Blog

January 30, 2011

Sunday morning…  Rachel and I went to the market and got some fruits and veggies. We are going to make an effort to munch on ‘healthy food’ instead of pastries every day instead, only on weekends.. maybe, or once every few days… or every other day… hahaha we’ll see. Because it’s Sunday and we’re supposed to be healthy soon we thought we’d end our weekend on a delicious note and got ourselves a pastry of course… we got a “pavé au chocolat” which is a big brownie-type square, but it’s not a brownie. Mmm delicious. Then I got baguette and put avocado on it and ate it along with some cucumbers and green peppers… you know to balance things out with the pastry… hahaha. We cut up our veggies so they’d be ready for when we get hungry. Then it was definitely nap time.
I later woke up and wasn’t sure if Rachel was up… her door was closed so I didn’t want to wake her up in case she was still napping. I decided to go to the Arc de Triomphe.

I took the metro there and thought about my parents a lot.. specially because there was a man that got on the metro and began singing some Italian songs my parents would listen to, it was nice. I got out and took a few photos of the Arc and began walking down Les Champs Elysées all the way down to the Musée du Louvre, which is a short walk really.

I also saw this Beemer getting a ticket.. they’re everywhere! and I don’t mean the BMWs..

It was quite cold though, but not a humid cold which is better.. And on my way down there was some one taking photographs. I looked over. It was a modeling photo shoot. Only one model but oh dear..! She’s a brave woman, clearly she’s done this before and I know modeling isn’t as glamorous as it seems. But still, it made me feel even colder just looking at the model. She was on a chair doing her thing wearing no coat though. Brrrr!! I could see her hands were red.

After seeing that I told myself, hey I’m wearing a coat! I no longer feel cold! hahaha It was getting dark so I decided to take the metro back home.

It was quite an enjoyable weekend!

January 29, 2011

After waking up, showering and having breakfast, Rachel and I went to the Musée du Louvre!

We had some nice music in the metro on our way to the museum and then going out.. ah! It was sunny out! a little cold but gorgeous sun! we got in at somewhere around 10:30 am, great time for a Saturday because there wasn’t much of a line-up! When we got to the ticket line-up I saw a sign that said something about the cost of the entrance but I wasn’t able to really read it. So when it was our turn, the lady asked if we were students and how old we were… it was awesome, it was free for us! We dropped off our coats at the coat check and our museum exploration began. There is so much to see. We began by looking at the Egyptian art, then the Greeks and finally just a little tiny bit of the Italian Painters, and of course La Joconde. We must go back several times, this museum is huge! and it’s not the displays that are astounding, it’s also the decoration of the museum itself, such as the ceilings with paintings, the mirrors and their decorations, the frames, the columns, the door frames, the floor, the windows and the view from the windows, everything!

visit to the Louvre

It was somewhere close to 2 and we got hungry. So we got something to eat and decided to get going because not only were we a bit tired and overwhelmed but it was also getting busier and it’s not as enjoyable when there’s a multitude of people stepping on your heels to look at the next piece of art or they just are so wowed by everything that don’t realize they are in your way of taking a beautiful photograph.

On our way home, Rachel and I kept scouting boulangeries. We ended up going to one of our favourite ones. She got a pastry which was like a slice of almond-paste tart and I got an éclair au chocolat. We got home and enjoyed our pastry! No.. no video or photo of it this time… I’m cutting back on the videos of me eating, I’m beginning to feel embarrassed =p

January 28, 2011

So yesterday I went to do my placement test. And then I remembered what the French language was all about: insanity. Hahaha… I tried thinking in Spanish at times, thought it may help because it’s so similar but even then, French has it’s magic to it… complicated charm but I love it. So we’ll see what level I will be put in.  Although the gentleman that was there explaining things said not to worry and beat ourselves up as it’s not an exam, it’s a placement test, I really didn’t think I would doubt myself so much. Anyway, I’m excited to learn the language. I don’t care what the rest of the world says about only Parisians liking their accent, I like it & I hope I adopt it, I think it’s beautiful!

Anyway, today I went to the Cité International Universitaire de Paris just to check out if they had any information that could be useful to know. I took a few pamphlets and I spoke to a lady but found nothing outstanding. It’s a beautiful University area though.

After I went back home, I looked at these other pamphlets I have that say about places to visit. So I decided to go check out Fragonard: le musée du parfum. I got off at the metro station Opera. It’s a beautiful area. As I came out of the metro, the first thing I saw was the Academie Nationale de Musique.

I walked around to try to find the right street but by chance I took the right one. I told myself, I might as well just walk around, I’ll be bound to find something interesting even if I don’t find the museum. But I walked down the street that got me to the museum.

This kind lady in her blue uniform that consisted of a skirt that reached her knees and a 3/4 length blazer as well as a cute short red scarf around her neck – like a flight attendant outfit almost – told me that there was going to be a guided tour in a few minutes if I wanted to wait. So I did.

Then another young lady with long straight brown hair and blue eyes presented herself and began the tour. First it was only myself and two other ladies. We began the tour, no photos allowed however. She apologized for perhaps making a few mistakes as she explained things, she said she’s originally from Germany and is still in the process of perfecting her French – I think she did a great job, she wasn’t even nervous.
We began by being asked the scent we could perceive. We tried guessing but then she revealed it’s the scent of “la fleur de d’oranger” – Orange Blossom.
Each year, Fragonard honors and celebrates a single flower from the palette of fragrances used by fine perfume makers. In 2011 is the year of the Orange Blossom! – from the Fragonard website

She began explaining the process and the history of perfume. She was always very interactive, she would ask questions that would in the end tell us facts about the history of perfume. Later we got to do an activity where there were 9 different pictures, for example cinnamon sticks, pineapple, strawberries, mint, passion fruit, etc. Then there were little bottles with a scented cream inside which we had to smell and correctly place over the picture, it was fun! After that came an even funner part.. the boutique! I wanted to buy everything! There’s soaps, shower gels, lip balms, body lotion, eau de toilettes, perfumes, perfume balms, etc. I will need to return for sure!

January 26, 2011

It’s mid-week & it’s gray again, a little cold and drizzly as well. But Rachel and I decided to go visit the house of Victor Hugo. We took the metro and walked around. Yes, we did stop to ask someone for directions anyway =)

It’s a really nice area and the house of Victor Hugo is located in a nice square – Place des Vosges.

This museum is very small but very nice to go visit. It’s another museum that is free and not busy at all. Unfortunately Rachel’s camera battery wasn’t charged, so we do plan on returning as well as not only to revisit the museum but also explore the area a little more.

We then decided to get lunch before Rachel went to class. We stopped at this very nice little restaurant in St.Michel. Best 10 Euro meal so far! We had French Onion soup to start, then the main dish which Rachel had an egg/ham/cheese crepe, I had the Boeuf Bourgignon then dessert – Rachel: Mousse au Chocolat, Me: Creme au Caramel!

Lunch at St.Michel

When we were having our dessert Rachel realized she had to be in class really soon so we quickly enjoyed our dessert and off to metro we went. Rachel took off to class and I went wandering to find the building where my placement test would be on Thursday. I wanted to make sure I knew where it was so I’d be prepared for the following day.

Wandering after lunch

I opened my curtain and what do I see? a little bit of sunshine, woohoo!

I had taken a little booklet with several information about places to visit around Paris and one of them is the Petit Palais. I Google Mapped it and noted which metro to take. It was time for Rachel and I to have some photo fun while discovering new and beautiful places that this city has.

Off we went to see the collection permenante, gratuit! here’s the link to the museum: http://petitpalais.paris.fr/en/collections/home

and this is what we discovered (short video): A taste of the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris

After Rachel went to class I got on the metro and got off at the next stop: Concorde
I had no clue which to way to go so I just started walking. I walked down Rue Rivoli, a very touristy looking area with lots of gift shops, cafes and hotels, and of course more patisseries.

It got gray and a little cold as well as a bit drizzly. And I had been craving a pastry with a hot chocolate. I walked down and entered a little place and got myself a tartelette au citron & a thick hot chocolate.

This happened: More pastry tasting for Vanessa

I finished my lemon tart and I took my hot chocolate to go. It was very, very thick and very, very sweet.. I couldn’t finish it! So then came the ‘guilt’ so I began walking to burn some calories. I got to the Louvre and crossed the Pont des Arts; Once again fascinated by all the locks.

I continued walking through the streets and decided to try to find my way home.. When suddenly I arrived to Pont de la Concorde, I saw the river… woops… wrong way! I wanted my walk, I got my walk! I had walked around in a circle and got back pretty much where I started the only difference was that I was on the other side of the river. So back down Blvd. Saint-Germain I went. It was time for couples, young people and groups of mature ladies to get together at the little cafes. There were these groups of women in their fur coats with their little French hats and red lipstick sitting outside conversing with each other while smoking so elegantly. There was so much to see and occasionally there were little streets that looked very nice so I would deviate. And when that happened, instead of retracing back my steps I would continue on imagining I would find my way back to the main Blvd. or another one, and if not, a metro. I was curious! and of course I didn’t always end up where I thought I would. I kept walking and I reached Les Jardins du Luxembourg, how beautiful.

I must go back specially on a bright sunny day. It looks like a beautiful place to just relax, go for a jog or simply admire. So on I kept walking – by this time my feet were hurting.. I really wanted to just get home and relax for a bit. I ended up taking the metro at Les Gobelins. I was home by around 5:30ish… well I hope that with my 3 & 1/2 – 4 hr walk I burned some of those calories I consumed earlier. This is the best way to get to know the city though, specially with all the forks this city has. Although my feet are quite tired, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I did end up taking a nap of course.

Bonjour.

Today was another very lazy day. Again, uneventful. I woke up and it was cold, rainy, windy, just a day that made me want to do absolutely nothing but stay in bed. I got up late, I got ready late. I went out nevertheless. I went to this centre that gives information to students and such. Then I sort of wandered aimlessly.. well I decided to go find this ‘Canadian bar’ called “Moose Pub”. I found it. It wasn’t open yet. So I continued wandering but it got rainier and more windy. So I decided to head back home. I got home, lazed, ate some clementines and a sandwich, read stuff on the internet about Paris and napped.

Today was a lazy day, not very eventful.

I went to the market that’s set up on Avenue d’Italie. What a zoo, the same one from Thursday, but how much I like it! Catherine bought a beautiful salad, eggs, clementines, olives… Then they headed back home. I decided to keep looking around. I ended up buying cucumbers, green peppers and clementines – a boxful of clementines for only a Euro, score! What an enjoyable way to do groceries, and all the vendors are very enthusiastic, they will also cut some of their fruit open so you can try it and no, they don’t get upset if you don’t try it or you decide to not purchase anything. Catherine told me, a good French person will look around first to see who has the best prices as well as looking at the quality then start buying.

After I dropped off my groceries at home I went back out. Lola had told me about another market further down Avenue d’Italie. I hadn’t gone down that way yet so I ventured off. Blondie showed it’s shy face finally and it felt just a touch warmer… I miss the +35 weather we had last summer in Ottawa! So any rays that come down I absorb and just thoroughly enjoy! However, I am not complaining, after all I have been keeping contact with my friends and family and they tell me it’s been going down to -35 or thereabouts.. yikes!

On this side of Avenue d’Italie is a little less busy. There are more buses that come this way as well as the Tram. More exits to highways are this way as it’s going south of the city centre. I got to the market, as well less busy than the other. They had great sales going on specially for the ladies. Shoes, nice shoes, boots, flats, etc ranging from 5 – 10 Euros, wow! Too bad they no longer had my size… either it’s a popular size or they just don’t make them in that size at all…

I wandered around a little longer but didn’t do too much. It was a very uneventful day.

Later that night I spoke with my parents and brother over Skype, which was very nice. I also got to briefly see my Garfield. I miss him a lot. Floppie will occasionally jump on my bed and lay on my feet while Catherine and Lola are out. I like it, she keeps my feet warm! hahaha

January 22, 2011

Saturday, there’s something about “weekends” that make one feel like they should sleep in. And this is what I did. Woke up at 10am, this is late for me. I had breakfast, took a shower then got ready.

Rachel took me to a market – Marché de Clignancourt. It was like being back in Mexico City. Clothing, shoes, hats, cds, make-up and of course, bargaining! It was a great day. I definitely spent money but luckily I didn’t bring very much. We spent quite a little while there. On our way back we bought a crêpe; I got the one with applesauce and Rachel with lemon and sugar. Delicious.

After coming home I made myself a peanut butter sandwich. I went on Skype and talked with my brother a little bit but there was this very annoying sound interfering. Then I spoke with my love, Steve. I later took a nap, longer than expected.. and yet this is no surprise, it happens every time, hahaha…

For dinner Catherine made a pork roast. It was wrapped in “herbes de la campagne”, cheese and that thin phyllo type of pastry. Again, very, very good!

January 21, 2011

Today was a day to look for Peanut butter. Catherine had warned me that the French don’t seem to like “that stuff”. So off I went looking in different grocery stores. I also had one last fee pending so I went to do that. On the way back, I went back to Rue des Gobelins where I had stopped at that bakery and bought my first quiche. I not only went looking for something yummy to buy but perhaps a job. The same lady from the first time was there again. I asked if she knew about other students and what they tend to do when looking for a part-time job. Bingo! she suggested perhaps I could work at the bakery! Since I have already worked at a bakery before, I think I would be comfortable enough. So she was very nice and took down my information. She said that if her manager isn’t looking for someone at the bakery then perhaps if she hears of someone else she would pass on my info or even for something like babysitting. I ended up buying a little pastry the size of a “Timbit” made of doughnut dough covered in only sugar, then she said “J’ai mis quelque chose d’autre pour toi”. I looked inside, she had put another small pastry that looked like it was caramelized. Very, very tasty. The one she gave me was sort of like a small rum cake of sorts I think.

Eating little pastry

I continued on my mission. There was no peanut butter to be found. The one I had found wasn’t all natural. So finally, on my way back home I thought I’d check for the last time at the all natural food store. Aha! finally! I found peanut butter! Thank goodness! I went and bought myself a loaf of bread from the grocery store and I was set.

After I dropped off my things at home, I went back out and got on the Metro. I was to meet Rachel at 5:30 at the Grand Palais to go see the Monet exhibition. I got off at the Louvre and took the yellow line, direction: La Défence. It was just about 5:30. I walked towards the Grand Palais, the line-up looked long. The man at the entrance called out that those who didn’t have tickets already it was going to be a 2hr wait in line. I looked around for Rachel but couldn’t find her. So I began lining up.

It was close to 6 when she finally arrived, her class had ran late. But it was no problem, I was still in line.  Finally, at close to 7:30pm we were at the front of the line. A couple more minutes and we were let in. I thought my feet were going to fall off. It was cold, it must have been around -10 with the wind, so it felt anyway! So we were glad to finally get in; the place was packed! Specially in the first part of the exhibition, it was hard to really admire every painting, and to get buy or see a painting it was about pushing and shoving. But nobody got upset, I don’t think so anyway, because everyone did it! The exhibition was very nicely presented though. By the time we got out it was 8:45pm around. We quickly headed back to the metro. We were so tired, hungry and cold!

When we finally arrived home Catherine and her husband waited for us to eat dinner. She made “Brick”. Which is like a thin crispy crêpe in which she put cheese, egg, potato, onion and meat (no meat for Rachel’s, spinach instead), then she folded them in triangles. It was amazing! Then for after I tried another cheese, a creamier cheese. Very good, with some baguette, mm mm!

January 20, 2011

Thursday.. well I woke up, had breakfast – cereal then got ready to go out and about. I went to the bank for the appointment I had and was able to speak to a representative. She was very kind and patient. She explained everything slowly and if I had questions she would explain nicely. She asked me to bring back a few more documents tomorrow.

I went back home to drop off the papers I had received at the bank and then went out and about again. I decided to go get a cell phone. So I crossed the street and what was this? I hadn’t seen this the other days – a market! I got distracted and started walking the other way to check out this market. It was beautiful – fruits, vegetables, clothing, household items, fish, meat, bread, olives, salad. A lot of the vendors are Arabic or Moroccan because although they spoke in French, they would throw in some Arabic words here and there. They spoke loudly, “Essayez la fruit mademoiselle!”, “deux Euros par kg! Venez, essayez!” There’s tons of people walking through the middle, stopping, going, little old people trying to get by, children running around, everyone pulling on their grocery cart. I didn’t go through the whole market but it gave me a good idea of what they sell and the prices.

I got to the phone store and got the most inexpensive phone/plan. I wont be making many calls or sending a lot of messages, it’s to have it just in case I need to contact Catherine/Lola or any sort of emergency. So there we go, I got that done.

When I came back home, I took a little nap. I then got the documents that the lady from the bank had asked me from. I asked Catherine about the market and she told me that Thursdays and Sundays they set it up. So I look forward to Sunday so I can check it out again and perhaps buy some things.

I decided to go back out and deliver the documents to the lady from the bank already. But first I went to the metro and got my Passe Navigo. Then I went back to the bank and dropped off the documents at the bank.

Then I went to the bakery and got a petit pain which is like a mini baguette. I stopped at the grocery store and got some salad as well. This is when I went into the Monoprix and as I looked around I smiled like normal and this older man looked over, I kept walking and I heard something, then louder “ALLO”. Perhaps I had dropped something, so I turned around and this creeper man was like “ALLO!” waving his arm at me like he knew me or something. My reaction was this:

So I turned around and kept walking. I had no luck finding peanut butter. But I got my salad. When I went to the cash I made sure I went to the furthest cashier from where the creeper had been. I did not look over in any case and I tried hiding behind the person standing in front of me… Perhaps the man was gone but I thought I’d be “safe” hahahaha!

When I came home there were guests. A nice little surprise – a puppy! Lola’s exboyfriend, Benoit, had been taking care of her little Floppie while the work was getting done in the apartment. It reminded me of my baby, Garfield. I miss cuddling with him.

I met a man named Charlie. We briefly spoke then told me his family is from Spain. I got introduced to his wife and daughter. We were in the kitchen. Suddenly out of no where I was the only one sitting and everyone else around me was standing and there were no gaps to catch some fresh air from… they were all smoking, I was surrounded. You may think I’m exaggerating or just being a snob, but seriously, I’ve never lived with a family of smokers so to me this is a smoke overload and my lungs felt like they were close to hurting, as if I had ran a marathon in extremely cold weather and all I had inhaled was frozen air.  Charlie and I went to the TV room and continued conversing. He then wanted to join the rest in the kitchen and so I went back into my room. Ah, not freshly-lit cigarette air at last!

Catherine made “bouchée à la reine” which are the same as “vol-au-vents”, which is a round puff pastry. She stuffed it with chicken, mushrooms (yep I’m eating things I normally wouldn’t, but it was mixed in with the other stuff so it was sort of hidden haha), and a béchamel sauce. Very tasty indeed! Of course, along with that we had salad and baguette.

January 19, 2011

On this day I woke up a little late. I couldn’t sleep at night. It took a while for me to “fall asleep” and then a couple of hours later I just woke up. I tossed and turned, I just wouldn’t fall asleep. So I started to listen to the sounds of the apartment and those coming from other apartments. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s coming from here or from the floor below or above. In any case, I ended up falling asleep sometime in the morning which caused my late wake up.

Rachel and I decided to go to the Louvre and explore. Since she had class sometime around 2 we decided we would just explore the outside of the Louvre and the surrounding area because a lot of time is needed to actually enjoy the museum. Also, there are usually long line-ups to get in.

So we took photos and began walking around. We then decided to stop at a chocolaterie, wow! so many chocolates and the smell… we definitely bought some – I wanted to buy the entire store!

After walking around for a little longer we decided to look for a bakery and get us some quiche. We definitely found it! I had a quiche with ham and Rachel got one with goat cheese and spinach. We decided to head back and Rachel took the metro to her school and I took it back home. I was sleepy so I napped.

After my nap I went to Place d’Italie and bought some clothes that were on sale from Zara. There are some good sales going on right now. Shortly after, I returned home and went on Skype. I spoke with my parents, I’m not going to lie.. I miss them!!

Monday, January 17, 2011

I had gotten up early that morning and got my keys from Catherine. I decided to sleep just a little longer but soon enough got woken up by the sound of sandpaper. What the heck is going on??
The walls were getting re-painted but first had to be sanded down and primed. So the monsieur who came in made sure he was here “à bonne heure” to get this project going.
I got up and had breakfast with Rachel – crunchy cereal with milk, very tasty cereal. As well as a piece of baguette with Nutella spread on it.

I got ready and here was my first day of going out on my own. Rachel left because her classes were starting, although it turned out they only start until later, which is nice because we can hang out in the morning before her class, for now. Once my class starts I will be at school early.

So I had a few things pending such as open a bank account, get my Liability Insurance, look for a cell phone and thought on the way back I would get my “Passe Navigo” – metro/bus pass. And off I went… well one would think that the simplest things like opening a door are obvious… but seriously, I had never come across something like this… To get out of the building there’s a button that says “porte” on it, you press it and it opens the door. It’s like the doors stay closed by some sort of strong magnet and this button releases it or something of the sorts. So I figured that one out but once I got to the white gate to get to the street I didn’t see any button, there’s nowhere to put the key and no code to enter… so back to the building & up to the apartment I go. Luckily that work was getting done in the apartment so Catherine was home & she then explained where this door button is. So down I go again and off to the streets of Paris.

There are certain banks that don’t open on Mondays so I found one very close by, about a minute and a half walking from where I’m currently residing, which was open. I lined up. I listened and watched how the front desk lady spoke to the client in front of me. She had a bit of an annoyed look and her tone of voice sounded impatient. As my turn came she realized my eyes were full of intimidation & I was making all the effort I could to speak clearly. I looked through her dark framed glasses & explained I wanted to open a bank account. Her demeanor quickly changed & her voice became soft. She spoke slower to me, made a phone call to check if their bank opened accounts for foreign students and then got back to me. She smiled kindly and booked me for a Thursday appointment.

Back out I went to continue exploring. I had written down Google map directions on how to get to “Allianz” – the insurance company. I figured that although it would take longer to get to, it would be best to walk there to begin to know the city. I surely began to realize how quickly the street names change at any given moment and the amount of forks that only make the trek more fun.

I had my handy little blue note book with me which I checked every so often trying not to get so distracted by all the amazing things I could see such as the bakeries! I was walking down the Avenue des Gobelins on my way to find Blvd Port Royal when I stopped at a small bakery to make sure I was going the right way. I asked what one of the quiches had then quickly moved on to asking the lady if I was going the right way. She looked disappointed that really that was the only reason it seemed I had gone in for. But I was so hungry and the quiche were a good size and for only 2Euros! So I asked the lady for a “Quiche Lorraine” which has ham. She cracked a smile then asked me where I came from. I told her Canada and she said “oh my little brother is studying there now!”. I would like to go back again, other places sell smaller quiche for 3 – 4 Euros.

Finally I continued on as I enjoyed my delicious quiche, saving half for the way back. I finally arrived to the location, got my insurance set and back I went. I arrived back to “Place D’Italie” where there is a large mall and began to ask about cell phones. I get the general idea but my there are some terms people use that make me doubt myself. Maybe I’m not understanding everything or maybe I’m not making myself totally clear… in any case I took pamphlets. There were times that also made it difficult because many tend to have a mumble and no matter how many times you ask, they will mumble again. I suppose that’s a certain Parisian ‘accent’. By this time it was around 5pm. Kids get out of school somewhere between 4 – 5 pm so this mall and the streets were full of parents with kids as well as teenage kids. I looked around a little more then made my way back home.

Catherine wasn’t home and Lola cooked us a pasta dinner for Rachel, myself and Catherine’s husband. To start they had snails, not like butter cooked escargots, like snails being pulled out straight from the shell. Surely they must have been cooked in some way? But I chose not to try those! And of course there was baguette and wine, and after dinner, cheese!

It was a wonderful day!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Day 2 of Exploring.

On this day Rachel and I went out to get some groceries in the morning after breakfast. We had a breakfast that was way too “continental” for us – espresso with milk and some sort of pastry with chocolate chips, I took two, I was very hungry.   But first we went to the Metro to buy some metro tickets for me. Again, it was one of those situations that I wish things would be labeled clearly for those who are not familiar with the city. One of the machines doesn’t accept bills, only the one over did. The man that stood behind me was kind and let me keep my place to wait for the machine that accepts bills. So I got my tickets and off Rachel and I went to the Monoprix. We bought some bananas, yogurts, water, I got some cheese and she got some Mâche salad – a winter salad. It’s very nice, it’s not a lettuce type salad. It’s like little green plants with little round leaves. Then we stopped at a bakery to get quiche!

After that Rachel got ready to go to class and I got my Google maps out once again to take down directions. Next stop: La Sorbonne. I decided to take the metro there. I got off and began looking around. First I bought a phone card at one of those newspaper stands, so I could call my parents back in Ottawa. After following directions, at some point or another the street name changed and I did one of these “I have a feeling it’s this way”. Another good way is to look up & see the tops of familiar buildings such as that of the Pantheon or the round top of La Sorbonne. So I followed what I saw. I got to the Pantheon and I could remember a little bit from when I had last visited with my dad in September, 2010. I kept walking but couldn’t seem to come across the street I was looking for, although I knew I was close. So it was time to ask someone.

A lady stood at the corner of the street where it seemed she too was going to cross. I approached her and asked if she knew where rue de L’Estrapade is, but she too was looking for that street and couldn’t seem to figure it out. We decided to look together and began conversing. Her French sounded beautiful but to my surprise, she also spoke English. I never got her name, but she’s from India and came to study French. We finally arrived at our destination and asked for information about the sign-up days. As we were about to leave I was still in doubt of the documents I had to present and the Indian lady insisted I go back to ask again just in case. This time the man that had answered my previous questions was not at the desk anymore. So I decided to walk into the administration office. I looked over to the far left corner hoping the same gentleman that had done my pre-registration back in September would be there. Aha! I recognized those square black-framed glasses. He signaled me over and so I asked. He then asked if I wanted to sign up right there and there, although that’s not exactly the procedure as the sign-up dates start on the 26 of January. He was very kind and helpful. He took my photo and got me a student ID card. I felt so excited! I paid for my tuition and he wished me good luck. I’m thankful for these little angels that I have come across.

I decided to walk back home instead of taking the metro, this way I could also get to know the surrounding area of the university. I arrived to la rue Mouffetard, what a lovely street! There’s little boutiques, gift shops, markets, boulangeries, pâtisseries, fromageries, chocolateries, oh mon dieu! I walked into a fromagerie as I was amazed to see all the varieties of cheeses. Did you know there are more than 400 kinds of cheese in France? Catherine’s husband explained that these cheese are not the industrial type that are being referred to as part of the 400+ cheeses of France. After taking a photograph of the varieties of cheese I went on. I had let my hair down and it was quite the humid day. When I got back home and looked in the mirror… boy oh boy… MEDUSA hair! But I had an amazing day!

After I came back home Rachel and I went searching for a delicious pastry. She got a slice of apple pie and I got an “éclair praliné”. Amazing.

Lola once again cooked dinner for us. We had dinner sometime after 9 I think. To start we had some radishes and salad. Then a delicious meat lasagna that had this creamy melty cheese, mmmmmmm delicious! I think it was a bought lasagna but wow! it was so good! and for dessert I had a yogurt. Mmmm MMmm MM!

Saturday, January 15, 2011.

How fast it came. For about almost three months prior to this date I had been taking care of all the necessary documents to make this trip possible. And so here was the day to begin a new chapter in my life.
My parents, brother and boyfriend took me to the airport. Boarding time was at 1:25pm, departure time: a little past 2. It was almost 1 and I began getting anxious, and so they walked me over to security. We said our good-byes, held back some tears and off I went. I had already checked in my two large suitcases which I had been nervous about being over the weight limit, but actually had a few lbs to spare. I passed through security and sat by the assigned gate. Gate 17, flight to Toronto.

The day before had been gorgeous with clear skies and a bright sun shining over Ottawa. Saturday however was gray and began to snow. And so my flight was delayed. The airplane departed at close to 4 in the afternoon. We arrived in Toronto at 4:50. I had a lot of time though. I got to the airport and off I went to the next Gate. I was very hungry so I got a wrap and took my time to eat. After that I sat by the designated gate, 180. I took out my laptop and logged on to Skype. I briefly spoke with my love, Steve. My brother was online and called my parents over, so they kept me company for a little while. Boarding in Toronto was a little delayed as well and I was starting to wonder if the gate had changed because no one was at the desk.  Slowly but surely the chairs began to get filled up and the lady finally came.

I boarded the plane and got to my seat – window seat as had been reserved, my favourite, specially for long flights. My mom had insisted for me to bring one of those neck donuts, the saying is definitely true, mom’s know best! Although I didn’t want to carry too many things with me, this was definitely worth carrying as it also served as a pillow to lean against the window and have a more comfortable head rest.

I kept looking around hoping no body would sit next to me so I could have more room to expand but at last somebody came. A man who looked tired but dressed nicely in a casual blue sweater with a white diamond pattern on the front came and stood by the seats. He spoke to me, “that’s my seat”. And all I could think in my head is.. here we go…
“No sir, I have 29 A, the window seat,” and he was quick to reply, “no, it says right here, 29 C is the window seat”  What the hell was this man talking about, not only had this seat been reserved for a while now, sure of which seat I had picked, but I also looked at the little picture they put above the seats to indicate the seat number/letter before having sat down. I looked up and showed him, it was obvious, it was clear which one was his seat and which was mine. “Look sir, it’s shown right here, 29C is the isle seat, your seat”. Of course, he insisted and said “fine we’ll ask the lady then”. I looked over to the seats behind; two older gentleman looked at me and shook their heads in disappointment towards the man… I felt the same. So the flight attendant came around and the man made sure to be louder than me when asking which seat was his, the lady looked at me and said “she’s right, that’s her seat, 29A is the window seat”. “Thank you” I said to the lady with a gentle voice and a little “is it clear now sir” smile towards the man. I could only imagine how much longer this flight would feel than what it was actually going to be. So he sat opened a little bag full of medications, took a few and only made me a little more uncomfortable. Luckily out of the three seats over to the right across the isle from the two seats the man and I were in, two were empty. I was ready to ask the flight attendant to either move the man over or ask to be moved, although I really wanted to the window seat, again, for head comfort. To make this flight story short, the man turned out to be nice and respectful, we never held a conversation but he never tried to bother me and when I had to get up to use the lavatory, he was kind, smiled and stood up gently as well as when I came back.

I woke up for the continental breakfast they gave us on the airplane and tried to stay awake to look out the window as we landed. I’m not sure when exactly I drifted off into dreamland again that I only woke up because of the sound of the wheels touching the pavement beautifully. We arrived at 9:50am.
I go my passport stamped, went to pick up my luggage, looked for a payphone and called the shuttle service number that had been given to me with my reference number. I walked over to the exit they indicated me to, 10, to wait for the yellow van; it was already there. The man took my luggage and said “usually it’s one suitcase per person”, but I told him I had e-mailed the company and had asked if it was alright that I had two large suitcases and a carry-on, they said it was fine and without extra charge. In any case, there was no problem because there were only 3 of us in the shuttle. I gave him the address and I was first to be dropped off. It didn’t take very long to get to my destination, or so it didn’t feel like it was because I was curious looking around. I must have arrived somewhere close to noon.

A nice gentleman came out and asked if I was a student staying at Catherine’s. I said yes, and so he introduced himself – Catherine’s husband. He took my luggage and guided me to the building, up we went the first set of stairs and he called the elevator. He instructed me to get off on the 4th floor. So up I went with my luggage in the tiny elevator. I began taking out my luggage. There were two doors, one on the left and one on the right. I assumed it was the apartment on the right as the door rested a bit open. Suddenly a lovely lady came out and greeted me, “Vanessa?” “oui,” I replied. “Laisse tes baggage, rentre, on fait la peinture et autre choses maintenant alors c’est un peut comme un bazaar, n’inquiete-toi”
I expected a small apartment with the old European look to it. But it sure is different. The walls are bright pink with green molding and at the top. The kitchen is orangy yellow, and the floors creek on every step one takes. She led me to my room; the one on the right at the end of the hallway, “la chambre ‘blu”. I say “blu” instead of “bleu” because the walls in this room used to be blue, now they are white, but the man that has come in to do the painting is not Parisian and pronounces “bleu” as “blu”. The ceiling is blue with white clouds painted over. there’s a book shelf with doors, a wooden dresser without a mirror, and a small desk at one of the corners by the window. The curtains are blue with a pattern of little stars and stripes that frame the blue. My bedsheets are purple with thick pink stripes and thin orange stripes and a pink flowers of sorts. But I have to say this place has a charm to it and a nice atmosphere.
Another thing that took me by surprise is that the family smokes. I don’t support smoking and I’ve never lived with smokers so this made me a little uncomfortable. I met Catherine’s daughter, Lola, and their neighbour. Then Catherine said to me, “tu viens du Canada”, so I responded “oui, d’Ottawa”. She smiled and said, “ah tu as une compatriote”. This lovely lady, younger looking than me came out of one of the other rooms and Catherine introduced us. Her name is Rachel and she’s from Edmonton, how nice to know there’s someone else here from Canada! We got excited to know that and we began to speak a little bit, in English of course without thinking about it. “Ah! non, non, non! pas ici, pas Anglais! tout en Français les filles”, Catherine said. Oops!

Catherine kindly suggested I make myself at home and if I wanted to rest, I could. So I gladly took her offer, I lay on the bed and soon fell asleep. When I woke up it was dark. Catherine and Lola had gone out and Rachel had just came in from having gone out and about. I wasn’t sure what to do. Shortly Catherine and Lola arrived. I began to speak a bit with Catherine as she began making dinner. We then all sat around the table and had dinner somewhere past 8pm, a normal time for dinner in France.

She had prepared mussels to start. I didn’t want to be rude and she suggested I try before saying I didn’t like. So I took two. They were well prepared but I chose to stop at two, I’m not a big fan of seafood and all those watery creatures. Then we had chicken with potatoes and salad. That was very delicious. As well as some baguette and wine. And for after, cheese! Marvelous. It was a very enjoyable dinner and company. A lovely way to end my first day in Paris and exciting to explore!

I’ve touched down in france yesterday, spent most of the day walking, getting settled in but expect more updates soon!