checked out.

what's so amazing that keeps us star gazing?

So, this past easter weekend I was in Paris with Pauline and Nana, of all people! It was pretty remarkable to spend an entire weekend with Nana when I don't think I've spent an entire day with her in over 8 years.  But at long last, the planets aligned and we were able to come together for a wonderful weekend in Paris. Pareeeeee. Thanks to Pauline's mom we were able to stay in Paris on a small budget and have a warm, comfortable home to come home to after long days of lounging in cafes and wandering the streets while warding off bizarre frenchmen.

Lying for hours in the sun on the steps of Sacre Coeur. Access denied at Buddah Bar due to inappropriate attire (what, chucks don't cut it??) Hookah bar. Getting approached by random Americans.  Sneaking into the downstairs club without paying 20 euros. 5 am paninis and crepes.  Full moon on the Champs-Elysees.  Taking the metro home at 6 am while everyone else is taking it to go to work. Chocolat chaud. Paying 60 euros for chinese and STILL being hungry. Easter chocolates. Crepes for breakfast. Gagging at the sight of the new Louis Vuitton logo pattern. Walking Juju the french bulldog on the Champs-Elysees. Paying 5 euros for a KEBAB and being completely satisfied. 3 movies in a row. Midnight brownie binge in the kitchen with Nana while everyone else was asleep.

Remember that song from Girl Scouts? "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold." Yea, I know, cheesy.  But, it was great to spend a weekend spent with 2 golds.  Definitely a weekend to remember.

Anyway. Back in Toulouser now. Today is March 29 and on July 29 I will be flying back to LAX and then making my way to the nearest burrito. Can you believe it? 4 more months. It's even harder to believe that I've been here for over 7 months. I have mixed feelings about staying here through the month of July since pretty much everyone else I know here will be leaving in June, but I figure since I'm paying for July's rent anyway, I might as well stay.  Let's just call it my month of meditation and approfondissement de soi.

Planning to go to Italy in April. si si! ho troppo lavoro! uno due tre! I'm over french, I'm moving to Italy. well...maybe someday.

I feel like I'm forgetting to add something important...something marvelous and exciting...

Well, I spent St. Patrick's day picnicking at the park with two scots and an englishman...but no Irishman. and then I spent St. Patrick's night out celebrating with Brits and Americans and the French who had no clue what the day was about. Then I spent the next two days picnicking at the park along the river some more.  Those were the kind of picture perfect french days that I always used to dream of.  Dogs, couples, hippies all over the place.  Wine, champagne, ice cream. Blankets, green grass, putting my hand in dog poop...ok, not 100% picture perfect...

ok, fun times all around. school's good too, but it's neither marvelous nor exciting to talk about.

it's late. bonne nuit!

poutous for your foufoune

So, I need to update more.  I keep waiting for some big event to happen that will inspire me to write something marvelous and interesting, but isn't every day while living in France marvelous and interesting?

So, I figure I'll make this a bit more informal and just write about the random stuff I do. Like today I slept in until around 2 p.m. because that's when Claudia came and jumped on the bed. Then I got my big butt up, got dressed, and went to a cafe with Erin, Claudia, and Pauline. We chattered loudly in english with a couple loud interjections of french words thrown in there as well. Words like "soucon" (hickey) and "poutous" for your "foufoune"...i'll tell you what that means another time...

Then I went to take a creative writing class at school in the student lounge of the literature department.  It was my first time attending this class so I didn't really know what I was getting into.  I arrived at the lounge 15 minutes late and had trouble spotting familiar faces in the smoke-filled. When I found them in the corner they were passing around mangos and cut-up pineapple which I gladly ate since I had only eaten a banana and a chocolatine for breakfast. Sorry, this story has no point! Haha.

I guess what I would like to express is how happy I've been for the past month or so. Things have really come together here and I finally feel settled.  I love the city, I love the people I've met, and I really just love my life here.  It definitely hasn't been what I expected it to be. No, I don't have millions of french friends and, no, I'm not fluent in french, but I've gained so much from this experience in so many other ways.  I'm afraid to lose the happiness that I've acheived here, but at the same time I can't wait to get home and get another chance to make the most of my college years.  It's going to be my last year at Irvine and I want it to be my best.

Ok, it's late. I should go to bed. Last night was the first time I went to sleep in my own bed by myself since I've been making Pauline let me sleep with her in her heated room since I prefer to avoid the arctic temperatures of my ice palace. 

Oh, can't end this post without mentioning the 80's party that we had this past weekend.  Lots of fun, lots of mess.  Of course I was the one to pick up the phone when the landlord called yesterday to reprimand us for leaving the staircase dirty with bottles and cigarette butts...oops. The French really had trouble understanding the concept of the 80's party, but the Americans really came through and went all out with their costumes. Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Maverick from Top Gun were all in attendance.  I'll post pictures up soon.  All in all, a successful party it was.