You never know what you're going to run into....

Another beautiful day in life. I woke up this morning and there was not a cloud in the sky!!! I went on yet another one of my solo walks and explored the 7th and 16th. I started off the day with walking across the street to the Champ de Mars. I ran into a random gathering of people square dancing, and a man shouting out the dance moves in English, with a Southern accent. Very unusual, you never know what you're going to run into....

I really love the 16th, it is so beautiful. I discovered an aquarium right across the river from where I live, I'll have to check it out one of these days. Right next to the aquarium was a nice park, where I sat and soaked in the beauty of life.

After exploring for quite awhile, I had worked up quite an appetite, so I found a boulangerie and got a sandwich and a DELICIOUS brownie! I enjoyed my lunch back at my apartment with a lovely breeze coming through my windows. Mikayla met me at my apartment and we went to the Trocadero because we heard that there was going to be a flashmob at 2:30. Unfortunately, the flashmob was SUPER lame, and not even worth mentioning. But we enjoyed a nice afternoon on the Trocadero with all of the tourists.

Trocadero

After suffering through the horrible flashmob, we decided that it was necessary to participate in Happy Hour, so we met Jared at the Indiana club near Mikayla's apartment and enjoyed a drink. While we were drinking, we kept hearing the sound of heavy base, so we decided to investigate. We approached Rue de Rivoli, one of the main roads in the 1st, and there was a HUGE crowd and loud music! There were multiple moving stages with bands and DJs and hundreds of French youths following in mobs and dancing. So obviously, we decided to join. It was AMAZING! The music was great, everyone was either drunk or high and dancing their hearts out. Only in Paris can you enjoy a rave in the streets at 6 pm on a Sunday evening. Apparently it was to raise awareness about AIDS. It was one of the best times I've had so far. The French know how to party, that's for sure.

 

And of course it was Sushi Sunday, so after we were done partying it up, we met everyone at sushi and caught up with eachother. A few of us decided to go to gelato afterward, but we made it an early night, because tomorrow is the first day of school! I'm excited to get a routine, but I'm sad to see my free time come to an end! Wish me luck tomorrow!

This is my city now

This morning I woke up and is WASN'T pouring rain, so I was thrilled and felt inspired to go out and enjoy the beautiful city that I live in! I decided to try and walk to Mikayla's house, and see how long it took to get there. However, I got a little caught up in the gorgeous day, and the amazing setting, so I decided to go where ever my feet took me, and didn't look at a map once. I saw parts of the city that I had never seen before and it was amazing! It ended up taking me over 2 hours to get to Mikayla's place, but I loved every second of it. It was during this walk that I fell in love with Paris. It was the first time that I truly believed that I could live here.

 

 

When I finally got to Mikayla's place, we went to the closest Boulangerie and got chocolate eclairs, which were obviously delicious. We went to Les Halles and did a little shopping. I really wanted tights, so I bought two pairs at H&M. Afterward, we went on a search for SFR in hopes of finally getting internet for Mikayla. Unfortuanately, she was not successful in getting internet. However, we were both in a very "holiday" mood, so we splurged and went to Starbucks to get Chai Lattes. It tasted like home, which further put me in an even better mood.

 

I went home and took a nap for quite awhile, and then had a super easy au pair shift. Mikayla came over around 9 o'clock and we went grocery shopping and enjoyed our dinner on the Champ de Mars while watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle. Since tourist season is coming to a close, the park was very quiet and empty. It was a very enjoyable evening. She came back to my place where we are now having a slumber party. We're talking about all of the things we have planned for when our men finally come to our beautiful city. Exactly 12 more weeks until my love is here with me. So excited :)

Life is Beautiful

Today was a great day. Emily, Ashley and I started the day with Pain au Chocolat and a walk around the Champ de Mars. It was an incredibly overcast day, but it was quite beautiful.

Emily and Ashley in front of the Peace monument

Afterward, we walked to Les Invalides, where we discovered some sort of military ceremony where they were giving out medals of honor. It was cool!

Despite the crisp weather, we took a little walking tour of the city. We walked by Notre Dame, and took a little stroll along the Seine.

Childhood friends in Paris :)

We then walked to St. Michel and did some shopping. That's where Mikayla met up with us. We showed Emily and Ashley the street of St. Michel, La Sorbonne, and the Pantheon, along with a few cute shops. Afterward, we showed them one of my favorite places in Paris, Le Jardin du Luxembourg. We hung out in the garden for quite some time. It was a beautiful fall day and we decided to sit on a bench and just soak it all in. It was my favorite part of the day, and I saw parts of the park that I had never seen before.

We also stumbled upon Lady Liberty

After soaking in the beauty of the Garden, we made our way to the 1st, where we did a bit of shopping and went through a few tourist shops by the Louvre. By that time, I was really tired and needed a nap, so I headed back to my apartment to sleep. After my nap I au paired till 8, and after my shift Emily, Ashley, Mikayla, Amanda and I went back to St. Michel to get falafel and gelato. Once we ate, we headed to Notre Dame and Hotel de Ville to show Emily and Ashley how beautiful they were at night. We headed back to my neighborhood, where we walked to the Eiffel Tower so Ashley and Emily could buy some more souvenirs from the gypsies. By that time it was 11 pm, so we headed back to my apartment and crashed. It was an absolutely beautiful day.

 

 

Lady Gaga and friends from home

So my camera was dead today, so no pictures....but Sunday was a great day as well! I was a bit tired from the festivities of Saturday night, so I took it easy in the morning. Then Jared texted me and asked if I wanted to go to the Champs-Elysees to try and see Lady Gaga make an appearance at Sephora. The crowds were insane, and we waited for quite a while, but we ended up seeing her arrive, which was pretty awesome! Afterward, we went to the Louvre to go to the Apple store because Jared needed new adaptors. Sadly that was my first time in the Louvre this time in Paris, and it was only in the mall section. Around 5 o'clock I needed to head to Gare de Lyon to pick up my childhood friend Emily Walker and her lovely friend, Ashley. They are staying with me for a few days. It is so nice to have a familiar face from home! There's not much more to say about today, but I just wanted to make a quick note of how amazing it was! :)

Festivities of all sorts!

Well Saturday was an absolutely amazing day. I started out the morning with a wonderful Skype date with mon amour, Casey. From 10:30-12:30 I had an au pair shift, where I only worked with Solene. Afterward, I hopped on the metro and headed to Mikayla's. There was a lovely little festival on her street with bands, dancers, and various other performers. It was fun.

 

 During the festival, we realized that we were both starving, so we went on a mission to find food. We ended up both ordering a chicken dish, which ended up kind of upsetting my stomach, because I don't really eat meat anymore. It was still delicious though.

 

After eating, we decided to explore the city and various shops. We ended up running into the Opera building which is beautiful.

Place de la Madeleine

L'Opera

 

Super decorated Metro station

 

We walked for quite awhile and got a sudden craving for hot chocolate. So we went to Amorino, where they have AMAZING hot chocolate!!!

DELICIOUS

 

I went home and took a long night to prepare for the night of epicness that we had. It was Amanda's 21st birthday, so obviously we had to celebrate! We went to a really fun bar and danced and drank the night away. We didn't get to sleep until almost 5 am, but it was a really fun night!!! 

Pre-gaming at Mikayla's

 I'm really starting to love my Parisian life.

Shopping in Paris, Living the Dream

Oh my goodness, today was SUCH  a busy, non-stop day! I got up at 8 o'clock and got ready. I went to the MICEFA office to pick up my updated Certificat de Scolarite. I'm never very thrilled to go to MICEFA, because it takes a while to get there from my house, and I have to take the RER B, which I despise. I got on the RER and was instantly harrassed by a little gypsy child: No, I will not give you money....Turns out our student cards came in too (FINALLY), so I picked mine and Mikayla's up while I was there. I then made my way back to my apartment and climbed all the way back up my 144 stairs, just to drop off some things and get my bigger purse. I walked a few blocks down from my apartment and went to the Body Shop to pick up some body cream and scrub for Mikayla and I (buy 4 items and get 20% off, so we took full advantage of that). I made my way to the metro station to pick up application forms for the Carte Imagine-R, which is a metro pass that is cheaper in the long run. We've had to wait to apply for them until after we received our student cards. I hopped on the metro and took it to Mikayla's apartment, because today was SHOPPING DAY!! Jovanni, Kirstie, and Betsy met us as well and from there, we were off to shop! We went to all of our favorite stores and I am happy to say that everyone had a successful shopping day!! We finally stopped shopping around 4-4:30ish and we were all EXHAUSTED. We headed back to Mikayla's apartment to gather the rest of our stuff and then I had to hurry back home. I only had about 20 minutes at home before I had to head down to au pair from 6-8, so I used that time to eat some avacado on baguette (the first thing I had eaten all day). Luckily the shift went by really fast. But I was wiped out afterward! I came home and rested for about an hour, and then it was time to Skype my wonderful, beautiful friend DOMINIQUE LIGOURI! Unfortunately, the connection was a bit sketchy, but we made it work and ended up having a lovely conversation. Now I have to wait up until midnight to try and Skype my dear parents. I am very excited to finally lay down in my bed, because I have been running around all day!! It was an absolutely wonderful shopping day with my lovely ladies! :)

Montmartre & Sacre Coeur

It was another beautiful day in the city today, so there was no way I was staying inside. On my way to my metro station, I ran right into a flea market! It was great! I bought a little something for my dear sister, Hann. I then made my way to Mikayla's apartment. Mikayla, Efren and I decided to explore Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. We were a bit American today, and went into various tourist shops. I walked away with a pretty little scarf. Then, we decided to go inside Sacre Coeur, which I had never done before. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so I couldn't capture any of the beauty.

Sacre Coeur

Afterward, we ate lunch at a great little pizza place in Montmartre, walked through a few more tourist shops, and then headed home. When I arrived back at my metro station, the flea market was still there! I explored it a bit further. They had some really neat things, but I was too cheap to get anything. It was great though! When I returned home, it was about time for my Skype date with my very best friend, Steven Vance! I haven't Skyped with him since I've been here, so it was quite necessary! It was great to catch up and see him.

At the end of our conversation, it was time for me to leave for our traditional "Sushi Sunday". So I hopped back on the metro and the seven of us met at Mikayla's place. The waiter recognized us from last week and gave us a free carafe of wine. Score! Afterward, Amanda, Mikayla and I needed something sweet, so we walked down the street to McDonalds (I know, don't judge) and got McFlurries. Now I am back in my little nest, ready for a full night's sleep after a busy day!

I'm home.

This morning I woke up pretty early at Jovanni and Kirstie's apartment, and hobbled my way back to my place with feet that felt like they were going to fall off. I was back at around 8 o'clock and rested until I headed down to spend the morning with my French family at 10:30. This weekend is a special weekend for France known as la Journee du Patrimoine. It is a weekend where a lot of places that are not usually open to the public, open their doors and let people tour them. Beatrice invited me to go with her and Matthieu and Solene to the Ministere des Outre-Mer, which is the place where all of the French Territories are regulated (or something along those lines), places like, St. Bart and Martinique. We went on a little tour of the place, which I found quite interesting. The building was beautiful, as are most things in Paris.

One of the biggest things that excited me today, was when Beatrice was speaking to me. She kept switching between French and English (I'm not sure that if it was on purpose), and it was amazing how my brain adjusted to the language and I could understand it automatically either way. Strangely, there were points where I looked back in hindsight, and couldn't remember whether she had spoken to me in English or French. I feel like that was a major breakthrough. I'm still apprehensive to respond in French, but the comprehension is improving immensely. After the tour, Beatrice showed me this adorable neighborhood that was hidden behind an enormous wall.

This little neighborhood was completely hidden behind enormous walls. My French family is pictured here.

We returned to the apartment a little after 1 and went our separate ways. I really enjoyed spending the morning with the family. When I got home, I took a much needed nap and then met up with Mikayla around 4 o'clock to attempt to get myself a cell phone and then have lunch together. We discovered a great shopping area close to my house, which I am thrilled about. Unfortunately, today was Saturday so everything was super crowded. There was even a long line at the cell phone store, so I decided to return on a weekday and get my cell phone later. We then went to Franprix and got simple sandwiches, chocolate, and bottles of water. We decided to treat ourselves to Starbucks (the first one I've had here, because they're so expensive). From there, we walked to this lovely park that Beatrice pointed out to me. It's not tourist-filled like the Champs de Mars, but it has a great view of les Invalides. Mikayla and I hung out there for quite some time and chatted. It was a beautiful afternoon.

When I got home, I heard the sound of bongo drums coming from across the street at the Champs de Mars and into my apartment windows. I told Mikayla to come back and explore what was going on with me. So I made us some pasta and we headed down to investigate. Turns out, there were two separate groups of people who just decided to play drums and guitars for fun. We sat on the lawn and ate our pasta while enjoying the music and the sparkling Eiffel Tower.

The two of us headed back up to my apartment around 9:30 or 10 and hung out for a few minutes, and then decided to meet up with Jared and get gelato. We ate our gelato by Notre Dame and then decided to call it a night and head back to our apartments. I am really starting to get into the groove of things and it's really beginning to feel like home.

Bars and Barefoot in Paris

Friday was a really great day. It was our last day of our PLP class, so the day consisted of a short class period and then a potluck/movie day. Afterward, we had an activity at le Jardin du Luxembourg. It was a picnic for all of the CSU students. It was a bit cold, so we used wine to warm ourselves up.

It was a lovely time at the park, and lasted until about 4 pm. I returned to my apartment and rested a bit before my au pair shift at 6. My shift was super easy. It consisted on playing English computer games with Matthieu, and reading a few chapters with Solene. Piece of cake. When I got home, I took a shower and got ready for my night out.

A bunch of us decided that we needed to celebrate our PLP classes coming to an end. So we went out to a local bar. A big group of us decided to meet at Jovanni and Kirstie's apartment, because the bar was right down the street from their place. We met there around 10:30 and left for the bar. It was a really great night full of lots of good music and dancing. The only glitch was that there were a lot of creepy guys there, but we warded them off.

Talia's first time being drunk. "Why is everything so funny? Am I going to die?"

Sweaty before even going to the bar. Gotta love the hot metro!

Since there were so many weird guys at the bar, we decided to try and find another one. However, by that time, Jovanni, Talia, and I all had feet that were killing us. We were walking much slower than the rest of the group; therefore, we lost the group. Luckily, Talia managed to catch the last metro of the night back to her place. However, I still had all my stuff in Jovanni and Kirstie's apartment, so I was not able to take the metro home. Plus I would never leave Jovanni all by herself, obviously. Unfortunately, Jovanni did not bring her apartment key, because she figured we would all be together all night, and her roommate, Kirstie, had a key. We wandered the streets of Paris barefoot (gross, I know) and went to a cafe at either 2 or 3 in the morning and got coffee and sandwiches. We then headed back to their apartment in hopes that the rest of the group would return soon. Furthermore, Jovanni did not remember the access codes to either of the security doors into her apartment building. After trying countless combinations, somehow....by the grace of God.....she figured them both out and we were able to go inside and wait outside their apartment door. The trip up the 6 flights of stairs to their apartment included the lights going off, and Jovanni plummeting down the stairs. It could not have made a louder sound in the absolutely silent apartment building. We probably waited for 30-40 minutes (I'm not quite sure), and finally the rest of our comrades returned! We all spent the night at their apartment, sleeping 4 to a bed. Very comfortable. It was quite the adventure.

Exploring the city

Today was an absolutely amazing day. I woke up in a really good mood and my allergies were not bothering me too much. I was feeling very inspired, so I got ready really quickly and headed outside on this beautiful day. Across the street, there was a marathon called "La Parisienne" It was baracaded off, so I had to look through the gate.

I then decided to start walking, without thinking of a destination. It was by far one of the best days I've had yet. I was by myself, so I got some much needed "Simone Time" while also getting to explore the absolutely beautiful city I live in. The first building that I ran into was Les Invalides.

There were a ton of exhibitions going on, so I decided to check out what was happening inside.

I really loved the garden out front.

I wandered through all of the corridors of the building, while avoiding the exhibits that involved tickets. It was a really neat place.

 

After exploring Les Invalides for quite some time, I continued walking on the Parisian streets and passed by a very pretty park.

Everything here is so beautiful.

I ended up on the other side of Les Invalides (it's quite a large compound).

After, I found myself walking across one of the most ornate bridges in Paris.....

Even the lampposts are works of art.

I crossed the bridge and ran right into the Grand Palace and the Petit Palace.

I came upon a street that seemed to be very important. Turns out it was the Champs-Elysses....Duh.

I really enjoyed this little park that I found off the Champs-Elysses.

So, I was super stoked to find myself on the Champs-Elysses. Prime shopping area? Yes, please. Even though all of the shops are horrendously pricey, it was still fun looking through them and dreaming of buying a necklace for 550 euros. I ended up finding an H&M, which was more in my price range, and bought two shirts. I continued down the Champs-Elysses until I got to L'Arc de Triomphe, which is one of my favorite monuments in Paris.

By this time, my stomach was empty and my feet were tired, so I decided to take the metro back to my apartment to make myself some lunch. I had a huge lunch and took a glorious nap.
In the evening, Mikayla, Amanda, and I decided to go to sushi. So we all met at Mikayla's apartment and went to a sushi place that is right down the street. It was DELICIOUS! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was an absolutely beautiful night, so we decided to walk to the Amorino that is right by Notre Dame to get some gelato. On our walk over there, we passed the Hotel de Ville. It looked stunning at night.

We enjoyed our nighttime walk, and of course we enjoyed our gelato, and proceeded on to Notre Dame to watch the fire dancers.

By that time, it was almost 10 o'clock. After being on my feet for practically all day, I was ready to go home. This has seriously been one of the greatest days since I arrived. I finally forgot all of the stresses in my life and enjoyed Paris!! It is truly a gorgeous city with so much to offer!!