Just got back from a very hilarious one man show called "How to Become Parisien in One Hour." It made fun of Parisien people almost as much as it made fun of Americans. It was very funny because he took everything that I have noticed as an Ex-Pat and as an American and dramatized it.
With that and finishing Sense and Sensibility, it was a very nice day.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Friday, 26 November 2010
The weather.
I have never lived in an area where it snows. I have vacationed in the mountains, I have skiied and snowboarded, but I have never lived in it. So you can imagine my excitement when the first snow of the season came yesterday on Thanksgiving for a whole minute.
It is funny how excited I am by the cold weather. I know in a couple months times I will probably be sick of it and wanting my sunny February Orange County weather, but right now it is just thrilling. Walking down the street yesterday when it started getting dark, I saw the Christmas lights being put up and shops posting Pere Noel in their windows. The frosty air nipped at my face and I felt like I was in a movie in the beautiful surroundings. To be honest, I actually felt like I was in New York, not Paris, and my brother Matt pointed out that this was probably because so many movies are set in New York for the Holidays.
It is getting so cold that I started sleeping with two blankets, and a radiator on. Before I would occasionally wake up with a shiver down my spine because of the cold, and it would just remind me that I am in a place so different from my home, it would get me really excited. With the blankets and radiator it is so toasty and I can cuddle up with hot chocolate and watch an old movie or read Sense and Sensibility ( I have become obsessed with the classics lately). Plus, I have been become very fond of coffee, so I can drink a warm mocha in my room, or go to a cafe and just sit and read for hours and just enjoy the warm seasonal happiness that you get from watching people outside in the cold with their shopping.
My host mom has been so nice to me, she bought me a huge white pillowy jacket that is super warm, because she knew I didn't have any warm clothes, and they have been very concerned with how my rooms deals with the cold.
It is also the start of Museum Season, where there are fewer crowds, and because it's too cold to go outside, you can find peace in a Museum for a few hours. My friends have just got here and now we are off to the Rodin Museum and if time allows: Les Invalides.
Ciao!
It is funny how excited I am by the cold weather. I know in a couple months times I will probably be sick of it and wanting my sunny February Orange County weather, but right now it is just thrilling. Walking down the street yesterday when it started getting dark, I saw the Christmas lights being put up and shops posting Pere Noel in their windows. The frosty air nipped at my face and I felt like I was in a movie in the beautiful surroundings. To be honest, I actually felt like I was in New York, not Paris, and my brother Matt pointed out that this was probably because so many movies are set in New York for the Holidays.
It is getting so cold that I started sleeping with two blankets, and a radiator on. Before I would occasionally wake up with a shiver down my spine because of the cold, and it would just remind me that I am in a place so different from my home, it would get me really excited. With the blankets and radiator it is so toasty and I can cuddle up with hot chocolate and watch an old movie or read Sense and Sensibility ( I have become obsessed with the classics lately). Plus, I have been become very fond of coffee, so I can drink a warm mocha in my room, or go to a cafe and just sit and read for hours and just enjoy the warm seasonal happiness that you get from watching people outside in the cold with their shopping.
My host mom has been so nice to me, she bought me a huge white pillowy jacket that is super warm, because she knew I didn't have any warm clothes, and they have been very concerned with how my rooms deals with the cold.
It is also the start of Museum Season, where there are fewer crowds, and because it's too cold to go outside, you can find peace in a Museum for a few hours. My friends have just got here and now we are off to the Rodin Museum and if time allows: Les Invalides.
Ciao!
Thursday, 18 November 2010
The Orsay.
After class today I met up with Laura and Hannah outside of the metro to spend a couple of hours at the Orsay. I thought that it might be free for us, but it was only 5.50 euros so it wasn't too bad. I am not crazy about sculptures but the whole bottom floor was covered in them. It was a lovely picture though because the roof is very high and made out of glass.
We finally got to the impressionists and that was what I really enjoyed. The light colors, the friendly faces and the details forming the farther you got back were great. My favorite were by far the pastels of the clouds by Monet. I think he got it right. Nothing is more simple and more beautiful than clouds on a warm day.
At the back of the hall there was a doll sized working replica of the Versailles cut in half, so you could see the inner workings of the shifting ballroom/opera house, and the various rooms of the Palace. It was very cool having learned about the floor at the palace and coming to the Orsay to see the mechanics behind it.
Museum count: 8
We finally got to the impressionists and that was what I really enjoyed. The light colors, the friendly faces and the details forming the farther you got back were great. My favorite were by far the pastels of the clouds by Monet. I think he got it right. Nothing is more simple and more beautiful than clouds on a warm day.
At the back of the hall there was a doll sized working replica of the Versailles cut in half, so you could see the inner workings of the shifting ballroom/opera house, and the various rooms of the Palace. It was very cool having learned about the floor at the palace and coming to the Orsay to see the mechanics behind it.
Museum count: 8
Saturday, 13 November 2010
My immediate life in pictures.
View from my window.
My adorable lock.
The hallway outside my room.
My sketchy elevator.
From the roof. :)
Also from the roof.
The Marionettes show on the Champs des Mars.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Monday.
Oh, I was just googling for somewhere to develop my disposable camera film in Paris and I came upon a horrendous blog of a teenage girl just posting the same thing over and over again with a million pictures of her in the same pose (overexposed, holding the camera so it looks down over you head).
Anyways, tonight I am sitting here babysitting and really enjoying my chat with my mother. The boys went to bed without a fight and it's great having my mom online because if I want to say something out loud I can, but we don't have to keep up a constant stream of conversation. I don't feel like I am entertaining anyone. :)
Also tonight while I was mulling around online I saw that one of my au pair friends booked a flight back home for Christmas, and how she is counting down until March. I feel so grateful that I have not had a ridiculous urge to count down my time here and am really enjoying this. While I might not always be out and about, I always enjoy just looking outside my window and seeing the city. So glad I have a window, because today it was much too cold to go outside and enjoy the streets. Freezing rain drops and wind chill are definitely not something I am used to. I guess I will need to buy a coat...
Anyways, tonight I am sitting here babysitting and really enjoying my chat with my mother. The boys went to bed without a fight and it's great having my mom online because if I want to say something out loud I can, but we don't have to keep up a constant stream of conversation. I don't feel like I am entertaining anyone. :)
Also tonight while I was mulling around online I saw that one of my au pair friends booked a flight back home for Christmas, and how she is counting down until March. I feel so grateful that I have not had a ridiculous urge to count down my time here and am really enjoying this. While I might not always be out and about, I always enjoy just looking outside my window and seeing the city. So glad I have a window, because today it was much too cold to go outside and enjoy the streets. Freezing rain drops and wind chill are definitely not something I am used to. I guess I will need to buy a coat...
Sunday, 7 November 2010
The Weekend.
I feel like I am in a routine. I have been wanting a routine for a while now, in my head I figured that would be when I felt at home. I do feel at home, and I am comfortable. And yet now I am realizing that in my routine, I am not doing as much as I would. So, I am laying out a plan of action for tomorrow. This weekend, while I am glad I did it this way, I did very little.
Friday night I went out with my Australian friend Liz and stayed out until breakfast. I slept for two hours, headed off to work, came back and slept until around 5:00pm. For three hours I mulled around cleaning and watching TV, left to go babysit and came home and went to bed at midnight.
Today:
I slept in until 11, I made myself breakfast, I wrote one college essay, I finished the state school applications, I finished a book then I went to babysit and made 40 euros. Not a bad day really... But it had nothing to do with Paris.
So tomorrow, after I drop the boys off I am going to head straight to the Musee de Orsay, hopefully find some inspiration, chill at a cafe and brainstorm Part 2 of the UC application before heading back to work.
I have written it down, it's going to happen along those lines.
Friday night I went out with my Australian friend Liz and stayed out until breakfast. I slept for two hours, headed off to work, came back and slept until around 5:00pm. For three hours I mulled around cleaning and watching TV, left to go babysit and came home and went to bed at midnight.
Today:
I slept in until 11, I made myself breakfast, I wrote one college essay, I finished the state school applications, I finished a book then I went to babysit and made 40 euros. Not a bad day really... But it had nothing to do with Paris.
So tomorrow, after I drop the boys off I am going to head straight to the Musee de Orsay, hopefully find some inspiration, chill at a cafe and brainstorm Part 2 of the UC application before heading back to work.
I have written it down, it's going to happen along those lines.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
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