If April showers bring May flowers...

Hello again!  I’ve been keeping busy, as evidenced by the complete lack of blog posts. Three weekends ago, I visited the city of Montpellier (and Mari), along with my Aunt Loretta and Uncle Fred. It was a lot of fun, and a great break from Parisian city life/smells/attitude. I even got to go to the beach!

And then- a lot of things happened. Mari came and visited me on her way back to the states, and got to hang out with our IFE group on a walking tour (even the famous Thomas!) I went to the horseback riding spectacle in Versailles, where Elena does her internship. They were probably the most fashionable horses I have ever seen. I gave an oral presentation of my paper topic, and had technical issues with my presentation but generally managed to survive.  Last weekend, Dana and I went to the Comedie Francaise for uber-cheap tickets with a partially obstructed view of the stage. As a run-in with a rude ticket salesmen left us on opposite sides of the theater, we each got to see a different half of the stage- so between the two of us, we saw the whole play. It was Racine’s Phèdre, and Pierre Niney was playing Hippolyte. He’s been my desktop background for the past month, so this was pretty exciting for me.

This happened on my half of the stage, by the way

My internship has been going pretty well, too. On Tuesday I accompanied someone to the prefecture, which roughly translates to… A cold, intimidating, unfriendly administrative place. Kind of like the DMV.

But before I could get to this magical land of rude government employees, I took a grand tour of the Parisian metro system. My coworker asked me to go with her on the accompaniment on Friday afternoon, a time when I am essentially brain-dead. So I thought that I remembered her saying that we’d meet up at the Place d’Italie metro stop. When I was almost there, I received a text that said she was waiting at Place de Clichy. This is essentially on the other side of the city. When I finally stepped off the metro at Place de Clichy, I called her again- only to find that she had gotten the wrong information from the guy we were meeting, and that the prefecture we needed to find was actually at a metro stop called Gaité.  This translated to over an hour and a half on the metro, which did leave me feeling much gaiety.

I was supposed to be there for translation purposes, but the man we were helping actually wasn’t much more fluent in English than he was in French. He came to Paris from Bangladesh over 10 years ago as an asylum-seeker and stayed here after his demand was refused. This is not an uncommon story. For some reason, a lot of political refugees don’t fill their suitcase with evidence of their persecution when they flee their home country.

Having often spoken over the phone about the procedure for demanding a residence permit, it was interesting to be there to see someone actually deposit demand for legalization. The employee who took his paperwork was new to the job and actually forgot to ask for several documents, which we realized when we went back to get the birth certificate that he had failed to return.

Tomorrow, I’m going to a different prefecture, this time without any pretense of serving a practical function. It should be interesting, if a little sad. We’re accompanying a woman who had a residence permit for medical treatment, but let the permit lapse while undergoing chemotherapy.

Another important thing that happened this week was the first of May, also known as French Labor Day. I was off from work, along with the rest of France. I had originally planned to work all day on my research paper. Instead, I baked chocolate chip cookies with the Tollhouse chips that mom brought me when she came to visit. The wit was a rainy day and I didn't really get out of the house, but I did read a little about the holiday online, and especially about the tradition of lilies of the valley (muguets de mai). Lilies of the valley are traditional for the start of spring because they symbolize good fortune.  On Paris.fr, I read that the first of May is the only day when everyone is allowed to sell these flowers on the streets of Paris, with or without a permit. 

I haven’t bought my own muguet yet, but the vendors are still out there. I’ll need all the luck I can get if I’m ever going to get this research paper done.

À bientôt,

Laura

Still alive and defending the rights of man... Sort of.

Hello there, everybody!  You probably thought that I had eloped with a starving artist or something, but I am here to tell you that this is not the case!  I'm still in Paris, and have now been interning at the LDH for an entire month.  And how has that been going, you ask? Well...

First off, I have to say that I have improved. Slowly, but significantly. So now I actually do things at work, most of the time.

But the learning curve is pretty steep. How can I describe this... I remember being really young and trying to watch a Star Trek episode with my dad. I would pester him with a constant stream of questions- "Why can't they go back to visit Earth? Why are his ears pointed like that?" And he was mostly good about answering my questions, but sometimes he just wanted to watch the show in peace.

That's kind of how I felt at the LDH, in the beginning. Or more accurately, I felt as if a younger version of myself was dropped into the middle of a Star Trek episode, handed an unflattering skintight uniform, and told that I could take over steering the starship whenever I felt ready.

I work with other interns who are law school graduates and native french speakers, whereas I don't know the first thing about law and still frequently receive pity-English when I take too long to count my euros at the supermarket checkout.  The expectations aren't the same for me as they are for the others, but it can still be a little overwhelming.

So, now that I've set the mood, maybe I should explain what I do.

The symbol for the ligue is a stylized Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty
associated with the French Revolutionaries.

Le Ligue des Droits de l'Homme is an old organization that dates back to the Dreyfus affair. It has locations throughout France, but the building where I work is the main headquarters and home to the ligue's service juridique, a rotating team of young interns who are not yet lawyers but provide legal advice over the telephone and fight for justice, within the limits of the French legal system. 

The LDH building doesn't really look like a headquarters. It used to be the office building of a telecommunications company, which I know because you can still read the name of the company where letters used to hang on the concrete wall. I don't mind, because I've always felt that a benevolent organization is more legitimate if it doesn't invest its funds in crystal chandeliers. It's also located in my favorite quartier of Paris: Montmartre, land of Amelie Poulin.

A typical day at the ligue goes like this:

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM: We take calls. For the first couple of weeks I mostly listened to the other interns and asked questions, but I've slowly been taking more calls on my own. Cases usually have to do with immigrant rights (residence permits, citizenship demands, family regroupment, etc). We also get some cases that involve racism and other forms of discrimination. And a good number of callers think that the fact that their life is unfair constitutes a humanitarian crisis, or are law students that don't want to open a textbook, or are just plain crazy and believe that they are under surveillance by Iranian spies.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Lunchtime! Everybody in the office sits around a table in the conference room together, so I get to see people who I would otherwise never have contact with. We drink coffee that was made in a normal America-style coffee maker. Then about half the office takes a smoking break, and I sometimes tag along for company. There are a lot of smoking breaks throughout the day.

2:00 PM - 4:30ish: We study our cases, call people back, attempt to read legal documents, get each other's opinions, and complain about crazy people. I often come to the sad realization that my own notes do not make much sense, and then ask a lot of questions.

4:30ish - 6:00 PM:  We present our cases to the people in charge, and they give us feedback while we take notes. Then we go home.

What else do I do at the ligue?  There have been a few highlights, such as:

-I left work to attend a labor rights protest with half the office, including my boss.

-I went to a conference about the humanitarian situation in Mali at the headquarters of the FIDH (another organization that appears to be higher up on the human rights food chain).

-I composed an email in English to a lawyer from the Czech Republic who is representing an asylum-seeker from Ukraine. After the second draft, my boss said that it was perfect and sent it without making any changes.

My boss and I met with a representative from IFE today for a performance evaluation. She basically said that everything is fine and that I am a polite and conscientious young lady, but I am too insecure about my French and need stop over-censuring myself. I know that she is right. This has always been a problem for me in French, but I'm working on it.

And now it's very late, and I am very much in need of sleep.

Bonne soirée,

Laura

Let's get down to business, to become…mature!

Hey hey,

Me again reporting with some of the more serious parts of my travels. As mentioned in my last post, I feel that my experiences within the past month have led me to a slew of new understandings about myself and the "real world". Some things I've learned about myself: I like chocolate (at least some kinds), I'm more patient than I give myself credit for, I don't want to settle in France when I get older, and the big one, as much as I like to think I'm responsible with money, my current financial skills need some serious rehabilitation.

Okay, while the chocolate thing isn't the most shocking realization in the world, it's underlying message is what's important. For years, I've claimed to dislike chocolate, while ironically eating chocolate ice cream and candy bars from time to time. Though I afore attributed this inconsistency to my weird taste buds (liking some things that were chocolatey and not others), I've realized now that I was, for whatever reason, lying to myself. The greater lesson I've gained from this simple issue is that I have a habit, whether it be about chocolate or more serious matters, of lying to myself (and thus those around me) about the type of person I am. I can't keep denying forever that I like something because I find security in saying I don't like it; that's a) weird, b) dishonest, and c) unfortunate, because it's a mechanism that will ultimately end in personal stagnation instead of growth. So, that is what finally embracing Willy Wonka and Hershey's has taught me.

On the topic of patience, I found that I can be tried a lot more than I previously thought and still keep my composure. One of my many personality traits that others call me out on regularly is being laid-back. This can be either good or bad, depending on the situation. But in the context of travel, I realized this is very good. Though several potential points of panic occurred while going between countries (I accidentally booked the wrong ticket and took a later flight than my friend, I really hate take-off and landing but had to deal with several of each, etc), I would freak for a moment then become instantly calm and deal with the reality of what was happening rationally. What's more, being an only child has always made me very uptight when it comes to sharing space and other items with those around me. While traveling, though, I found it both easy and enjoyable to share a room and itinerary with my friends. I think this is one of the most valuable character traits I could possess, and feel blessed to have this kind of composure in most situations (just don't expect patience during finals season :p ).

So I bet the topic of this paragraph threw you a little: "Mari doesn't want to live in France, whaaaaa?" This is a valid reaction considering that up till this semester, I was CERTAIN I wanted to live in France full-time after I graduated. While it's still one of my favorite places, I now know that I'd prefer not to live here for a long stretch of time. You see, France is like a firework, a unique explosion of one-million shiny elements meant to be experienced every-so-often. If you set that firework off too frequently (metaphorically, if you spend too much time here), it loses its allure. That doesn't exactly mean I want to live in the US, either…what I've come to understand is that I should settle in an English-speaking area with European elements (Ireland or Quebec would be my first choices). Obvi, wherever I settle down is contingent on what career I have and other factors, but it's good to have realized before gettin hitched to a Parisian that I don't want to stay in France for the rest of my life.

The final lesson about myself, that I'm not a financial wizard, was learned in a harsh way. You know how God gives you this thing called "free will" that you're allowed to use however you wish, but are advised to use responsibly? Hands up if you use it responsibly most of the time, 'cause I sure don't, and I feel like traveling was a test of how I'd use my free will that I failed. When originally planning my spring break trips with friends, I had it in mind to visit one or two really cool places in Europe (Paris included since I'd never been). However, due to the number of friends I was traveling with and the amount of time I had free (roughly 3 weeks), I decided to travel more than my budget would allow. Where did this leave me? Guiltily asking my parents for money in the middle of my travels and not getting to do some of the things my friends wanted on our trips because I had to budget so much. Though my vacation(s) were sensational, they could've been more-so had I planned and budgeted better before. As much as I hated learning this lesson the way I did, I'm glad it came in an impactful way before I entered my senior year of college and had to start making tough and important fiscal decisions about my life post-graduation. I believe that with the budgeting skills I've obtained while traveling/the newfound desire I have to save as many of my funds as possible, I'll be able to have a successful start to my adult life, as opposed to the not-so-awesome beginning that might have taken place had I never had this experience.

I know this is way long but I'm almost finished, swear! On to the life realizations I gained. For starters, I absolutely need to make sure my short-term goals are congruent with my long-term goals. Though there are so many things in life that I still wanna do, traveling has def taught me that not everything is attainable and it's important to choose wisely from the selection you're given. Piggybacking off of that, I really need to make strides towards my ultimate career goals. Being laid-back gets me in trouble when it comes to thinking everything will automatically work out. While this outlook is great optimistically, it's not so awesome realistically. In terms of career plans, I'd adopted the idea that everything would fall into place without me having to worry much. This was dumb, because in life there aren't fairy godmothers who wave wands and make your dreams come true like bippidy boppidy boo; you have to work towards them. Though I've always known and abided by this, I guess I'd forgotten in recent years that it takes more than a plan and a good education to get you to where you wanna go. You have to be intentional about getting yourself to the point of success. Sure, you'll be blessed along the way, but you can't just expect handouts throughout life while everyone else is working hard. That said, I've been researching cosmetology schools for the past several weeks to evaluate my options for earning a license within the year after I finish college, and likewise researching what it'll take to become a renowned stylist once I get certified. Instead of sitting idly and hoping for a Disney ending, I've gotta take some initiative and help myself with the tools I've been given.

Kay, I'm done! I hope this wasn't too much of a bore, I just really thought it important to share some of the important things I've come to understand. Becoming mature is a difficult journey, and while I'm NOWHERE near the end of that road (hence the title of this post being inspired by a Disney song), it's nice to know I'm getting there.


Bonne Journée,


Mari

European exploration and other updates I should've mentioned before!

BONJOUR LES CITOYENS DU MONDE!!!

So sorry to keep you fine folks waiting on posts for so long! Turns out traveling takes up a LOT of time (who knew :p). But fear not, this unplanned hiatus is over and our blog, as you can see, has been completely redesigned for spring, yay!

So, wow…it's been over a month since my last post! As I mentioned before, this is mostly due to travel, but sickness and laziness are also factored in somewhere. The important thing is that I'm here now and have a month's-worth of experiences, realizations, and info to share!!! I won't be covering everything that's happened as Laura and I are planning to write jointly about the shared portions of our spring break, but I will give details about some other great happenings!

I suppose the best way recount everything is in chronological order. So, I'll start with the first and possibly most significant part of all my travels: My first official trip to Paris, France!!! Now, to really understand the impact of this trip, you've gotta realize that I've been waiting to go specifically to Paris since the tenth grade (which is a really long time for a French nerd). Personally, I believe you truly haven't seen France until you've been to Paris. Apart from housing one of the most famous monuments in the world (La Tour Eiffel), Paris's elegance is something unmatched by any other place in the universe. I'd always assumed this city to be the quintessence of a dream, and it certainly lived up to expectations! I arrived on a Friday afternoon and, after meeting Laura and our friend Dana at the train station, we took the metro to our other friend Taylor's gooooorgeous temporary home in the 7ème Arrondissement. Dana, Taylor and I explored the area/ate a DELICIOUS couscous dinner and then met up with Laura again for the grand finale of the night…CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER (okay, we rode the elevator but same diff)! The distinction between visualizing something in your head and seeing it in person is enormous. For those who haven't been, The Eiffel Tower is literally the most impeccably structured , intricately detailed monument I've ever seen. It's positively stunning, especially once it starts to glitter! Standing in front of it was breathtaking, and being on top of it was even more-so. I hate to use a cliché, but the feeling was absolutely synonymous with being on top of the world! The view of Paris, shimmering below in all its glory was more captivating than anything I've ever seen! Though nothing can quite compare to this experience, the rest of my time in Paris that weekend was more than spectacular! My friends took me to several of their favorite restaurants and sights, I saw Notre Dame (at least from the outside!), used the metro several more times, rode a carousel (I know, baller), AND shopped on the Champs Elysées (and the song doesn't lie… "il y a {vraiment} tous que vous voulez aux Champs Elysées")! Though this trip ended rather more abruptly than I would have hoped, it was overall magnificent and was an excellent way to start off my travels!

The following week, I returned to Montpellier and fell sick with the flu (the reason why I didn't update with deets about Paris while they were fresh in my mind, which probs would've been better but y'all get the gist). Anyway, at the end of the week, I went back to Paris to fly out to Ireland with Laura and Dana (more info on that trip to come, promise, but I will tell you this: IRELAND IS THE BEST PLACE EVER)! We stayed there for a total of 4 days and then Dana and I went on to Scotland, which I can talk about! We arrived by plane at night then took a shuttle bus from the airport to the hostel we stayed at. Once at the hostel (which was a complete contrast to our one in Ireland), we went to our room. This first room (we had two), complete with orange walls, peeling butterfly wallpaper, and striped rainbow bed coverings, legit looked like it was designed by a colorblind Care Bear with bad taste. Thankfully, we stayed there only one night and switched to a more spacious, less eclectic room for the rest of our trip. After moving our things in the morning, we went on a walking tour of Edinburgh and learned a lot about Scotland's history (including the gruesome fate of William Wallace, poor guy…). We also ate at The Elephant House Cafe (where J. K. Rowling wrote most of Harry Potter!!!) and saw the exterior of Edinburgh Castle, which is pretty boss. The next day, we visited our friend Morgan from W&M and got to see the University of St. Andrews (yes, where Princess Kate met Prince William)! It was a beautiful day and we saw soooo much great stuff! Though I wasn't beyond fond of Scotland (mostly because of the currency, stupid Pound), this day in particular definitely made the trip worthwhile ! We went back to France the next day and I spent a week in Paris before departing for Rome with Laura and Taylor (whose details will also come later :) ).

What's happening now that my traveling's done, you ask? Well, I got back to Montpellier last week and pretty much plunged into a sea of midterms and schoolwork (hooray). But, since I only have 4 more weeks of classes, I guess I shouldn't complain. Besides classwork, I've been working towards finalizing a lot of my summer plans, which means applying for jobs and signing up for summer classes (fun fun). On the upside, I'll be in Williamsburg if anyone reading this will also be there (Burg party, whaaaat)! So that's about everything new with me…I also learned a lot about myself and life from traveling that I'd like to share, but I'm too lazy/tired to get philosophical and I really want to post now lol! So rain check on that topic as well!

Until then,

Mari

Happy Chinese New Year!

Bonsoir, everyone!

It's been a while since I last updated, but here I am! So, highlights of the past week:

Last Thursday, I went to the interview for my internship.  It seems like it will be a really great experience! The LDH already has a group of law student interns who work for them, but my supervisor has made it clear  that she doesn't expect me to have the expertise of a French law student. She seems  really willing to take my feedback and help me have a good learning experience, which is great!  I'm afraid the learning curve will be pretty steep, but I'll try my best.

I've visited a bunch of really cool sites with my group.  We went to the assembly hall for the Isle de France regional council, which was fun because we talked to one of the councilmen and were able to use the council member's microphones to pose questions.  Our next trip was to Saint Denis, where we looked at the outside of the chapel and the museum and the football stadium and the shanty town (bidonville) without actually entering any of these places. I understand why the tour  guide didn't take us into the bidonville, but I have no idea why she chose to talk about the basilica for an hour while standing in the back courtyard instead or taking us inside. She made a vague excuse that it was even colder in the church, but I seriously doubt that. I plan to go back soon, though. The basilica is one of Paris' more underrated tourist destinations.  Not only is it a gorgeous cathedral, but its "nécropole royale" houses the remains of almost every French king from the 600's AD to the reign of Louis XVIII.

This morning, we went to see the Institut de France, an complex that houses the 5 Academies of France
(The Academy of French, the Academy of Inscription and Letters, the Academy of the Sciences, The Academy of Fine Arts, and the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences).  These very exclusive clubs for notable thinkers in each field, where they discuss issues and then produce recommendations for the government and linguistically conservative dictionaries and... other academic things. Fun side note: Our guide told us today that, when the Academy of Sciences failed to offer membership to Marie Curie, their excuse was that it was unacceptable for a woman to wear the sword that was part of the Academy members' uniform. Scientific logic at its finest.

After the visit, I walked around Paris with some friends. We visited an art gallery for photography, looked at macarons that we couldn't afford.  Later I went to the Chinese New Year parade. Paris also had its Carnival parade today, but it cold and wet outside, so one parade was enough. The costumes were really beautiful, though!  I'll attach a few pictures at the end of the post.

I should go to sleep now, but I'll be sure to write again before the week is over.

A bientôt,
Laura

"Did you just order coffee in a pub?"

Bonjour à tous!

I sadly don't have much exciting news, but I just wanted to give a general update. As is evident, I survived the presentation I was dreading last week. I wouldn't say it necessarily went well, considering all of the snickers I got from the French students because of my American accent, but my partner was really helpful and the professor said my analysis was "smart". I didn't forget what I was going to say either, so snaps for that! 

The rest of last week was eerily calm: I spent my days off from class doing laundry, watching Disney Channel Original Movies on YouTube, and snacking. Saturday I got to hang out with my friend Natalie, which was really great, but Sunday I became sick with some sort of stomach bug and ended up missing out on the fun day my host fam had planned (#sadface). Thankfully, I made a fast recovery AND my morning class got cancelled Monday so I had even more time for my fave sport: sleep! 

I guess one of the most interesting events that's occurred recently is my going to a pub for the first time! On Tuesday nights, a place called Vert Anglais at Place de La Comédie hosts an English/French mixer where, you guessed it, English and French speakers can come to mingle, play games, etc. This past Tuesday, I went to check it out with 4 of my friends. Being a perpetual optimist, I convinced myself before-hand that it was going to be incredibly enjoyable and that I'd meet lots of new friends! I did make some new friends, but the night was overall sooo not what I expected. First off, though I was really excited to have my first legal drink ever, I was pretty tired by the time we reached the pub and ended up just getting coffee (an action for which I was majorly judged by both the insanely gorgeous Canadian bartender and my friends). Then, as we were finishing our drinks, I had the unfortunate displeasure of being scammed on by a forty-something-year-old from Jersey named Martin (can you say grody?!). After listening to him babble about his brother's love of Virginia for five minutes, I bounced and went to another part of the pub with my friends. We played a few games and "mingled," but the set-up made it sort-of difficult to meet anyone, so I ended up hanging out with familiar people for the better part of the time. It certainly wasn't terrible, but it also didn't really live up to my expectations. My friends want to go again next week, though, so we'll see if the experience is any better a second time around. So long as I don't get sleepy and creepy cougar Martin isn't there, it should be :) 

Well, sorry I'm kind of boring these days. I'll try to get arrested or fall into a lake so that I have more enticing stories to share next time. Thanks for all of your support and prayers! 

À bientôt, 

Mari

Soapy Places, Dopey Faces, Stupid Phrases, and Cat Chases

Bonjour, hola, konnichiwa! 

Told ya I'd have more stories soon! I've finally had enough noteworthy brushes with embarrassment and awkwardness to make a post, and I think you'll find in the descriptions below that traveling across the ocean hasn't at all impaired my knack for attracting humiliation. Before we get started, I'd like to give a special shout out to the world's bestet Big and most terrific triplets, Jessica MacDonald, Alex Mills, and Fiona Ryan! Love and miss you all (and the rest of the awesome KGB clan)! As you've seen me in several embarrassing situations, I hope that this post will be particularly entertaining! Alrighty everyone, hold on to your chapeaus, 'cause here we go. 
*the following will be arranged from least embarrassing to most embarrassing  

Cake cake cake cake….hey, wait a minute 
Two Fridays ago, I went to Centre-Ville (the center of town) with my American friends Natalie and Sarah.  We'd just eaten at La Tomate (see "Fruit Salad" post) and were exploring the little stores located near Comédie. As we meandered past some cute boutiques, a store with beautifully arranged cupcakes caught my eye. Dessert is one of my true loves in life, so naturally I begged to go in. Upon entering, it was evident that the scents in the store were…peculiar. There was a definite sweetness in the air, but also a strong, tangy odor. Too concentrated on how everything looked to pinpoint the exact smell, I browsed around thinking of what might taste the best. It wasn't until I saw the price tags (which listed prices far too steep for a mere cupcake shop) and read a sign that said something about bathing that I realized: the odor in the air was soap, and there was nothing edible in the shop because it sold only bath products. Luckily, I came to this conclusion before asking the salesperson which cake flavor tasted the best, but it was definitely still a derp moment. 

WARNING: STARING AT FRENCH BOYS MAY CAUSE TEMPORARY BRAIN DAMAGE 
I'd say about 75% of the humiliation I face in life has to do with males. It hardly comes as a shock then that this next story involves me looking dumb in front of good-looking university students. During my second week of classes, I walked into the building that housed my first course of the day while a group of French guys simultaneously walked past me. To my surprise, one of the cutest stopped me and asked a question in rapid French. Unable to register what he was saying due to my fixation on his smile, I gave a completely ridiculous look that showed I was hopelessly confused and shook my head side to side. He then said more slowly "You don't understand what I'm saying? Okay, sorry," and walked off laughing with his friends. I realized shortly thereafter that he was asking if literature classes were in that building (which they were). That'll teach me not to fall for French charm again — or at least not to stare at people's smiles when they're asking questions. 

I don't even have a heading… "Most Pathetic Moment of the Century," perhaps? No, that title definitely goes to the wretched ZU Homecoming Incident of '08 (get Emily Breeden to tell you about that catastrophe) 
This tale's unfortunate. First off, when finalizing my schedule for the semester, I unknowingly chose a class for 3rd year Philosophy students and ended up keeping it (we'll see how all that goes); but that's not even the embarrassing part. Last week in this class, the professor was looking for volunteers to analyze a 20-page text and present the findings this week with another student. There seemed to be no one willing to take on the challenge, including me. In an unanticipated turn of events, however, my attempt to talk with the professor after class morphed into me volunteering for the presentation. I'm still not sure how it happened, but the best explanation I can conjure is this. I made my way to the front to ask a simple question regarding the class but mysteriously forgot my inquiry while walking. Once I reached the prof, he eagerly looked at me and asked if I'd come to volunteer. Unable to recall my original question and guilted by his eagerness, I instead said one of the dumbest things that has ever left my mouth: "I…want to do…the project…but I don't…know if I…can," to which the prof responded "Um, why not? Sure you can" and pushed the sign-up sheet towards me. There weren't many people left thankfully so mainly the prof and my partner heard me, but it was still pretty mortifying. Way to play the stereotypical dumb American card, right! I'm sure my prof thinks I'm certifiably cray cray in the noggin. The presentation is Wednesday,  so I'll report with results afterwards. Let's just hope that I don't forget what I'm supposed to say then. 

Who Let the Cats Out? Oh Yeah, Me 
Kay, this is the most recent and most pitiful story in my opinion. Remember my host fam's cat Fiona, the one who was soon to be with child? Well, after spending a week at her "fiancé's," I'm almost positive she's preggers and due to have kittens a short time from now. What does that have to do with me right? During her pregnancy, it's imperative to keep a watchful eye on Fiona as she's still able to mate with a different cat and have kittens that aren't thoroughbred. She's therefore not allowed outside and must be watched carefully so that she doesn't escape and get it on with a stray. I'm usually exceptionally careful about ensuring that she's not around when I open or close a door, but this morning disaster hit. As I was leaving for my first class, I took a second longer than usual to find my key and lock the door. This tiny window was all Fiona needed to sneak past me like a ninja and dart out into the parking lot by my hosts' home. Being the dog person that I am and not realizing that lots of noise and panicking drive cats away, I dropped my bags on the ground and started sprinting after her like a lunatic (which is exactly what the neighbors probably thought I was). I found her first under a parked car and slowly lowered myself until I was flat, crawling on the filthy pavement to try and coax her out. I could see it working as she started to inch closer and closer, but after one rapid movement that I guess scared her, she ran out the other side of the car and into a neighbor's yard. Close to tears at this point, I went to the neighbor's yard in search of her, but she was nowhere to be found. Thankfully, Mme, who'd realized what happened, came out to look for her herself and magically retrieved her in less than 5 minutes. I guess this account wasn't so much embarrassing as it was pathetic. Of course I'd be the one to accidentally let the cat out when that was the exact thing I was warned not to do. I'm just glad she didn't end up somewhere unretrievable or give her goodies to a stray. Needless to say I'll be paying even more attention when I open the doors from now on. 

Well, there have definitely been more embarrassing "Mari moments," but I'd say these fall into the Top 50 category for sure. I'm hoping not to have many more mortifying tales to share, but if I do you'll all be the first to know. Please continue to pray for me on my journey. 

À tout à l'heure, 

Mari

Back to school

Hi everybody!  It's Laura again.

IFE classes have started, and they're going well so far. The main course right now is about French history as it relates to modern politics and is taught by a professor from Sciences Po. I've also taken 4 trips with the student group. 

The first was a tour around the Bastille quartier in the 11e arrondissement, where the IFE building is located. It was very cold, but we learned about the history of the quartier and walked around little back streets, full of historical buildings, architectural studios, and one sad melting snowman decorated in seashells. We also went to the Musée Carnavalet, a museum dedicated to the history of Paris that is housed in a historical mansion in the Marais.

Today we had two more visits. First, we were experianced the the awe-inspiring glitziness of the Hotel de Ville. As our guide took us around, dozens of employees bustled about, moving folding chairs from one room to the next and polishing every nook and cranny until it shined like the top of the Chrysler building.


That's a lot more mopping than I ever had to do for Starbucks.


Then, in the afternoon, we had a visit to the headquarters of the Socialist Party. I was told beforehand that my American understanding of socialism would not apply to the Socialist party here, but I am proud to say that, after my visit, both the American socialist movement and the french social democrats remain equally incomprehensible to me. This is because our socialist guide gave his unnecessarily long, roundabout socialist lecture in the hottest socialist room of the socialist headquarters. Within 5 minutes, everybody was wearing a glazed "I don't speak this language" expression and/or doodling in their notebooks.

This is what I took away from the experience:

1. French socialists like democracy and accept capitalism in the private sphere. They also like to keep old vintage posters of failed Mitterrand campaigns as some sort of a hipster statement.

2.They're really psyched that Hollande is the president, and

3. The main courtyard where they like to take group photos is named after a man who committed suicide at some point in time for some reason. The logic of this was completely incomprehensible to me the first time around, and I refuse to google it.

Also, the socialist party logo makes me nostalgic for my native town of Roseland.

What, you don't see it?

If you want to see what the group looks like, there a bunch of pictures on the official IFE facebook page and probably more to come. For some reason, in the William and Mary group photo I'm repping for the Jersey Shore cast with a glowing orange complexion. But I swear it's some weird combination of lighting and photo filter, not a spray tan!

IFE's Official Facebook page

Now I'm going to talk metro, so unless you're planning to be a student in Paris sometime soon you may want to skim.

First off, metro tickets: Fairly standard stuff. First of all: Keep your ticket for the duration of your ride, because there are a couple of random stations that require you to pass your ticket through the machine again on your way out. Most don't, but it's good to be ready. But also, don't keep 20 used metro tickets in your pocket, because if you do you'll be stuck there passing every single one through the exit machine like me. Tickets are €1,70 each, or €12,70 for a pack of ten. But next week, I'm moving into the 21st century with my shiny new Passe navigo.

I've been very confused about the "Passe navigo," which is a fairly complicated metro card. I think I have it mostly figured out now, but won't attempt to explain the rules of the system until I've used it a little longer. My monthly card will be active on February 1, but I bought it early because I hear that the lines can be brutal at the beginning of the month.

As a semi-permanent student with a Paris address I am able to purchase a pass by month or by week (or by year, although this only makes sense for full year students). This will not only save some €s, but will also allow me to travel all around the Ile-de-France region without an additional cost on weekends (midnight on Friday to midnight on Sunday). This policy is called "dezoning" and applies anywhere within the border of Ile-de-France, provided that you have a monthly or annual pass. So, if it were already February, my trip to Provins would have been free. Train tickets aren't too expensive anyway, but the dezoning is a very nice feature that I'll be sure to take advantage of in the next few months.

I have other fun things to say about patisseries, falafel, and my Saturday trip to the village of Provins, but that will have to wait until next time. Until then, enjoy some pictures of street art in the Marais.

À bientôt,

Laura 

French Culture: 101

Bonjour a tous! 

After some intense calculating, I realized that I've been in France for a whole month (UN-BE-LI-EV-AB-LE)! It's been such a wonderful adventure so far, and the country has in many ways exceeded my expectations. However, certain things have contradicted my original ideas about France and the French language, revealing that I sadly don't know as much as I previously thought. In the hopes of sparing others from falling victim to the same ignorance, I will post my original misconceptions and the truths that counter them below:

Fallacy #1: France and America share little in common. Before arriving, I suffered under the ludicrous delusion that France was a place completely different from the US. This assumption was a) obviously wrong and b) idiotic, stemming from my previous lack of exposure to European society and concentration on traditional France as opposed to the modern one.Though France varies in several ways from the US of A, the similarities between the two far outweigh the differences. It's been so interesting to draw parallels between two countries that I before found quite unrelated. I'm discovering that there are both societal and generational norms that transcend borders. Older people believe in dressing modestly; university students party like it's 1999; going to sketch parts of town at night is a no-no; McDonald's is not considered a legitimate restaurant (you get the point). Recognizing these commonalities between France and America has caused me to look at the world in a broader way. I feel that in the US, we're often too engulfed in happenings on the home turf to notice what's going on elsewhere. While watching news programs and reading books may seem like sufficient ways to learn about another country, I've realized that it's impossible to truly understand a culture, and thereby make assumptions, without being fully immersed in it. 

Fallacy #2: "Salut" is a universal greeting. Anyone who studies French is well aware of the grammatical distinction between "tu" and "vous," and that there are different ways to speak to others based on which category they fall in. What few people probably know (and what I've discovered only since being here) is that even the way you greet someone is contingent on whether they're a "tu" or "vous". For as long as I can remember, I've used "salut" when speaking to both friends and people of distinction. However, this is very wrong. Only close friends or family members should be greeted this way. Those with whom a formal relationship is maintained should only be greeted with "Bonjour, " "Bonsoir," etc. So to those who are just learning this, remember: "Salut" pour tu, "bonjour" pour vous. 

Fallacy #3 (more of a personal realization, but take note for those of you who feel the same): I've been studying French for 8 1/2 years, so I'd definitely consider myself fluent. Yeah, this is a total lie. I may be fluent in the Americanized, academic version of French, but when it comes to speaking fluidly in everyday contexts I don't know jank. My host family has been exceedingly helpful in correcting me and helping me become a better speaker, but I definitely have a long way to go until I become entirely fluent. The lesson here? It's good to be confident in your lingual skills, but always be open to learning more (because truth is you probably don't know half of what you should). 


Hopefully these tidbits will help others who suffer from cultural delusions extract the truth. In other news, things have been going pretty well in the past week. I met up with some new friends from Turkey, Russia, and Algeria last Saturday and ate some super delish Turquish food! On Sunday, my host fam took me on a lovely hike to the top of one of Montpellier's mountains (I'm slightly confused as to which one it was as there are two or three, but I'll double check and enter deets later). Exciting things have also been happening at school. After two weeks of visiting classes, I finished finalizing my schedule and ended up only having class from Monday to Wednesday! I'm so happy with how it turned out and now have ample study and travel time thanks to 5-day weekends (HOLLA). I haven't done too much by way of traveling yet, but I have plans to visit Paris in February and will be updating about it fo sho! Schoolwork's also starting to pick up some, but it's nothing in comparison to the mounds at W&M so no complaints :) Aside from that there's not much else to report, but I'm sure I'll have something new soon. Plus, I haven't even shared my many stories of embarrassment since arriving, and it's me so obviously there are a ton! 

Until then, 

Your Friendly Neighborhood Mari (I thought that would have a nice ring to it, but it was a fail…)

BYOPB (Bring your own Peanut Butter) and other life lessons

Bon soir!  It's Laura again. A lot has happened since my last post, so I don't think that I'll manage to  catch up completely in this post.

My host parents departed for Vietnam on Friday, leaving their youngest daughter here.  On Friday morning, I looked for the IFE building over in the 11e arrondissement (Bastille).  I found it pretty easily, although I had some trouble getting my bearings when I first stepped out of the metro.  But it's not very far from the stop, plus there is a little stature of Saint Nicolas on top of the building that marks my turn onto Rue Saint Nicolas. I then walked to the Gare de Lyon, a train station that I may see again if I ever decide that Paris has become too familiar. The station also houses the famous restaurant "Le Train Bleu" where Mr. Bean ate his first disastrous French meal in Mr. Bean's Holiday.

That evening, I met up with my Taylor near her appartment in the 7e, just around the corner from Invalides.  She showed me her favorite bakeries, and then we combed the local supermarkets for peanut butter. All that we could find was a half-sized jar of fine, imported American Skippy peanut butter for 4€50 in Paris.  Peanut lovers be warned: bring your own peanut butter, or you may just have to consider switching to spreads like Nutella or Biscoff. Tragic, I know. We ate couscous at an Algerian restaurant called l'Oasis with Taylor's roommate and another of her friends from the American Business School of Paris. The restaurant was nice, with good service and food that was both yummy and inexpensive. It was a lot of fun to walk around the streets in the snow and see Paris turn into a winter wonderland.

Saturday afternoon, I met up with Emily in Montmartre.  The first thing that she wanted to see was the snow- covered cemetery, which was unfortunately closed due to the ice. While standing outside the cemetery gates we managed to attract the attention of an annoyingly persistent Moldovan man. He started by throwing snowballs and making small talk with us (especially Emily, who he called "girl with the blue eyes"), and then followed us for  more than 10 minutes. Trying to ignore the unwanted attention, we stopped for sandwiches at a nice bakery en route to the Sacré Coeur cathedral and lost him shortly afterwards. Lesson learned: Do nothing to encourage this kind of over-friendliness unless you're really interested. It's like giving food to a stray cat.

Montmartre is particularly quaint when blanketed in snow. The gargoyles perched atop the Sacré Coeur stuck out long tongues of ice out at us as we approached the Sacré Coeur.  Unlike Notre Dame, the people at Sacré Coeur object to picture-taking, with or without a flash. Distracted by the elaborately painted ceiling/ general awesomeness of the cathedral, I failed to read the "no pictures" sign near the entrance and was firmly chided by a big imposing man who appears to act as the church's bouncer. Afterwards, we had our first French coffee in an old cafe called Le Progrès and then window-shopped the scenic sex stores of Pigalle in search of the Moulin Rouge. We hopped on the metro to go see the Eiffel Tower covered in snow.  At the base of the tower, my camera died. Emily tried to start a snowball fight with a 10-year-old but failed after missing her mark. Still, the magic of the snow made the side trip completely worthwhile.

I got to know one of my older host sisters and her friends this weekend.  She is a law student who lives about an hour away, but she'll be staying at the house every weekend until the parents return.  She has been very nice; always trying to include me in the conversation when her friends. Although they were definately a fun group, I have to admit that 9/10 jokes went completely over my head, and that the pace of the conversation was much too fast for me.  It was a little disquieting to be reminded once again that my French is not yet on the level where I can carry on a casual conversation with people my own age.

I had a a very interesting dinner with them. We used melted squares of cheese using...some sort of melting appliance and acutensil vaguely resembling a trowel or a pie server. Then we put the cheese on top of boiled potatoes and ate them with ham. Afterwards we played "Burger quiz," a game based on an old game show that involves rubber hamburgers that squeak and a bunch of question cards featuring various condiments.

One more note on French conversation: In one of my first dinners with the family, the father told me that, "French people are always talking about politics."  This is something I've been told before, and it has definitely held true so far. Then, with the group of young law students this weekend, my host sister told me, "French people are always talking about food."  I hadn't noticed that yet, mostly because food has always been in the back of my mind, anyway. But I will test this theory as I go on to try more French foods.  One of the new additions to the peak of my French food pyramid is a spread called "confiture du lait" (milk jelly), a french relative of dulce de leche that is delicious spread over toast.

And so ends my time as a carefree tourist, as I begin my classes with IFE. I already had classes today, but I will tell you more about that next time.

À bientôt,

Laura

Fruit Salad: Yummy,Yummy,Yummy

Bonjour Mesdames et Messieurs!

I realized that I have yet to talk about several topics AND that despite my efforts to catch up, I'm still pretty behind on the posts I wanted to make. Thus, I'm going to do my best to include every important detail to date in this message (which means more reading for you, but hopefully that won't be a deterrent)!

Since arriving in Montpellier, I've been staying in a charming suburban area ten minutes from my university with pretty much the most incredible host family on the planet (no joke, they're the bomb-digity)! They've welcomed me with open arms since my first night, provided me with an amazing room (complete with balcony), and fixed me a ton of extraordinary meals! A family of three, Madame works as a Physiotherapist and Monsieur at Dell. Their son is 13 and loves playing rugby and video games. They also have two adorable cats, Fiona (who's soon to be expecting, so presh) and Nuage (which means "cloud" en français)! I absolutely couldn't have asked for more considerate and hospitable hosts. Due to their kindness, I've felt very much at home despite being so far away from my own.

Backtracking to that part about the extraordinary meals, words truly cannot convey how excellent French food is. Simply seeing chefs on TV preparing dishes is nothing compared to tasting it first-hand. I think that those of you who know what a picky/unusual eater I am will especially appreciate the fact that I've tried each and every thing placed in front of me since arriving! I can now officially say that I like eggs, smoked salmon, baked potatoes, walnuts, leeks, lentils, carrots, mushrooms, mussels, cabbage, some cheese, pineapple, prunes, and even fruit salad! Oh, and I'm OBSESSED with bread. I suppose my taste buds were just waiting for the scrumptious tastes of French food to fully awaken them (sorry for all the years of refusing your cooking, Mom!) Aside from eating scrumdidiilyumptious foods at home, I've been getting some tasty and nutritious meals from the school cafeterias (which, sorry Sadler, definitely exceed the quality of those at W&M). there's also a variety of great restaurants in the area. Today, I met up with friends for lunch at this adorable spot at Place De La Comédie (located in the center of the city) called La Tomate. Apparently, it's been around for fifty years and is still run by its original chef (not to mention the prices are pretty choice)! In case you enjoy my review so much that you wish to spontaneously fly across the Atlantic and try for yourself, here's the link: http://www.la-tomate.fr/ 

Apart from the dining halls, I don't have too much to say about school so far. I really like the layout of the campus (it's much smaller than W&M but similar in arrangement), and the classes I'm in are quite interesting. I haven't had the opportunity to meet many French students yet, but I've made a couple of friends from America and one from Turkey! The sense of internationalism is great and I can't wait to meet more people locally and from around the world!

Another aspect of France that I'm loving is the history. Unlike the US, France holds an array of ancient buildings and traditions that have persisted for hundreds of centuries. Last weekend, my host fam took me to Arles, a nearby Romanesque town with a restored amphitheater similar to that of the Colosseum! We visited L'Abbaye de Montmajor, a monastery from the Tenth Century that's still mostly in tact. It was truly incredible to explore. I've never been much of a history buff, but I might just become one living in an area filled with such rich architecture.

Well, I think I've adequately summed up most of what's occurred so far. France has been unbelievable, and I'm confident that it will only get better with time :) My sole grievance is that there are NO TWIZZLERS (I know right, how criminal), but aside from that I really can't complain!

Au revoir,

Mari

Paris holds the lock to your heart

Bonjour à tous,

I’m Laura, the other half of this dynamic blogging duo. It's hard to believe that I've already been in France for more than two days!

The plane trip was... interesting. I managed to sit next to the most talkative woman on the plane. She had a copy of "50 Shades of Grey," in her hand, not a promising start. And she loved to over-share. Within the first 10 minutes I had seen every photo on her cell phone and heard all her complaints about the 21-year old daughter who won't go back to school.

I learned all about her visits to the zoo and the names of her dogs, but she waited a while to reveal that she was actually a pretty interesting person. In her early life, she had traveled all over Europe with a single mother who sold Arabian horses. Then she lived in France for the 20 years of her former marriage to a French airplane pilot. Sounds like the plotline of a wonderfully bad romance novel.

She then moved on to extensive and dramatic warnings about the dangers of seductive Frenchmen and pickpockets. Consequently, I was too terrified to take out my camera for my first hour of walking through the city in fear of being singled out as prey. For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with walking around Paris alone in the middle of the day as long as you are aware of your surroundings.

So, moving on. When the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle, it was snowing!  I took a taxi from the airport to the home of my host family in Maisons-Alfort, just to the southeast of Paris.  They have a direct metro line into the city. The Marne river runs through it and everything is in walking distance- just like a French town should be.  There's a Veterinary school across the street from the apartment where I live that houses a museum of medical oddities. Something for a rainy day, I guess?

My host family is wonderful.  The husband and wife are both professors in Paris. They have 5 children but only the youngest girl lives with them. She is 16 years old. I've really enjoyed getting to the family so far! I can tell that they are very funny, even if I don't always understand their jokes. The mother is an excellent cook and  a big proponent of fresh ingredients. I even tried snails the other night and loved them!  My mom tells me that it is unusual to see escargot served at home, but they were having company for dinner. What she always told me is true: They don't have a very strong flavor in themselves, so you mostly taste the sauce.

My host family has already shared up some interesting ideas about Americans.  We have unhealthy eating habits (true), our cities are not as well-designed as French cities (mostly true), and most American families often do not raise their children right (debatable). The father has actually worked in the United States and knows our culture, so these aren't just  blind stereotypes.  It's interesting to hear their views, though, and to see the way that their family operates. They often tell me that they are atypical of French families because they are intellectuals and keep strange hours. I'm not sure if they are really so strange, but I guess that I'll find out when I compare notes with the other students in my program.

I touristed around Paris a bit yesterday afternoon.  The most difficult part for me was just getting there. For starters, I have an issue with unlocking doors.  I walked out and realized that I had forgotten my map in my room, but could not figure out the right way to jiggle the key to get back into the appartment. I eventually left without a map, impatient to see the city. The outside door was also  tricky, and  it took a good two minutes for me to figure out how to lift the latch- or, more accurately, to pull the latch.

And then, of course, came the metro.  A worker at the metro stop had to explain the route to me 3 times before I could work  up the courage to actually step on the train. After my ride, the route now seems embarrassingly obvious.  I only need to make one simple change from line 8 to line 1, to reach the "'Hôtel de Ville" metro stop. I visited Notre Dame, then wandered the 4e arrondissement, watching street cleaners cart away all of the city's discarded Christmas trees. I also purchased a cell phone with a SIM card from Orange, a big service provider in France.  It was freezing cold as it has been all week, but the sky was blue and I was able to take some very nice pictures.

So, what have I learned so far? Like princess Anastasia, I've discovered that Paris really does hold the key to your heart. Literally; it's probably lying somewhere on the murky riverbed of the Seine.  Just look at all these love locks on the Pont de l'Archevêché:

In case you needed further convincing, there are also bakery windows like this:

Now I know that there is such a thing as "love at first sight."  Because I haven't even bought a pastery... yet.

À bientôt,

Laura

Excusez-moi, je suis perdue!

Hey hey hey, it's…

Not Fat Albert, sorry to burst your bubble there. Okay, so here's the next installment in my series of posts detailing the initial week of my semester in France! Topic: getting lost abroad (womp womp). 

Sorry to disappoint, but I must sadly report that my positively crummy sense of direction seems to have degenerated in the time that I've been here. Despite having a clearly marked map each time I've gotten lost thus far, I've still ended up in a place I didn't intend to be (on the way to school, on the way to the market, on the way home by tramway….you get the picture). I must state that i am extremely grateful for God's protection over me in these situations, for though I make light of it, getting lost can really be quite frightening. Now, if others of you studying abroad or traveling in a foreign country likewise don't possess the talent of knowing how to get from one place to another in a sensible manner, I implore you to take note of these helpful tips: 

1) Before departing for your destination, look up Mapquest directions and take a picture with your phone/download from the Internet. The step-by-step format can be used as a back-up in case reading a map proves too difficult while walking simultaneously (this tactic has been successful in many situations)

2) Always keep a record of important phrases in the language of the country you're in that could help you out of a sticky sitch: 
a. "Excuse me, do I turn right or left?"
b. "Excuse me, where am I in comparison to this place?"
c. "Excuse me, you seem to know where you're going. Could you please pass some of your sense of direction over to me?" (alright, maybe this one's impractical)

3) Pay attention to landmarks (ex: the color of the buildings you pass, the names of the stores, etc). 

4) Always keep da popo on speed dial. Worst-case scenario, you get hopelessly lost to the point of tears and need them to come pick you up. Luckily, I've never been THIS lost before, but ya never know so just as a precaution. 

Keep in mind also that you've gotta be wary of who you ask for directions. I typically ask older ladies or gentlemen with canes and pets who seem kindly and trustworthy, but even grandmas can be secret martial arts experts or super sketch in certain ways so just be on guard. I suppose the best advice is to really try not to get lost period (and assuming most people in the world are better with directions than I, hopefully that's not too difficult)! 

I'm slowly finding my bearings and learning my way around, but I have the feeling it'll take most of the semester to really understand where I'm going most of the time. Please therefore keep praying for me and wishing me luck as I navigate around Montpellier! 

À tout à l'heure, 

Mari