flâner: to stroll

To stroll Paris. Quelle vie!

Things I've stumbled upon lately while "strolling..."

(Jardin des Tuileries)

(Right outside the Palais-Royal)

(Jardin du Palais-Royal)

(On the way to Musee Marmottan)

Paris in fall is incredible. The leaves are changing in the parks, I wear my (p)leather jacket every day, and it is necessary to wear socks around the house at night. My new tradition for snack every day is a cup of coffee and two cookies. Mmm. Fall. Fall. Fall.

A Day in the Life...

Warning: this post will only interest people who love me. Otherwise, it will bore.

Now that I've been here for five and a half weeks, I have begun to sense a pattern of how my days go around here.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays:*

8:30 Wake up, shower, get ready for school, breakfast of cereal
10:00 Leave house for the metro
11:00 Class begins in the 19th district of Paris (yes, this means it takes me AN HOUR to get to class)
1:00 Class over, head back home (in the near future, after my metro pass FINALLY arrives in the mail, I will be able to hang out in Paris for a bit longer. However, as of now I use metro tickets so I can't afford to use them to wander around Paris at the moment)

2:00 Lunch at home (usually consisting of a ham, yummy cheese, olive oil, tomatoes, and salade sandwich, a piece of fruit and one or two rows from a chocolate bar)
2:30-4 Any of the following: updating Facebook pictures, reading (so far I have read "The Help," "Heaven is For Real," "One Day," and pieces of the French version of "Sex and the City" that I haven't been able to get into), situps and/or pushups (trying to keep up with eating so much chocolate), Monoprix trips, homework, etc.

4:20 Take a lovely 10 minute walk to pick up my youngest host sister from school. If it's a nice day, we will stop by the park for an hour or so (really popular thing to do in France-most of her school friends are already at the park when we arrive-it's a nice little break). If not the park, we will go home to eat snack, do homework, and play (including but not limited to Polly Pockets, pretend restaurant, and designing fashion outfits) until 6:40.

6:40 Give youngest host sister a bath. Start boiling water for dinner. Persuade host brother from the TV to go take a bath.
7:00 Put dinner together (always some sort of meat, pasta/rice, and salade combination)
7:30 Dinner is served
7:45 Clean up. Wash dishes, wipe table, sweep.
8:00 Watch French Disney Channel with children until the parents come home.
No later than 8:30 Parents arrive

9:00 Head down to my room where I then make phone calls to Mom and Stacey every night, finish homework, read, update Facebook/e-mail.
12:00 Sleep!

*These are days that include school. On Wednesdays, I am in charge of my youngest host sister for the day because she doesn't have school. On Fridays, I don't have class.

Week-ends: explore the beautiful city that I am blessed to live in.

My Favorite Weekend... So Far!

Last weekend was stellar! After picking up the youngest child from school, taking her and a friend to the park, and making all of the kids dinner, I had my first night out on the town! My host family's former au pair knew exactly where to go-George's Cafe on Rue de la Huchette in the Latin Quarter. What a fun bar! When we walked in to sparklers and chanting, we knew we picked the right spot for a fun atmosphere!

After a drink there, we wandered to Notre Dame. I love going there at night-so much more peaceful! We sat for at least half an hour watching a street performer.

And to my relief, the metro ride home wasn't scary at all! Who knew RER A would be so bustling with normal people at 12:30 on a Friday night!

Saturday (September 24th) was such a good day. I had the day to myself to explore some churches. I ended up checking out St. Severin, St. Sulpice, and St. Germain-des-Pres. All absolutely gorgeous! My favorite that day was St. Sulpice. I couldn't believe I'd never before stumbled upon the beautiful cathedral and its square with a fountain.

Somewhere in between all my cathedral visits, I took a much needed break for lunch. I went the cheaper route and stopped at Monoprix (France's grocery store version of Target). I ended up taking a cup of pineapples, a cookie, and a water bottle to Luxembourg Gardens (one of my favorite places in the world). I can't describe how good it was to be there. As I was walking up, I heard music. Yes, you guessed it (but probably not), there was a live orchestra in the middle of the gardens playing a free concert. The day was absolutely gorgeous, with the sun shining and the leaves just beginning to change... ahh! So I plopped down and stayed there for two hours, eating and reading ("The Help"-wonderful book). Really, one of the most lovely couple of hours I've ever spent.

the orchestra:

the audience:

When I arrived home, not having any plans for the evening, the family invited me to go to dinner and a movie with them. I realized then that this was clearly an indication that God wanted to bless me with my perfect weekend :) We saw a French children's movie called "La Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons" ("The New War of the Buttons) that was set in WWII times in France. What a well done movie! Then we went out for pizza! Yum!

Sunday was another amazing day. Hillsong for church at 11, sushi lunch with more new friends, a delicious latte at a new cafe, and a Hillsong worship service that night with Luc Dumont! God is awesome.

This week I had my first few French classes! The teacher's great, but the class is a little too easy! I'm just going to stick it out, knowing that there's always more to learn no matter what level.

The kids continue to be wonderful. I plan to write more about my experiences with them in my next post!

Vacation in Paris

My vacation in Paris (as explained in previous blog post) began last Friday, September 16th and ended yesterday, September 22nd. What a wonderful week it has been!

Friday: Metro stop: Chatelet les Halles

Forum les Halles-huge mall that I'd never been to! I went to FNAC (French version of Best Buy) and bought some headphones. Then, made a quick stop at H&M (it's a problem, I'm aware).
Librarie Chretienne CLC-bought a bilingual Bible! I needed one because my Bible from home was the one of the first things to come out of my suitcase as my Mom and I rushed to unload heavy things from my overweight suitcase in the airport!
Eglise Saint-Eustache-only actual tourist stop of the day. A beautiful Gothic cathedral built between 1532 and 1632. Fun fact: Mozart's mother's funeral was held here...

Saturday: Chartres

Day Trip! Only an hour outside of Paris, Chartres is an absolutely adorable town! The cathedral is definitely the center of the town's identity, but the old town area is also wonderful. Many specialty shops to be discovered. There was an awesome vegetable market going on, with full tables dedicated to one item, such as cheese, or tomatoes.

As I waited for my 2:45 cathedral tour to roll around, I had lunch at a creperie. Then, stopped at a little patisserie called Patisserie iOOs Sandra & Arnaud. I literally had the most delightful and satisfying (chocolate chip and pecan) cookie I've ever had in my life.

Chartres Cathedral-gorgeous! The inside is fantastic, but I really appreciated the detail of the outside. The tour from Malcolm Miller was so great-I recommend it! He gave us the detailed explanations of 4 of the many stained glass windows. He knew his stuff.

Sunday: Metro: Edgar Quinet

Hillsong-another wonderful service!
Sushi-with two new French friends!
UGC Gobelins-first trip to a French movie theater to see "Crazy Stupid Love"-SUCH a funny, sweet movie!

Monday: Metro: Concorde

Jardin des Tuilleries-perfect on a gorgeous day!
Musee de l'Orangerie-I had never been, so my host family's former au pair and I decided to take a trip. So glad we did! Now one of my favorite museums, featuring Monet's Water Lillies and tons of other great stuff from artists like Picasso and Renoir!

Le Caroussel: Rue de Rivoli: Croque Monsieur near the Louvre for a reasonable price-I'll take it!

Tuesday: Metro: Auber

Opera Garnier-impressive as always.
Galleries Lafayette-wanted another peak!
L'Eglise de la Madeleine-something new! Really interesting! Originally built to be a temple in honor of Napoleon's army, but was consecrated as a church in 1842. Architecture inspired by a Roman temple. (info from Wikipedia)

Wednesday: Day off of Touring/Au pair work day
Young French children have Wednesdays off of school; older French children have half-days on Wednesdays=me nannying on Wednesdays!
Take youngest child to circus class :)
Parc des Anciennes Maries (Nanterre)

Thursday: Metro: Alma-Marceau

Bateaux Moches-tour of Paris by a boat ride on the Seine River with my host family's former au pair! Because this was the second thing I ever did on my first day in Paris almost two and a half years ago, I was reminiscing all day about how my love for this city has just multiplied since that moment. Such a cool experience! A little bit expensive, but the views of the monuments are unforgettable!

After our boat tour, we walked to the Eiffel Tower to get an up close look at one of the most famous structures in the world.

Friday/Today: Break!

But who knows what's in store for tomorrow...

A New "Home"

I can't believe I've only been in France for 8 days-that's less than a normal vacation, but I feel like I've already been living here for months. As each day passes, I'm getting more and more comfortable living with this family. For instance, Sunday night I asked permission to have one of the best desserts in the world-a Magnum icecream bar. Since my hosts were surprised that I even asked and told me I could eat one anytime I wanted, I explained that Magnum bars were "special" in my family. Meaning, last time I bought a pack of Magnum bars in Mt. Pleasant, SC, I hid them in the back of the freezer so my dad wouldn't find them! To my happy surprise, my host mother came home one night later with a 8 bar variety pack of Magnum bars!! She already knows me so well :) I can't go long without my ice cream.

Sunday, I attended my first church service at Hillsong Paris! (Shout out to Allen Shuford who connected me with people there-THANK YOU) I don't have enough words to express the joy I had while being there. Upon walking up on the rainy morning, I was running late and didn't really know where the church was (location: a rented-out Parisian theatre... awesome!). I was greeted in the street with a black umbrella labeled "Hillsong" and a smiling face. Once I told him "Je suis nouvelle," he welcomed me to the church, walked me to the door, and told me where I could sit. After that experience, I know how important church greeters are! The service was amazing. I cried happy tears multiple times because that was the first time in a few days of feeling lonely that I felt "home." I was surrounded by believers in a foreign country-one of the coolest feelings. The services are bilingual-perfect for me! Every other song traded between French and English. The sermon was given by a British pastor and translated in French as he went along. After the service, I talked to some people about getting plugged into a connect group. I can't wait to meet people my age (which is the majority of the congregation)!

My lunch after church

Monday, I got to sign up for my French class! I'm excited about this for several reasons: (1) Finally school doesn't count for anything (no GPA, no parents to make proud with a good report card, etc.)-I'm just in school because I want to learn French, that's all. No pressure from the outside; this is something I want to do. (2) I get to perfect the French that I'm learning so rapidly in daily life. (3) I will meet friends! School is where I expect to meet most of my friends. Yay! A bunch of international friends again (although of course I can't replace the ones I met in Vichy). :)

I start my French class Monday, September 26th. The class will meet 3 times a week for two hours. Until then, for the next week and a half, I'm looking at my life as a vacation in Paris (with no hotel to pay for)! From the time I wake up until I have to get the youngest child from school at 4:20, I am a tourist. As of last night, I have 32 sites on my list. That's a little much to do in a week, so I'll just pick some to do next week and just make sure I get the rest checked off before I leave! Tomorrow, I will be going to Forum des Halles, Centre Pompidou, Ile de St. Louis, and Notre Dame. I'll be taking lots of pictures on my excursions!

Saturday, I have a special item to cross of my list. I will be taking a day trip to Chartres, just an hour train ride away from Paris! There is a cathedral there that is said to rival Notre Dame de Paris! We'll see!! I'll be getting a tour from Malcolm Miller, who was recommended to me by a friend. He is a British man who's studied the Chartres Cathedral for many years, so I'm excited to learn from his wisdom!

So happy to be here! Doing what I do best... loving France.

First Day in Paris

What a wonderful day! I got to sleep in until 10 after a long night of trying to get the internet to work consistently in my basement (it didn’t work). After a leisurely morning and a breakfast/lunch of steak and potatoes (weird?), I headed to the RER to spend a few of the afternoon hours in Paris!

It took me just 5 minutes to walk to the RER station from my house and less than 20 minutes to ride into the center of Paris from Nanterre! What a life I lead! Anyway, I knew I loved rue de Rivoli, so I followed those “Sortie” (exit) signs from the Chatlet metro stop. Right when I came up for air from the metro, I remembered why I enjoyed rue de Rivoli so much. H&M. Not just one… two. I could hear the angels singing. Just to satisfy my cultural side, I stopped in the park that holds le Tours Saint-Jacques. After 10 minutes, I headed straight to H&M. I don’t know what got into me. I can’t explain the force that H&M had on me. Before I arrived, I could’ve sworn the first thing I would do is discover the Louvre a little deeper, revisit my love for the Musee Rodin, or explore the un-explored. But no, I went shopping. Alors, c’est Paris! In my defense, it is valid to “explore” the up and coming fashion trends of the city I call home before I make an unnecessary faux-pas. Ended up with 10 sets of earrings for under 10 euros. Not a bad start.

Tonight, my host family took me out to dinner at Chez Clement in Paris near the Arch de Triomphe. What a wonderful meal! I finally learned how French people really dine. I’ve learned French etiquette in school for years, but never experienced it. I can’t believe after all the time I’ve spent in France that I’ve never eaten dinner with a French person, let alone a French family. The thing I found most bizarre was that my French host family had their hands above the table at all times. I’m very accustomed to the opposite. So, when my host mother kept correcting her son, I found myself having to be reminded of the same thing. No elbows on the table, just hands where we can see ‘em! We talked a lot about politics, very unusual in the U.S.-I need to review some current events! I love the difference in cultures-très intéressant! My host family ordered oysters for an appetizer and a bottle of Bordeaux red wine (they let me choose :). Then, I had a mélange of meats for my entrée and three different flavors of sorbet for dessert (peach, apricot, and pear). Talk about satisfying. Whew!

After dinner, the girls (mother and two daughters) and I rode together and took a petit tour de Paris by car. We drove around the Arc de Triomphe, up the Champs l’Eysees, down Rue Montaigne, and up to the Tour Eiffel. What a beautiful site! I am in love with Paris at night. There is so much life here. I love city life-always something going on, something interesting to do, to see, experience. People, couples, photographers everywhere you look. Having the time of their lives. (Yes, I am a romantic).

Ah, p.s. before I forget. I got the best half-complement in the world today from my youngest host sister (age 6). After I picked her up from school today, She looked up at me as she held my hand and said, “You know you really look Parisian. But when you speak, I know you are American.” Welp, I’m halfway there :)

"Se Vanter"=To Brag

Bonjour! I don't know where to start-I'm at a loss for words to describe how amazing it has been so far. The French family I'm living with is absolutely amazing! The father and mother are so welcoming and down to earth. I already feel so comfortable here! And the kids, the kids are perfect. The eldest girl and I get along fabulously-I think we're kind of similar. She is very helpful with my French. She even tested my vocabulary knowledge on her multitude of silly bands! The middle boy is precious! I haven't been able to get to know him as well yet, but I can tell he's a great kid. And the youngest is hysterical! She is almost 7 and literally bounces off the walls with energy. We went shopping yesterday and holding her hand through the stores and streets was a job within itself, avoiding fast-walking Parisians, shelves of perfume, and the easy things like CARS! :) She's a mess, but so full of life and intriguing!

The house is beautiful. There's a walkway leading up to house that reminds me of the Secret

Garden. It brings you to a small courtyard in front of the entrance. The house is four stories, but it has a very "home-y" feel. The "basement" is all mine! I have my own petite bedroom and a shower room. A little different-my sink is in my bedroom and the toilet is up the stairs. I'll just have to get used to that :)

Yesterday was an adventure. Not only was I thrown into a new life right after getting off of a long flight of no sleep, but I was speaking French constantly all day (except when I called to check in with my parents and Stacey of course :) all while trying to stay awake. Needless to say, my French was struggling by nightfall. Thankfully, they've told me my French was great... I think they're just patient! I definitely realize I have a LOT to learn. Especially at the dinner table when the whole family is together talking quickly, it's a little difficult to follow. But I now know for certain that this is the best learning experience available! I have been speaking so much French that it feels awkward to write in English-please excuse my bad English in advance as the year continues!

I gave my host mom a gift from my real mom yesterday-a coffee table book, "Charleston: Then and Now." There was a picture of the Citadel and they said "oh, a military school." I said, "actually not to... hmm what is the word for brag?" After many tries on both sides to translate, my host mother looked it up online to find that the French word for brag is "se vanter." I went on to explain that my grandfather was the president of the Citadel, etc. Last night at dinner, while I was lost within the conversation, the eldest daughter said something and everyone laughed. When they looked at me like I was should be laughing along, I asked, "what does that mean: 'brag"? (in a french accent). My host mother then explained that her daughter had used the English word "brag" in a sentence... I just hadn't understood because of her French accent! Haha! All that to reinforce, I have a lot to learn :)

I plan to go into Paris for the first time since I've been here today! I have a lot of little errands to run! I hope to take pictures today and post them soon! A bientot!