Nance in France

Italy

2009-07-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

So, I am in Italy now and have been here for a week. Internet access for me has been very limited and most of it has been dedicated to my course selection for back at SFU, and searching for hostels and researching cities. I stayed in Florence for 5 nights at 2 different hostels, and then I went to a small town called Sora for 2 nights. I am in Florence now and it is really nice. I will try to see some museums tomorrow and I am usure where I shall go next. I will go to Berlin in 1 week to see friends, and then to Switzerland to see my family there. I have 3 more weeks in Europe before I return home, it has been really good here. I will writeout some stories soon if I can... or else I will just have to tell them all to you in person when I return home.

Eilat

2009-07-10T15:02:00.001-07:00

From Monday - Wednesday we enjoyed the sun by the Red Sea in Eilat. :) It was beautiful there and very hot. In the afternoon it was over 40 degrees! Eilat is at the South-Eastern tip of Israel on the Red Sea. The Red Sea is at the meeting point of four countries: Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. From Israel, the only country you can easily visite is Jordan where you can go on a day trip to Petra, but we did not have time to go this trip.

Instead, we spent the trip lazing around the pool of our hotel (Isrotel Riviera Club) and snorkeling at the coral reefs. The coral reefs in Eilat were amazing, we swam and were completely surrounded by fish. We spent a lot of time in the water and then went to Aroma Cafe for a nice salade and Ice Aroma.

We then went back to continue snorkeling and I cut my foot on the dock. I had the lifeguard get me a bandaid, and we were invited back up to the lifeguard area and were given popsicles and cold water. :)

Other events included shoping. I bought a nice dress from Mango, and a tank top from Top Shop. These are both stores that are not found in Vancouver (except I hear that Mango has a boutique at the Vancouver airport?). Eilat was the perfect place to buy them since Eilat is tax free!

In the evenings we went one evening to a place called Monkeys, which is very popular and had a live cover band. And the second evening we went to a lounge on the beach and watched the stars.

All in all, we had a great time in Eilat. If i went again I would try to participate in a water sport there. They have boats and water toys that can be rented. One of the most popular things there is Kite Boarding. I would also make time for a day trip to see Petra.

Israel, out and about

2009-07-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Since camping ended, Gloria and I have not stopped moving. We spent the next day in Tel Aviv going to the Carmel market, Nevetsedik (a cute road) for lunch and then to the Beach. We started near the Dolphinarium and made out way up. On the walk up, 2 guys who happened to be walking at the same pace as us as my friend in Hebrew where Gordon beach was. It is a well known beach, and this may or not have been a conversation starter. Anyhow, we ended up hanging out with them for the afternoon at the beach. The people in Israel are very friendly. :). I also found it very interesting to speak with them, as they were my age but due to the circumstances of their country, doing very different things than I am. At 21, an Israeli is generally finishing up their army service, while a Canadian is finishing up university. They have to put thier lives on hold to serve their country and after, most want to travel. Here in Israel military service is mandatory for males and females. So, when we were talking to people at the Clara that night (a beach club... sooooo nice), it was noted that really, we were not that unsafe in Israel as everyone there is a soldier. Also, it is interesting to think that everyone we meet, their mothers even had to serve in the Army.

The next day we woke up early and went to Ein Gedi, Masada (great view!!.. a hilltop village) and then to the Dead Sea. We decided to go to the Ein Gedi Spa, as having somewhere to wash off after the Sea is important. We started off by a quick dip in the pool and then to cover our bodies in mud. It was great, covering myself from head to toe in mud. I love mud. Anyhow, after we went into the Dead Sea. It is true that you actually float! I lifted my feet and they went straight to the surface! Flipping onto my stomach, I had a hard time putting them back down... took a lot of muscle! After the nice day, we drove back to Tel Aviv and went to my friend's sister's house to watch a movie.

Today, we just lazed around and went to the beach in Tel Aviv again. I got to go SURFING with her sister's husband. I managed to catch a couple waves but never to fully stand and stay up. I didn't do too badly for my first hour of surfing. Some people there were really great. Surfing is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Israel, but people here really love it and there are great waves. I had to stop after only and hour because my legs were raw from rubbing the board. So, Gloria and I played a paddle game that is very popular here.

So, I will update again in about 3 days with news from our trip down to Eilat. :)

Camping in Northern Israel

2009-07-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

From Tuesday to Thursday Gloria, her nephew, her mother and I went camping in Northern Israel. The day was off to a rough start when we stopped by her mother's house to pick her up. We stopped in front of the stairs that lead up to her house and I waited in the car with her nephew... double parked. After about 5 min a man wanted to leave his parking place so I had to move the car. I called her to get the code to unlock the door and slowely was able to pull forward (my first time driving since last August). Moments after I pulled forward a police officer came up to my window and started yelling at me in Hebrew. Eventually I was able to speak to say I did not speak Hebrew and then he repeated his speach in English. It was not that bad and luckily Gloria soon returned and was able to get the officer to offer to help her with her bags!

Finally we were off, driving north up to Ceasarea, an old city built by Harrod that had a splendid port which is now sunken into the sea. We spent most of the afternoon there and went swimming by the old aquaduct. Our next destination was Mogiddo (Armageddon) where we walked up the hill to see the valleys where it is written that that will take place. By this time it was getting late and we had no time to stop in Nazereth, so we just drove through it.

After a billion wrong turns (no roads in Israel are well marked) we arrived at our first nights camp ground. It looked very odd... basically there was no grass and no trees, just gravel covered by huge canopies. There were 3 other people at the site who invited us to dine with them. They also informed us of a yellow snake that they had just seen. Needless to say, we all just laughed nervously at the state of the site, the people, and the snake. We considered leaving but ended up staying since it was late. It ended up being a nice evening where we had a campfire together and the 4 of us slept in a tent.

The next morning we woke up all hot and sweaty from the heat. We made our was straight to Caperneum, which has one of the synagogues that Jesus preached at. It is also the small town that a number of the Apostles are from. Next came the Mt. of Beatitudes and then Tel Dan which was the major destination for the day. Tel Dan, where the tribe of Dan lived, became idol worshippers and were then cursed. It was a beautiful park to walk around though. The last stop of the day was Nimrod's Fortress which is near Mt. Hermon (the tallest mountain in Israel). Nimrod's Fortress was fun because it was built a bit more recently, in the early 13th century, and therefore was more intact so we could go climbing through it, down creepy staircases and sneak through secret passages. That night we slept near Tiberius at a B&B.

Our final day, we went to the Jordan river (where Jesus was baptized) and then to Beit She'an to see another archeological site. We wanted to see one last site and to get there a route was chosen that would take a main highway... through a Palestinian controlled area. So, we arrived at the border and not allowed through. So we asked the guards an alternative route; they were all very friendly. About 4 helped us, and another 5 were standing further away calling out "we speak English!". We were unable to see the site, and went straight back to Tel Aviv. A great 3 days of camping came to an end.

Israel!

2009-06-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

Just letting everyone know that I arrived safely in Israel Sunday morning... at about 4 am! I spent yesterday at the beach in Tel Aviv getting a bit of a suntan and relaxing. There were really large waves and lots of people surfing. I hope to get a chance to surf before I leave, but yesterday we just got beat up by the waves while walking through the water. The water is even saltier than in Vancouver. We then went to Jaffo. It is gorgeous here, and not too hot!

Today we are off to Jerusalem.

Bye Parisian Student Life!

2009-06-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

I leave for Israel tomorrow. My exams went well. I have no internet access at my place and no time here at a friends. The past week has been very crazy. Everynight a goodbye party, my final exams, packing, etc. I will miss Paris and everyone here a ton. I will (I promise) write about what has happened here in June as soon as I can. I have a ton of pictures and stories to share. Hope all is well! A bientot.

9?

2009-06-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

Today, is an intense study day waiting to happen. This morning I went to coffee with a friend from school, and then proceeded to have lunch with another. What occurs to me, is this is the last time I will have one-on-ones with these people, as I only have 9 days left here! I may see them in passing, but the days are so numbered!

I again bring little news... Last night there was a BBQ for all the people from Vancouver and all the Sciences-Po students going to Vancouver next year. It is neat that there will be at least a little continuity in the people I know. They all showed up late, but that is normal here. If you set a dinner for 6, don't expect people until 730, etc.

Continuing todays procrastination, I read other people's blogs... when I found this (click here) and recognized that I am NZ from Vancouver :P. It was fun hanging out with her. Her, being a girl from my Media and Politics class. However, do I actually ever talk like that? I honestly cannot believe I said "Blast", but I suppose it is possible.

I promised to put up picture, but that will be tomorrow. :)

10 -- last 10 days

2009-06-16T01:46:00.000-07:00

I leave here in 10 days and so much is going on. Finals, trip planning, choosing courses for SFU in the fall, saying bye to friends, trying to check off all the things I have yet to do in Paris.

The past while has been VERY rainy, but it has been fun. I will post some pitcures tomorrow of things that have happened, my thoughts are not organized enough at this moment to properly write a post.

A bientot.

So French, so Roland Garros

2009-06-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
This past week has been very busy, yet relaxed. I had all my homework deadlines extended until this coming monday (so, I shall have a very fun weekend), and last weekend was a long weekend (again), so I took advantage of it around Paris. It all started on Wednesday night when I went with friends to watch Barcelona FC kick Manchester Uniteds ass. I was thrilled that Barcelona won, since I got to see them play live last fall, meaning I got to see the best of the best live!

On Fridat night, I went to a Ballet at Opera Garnier (beautiful Opera house in Paris) and saw a Ballet based on a Marcel Proust novel. It was one of the weirdest ballets I have seen...very strange. After the ballet I joined up with friends on a friends rooftop where we took in a nice sunset over the city.

Saturday morning, I was heading to Laure's house to have lunch and throw in my laundry. When I told her I was planning to go line up for evening tickets at Roland Garros (French Tennis Open), she was like, "O! I didn't realize you were interested in going! I had some tickets earlier this week that I could have given you". Although she had no tickets for that afternoon, she was able to work her magic and snag me and my friend general entry tickets. So, within an hour of arriving at her house me and a friend were soaking up the French Open. It was lovely there. We got to see Del Potros play against Andreeve, and then Robredo vs. Gonzalez (my spelling may be way off). We then saw some doubles play, including a Canadian player Nestor.

The rest of the week consisted of 2 going away dinners :(... I am so sad people are already leaving, a couple picnics in parks and a lot of shopping. You see, I have the Sciences-Po Gala this Saturday, so I had to go dress shopping with friends. I found one that I really like, but it is a bit odd... so I may have to go to the shops again to see if I find anything better. Anyways, back to writting my exciting presentation on the "Birth and developpment of Yoga in the Occident".

Loscolo, Bretagne

2009-05-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, me and my friend Anna were invited by our friend Virgile to go to his families summer home in Loscolo Bretagne with his friends from Angers. It was a great weekend and the place really reminded me of Hornby as the weather and the relaxation were similar. Anyhow, I am adding a slideshow as well as 2 videos from the weekend. Enjoy!

The photos.

This one is of two guys playing pingpong, a guy inside on the piano, and virgile reading his book outloud.

Virgile playing amazing grace on some odd instrument.

once again... off for the weekend!

2009-05-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I am leaving this weekend. Again. This time to Bretagne (Brittany) with some friends from here, I will update you and show pictures as soon as I return!
-nancy

Group Motivation

2009-05-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had my midterm for my Religion and Society course. We were tested on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. There was a lot of stuff to learn (which I now know, so I am happy to answer any questions you may have, and put this new knowledge to use!). It was a crazy 3 days of cramming before the test and I was happy to have friends to study and go over concepts with. We had a lot of fun pronouncing names like: Muhammad ibn abd-al-Wahhab and Jnana Yoga and making up good acronyms (ex. Bananas and Mangos make Inuendos: an acronym for the names of the different Hindu Casts, in their English equivalent). The test was at the ungodly hour of 830am (noone should be asked to think before 10). After the test, which went OK, we went and got "Real America Pastries" from a bakery. yummmmm Carrot cake.
Today, I am working hard on getting a paper done for Tuesday. I planned to start it yesterday, but after a 4 hour exam, I was too exhausted. I was working at a friends house again, since I really find it easier to work with motivation around. So, when one person is slacking, the other can call them out on it. Also, it is better to stop and talk for 5 min to have a break, than to go online and chat on msn for an hour...
I have 6 more assignments to get done before the semester is over. Wish me luck!

Child Beggars

2009-05-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

On the metro this morning, a man came on with his child and gave a speech about why he needs money and then he and his young son went up the train to collect money. This child had experience doing this as he started walking and asking people for coins before his father was done his speech.

A few weeks ago, 2 young girls (about 10 and 6), were on the metro dancing to music with their music player, alone, with no adult, and also asking everyone for money. When they did not get any, the older girl got quite angry at the younger girl.

Sometimes when leaving the metro, there are parents with their children sitting on the ground begging for money also.

In all these instances I get really sad. I think it is horrible that the parents are using their children as leverage for people to give them money. These children are NOT being taught a good way of life, they are trained as children how to beg for money, and when they do not receive much, I am sure they resent the world. I explicitly would not give money to these parents using their children when they are begging as I think it is very wrong. Whether poor or not, these children should not be exploited by anyone, including their parents, and should be let to be as ignorant as possible to the world while they are really young. A nice Saturday afternoon with their parents should not be sitting down, looking as sad as possible begging for money in the metro. The French government is supposed to provide support for these people, and if they cannot receive it, then most likely they are illegal immigrants, but also there are just rings of beggars that do this for "work" in a very organized fashion. It is sad when we are told to watch out for child pick-pocketers and ones who will try and scam you with for example "the lost ring" trick, on the streets. This is Paris, but sometimes, it doesn't feel like it.

Good Volleyball!

2009-05-12T14:47:00.001-07:00

After the fun tournament this weekend, I was up for even more volleyball, and boy did I get it!
This morning I had my regular practice with my Sciences-Po team, and tonight I went to play with the N2 Vincennes Volley Club team. In France this is the 3rd highest league following Professional and National 1. It was the most intense practice I have attended perhaps ever in my life and after playing only mediocre volleyball the past year, my muscles were tensing up after only the warm up. Also, it was all in French, and I had a lot of trouble following what was going on. All in all, it was a great experience, and as their season is done, they don't mind having visitors at their practices so I plan to go again on Thursday, and then perhaps 2 times a week until I leave if I can. It is a lot of time, but it was excellent volleyball and I would really be able to improve my game by going. The coach liked that I am Canadian, and said that in general, Canadians are fighters and have a really good work ethic and that for that reason, I can stay. Wish me luck keeping up to the girls there, or at least avoiding embarassment!

Searches

2009-05-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

I was just checking over the report on who visits the blog which includes information as to how many visitors there are a day, which country they are from, and how they accessed it. I have about 20% of you coming in from search engines. Out of those searches, the majority are directly trying to find my blog, but there are also other random things searched such as people trying to find information on the city "Nancy" in France or about my school, or about the sports tournaments I went to. I think the one that amused me most is the person who visited my blog while trying to find information on "swimming pool etiquette in france". I am glad there are people who would like to know about proper swimming pool etiquette, but unfortunatly, as I have previously written, it is non-existant in France. I would love to write a guide for the French people on matters such as: "swimming pool etiquette" or "walking down the street etiquette" and "stopping for pedestrians etiquette". They obviously lack one on these subjects. I know I am being incorrect in say this, and I should just accept that their culture is different, not wrong... but at times, it is hard. Anyhow, point being, it is nice that there is someone out there, who is interested in knowing "swimming pool etiquette in France", that there is a person who values proper conduct at the pool. I hope I meet them.

Planes and Danes

2009-05-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

My family has all left Paris as of last Thrusday. Needless to say, I was very busy while there were here, and have been busy catching up with school work since they have left. This past weekend I also participated in the Eurocup tournament which was held in Paris. It was a tournament with schools from all over Europe in many different sports. We places second for volleyball. The general consensus was that the Danish people were the coolest :P. The guys and the girls were so nice. I met one girl who just got back from being on exchange at SFU. My team placed 2nd, loosing to the team from Bratislava. I hope this week to go and train with an N2 volleyball team here which has completed their season. This way I should get a couple weeks of good practice in, as I want to be able to make my club team again when I return home. It was nice at this past tournament to have a real coach there. This coach complemented me and two others as being the best players on the team and saying that our level was above that which we were playing in. This is really nice to hear, and also, before it was our Captain who chose who played, and as we play the same position, she would nearly always choose herself to play over me. So, this tournament I was able to play 100% of the time, while often it is a lot less. :)

The other exciting thing about this past week was that I rebooked my ticket home, and I booked my ticket to visite Israel. I am now coming home on Aug the 11th, and I am going to Israel from the 27th June until the 12th of July. My ticket to Israel has a stop over in Rome, and on the way back, if possible, I will just stay in Rome. It should be possible since I only plan to take carry-on with me. I will then stay in Italy for a week or 2 (possoble WWOOFing, google search that if you do not know what it is), and if not just moving onto another country. I then hope to visite Switzerland and my family there for a couple days, before returning to Paris for a couple days before flying home. Flying out of Paris coming home was important to me, since I want the chance to say goodbye.

It is really sad here already as all my friends are buying there tickets to leave Paris. Some are leaving as early as the end of May (people at other Universities), but most will be leaving between the 25th-30th of June. I am already not looking forward to saying goodbye! But, I have no doubt that I will see a number of these people at some other point in the future. I am convinced this will happen especially after seeing so many people from home, in Paris!

I am really looking forward to my summer here, and I am happy to have booked those major tickets. The rest of my travel will likely be by train, and those I will not book until a lot later. Now that these cornerstones are set, I am free to be spontaneous in my travels within those limits. I can now stop looking at tickets everyday and concentrate on finishing my semester here.

from Vancouver!

2009-05-03T02:11:00.000-07:00

A friendtrying to get into the Arc de Triumph for free because all museums and monuments are free for residents of the EU who are under 26. She shows them her Carte de Sejour (visa) to prove that she lives in Paris at the moment and that she is a student here. The women refuses to accept this, and asks for her passport. She shows the lady her Canadian passport.

Lady: I see, so which side of Canada are you from? The French side or the American side?
Friend: *look of disbelief*
*Lady interprets this look as her not understanding what she said in French, so she reiterates*
Lady: I mean, are you from Montreal or Toronto?
Friend: *Another look of astonishment* I am from Vancouver! and highly insulted. *pays the ticket and leaves*

Three things are wrong about this situation. Fristly, the anglophone speaking side of Canada being referred to as the American side. Secondly, that it is reduced to only two cities. And thirdly, the fact that the woman would have let my friend into the monument for free had she said she was from Montreal whereas with her Visa she should have been let in for free no matter which side she is from.

Swim with the Swine

2009-05-02T06:12:00.001-07:00

Today 10:02am: friend: "i wanted to check out the pool today, but i dont know if its a great idea to go there with the swine flu scare and stuff"

I am sorry, but some people are overly paranoid!

Firstly, from what I understand, you can't get the flu at the pool, in the sense that if another swimmer sneezes in the clorinated water, it won't travel to you and infect the other 100 people. If flus were spread that easily, I do not think many people would dare to go to the public pool where everyone would leave a swim session sick from whatever the other swimmers have. It is a public swimming pool, not a public brothel.

Secondly, in ALL of France there are so far 2 confirmed cases, people who have returned from Mexico and are now hospitalized in Paris. So, as there are only a couple other possible cases out there at the moment, the chances getting it is an insignificant worry. And what is the chance that they would be at the swimming pool anyhow? How many people with a flu decide that the best place to spend an afternoon is doing a physical workout?

Anyhow, there we are. I would recommend that my friend go for her swim and not worry about catching the Swine Flu at the pool!!!

Vancouver in Paris (and vice versa)

2009-04-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

My mother AND Peter are here in Paris with me now. I am happy to have them both here, as they can entertain each other while I stay at home and do productive things, like writing this blog post.

Paris, is definatly not a city to go to if you want to seclude yourself from the world and people you know. Had I chosen to go on exchange in, I don't know, Dubai, I expect the number of visitors I would have received would have been a lot fewer. So far, I have seen nearly 15 people I know from home in Paris, with at least 4 more passing through before I leave. In some ways, it would be nice to have a complete break from my "old" life in Vancouver for the year to be able to fully submerge into my one here. However, I think I am doing a good job balancing the two, and it is nice being able to share the city with people I know so that once I return home, there will be people around who will have some idea of what I am talking about when I speak of things, people, and places that I have grown to love here.

Besides the fact that I have seen a lot of people from Vancouver here, the complete break is not possible, or at least would be difficult due to the internet. The internet is also a mixed blessing when integrating somewhere new. It serves as an awesome tool to learn and connect with people here, but it also tempts one to spend more time online talking to people I know, than to go out and talk in person with friends I have made here. In addition, I am getting a lot of news via Canadian and American media. I frequent the same news sources as I did before: theGlobeandmail.com, some blogs, cnn, and I nearly daily watch the daily show and the colbert report (which just yesterday became unavailable for people outside the US, making me download them from illegitimate sites, seriously, blocking out the official version will not stop anyone from watching it...). I am also able to watch my favourite TV shows here, even though I have no TV due to them being available for streaming online.

It is weird to think that in only a couple months, I will be back home, and seeing people I know from there for real, and feeling nostalgic for the friendships I have made here. However, by late August, I will have hopefully seen at least 3 people I have made friends with here, who will be passing through Vancouver, and more in the future I am sure. This experience has really made me realize how small the world is, and I have no doubt that when I do leave Paris, I will at some point re-connect with many of my friends from here, just as when I return to Vancouver I will re-connect to people from there. I am not sure I will always stay in Vancouver as I realize that it is not really that bad moving somewhere new and that making friends, when you have motivation to is also not impossible.

To conclude, I am happy to see Vancouver in Paris, and am excited for when Paris comes to Vancouver. Now, I hope my parents won't mind having some house guests :). To end on a cliche again, the world really is a small place, at least with decent priced flights and some vacation time!

SWINE!

2009-04-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

You have all heard of it by now: The Swine-Flu. Horrid name but to make it worse, some reporters are already referring to it as "The Mexican Flu"! In French the name is la gripe procrine. Frist mention of this virus that I heard was on Facebook where a friend was wondering why they couldn't have called it the "Piglet flu" or something...

Anyhow, as it has been mainly in Mexico, I have not felt the need to worry about it... until today.

Today at my morning volleyball practice, a girl from Hong Kong on my team had just gotten back from her Spring Break in Mexico. I did not think anything of this, and before I asked she said, "Don't worry, I have already seen a doctor". I found this nearly amusing, since I didn't realize the severity of the problem.

I get to class (Media and Politics) and we sit next to each other and look at the International Wall Street Journal together where articles on the Swine Flu cover the front page. According to it, the first case in Spain occurred when a student got back from a short trip to Mexico and got back on the 22nd (she got back a couple days later). The Journal also talked about how you need to be careful around people who have just returned and gave a recommended 15 day period where you should avoid contact with them. Dun dun dun, I think as I realize she just returned 3 days ago. According to her the virus can show up up to a week after returning, but as she went to the doctor, and has a 1/1 000 000 chance of being infected, I think I'll be OK. Also, France has a huge supply of Tamiflu, so I don't think the French are too worried in general. Plus, there have been no cases there...yet. Canada has 6 at the moment, and is important to note that deaths have only occurred in Mexico so far.

For the answer to 6 questions about the Swine flu, I recommend looking at the Daily Beast's article as it is really short and information (click here).

I am amazed at how fast this Flu is spreading, and any disease does these days with our high tech transportation and globalization. I wouldn't have expected that just after learning about a flu outbreak in Mexico I would sit next to a girl from Hong Kong, in Paris who just came from the affected zone. If she had been sick, just like that, my entire school could have been infected. Being from Hong Kong, where SARS caused many deaths, the Hong Kong people take infection very seriously and I am glad she got checked, just in case (went to the doctor for a mild cold that would have usually been ignored). In Mexico, some exchange students are cutting their stay short due to the Swing Flu. To end on a cliche, better safe than sorry.

Family weeks

2009-04-26T05:35:00.001-07:00

Peter came on Thursday, my Mom will come Monday, and Geoff and Brittany will come the next week. 2 weeks of family in Paris. This should be... fun.

Spring Break Pictures

2009-04-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Enjoy, they are captioned this time.

Hockey Fever

2009-04-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

Rumour has it that Hockey fever is taking over Vancouver once again with the Canucks doing well in the playoffs. This is actually one thing I do not miss about Vancouver, how most guys and some girls turn into..... just watch this....

Wing suits

2009-04-20T03:22:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago my dad sent me a link to people base jumping in wing suits. Here is a TED Talk by a guy who does them, followed by a film of it. I thought it was pretty neat so voila, enjoy.

21!

2009-04-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

For anyone who does not know yet, yesterday was my birthday! Wooot, my first birthday not in Vancouver.
I spent the day on the beach near Montpellier with 3 friends. On the bus there we ran into two Americans heading to the beach, so the 6 of us all hung out together. We ate some apple tart and they all sang happy birthday. Throughout the day I was pleasently suprised with a number of phone calls and text messages, and then when I finally got online, a couple emails. The evening was not out celebrating with friends, but on the train back to Paris.
So, I am now 21. And as I would say, "21, c'est la Lee-bare-tay!" as I through in random American pronounciations of French words.
My trip to the south was really great and we ended up visiting Lyon, Geneva, Montpellier and Marseille. It was extremely relaxed and somewhat uneventful. We would walk around and then have siestas in random parks.
I really love traveling with other international students as we make due with very odd sleeping situations. Re: in Lyon there were 6 of us the last night in a small studio that had 2 single matresses. One guy had to sleep in the Kitchen, 2 on the bed, and the other 3 using a third of the matress each on the floor. I will share some nice anecdotes about the trip soon and post pictures of course. A bientot!

In Montpellier

2009-04-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Lyon and Geneva, today Montpellier. Update more soon!

Off for a bit!

2009-04-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

I am leaving now! I will update when I get back next week, unless I get a chance to earlier. I will still be in France, so I can answer my cell phone as normal. Talk to you all soon!

Easter break!

2009-04-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

So, my plans for Easter break have FINALLY been made!
The plan: Paris ---> Lyon----> Montpellier ----> Paris!

OK, so, perhaps not the most exciting destinations you may say... since I have been to both cities. However, when looked at more closely, I cannot say I that I have already explored these cities. I spent a total of 5 hours in Montpellier, and Lyon has only been visited to play sports where I never actually saw the town. So, I will get a lot of time now to see them, do day trips, relax, read, and best of all... see the beach! (which is but a short bus ride from Montpellier). I am very excited to go with my friends: Hanae, Gabo and Rutger. One week away from Paris is just what is needed. Now, I shall go out and enjoy the 20 degree weather in Paris with Carly!

Pretty Procrastination

2009-04-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

After reading SoloLisa's last post, I decided to design my own dress!

Take a look (click here)!

Design your own by going to StyleShake yourself (click here), and post me a link to your creations. :)

Indecision? or just Liberty?

2009-04-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

My indecision is but a symptom of my liberty. If i were able to decide, I would be denying all the other opportunities that I have. I have a lot of opportunities and it can be hard to pick just one! I make list, mental or physical, of the pros and cons, but sometimes as soon as I am done, the circumstances have changed, and I have to start over again.
I need to decide going into next year what I want to do. I have no more time to wait around. I need to decide. But I still cannot. Should I finish a communications major? Should I add the computing science minor? should I do a French minor? Should I switch and do some more scientific studies, or will I be satisfied with an Arts degree?
I need to prepare for either an employment, or more school and I just cannot decide. I am prone to choosing the option that leaves the most options open. In my case, that would mean.... doing a Communications major, and just adding in other courses so that I would have the option of doing Grad studies in other areas. But what if I want to teach? Communications is not teachable!
Would I want to work in the media as communications sets one up to do? I could also go back to what I used to want to do, physical therapy by taking less than 10 courses at SFU on top of my comm degree. If I choose grad studies, what would I want to specialize in?
I think I ought to leave that for a while, to decide first... but then once one graduates it is best not to let their degree become stale!
I need to decide!... and I have until course registration in July to do so.

Honey

2009-04-05T07:06:00.001-07:00

"My son, eat honey, for it is good,

and the drippings of the honeycomb

are sweet to your taste"

- Proverbs 24:13

And just when I was finishing off a jar...

"It is not good to eat much honey"

-Proverbs 25: 27

Seriously, you could have put in that disclaimer a chapter earlier,

now I feel sick...

Weekend Reflection in Paris

2009-04-04T14:45:00.001-07:00

Here in Paris I have one more week until spring break, yet if I were in Vancouver I would have a couple finals and be off for 4 months. I am envious of their summer, but I am enjoying school here. Things have changed so much since I have arrived. I have made friends I can call at anytime, I have learned to be self-sufficient, I have thrown away my fear of food, and I have expanded my collection of experiences.
I never thought Paris would be so different from Vancouver. I assumed things would be Western like at home, and people would just speak French. Well, this is not the case. The difference between North American culture and French culture is blatant and runs deeper than how we choose to drink coffee. People here can come across as very harsh and distant. I really miss having shop employees greet me when I enter a store; sometimes here it can feel like you do not exist. I have had friends in Vancouver, who live alone tell me that they have gone to the supermarket when they feel too alone, just to be around people... but somehow, that would not cut it here. The supermarket can be annoying as they want you to have EXACT change everytime. The casheirs do not like making change. I went to the store this afternoon with a 10 euro bill and a 20 euro bill. My bill was 10.40, so I handed her the 20 euro bill. She asked if i had 40 cents, I said no, so she handed it back and took the 10 euros one. I got a 40 cent rebate. :)
I have stopped swimming here because I find the pool too crowded, and the people do understand proper pool etiquette. Amusingly Etiquette is a French word (for more information click here) . I think the pool could use a few signs: "stay right", "fast lane", "do not flail limbs into the other lanes", "do not attempt to swim 4 across in 1 lane", "let fast people pass you at either end". Instead, the pool is marked with signs such as: "wear a swim cap", "only speedos", "must walk through cleansing pool on way into the pool"(my own translation).
Two things people have to be aware of here, is lunch time, and Mondays. At the school library (one of the best ones in Europe apparently... although I am unimpressed), I gave a form to get a book I needed (very few books are on the racks) and the lady told me to return in 45 min. I waited about an hour and went back at 1.... only to find that it was closed and would not reopen until 2! I had just waited 1 hour, and was not prepared to wait another, so I found a worker elsewhere and begged her to give me my book. She finally did, but looked extremely annoyed. Me and my ignorance at French inconveniences! Have they not heard of staggered breaks in customer service jobs?
This post may seem like a rant, so I will change it up and not about more positive things. I have had some great dinners here recently. One for my friend Cecilia's birthday (her parents paid for us to go out), and one with friends at a random cheap Vietnamese place. Being out and laughing with friends is a necessary thing to do often while here. It can be weird being without family and super close friends sometimes, and a lot of people get a bit depressed about that at times.
I definatly miss people from home, but have been communicating with them less and less. This is a sign that: it is hard to keep up with people when you need to explain so much for them to understand your stories by this point, and that I am making good friends here who I can talk to.
Anyways, it is past midnight again and I have just spent my lovely saturday night studying. I will try and add some more random streams of thought here, since I had fun, and my posts lately have been void of emotion. Goodbye for now~

NBC Olympics Interview

2009-04-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

I have been missing nearly all the Olympic preparation happening in Vancouver and I was excited to see that the co-op website at SFU had some internships posted. I decided to apply for one at NBC Olympics, since I do want to help out in some capacity during the Olympics, and I have always had some interest in working for the media. So, I applied, got shortlisted, and had a telephone interview on Wednesday night. It went well enough, good but nothing spectacular. Phone interviews are a bit awkward at times since we cut each other off a couple times; but they are great in the sense that I got to wear my PJs during it! Anyways, now I just wait...

On a side note: I am sick again, and have more meds again. I hope it goes away this time...

I passed!

2009-04-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

In an exciting update, I am happy to announce that I passed all my Fall courses!

We finally got to pick up our marks on Tuesday, after the semester being done for 1.5 months. The efficiency in France is phenomenal.

My grades out of 20 really were not so bad, ranging between 13-16 (which is considered good here), but then when they attribute letter grades to them, it is not so pretty (re: between B-E). The letters are spread over in relation to the other student's marks in the course. However, my B in Asian Cinema means I was in the top 4 of the course! Having it so hard to enter into this school for French students, any passing grade is considered good. If you get an average of 10/20, you can still pass the year and get into their grad school programs!

Anyhow, I do hope to do better this semester, and I think that having my level of French improving should really help, since my two highest marks here were in my English courses, there is a real correlation to my language skills and my notes.

For my parents who may worry, the grade attribution here is not even recorded on my SFU transcript, they just want me to get at least an E or a 10/20 to transfer back credits. So, in that sense, I overacheived! :) ... ok, back to my homework time..

CRIT 2009

2009-04-01T02:12:00.001-07:00

So, I am finally recovered from my weekend at the CRIT in Lyon. The CRIT is a large sports tournament between all the IEPs in France. There are 9 of them, and each has their own colours, and cheers and stereotypes. Sciences-Po Paris is Yellow and Black, their cheer is a vulgar song about Bulgaria, and their stereotype is being very stuckup and elitist.

This elitism all comes down to: them being from the rich Capital, but mostly from the "Arceuil". The Arceuil is the entrance exam to Sciences-Po which is very difficult. The Paris school is the best one, and most people's first choice, so when Paris cheers "Souviens toi d'Arceuil?" (Remember the Arceuil?) They rub it into the faces of the other teams that they got into Paris while the others are more dumb and did not. In reaction to this, the other 8 schools gang up on Paris and cheer "Provence unis, tous contre Paris!" (Provence unit against Paris!). Things this weekend got a bit violent at times, and there were some Flag burnings. It was slightly anarchical with no administration there and really no rules or code of conduct.

On the Friday Night, we all went to the Old Lyon, 2750 people and stormed the streets, it was VERY crazy. People stood on monuments and lit fire works and climbed up lamp posts to wave flags. There was also constant cheering present. It never stopped... the ENTIRE weekend. Most teams had a drum team, or a small marching band that came with them to play their cheers or increase the energy level during games.

I still haven't mentioned this, but our volleyball team won ALL our games. We had no competition. The atmosphere was crazy though with 400+ watching our final all cheering and beating drums. We could not hear each other at all. When we won, all the supporters from our side rushed onto the court and even lifted some of us up. It was the coolest atmosphere I have ever played in.

Sunday night was our last night there, and we had a closing ceremony at a stadium they rented out. PARIS WON! It was great. Then at 2am we got bused back to Paris, arriving there at 8 am... just in time for people to go to class. (I was lucky as I don't have courses til 5pm on Mondays... so I got some sleep).

Some pictures of the weekend.

Some more of Gloria's visit

2009-03-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Click here for Gloria's take on her week here.

Strikes!

2009-03-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

France is known for its strikes and I have been lucky enough to see a number of them and to generally not to be affected by them. A lot of public universities in France are on strike right now in opposition to Sarkozy and his proposed education reforms.

Here is a video of the occupation of my school my other University's students. This was of past Tuesday, and yesterday there was another small demonstration in front of my school.

Sciences Po - Occupation du 17 mars 2009 - Culturekub
Uploaded by culturekub

However, despite these strikes and occupations I have seen, Paris strikes are apparently not as intense anymore. (click here).

Music -- Kristina Emmott

2009-03-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, a second post today. I just wanted to put in a link here to my friends new CD "Words Take Flight". CLICK HERE. Kristina Emmott is a friend from Burnaby, and she is releasing her first CD in early May!! I got to see her perform live a few times last summer and I really enjoyed it. She plays the guitar, writes her own songs and is talented at both. Three of her songs on the site are serious while the fourth one, the Chocolate Song is a must listen for all chocolate lovers :) . For her CD release party, my friend Chika is one of the openers, some of you know her I believe. Anyhow, enjoy!

Tourist Week Part 2

2009-03-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

So, to pick up where I left off. The Strike really had no effect on me or most people at all. I will write about Strikes here later, there were a few amusing things about this one in the end, including my school being occupied by students from other universities.

On Friday I had class ALL day, as usual. So, skip to that evening, we went to a Spanish dinner where we had homemade Guspatcho (is that how you spell it), and Paella with Calamarie. It was alright, but I always find that Calamari has an odd odd texture.

On Saturday we went to Chartres to see its big Cathedral. It turned out to be a group trip out there with 6 of us going. It was really nice a cute town. In the evening we wanted to go to a Jazz club, but ended up listening to blues music at a random place on Rue Mouffetard which is a street lined with restaurants and bars in the Latin Quarter.

On Sunday we just had enough time to wake up, go to the Catacombs, walk through Jardin de Luxemburg and do a bit of shopping before Gloria had to leave to catch her flight. It was really nice having her, and my place here feels empty now. However, I will not be alone long since this upcoming weekend I will be going to Lyon again for the CRIT which is a large sports tournament between all the IEPs in France. And then soon after that I have spring break, and then my mom and Geoffrey and Brittany are coming!

My time in Paris is decreasing fast! But, I would not say that time is really flying super fast. The past week felt like a couple weeks. I am doing so much here that time seems really long in many ways. I just got my final exam schedule and I will be done courses as of the 23rd of June. This means that I will have 76 days of Summer break. I hope to stay in Europe until the 1st week of August (I need to now rebook my flight), and then come home and have about a month there. This should give me enough time to organize my stuff and go to Hornby for a bit before I start school there. Geoffrey and my Dad are also planning to come to Europe this summer so I may get to see them for a while. I hope that Geoffrey will travel with me for a week or so and we can visite a city together. My dad is going to Europe mid August, so I may be home before then and have a couple days to see him before he flies off. As everyone is planning their summers I feel less anxious to come home quickly since many of my friends will be away until the end of August as it is.

Tourist week

2009-03-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I seem to have fallen out of the habit of updating! I need to restart, so I shall. What is new in France? A BIT, not so much.

From what is new with me personally: I have a friend from Vancouver staying with me this week, Gloria (find her Travel blog on my blog list). It has been fun doing a lot touristy things here with her. On sunday when she arrived we did a walking tour with NewEurope. The tour is free (donations collected at the end), and good! It is the same tour company that I did my Berlin walking tour with. Then on Monday we went walking through the Marais. The Marais is the Jewish part of Paris (and the Gay part), so we had a bit of a Jewish day. I attempted to have a Jewish day a couple weeks ago, which was a complete failure since it was a Saturday... Shabbat... so everything Jewish was closed. Anyhow, this Monday we had no problems and went around shopping, eating Falafel, ect. My friend's knowledge of Hebrew got us a free Falafel sample too! Language skills come in handy at very random times.

Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day) we went to the ballet in the evening. It was the "Troisieme Symphonie de Mahler". It was at the Opera Bastille, one of the big opera houses in Paris. We arrive at the Opera at 710, and the show was at 730, and we did not have tickets. So, we went to the last minute line up, which only sells tickets 15 min before the show, so we were actually on time! We got great seats (5th row, fairly central), for 15 euros, a great deal. The show was amazing! There were about 70 dancers accompanied by an orchestra and an opera soloist.

Yesterday we went to Versaille, which is fabulous! It is huge, we spent 7 hours walking around and just got the basic stuff visited. With my bus pass here I get free entry, so that was nice. Also, being mid-week and low season we did not experience huge lineups like many do. We took lots of pictures and shall post some here soon. At one point we asked an asian man to take our photo, and after he asked us to take one... but he pulled back the camera and handed it to his friend, he meant to take the photo WITH us, not of him. It was a great day which ended at LaRotisserie, a restaurant in Belleville which is run by a different NGO each night to raise money, the idea is neat, the food was OK, but the company was awesome as I met back up with the people I traveled with to Morocco.

Today has been chill; I went to school and am now catching up on unreplied emails and some homework. The city is on Strike today and there are big manifestations all over town. The past few weeks have been funny in that sense... pretty much all the Universities here are on strike here (not including mine, since it is an Institution and not a public University). However, we now have to present our student cards when entering the building due to apparent thefts (but I am not sure that is the real reason). I bet they lose more money hiring the security guards than they would in stolen goods. Ironically the school got occupied Tuesday afternoon by protestors who came in through a back entrance. I am not exactly sure what that all was about, but they are gone now. Some of my friends at other Universities here have been very affected by the Strikes and I have heard stories of students returning home, since their semester is already as good as a loss with their courses being suspended now for over a month. France is definatly living up to its repupation for having a lot of strikes and protests.

Printemps in Paris

2009-03-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

It is not quite spring, another week and a half, but at least the weather here is starting to look promising!

CREPS

2009-03-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was at CREPS near Lille, it is a sports training facility. Some people live there and train, and at other times sports teams go there together for a weekend, a week or longer to train. About 90 people from my school all went together. It was very interesting, the culture there, for a non-French student. The whole group had a lot of songs they new. Some of these songs are old traditional French drinking and sports songs, while others are ones made up by previous students themselves. They are nearly all very vulgar though needless to say. At one point on the bus everyone started singing and chanting... I had no idea what was going on... but soon enough I did as a guy walked up the bus, and not too far ahead of me proceeded to completely strip down. I was lucky to be on the back side, but apparently this behaviour is normal here, and on the other bus a lot of people got naked to different degrees.

The actual sports training was pretty intense. We woke up at 730 am and kept playing until about 1am with breaks only for eating and a big (and intense) Rock/Paper/Scissors tournament. It was a lot of fun though and gave the teams a chance to bond.

Next Thurday my volleyball team has to go down to Lyon to play a game for the Championnat de France. And at the end of the month we will play in the CRIT -- which is a HUGE (re.3000 people) sports tournament between the IEPs around France. Wish us luck!

Madrid and Morocco Pictures

2009-02-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hey, no time yet to make captions. Here are 2 more slide shows, the first one of Madrid, and the second one of various places in Morocco.

Semester 2 begins

2009-02-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

Hello~
So, yesterday my second semester started and I am very optimistic about this term. So far, the three courses I have had: Religion and Society, Cultural Triangulations (African cultural diaspora), and Media and Politics, have been great. The professors appear to be eloquent speakers and organized.

The religion and society course is in French, and takes many different perspectives to look at and compare religions and how they affect society and how society has affected their manifestations in different places and times. I have to write three exposes for it, one concerning a comparision of the three abrahamic religions in terms of how they follow their Law, the second on how Christianity views Judaism (representations and realities), and finally the birth and growth of Yoga in the Occident. This course has a lot of work, but I think it should be very interesting.

The course on Cultural Triangulations will look at the African cultural diaspora in Africa, Europe and America. It will mainly look at art, music, and litterature to view how ideas and culture moved in those areas. Also, it will look at things like double consciousness. This course will be very interesting for a few reasons: it will largely be done from an anthropological perspective, it will teach me a lot about African American history, it will give me tools to look such phenomenons that happen elsewhere, such as Chinese Canadian culture in Vancouver.

The course on Media and Politics will answer one main question: who controls the media? The course is taught by a former editor of the Globe and Mail. Yes, he is a Canadian! But, also a dual citizen. It will cover a lot of concepts and theories I have taken in some of my Communications courses, but the case studies we will look at should be really interesting.

Today, I have the day off and a friend from Vancouver is staying with me for a couple days. She has had issues with Air Canada as they have lost her baggage. Good ol Canadian airlines. We are now off to be tourists. A bientot.

Marrakech 1

2009-02-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

First impressions: A nice city, finally warm weather! We went to lunch on a terrase which was a bit expensive but beautiful and the food was great. Horrid service. The hostel we have has given us two rooms for the equivalent of 5 euros a day each. The two left over people are paying less than 3 euros each to sleep on the roof.

We spent the majority of the day in the market and we all bought stuff. A few people bought scarves, random jewellery. We then all bought matching hats, Ill post a picture later (they are super cute!). We all got a lot of random comments walking around: "Fromage white", "nice ass" (a ten year old said to my friend), "everything is free, spice girls!".

There are a ton more tourists in Marrakech than in the other cities we visited. Anyhow, dinner time! We will take it easy tonight as everyone is tired and a couple have unfortunatly fallen sick.

This keyboard sucks

2009-02-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

I am in Morocco now, and the keyboards here are even weirder than in France! Tonight we (myself and 5 other people from school in Paris) are in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. We are staying with the family of another girl who goes to our school, but who only half of our group has met. They are the nicest hosts I have ever had, what they told us was: "Any friends of our daughter's, are like our children". They took us to their country club for lunch, and out for delicious Moroccan food for dinner. After being in a really sketchy hostel in the Old Medina in Casablanca last night, this is an beautiful oasis. Tommorow morning we head to Marrakech and I have until next Saturday in Morocco. It is beautiful here, and in some ways reminds me of my trip last new years to the Dominican Republic. I hope I shall have the opportunity to update while here; last night the internet connection was non-existant. A bientot!

PS. I love how they speak French here!

Bye bye Paris!

2009-02-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

I am done exams now. Had my last one today. It went quite well. Now I am off to Madrid and then on Saturday I will go to Morocco. I will update here when I can. :)

Switzerland Photos

2009-02-09T04:46:00.000-08:00

Finally, the pics. I think watching the slideshow sums up what I did on my trip. Enjoy.

Vancouver denies citizens of light

2009-02-05T16:05:00.001-08:00

Vancouver is a city known for its rain and nasty weather. Its citizens and tourist enjoy sun and the beach for only a limited amount of time each year. Every year I look forward to the summer in Vancouver, one of the only times the city losens up and people gather to enjoy the great outdoor scene the city has to offer. I was happy to be arriving back in Vancouver in mid summer... but after I saw this (click here!) I am not so sure I want to return.

How much lamer does Vancouver want to become. Yes, the Celebration of Light has officially been cancelled for this year, and perhaps indefinatly. The event generates $37 million for Vancouver and costs a mere $4 million. Can people not do the math and see how it would be benificial? They are afraid of pollution from the event, but seriously I think it is worth it. What other events in Vancouver do we have that bring so many people together? I think that it is one of the only big events we have to be proud of on a yearly basis and am appalled they are being cancelled. Paris' New Year's fireworks were cancelled for similar reasons, and there was a noticable grumbling and a lot of dissapointment. There may be a recession going on ( or a "financial crises"), but we cannot use that as an excuse for cancelling things that will lift our spirites. I know we are not American... but they are spending billions bailing out financial institutions and their automobile industry... can we not save our FIREWORKS? Our fireworks are economically good for the city and lift moral... how can we deny that from the city? If HSBC cannot finance them anymore, I think the city of Vancouver itself should finance them. Come on Vancouver, live a little!

Exam Time

2009-02-04T00:28:00.000-08:00

As you know, I spent last week in Switzerland. There I had virtually no internet access as was unable to update my blog. Now, I am back in Paris, but I have exams starting Thursday. Studying for my first exam on Social Policies in Europe has proven to be difficult due to language. No, my exam is not in French, it is in English, but my professor is French and his English is not perfect. Therefore, I am having a hard time interpreting his questions. Additionally, the prof/TAs are not replying to our emails for clarification. In general it is difficult to contact professors here, and they do not have office hours. It is definatly frustrating. The most confusing is #3 "Can one speak of the three worlds of welfare reforms when looking at pension reforms, health care and employment policies?". It is unclear as to whether he wants us to analyse whther those are the three worlds of welfare reforms or if he wants us to use the three worlds of welfare capitalism to speak of the reforms. The first take is more literal, however the second approach would make more sense in that it corresponds a bit better with our readings. If he does not clear this up, I would definatly complain about it if this is the question he chooses (he will ask 1 of 5 predetermined questions). Another questions first part is "Does Europe matter?". Um, yes?

So, I promise to give you all an exciting account of my time away this weekend, but until then I must study. Hope you are all doing well!

Last Day of Class!

2009-01-22T01:57:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day of class for Semester 1 at Sciences-Po! For those of you who worried about my academic commitment here (Mom, Dad..), I assure you that I have spent plenty of time studying here. Of course, it is not my top blog priority to describe the exciting days in which I sequester myself in my room and work on my essays for 12 hours straight at a time. I have now handed in ALL my homework and it feels great. I do not know many marks yet, but for the ones I have received back, I am doing well enough. Also, if you are worried about me traveling so much, keep in mind that the school system is set up very different here. I was in school from October - Mid Feb for Semester 1, a total of 4.5 months, where as at home semester one would only be 3.5 months. And now between semesters I have an additional 2 weeks off after my exams. Semester 2 will go from Feb 23 - the end of June, just over 4 months, again longer than at home. Since we are in school for longer we get more time off and more breaks. The entire month of September I was in the Welcome Program which ran 3 weeks and allowed me the last week to travel to Switzerland. So, if you do not hear about the homework, it does not mean it doesn't exist.

Anyways, I am off to my last day of class. I have my French course today in which we are having a "tasting", each person was assigned something to bring from wine to cheese, to grapes ( I am bringing white grapes). What a tough course it will be. I then have a volleyball game, will come home to pack for leaving tommorow, and then I have a dinner with my team. I will be in switzerland as of this saturday until feb 2nd, when I will return to Paris to study and write exams. Adios for now.

Smell of the day

2009-01-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Fondue!

After having people over for fondue last night, and reheating the leftover cheese for myself today my place has a distinctive fondue smell.

In general, my room picks up whatever was last cooked here, so everyday when I get home I am welcomed with a reminder of the previous nights dinner lingering around. I have been noticing this smell du jour for a while..

In addition, when I have neighbours here they shut the door of our hallways. This traps in their cooking smell into the hallway. It usually is not so bad, but it is interesting how different it is from day to day.

What shall it be tommorow? Who knows!

Little events

2009-01-18T05:20:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I have been very bad at updating this regularly recently. I am very busy finishing up my final paper, preparing for exams, and booking tickets to travel!

This past week had a few neat suprises. I went to an Asian Food party last night, and a Japanese girl from my Asian cinema course was like: "I brought you manga! It has Jesus in it", since she knew I went to church. The manga, which she translated for me was about Jesus and Buddah who were roomates going on vacation. It was comedic, but we didnt read it all, since it was a long book. Interesting, and made my day. Also, another girl brought me dried seaweed :). She found it in the Asian area for 80centimes, whereas at Monoprix 7 sheets of seaweed is 11 euros! Way unaffordable.

This morning I decided I would venture to Hillsong Paris, to check it out. But, it was cancelled today. There were a lot of people who showed up though, who had not received the memo. It was ok though, we had coffee instead. I was happy, becuase the guy telling us the unfortunate news noticed my new boots. :)

I bought boots at Gallarie Lafayette 2 days ago on Solde. They are real leather, but I have not broken them in yet, and have gotten some blisters now... hopefully that will not persist.

After the coffee I went to my friends house. She was supposed to come to Church with me, but had fallen back asleep after I called her. She was lucky to not have made the trek I suppose. She is the girl I will be traveling to Morocco with, along with another Canadian girl, and a guy from the Netherlands. It should be a nice trip, but we still haven't bought our tickets! That is on todays to-do list.

I feel bad leaving Paris so much, next Friday I will leave to Annecy, and then go to Switzerland to visite family. On the other hand, I am happy to be able to profit from being in Europe and having everything so near. I have 1 week of courses left, 12 days off, 2 exams and then another 12 days off before Semester 2 starts. Meaning, I will hardly be here the entirety of February!

When I come back, it will nearly be March, and the 1st weekend I am going to Lille for sports training. As of Christmas, the time here has started to really fly! Anyways, before it flies too far, I need to finish my essay!

Procrastination #5

2009-01-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hello Mr. Skater Man! See Lisa post. Click here!

The world is ending!

How I got fit.

To hear Quality French Music click here!

I have 1 essay left to go! 2 finals, and then I am off! To where? undecided...

Jeans in 12 days

2009-01-12T02:52:00.000-08:00

After a fall of new pastries and then a Christmas filled with food I definatly put on some weight in Paris. I am happy to say that only 12 days after new years, I finally fit in my jeans again! Thank you intensive swimming work outs and the start of volleyball again!

A new week

2009-01-11T03:31:00.001-08:00

The Christmas season is officially over. On Jan. 7th Les Soldes started in Paris meaning everyone has gone shopping crazy. It is mad, but everthing is 50% off. I plan to buy a nice pair of boots, but have not been able to fine "the" pair yet. I found a really nice pair, but I hesitated, and when I went back to the store, they were gone. I can no longer afford to let quality goods get away! It is so hard to choose a good pair though, I'm still unsure what I want: brown or black? how tall? do i want a buckle? any heel? cut of the top? a zipper? ect. Any suggestions?

Beyond consumerism this week has started off well; volleyball started again and I FINALLY went swimming with a girl from Toronto. We met on election day and have been planning to go everyday since, but this weekend was the first time it actually happened. In Paris, there are a number of pools run by the city and you can buy a 3 month pass that is good at ANY pool. It is really a good deal. There is a pool about a 5 min walk from my house so I plan to go to it often. Now that I have started, it should be easier to continue. Plus, the weather has been -5 or worse the past few days, so running outside is not a nice option. This exercise is completely necessary after all the dining during Christmas.

New Years In Paris

2009-01-07T07:08:00.001-08:00

Happy 2009 everyone!

2008 was a great year, and I am finally reflecting on it. I think what made 2008 so great was all the new things I got to experience and the friends I made.

New things!

I went to the Dominican Republic, my first Southern country
I started co-op and experienced full-time work
I finally had a Joint Birthday Party with Carly
I got accepted to go on exchange
I got reconnected with the young adults group at my Church
I played v-ball nearly every summer friday night
I mastered the games of ping-pong and rock band due to my work
I played in an Ultimate Frisbee league
I went camping in Kelowna
I had a going-away party
I started school in Paris
I lived on my own
I learned to survive on my own
I stayed single the whole year
I made a resolution to eat anything fed to me, which included meat, seafood, and frogs.
I visited: Barcelona, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Montpellier, Perpignan, and Stockholm
I spent Christmas away from home
I ended the year a lot happier and at peace than I started the year!

The New Years festivities in Paris were not amazing per se. The fireworks at the Eiffle tower were cancelled due to the financial crises (or fear of riots?). I went to the Champs Elysees with other girls from SFU and we stayed there for 3 hours before I went home. There were a number of sketchy people there who would swarm us, and we had to pay a lot of attention to our bags. I was nice seeing the mass of people with their cheering and champagne :)

Resolutions:

Continue experiencing new things, and be fearless
Learn a lot at school
Make progress in my life plans
Keep fit
Love my friends and family
See all the sights in Paris
See more live music
Try an extreme sport

Undeck the Halls

2009-01-04T02:13:00.000-08:00

To start off the new year, we play musical christmas crackers at Ulrika's place. Each person had a different note, and it was my job to tell them each when to play. Can you make out the tune? I think I may have finally found a viable future dream: Conductor.

My Christmas in Pictures

2009-01-02T10:17:00.001-08:00

Voila les Photos!

My Crazy Christmas Day

2008-12-27T07:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas day, started off nicely as I explained in my previous post. However, the moment I stepped out the door, WHAM! I go flying up, land flat on my back and my head hits the ground. Luckily I was well dressed in my winter coat and jeans, as opposed to shorts and a t-shirt which I was wearing only moments before.

What made me fly? A Giant 80 kilo dog, who belongs to a visiting chef from Madrid, ran through me while chasing pint-sized Nova.

Why was I nearly only wearing shorts? Because I was being taken to the Medeterrainian to go for a swim of course! It was my early "Polar Bear" Swim, and the weather and water temperature can be equated to a chilly day on Hornby Island. It was really nice! This is my second time to the sea in 4 months, and this is serving to satisfy my saltwater craving. As a tradition my family walks to Spanish Banks on Christmas day, so I felt I was at least keeping up with part of the tradition.

Finally back at the Chateau, we had a lunch made my Etien, and the Chef from Madrid. We at a bird that has a name that sounds like "Petard". We also had: Oysters, cheeses, and Foie Gras. The whole week was tough on me, food wise. As, in France, I have decided to eat anything prepared for me, I had a lot of new experiences. I ate: Oysters (4), Muscles, Clams, Calamary, "Petard", Steak, Veal, Chicken, Foie Gras, Sausage... oy.

After we ate our meal, I took a minute to use the computer. Sitting there, I looked out the door to the hallway and saw the 91 year old fall over backwards. I called for Ulrika, Peter and Frederique. They came down to help him, but at the same time Frederick was overwhelmed with a pain in her stomach. Etien took her to the hospital, as we dealt with the 91 year old at the Chateau. Having him go to bed, it was left with me, Ulrika, Peter, and the 96 year old to have dinner. Etien and Frederique stayed at the hospital all night.

Typing this day out doesn't make it sound quite as crazy as it was. However, by 6pm we were all ready to sleep as it all happened in a very short amount of time. The entire week was filled with little things like this.

Anyhow, I am in Paris again now, relaxing. I received a couple more cards here, and picked up a package from my Mom, Geoffrey and Brittany. I'll post pictures by the end of the week.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T05:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas Eve and that the snow has melted enough for everyone to meet up with their family!

This morning I awoke and there was a small stocking and an angel hanging over my bed, which was a suprise. Opening Christmas stockings is my favourite part of Christmas morning. I then went to Ulrika and Peter's room where I was suprised with a dozen cards and presents from all of my family. I was very suprised at this! I knew my mom was sending something small, but was overwhelmed that everyone had sent things over.

I want to thank you all so much for your cards and gifts, which made me feel at home. I will really miss being there with you all today as you go for lunch, open gifts, eat dinner, and set cake on fire!

Merry Christmas! I will tell of the adventure of mine later this week when I return to Paris!

God Bless everyone!

Christmas Eve Special

2008-12-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

How I will miss Christmas at home!

I found this gem sitting on my laptop. It was taken 2 years ago today, and it really captures what Christmas eve is like at my house!

Merry Christmas everyone! I miss you all!

Looking like Chrismas?

2008-12-22T03:47:00.000-08:00

Hello,

It is only 3 days until Christmas and I am walking around Southern France with a tanktop. This is definatly not going to be a normal Christmas.

Leaving Paris on Friday I was in quite the Christmas-y mood after seeing the window displays and Christmas lights all over town. Then while in Dusseldorf, I saw Slava's Snowshow, and a cross-country ski race. So, while there was no real snow on the ground I had two good doses of artificial snow. Also, there were great Christmas markets in Cologne and Dusseldorf that I went to! I really think that we need some Christmas markets in Vancouver to help get people in the spirit!

Yesterday I left Germany early in the morning, where we had a fun time on RyanAir. We then landed in Girona, Spain and drove up to Chateau La Casenove, which is just outside of Perpignan, France. I will share some pictures of this 1000 year old chateau when I return to Paris.

Despite the weather difference, being here reminds me of going to Whistler at Christmas with my family. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and the life is just so much slower than being in the city. I think Christmas vacation really should be just for that, to slow down, recuperate, spend time with family and really centre yourself around things that are important before the new year commences. :)

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone!

This is my last post before I head off to Dusseldorf (my train leaves in 8 hours from now!). I am so happy to be finished everything up here and leave for a few days. I will try to post again before Christmas.

It is too late for me to think, so here is a video I took this evening. What you see here is a mass of Santas on Motorcycles! I was with my friends Cecilia, Anna and Olga looking at the window displays at Gallaries LaFayette, when the horns started honking, engines reving, and for the next 30 min Santas streamed by! It was quite a sight, but after a while we were really wishing it would stop since it was so loud! Enjoy.

fuzzy doorknob

2008-12-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

Today was a generally uplifting day. The morning starting with me meeting my friend Rocio, also from Simon Fraser University for coffee. While on the metro she informed me she'd be 20 minutes late, so I dropped by school and checked my email before going to the meeting spot. Leaving the school I had randomly happy thoughts and a big smile on my face. Immediatly someone was like, "O hello!", thinking I was smiling at seeing them. I did know the person, but nearly didn't realize it until she passed.

While waiting for my friend to arrive (who called to say they'd be even more late), I had 6 people come and ask me for directions. I was happy that I knew where 3 of the streets were that were asked of me, and for the other 3 I offered that they look in my map. All 3 took me up on that offer, which was fun, since people usually don't take me up on that offer. It was nice to feel useful as I waited, to make me feel as though I was not just wasting my time standing in the rain.

Coffee with my friend was great too, as she showed me a great little place, that in the midst of St. Germain des Pres area, you can get a latte and pastry for 3 euros! Amazing price for that area. My classes also went well in the afternoon and I ran into a number of people I know, which I always like.

Finally, coming home, as I walked up my stairs, I noticed floor number 3 had a fuzzy black door knob. This is strange for a couple reasons: firstly, I never notice floor #3 as by the time I look up, I am usually already at floor #4, and secondly, who has a fuzzy doorknob? Finding this strange, I investigated further, and realized that in fact, it was a glove covering the door knob. I think to myself, "I have black gloves like that, how strange". I think some more, check my bag, and then realize it is infact my glove that I must have dropped that morning rushing out.

Conclusion: Mystery of the fuzzy doorknob solved!

Procrastination #3: ninja bro

2008-12-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, my little bro is a Ninja. Here is a sampling that he made in July of his 'moves'. I bet most reading this post have not seen this yet, so enjoy.

Despite technology, it just isn't the same...

2008-12-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

This past week has been my first one with interent at my place, and with my phone that include FREE calling to European landlines and all phones in North America. With these 2 forms of communications I have been able to skype and call people. I was so excited about this prospect, but now that I have skyped and called people I realize, it is just not the same.

The issues that remain include:

The time difference -- I am 9 hours ahead of everyone in Vancouver, so for people who work, I am only able to call before they leave for work, or perhaps at lunch, and then on weekends.
Different billing systems -- Most of my friends in Vancouver, who do not work during the day, only have unlimited calling after 6 or 8pm. This means that even if they are free, they cannot speak to me due to a lack of minutes.
Webcams -- Not enough people have them, and they are only applicable when someone is at home on Skype anyhow. I want to see facial expressions!
Appointments -- I am quite free, but I am finding it hard to catch people. I have reached a billion answering machines though and really request people make them more interesting. I am sick of hearing: " so-and-so cannot come to the phone right now...", I get it, tell me something I don't know. Seriously, why not random trivia, songs, ect?
Lack of time -- After we do make an appointment, I expect to have a decently lengthed conversation. Think of it as though we were going out for a quick cup of coffee at Starbucks or something. I understand people are busy with their "real" lives, or just had exams, but if we set a time and date for a conversation, it would be nice if you didn't have to leave after 20 minutes.
Reciprocity -- Since I have the free calling and you don't, I am the one who has to make the calls. This does not mean however that you cannot send a message and request one though, or maybe even call! That is right, I have caller ID, and I can call back. I do not even know what my ringer sounds like!
Few and far in between -- When I speak to you, even on the phone for an hour after 3 months, I cannot possible be updated on all that has past. I find it so dissatisfying talking to people, since after I do, I just realize how much has not been said! At least I realize there will be things to talk about with people when I return.

My knowledge of everyone and everything is quickly becoming outdated, and this fact is becoming very evident. I also, do not have enough time in my life here to keep up with the life I would have had at home, and must accept that. I do hope to see you all on skype, or have brief conversations, or for you to write me HUGE emails comprising of EVERYTHING (which still shall not satisfy my want to see some moving faces). I think I shall give up a bit now though, and if we connect, then that is good. It is just that knowing how unsatisfying it is, I will reduce my degree of effort. Anyways, happy holidays and congrats to everyone finishing up on your exams!

Plans

2008-12-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

This has not been the most exciting week as I have been spending a lot of time at homing trying to write my papers. My prof just sent an email to say he has extended the deadline, which does not help me. It is not due next Friday at midnight, but by that time, I will be in Dusseldorf and therefore will not be working on it.

So, to recap my Christmas plans: Go to Cologne on Dec. 19th to meet up with Ulrika. Go to Dusseldorf Dec.19th in the evening with Ulrika to meet up with Peter. Tour around Dusseldorf on the 20th. Fly to Perpignan the 21st. Travel about Girona the 22nd (?). Explore Perpignan the 22nd. Prepare for Christmas the 23. Celebrate Christmas 24-25th. Chill out the 26th. Return to Paris the 27 (?). Tour and celebrate New Years in Paris from the 27th- 3rd. Resume studies!

I have been spending a lot of time this week to think about what I want to do for the rest of the year during my breaks, and what to do in the summer. I really want to get to italy, see family in Switzerland, and go skiing. I am thinking I will try to spend my Feb. break to go to Switzerland again, and perhaps visit a friend in the Alps and ski a bit. During my spring break, I hope to go to Italy and Greece (hopefully there will be no riots by then!). For the summer, I am contemplating many options. I potentially would travel around Europe more, perhaps in the East, or find work somewhere. Another option, that I have recently been considering, is going to volunteer in Ghana. This may seem random, but it isn't really. I have always wanted to go to Africa, and Ghana especially after we sent a care package to a school there when I was in grade 7. I have been looking online, and there are a lot of different opportunities, and I have found a couple with really reasonable participation fees. Also, the flight from here is not too expensive either. I considered not mentioning this here, since I hate letting people know what I am considering until I have set plans. I never want it to be like..."o hey, remember when you wanted to do something really cool... and then didn't?". There is only a 30% chance I will, but there is only a 30% chance that I will travel around Europe, and 30% I'd work. They would all be good in their own way, so those are my current options. I do plan to go home to Vancouver at least by early August though as I will have a lot of things to sort out (room, courses), and I do love Vancouver and Summer there is great. Anyways, if you have followed my thoughts to here, have a great week.5 until Christmas!

Procrastinate #2: More pics

2008-12-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Before I start, I want to let you all know that I have finally changed the settings so that anyone can comment on the blog, even people without accounts. So, I expect to hear from you!

Here are pictures from Paris in November, there are not many since I was gone a lot. To see my pictures from Berlin and Stockholm, click here:

Procrastinate #1

2008-12-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of hw to finish up before I start my Christmas Vacation on the 19th, so until then, my posts will mostly be posting things that are helping me procrasinate.

Today, check out Flight of the Conchords, if you have not already. A group from New Zealand who have songs that are from their TV show.

To improve your French vocabulary, listen to the first song.

For a solution to war:

I am sure you have asked yourself "what is wrong with the world?", and so have these guys.

Skype

2008-12-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Finally having internet chez moi, I am not connected to the wonderful world of Skype! Skype is a great tool for having video conferences with people over. There is nearly no delay, and the video quality is not bad. It is great being able to have nearly face to face conversations with people. Last night I was able to speak with some family, and today with some friends. For those who do not have it, you can download it here. If you already have it, or have just downloaded, send me an email to get my username, or send me yours. Hope to talk to you all soon!

France on Meds

2008-12-06T08:45:00.001-08:00

I am healthy at the moment. Thank you to the 5 drugs the doctor gave me? Yes, 5. I had a cold forever, and went to the doctor. He gave me 3 medications to take. 2 weeks later, the cough was still present and I was given 2 different medications to take. I have never been so heavily medication for a cold in Canada.

Point of the post being: I now know why!

France does not have a National health system. It is all done by a health insurance system, were the patient has freedom to choose where to get treated. Since the patient has this choice, creating competition between doctors. To satisfy patients, the doctors give them prescriptions. This also prevents them from consulting other doctors. The result of this competition though, is that patients in France consume twice as much meds as people in other European countries!

So, French people are consuming way more meds than would be considered necessary elsewhere. While this may satisfy French patients, since people psychologically think they must be getting better when they are instructed to pop pills, it makes me uneasy. It makes me uncomfortable to go to a doctor, knowing they may be prescribing me drugs as a personal business move, and not for my health!

It's Alive!!!

2008-12-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Sitting in my room, reading about Health Care Reforms in Europe, I could not believe my eyes when I noticed my Neuf Box start flashing! It is alive! I have internet, I have a land line, I have television! :). Ok, back to my reading.

About Blogging

2008-12-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Just saw this on The Daily Show, thought I'd share:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Arianna Huffington

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Social Life

2008-12-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

Since my return from Stockholm, I have become more and more integrated into life here, and made a number of friends. One of my friends, has started a weekly social newsletter for the group. One from a previous week:

"Newsletter
The plan for this week:
Tuesday: Salsa in the Arts et Metiers
http://rock.ueensam.org/Paris/Paris
Wednesday: Crous
Afterwards: Le Queen, http://www.queen.fr/
Friday: Diner chez moi
Friday or Saturday: Super-Concerts at Le Showcase
(generally it's for free before midnight)
http://www.showcase.fr/
Tell me if you will join!"

This, done over facebook makes it so easy to reply, and plan out a week of fun. I definatly do not have time to go to all the events as I have other things on my plate. Other things including: vball twice a week, church/young adults group, free Museum visiting,swimming and random other things. Amusingly, a friend visiting my 15m2 place and commented, "wow, it is so big! You should host a party here!"...proving how low our acceptable space limits have been reduced. When I return to Vancouver, by homecoming party will take place entirely in my bedroom.

PS. Super excited for Christmas break! Just bought my ticket to go to Dusseldorf, where I will meet Ulrika and Peter before going down to Perpignan. :)

Locks and Doors

2008-12-02T00:06:00.001-08:00

It is impossible to leave your door unlocked in Paris, unless you leave it open. The second you close it is locked. You need a key to open a door, as on apartments there are no doorknobs. Therefore, when one leaves their place, they need to be extra careful to have a key and it often occurs that people get locked out.

The extra annoying thing about my place is that I need to ensure I have my key even when I use my toilet, since the toilet is in the hallway. I am sure you see where this story is going… Last night I did indeed leave my key in my room and shut my door when I went to the toilet, realizing it when I arrived back at my locked door. Luckily my landlady (who lives 2 floors down) has a spare key, luckily it was only 11:15pm, and luckily my PJs are modest. I was lucky.

I have friends who have not been so lucky though. There are always stories floating around where people get stuck sleeping on their doorsteps. In one incident, my friend’s roommate lost his key, and borrowed hers. He then lost hers, so the two of them were locked out of their place for 3 days, since there was no one nearby with a spare. This story highlights the necessity of spare keys, multiple spares: one nearby, and one at a friends place who you feel comfortable waking up at 3am if need be.

Live Music

2008-12-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

This past week in Paris was really great. I went to two live concerts. The first one, Death Cab for Cutie, was really nice. I got to go due to someone elses misfortune; as in someone could not go, so I was given their ticket. I was unable to upload a video from it, but, I have been able to upload a video from the second concert I went to. The second one I went to was at "La Fleche d'Or" (Eng: The Golden Arrow). This club has live music every night, and free entry. The line up Friday night included: CARABINE (featured in video), Lilly Wood and The Prick, and Stereoheros.. It was great, and the place was suprisingly not too loud.

Berlin + Stockholm

2008-11-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

For my November break, I headed off to Berlin, and then to Stockholm.

Here are the pics from Berlin.

Here are the pics from Stockholm.

Further description:

When I went to Berlin I stayed with Krista, who is an other SFU student on exchange. She was extremely accomodating and provided me with maps and guidebooks to get me started. I went to a number of museums while there: Pergamon, Altes, Check Point Charlie, Jewish,Eastside Gallery and the Holocaust Memorial. I also met up with Heike, who I know through Ulrika, and Sandra, who I know from my trip to the Dominican Republic last year. I was amazed at the history in the city, and love how laid back it is. It was very refreshing after being in Paris, since while people in Paris all dress nicely, there is very little diversity.

While in Berlin I met a group of girls from Stockholm, four of whom were on my flight. I ended up staying with one of the girls, Sara for my 2 nights there which was really great. It saved me from paying for an expensive hostel there (about 25 euros a night) and, gave me a friend to recommend cool places. I met up with Cecilia and Nick in Stockholm, and we went to the Vasa Museum, and then the National Gallery. After some shopping, my day in Stockholm ended with dinner at a very interesting Thai restaurant where we dinned in a Rickshaw.

F*&% SFR

2008-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

My quest for internet has, as pointed out by a friend, turned itself into an epic novel that just won't end. Last Thursday, Laure, the lady in Paris who has been helping me integrate into life here (one of Ulrika's friends), helped me call the customer service number to find out what was happening with my account. It turns out that it reached maturity a while back and was never re-activated which is why they did not call. I feel very lucky to have her help me, since when I went to the store, and called the number myself I was unable to get any information or help.

She got them to move their asses though, and since it has taken over 3 weeks to get it installed, I get my first month free. (woot, but I was willing to pay for it in order to have it a month earlier). Anyways, France Telecom FINALLY called me today, to make an appointment to install my line. Their earliest appointment being Thursday December 4th between 9-11am. I have taken this appointment, but since I ordered it on October 21st, which will make the delay 6.5 weeks long. Since I get one month free for it being more then 3 weeks to install, I think I should get 2 months for free since it will take over 6 weeks to install!!!

Being a student in Paris, I really do not have time to waste going back to the phone company, and getting on their ass so I can PAY them to have their internet service. I have essays to write, and having a landline is also vital. I can't continue having to go to friend's houses everytime i want to check my email, since the schools internet is only available for a total of 6 hours on weekends. I am not the only one in France to have to deal with BS on this matter; one of my professors is also sans internet at the moment. The French really do not know how to provide good customer service, in my opinion.

Premiere Neige

2008-11-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

I knew it was getting cold this week when I found myself sitting on my couch wearing a sweater, and a touque, so I finally heated my apartment yesterday for the first time. For anyone who has visited my house in the winter, you will know that my family loves to freeze themself, meaning, it was actually cold yesterday.

Anyhow, it snowed this morning for the first! :) It was a pathetic snow fall, but I am still glad the sky tried. After being told it does not snow in Paris, I will take what I can get.

General updates

2008-11-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it is only Thursday. This week has been long, for no particular reason.

I had an exposé Monday for my Nobel prize of litterature course. I had to present on Thomas MANN, a German author who won the prize in 1929 for his epic novel the Buddenbrooks which he wrote in 1901 at the age of 25. The presentation went well, and I found that the research on teh author was quite interesting. After the presentation we were immediatly given our critiques, which were not that bad. The professor then went on to comment how he loves when international students speak French, and that he liked my pronounciation and thought I had a fairly high but pleasant voice...he then announced the marks for that days presentations at the end of class in front of everyone.

Tuesday, I went to the Young Adults group at the church I am attending. Young adults here include anyone from 18-35 years, but some people who are older than that come too. There were about 40 people that went. A nice evening. However, the day was not great. I went to SFR to complain about my lack of internet again. It has been over a month, and I am still waiting for a technician to call me to make an appointment to come install it. When the dude informed me he could do nothing, and that I just have to keep waiting, I burst into tears. This brings the count to 5, 5 being the number of times the internet has made me cry while in Paris.

Wednesay was also a fun day. In my Asian Cinema class, after having a short debat on religion, the professor asked me if I attended church. I replied yes, he then asked if I went everyweek. I said usually. Unable to prove his point that only old people attend church he simply said, "Bless you". On my way home, I stopped at SFR again, this time more composed, and the guy, who knows me by my first name now says he called his manager yesterday since my emotional display the day before made him uncomfortable. He tells me his manager has taken it into his own hands to resolve my situation. I tell him that while I appreciate that, I just want to know when someone shall call me. Wednesday evening entailed meeting up with friends at the student restaurant, going to a salsa bar, and walking down the Seine.

Today, Thursday, I am going to see "The President's Last Bang" at the Korean Film Festival. It is by IM Sang Soo, the director I will study for my upcoming Asian Cinama research. The film is about the assassination of former Korean President Park Chung Hee. he special thing about the screening tonight is that the film will be shown in its original format, and not its censored theatrical release one. The film finishes at 11:45pm, and then I have 2 classes at 8am tommorow! Any suggestions for cities to go to for a day trip Saturday? I am thinking somewhere in Normandy.

New Neighbour

2008-11-16T03:02:00.000-08:00

I, as you may know by now, live on the 7th floor of a building that is sans assenceur. My little rooms comes fully equiped sans toilette. My toilet is located in the hallway. For the past 2 months, I have been the only one using it since the other rooms on this floor are used as storage or are unoccupied; or, WERE unoccupied. When I came back from my petite voyage, I noticed my toilet paper was gone... dun dun dun... and on another occasion, when I went to the toilet, and it was occupied! How shocking it was for me to discover I am no longer the only person on my floor. I heard the person trying to get into their room... so I ran over to my peephole. The walls are paper thin though and HE turned to look at my door. I think the person is a 60ish year old man, but I cannot be sure since that one glimpse through the peephole is the only time I saw him. I am sad now... since I feel I should put on clothes to use the toilet, and not go in my PJs anymore. I am also afraid it will be occupied again and that is weird. I hope I get to meet this neighbour soon since I hear him come and go all the time, and the longer it takes to say HI the stranger (pun!) it becomes.

Pretty

2008-11-15T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hair salons in Berlin are DIRT CHEAP. You can cut and dye your hair for 20 Euros, no joke. Due to this amazing deal, I was very tempted to get my hair done. However, after long contemplation I decided not to for a few reasons:

I like how my hair falls at the back right now, which is hard to acheive.
My last haircut was only 2 months ago, so it is still in decent shape
I want to grow out my hair, as per usual.
I have died my hair EVERY fall for the past 3 years, so why not be au natural for once?
A ton of Berliner women have ugly bright red hair, which seems to be "in" right now, and I didn't know if I trusted the hair dressers sense of pretty.
A lady on the U-Bahn randomly told me I shouldn't dye my hair. She commented that it looks like gold :P. She said if I want to change it, I should use Hazelnut leaves...I tried to buy some from the Apothoteke, but they would have had to order them in, and I didnt have time. Plus, how does one use hazelnut leaves on their hair?

I spent my last day in Berlin walking around Sans Souci, a beautiful series of palaces which Frederick the Great built in the spirit of wanting his own Versaille. Anyhow, I'll post pictures of that later. I was amazed by the automn colours during my walk that day, and decided my hair is a good colour for fall. Observe:

And for those who wanted to see the boots....

They aren't THAT great, they were just a steal and keep rain off my feet. A definite step up from wearing my canvas Etnies slip-ons with holes in their soles around town.

Speaking French

2008-11-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

Last beef of the day...

A few weeks ago, my friends the Twins, were complaining about how they felt used for their English. I did not feel this way at the time, but today I definatly did. I understand when people hear my accent that they may reply in English, fair enough, but when I speak back in French they should get the idea that I can actually speak the language.

Today, on two occasions I had people explicity speak to me in English and be like, this is great, I can practice my English. I let them know that this is not the case, and that if they would like to speak English, that they can go to Canada... but that while I am in France, I will not speak to native French speakers in English.

The guy continued to speak in English, so I discontinued the conversation. I refuse to have people exploit my English. I will correct their English in their essays if they ask, but only under the pretext that they then correct my French ones in the future.

Ugly

2008-11-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

I accidently deleted the colours that were here before... I now think it is ugly, but I am having trouble getting it back to normal... I need a new template too. This one bothers me...

This is just added to my discontent from earlier. I have been reading a number of blogs this afternoon, and I am not the only one in a ventful mood.

On a side note, I am wearing the new boots I bought in Sweden today, so I look great!

Still waiting

2008-11-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

I am finally back in Paris and upon my arrival back to my flat I was very excited that I should have my bus pass sitting and waiting for me. I was also happy because I should have had messages tellibng me my internet was going to be installed. However, my happiness was soon crushed when I realized despite waiting over 3 weeks, I still had not received my bus pass nor was there an update on internet.

I am sorry to bore you with these details, but these facts are very frustrating to me. I went to SFR to inquire about my Neufbox. I waited in line for 15 minutes and it was annoying. The French service people are not like those in Canada, you do not have someone smile and greet you. While you wait, you are not acknowledged at all, you do not exist. When it was my turn the dude called someone and I was told I should get a phonecall in 3 days. So, although I was told everything should at most 21 days, after 23 I must wait 3 for a phone call to make an appointment for the installation. What the heck!?? They seriously do not care about customer service.

Talking to others who have different providers the situation has been similar for them, waiting up to 2 months for internet. This horrible service seems to be the norm, so the individual company is not worried about losing clients. However, I refuse to become accustomed to the bad service I receive here.

5 hours

2008-11-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

5 hours = the amount of time my plane to Berlin was delayed by.
After we all got to the airport at 5 am, noone was impressed by the delay. What added to it, was that they would not tell how long the delay would be for, for quite a while. The screen simply said "delayed". After 2 hours, they gave us some good. This was good since we met other people on the flight, and had people to converse with. I met a student from Paris who is living in Berlin, and a translator from Berlin who is living in Paris. This was nice, the three of us talked from about 6 am until the place landed in Berlin at 1pm.
A 5 hour wait is a bit excessive, but at least I got there the same day. I have heard horror stories of poeple having to wait multiple days with delays. I would like to say it is better to just train since it is simpler, however coming back from Barcelona my train was about 2.5 hours late... so I don't know what the most reliable transportation is. Perhaps walking...but that is too tedious when traveling... and who knows, maybe one would sprain an ankel and also be late. Last night getting home took over an hour when it should't take more than 30 min due to construction on S-Bahn lines. grr...
OK, that was my transportation rant... I am done.

aufWiedersehen Paris!

2008-11-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

I just can't seem to stay still!

Tommorow at 4:30am I start my trek to Berlin. I was previously unsure how I would make my 635am flight since check in stops at 6 and the Metro only starts runnig at 530! I decided to pay for a shuttle. My door to the airport will cost17.5€, which is only 10€ more then public transportation, much faster, and allows me to have a goodnight sleep at home and NOT hang out at the airport between 1130pm and 5am. I think it is worth the cost.

I will be staying with a friend in Berlin and meeting up with my Godmother's friend on Friday, and finally seeing a girl I met in teh Dominican Republic on Sunday. I love how networks and modern communication allows people to keep and get in touch from long distances.

I will then leave and meet up wtih Cecelia and Nick in Stockholm where we will chill for a day. I am excited to leave! Thank goodness I have been slowly adapting my sleep schedule for this. Woke up at 645 on Tuesday, 530 Wednesay, and tommorow 4am! If i keep this up...

Take care everyone!

Congrats Obama!

2008-11-05T02:23:00.000-08:00

This week is all about the USA. Walking into school Monday morning it looked like the 4th of July. There have been contests and parties, all themed after American inspiration (re: The American Dream Party).

Many students chose to stay up all night to watch the action at bars where the parties went on all night. For those of us not quite hard core enough to stay up all night, we got up at 5 am to watch the final poles come in and hear Obama's acceptance speech. By 6am 2 large amphitheatres were filled with students to watch the festivities together and hear political science experts weigh in on Obama's victory. One French newstation even had a correspondant persent in the theatre, showing the students at Sciences-Po enthusiam for the campaign and victory.

Will things change? I believe they will. Can we make things improve? YES WE CAN.

Pictures in Paris (Part I)

2008-11-03T02:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of life here so far.

Paris in September!

Paris in October!

How to cook an Eggplant

2008-11-03T01:58:00.000-08:00

Intro: On my previous post about Market Saxe Breteuil, I mentioned buying an Eggplant. It was an impulse buy and for a week it sat in my fridge while I contemplated what to do with it. It was only when Lisa came to Paris for a week and I invited her over for dinner that it was finally cooked. She had read the post and specifically inquired about how it was doing. Upon the news it was still just sitting in my fridge, she personally took on the task of cooking it up.

Prereqs: Eggplant, Pan, Knife, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Hotplate, Asian from Vancouver.

Step 1: Cut the Eggplant into bit size peices! (It turns out my eggplant was bigger than most of the small asian ones she was used it. We cut it in half, and that was more then enough.)

Step 2: Put the Eggplant into the hot pan with oil, sat and pepper! (only spices I own)

Step 3: Let simmer
Step 4: Enjoy!

Result: Edible Eggplant dish.

pulled a Nancy

2008-11-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have always had problems making sense. If you have spoken to me, you have likely realized this. I just thought I'd recount what happened Thursday evening, as a prime example of the accidently randomness of my speach.

So I was leaving my Asian Cinema class and nearly forgot my jacket. After going back to grab it someone remarked, "Is that all you have? Will you not be cold?" I assured them that I will be fine since the coat is a rain coat and does not breath well therefore I am always kept extra warm in it.

We then squeeze onto the elevator with 5 other people. It is squishy, but when we read the sign we note that it says there can be up to 8 of us. After this is stated, there is a 3 second pause, after which I say, "And I have mittens!".

I realized almost immediatly, as people turn to stare, that what I said had no context whatsoever to them. The only person who realizes that I am making reference to the earlier comment of me being cold laughs, as do others. I felt a bit embarrassed, but laughed at myself since I realized it came across as absurd.

Even in France, Nance is still Nance.

November!?

2008-11-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So, although I have ordered internet, and have the modem sitting in my room. I still do not have access to it because I am waiting for the line to be installed. This is the excuse I give for not posting recently. I have a number of posts that are made, and waiting to be published, but I am trying to include pictures... and with the bad connection I have, they cannot be uploaded. So, I may not be posting now, but when I do, they will be fabulous.

I hope everyone had a happy Hallowe'en. I was so sad not to see people dressed up here during the day. There were some parties where people dressed up, but it just wasn't the same. I saw NO pumpkins! :(

and boo, it is raining again! and fereeeeeezing! (ooo, obvious exageration)

Just another Sunday afternoon

2008-10-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Yum, space. Yum, cleanliness. Yum, books. Yum, movies. People are okay too.

I am loving how my Asian Cinema course, and my Litt course are forcing me to watch and read critically. There is so much to be learned.

I don't have any news today. I shall go to the evening service of church tonight. I am a bit sick and was unable to wake up this morning. I woke up in the middle of the night FREEZING cold and had to get a bunch more blankets. I hope I am not getting the flu or anything gross like that. I am seeing a doctor on Monday, but to get a medical certificate that says I am fit to play sports. Just another added pretty much redundant step to be able to join sports here. However, I cannot ask that doctor about my sickness... I have to see a different one. I am getting good at making circles here.

The weather is getting gross here again. Grey is so the new blue. Parisians and their sky don't like colour.

Volleyball

2008-10-24T03:57:00.000-07:00

I was worried coming to Paris that I would not the normal dose of volleyball that I am used to, and that concern has become reality. However, not to the extent I thought. The school has an Association Sportif where students can choose from about 25 different sports ranging from horseback riding, fencing, Judo, chinese dancing, toVolleyball! I was tempted to try out one of the more obscure sports but I stuck with Volleyball and may venture to another one next semester if it fits my schedule. Since the summer volleyball has been destined to occupy my Friday nights.

The team here is great! There are about 40 girls who come out to play and then we are split into skill level. Being part of the competative group we will get to play every Thursday against other Grands Ecoles. The team is allowing me to meet non-international students here. It will also allow me to see some more of France in the spring. We will go away one weekend for intense training, and then another weekend to the Crit. The Crit the large Sciences-Po tournament that occurs in the Spring where all the campuses compete against each other. To pump up for this tournament our team will do more bonding activities as well as advertise our team. This years will be held in Lyon!

Practice time!

Lisa and I bought Louis Vuiton purses!

2008-10-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

So the first day I met up with Lisa we met at the Arc de Triumph, walked down the Champs Elysees, and bought Louis Vuiton purses. Real, and nearly 500 Euros a peice. I would definatly not have done it had she not been there. That is not due to pressure, coaxing or flattering though, it was due to her ability to speak Mandarin.

We did not get to keep them though, and we did not use any money. I suppose we purse laundered, and I hope I don't get in trouble for saying that here. It was perhaps a bit risky since there are things we realized later that could have gone wrong, but it was a fun experience. I doubt I will have another opportunity to go and buy a purse from there again. Not that I would want to. We both thought the purses were not all that great and had a hard time pretending to be excited about buying them.

If you want more explanation, I'll send an email. Speaking of the internet, I finally ordered it for my studio. My comp stopped picking up wifi there so I am ordering a Neufbox through SFR. This will include internet, TV, and telephone. I will get(in about 2-3 weeks) unlimited calling to all French landlines and all phones in North America and many other places around the world, however, if I want to call a French cell phone it will still cost me between 0.19 and 0.40 Euro cents. Crazy!

Upcoming travel!

2008-10-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Hello,

So, I am a day early in announcing my upcoming travel. I have book flights to go to Berlin and then Stockholm during my November reading break. I will be spending 4.5 days in Berlin, and then 1.5 days in Stockholm.

I am seeing Berlin because I have always heard good things about the city, and Stockholm because I have a friend who will be there at that time, and it is actually cheaper (after taxes, service chargers, everything) to fly back to Paris through Stockholm.

I am flying to Berlin on EasyJet with the only concern being that I need to get to the airport at about 5 am somehow, and the metro doesn't start until 530 am. I have 2.5 weeks to figure out the night bus system though, and it was a lot cheaper to get this flight then one that got me there in the afternoon and would waste half my day.

I am then flying to Stockholm on Ryanair. The annoying thing about this airline is that is has its airports outside the city, but the shuttles aren't too expensive in Stockholm. My return flight cost me the equivalent of 12 Euros all fees included.

Now, I need to figure out accomodation in both cities. I will stay in a hostel in Stockholm most likely with my friend, but I am considering alternate options for Berlin (aka, friends of friends perhaps).

Other than that, things are going well in Paris!

Busy Busy Busy

2008-10-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

What happened to me having no life in Paris? I do not know.
So much has gone on the last few days, and so much is yet to come.

School has picked up and I had my first expose (ex-pose-ay), aka an oral presentation, on the Korean film Memories of Murder (it is a really good film based on the first serial killings in South Korea). The teachers here are crazy about them. Every class requires you to do one. I have my second one next week (in French!) on renewable energy. Luckily I'm paired with a real French girl, so I should have some help with my grammatical issues.

This past week I missed Canadian Thanksgiving, but sported a super cool maple leaf fake tattoo on my hand in support. For the election day many Canadian students united at the great canadian pub to try and be at least a bit patriotic. Very few were able to vote. This I largely attribute to the short notice we had on the election. 5 weeks is not a lot of time for dealing with all the paper work. A few students received their ballot the day of the election which was useless.

My friend Neil, from Hornby Island is in town this week with a friend he is backpacking with. It is nice to see people from home. We played ultimate frisbee with the group from Sciences-Po and it felt great to run! This weekend a former co-worker of mine will be coming and I will spend some time with her perhaps visiting a museum, shopping, or seeing a show. Having tourists around gives me a good opportunity to get see things I haven't had a chance to thus far.

I am also trying to book tickets for my November break. It is proving difficult for me to decide where I want to go. I have until this weekend to decide, so come back by Monday to see the decision!

Homesick?

2008-10-13T07:34:00.001-07:00

Family, where are you!? I have heard from noone for the past week!
This week was my first week spent entirely at my studio in Paris. With this time to slow down and get focused on school I once again have come to the realization that I do not know what I want to major in! Browsing graduation requirements is something I should only do when in the presence of a hire professional who can consol me after :P.

Everyone in Vancouver sounds like they are getting very busy with school themselves, all preparing for midterms. This is only my third week of school and is only just starting to get intense. I therefore seem to have a lot more time to contact them then they do to me. At least, I shall believe that in order not to be sad by the lack of contact. I am very thankful for the notes people wrote me before I left, which I look at when I am feeling really alone. Thank you!

On another topic, I need to book some trains/planes to take me somewhere for my november and christmas breaks! At the moment I want to go to Berlin, Poland, Croatia, other cities in France, Italy, Spain... + everywhere else! The problem is trying to logically organize the trips in a way that I can hit them all up in the cheapest manner possible. If anyone has ideas, let me know.

Market Saxe-Breteuil + 5 Euros

2008-10-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

This beautiful Saturday morning I finally decided to investigate the market prospects nearby. It turns out that there are 2 markets very near by: the rue de Grenelle market and the Saxe-Breteuil market. Grenelle is open Wednesday and Sundays and the S-B is open Thursdays and Saturdays. Therefore, today being a Saturday I went to S-B and it was literally a 2 min walk away.

The market is about a block long and filled with produce, meat, jewellery and clothes. The air smelled of an odd combination of fish and flowers. The stalls would have furry dead rabbits hanging by their feet. I found the sight of the meat quite unappealing. As I walked down, the vendors would call out to get your attention to try and sell you their goods, or their friends yelling out "il est celibataire madame!".

With my 5 euros I had on me I bought:

6 tomatoes (because I am addicted to them)
10 eggs
A red pepper
A baguette
An eggplant

Now, I need to figure out what to do with an eggplant. I bought it spontaneously and it is now sitting in my fridge. I also need to find something to do with the red pepper... hmm.