted to switch from that class to French theater, but I think I should challenge myself to get better at speaking. At the beginning of this summer, I wanted to hold myself to this expectation of going outside of my comfort zone, and speaking in a foreign language in front of natives and a class is one giant leap for me. 

After class, a group of us ate lunch at an Italian place. I had delicious pasta with Neapolitan sauce (I think that's what it was called). It tasted fresh, at least the sauce did. When I came home for dinner later, my family also made pasta. It's the second day in a row that I ate the same thing for lunch and dinner! I don't mind at all, of course. My family made angel hair pasta with sauce from a jar. Spaghetti is a staple in my house, with my Grammy's red sauce, so I actually prefer the spaghetti at home than the kind I had tonight. It was a warm reminder of home, and afterwords, we ate fresh cherries and melon! It was the perfect treat :)

The best part of the day came in the late afternoon when my friend and I bought ice cream (not in a cone, but an ice cream bar in a package that we don't have in the US) and walked to the nearby park. The weather was beautiful, and we sat, talked, and people watched for three hours. The sun doesn't completely set until about 10 or 10:30, so we completely lost track of time. Sure, there were one or two people who bothered us, but if you ignore the men, sometimes that sends them the message to get away from you. We said that we need to learn how to say the right phrases in French to defend ourselves from "interested" men. Believe me, that stereotype of guys hitting on girls everywhere in France is partly true. Other than that, it was a lovely afternoon. We were in no hurry to get anywhere and we had no where to be. I really could get used to this lifestyle.

The second best part of the day was discovering some new definitions of happiness. Happiness is...realizing I have a bag of M&Ms in my suitcase that I never unpacked, asking questions to my host family to make an effort to learn the language and culture (Did you know that for breakfast, they drink coffee and tea from a bowl?!), taking things slow, not having a mirror in my room and obsessing over my looks, a smooth metro ride,friends and family at home who are reading this blog, understanding the news in a foreign language, seeing nuns walk down the street, reading encouragements from friends back home, and looking out the window to see the top half of the Eiffel Tower lit up. What are your definitions of happiness?

I PROMISE I'll upload pics soon!

Your prayers definitely helped me get through today. Thank you :)

“Fear is useless, what is needed is trust.”

Love,

Anna

New York?

Today, I want to add some description to all of the summary I’ve been giving you. This morning, it rained. Not like the dreary rain in New York, but the melodramatic rain in the movies. Rain puts everything in a different light, and this rain was not depressing, but exciting. I was excited to walk through my first European storm! It didn't last for long, but wearing rain boots and carrying an umbrella makes me feel ready and prepared for the day; however, I was not prepared at all for some events that happened later.

My friend down the street and I left a little too late to catch the metro and make it to class. We (she) knew where we were going though, so it worked out fine. We met the other people in the program, and we seem to all get along so far! I think we're just happy to speak English to each other. Some know more french than others, but I think there are some who are as lost as I am too ;) We had a little orientation and introduction to the classes and other things we’ll be doing. We got our passes to the Louvre, so I’ll take advantage of that ASAP. Then we went to lunch at a little restaurant. YUM is all I have to say. I had une salade avec du thon mariné, avec du pain, bien sûr, et un clafouti de cerises. It’s a custard tart with whole cherries in it, pits and all, and I could eat it with every meal. Seriously, so good. My family ended up making the same exact salad for dinner actually, but I didn't care because it was delicious! I also tried more cheese at dinner. I forget the name, but it’s another type of goat cheese. It gets better and better each time I try it. (The wine I had last night was a Bordeaux.)

To backtrack, after lunch my friend and I walked around a bit around Charonne and made our way back to our apartments. We got on the metro, only for it to break down four stops in. So we had to get off, walk past four more stops to get to the next metro line we needed, only to discover that someone stole her phone when the crowd was moving on and off the metro. On top of that, it was hot and humid. We walked through a very touristy part of the city, which reminded me a lot of New York City. Sex shops everywhere, people shoving pamphlets in your face, and trinket shops on every block. We passed by the Moulin Rouge, but would have had to cross the street to get a good look at it. For some reason, I can't upload my pics at the moment, so I'll try to add them tomorrow.

After dinner, my host family and I watched a video of a concert called Le Quatuor (?), with a quartet of 3 violinists and a cellist, who played some popular songs with lots of humor thrown in. After having dinner with them and having a tough time understanding and responding to them, it was nice to know that music and comedy is universal. They have a large collection of videos, french and english videos dubbed in french, but I wanted to watch something simple and comforting with music. (side note- earlier when I first came home, the girl was watching a dubbed episode of NCIS, and Diddy was on as a special guest, and the girl didn’t know who he was, so I had to explain that he is un rappeur!)

At the end of the day, I’m a bit overwhelmed and wish I knew my way around the city better. I know that it will eventually feel more comfortable with my surroundings, but everything takes time and effort.

Please pray that I can find my way and settle into this new lifestyle. Know that I miss you all and are always in my prayers <3

“Fear is useless, what is needed is trust.”

Love,

Anna

Day of Firsts

First go on the metro, first mass in another language, first croque monsieur, first glass of wine, first kisses on the cheek, and first blister. Quelle journée!

My day started at 9am. I slept for about 10 hours the night before. It was much needed. There was breakfast on the table for myself and the kids. Special K, milk, orange juice, yogurt with honey, pancakes (not fresh made ones, I don’t know where they came from actually), some natural drink that I didn’t know the english translation for, so I didn’t try it, and bread with every kind of spread possible. I only had some cereal and oj, but maybe tomorrow I’ll branch out.

Church came next. I went to the church, 30 seconds down the road, and it’s BIG, or at least it seemed big. There were pews on the side of the altar, and in front were LITTLE wooden chairs with the woven seats all connected and no room to kneel in front of you. I found a spot on the end, but by the end of the second reading, almost every seat was filled. The mass is the exact same thing in English, so I knew what part we were at, and they had the major prayers on the back of the song booklet. There was an organ up top, and one man leading the songs. He was very animated and very reverent towards the music. I know France is not that religious, but you couldn’t tell from this church. There were people of all ages and races at mass. There was even a group of sisters! Since I didn’t know all of the responses in French, I felt a little lost, and I was paranoid that everyone was looking at me and knew I wasn’t from around here. When we wished each other peace, I just mouthed “le paix” and so did everyone else, so I felt much better. And then came communion. People are really excited for communion because everyone just ran up all at once! There was no orderly fashion; just go up whenever you want. I was very confused, but I got up eventually and received. I shook the priest’s hand after, and I went home.

After that, my host mother helped me with the metro, and I went with another girl in the program who lives on my street to try and find the school we’ll be attending. It took one metro transfer, but it was much easier than I anticipated. So we walked around that area and found a little book store to stop in. Nothing special, but I did find (and purchase) a french copy of “Qui es-tu Alaska?” by John Green! Less than 10 euros! Then we got lunch at a nice bar/restaurant. The waiter knew right away that we were not french, I suppose from our accents, but we ordered in French anyway. I had to order a croque monsieur. It’s a toasted ham sandwich with cheese on top. Very delicious! 

It reminded me of pizza a little bit. We must have stayed there for at least an hour and a half. It’s so laid back; it’s wonderful. I had to use the bathroom before we left, so they waiter gave me a coin and said go downstairs. I went down the stairs (very sketch) and I had to put the coin in the door for it to open. It was just the strangest thing. Then after we paid, we walked around some more and I got a blister on my pinky toe :( but there are much worse things that could have happened.

When I got back, my professor, the girl I walked around with, and her host parents came over for dinner. It was really nice to have a big dinner with friends, and comforting to see my professor in France--far away from the Ruth Adams building. Again, it was picture perfect. They made pizza with des champignons et des poivrons. Fruit, vegetables, and cheese were everywhere. And the mother asked if I wanted a glass of wine. Wine with pizza? “Bien sur!” elle a dit. So, when in Paris, do as the Parisians do and drink wine with pizza! I didn't even finish the quarter of a glass she poured of red wine. And no, I don’t know what kind of red wine it was. The bottle was on the other side of the table. We (they) had a long conversation, a couple hours, and the other girl and I chimed in if they asked us questions. I understood a lot of what they were saying, and it seemed so normal for them to be talking in french. Every encounter I have with a person here, French seems more and more normal. I’m picking up a lot of little things to use and remember.

(This was dinner from yesterday)

I don’t know if it was the sun or the wine, but after dinner, I was/am very tired. I helped them clean up either way and gave them their gifts. I went to the Amish market by me and bought home made apple butter and an iron napkin holder shaped like a horse and buggy with blue white and red stars on it (for Bastille day, of course).  It was very American (which I suppose was the point) and they knew who the Amish were! They apparently saw a movie with Harrison Ford as an Amish man, but they couldn’t remember the name. They were very thankful, and gave me two kisses on the cheek :)

I can’t stress enough how welcoming and kind my family is. They have no problem with me using their things and eating with them every night. Even the other family said I could come over and eat with them whenever. It’s still a little overwhelming and scary at times, but it’s a learning experience. I won’t get better if I don’t try.

Another day fueled by your prayers. Thank you.

“Fear is useless, what is needed is trust.”

Love,

Anna