A slight breeze softly caresses the lake, rippling the water ever so softly. Tread lines follow individual ducks as they paddle across the peaceful scene of serenity reflecting all beauty around it. Capturing one moment portraying the extraordinary artwork that God has blessed our eyes to witness. A blazing sun smiles in the sky and provides a feeling of warmth and comfort. A group of ducks swim together as a male and female provide companionship to one another....this my friends, is nature... it is all around us and sometimes we forget about its serenity and beauty....we forget how it can put us at peace if only for a brief moment....
Today, (Saturday, November 21st), I went running in a popular park, Bois de Boulogne, and this is just a moment in time that I captured with words but the day was perfect and the park is beautiful!
So it has been some time since I have written you and today marks the day of the Pilgrims feast!!! That's right it is THANKSGIVING!!! I have sooooo much to be thankful for but I think I might start off where my last blog ended and then catch up to the current time.....
Well I know you have all been patiently awaiting my grand sending of the post cards and I must say I have made it one step further along that path...I bought a bunch and I have a list of where to send them BUT I still need to write them and send them...SO CLOSE!!!! The last time I wrote on here it was 2 weeks ago today! I hope I can remember everything to tell you!!!
So on Thursday 2 weeks ago I was going to look for my friend's wallet at the bar but the bar was not open so I called later for her and luckily they had it!!! Everything was still in it except for the cash, of course, but that was such an awesome thing!!! On Friday I think we all just stayed in because the girls were here and that was C's birthday weekend celebration at our house! She turned 5 and she had a great birthday!!! G had to run some errands in Paris and had a meeting and so the girls and I hung out all day. We worked on some English and played a lot of games and just had a lot of fun! We had a really delicious chocolate cake on Saturday for her birthday and then on Sunday we celebrated it further with G's dad and his wife! We had a really good cake with ice cream, strawberries and meringue. YUM! She got a lot of gifts and we all hung out all day! Then we went to bed and on Monday my new week began!
I really need to keep updating blogs more frequently because nothing is fresh in my mind and it is difficult for me to remember everything. So, on Monday I don't think I really did much of anything...
OH WAIT! I forgot to tell you about Friday the 13th....wow I did not realize that was the day until just now! And on this day which is a little ironic...I went to the cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried! My friend, Alison and I went there and saw Jim Morrison's grave as well as Oscar Wilde's grave...it was so fun and the weather was beautiful!!! I really liked that day! Later this night we went out again and it was really fun!
So on Monday I don't think I did much and on Tuesday I don't think I did much and on Wednesday, I don't think I did much...ok so you get the point...One of these nights, I think it was maybe Thursday or something...no wait it was Tuesday haha I went to a place called UFO and they serve a Brazilian drink called caprihana or something like that and it was sooooo strong but it was not too bad after a little while hahaha...
So then on Friday I watched Australia with G and I love that movie!!! It is soooo good!!!! and on Saturday I went running like the beginning of my blog describes...it is much needed and more often because I am soooo out of shape!
On Saturday night I went to the TGC "The Great Canadian" to watch the OSU Michigan game!!!! It was sweet.....surprisingly enough there were literally like 30 OSU fans and it is such a small world because I could have connections with some!! There was a group from OSU who was studying abroad in Milan and came to Paris for their break and they were at the bar...one of the girls went to Watterson and now I really don't know her name but I have a picture with her to show all you Watterson peeps...I think she graduated in like '07 or something??...Then there was an older couple who A. The man went to Bishop Reedy I think and B. My dad might know his cousins, C. The woman went to worthington! and D. It was sooo crazy. So then there was a bandee from OSU there but he was much older and is currently teaching in Nice as an astrology professor...but he was nice and the thing about him was..he spoke Hungarian because his parents were full blooded off the boat Hungarian and that was amazing to me!
ALSO! I met another girl who was there and she is Hungarian and was in Paris buying clothes for her store because she has a store in Budapest!
The night was crazy and there were also some Michigan fans there!!
So, then I met this guy who was a lot older and was there with s french girl I got to know pretty well and he went to Thomas!!! And I was just amazed haha...but anyway so the girl I met that was friends with him and his friend wanted me to come with them the next day to sight see and show the american men around so I said I woul love to go with her. So on Sunday we went to Notre Dame, on a boat tour, to a good place to eat, and just had a really good time showing them around Paris!
Notre Dame...let me tell you that place changes you as soon as you walk in. The way you feel as you enter the doors is priceless and just so spiritual. I cannot even describe it...there are no words!!! AMAZING....but It is HUGE and as we went in there was a mass going on so I got to see part of one which I will be attending soon because I am very excited!!! I bought a BEAUTIFUL rosary there and cannot wait to go back.
On Monday I once again did much of nothing and then on Tuesday I had class and then went to my friend, Yuliana's, for lunch after! It was so fun and we have a lot in common which is awesome! On Wednesday, yesterday I had to help a guy from the electric company look at the meter and some pipes and try to understand him but it was rapid french so most of what he got was a blank stare and a laugh haha....but he was very very nice and it was ok!
Then our cleaning lady came and I love talking to her because she only speaks Portuguese and French so we have to talk in French and she invited me over to her place sometime for tea or coffee or a coke or something. She has a 17 year old daughter and I told her I could hang out with her sometimes and help her with some english and she can help me with french and whatever. So then on Wednesday I went to a shop here in Paris called Thanksgiving! How perfect! It is an American grocery store that I found and they have everything from Hellman's mayonnaise to pop tarts, to nerds, to philadelphia cream cheese, to Jif peanut butter!!! I was looking for some pumpkin pie mix to make for TODAY!!! I found some and it was amazing but the only problem with this place is that the prices are GARGANTUAN!!! I bought a large can of pumpkin pie mix for 7.50 euros...and with the dollar being about 1.65 per euro right now you can do the math to figure out how much that is in dollars...outrageous!!! They had stovetop stuffing there as well and I was sooooo tempted to buy some after my already made plan to make my own stuffing...sooo I definitely stuck to my plan and decided to make homemade, made from scratch STUFFING!!! and I completely succeeded!! I am soooo happy!!! So it was really easy and G had a turkey but not a real turkey just like a loaf of turkey hahaha like a small, wrapped in net, rotiseri type hunk of turkey...so it was still good though....I was going to make green bean casserole and had the stuff but did't get around to it. By the time we ate dinner it was like 9:30 at night because there was no time earlier in the evening to prepare the meal....but everyone loved my stuffing!!!! G and J did but J hates pepper and could taste the little bit of pepper that there was. G's dad and his wife came over and they liked it too! The pumpkin pie was good but not completely ready when we ate it but oh well :) I loved Thanksgiving today!!! It was sooooo amazing and I am soooo thankful that I have such a great family here to share it with!
Also, I cannot leave out the middle of my day. Some other American girls from my class were having a get together for Thanksgiving and we each contributed a dish and we had green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rice, turkey, ham, bread, and salad! And then I took some apple tarte and chocolate pie stuff for dessert...it was MAGNIFIQUE! I am so lucky to have such an awesome group of friends here and a great family to spend time with. I love it and I am so thankful for all of my loved ones at home who always support me and who are always there for me no matter what...I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
So here is it about 1:30 am after Thanksgiving and I am finishing my blog because I am tired. I know this is not the best blog ever but I promise to try and not wait so long between blogs because then it will be better!!! My birthday is on Sunday and I am going to see Zorro tomorrow night with the family!!! We will be celebrating my bday with cake and everything that G is surprising me with so that should be interesting!! haha But I am so glad to be here and I can't believe I will be 24!!! I feel very young and I am young at heart right guys? hahaha I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! I will talk to you soon and XOXOXOXO
Bisou Bisou
LOVE J
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
AC?
Well hello everyone!!! I am sitting at home at 10 am and getting things together and cleaning my room after I write this! I am going to a bar at 1 with a girl I met in class because we went there the other night and she cannot find her wallet so hopefully it will be there! Going out in Paris is a lot different than at home! And if you want to wear heels it is really a good idea to rethink that decision because there is wayyyyy too much walking and cobble stones do not like heels....it was horrible!
But we had a lot of fun! I am excited because we have been talking about doing a lot of things together since we both have free time and we want to volunteer somewhere! I think that woul dbe something so fun for me because I love volunteering and I could meet more people and really make good use of my time! I am really going to look into this I am so excited :)
Yesterday I ate falafel with Flo, the old teacher from OSU! It was really good....we went to the Jewish area of Paris near Le Marais...the stop on the metro is St. Paul....it was a really cool area and the food was delicious! After that we went to walk around for a while and just look for ice cream because I really wanted some but we couldn't find anything so we just went to Mcdonald's and got some....I got a Mcflurry with M&Ms but they use peanut M&Ms which is different....but anyways I think we ended up sitting in Mcdonald's for over 3 hours just talking about french and he gave me a presentation workshop that he had to give at his work about improving your ability to learn a different language and the steps you need to take and such...it was very interesting. I am very ambitious now and I realized that I want to take this whole learning french thing completely seriously...which means practice practice practice!!! I want to be so fluent and really be able to understand everyone! I already feel like I have caught on a lot better to things but that is not enough!
I am going to have to just learn at my own pace but stay positive and really just practice every chance I get!
So my friend Heath...(another shout out for my boy!) haha has introduced me to an AMAZING new song haha. It is from 1970 but I love it and it's soooo Happy....you should look it up on Youtube: "Les Champs-Elysee" Artist: Joe Dassin....I am telling you its amazing!!!
So I am planning on going to Monmarte soon and to Notre Dame for mass....I am really glad I met the girl in my class because I think we will have a lot of fun hanging out together and doing a lot of new and exciting things!
So Thanksgiving is coming up but I do not think I will be celebrating it with all of the proper American festivities because that is the day we are going to see the play Zorro outside.....I do not think turkey and stuffing are in the picture but that is alright....it will just make me more ready for Thanksgiving next year!!!! After Thanksgiving it will be my birthday!!! I can't believe I will be 24...sooo crazy....and I feel like my time here is already flying by....It has already been a month and I have soo much to do still. I just think the time here will go by quickly so I need to cherish every moment I have!
I really need to get into a routine here and start working out everyday or something...I want to have a reason to wake up everyday even if there is nothing for me to do for work. I just think I would make the most out of my day if I work out first....so wish me luck on that! Which means I need to start going to bed early and I can't talk to everyone on facebook...:( that makes me sad though...I really get so caught up on the computer with everyone that I don't realize how late it is and then I don't get to sleep very early....it is becoming an issue hahaha
Today, like I said I am going back to the area where I was last night and then I am picking J up at 4:30 with her violin and staying at her mom's until G picks us up at 6! I am going to get going and get my day into productive gear but I will talk soon!
Oh P.S. I finally did some shopping so it was really fun! I am excited to shop again! woohoo!!!
I am still working on post cards for you all don't worry!
LOVE YOU!
Jess
But we had a lot of fun! I am excited because we have been talking about doing a lot of things together since we both have free time and we want to volunteer somewhere! I think that woul dbe something so fun for me because I love volunteering and I could meet more people and really make good use of my time! I am really going to look into this I am so excited :)
Yesterday I ate falafel with Flo, the old teacher from OSU! It was really good....we went to the Jewish area of Paris near Le Marais...the stop on the metro is St. Paul....it was a really cool area and the food was delicious! After that we went to walk around for a while and just look for ice cream because I really wanted some but we couldn't find anything so we just went to Mcdonald's and got some....I got a Mcflurry with M&Ms but they use peanut M&Ms which is different....but anyways I think we ended up sitting in Mcdonald's for over 3 hours just talking about french and he gave me a presentation workshop that he had to give at his work about improving your ability to learn a different language and the steps you need to take and such...it was very interesting. I am very ambitious now and I realized that I want to take this whole learning french thing completely seriously...which means practice practice practice!!! I want to be so fluent and really be able to understand everyone! I already feel like I have caught on a lot better to things but that is not enough!
I am going to have to just learn at my own pace but stay positive and really just practice every chance I get!
So my friend Heath...(another shout out for my boy!) haha has introduced me to an AMAZING new song haha. It is from 1970 but I love it and it's soooo Happy....you should look it up on Youtube: "Les Champs-Elysee" Artist: Joe Dassin....I am telling you its amazing!!!
So I am planning on going to Monmarte soon and to Notre Dame for mass....I am really glad I met the girl in my class because I think we will have a lot of fun hanging out together and doing a lot of new and exciting things!
So Thanksgiving is coming up but I do not think I will be celebrating it with all of the proper American festivities because that is the day we are going to see the play Zorro outside.....I do not think turkey and stuffing are in the picture but that is alright....it will just make me more ready for Thanksgiving next year!!!! After Thanksgiving it will be my birthday!!! I can't believe I will be 24...sooo crazy....and I feel like my time here is already flying by....It has already been a month and I have soo much to do still. I just think the time here will go by quickly so I need to cherish every moment I have!
I really need to get into a routine here and start working out everyday or something...I want to have a reason to wake up everyday even if there is nothing for me to do for work. I just think I would make the most out of my day if I work out first....so wish me luck on that! Which means I need to start going to bed early and I can't talk to everyone on facebook...:( that makes me sad though...I really get so caught up on the computer with everyone that I don't realize how late it is and then I don't get to sleep very early....it is becoming an issue hahaha
Today, like I said I am going back to the area where I was last night and then I am picking J up at 4:30 with her violin and staying at her mom's until G picks us up at 6! I am going to get going and get my day into productive gear but I will talk soon!
Oh P.S. I finally did some shopping so it was really fun! I am excited to shop again! woohoo!!!
I am still working on post cards for you all don't worry!
LOVE YOU!
Jess
Monday, November 9, 2009
Hello My Darlings!
Bon Soir!
I need to keep writing to all of you because I have had many requests for more blog entries haha. I find it difficult at times to write but I will make sure I keep up with it because I know this will be good for me in the future and a lot of you enjoy reading which makes me happy :). Soooo it's Monday evening, J is upastairs practicing violin and I am just writing a quick blogaroo...I hope you realize that when I say I miss you every single time that I really do miss you! My heart never stops missing you all!!! Ok so...my last entry was on Thursday and I have had some fun since then!
I went to Germany on Friday morning which was really really early. I had to be at Paris Nord which is a train station at 6:25 AM because that was when my train left for Koln or Cologne in french and we pronounce it Koeln...the German version which is the first one up there is supposed to have 2 little dots above the O but I really don't know how to add those so sorry about that! hahaha But my idea was to leave the house very early so that I had plenty of time to find my train and prepare for my trip and pray that there were no strikes..
Well I have a listing of the time table for the train by my house and it said the first train came at 4:40 AM....so I left the house at like 4:32 and literally sprinted...full sprint not kidding here....with my luggage and all....in my boots....worked up a sweat....got it? Haha ok so I sprinted to the train station to guarantee that I would catch the earliest train.....WELLLLLLLL apparently that time table was wrong because as I approached my platform the screen informed me that my first train would arrive at 5:20....cold and alone I sat and waited for the 45 minutes that it took for my train to arrive. It was pitch black outside too because it was soo early....but I felt good after my small little work out of sprinting to the station to start my day....I finally got on the train when it came along with a mere 5 other people and arrived at Le Gare St. Lazare where I had to catch the RER E which is similar to the metro....I took the RER E from there to Paris Nord and then found my train in Paris Nord. I was excited that it was not on strike and once the screen signified which platform my train was on I walked to find my seat.
I was finally on the train! I was headed for Germany and it was exciting! The train was full and I had to use my ticket from the previous day because there were no cheap tickets if I wanted to exchenge it...the lady told me it would be ok to use my ticket on Friday and it would be the same as if I had gone on Thursday. I was worried about this and I was hoping there weren't going to be any problems with my seat or anything. There was a group of high school age kids with a leader who said that their seats included the one I was sitting it but it didn't matter because there were enough seats in that car so it was no big deal. PHEW that scared me but I was fine after that. Once the ticket man came around to check the tickets I was nervous as well because I was not completely certain my ticket was alright but I was just going off of what the woman had told me the day before and I assumed she knew what she was talking about because she worked for the train company :)....The group of high schoolers that I mentioned really made me realize how crazy languages are...What I mean is that they were all interchangeably using German, French, and English! And not just the formal versions of these languages that we learn in school but really sounded like they knew the slang and all of the normal talk that we use in English. It made me really jealous that they could easily transition from one language to another and know each language so well!
I think a lot of German people are required to learn English in school and I think I have heard before that when you learn at least 2 languages when you are young it is easier to learn more languages later in life, and also that your brain is more advanced and children who know multiple languages growing up are more educationally advanced...now I have not done any studies on this nor do I know that it is a fact but in theory it sounds like it could be true!
I really think it made me realize how hard I want to work to learn French because I just love hearing the language and I want to be able to speak it and understand everything. Sometimes I get caught up in the little things and realize how overwhelming everything is when you think about all of the tiny steps it will take to get to where you want to be...BUT I have recently decided to focus only on the big picture and just keep my goal in mind so that I do not freak out with all of the small steps along the way. I just need to make each small step apart of the big picture and I will eventually be so good that you would think I was French!!!
Question...would you Americans still love me if I turned French? I mean I am quite irresistable I know but...hahaha Just kidding :)
So I was riding the train and studying French and listening to music and playing games on my phone and it was really relaxing and peaceful! The train ride was about 3 hours and 45 minutes but there were a few stops on the way. finally I arrived in Koln where I had to wait about an hour to catch another train to my destination, Paderborn! Here I had to ask an information lady which platform my train would be on and I heard her speaking English to people just before me but she gave me a little attitude when I was asking her questions....that did not make me feel very welcome haha but Oh well...I was told that German's often sound angry whenever they talk so maybe that is what it was hahaha
I found my train and got on...the ticket I had was printed from the internet and I had to show proof of my credit card when I was on the train to make sure it was me. I forgot about this and the man asked me to see my Visa....ok so I got out my passport and he said no Visa card...and then I felt silly but I realized what was going on! hahaha ohhh those visas....
So the train from Koln to Paderborn was very desolate for a while until we stopped a few more times and then it filled up! I was having a lot of fun because Germany is soooo pretty and the land is beautiful and as the train sped by I captured pictures of the scenery. The train from Koln to Paderborn was about 2 hours and 20 min but there were sooo many stops on this train. Without stops it would have been a lot faster I am sure!
I arrived in Paderborn!! YAY!! sooo exciting! And I walked out front and Twig was waiting! I was happy to see him and it really felt good to see a familiar face....very comforting! So we drove around for a little bit and then went to Mcdonalds! My first experience with fast food on this trip....and it was delicious! Twig was busy with basketball stuff so for a few hours I just chilled at his apartment and watched a movie. His apartment is really nice though and he has a million and one movies...not exaggerating hahaha After he had practice we went to the grocery store and made dinner and then just watched a movie and I drank some beer...which by the way German beer is very good! I was worried it would be bitter because I HATE bitter beer but the kinds that I had were not bitter at all so I was happy about that.
So the next day we drove around the city some more but the weather was bad and rainy so we didn't get out to walk around but we decided that I would try to drive his car since it is a manual. I need to get some kind of practice in before these driving lessons that I will have coming up....that will be a laugh! hahahahaha
So I was excited to drive the car and as I began I surprised myself and Twig because I was actually not that bad....of course the transition from stop to start was not the smoothest and my confidence was low but once I tried it for a few minutes my confidence grew and I got better! It is not as difficult as I thought but we were only in a parking lot and I was too scared to go near any cars. I ended up driving onto the road but pulled over to the side when I realized the road led to a busy area....NOT COOL!!! hahaha so we switched and went back home. Twig's game was far away on Saturday so I could not go :( I was sad but oh well...haha I am going to try to go back again and actually see a game! So while he was gone I started to walk into town and I found a couple of shoe stores along my way. I looked for a while and at the second store I found a really cute pair of shoes that took me a while to decide on buying but they were only 30 euros and they were my size and they were sooooo cute! It is very difficult to find my size in France (even though I haven't looked yet) but I was really happy and excited...I am at the check out and they tell me that they do not accept VISA!!! What the heck? Visa is supposed to be accepted everywhere! Then I got out my American card and tried to use that because it was MasterCard....BUT that was unacceptable as well....I was sooo upset....the shoes I really wanted had to say goodbye :( Oh well so I kept walking until I reached the supermarket where we bought our groceries the night before and there was a little stand with a man making gyro-type things and I got one and then started to head back to the apartment because it was really dark and things were closing. On the way back I stopped by the gas station where I bought some more beer and THEY accepted Visa so I was happy about that!!!
I was walking and enjoying the feel of the country and I just got this feeling that Germany was really safe and clean and that no bad things happen there because that is how it seems....then all of a sudden right after this thought crosses my mind, a GIANT white van pulls up onto the curb slowly, right in front of me and next to where I would be walking in like 2 seconds......and a man gets out and starts speaking to me in German and I think he was asking for directions but I don't really know and all I said to him was "English" "English" hahahaha...soooo that kind of creeped me out but then I realized they were not creepers they were just lost....
I made it back to the apartment to watch some movies and use Twig's phone that could call numbers in the US...I know I did not get the chance to call ALLLLLL of you but it was good to hear some familiar voices! I think we really take using the phone for granted :)
Twigster got home at like 1:30 AM or something and I had the key so he had to ring the bell but I was confused and scared that it was someone else because in the hallway it was pitch black...I was on the phone with Shay at the time...remember that? hahaha But then I realized I had to push a button and it was all ok!
On Sunday we just chilled in the morning until T drove me to the train station at like 2PM and we bought a ticket and then said goodbye and I was on my way back to Paris. The train I took back to Koln stopped in Hamm and I had to catch another train but that was easy peasy....The thing that I screwed up on was getting off in Koln...what an idiot!!! SO I got off at the station before the one I was supposed to be in and I was like ummmm this does not look familiar and this is definitely the wrong station...it said Koln but it was not the main Koln...I was walking and trying to tell myself that I was right and it would all be ok but then I realized I was DEAD WRONG!!!! I just went back up to the area where I had gotten off and found a nice young boy who knew how to speak some English! I was telling him my dilemma and he pointed me to platform 10...which means nothing to you I know haha....but he told me that platform always stops in Koln Hbf which is the main station....sooooo I got on the train and everything was ok and I ended up in Koln!!! YAY!
While I was in the station waiting for my train I used the restroom and had to pay 1 euro and that was the first time I did that...actually no I take that back after I saw a movie in Paris I payed to use the restroom as well but it was different because in Paris it was a man who just took my money and at the train station in Koln it was a machine that would not open unless you put money in kind of like at the train station when you are exchanging trains or on the metro when you pass through the thing....for those of you who know what I mean....But I remember things like that when my family and I traveled to Europe in 2007.
That is another reason why America is so great hahaha we never have to worry about paying to use a restroom...I mean that seems odd but I can understand it I suppose....
So I made it back to Paris and it seemed to me like I had a sign on my back that said "Take me please" because a lot of things have been happening that make me feel like people notice me easily or might take me....hahaha of course this is a bit of an exaggeration (Parents do not be alarmed) but I just think it is funny! I forgot to mention that when I was waiting for my train from Koln to Paderborn a man was talking to me and told me that he saw me waiting at the Paris Nord station....and he was asking me what I was doing and said that he hoped to see me again in Paris...it was really weird and I did not like that haha Luckily he did not get on the same train to Paderborn!!!
But when I was back in Paris I was looking at the screen to be sure which platform to go to so I could get back to St. Lazare...a man came up to me while I was looking and said "La Gare St. Lazare?" And I was like yes, it's here? And he said yes...and then he asked where I was from and I said USA! hahaha But it's like how did he know that I was going to La Gare St. Lazare?? I found that a little odd but I guess it is a pretty big station and I was near that platform so maybe he was just trying to be nice....for now I will just stick with the "everyone is trying to take me" theme because it is more entertaining! hahaha
I got home around 10:30 and I felt good to be back! I had such a great weekend but I realized something on the train back to Paris....The French language is now beginning to sound familiar and provide comfort to me, just as English does when you are in a foreign place. That made me realize that I have finally made this my new home and I am so happy that it brings me comfort. Sometimes you have to take a step back and re-evaluate what you have to realize it's something worth having. I think we all need to do that with a lot of things in life because we lose sight of these things too easily and it is so important to stay grounded and really keep in mind the blessings we have. I just think from now on I will try harder to not take things for granted...it is a very difficult thing to do but I will try.
I have been doing a lot of self exploration since I have been gone and I really want to become a better person...there are a lot of things I should work on which will take a while...but hey, realizing it is the first step right?
I am grateful for the opportunity to be sitting here in Paris and be able to really have amazing experiences and really reflect on myself as a person. I just really, truly love my life and I could never have done any of this without all of you! You guys are amazing and I pray for you all of the time!!! You are forever in my prayers and my heart. A quote I keep in mind a lot is this:
~**Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey**~
I found this quote online and I do not remember who it is by but it is soooo true!!! It is amazing and I love it..when I first got here I missed home and felt like I was not at home but when I think about it....no matter where I am I will always have my friends and family, I will always have my memories and every experience I have had....those will always be there....my physical home and my town or country...those may not always be there and I may not always stay in one spot...this quote is really the best quote!!!!
I hope you all know that you each help make up part of what I consider to be "home" and it feels so great to know that I have such a strong support system.
I thank God everyday for an amazing life!
I Love you sooo much and I will again soon but I am actually not done with this blog yet....
Ok sooooo I woke up today and I had my french film class which is a JOKE...not like it's stupid but it's hilarious because it is not about French film really....I met a girl in my class who seems awesome so that is good! And she doesn't live too far from me so we are going to try to hang out soon! But in this class the man is really funny but the thing that makes me laugh is because it is mostly about learning verbs and things and not really watching films...I went today for the first time and was 30 minutes late because of my great sense of direction again! hahaha but it is really relaxed and not a big deal and plus, I have been studying a lot of french on my own!
I am excited for this class because it is funny, interesting, and really intriguing...I think I will get something out of it!
After class I came back to the house for a little bit to eat lunch and chill and then pick J up from school and go to her mom's to do homework and learn a little bit of English. I need to get in touch with some people who teach ESL or English in general because I would like some advice but for now I am doing alright I think. I am probably going to try to print some worksheets offline and try to keep it fun! If you have any suggestions or know anyone who might I would love to know!
I know a lot of teachers as well so I am working on contacting them to see if they know of anything that would help me!
Now I am just finishing this blog after dinner...cordon bleu and pasta...it was good! But I need to go take care of some paperwork and I will write again soon....I promise...I hate to leave ya'll hanging! hahaha
MUAH XOXOXOXO Bisou Bisou!!!
Love You ALL!!
Miss you ALWAYS!!
Talk SOON!!
Jess
I need to keep writing to all of you because I have had many requests for more blog entries haha. I find it difficult at times to write but I will make sure I keep up with it because I know this will be good for me in the future and a lot of you enjoy reading which makes me happy :). Soooo it's Monday evening, J is upastairs practicing violin and I am just writing a quick blogaroo...I hope you realize that when I say I miss you every single time that I really do miss you! My heart never stops missing you all!!! Ok so...my last entry was on Thursday and I have had some fun since then!
I went to Germany on Friday morning which was really really early. I had to be at Paris Nord which is a train station at 6:25 AM because that was when my train left for Koln or Cologne in french and we pronounce it Koeln...the German version which is the first one up there is supposed to have 2 little dots above the O but I really don't know how to add those so sorry about that! hahaha But my idea was to leave the house very early so that I had plenty of time to find my train and prepare for my trip and pray that there were no strikes..
Well I have a listing of the time table for the train by my house and it said the first train came at 4:40 AM....so I left the house at like 4:32 and literally sprinted...full sprint not kidding here....with my luggage and all....in my boots....worked up a sweat....got it? Haha ok so I sprinted to the train station to guarantee that I would catch the earliest train.....WELLLLLLLL apparently that time table was wrong because as I approached my platform the screen informed me that my first train would arrive at 5:20....cold and alone I sat and waited for the 45 minutes that it took for my train to arrive. It was pitch black outside too because it was soo early....but I felt good after my small little work out of sprinting to the station to start my day....I finally got on the train when it came along with a mere 5 other people and arrived at Le Gare St. Lazare where I had to catch the RER E which is similar to the metro....I took the RER E from there to Paris Nord and then found my train in Paris Nord. I was excited that it was not on strike and once the screen signified which platform my train was on I walked to find my seat.
I was finally on the train! I was headed for Germany and it was exciting! The train was full and I had to use my ticket from the previous day because there were no cheap tickets if I wanted to exchenge it...the lady told me it would be ok to use my ticket on Friday and it would be the same as if I had gone on Thursday. I was worried about this and I was hoping there weren't going to be any problems with my seat or anything. There was a group of high school age kids with a leader who said that their seats included the one I was sitting it but it didn't matter because there were enough seats in that car so it was no big deal. PHEW that scared me but I was fine after that. Once the ticket man came around to check the tickets I was nervous as well because I was not completely certain my ticket was alright but I was just going off of what the woman had told me the day before and I assumed she knew what she was talking about because she worked for the train company :)....The group of high schoolers that I mentioned really made me realize how crazy languages are...What I mean is that they were all interchangeably using German, French, and English! And not just the formal versions of these languages that we learn in school but really sounded like they knew the slang and all of the normal talk that we use in English. It made me really jealous that they could easily transition from one language to another and know each language so well!
I think a lot of German people are required to learn English in school and I think I have heard before that when you learn at least 2 languages when you are young it is easier to learn more languages later in life, and also that your brain is more advanced and children who know multiple languages growing up are more educationally advanced...now I have not done any studies on this nor do I know that it is a fact but in theory it sounds like it could be true!
I really think it made me realize how hard I want to work to learn French because I just love hearing the language and I want to be able to speak it and understand everything. Sometimes I get caught up in the little things and realize how overwhelming everything is when you think about all of the tiny steps it will take to get to where you want to be...BUT I have recently decided to focus only on the big picture and just keep my goal in mind so that I do not freak out with all of the small steps along the way. I just need to make each small step apart of the big picture and I will eventually be so good that you would think I was French!!!
Question...would you Americans still love me if I turned French? I mean I am quite irresistable I know but...hahaha Just kidding :)
So I was riding the train and studying French and listening to music and playing games on my phone and it was really relaxing and peaceful! The train ride was about 3 hours and 45 minutes but there were a few stops on the way. finally I arrived in Koln where I had to wait about an hour to catch another train to my destination, Paderborn! Here I had to ask an information lady which platform my train would be on and I heard her speaking English to people just before me but she gave me a little attitude when I was asking her questions....that did not make me feel very welcome haha but Oh well...I was told that German's often sound angry whenever they talk so maybe that is what it was hahaha
I found my train and got on...the ticket I had was printed from the internet and I had to show proof of my credit card when I was on the train to make sure it was me. I forgot about this and the man asked me to see my Visa....ok so I got out my passport and he said no Visa card...and then I felt silly but I realized what was going on! hahaha ohhh those visas....
So the train from Koln to Paderborn was very desolate for a while until we stopped a few more times and then it filled up! I was having a lot of fun because Germany is soooo pretty and the land is beautiful and as the train sped by I captured pictures of the scenery. The train from Koln to Paderborn was about 2 hours and 20 min but there were sooo many stops on this train. Without stops it would have been a lot faster I am sure!
I arrived in Paderborn!! YAY!! sooo exciting! And I walked out front and Twig was waiting! I was happy to see him and it really felt good to see a familiar face....very comforting! So we drove around for a little bit and then went to Mcdonalds! My first experience with fast food on this trip....and it was delicious! Twig was busy with basketball stuff so for a few hours I just chilled at his apartment and watched a movie. His apartment is really nice though and he has a million and one movies...not exaggerating hahaha After he had practice we went to the grocery store and made dinner and then just watched a movie and I drank some beer...which by the way German beer is very good! I was worried it would be bitter because I HATE bitter beer but the kinds that I had were not bitter at all so I was happy about that.
So the next day we drove around the city some more but the weather was bad and rainy so we didn't get out to walk around but we decided that I would try to drive his car since it is a manual. I need to get some kind of practice in before these driving lessons that I will have coming up....that will be a laugh! hahahahaha
So I was excited to drive the car and as I began I surprised myself and Twig because I was actually not that bad....of course the transition from stop to start was not the smoothest and my confidence was low but once I tried it for a few minutes my confidence grew and I got better! It is not as difficult as I thought but we were only in a parking lot and I was too scared to go near any cars. I ended up driving onto the road but pulled over to the side when I realized the road led to a busy area....NOT COOL!!! hahaha so we switched and went back home. Twig's game was far away on Saturday so I could not go :( I was sad but oh well...haha I am going to try to go back again and actually see a game! So while he was gone I started to walk into town and I found a couple of shoe stores along my way. I looked for a while and at the second store I found a really cute pair of shoes that took me a while to decide on buying but they were only 30 euros and they were my size and they were sooooo cute! It is very difficult to find my size in France (even though I haven't looked yet) but I was really happy and excited...I am at the check out and they tell me that they do not accept VISA!!! What the heck? Visa is supposed to be accepted everywhere! Then I got out my American card and tried to use that because it was MasterCard....BUT that was unacceptable as well....I was sooo upset....the shoes I really wanted had to say goodbye :( Oh well so I kept walking until I reached the supermarket where we bought our groceries the night before and there was a little stand with a man making gyro-type things and I got one and then started to head back to the apartment because it was really dark and things were closing. On the way back I stopped by the gas station where I bought some more beer and THEY accepted Visa so I was happy about that!!!
I was walking and enjoying the feel of the country and I just got this feeling that Germany was really safe and clean and that no bad things happen there because that is how it seems....then all of a sudden right after this thought crosses my mind, a GIANT white van pulls up onto the curb slowly, right in front of me and next to where I would be walking in like 2 seconds......and a man gets out and starts speaking to me in German and I think he was asking for directions but I don't really know and all I said to him was "English" "English" hahahaha...soooo that kind of creeped me out but then I realized they were not creepers they were just lost....
I made it back to the apartment to watch some movies and use Twig's phone that could call numbers in the US...I know I did not get the chance to call ALLLLLL of you but it was good to hear some familiar voices! I think we really take using the phone for granted :)
Twigster got home at like 1:30 AM or something and I had the key so he had to ring the bell but I was confused and scared that it was someone else because in the hallway it was pitch black...I was on the phone with Shay at the time...remember that? hahaha But then I realized I had to push a button and it was all ok!
On Sunday we just chilled in the morning until T drove me to the train station at like 2PM and we bought a ticket and then said goodbye and I was on my way back to Paris. The train I took back to Koln stopped in Hamm and I had to catch another train but that was easy peasy....The thing that I screwed up on was getting off in Koln...what an idiot!!! SO I got off at the station before the one I was supposed to be in and I was like ummmm this does not look familiar and this is definitely the wrong station...it said Koln but it was not the main Koln...I was walking and trying to tell myself that I was right and it would all be ok but then I realized I was DEAD WRONG!!!! I just went back up to the area where I had gotten off and found a nice young boy who knew how to speak some English! I was telling him my dilemma and he pointed me to platform 10...which means nothing to you I know haha....but he told me that platform always stops in Koln Hbf which is the main station....sooooo I got on the train and everything was ok and I ended up in Koln!!! YAY!
While I was in the station waiting for my train I used the restroom and had to pay 1 euro and that was the first time I did that...actually no I take that back after I saw a movie in Paris I payed to use the restroom as well but it was different because in Paris it was a man who just took my money and at the train station in Koln it was a machine that would not open unless you put money in kind of like at the train station when you are exchanging trains or on the metro when you pass through the thing....for those of you who know what I mean....But I remember things like that when my family and I traveled to Europe in 2007.
That is another reason why America is so great hahaha we never have to worry about paying to use a restroom...I mean that seems odd but I can understand it I suppose....
So I made it back to Paris and it seemed to me like I had a sign on my back that said "Take me please" because a lot of things have been happening that make me feel like people notice me easily or might take me....hahaha of course this is a bit of an exaggeration (Parents do not be alarmed) but I just think it is funny! I forgot to mention that when I was waiting for my train from Koln to Paderborn a man was talking to me and told me that he saw me waiting at the Paris Nord station....and he was asking me what I was doing and said that he hoped to see me again in Paris...it was really weird and I did not like that haha Luckily he did not get on the same train to Paderborn!!!
But when I was back in Paris I was looking at the screen to be sure which platform to go to so I could get back to St. Lazare...a man came up to me while I was looking and said "La Gare St. Lazare?" And I was like yes, it's here? And he said yes...and then he asked where I was from and I said USA! hahaha But it's like how did he know that I was going to La Gare St. Lazare?? I found that a little odd but I guess it is a pretty big station and I was near that platform so maybe he was just trying to be nice....for now I will just stick with the "everyone is trying to take me" theme because it is more entertaining! hahaha
I got home around 10:30 and I felt good to be back! I had such a great weekend but I realized something on the train back to Paris....The French language is now beginning to sound familiar and provide comfort to me, just as English does when you are in a foreign place. That made me realize that I have finally made this my new home and I am so happy that it brings me comfort. Sometimes you have to take a step back and re-evaluate what you have to realize it's something worth having. I think we all need to do that with a lot of things in life because we lose sight of these things too easily and it is so important to stay grounded and really keep in mind the blessings we have. I just think from now on I will try harder to not take things for granted...it is a very difficult thing to do but I will try.
I have been doing a lot of self exploration since I have been gone and I really want to become a better person...there are a lot of things I should work on which will take a while...but hey, realizing it is the first step right?
I am grateful for the opportunity to be sitting here in Paris and be able to really have amazing experiences and really reflect on myself as a person. I just really, truly love my life and I could never have done any of this without all of you! You guys are amazing and I pray for you all of the time!!! You are forever in my prayers and my heart. A quote I keep in mind a lot is this:
~**Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey**~
I found this quote online and I do not remember who it is by but it is soooo true!!! It is amazing and I love it..when I first got here I missed home and felt like I was not at home but when I think about it....no matter where I am I will always have my friends and family, I will always have my memories and every experience I have had....those will always be there....my physical home and my town or country...those may not always be there and I may not always stay in one spot...this quote is really the best quote!!!!
I hope you all know that you each help make up part of what I consider to be "home" and it feels so great to know that I have such a strong support system.
I thank God everyday for an amazing life!
I Love you sooo much and I will again soon but I am actually not done with this blog yet....
Ok sooooo I woke up today and I had my french film class which is a JOKE...not like it's stupid but it's hilarious because it is not about French film really....I met a girl in my class who seems awesome so that is good! And she doesn't live too far from me so we are going to try to hang out soon! But in this class the man is really funny but the thing that makes me laugh is because it is mostly about learning verbs and things and not really watching films...I went today for the first time and was 30 minutes late because of my great sense of direction again! hahaha but it is really relaxed and not a big deal and plus, I have been studying a lot of french on my own!
I am excited for this class because it is funny, interesting, and really intriguing...I think I will get something out of it!
After class I came back to the house for a little bit to eat lunch and chill and then pick J up from school and go to her mom's to do homework and learn a little bit of English. I need to get in touch with some people who teach ESL or English in general because I would like some advice but for now I am doing alright I think. I am probably going to try to print some worksheets offline and try to keep it fun! If you have any suggestions or know anyone who might I would love to know!
I know a lot of teachers as well so I am working on contacting them to see if they know of anything that would help me!
Now I am just finishing this blog after dinner...cordon bleu and pasta...it was good! But I need to go take care of some paperwork and I will write again soon....I promise...I hate to leave ya'll hanging! hahaha
MUAH XOXOXOXO Bisou Bisou!!!
Love You ALL!!
Miss you ALWAYS!!
Talk SOON!!
Jess
Thursday, November 5, 2009
MES AMIS!!!!! Today marks one week since I have written to you and there is a lot that has happened! Last week we began vacation from school so the girls and I did not have school. Friday night was my first succesful attempt at a half marathon!!!...well it was only 18 miles but that is close....and it was roller blading...BUT I am still proud!!!
The festivities began around 10 PM and G's brother and I made our way to Paris for the grand parade of roller bladers. There were nearly a thousand participants as the night settled and the action began. This particular evening invited Halloween costumes so it was a sight to see! With my witch hat on head and my roller blades on feet we took off with the crowd. The ability to come to a quick halt for my feet is something that needs work because it is not the best feeling when you are behind thousands of people who are standing still and you are speeding toward them. I will continue to work on that because it can be quite frightening.
As we glided through the streets of Paris, the atmosphere was enchanting and the onseers faces lit up as we drifted past....the traffic is paused just for us as we sweep in and out of intersections and the comfort of the police lagged behind to cap off the train of people. There were several stops along the way in order to close the gap between the front and the rear.
The crowd was interesting and I enjoyed my time sooo much! The night was getting late and cold but we kept going. In all, three hours had gone by once we were finished. I did not feel too tired from the trip but 18 miles sounds like a lot! Along the way we met a nice guy from England who was happy to find some people who could speak English. He was all alone but wanted to find people with whom he could talk! He was really nice and now we are facebook friends and going to keep in touch!
I have some pictures from the evening so I will be posting those on facebook soon!
On Saturday I was tired because I did not return home until 2 or a little later! And once I woke up the family was preparing for Halloween. The girls dressed up and painted their faces and we carved a pumpkin and made some soup out of it which was really good! I took the girls out for some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood for a brief 10 minutes or so and no many people participate in Halloween here.
I have been told it used to be more celebrated but now it is just not as popular. I was sad that I could not be home celebrating Halloween the BIG way like many of those holidays that us Americans know how to completely take to the extreme!!! That is my favorite thing about America...we sure know how to celebrate...even when there is little reason to celebrate!! I am having such a good experience here in France but I have been realizing so many things about my own culture and how much more I appreciate where I come from. I think France has so many great things to offer and much more history than America, of course, and I do enjoy learning about the culture, however, I just think America has so much more variety and many more things to experience because of our mixed cultures.
So on Sunday, I woke up and went to see "This is it" the Michael Jackson movie with my friend Flo Dizzle...hahaha Or should I say "smooth criminal" haha but anyways I was late because I got lost and could not find the train very quickly and I am not surprised at all!!! But we made it without missing too much of the movie and that movie is AMAZING!!! I really reccomend it!
I miss MJ a lot and the movie made me sad that he is no longer with us R.I.P.....I wish I could say that I really knew him hahahaha but then we met up with his brother and had lunch at a sandwich place which was good and then Flo and I went to a bookstore called WHSMITH which is an English speaking book store so I felt right at home! I bought some books on french grammar and vocabulary and a lot of books for the girls as well.
I really need to buckle down and learn this French stuff because I am getting very frustrated not being able to express myself to people!
After we were at the book store for a long time, because I am obsessed with children's books and could not leave that section, we headed to a bar for some beers and chatting about french things! haha I am so lucky to have Flo because he helps me so much with french and is such an awesome person! You flower thug you! hahahaha
That night, Sunday to be exact, I came home and G's mother was over for dinner and we talked and ate really good cheese where you melt it on this machine thing and then put it on ham or potatoes. It was sooo good!!! Gs mother is a French teacher so she can somewhat help me, however, she does not know much English. G had an idea, which was kind of what I was wanting to do, to find something to do as a second job in my free time so that I can make more money to travel or whatever. He suggested that I teach English or tutor people in English for some extra money! I thought that would be a great idea because I like to teach people and I know English!!! hahahaha So his mother agreed to mention it to people in her neighborhood and at her school and get my name out there so if people need assistance that would be perfect! Also, I am looking for people who do not know much English at all with whom I can talk and it will force me to speak in French! To be honest, for the past couple of days I have felt the urge to give up, but I know that God has something amazing in store for me and I must not give up now. I need to stay focused and really concentrate on practicing the language everyday!
With my new books it will definitely help me as long as I stay on task and try to use the language as much as possible.
So, on Monday I woke up and did not feel very well and had a bit of a cold so G took the girls to the horse club where J rides and they spent the day there. I slept and just tried to feel better and after sleeping a little I felt great! We did not do too much on Monday evening. On Tuesday we went to EuroDisney!! It was sooooo fun!
I uploaded pictures on facebook already from that day and I am such a huge kid at heart!! I cannot get enough of that kind of stuff. No matter what, I will always be fascinated with the giant costumes of the characters! I got soooo excited to be close to them hahaha
Disney never gets old and my favorite ride is DEFINITELY the Dumbo ride!!! We went on several but that is just always the best in my book!
After a long day at Disney we came home and ate dinner, which is often pasta for the girls because they love it! Then, on Wednesday, I had to get up and go to the post office, the bank, and the store. Wednesdays is when the cleaning lady comes and I try to talk to her and it is fun but also confusing haha At 3 PM we went to see the play Cinderella. Of course it was in French which made it very very difficult for me to understand, but I already knew the story so I knew what was going on for the most part. After the play we went to the big mall here called Gallery Lafayette! It is HUGE but I know where I want to go when I decide to splurge most of my money on shopping! I know there are many of you who have asked me about that and I still need to go shopping but do not worry I definitely will be going soon I hope!!! My mission will be to find shoes big enough for my feet!! hahaha
I cannot believe it is already November 5th! This is crazy but I feel like I have been in France for longer than 3 weeks.
Today I was supposed to be headed to Germany but there was a strike on the train line and I was unable to make the journey :( But I can use my ticket from today to go tomorrow! I am definitely going tomorrow because I am really excited about this trip! I am sad that I was unable to go today but everything happens for a reason and I will still have soooo much fun!!! Right Tweeg?? haha
So I am just sitting here taking this time to write to my loves and do laundry and I will be studying French after this. I downloaded the 2 episodes of Modern Family that I missed since I have been gone and I LOVE IT!!! That show is amazing and I never can stop laughing when I watch it.
Through Skype I can get unlimited world calling for 9 euros a month which means I can call you people on your phones at home through my computer. I might try to look into this so that I can talk to you guys but I have not decided if I want to do that yet or not.
After I get back from Germany, granted there are no strikes tomorrow, I will have class on Monday and then at 4:30 I will be picking J up from school and taking her to her mom's and doing homework, which helps me with French when I help her with homework, and spending some time teaching her English! I am working on some lesson ideas because I really think it is easier to learn when there is a good structure for everyone to follow. I think I will begin with some grammar conducting sentences using the, a, or an and is and connecting words together using these words. English can be difficult to learn in many aspects but I think the language is very logical and the basics may be easier, in my opinion I believe English is much easier than French, which may seem biased because I already know it obviously, but by really breaking it down and focusing on many aspects of each language, it seems that there is more of a patternin English and just an easier way to grasp many concepts.
I really hope to become very knowlegable about languages in general and once I do that maybe I will move on to conquer many other languages one day.
I have thought about maybe taking some online classes or something while I am here so that I can work on a goal to get my masters. However, that does cost money which I have little of and I still am not positive which direction I want to go as far as getting my masters.
I will be saying Au Revoir for now!!! A Bientot and I look forward to talking with you again!
Please keep me updated on what is going on in your lives as well because it is important for me to stay connected and feel as much apart of your lives as I can! Miss you all and I hope to see some of you very soon!!!
If anyone has any suggestions on good books to read I would appreciate it! Also, any good songs or anything that I should know at all would be good!
I heard about the voting YES for casinos in Ohio....not too happy about that!
I will be trying to keep up with the news from over there as much as I can. LOVE YOU!!!
Keep me in the loop ya'll!
My prayers go out to all of you and God has been taking good care of me here!!
MUAH!
XOXO
J
The festivities began around 10 PM and G's brother and I made our way to Paris for the grand parade of roller bladers. There were nearly a thousand participants as the night settled and the action began. This particular evening invited Halloween costumes so it was a sight to see! With my witch hat on head and my roller blades on feet we took off with the crowd. The ability to come to a quick halt for my feet is something that needs work because it is not the best feeling when you are behind thousands of people who are standing still and you are speeding toward them. I will continue to work on that because it can be quite frightening.
As we glided through the streets of Paris, the atmosphere was enchanting and the onseers faces lit up as we drifted past....the traffic is paused just for us as we sweep in and out of intersections and the comfort of the police lagged behind to cap off the train of people. There were several stops along the way in order to close the gap between the front and the rear.
The crowd was interesting and I enjoyed my time sooo much! The night was getting late and cold but we kept going. In all, three hours had gone by once we were finished. I did not feel too tired from the trip but 18 miles sounds like a lot! Along the way we met a nice guy from England who was happy to find some people who could speak English. He was all alone but wanted to find people with whom he could talk! He was really nice and now we are facebook friends and going to keep in touch!
I have some pictures from the evening so I will be posting those on facebook soon!
On Saturday I was tired because I did not return home until 2 or a little later! And once I woke up the family was preparing for Halloween. The girls dressed up and painted their faces and we carved a pumpkin and made some soup out of it which was really good! I took the girls out for some trick-or-treating around the neighborhood for a brief 10 minutes or so and no many people participate in Halloween here.
I have been told it used to be more celebrated but now it is just not as popular. I was sad that I could not be home celebrating Halloween the BIG way like many of those holidays that us Americans know how to completely take to the extreme!!! That is my favorite thing about America...we sure know how to celebrate...even when there is little reason to celebrate!! I am having such a good experience here in France but I have been realizing so many things about my own culture and how much more I appreciate where I come from. I think France has so many great things to offer and much more history than America, of course, and I do enjoy learning about the culture, however, I just think America has so much more variety and many more things to experience because of our mixed cultures.
So on Sunday, I woke up and went to see "This is it" the Michael Jackson movie with my friend Flo Dizzle...hahaha Or should I say "smooth criminal" haha but anyways I was late because I got lost and could not find the train very quickly and I am not surprised at all!!! But we made it without missing too much of the movie and that movie is AMAZING!!! I really reccomend it!
I miss MJ a lot and the movie made me sad that he is no longer with us R.I.P.....I wish I could say that I really knew him hahahaha but then we met up with his brother and had lunch at a sandwich place which was good and then Flo and I went to a bookstore called WHSMITH which is an English speaking book store so I felt right at home! I bought some books on french grammar and vocabulary and a lot of books for the girls as well.
I really need to buckle down and learn this French stuff because I am getting very frustrated not being able to express myself to people!
After we were at the book store for a long time, because I am obsessed with children's books and could not leave that section, we headed to a bar for some beers and chatting about french things! haha I am so lucky to have Flo because he helps me so much with french and is such an awesome person! You flower thug you! hahahaha
That night, Sunday to be exact, I came home and G's mother was over for dinner and we talked and ate really good cheese where you melt it on this machine thing and then put it on ham or potatoes. It was sooo good!!! Gs mother is a French teacher so she can somewhat help me, however, she does not know much English. G had an idea, which was kind of what I was wanting to do, to find something to do as a second job in my free time so that I can make more money to travel or whatever. He suggested that I teach English or tutor people in English for some extra money! I thought that would be a great idea because I like to teach people and I know English!!! hahahaha So his mother agreed to mention it to people in her neighborhood and at her school and get my name out there so if people need assistance that would be perfect! Also, I am looking for people who do not know much English at all with whom I can talk and it will force me to speak in French! To be honest, for the past couple of days I have felt the urge to give up, but I know that God has something amazing in store for me and I must not give up now. I need to stay focused and really concentrate on practicing the language everyday!
With my new books it will definitely help me as long as I stay on task and try to use the language as much as possible.
So, on Monday I woke up and did not feel very well and had a bit of a cold so G took the girls to the horse club where J rides and they spent the day there. I slept and just tried to feel better and after sleeping a little I felt great! We did not do too much on Monday evening. On Tuesday we went to EuroDisney!! It was sooooo fun!
I uploaded pictures on facebook already from that day and I am such a huge kid at heart!! I cannot get enough of that kind of stuff. No matter what, I will always be fascinated with the giant costumes of the characters! I got soooo excited to be close to them hahaha
Disney never gets old and my favorite ride is DEFINITELY the Dumbo ride!!! We went on several but that is just always the best in my book!
After a long day at Disney we came home and ate dinner, which is often pasta for the girls because they love it! Then, on Wednesday, I had to get up and go to the post office, the bank, and the store. Wednesdays is when the cleaning lady comes and I try to talk to her and it is fun but also confusing haha At 3 PM we went to see the play Cinderella. Of course it was in French which made it very very difficult for me to understand, but I already knew the story so I knew what was going on for the most part. After the play we went to the big mall here called Gallery Lafayette! It is HUGE but I know where I want to go when I decide to splurge most of my money on shopping! I know there are many of you who have asked me about that and I still need to go shopping but do not worry I definitely will be going soon I hope!!! My mission will be to find shoes big enough for my feet!! hahaha
I cannot believe it is already November 5th! This is crazy but I feel like I have been in France for longer than 3 weeks.
Today I was supposed to be headed to Germany but there was a strike on the train line and I was unable to make the journey :( But I can use my ticket from today to go tomorrow! I am definitely going tomorrow because I am really excited about this trip! I am sad that I was unable to go today but everything happens for a reason and I will still have soooo much fun!!! Right Tweeg?? haha
So I am just sitting here taking this time to write to my loves and do laundry and I will be studying French after this. I downloaded the 2 episodes of Modern Family that I missed since I have been gone and I LOVE IT!!! That show is amazing and I never can stop laughing when I watch it.
Through Skype I can get unlimited world calling for 9 euros a month which means I can call you people on your phones at home through my computer. I might try to look into this so that I can talk to you guys but I have not decided if I want to do that yet or not.
After I get back from Germany, granted there are no strikes tomorrow, I will have class on Monday and then at 4:30 I will be picking J up from school and taking her to her mom's and doing homework, which helps me with French when I help her with homework, and spending some time teaching her English! I am working on some lesson ideas because I really think it is easier to learn when there is a good structure for everyone to follow. I think I will begin with some grammar conducting sentences using the, a, or an and is and connecting words together using these words. English can be difficult to learn in many aspects but I think the language is very logical and the basics may be easier, in my opinion I believe English is much easier than French, which may seem biased because I already know it obviously, but by really breaking it down and focusing on many aspects of each language, it seems that there is more of a patternin English and just an easier way to grasp many concepts.
I really hope to become very knowlegable about languages in general and once I do that maybe I will move on to conquer many other languages one day.
I have thought about maybe taking some online classes or something while I am here so that I can work on a goal to get my masters. However, that does cost money which I have little of and I still am not positive which direction I want to go as far as getting my masters.
I will be saying Au Revoir for now!!! A Bientot and I look forward to talking with you again!
Please keep me updated on what is going on in your lives as well because it is important for me to stay connected and feel as much apart of your lives as I can! Miss you all and I hope to see some of you very soon!!!
If anyone has any suggestions on good books to read I would appreciate it! Also, any good songs or anything that I should know at all would be good!
I heard about the voting YES for casinos in Ohio....not too happy about that!
I will be trying to keep up with the news from over there as much as I can. LOVE YOU!!!
Keep me in the loop ya'll!
My prayers go out to all of you and God has been taking good care of me here!!
MUAH!
XOXO
J
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Bisou Bisou
Hello Loves! I miss you all and I know it has been a while since I have written :) I think the last time was on Monday so let me start off there. After the kids left in the morning I got ready and made it to J's mom's at like 1:30 I think. So we hung out there for awhile and then we went to the Louvre...I saw the Mona Lisa and some other famous paintings (I am not brushed up on my art history) but the Mona Lisa is actually really small. Soon I will load some pictures and there is one of me and the Mona Lisa. We had a lot of fun and J navigated the entire trip which was nice. She is very good with maps and very intelligent in every area. This year she skipped a grade so that says something! We had a lot of fun and then we went to a cafe that is across from the famous comedy theater in Paris and I forget what it is called...I think I need to begin some exercises to improve my memory!! But then we went back to the house and I helped J and her mom prepare dinner and we made a quiche. So yummy and not that difficult to make!
I met her husband when he got home from work and they are some of the nicest people ever! They helped me look up a train ticket to Germany and we had some good conversation.
after dinner I took a cab home that they payed for and then I went to bed because it was late! In the morning I had a message from J's mom seeing if I wanted to go to the park and roller blade with them and I absolutely said YES!
I had a meeting at the bank at 3pm and got my account set up which is awesome because the bank exists in the US too it is HSBC bank and so when I am done here I can have all of my money transferred to dollars or just keep it in Euros, I don't know why I would do that though.
They picked me up at the bank and then we went to the park....I realized I am not that good at roller blades and that there is a reason that I am very particular about where I go roller blading....My requirements are: 1. It must be completely paved and smooth in the area in which I roller blade 2. There must not be any hills and if there are there must be a lot of room in front of me to slow down after the end of the hill and 3. I do not go where there are too many people!
Ok so my day of roller blading was definitely against all 3 of my rules and it was funny and I thought I was going to die...It really made me realize that I am not a professional nor am I an intermediate...haha Well since I am going on Friday night all over Paris this should be funny :)
After we went roller blading I was dropped off at home and G came home from his trip that night. I made dinner with rice and salmon with a good sauce on it that had sugar, soy sauce, and honey which was really really good. I also had a salad! I think I am getting into this whole cooking thing but that is a very basic level....
Then I watched Gone Baby Gone which is a really good movie! Today, I had to go take care of a lot of paperwork with G and I bought my tickets to go see Twig in Germany next week! YAY!!!! We had to stand in line for 3 hours to find out we didn't need to be there....we thought we had to file a lot of paperwork for social security but it turns out that was wrong and there is a new system now and we still are not sure if we have to do anything :) oh the joys!
I went on a run today outside...it was nice...and quick....very quick....It made me realize how out of shape I am and how badly I need to keep working out because I want to get back into shape fo sho!!!
I am now going to clean and take a shower and start to cook dinner again! It is only frozen lasagna but hey it's sort of cooking!!! :)
I love you all and miss you tons!
Talk soon
Bisou
I met her husband when he got home from work and they are some of the nicest people ever! They helped me look up a train ticket to Germany and we had some good conversation.
after dinner I took a cab home that they payed for and then I went to bed because it was late! In the morning I had a message from J's mom seeing if I wanted to go to the park and roller blade with them and I absolutely said YES!
I had a meeting at the bank at 3pm and got my account set up which is awesome because the bank exists in the US too it is HSBC bank and so when I am done here I can have all of my money transferred to dollars or just keep it in Euros, I don't know why I would do that though.
They picked me up at the bank and then we went to the park....I realized I am not that good at roller blades and that there is a reason that I am very particular about where I go roller blading....My requirements are: 1. It must be completely paved and smooth in the area in which I roller blade 2. There must not be any hills and if there are there must be a lot of room in front of me to slow down after the end of the hill and 3. I do not go where there are too many people!
Ok so my day of roller blading was definitely against all 3 of my rules and it was funny and I thought I was going to die...It really made me realize that I am not a professional nor am I an intermediate...haha Well since I am going on Friday night all over Paris this should be funny :)
After we went roller blading I was dropped off at home and G came home from his trip that night. I made dinner with rice and salmon with a good sauce on it that had sugar, soy sauce, and honey which was really really good. I also had a salad! I think I am getting into this whole cooking thing but that is a very basic level....
Then I watched Gone Baby Gone which is a really good movie! Today, I had to go take care of a lot of paperwork with G and I bought my tickets to go see Twig in Germany next week! YAY!!!! We had to stand in line for 3 hours to find out we didn't need to be there....we thought we had to file a lot of paperwork for social security but it turns out that was wrong and there is a new system now and we still are not sure if we have to do anything :) oh the joys!
I went on a run today outside...it was nice...and quick....very quick....It made me realize how out of shape I am and how badly I need to keep working out because I want to get back into shape fo sho!!!
I am now going to clean and take a shower and start to cook dinner again! It is only frozen lasagna but hey it's sort of cooking!!! :)
I love you all and miss you tons!
Talk soon
Bisou
Monday, October 26, 2009
Oui Oui
Hey my peeps!! How is everyone doing? I am great and really getting into the swing of the French life :) I have not written for a few days...I have a feeling it may be longer between my blogs since I will be getting busier. On Friday night I stayed in and watched Taken....not the happiest of movies but I finally watched it! It was good and sad but not the best movie I had ever seen. On Saturday, I went to the sports store with G because I wanted to buy some roller blades. I love roller blading and as I mentioned before I am going with G's brother on Friday nights with thousands of other people around Paris. Sounds so fun!!! I got some roller blades and wrist guards because I might fall haha...I am excited to so that and I will probably try to go roller blading at parks around here during the day or weekend. After that G and I went to his apartment in Paris where he had a meeting because he is renovating it and it seems pretty cool. While we were out we went into Louis Vuitton and Dior...of course it would be nice to afford something from one of those stores but I definitely don't make millions.....G thinks it is important to go in and try things on and just be familiar with the store and that most of the fun lies in the temptation and wanting of the object. I can see where this is true...I almost tried on some shoes at Louis Vuitton but the largest size they had in that store was too small for me. I did not want to try on a pair at Dior because I was in love with them and I don't know if they would have fit but if so that would have been trouble. We went to a cute little Caribbean restaurant for lunch and it was called "Le Rhumerie" Or The Rumery...we ate these little platters with fish, guacamole, crab, and this other thing that I really did not even want to taste. It was good but the tastes were different than I was used to...I had a pina colada and G had some straight rum that is a local drink or something...The one item on my plate that I was afraid to try was this dark sausage looking thing...G wouldn't tell me what it was until I at least tried it and so I did and I didn't like it....well then he told me and I almost threw up right then....it is blood and intestine ground up and stuffed into a sausage skin thing....OMG I almost threw up just typing that!! I forget what it is called but its soooo gross!!!
After I was with G at about 4:30 I went to the St. Michel Fountain to meet Flo, a guy that taught Kaylie's french class in college. He is so nice and awesome! He helped me with some french and then we went to a small pub to watch the OSU game....Good game!
While we were at the bar called Wide Open Spaces, there were not many people but we ran into 2 people who were there to watch the OSU game!! It was sweet and of course we took an O-H-I-O picture...how could we resist? Once the game was over G's brother picked me up to go to a birthday party of his friend's who turned 30. It was really fun and everyone was so nice!!! There was dancing and music and food and champagne! Ok so I had already drank some beer at the bar and then the rest of the night was champagne...that is not a very good combination and champagne is not the best thing to drink large amounts of...After the party we could not find the car for a while but then finally did and got to go home...I was falling asleep because I was so tired!!!! I got home and then realized we gained an hour that night so it was really nice!!
In the morning, G and I went to IKEA and bought a rug for the shower, a desk, a chair, and a hamper. We tried to put the desk together last night but we were not successful in finishing it..that IKEA furniture is something else I tell you what...
After IKEA we picked up G's sister's children from their dad at the train station. Their dad is American and he was awesome! We talked and sat and had a drink at the station...It was great to meet him and I was offered an opportunity to go to Switzerland and visit for a few days with them. I would absolutely love to do that! We came home with the kids and Gs brother came over to hang out for a little bit. We ate pasta with meat sauce and it was really good! I found a huge black spider crawling across the floor in my room as G and I were putting the desk together...he would not kill it so I had to brave up and do it myself...sooooooo nasty!!!! I hate spiders sooo much and I think there are a lot down there :( I will have to become accustomed to killing them myself. I did laundry for the first time with G's help last night too....Now I think I understand the machine pretty well ;)
I am sitting with the kids now as we watch Chicken Run on DVD...we are waiting for their grandmother to pick them up.
Once they go I will get ready to go to the Louvre with J and her mom! I am planning my trip to Germany for the weekend of Nov. 7th so that will be exciting! Unfortunately I will not be able to watch the bball game because it is 4 hours away but I will get to chill in Germany and I will go back a different time to see a game. I am excited to go and I am trying to find a good cheap ticket to go there!!
I am going to say Bonne Journee for now!!! Love you all talk to you soon :)
After I was with G at about 4:30 I went to the St. Michel Fountain to meet Flo, a guy that taught Kaylie's french class in college. He is so nice and awesome! He helped me with some french and then we went to a small pub to watch the OSU game....Good game!
While we were at the bar called Wide Open Spaces, there were not many people but we ran into 2 people who were there to watch the OSU game!! It was sweet and of course we took an O-H-I-O picture...how could we resist? Once the game was over G's brother picked me up to go to a birthday party of his friend's who turned 30. It was really fun and everyone was so nice!!! There was dancing and music and food and champagne! Ok so I had already drank some beer at the bar and then the rest of the night was champagne...that is not a very good combination and champagne is not the best thing to drink large amounts of...After the party we could not find the car for a while but then finally did and got to go home...I was falling asleep because I was so tired!!!! I got home and then realized we gained an hour that night so it was really nice!!
In the morning, G and I went to IKEA and bought a rug for the shower, a desk, a chair, and a hamper. We tried to put the desk together last night but we were not successful in finishing it..that IKEA furniture is something else I tell you what...
After IKEA we picked up G's sister's children from their dad at the train station. Their dad is American and he was awesome! We talked and sat and had a drink at the station...It was great to meet him and I was offered an opportunity to go to Switzerland and visit for a few days with them. I would absolutely love to do that! We came home with the kids and Gs brother came over to hang out for a little bit. We ate pasta with meat sauce and it was really good! I found a huge black spider crawling across the floor in my room as G and I were putting the desk together...he would not kill it so I had to brave up and do it myself...sooooooo nasty!!!! I hate spiders sooo much and I think there are a lot down there :( I will have to become accustomed to killing them myself. I did laundry for the first time with G's help last night too....Now I think I understand the machine pretty well ;)
I am sitting with the kids now as we watch Chicken Run on DVD...we are waiting for their grandmother to pick them up.
Once they go I will get ready to go to the Louvre with J and her mom! I am planning my trip to Germany for the weekend of Nov. 7th so that will be exciting! Unfortunately I will not be able to watch the bball game because it is 4 hours away but I will get to chill in Germany and I will go back a different time to see a game. I am excited to go and I am trying to find a good cheap ticket to go there!!
I am going to say Bonne Journee for now!!! Love you all talk to you soon :)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Donc...
Hey yo out there! :) hehe I had a pretty eventful day in Paris today :) I woke up around 8:30 and went to class at 10:30...I have been getting a lot of walking in around here so for now that is my form of exercise...let's hope it works :)
Class was good but today I was not in the mood to listen and pay attention to everything...I tried and it was fine.
After class I went to the administration office and got a letter for proof of registration and a receipt of payment. Then I went to a Halloween store with a girl in my class and it was near Le Grand Avenue I think or something like that...I really do not remember things and places a lot :) I kind of just go where I go...that is probably why I am horrible with directions.
So I am such a dork and have a GIANT map of Paris that I carry around and, yes, I am guilty of stopping to open it up and look at it...in public too! It is horrible I know, but I get really sick of getting lost!
Today, Sarah (the girl from class) and I got out in the right area from the metro and then went to stand by a tree and opened up my map. We were looking for our road with the Halloween store on it and of course we looked like tourists and this really nice man came up and helped us find our street and it was the nicest thing that has happened to me out of the blue so far :)
We find the store very quickly...luckily it was right near the metro and on our way to the store we got something to eat...of course I got a sandwich because that seems to be what I always eat for lunch and Sarah got a chocolate eclair...yum! After we ate we were walking to the store and you will never guess what I saw....A Subway!! How crazy is that...don't worry I got a picture with it to prove it :)
Oh and I have been meaning to tell you guys that I always go to La Defense, it is huge there, and inside there is a Mcdonald's but right next to it is a Mccafe....it's own separate entity lol...it has breakfast pastries and coffee drinks and smoothies and such...I just thought it was strange that they were 2 separate places but right next to each other.
After we walked around for awhile we headed back home and I had to buy some nail polish remover so I did that at one of the metro stations...
Now, those of you who take the subway or metro can back me on this that there are some very strange people on there....some of which I would prefer not to acknowledge...lol I know it sounds mean but protection is important! haha
Today there was a man, whom I believe to be homeless, and he was shouting random things the entire time I was headed back to La Defense and usually in America people do not even understand what the heck these people are talking about...but in France...imagine what that was like...I was trying not to look at him because I swear underneath those dark shades his glance was directed at me a lot....I felt bad for the guy but I was also kind of worried for my life..not gonna lie :)
So there are always homeless people along the streets and everywhere and so many of them have dogs on a leash...I think it is so true that when animals are homeless with the person it makes people more sad...at least it makes me more sad because these little animals are so helpless :(....Well anyway I happened to see a homeless man with a cat on a leash hahahahahaha it really made me laugh...not that being homeless with a cat is a laughing matter....just that cats on leashes make me giggle...and he had a cat carrier on wheels for it...that's what I never understand...these homeless people with animals have such neat contraptions for their pets and it looks so cool and I don't know anyone else with such things...
Once I made it back to La Defense my next destination was the bank because I had to go set up my account...I thought everything was supposed to be taken care of and all I had to do was take my passport and some documents that Germain gave me, so I was prepared to say some things in French when I got there but hoping they would know English. I found the bank...another nice little stroll through Colombes this time...
Which by the way...I can never tell what the weather will be like and for me I walk so much and usually quickly that I get really hot and I sweat and it is just gross...i know you were all interested to know that....but it is like if i'm cold in the morning I should just tough it out because I hate getting all hot with a coat on and walking and sweating..you know what i mean?
So anyways I got to the bank and I was not sure about how to get in...once again...haha every door around here has a button...but at the bank I think it is for safety because there are 2 doors and you have to have the first door close all the way before the second will be unlocked...it is very complex and it reminds me of a time when Kaylie and I went to Diamond jewelers or somewhere looking for a graduation ring and we had no idea what to do....and we felt like idiots hahahaha remember boo? but yea so it was like that plus a little more difficult because they did not speak English. I must look very innocent because the lady at the front desk allowed me in without questions and probably realized I would not rob the bank because I didn't even know how to get into the bank...but I say that because a man behind me came in and he was questioned...i dont know what was asked though :)
So I asked her if she knew English and she said no but then I got excited because I could try to put together some sentences stating what I needed and I had to do in French to help me practice! Eventually, a man came out who spoke some English and he even apologized for his English and I was like WOAH....monsieur pardon me for my French...you know? Because I am at a bank, in France, where they do speak French...I don't think he should have been apologizing to me :)
So we got to the point and he told me that I had to come back for an appointment next Tuesday at 3 PM...so I still do not have a bank account or money....
On my way back to the house I went into Monoprix...a marketplace which is the equivalent to something like Walmart but not as big. It is the biggest market here though I believe. They have clothing and pharmacy products and food and school supplies...and so on you know what I mean....I wanted to buy a hair straightener and so I went to look for that but I could not find it for a while and I found the beauty aisle but it was not down there so I picked up some mouth wash which was good...but anyway I really do not know how to say "hair straightener" in French so I was planning on asking someone by saying something like "Avez-vous quelque chose que fait le cheveux pas frise, ici?" Which I think translates to "do you have something that makes your hair not curly, here?" haha which is obviously not very correct but you do what you gotta do...luckily I found it in the back so that was good....The only thing was it was 24,99 euros...ok does not sound too bad and then you realize it is $40 american....well not the best price on a hair straightener but what can you do....and I do not have many euros left so I used my American credit card for my bank which means it will charge me more to do the conversions and all of that good stuff. BUT I don't care bc I really needed one!
So while we are on the topic of buying things, my friend Heath in Chicago was telling me he wants to send some money here and have me buy something for him to send back...what a great idea!!! Heath is always a smart one...he is the one who helped Kaylie and I (our poor souls) when we thought that the John Hancock building was the Sears tower not to long ago in the great windy city hahahaha....oh man the things that we do.....but anyways just to let you know, Heath...I don't think I will have such problems here in France....so far I do know the difference between the Eiffel Tower and L'Arc de Triumph...but if I need any help in the future you are definitely the first person I will ask ;)
So thanks to Heath I thought if any of you would like me to do the same please let me know because it would be really easy!
Tonight I am going out with Germain's brother and friends and i hope it is fun...it will be I just hope I can talk to people....but i do need to keep hanging out with French people...that is why I am here.
I was talking to the other Au Pair in my class, Sarah, today about that and she hangs out with a lot of other Au Pairs whom are not French and she really wants to start meeting French people...I am lucky that I already have some good contacts here in Paris with people who are French and I can hang out with to learn more about the culture and be forced to speak the language!
I think I previously mentioned my intentions of joining a cooking class and/or roller blading every Friday night with Germain's brother around Paris...how cool would that be! I love roller blading but if we will be going through the streets of the city I will require that someone be near me at all times to grab on to in case I fall or cannot stop....I usually only roller blade in secluded areas like parks such as Antrim or on the bike path by campus...areas where there is even, smooth ground...and im not sure it is quite so nice throughout the city!
I am planning on going shopping soon with a girl from class...she is from Australia and she lives out more toward Versailles in the country area...she said it is beautiful and I plan to go visit out there soon because I can imagine the seclusion and peacefulness that the city cannot provide.
the city is a great place to meet people, engage in many activities, and really explore...however, it is also nice to have some peace and quiet and explore more desolate destinations!
I am also thinking about looking into joining a gym because I really love to work out and I cannot run outside in the cold...I hate it! That would always keep me busy and in shape which I love!
Lat night Jean-Francois came over and hung out for a bit and he was here when we ate dinner....so you might want to know what I ate for dinner...actually I know that you want to know....ok...we had rice and scallops....and you are thinking yea scallops are pretty common back home....but these scallops were interesting with an orange thing coming off of one end....I did not think I was supposed to eat it but they told me it was the best part so I ate it and they were not lying! It was really good...like the taste of the scallop but sweeter and really delicious....they waited until after I tried it to tell me what it was...the genitals of the scallop!!! WHAT!!! I just ate scallop pee pee??? haha but I was over it because I had already tasted it and it was good...They said we don't have that in the states because since it is the best part they keep it for themselves....Something has happened to me since I have moved here...I am not afraid to try to eat many things that I typically would have gagged at the sight of....I think it is good because I cannot fully understand the delicacies of the culture and food if I do not have an open mind....Now, I would NEVER go on that show that is on the travel channel with that bald guy...exotic foods or something? I can assure you that you will never see this face on there..hahaha
After dinner I skyped with Amy, Kaylie, and Sara and they all got to meet Germain..it was funny! I miss you guys!!!
I was trying to think of some good meals to make for the family that are completely American and I was thinking meat loaf or something haha...French food is much more elegant than our hunk of meat in a clump..but I happen to love meat loaf and it is very comforting!!! If anyone has any ideas please let me know and try to send me a fool proof recipe since I am not the best cook around ;)
I am currently sitting here writing this blog and about to paint my nails so I am going to go because I need to get ready for tonight...I will let you know how it goes...
A Bientot!
Jess
Class was good but today I was not in the mood to listen and pay attention to everything...I tried and it was fine.
After class I went to the administration office and got a letter for proof of registration and a receipt of payment. Then I went to a Halloween store with a girl in my class and it was near Le Grand Avenue I think or something like that...I really do not remember things and places a lot :) I kind of just go where I go...that is probably why I am horrible with directions.
So I am such a dork and have a GIANT map of Paris that I carry around and, yes, I am guilty of stopping to open it up and look at it...in public too! It is horrible I know, but I get really sick of getting lost!
Today, Sarah (the girl from class) and I got out in the right area from the metro and then went to stand by a tree and opened up my map. We were looking for our road with the Halloween store on it and of course we looked like tourists and this really nice man came up and helped us find our street and it was the nicest thing that has happened to me out of the blue so far :)
We find the store very quickly...luckily it was right near the metro and on our way to the store we got something to eat...of course I got a sandwich because that seems to be what I always eat for lunch and Sarah got a chocolate eclair...yum! After we ate we were walking to the store and you will never guess what I saw....A Subway!! How crazy is that...don't worry I got a picture with it to prove it :)
Oh and I have been meaning to tell you guys that I always go to La Defense, it is huge there, and inside there is a Mcdonald's but right next to it is a Mccafe....it's own separate entity lol...it has breakfast pastries and coffee drinks and smoothies and such...I just thought it was strange that they were 2 separate places but right next to each other.
After we walked around for awhile we headed back home and I had to buy some nail polish remover so I did that at one of the metro stations...
Now, those of you who take the subway or metro can back me on this that there are some very strange people on there....some of which I would prefer not to acknowledge...lol I know it sounds mean but protection is important! haha
Today there was a man, whom I believe to be homeless, and he was shouting random things the entire time I was headed back to La Defense and usually in America people do not even understand what the heck these people are talking about...but in France...imagine what that was like...I was trying not to look at him because I swear underneath those dark shades his glance was directed at me a lot....I felt bad for the guy but I was also kind of worried for my life..not gonna lie :)
So there are always homeless people along the streets and everywhere and so many of them have dogs on a leash...I think it is so true that when animals are homeless with the person it makes people more sad...at least it makes me more sad because these little animals are so helpless :(....Well anyway I happened to see a homeless man with a cat on a leash hahahahahaha it really made me laugh...not that being homeless with a cat is a laughing matter....just that cats on leashes make me giggle...and he had a cat carrier on wheels for it...that's what I never understand...these homeless people with animals have such neat contraptions for their pets and it looks so cool and I don't know anyone else with such things...
Once I made it back to La Defense my next destination was the bank because I had to go set up my account...I thought everything was supposed to be taken care of and all I had to do was take my passport and some documents that Germain gave me, so I was prepared to say some things in French when I got there but hoping they would know English. I found the bank...another nice little stroll through Colombes this time...
Which by the way...I can never tell what the weather will be like and for me I walk so much and usually quickly that I get really hot and I sweat and it is just gross...i know you were all interested to know that....but it is like if i'm cold in the morning I should just tough it out because I hate getting all hot with a coat on and walking and sweating..you know what i mean?
So anyways I got to the bank and I was not sure about how to get in...once again...haha every door around here has a button...but at the bank I think it is for safety because there are 2 doors and you have to have the first door close all the way before the second will be unlocked...it is very complex and it reminds me of a time when Kaylie and I went to Diamond jewelers or somewhere looking for a graduation ring and we had no idea what to do....and we felt like idiots hahahaha remember boo? but yea so it was like that plus a little more difficult because they did not speak English. I must look very innocent because the lady at the front desk allowed me in without questions and probably realized I would not rob the bank because I didn't even know how to get into the bank...but I say that because a man behind me came in and he was questioned...i dont know what was asked though :)
So I asked her if she knew English and she said no but then I got excited because I could try to put together some sentences stating what I needed and I had to do in French to help me practice! Eventually, a man came out who spoke some English and he even apologized for his English and I was like WOAH....monsieur pardon me for my French...you know? Because I am at a bank, in France, where they do speak French...I don't think he should have been apologizing to me :)
So we got to the point and he told me that I had to come back for an appointment next Tuesday at 3 PM...so I still do not have a bank account or money....
On my way back to the house I went into Monoprix...a marketplace which is the equivalent to something like Walmart but not as big. It is the biggest market here though I believe. They have clothing and pharmacy products and food and school supplies...and so on you know what I mean....I wanted to buy a hair straightener and so I went to look for that but I could not find it for a while and I found the beauty aisle but it was not down there so I picked up some mouth wash which was good...but anyway I really do not know how to say "hair straightener" in French so I was planning on asking someone by saying something like "Avez-vous quelque chose que fait le cheveux pas frise, ici?" Which I think translates to "do you have something that makes your hair not curly, here?" haha which is obviously not very correct but you do what you gotta do...luckily I found it in the back so that was good....The only thing was it was 24,99 euros...ok does not sound too bad and then you realize it is $40 american....well not the best price on a hair straightener but what can you do....and I do not have many euros left so I used my American credit card for my bank which means it will charge me more to do the conversions and all of that good stuff. BUT I don't care bc I really needed one!
So while we are on the topic of buying things, my friend Heath in Chicago was telling me he wants to send some money here and have me buy something for him to send back...what a great idea!!! Heath is always a smart one...he is the one who helped Kaylie and I (our poor souls) when we thought that the John Hancock building was the Sears tower not to long ago in the great windy city hahahaha....oh man the things that we do.....but anyways just to let you know, Heath...I don't think I will have such problems here in France....so far I do know the difference between the Eiffel Tower and L'Arc de Triumph...but if I need any help in the future you are definitely the first person I will ask ;)
So thanks to Heath I thought if any of you would like me to do the same please let me know because it would be really easy!
Tonight I am going out with Germain's brother and friends and i hope it is fun...it will be I just hope I can talk to people....but i do need to keep hanging out with French people...that is why I am here.
I was talking to the other Au Pair in my class, Sarah, today about that and she hangs out with a lot of other Au Pairs whom are not French and she really wants to start meeting French people...I am lucky that I already have some good contacts here in Paris with people who are French and I can hang out with to learn more about the culture and be forced to speak the language!
I think I previously mentioned my intentions of joining a cooking class and/or roller blading every Friday night with Germain's brother around Paris...how cool would that be! I love roller blading but if we will be going through the streets of the city I will require that someone be near me at all times to grab on to in case I fall or cannot stop....I usually only roller blade in secluded areas like parks such as Antrim or on the bike path by campus...areas where there is even, smooth ground...and im not sure it is quite so nice throughout the city!
I am planning on going shopping soon with a girl from class...she is from Australia and she lives out more toward Versailles in the country area...she said it is beautiful and I plan to go visit out there soon because I can imagine the seclusion and peacefulness that the city cannot provide.
the city is a great place to meet people, engage in many activities, and really explore...however, it is also nice to have some peace and quiet and explore more desolate destinations!
I am also thinking about looking into joining a gym because I really love to work out and I cannot run outside in the cold...I hate it! That would always keep me busy and in shape which I love!
Lat night Jean-Francois came over and hung out for a bit and he was here when we ate dinner....so you might want to know what I ate for dinner...actually I know that you want to know....ok...we had rice and scallops....and you are thinking yea scallops are pretty common back home....but these scallops were interesting with an orange thing coming off of one end....I did not think I was supposed to eat it but they told me it was the best part so I ate it and they were not lying! It was really good...like the taste of the scallop but sweeter and really delicious....they waited until after I tried it to tell me what it was...the genitals of the scallop!!! WHAT!!! I just ate scallop pee pee??? haha but I was over it because I had already tasted it and it was good...They said we don't have that in the states because since it is the best part they keep it for themselves....Something has happened to me since I have moved here...I am not afraid to try to eat many things that I typically would have gagged at the sight of....I think it is good because I cannot fully understand the delicacies of the culture and food if I do not have an open mind....Now, I would NEVER go on that show that is on the travel channel with that bald guy...exotic foods or something? I can assure you that you will never see this face on there..hahaha
After dinner I skyped with Amy, Kaylie, and Sara and they all got to meet Germain..it was funny! I miss you guys!!!
I was trying to think of some good meals to make for the family that are completely American and I was thinking meat loaf or something haha...French food is much more elegant than our hunk of meat in a clump..but I happen to love meat loaf and it is very comforting!!! If anyone has any ideas please let me know and try to send me a fool proof recipe since I am not the best cook around ;)
I am currently sitting here writing this blog and about to paint my nails so I am going to go because I need to get ready for tonight...I will let you know how it goes...
A Bientot!
Jess
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Hey Everyone!!!
So I just got back and all I did was walk around Paris and purposely got lost but then got annoyed because I just felt like knowing where I was again....I have been talking to a lot of people that I have met in Paris but we have not been able to hang out yet! I am very glad that I am home because it was pointless for me to go in to Paris since I did absolutely nothing. Although, I did listen to some people talking and I took a picture of L'Arc de Triumph...Again....but the interesting thing while I was taking this picture is that a man came to me and I think he was going to try and "Take" me like the movie....he was speaking in French and I had no clue what was going on but he thought I was a tourist and I am pretty sure he wanted me to go with him somewhere and he kept standing by me and I was like "mmmmk" like you should obviously get the hint to walk away from me now...but no he did not and he began to walk with me and then I turned and it was really weird....I was not scared but I was just like why the face is this guy bothering me...haha But other than that I did not do anything at all....
Great Blog I know...I will write again before bed :)
Love J
Great Blog I know...I will write again before bed :)
Love J
Salut!
Hey guys I have not yet left the house...I am being such a hermit...but don't worry I will have to leave tomorrow because I have class...but also I am going into Paris today because I need to stop by my school but I need to hurry because I am not sure how late they are open....I really need a boost and a kick in the butt to get out of this house!!! I will be in touch and I just wanted to let you know that :)
Talk soon
Love J
Talk soon
Love J
BONJOUR!!!
Well hello loves! It is a chilly 50 degrees here in the city of love and it is quite cloudy but not raining! I just showered and I need to get moving..I need to get out and about in the city and try to buy some post cards and not be a little hermit in the house :) I was shaving my legs today, and Yes I do shave my legs still no matter what these little frenchies do hahaha.... But anyways I cut myself and I think the water is different because usually at home it would bleed for a while once I got out of the shower but here...nothing! It was so weird....I love it though :) So last night I got my Blackberry number and everything but I still have not set up my e-mail because I switched the phone into English but when you go to set up the e-mail it connects to a website which is in French so tonight I am going to ask Germain to help me!
I am not sure what is exactly included in my package for my Blackberry...I know for sure I have unlimited MSN messages and E-mail...I am not sure but probably for texting too...I think BBM is a separate program that you may have to pay extra for and it might not be in my package...if anyone know please let me know!
I don't have too many minutes per month but when people call me it is free...so all I will do is send messages to people and be like "call me now" haha good idea!
I am currently listening to the ABBA album! I am obsessed...ok so Ihave defintiely heard of ABBA and listened to their songs before...BUT I forgot how amazing it is!!!! Last night Germain and I watched Mama Mia! It was soooooo good! I could watch it over and over again. It just made me want to go to Greece and make a musical haha.
For dinner last night we ate some pasta with mushrooms...I forget what kind of mushrooms but Germain said they have a lot of different mushrooms in France. I was asking him about American food and he said it is not bad but French food is way better...I might agree but I am missing my comfort foods like meatloaf, chili, and a GIANT hamburger! Oh well...I am going to make some chili soon because I told him he would like it. I LOOOOVE chili and its the perfect weather for it.
I should also make some cornbread...i need to make them eat like an American every once in awhile :)
My day yesterday was pretty uneventful because I stayed in like a hermit...oh well maybe today I will have some better stories for you!
I just wanted to let you guys know that if you have MSN messenger then you can talk to me no matter where I am bc I have that on my Blackberry and if you don't have MSN GET IT! haha
It is just like texting sort of so that would be sweet...
I am going to eat some breakfast...toast I imagine haha...I have a bank meeting on Friday (tomorrow) at 5...I think i mentioned yesterday that it was yesterday...nope not yet.
On Friday, I am going out with Germain's brother and his friends so they can show me a good time in Paris and hopefully I will meet a lot of people! I am excited and then on Saturday I can't wait because hopefully the OSU game will be on here!!!
I am going to go get ready for the day but I miss you all!
Love you
Talk to you soon!!!
Jess
I am not sure what is exactly included in my package for my Blackberry...I know for sure I have unlimited MSN messages and E-mail...I am not sure but probably for texting too...I think BBM is a separate program that you may have to pay extra for and it might not be in my package...if anyone know please let me know!
I don't have too many minutes per month but when people call me it is free...so all I will do is send messages to people and be like "call me now" haha good idea!
I am currently listening to the ABBA album! I am obsessed...ok so Ihave defintiely heard of ABBA and listened to their songs before...BUT I forgot how amazing it is!!!! Last night Germain and I watched Mama Mia! It was soooooo good! I could watch it over and over again. It just made me want to go to Greece and make a musical haha.
For dinner last night we ate some pasta with mushrooms...I forget what kind of mushrooms but Germain said they have a lot of different mushrooms in France. I was asking him about American food and he said it is not bad but French food is way better...I might agree but I am missing my comfort foods like meatloaf, chili, and a GIANT hamburger! Oh well...I am going to make some chili soon because I told him he would like it. I LOOOOVE chili and its the perfect weather for it.
I should also make some cornbread...i need to make them eat like an American every once in awhile :)
My day yesterday was pretty uneventful because I stayed in like a hermit...oh well maybe today I will have some better stories for you!
I just wanted to let you guys know that if you have MSN messenger then you can talk to me no matter where I am bc I have that on my Blackberry and if you don't have MSN GET IT! haha
It is just like texting sort of so that would be sweet...
I am going to eat some breakfast...toast I imagine haha...I have a bank meeting on Friday (tomorrow) at 5...I think i mentioned yesterday that it was yesterday...nope not yet.
On Friday, I am going out with Germain's brother and his friends so they can show me a good time in Paris and hopefully I will meet a lot of people! I am excited and then on Saturday I can't wait because hopefully the OSU game will be on here!!!
I am going to go get ready for the day but I miss you all!
Love you
Talk to you soon!!!
Jess
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Salut!
My dear Americans! haha I miss everyone and I that will never stop so I will probably say it every single day :) I am sitting in the family room just chillin because I slept in today since I do not have any of the girls to take care of. The cleaning lady is coming today and I will be here when she come so I will try and talk to her but she is from either Brazil or Portuguese and does not speak really good French i don't think. But it will be fun and Germain said she is really really nice so that is a plus! Today it is gloomy outside and it usually isn't sunny so I guess it's nothing new...but it is raining today :(I was not planning to leave the house all day but then Germain called and I have to go to the bank for a meeting because I will have my bank account set up! That will be good because Germain will give me a credit card thing or I guess it would be like a debit card so that I can use that all of the time and not worry about cash unless I need some and then I can get it out of the machine...same as in America.
Germain told me that I need to stop chatting online in English and just start reading some books and listening to French movies...movies I already know in English so that I will be able to follow and understand. For me, I need to hear it and see it written because it is really difficult to catch the accent and the quickness of their speech. I really think I have improved a lot!
Today marks the one week milestone of my stay in Paris so far. I can't say that I feel it has even been an entire week. Last Wednesday (Mercredi) I arrived here around 930...that is crazy to think about.
Last night I was talking to a friend about how they do not have top sheets here so it seems a little strange and he lives in Germany and said the same thing. Also, I am planning on going to to Germany soon to visit him (tweeg) hahaha I cannot wait because it will be great to see a familiar face and just chill out. I also think Germany would be really cool to see.
I have been talking a lot to Kaylie's old French teacher from college which I think I previously mentioned and he is sooo helpful...definitely a teacher and we are going to meet up soon and probably hang out for the OSU game this Saturday if it is showing in Paris at some Canadian pub I think..I am excited!!! i have been deprived of REAL football and I miss the whole thing :(
So the cleaning lady just got here and I cannot understand a lot because it is fast and I just don't know it all but I do not feel stupid at all I just feel bad for her because I cannot communicate with here lol
On Sunday morning I think we are going to IKEA to get a desk and some things for my room and then Germain's brother-in-law from Switzerland is coming and bringing 2 of his kids. I don't know if you remembered Emile the little that I met on my first day of arrival because he was at his grandparents house. He speaks English and French and that will be so great because I will actually be able to hang out with little kids who can understand me! His little sister is coming to and so she knows English as well and the father is American so it will be nice to see what he has to say about everything :)
The kids will be sleeping here on Sunday night and I will be watching them on Monday until Germain's grandmother comes to pick them up. I love Emile he is so cute so I am sure his sister is just the same.
Germain told me that the cleaning lade (i feel bad not remembering her name) always just puts things everywhere and if it is out she will find a place for it and it is funny because sometimes he does not want things washed but she will find the things if they are not put away and wash them and she is awesome!
I don't really know if she will touch my stuff but if she does I don't mind because I could use a little help with my organizational abilities...some of you are already aware of this problem of mine :).
After this blog I think I will begin reading some things in French and see what happens with that! I think I will be good at French in the next 2 weeks or so.
On Thanksgiving we are going to a huge show that is outside...Zorro...I am not sure how it really works or anything or what it is for but Germain said it is a really big celebration. I was relieved because although I would love to have a Thanksgiving dinner and feel like I am at home...I cannot cook and would not want to be in charge of that at all.
Germain is determined to get me to know how to cook and I am just not sure that is something I want to do haha. I guess it will get me to be more cultured but I think I am fine without trying to burn down the kitchen. :)
We have my birthday on the calendar so I hope to do something fun and special! I mean what is a birthday without all of my friends and family? Although this is my new second family so I think it will be fine!
Or you know if any of you happen to wander over this way for my birthday I would not complain at all...haha
So tomorrow I will have to pick Jeanne up from school with her violin and take her to her mother's house and wait with her until her mother gets home! Other than that...I will be doing nothing all day again unless I ask some people to go do something with me.
There is still a lot to see and do and I have a lot of options available to me!
I am going to say TTFN (ta ta for now) but I will be back!
Love you, you are all in my prayers.
Jess
Germain told me that I need to stop chatting online in English and just start reading some books and listening to French movies...movies I already know in English so that I will be able to follow and understand. For me, I need to hear it and see it written because it is really difficult to catch the accent and the quickness of their speech. I really think I have improved a lot!
Today marks the one week milestone of my stay in Paris so far. I can't say that I feel it has even been an entire week. Last Wednesday (Mercredi) I arrived here around 930...that is crazy to think about.
Last night I was talking to a friend about how they do not have top sheets here so it seems a little strange and he lives in Germany and said the same thing. Also, I am planning on going to to Germany soon to visit him (tweeg) hahaha I cannot wait because it will be great to see a familiar face and just chill out. I also think Germany would be really cool to see.
I have been talking a lot to Kaylie's old French teacher from college which I think I previously mentioned and he is sooo helpful...definitely a teacher and we are going to meet up soon and probably hang out for the OSU game this Saturday if it is showing in Paris at some Canadian pub I think..I am excited!!! i have been deprived of REAL football and I miss the whole thing :(
So the cleaning lady just got here and I cannot understand a lot because it is fast and I just don't know it all but I do not feel stupid at all I just feel bad for her because I cannot communicate with here lol
On Sunday morning I think we are going to IKEA to get a desk and some things for my room and then Germain's brother-in-law from Switzerland is coming and bringing 2 of his kids. I don't know if you remembered Emile the little that I met on my first day of arrival because he was at his grandparents house. He speaks English and French and that will be so great because I will actually be able to hang out with little kids who can understand me! His little sister is coming to and so she knows English as well and the father is American so it will be nice to see what he has to say about everything :)
The kids will be sleeping here on Sunday night and I will be watching them on Monday until Germain's grandmother comes to pick them up. I love Emile he is so cute so I am sure his sister is just the same.
Germain told me that the cleaning lade (i feel bad not remembering her name) always just puts things everywhere and if it is out she will find a place for it and it is funny because sometimes he does not want things washed but she will find the things if they are not put away and wash them and she is awesome!
I don't really know if she will touch my stuff but if she does I don't mind because I could use a little help with my organizational abilities...some of you are already aware of this problem of mine :).
After this blog I think I will begin reading some things in French and see what happens with that! I think I will be good at French in the next 2 weeks or so.
On Thanksgiving we are going to a huge show that is outside...Zorro...I am not sure how it really works or anything or what it is for but Germain said it is a really big celebration. I was relieved because although I would love to have a Thanksgiving dinner and feel like I am at home...I cannot cook and would not want to be in charge of that at all.
Germain is determined to get me to know how to cook and I am just not sure that is something I want to do haha. I guess it will get me to be more cultured but I think I am fine without trying to burn down the kitchen. :)
We have my birthday on the calendar so I hope to do something fun and special! I mean what is a birthday without all of my friends and family? Although this is my new second family so I think it will be fine!
Or you know if any of you happen to wander over this way for my birthday I would not complain at all...haha
So tomorrow I will have to pick Jeanne up from school with her violin and take her to her mother's house and wait with her until her mother gets home! Other than that...I will be doing nothing all day again unless I ask some people to go do something with me.
There is still a lot to see and do and I have a lot of options available to me!
I am going to say TTFN (ta ta for now) but I will be back!
Love you, you are all in my prayers.
Jess
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
C'est Bon!
Allo!!! I am happy to say that today is a new day and my attitude is no longer negative! I know yesterday I had a rough time and lost a little hope for myself but with the help of many of you and a new day I am much better! I am currently sitting in the kitchen while 2 men are working on the furnace to fix it because I only have a small space heater in my room at the moment and it is quite chilly but I do get cold very easily and some people (Kaylie) think I have some issues with that...haha
Today I went to my class and it was sooo wonderful!!! We had to leave the house very early this morning because Germain had a meeting that he had to get to early so Jeanne and I were dropped off at a small cafe on the corner of Rue Monceau where Jeanne's school is. We sat and drank some chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and of course I ate a croissant! It was amazing...soooooo amazing!!! At about 823 (lol) I walked Jeanne to school and began my journey back over to the registration office of my school. Today, however, I went there with a very positive attitude and a smile on my face. I walked in with confidence and had no problems at all! A woman was very nice and helped me with what I needed and explained to me what to do for class. I still had about 2.5 hours as I wandered over to the other building of the school where my classes are held and I went to the lower level to the computers free of charge.
I was so happy that I could get online and check my e-mail and send messages...until I started to type and realized the keyboard was ridiculously not like the traditional American keyboard for a computer....the M was next to the L, the W was in place of the Z, the A was up higher and I was sooo annoyed!!! I was typing like a 3 year old so slowly and alllll I wanted to do was type my messages quickly! But I figured it out and dealt with it and it was alright.
The good news is coming just keep reading!!!!
Soooo....i was sitting upstairs waiting for my class to begin at 10:30 in room 15 and as I was sitting in the waiting area a girl tried to ask me where the computers were and if you could access them for free....of course I knew the answer but I did not know what the heck she said :) She tried to explain slowly and I finally understood I think haha
As we discussed we figured out that we both live in Colombes and decided to meet up after class so we could go back together :)
I went into my class and I was so relieved!!! There were not too many people in it but most of them probably knew less French than me! I felt good about that and more confident with what I do know. The teacher is so nice and I have already exchanged information with a few girls from class and it is a really good thing!!
After class I waited for the girl that I talked to before and the funny thing about her is that she is Russian...Ok so she is Russian and can speak French because she studied french as her first language in college and English as her second language in college but she does not know english really at all....it was good for me because i need to practice french and she will help me...also, she wants me to help her with English...that is alright but I really dont want to be speaking in English all of the time :)
So now I have this new so called "friend" right, and after class we go to meet her other friend whom she claims knows English and can help us discuss things....
Yea she kind of knows English and she studied it for like 15 years but she never used it so it was difficult for her to speak...i was cool with that bc i wanted her to just speak in French and I could try to understand but instead she spoke in English and it was getting really annoying because she did not know it and I think i can understand French more quickly than she spoke English hahaha
So here I am with 2 Russian girls who speak French and a little bit of English (I forgot to mention that the other girl is Russian too) and they are the nicest people but I cannot really understand everything that is going on. They wanted me to go back to Colombes with them so I wanted to so we could talk more and just get to know each other....
I first had to purchase some more passes for the metro and I got a group of 10 and they helped me with that...then I had to go on 2 different metros and a bus so I already used 3 tickets...why the face..haha only certain people will get that and if you want to know more please ask me! :)
But anyways so they took me all over but first they did take me to a book store and helped me buy the books I need for my class which was awesome!!! I cannot tell you how to do that again but at least I got it done...
So, usually what I will do is walk to the metro station that is near my classes and takes about 5-10 minutes to walk...it is line 1 and that drops me off in La Defense...remember that is the large business area outside of Paris. Yesterday I walked from the station at La Defense near the modern arch and everything and that maybe took like 20 minutes or so....
I never want to go the same way as these girls again because A). I had to use THREE tickets B). I had to wait forever on the bus before it took off, and then it took a million years to get to where I needed to be AND C). I'm a person who has feelings, and all I have to do is do what I wanna do and all I want to do is (not go on a bus and not listen to anyone else)... modified quote from on of the greatest movies!!!! If you already know without looking you rock my world! haha
Ok so I am a fan of walking, walking is good it keeps you healthy AND you can get places without depending on other people such as bus drivers to cart you around....I just enjoy going by foot because things are easier.
Anyway, I have decided not to go on the bus at all :)
But so the first girl i met lives one street away from me and she walked me home which was so nice and then she went home. They asked me to meet them this evening for a drink around here but I am not sure if I am going to go. I kind of think Germain is strict and I am not sure what he wants me to do...i am not sure that i really want to go either because it can be exhausting not know a darn thing that people are saying...
So I got home and I was starving because all I ate was a croissant in the morning and i got home at like 320ish i think. I had this salad thing from the store and ate that and they bought these little like seafood stick things that are AMAZING...it looks like string cheese or something but trust me it is good...I know i have been eating some weird things but I think you would all find it delicious...maybe...haha
I had to wait for these men to come fix the heaters and i let them in and tried to speak in French but that never works out for me too well but it was alright. Germain got back before they left bc he had to pay them and that is what he is doing at this exact moment lol
I forgot to tell you that yesterday I was able to talk to the other american au pair that works for Germain's friend and she seems cool...she and I may meet up soon and I also met some peeps in my class like I said...so I have some peeps i can chill with now. I also have been talking to Kaylie's professor from college who taught French and lives in Paris...we might go to watch the OSU game in Paris together if it is showing and he is willing to hang out with me and help me with french which is AWESOME!!!!
I am going to go but a video of the tour of my house is uploading on facebook right now so hopefully you all love it!!!
Talk to you all soon
Love you!!
J
Today I went to my class and it was sooo wonderful!!! We had to leave the house very early this morning because Germain had a meeting that he had to get to early so Jeanne and I were dropped off at a small cafe on the corner of Rue Monceau where Jeanne's school is. We sat and drank some chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and of course I ate a croissant! It was amazing...soooooo amazing!!! At about 823 (lol) I walked Jeanne to school and began my journey back over to the registration office of my school. Today, however, I went there with a very positive attitude and a smile on my face. I walked in with confidence and had no problems at all! A woman was very nice and helped me with what I needed and explained to me what to do for class. I still had about 2.5 hours as I wandered over to the other building of the school where my classes are held and I went to the lower level to the computers free of charge.
I was so happy that I could get online and check my e-mail and send messages...until I started to type and realized the keyboard was ridiculously not like the traditional American keyboard for a computer....the M was next to the L, the W was in place of the Z, the A was up higher and I was sooo annoyed!!! I was typing like a 3 year old so slowly and alllll I wanted to do was type my messages quickly! But I figured it out and dealt with it and it was alright.
The good news is coming just keep reading!!!!
Soooo....i was sitting upstairs waiting for my class to begin at 10:30 in room 15 and as I was sitting in the waiting area a girl tried to ask me where the computers were and if you could access them for free....of course I knew the answer but I did not know what the heck she said :) She tried to explain slowly and I finally understood I think haha
As we discussed we figured out that we both live in Colombes and decided to meet up after class so we could go back together :)
I went into my class and I was so relieved!!! There were not too many people in it but most of them probably knew less French than me! I felt good about that and more confident with what I do know. The teacher is so nice and I have already exchanged information with a few girls from class and it is a really good thing!!
After class I waited for the girl that I talked to before and the funny thing about her is that she is Russian...Ok so she is Russian and can speak French because she studied french as her first language in college and English as her second language in college but she does not know english really at all....it was good for me because i need to practice french and she will help me...also, she wants me to help her with English...that is alright but I really dont want to be speaking in English all of the time :)
So now I have this new so called "friend" right, and after class we go to meet her other friend whom she claims knows English and can help us discuss things....
Yea she kind of knows English and she studied it for like 15 years but she never used it so it was difficult for her to speak...i was cool with that bc i wanted her to just speak in French and I could try to understand but instead she spoke in English and it was getting really annoying because she did not know it and I think i can understand French more quickly than she spoke English hahaha
So here I am with 2 Russian girls who speak French and a little bit of English (I forgot to mention that the other girl is Russian too) and they are the nicest people but I cannot really understand everything that is going on. They wanted me to go back to Colombes with them so I wanted to so we could talk more and just get to know each other....
I first had to purchase some more passes for the metro and I got a group of 10 and they helped me with that...then I had to go on 2 different metros and a bus so I already used 3 tickets...why the face..haha only certain people will get that and if you want to know more please ask me! :)
But anyways so they took me all over but first they did take me to a book store and helped me buy the books I need for my class which was awesome!!! I cannot tell you how to do that again but at least I got it done...
So, usually what I will do is walk to the metro station that is near my classes and takes about 5-10 minutes to walk...it is line 1 and that drops me off in La Defense...remember that is the large business area outside of Paris. Yesterday I walked from the station at La Defense near the modern arch and everything and that maybe took like 20 minutes or so....
I never want to go the same way as these girls again because A). I had to use THREE tickets B). I had to wait forever on the bus before it took off, and then it took a million years to get to where I needed to be AND C). I'm a person who has feelings, and all I have to do is do what I wanna do and all I want to do is (not go on a bus and not listen to anyone else)... modified quote from on of the greatest movies!!!! If you already know without looking you rock my world! haha
Ok so I am a fan of walking, walking is good it keeps you healthy AND you can get places without depending on other people such as bus drivers to cart you around....I just enjoy going by foot because things are easier.
Anyway, I have decided not to go on the bus at all :)
But so the first girl i met lives one street away from me and she walked me home which was so nice and then she went home. They asked me to meet them this evening for a drink around here but I am not sure if I am going to go. I kind of think Germain is strict and I am not sure what he wants me to do...i am not sure that i really want to go either because it can be exhausting not know a darn thing that people are saying...
So I got home and I was starving because all I ate was a croissant in the morning and i got home at like 320ish i think. I had this salad thing from the store and ate that and they bought these little like seafood stick things that are AMAZING...it looks like string cheese or something but trust me it is good...I know i have been eating some weird things but I think you would all find it delicious...maybe...haha
I had to wait for these men to come fix the heaters and i let them in and tried to speak in French but that never works out for me too well but it was alright. Germain got back before they left bc he had to pay them and that is what he is doing at this exact moment lol
I forgot to tell you that yesterday I was able to talk to the other american au pair that works for Germain's friend and she seems cool...she and I may meet up soon and I also met some peeps in my class like I said...so I have some peeps i can chill with now. I also have been talking to Kaylie's professor from college who taught French and lives in Paris...we might go to watch the OSU game in Paris together if it is showing and he is willing to hang out with me and help me with french which is AWESOME!!!!
I am going to go but a video of the tour of my house is uploading on facebook right now so hopefully you all love it!!!
Talk to you all soon
Love you!!
J
Monday, October 19, 2009
Rescue Me!!
Hey guys! Omg so today I did not feel like I had a good start and I really almost cried...I know that is very childish but I just feel like dummy Mcdummerson...So...when we took Jeanne to school this morning I left from there and walked to my school which did not take too long....I realize that I am not always the brightest bulb in the bunch but Europe can be so confusing! So i made it to 14 Rue Leonarde de Vinci or however you spell it in French...that is where my school is well apparently there are 3 different entrances w 14....but i would not know that because that is not normal....So anyway i walked in to the first building labeled 14 and there were 2 set of glass sliding doors...well i got into the first set and i did not see any signs for France Langue (the name of my school) so I thought it was a little strange and then I tried to proceed through the 2nd set of glass doors and....no such luck....I felt like an idiot and no one was around to help me...hahahaha This reminds me of something shown to me at work on Youtube...You remember Pete? Where the man could not figure out how to get out of the door so he just ran through and broke the glass? HAHAHA Well that is what i was about to do! I am not kidding...so I called the number to the school and luckily the woman spoke some English and she laughed at me and hung up and I thought she said wait but I really did not know....sooo I wasn't sure if it was an accidental hang up or if she meant to so I didn't know what to do...should I call back? Should I stand here like a random freak-a-zoid? I just decided to stand there and about 1 minute later a woman is looking at me through the outside of the first set of glass doors...ok good she found me but I still could not get out....She really got a laugh out of me and it definitely showed....but if I can make someone's day full of laughter by being a complete DUMB ASS then I am willing to provide that person with some joy :)
Ok so she showed me that there are 2 entrances marked 14....well that is BS in my book because it is so confusing....but there was a sign outside of the other building that read "France Langue"...ok maybe she had me on that one but in my defense it is Paris and it is foreign to me so I did not know if they put signs outside of everywhere...and because I did not pass both I stopped at the first one I saw...
So anyway...she did not speak fluent English and in my mind at a school for people who are learning French the people should know some other languages besides French since they are working with people who do not really know French...or so I thought....
I happened to be in the wrong place and had to use a map given to me by the woman to find my way to the other building where I had to register.
Unbenounced (is that a word? i really think it is but spell check does not agree) to me I had to take a placement test ...which absolutely makes sense....and everyone was speaking to me in fluent, fast French. WHAT THE HECK! Ok so I was under the impression that there would be a lot of English speaking people who could fluently talk to me in English so that I would know exactly what to do and feel very comfortable...oh that would just be too easy I guess...
I went into a room and had to take a test which was really embarrassing because I do not know much French and I am alright with conjugating most verbs in the present and that is it...not the future, not the past, not the imperfect...in fact I need to go over those terms again in English because I forget what a lot of them mean.
So I get done with my test and this French man who works there tries to talk to me and I am just like oui, non, like an idiot! Like I do not know how to talk...anyways he sees that I am horrible at French and I think he kind of laughs and the expression on his face leads me to believe his thoughts are "what the hell is this stupid girl doing...we do not even have a placement for this kind of ignorance in any of our classes"....haha so it makes me want to cry because while I am in the room there are also a lot of other people taking the test and they all seem to speak very well in French and then I start to wonder...am I supposed to know more?
I was specifically informed before I arrived here that it was alright that I did not know much French because I would learn from everything here and take classes and such.
I do not think that is the case now but I might just have to cry and get over it. It's not like I cannot learn...because I will...but I just feel like a dummy because everyone else knows it.
Once the man going over my test realized I was here to be an Au Pair then he took me to a different room and a woman was trying to talk to me in French.
My 2-year-old answers were enough to make her direct me to another woman...she set me up with the class and spoke English but I don't think she wanted to because she probably thought I was an imbecile...oh well so I got that taken care of! Phew
My classes are Tuesday-Friday 1030 to 1245 and then a class about French movies on Mondays at 1030-12 I believe.
Mind you the classes started in October on the 1st which means I will be a month behind :( I already have a lot to catch up on but now I just need to get into gear.
I want to ask that all my french peeps out there talk to me in French or give me some verbs to learn because I am struggling!
I then left the school and started to walk to the metro with map in hand----obvious tourist----haha and then i realized that I needed to get some passport pictures taken....Paris is so expensive by the way....So i was walking along a road where there were a lot of shops and I stopped at a wine shop and asked a nice woman where I could find a place to get my pictures and she told me and I felt successful even though my language was broken...but I DID IT!
So i sound the photo shop place and got 8 passport pictures for 10 Euros....that is ridiculous its like 15 buck but oh well...
So I got those, found the metro, got home, and now I am happy that I have all of that done!
I just need to make it back to Paris by 6 to pick up Jeanne and meet Germain and then we are going to the market to get some food :)
My classes begin tomorrow and now I am sooo scared! There are people from all over and in my room there were a lot of Brazilians when I was taking the test. The classes are all in French and I am scared to get called on or anything...I really don't think I will make any friends because no one wants to be friends with a dummy...haha ok I am definitely taking out some aggression on this blog but it's so frustrating!
The girl that I called...the other au pair that Germain's friend has...yea definitely has not called me back or answered because I called again today :( I think I will try to call her again shortly because this is really annoying...
I love everyone and I miss everyone...I am starting to think that I should have just come to Paris for a few weeks to visit hahaha I know that I will be fine and once I can speak fluent French it will be completely worth my stay.
I need to find a personal tutor to follow me everywhere I go....maybe a man will come along...haha probably not and until then i must study study study!!!
Love you, Miss you
J
Ok so she showed me that there are 2 entrances marked 14....well that is BS in my book because it is so confusing....but there was a sign outside of the other building that read "France Langue"...ok maybe she had me on that one but in my defense it is Paris and it is foreign to me so I did not know if they put signs outside of everywhere...and because I did not pass both I stopped at the first one I saw...
So anyway...she did not speak fluent English and in my mind at a school for people who are learning French the people should know some other languages besides French since they are working with people who do not really know French...or so I thought....
I happened to be in the wrong place and had to use a map given to me by the woman to find my way to the other building where I had to register.
Unbenounced (is that a word? i really think it is but spell check does not agree) to me I had to take a placement test ...which absolutely makes sense....and everyone was speaking to me in fluent, fast French. WHAT THE HECK! Ok so I was under the impression that there would be a lot of English speaking people who could fluently talk to me in English so that I would know exactly what to do and feel very comfortable...oh that would just be too easy I guess...
I went into a room and had to take a test which was really embarrassing because I do not know much French and I am alright with conjugating most verbs in the present and that is it...not the future, not the past, not the imperfect...in fact I need to go over those terms again in English because I forget what a lot of them mean.
So I get done with my test and this French man who works there tries to talk to me and I am just like oui, non, like an idiot! Like I do not know how to talk...anyways he sees that I am horrible at French and I think he kind of laughs and the expression on his face leads me to believe his thoughts are "what the hell is this stupid girl doing...we do not even have a placement for this kind of ignorance in any of our classes"....haha so it makes me want to cry because while I am in the room there are also a lot of other people taking the test and they all seem to speak very well in French and then I start to wonder...am I supposed to know more?
I was specifically informed before I arrived here that it was alright that I did not know much French because I would learn from everything here and take classes and such.
I do not think that is the case now but I might just have to cry and get over it. It's not like I cannot learn...because I will...but I just feel like a dummy because everyone else knows it.
Once the man going over my test realized I was here to be an Au Pair then he took me to a different room and a woman was trying to talk to me in French.
My 2-year-old answers were enough to make her direct me to another woman...she set me up with the class and spoke English but I don't think she wanted to because she probably thought I was an imbecile...oh well so I got that taken care of! Phew
My classes are Tuesday-Friday 1030 to 1245 and then a class about French movies on Mondays at 1030-12 I believe.
Mind you the classes started in October on the 1st which means I will be a month behind :( I already have a lot to catch up on but now I just need to get into gear.
I want to ask that all my french peeps out there talk to me in French or give me some verbs to learn because I am struggling!
I then left the school and started to walk to the metro with map in hand----obvious tourist----haha and then i realized that I needed to get some passport pictures taken....Paris is so expensive by the way....So i was walking along a road where there were a lot of shops and I stopped at a wine shop and asked a nice woman where I could find a place to get my pictures and she told me and I felt successful even though my language was broken...but I DID IT!
So i sound the photo shop place and got 8 passport pictures for 10 Euros....that is ridiculous its like 15 buck but oh well...
So I got those, found the metro, got home, and now I am happy that I have all of that done!
I just need to make it back to Paris by 6 to pick up Jeanne and meet Germain and then we are going to the market to get some food :)
My classes begin tomorrow and now I am sooo scared! There are people from all over and in my room there were a lot of Brazilians when I was taking the test. The classes are all in French and I am scared to get called on or anything...I really don't think I will make any friends because no one wants to be friends with a dummy...haha ok I am definitely taking out some aggression on this blog but it's so frustrating!
The girl that I called...the other au pair that Germain's friend has...yea definitely has not called me back or answered because I called again today :( I think I will try to call her again shortly because this is really annoying...
I love everyone and I miss everyone...I am starting to think that I should have just come to Paris for a few weeks to visit hahaha I know that I will be fine and once I can speak fluent French it will be completely worth my stay.
I need to find a personal tutor to follow me everywhere I go....maybe a man will come along...haha probably not and until then i must study study study!!!
Love you, Miss you
J
Sunday, October 18, 2009
WHAT UP!
Hey guys! It is about 645 in the morning right now and I got up so that I can get ready because we have to leave by 730 or 745 ish to take Jeanne to school. The traffic is really bad at this time and it takes a long time to get her there. She has to be there by 820 and so you can see it can take a while. When I start driving her I will have to leave even earlier because Germain does some illegal things like driving in the bus lane and things I will not be able to do because I would not want to risk losing my license. It is early but it would not be bad if I didn't stay up so late. Last night I got to Skype with Kaylie and Amy and then Andy! It was fun but I stayed up way to late and I am very tired :) I will have to work on that but it is so easy to get caught up talking to everyone!
Today I am going to brave the Metro and it should not be too bad but Germain printed a map of La Defense for me which is the area where all of the big businesses are and right near the buildings is a pedestrian area so only people walking can be on that level because the cars are below. It is confusing how to get off at the stop and then walk to the house after getting off in La Defense so he wanted to make sure I had the map. I think I can do it but I usually think I can do these kinds of things and I always get lost haha oh well it only makes me stronger I suppose.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how it is so nice to be able to experience this entirely different culture and just really challenge myself. I am so happy that I have taken this step in my life and I want to thank everyone because you have all been so supportive! I know in the other blog I asked for some prayers to be able to remain patient and really let my guard down to be able to learn better and not be too proud....well thank you because I have felt your prayers working and things are becoming easier for me to at least open up more and not worry about everything as far as being wrong and not having to look "stupid" or anything :)
I must go get ready for my day but I wanted to give you an update!
I have to go to my school and register for classes and then get my picture taken like for a passport....I can't wait to try and get that done haha!
Ok well wish me luck I will be in touch shortly!
Love
J
Today I am going to brave the Metro and it should not be too bad but Germain printed a map of La Defense for me which is the area where all of the big businesses are and right near the buildings is a pedestrian area so only people walking can be on that level because the cars are below. It is confusing how to get off at the stop and then walk to the house after getting off in La Defense so he wanted to make sure I had the map. I think I can do it but I usually think I can do these kinds of things and I always get lost haha oh well it only makes me stronger I suppose.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how it is so nice to be able to experience this entirely different culture and just really challenge myself. I am so happy that I have taken this step in my life and I want to thank everyone because you have all been so supportive! I know in the other blog I asked for some prayers to be able to remain patient and really let my guard down to be able to learn better and not be too proud....well thank you because I have felt your prayers working and things are becoming easier for me to at least open up more and not worry about everything as far as being wrong and not having to look "stupid" or anything :)
I must go get ready for my day but I wanted to give you an update!
I have to go to my school and register for classes and then get my picture taken like for a passport....I can't wait to try and get that done haha!
Ok well wish me luck I will be in touch shortly!
Love
J
SALUT!
Bonjour mes amis! I am sitting here right now with the husband of Germain's aunt which I think would make him the uncle but I am not sure if it is his real uncle or not. His aunt is a writer and she just published a book about paintings around Europe and the focus was on fathers and their babies because most of the time artwork has mothers and their children or fathers and their children who seem angry and are not looking at each other. It is very interesting and I will not be able to read it until I become very fluent in french because it is very difficult and advanced. I will hopefully one day reach that point where I can read things in French because I would like to continue speaking and studying the French language even after my year here.
I hope to one day teach my children French and Spanish as they grow up because I think it is extremely important to know more than one language! It really allows you to become more well versed and very educated about the world. I think it is something I hope to accomplish in many languages but right now I am just worried about focusing on french of course :)
I am learning a lot with the girls and I was playing with Colyne just a bit ago and she was a wizard and I was turning into a frog, a butterfly, a tiger, a cat, a monkey, and a dog. It took a while to understand all of these things but I knew some of them and I am getting better. The girls are very patient with me but I think that it is frustrating for them as well because they do not want to always have to teach which I completely understand.
I cannot wait for the day where I can just speak to them in complete French and then teach them the English because once I know French I will say the French and English every time so they get used to hearing the language and put the two meanings together.
For lunch we ate chicken and rice and had some cheese and bread as well. Then I ate this really good chocolate thing and I forget what it is called but it looks like a chocolate volcano from one of those restaurants!
I am going to go but I will write more later :)
Love J
I hope to one day teach my children French and Spanish as they grow up because I think it is extremely important to know more than one language! It really allows you to become more well versed and very educated about the world. I think it is something I hope to accomplish in many languages but right now I am just worried about focusing on french of course :)
I am learning a lot with the girls and I was playing with Colyne just a bit ago and she was a wizard and I was turning into a frog, a butterfly, a tiger, a cat, a monkey, and a dog. It took a while to understand all of these things but I knew some of them and I am getting better. The girls are very patient with me but I think that it is frustrating for them as well because they do not want to always have to teach which I completely understand.
I cannot wait for the day where I can just speak to them in complete French and then teach them the English because once I know French I will say the French and English every time so they get used to hearing the language and put the two meanings together.
For lunch we ate chicken and rice and had some cheese and bread as well. Then I ate this really good chocolate thing and I forget what it is called but it looks like a chocolate volcano from one of those restaurants!
I am going to go but I will write more later :)
Love J
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Holla
What's goin' on my peeps!!! I have time to write again so I will just so you can follow me that much more closely :) I am watching Star Wars V with Jeanne and it is in French with English subtitles...I am enjoying it :) I am really getting overwhelmed with learning the language and even if I know it is all so quick that I cannot catch everything! I just need a structured learning tool to follow that will be very organized because then I will easily catch on!
I know that once classes begin I will be able to focus more on the content instead of the little things that I do not understand.
My Blackberry came today but we did not receive the pin to activate it yet and it should come on Monday in the mail. Germain just sent me the information of the other Au Pair that is working for his friend and I am going to call her tomorrow! Hopefully she is cool and we can get along...that would be amazing for me because I really need to meet someone who has been here longer than me and can help me with the language and to know everything I need to know.
On my Blackberry I will be able to check e-mail and use MSN messenger which I have but NEVER use haha but I am not sure about getting online yet because then I can update my blog and facebook more often which would be fun!! :)
I never thought I would be a blogger but I have done a lot of things in my life that I thought I would never do....It just goes to show you can't ever say never because you should always be open to try new things and really give yourself freedom to step out of your comfort zone. This is something I am struggling with right now as far as speaking the language and I know in my head that if I just open up more and put myself out there and really try at every moment to speak and be open to criticism then I will definitely learn faster and better....as of right now there is something holding me back and I do not know what and I cannot come to terms with humility like I said I would. I hope you guys can pray for me in that area because that is something that I am really struggling with and I know with all of your prayers it will definitely make everything better :)
Tomorrow I am not sure what we are going to do but I hope it is something fun...Like maybe magically learning French! haha no I know this is hard work and I am really up for the challenge but I am just having problems putting myself out there. Germain and I were talking about how classical music helps a lot when you are trying to learn something and if you listen to it from a young age "they" say that you will be smarter and really good in math. You bet that I will be listening to classical music as much as I can now! haha
On Monday morning I am going early with Jeanne to be dropped off because Germain has a meeting at 9 and must get there in time so I will walk Jeanne to her school and then I have no clue what I will do...Definitely NOT walk around Paris all day again haha
Germain was shocked at how far I walked and how much I did in the day. I was too....haha
He has been showing me areas on the map that I need to go to and one is similar to Hollywood or something because a lot of the writers and people live there...and when famous people from USA come to Paris they live there or stay there...OF COURSE! haha it is a really really rich area but I cannot think of the name of it at the moment.
I am adding some pictures on facebook as soon as I am done with this blog! I hope you enjoy them...I don't think I took enough pictures of the Eiffel Tower...let me know what you think. Also, I tried to get myself in some of the pictures and it did not turn out as well as I hoped but I think there is a lot more time for that....only if I make friends hahaha I feel like such a dorky loser that will have no friends...but I am used to having the MOST AMAZING FRIENDS EVER!!!! so I guess it would be a change....I love you all and I will talk to you soon!
Love
J
I know that once classes begin I will be able to focus more on the content instead of the little things that I do not understand.
My Blackberry came today but we did not receive the pin to activate it yet and it should come on Monday in the mail. Germain just sent me the information of the other Au Pair that is working for his friend and I am going to call her tomorrow! Hopefully she is cool and we can get along...that would be amazing for me because I really need to meet someone who has been here longer than me and can help me with the language and to know everything I need to know.
On my Blackberry I will be able to check e-mail and use MSN messenger which I have but NEVER use haha but I am not sure about getting online yet because then I can update my blog and facebook more often which would be fun!! :)
I never thought I would be a blogger but I have done a lot of things in my life that I thought I would never do....It just goes to show you can't ever say never because you should always be open to try new things and really give yourself freedom to step out of your comfort zone. This is something I am struggling with right now as far as speaking the language and I know in my head that if I just open up more and put myself out there and really try at every moment to speak and be open to criticism then I will definitely learn faster and better....as of right now there is something holding me back and I do not know what and I cannot come to terms with humility like I said I would. I hope you guys can pray for me in that area because that is something that I am really struggling with and I know with all of your prayers it will definitely make everything better :)
Tomorrow I am not sure what we are going to do but I hope it is something fun...Like maybe magically learning French! haha no I know this is hard work and I am really up for the challenge but I am just having problems putting myself out there. Germain and I were talking about how classical music helps a lot when you are trying to learn something and if you listen to it from a young age "they" say that you will be smarter and really good in math. You bet that I will be listening to classical music as much as I can now! haha
On Monday morning I am going early with Jeanne to be dropped off because Germain has a meeting at 9 and must get there in time so I will walk Jeanne to her school and then I have no clue what I will do...Definitely NOT walk around Paris all day again haha
Germain was shocked at how far I walked and how much I did in the day. I was too....haha
He has been showing me areas on the map that I need to go to and one is similar to Hollywood or something because a lot of the writers and people live there...and when famous people from USA come to Paris they live there or stay there...OF COURSE! haha it is a really really rich area but I cannot think of the name of it at the moment.
I am adding some pictures on facebook as soon as I am done with this blog! I hope you enjoy them...I don't think I took enough pictures of the Eiffel Tower...let me know what you think. Also, I tried to get myself in some of the pictures and it did not turn out as well as I hoped but I think there is a lot more time for that....only if I make friends hahaha I feel like such a dorky loser that will have no friends...but I am used to having the MOST AMAZING FRIENDS EVER!!!! so I guess it would be a change....I love you all and I will talk to you soon!
Love
J
Hello!!!
Hello everyone! As you know today is the weekend and we stayed home and it was fun. Germain's cousin and her husband and two children came to have lunch and we ate sushi and it was delicious! I actually ate sushimi and the raw flat slices of fish too...I know crazy but it was not bad! We had a fun time except for the fact that I cannot speak French and they spoke in French a lot but they also knew English pretty well. I am really wanting to learn ASAP!!!
The other kids who came were two girls as well and they were almost 5 and 3! They were really cute but I hadn't the darndest clue what they were saying hahaha.
So I crack my knuckles right...well Germain does not like it and he keeps telling me to stop and I just can't help it. I have heard the theory about how it makes your knuckles bigger and gives you arthritis and I think those are both false BUT.....Germain and Fred (his cousin's husband) told me that when you crack it is the air bubbles and if you keep doing it it makes room for more and more bubbles so that when you are old it will crack very easily and when you walk and stuff you will just be a bunch of cracks walking down the hall haha
Today we sat down and talked about all of the paper work I will have to finish in order to stay in France and I have to get some passport pictures taken and go to my school to enroll for sure since I am here now....I am excited to see what happens after that. I need to get my social security number and carte du jour which I am not sure what that is but I will let you know once I find out! It is necessary to provide a copy of my birth certificate and passport in order to continue the process. There is sooooo much paperwork and ridiculousness that goes on with these kinds of things because for those of you who know....I have already done a million things before I left but it continues here in Paree!
I SUCK at reading and pronouncing French just in case you wondered and I am always intimidated to try around Germain because I don't want to feel stupid but I guess I have to in order to really become good at it. I need to swallow this pride and allow myself to act like a fool up in here!! hahaha
Sometimes I feel like an alien watching people and listening to the talk because I just sit there and have no idea what it going on. Mostly I really need to work on the accent and the vocabulary and getting used to the fast speech...oh wait that is EVERYTHING so I have a lot of work haha but it is ok because Germain is very helpful and patient but I hope I am not frustrating him with my lack of knowledge...I am definitely frustrating myself and I wish there was a magic wand that I could wave and know everything about France there is to know....however, let's not kid ourselves that was the sole reason to come live here for a year :)
Jeanne is a great teacher and helps me understand things and helps me work on my pronunciation of words because that is very difficult. Without understanding the pronunciation it is nearly impossible to understand what people are saying :(
The girls are bathing now so I just took some time to write this blog and see what is going on in the US of A but I will probably be leaving soon to go watch a movie and eat dinner.
I miss everyone and I hope that you are all doing very well!
Love Jess
The other kids who came were two girls as well and they were almost 5 and 3! They were really cute but I hadn't the darndest clue what they were saying hahaha.
So I crack my knuckles right...well Germain does not like it and he keeps telling me to stop and I just can't help it. I have heard the theory about how it makes your knuckles bigger and gives you arthritis and I think those are both false BUT.....Germain and Fred (his cousin's husband) told me that when you crack it is the air bubbles and if you keep doing it it makes room for more and more bubbles so that when you are old it will crack very easily and when you walk and stuff you will just be a bunch of cracks walking down the hall haha
Today we sat down and talked about all of the paper work I will have to finish in order to stay in France and I have to get some passport pictures taken and go to my school to enroll for sure since I am here now....I am excited to see what happens after that. I need to get my social security number and carte du jour which I am not sure what that is but I will let you know once I find out! It is necessary to provide a copy of my birth certificate and passport in order to continue the process. There is sooooo much paperwork and ridiculousness that goes on with these kinds of things because for those of you who know....I have already done a million things before I left but it continues here in Paree!
I SUCK at reading and pronouncing French just in case you wondered and I am always intimidated to try around Germain because I don't want to feel stupid but I guess I have to in order to really become good at it. I need to swallow this pride and allow myself to act like a fool up in here!! hahaha
Sometimes I feel like an alien watching people and listening to the talk because I just sit there and have no idea what it going on. Mostly I really need to work on the accent and the vocabulary and getting used to the fast speech...oh wait that is EVERYTHING so I have a lot of work haha but it is ok because Germain is very helpful and patient but I hope I am not frustrating him with my lack of knowledge...I am definitely frustrating myself and I wish there was a magic wand that I could wave and know everything about France there is to know....however, let's not kid ourselves that was the sole reason to come live here for a year :)
Jeanne is a great teacher and helps me understand things and helps me work on my pronunciation of words because that is very difficult. Without understanding the pronunciation it is nearly impossible to understand what people are saying :(
The girls are bathing now so I just took some time to write this blog and see what is going on in the US of A but I will probably be leaving soon to go watch a movie and eat dinner.
I miss everyone and I hope that you are all doing very well!
Love Jess
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