So i'm finally experiencing those mean french people everyone always talks about but i've been lucky enough to avoid until a year into my life here. I need to stop letting the frustration of my experiences get to me and think of it all on the positive and first off say a good ol thank you that its taken me a year to have experiences like this. i have thought in the past few weeks that if any of these "foreign" things i am going through would have happened in my first few months here in france then i probably would've contemplated booking the next flight back.
I got news last night that my navigo has been rejected yet again. remember that the navigo is my ticket to do anything or go anywhere. its the unlimited pass to use the metro. and for one whole month i have had nothing but tickets. and while tickets are fine for passer-bys -- they are not practical for the person living in the city. they are expensive and when you have friends and are running errands its very limiting in where you can go and how often. a book of 10 tickets cost 12.50 euros. on an average saturday i can use the metro 10 times which means i would have spent 12.50 in one day. um --- not practical or wise. and especially not on a budget like mine. the french rejected the paperwork once again for reasons unknown -- basically they didn't inform my employer that infact we could not just send in a copy of my passport to correct their mistakes but we needed to fill out a whole new form and mail that in separately. again -- the waiting period is 1 month. ONE WHOLE MONTH. so to make myself sound less dramatic let me explain ---not having a navigo is like you; texas person; who depends on your car for life; taking it to the dealership and expecting it take a few days to be fixed but then messing up time and time again and you having to depend on rides or walking everywhere. you'd be pretty mad as well yea?
The other catch is that while the problems are NOT my fault ---they are stupid french peoples mistakes -- this is NOT america where you can call and complain and have it fixed immediately. I was skyping with my mom last night and she kept coming up with all these wonderful solutions -- if i lived in the states or if france has any type of customer service like america did. but I don't and they don't so I have to figure out the french way. The french way means WAITING and being patient. I could go yell at the guy who gives me the paperwork to fill out but the thing is that while the guy who gives me the packet of information to fill out and the guy who processes my paperwork a month later probably work for the same company (the government) they don't do the same job and view their positions as not interrelated meaning they could careless your problem because it doesn't involve them. very hard for an american to understand this concept as it would not work like that in the states--i get it --- i am american -- i know both sides...but i have voluntarily chosen to live in the land of no customer service and no concern for time or its people so i'm stuck learning lots of patience and learning how to forgive a whole nation of its stupidity. ok --thats a bit harsh (and forgive me for my harshness as I am super frustrated with the french right now and i'm clearly taking it out on the country as a whole) because i do have some very lovely french friends who i would never consider part of that category but as of right now --- all french people are the enemy.
have i mentioned my visa woes???
the thing keeping me going today ..... 5 euro pizzas at pizzza hut!
its the small things in like right?
Tuesday, September 27
Thursday, September 22
1. have you ever had a job that made you want to run straight for the hills????? well -- welcome to mY job. i'm sure i've posted on here previouslY how much i love mY job and am so happY to have it and all that jazz but let me change mY mind if i will (and i'm not sure whY all the Y's are capitalized its not mY doing i promise) because i have. These kids are absolute terrors and I don't know what to do about it. First off I have never worked a nanny job where there were four kids so thats a first for me and then i've never worked with so many boys. maybe thats the difficulty. honestly -- girls are a lot easier -- because i am one and i can understand them. but boys?? what the heck do you do with a boy??? i mean - i can build stuff and play rough and do whatever but i don't understand why they act out and why they behave certain ways because i am not one. the point of the story is that these past two weeks have been absolute torture for me--- and add to that a language difference and you've got my days in a nutshell. yes my french is getting a lot better but not enough to desire having to defend myself in an argument in french every single night or convince a 5 yr old he should listen to me when he's not. so pity party is going to be over because i have decided i'm done letting 4 annoying kids decide if i have a good or bad day. thats enough.
so for the good things going on in life right now: today i conquered a whole new something...i ventured to ikea in the suburbs by myself. it was definitely a trek to go out to Timbuktu (which is an actual place in africa -- i have looked it up on google maps). anyways -- the lady i work for had bought some stuff for my apartment and i didn't really like the choices she made so i asked if i could make some exchanges and i was granted permission. I wish i could wait for mY navigo to come in so i wouldn't have to pay for a ticket on the train but alas i don't have time for that and i must prepare mY apartment for an arriving guest. anYwaYs-- ikea is a bit of a hike to get to but i did it and i think i might be going more often. let me explain. first of all -- when i first arrived in the town i had looked up directions on how to walk to the store and it didn't look so far to me and being an expert walker these daYs i thought it was doable. well -- its do able alright -- just not preferable. it was a 30 minute walk slightly uphill. like i said -- do able but no preferable -- and i was carrying some heavY items to return. anYwaYs i arrive and i'm immediately overwhelmed with choices. omgosh. so fun. going back tomorrow with a friend to help me choose. but besides ikea -- when i first arrived in this town i was walking around and i thought to mySelf -- i'm so glad that i moved out of the suburbs and into paris and the more i walked towards ikea i realized i kind of missed the suburbs. the area where this ikea is is so much like america it makes mY heart go pitter patter ...its in an outdoor shopping center with tons of affordable stores all in one place and restaurants and the like. there was a huge carrefour (like walmart) and a huge casino (the same) in the town and i miss those stores also as carrefour was the only store in mY town last year so we became very well acquainted. anyways -- i explored ikea on crack speed as i was very limited and made a few good choices and was very happy with the prices and peaced out. but not before buying some food. as most of you should know ikea food is supposed to be good and cheap and did i mention cheap? i only bought something quick to eat on the go but it was like a pizza roll thing for 1 euro. un real. anyways -- i did not choose a duvet cover so i'm going back tomorrow with a friend to hopefullY make a few decisions. and once my room is a little more put together i promise to show you my 100 square feet of bliss.
so on to next subject --- glasses! i finally bought new glasses! and was it quite the experience. first off i went with a friend who found a place that was open on a saturday so she could go with me incase the people didn't speak english which is always a possibility but not usuallY the case. anYwaYs --- we went to the eye doctor and i was a bit nervous the whole time as this is france and they do things differentlY than in the states. the doctor there was so nice and had studied in the states and was happY to speak english which was nice since mY comprehension of eye doctor terms is zero. so at the end of the appointment i had chosen a pair of new glasses and then he gave me the total for the glasses and the contacts and the number was horrifically high. it was awful. i was immediately stressed for the next few days. i told the guY i needed to think about it and figure out how to get moneY and then i'd come back and talk to him. he said he could hold the glasses for a few days and to come back and let him know mY decision. i waited over a week to go back and when i did i had mY decision to buY the glasses but not the contacts. when i had been with the doctor the first time- something that put me off was the fact that he was bargaining with me as if to get me to make a decision right then and there. i felt very pressured to buy the glasses and found it very weird that he was fluctuating on the price. when i went back the second time to talk to him about the money and buying the glasses i was going to ask him if he would do a payment plan or something and we ended up discussing that he would give me an even bigger discount and i could pay him some now and the rest later and he'd even give me a pair of contacts for free. i was dumbfounded and confused. this was totally awkward being an american. so in america the prices are the prices --- you can't really bargain on anything anywhere. here in france -- apparently its normal and acceptable to bargain on a lot of things and glasses being one of them. how strange for someone like me. in the end i am very thankful for some things the french do different and the fact that not only am i getting a huge discount making the glasses semi affordable to someone who had a budget like mine but also allowing me to pay over a months time. he told me that because i didn't ask for a discount and he knows i really needed it that he's happy to help me out but that when one day i am rich and can afford them that he hopes i pay full price. haha. whatever -- i am just so thankful for this man and his graciousness in my life. so tomorrow afternoon i get to go pick up my new pair of glasses . and guess what ya'll --- i bought them myself. i know that may sound silly but to someone like me-being able to afford my own anything helps me to feel more and more like a real adult when sometimes its hard to believe i am in the job i have and the life i live. i am determined to support myself without the help of anyone including my wonderful parents back home but i can do it and i'm ready to show you.
ok thats enough for today. have a great thursday my peeps!
I haven't blogged in a week or so it seems. A bit unusual for me I suppose. But I had the week from hell (work wise) last week and was tired of being negative-feeling negative-and expressing it on a blog for all to read. Honestly - on Friday when I left work I was in such bad mood from the kids. I love the parents of the family I work for-love the location-I even really enjoy the lady I work with who works for the family full time --- but the kids are horrific --- all the time. There isn't one good story to tell to explain it but to say that "this too shall pass". They are choosing to test me in EVERY way possible and when there are FOUR kids who don't speak the SAME LANGUAGE and the house is FIVE STORIES big-it makes it a bit hard to handle-contain-and want to deal with. But enough about that -- i still chose to show up on Monday and its Thursday and I haven't died yet.
So after my week from a place I'd rather not revisit - I took the weekend to myself. It was actually really great and I conquered a few more things that I've had on my list of things to conquer in this city.
I made it to the public pool on Saturday and it was so nice! So let me tell you -- the reason this is such a big deal is because if you are not french or european (or if you are american like me) then you will quickly find that the pool system in france is much different from that in the states. In the states when you want to go swimming you just put on your swim suit and possibly a cover up or just wrap your towel around you and put on some sandals most likely flip flops and head to the beach. Not in France. In France you must show up in your normal every day clothes so that the people outside the pool would not have a clue you are going to a pool -- change at the pool into your clothes -- use the lockers (which for a foreigner are a bit intimidating) and then shower and put on a swim cap and then head over to the pool. Again-- after finishing at the pool you must shower again before entering the locker room to change and there you must fully change back into your normal clothes before exiting. Ok typing this out doesn't make it seem like such a big deal that it was for me but when you are so used to things being a certain way and all of a sudden you are confronted with major change in a different country and language --- it can be a bit intimidating. for me -- my fear is making a mistake and just having no clue what to do. when i was at the pool the lockers were the biggest fear of mine because they were kind of high tech but luckily i found a lady not much older than me who was willing to explain the process to me. i just told her it was my first time and she walked me through the whole process. wooo. and i have missed swimming a lot so it was lovely to destress a bit after my week by swimming some laps.
anyways -- today i'm off to go to ikea (on the other side of town and out in the suburbs) to exchange some stuff and purchase a few more things to try and finish making this little room a home for me. It's on its way. And once I am done I will post some pictures but right now it looks more like a really big closet with a sink than anything else. Did i mention I have a lot of clothes? seriously.
Have a great Thursday!
So after my week from a place I'd rather not revisit - I took the weekend to myself. It was actually really great and I conquered a few more things that I've had on my list of things to conquer in this city.
I made it to the public pool on Saturday and it was so nice! So let me tell you -- the reason this is such a big deal is because if you are not french or european (or if you are american like me) then you will quickly find that the pool system in france is much different from that in the states. In the states when you want to go swimming you just put on your swim suit and possibly a cover up or just wrap your towel around you and put on some sandals most likely flip flops and head to the beach. Not in France. In France you must show up in your normal every day clothes so that the people outside the pool would not have a clue you are going to a pool -- change at the pool into your clothes -- use the lockers (which for a foreigner are a bit intimidating) and then shower and put on a swim cap and then head over to the pool. Again-- after finishing at the pool you must shower again before entering the locker room to change and there you must fully change back into your normal clothes before exiting. Ok typing this out doesn't make it seem like such a big deal that it was for me but when you are so used to things being a certain way and all of a sudden you are confronted with major change in a different country and language --- it can be a bit intimidating. for me -- my fear is making a mistake and just having no clue what to do. when i was at the pool the lockers were the biggest fear of mine because they were kind of high tech but luckily i found a lady not much older than me who was willing to explain the process to me. i just told her it was my first time and she walked me through the whole process. wooo. and i have missed swimming a lot so it was lovely to destress a bit after my week by swimming some laps.
anyways -- today i'm off to go to ikea (on the other side of town and out in the suburbs) to exchange some stuff and purchase a few more things to try and finish making this little room a home for me. It's on its way. And once I am done I will post some pictures but right now it looks more like a really big closet with a sink than anything else. Did i mention I have a lot of clothes? seriously.
Have a great Thursday!
Friday, September 16
bad day turned...well, perfect!
i want to say that today was a "horrible no good very bad day" but that would be a lie. and there seems to be a negative theme to my blogs and i don't like that. so i'm sitting back and taking a moment to remember all the good times i've had recently as well - as to not let all the crap get in the way and overwhelm me out of enjoying what is an awesome time in my life.
let me explain to you two things i am in total dislike about the french right now:
my pass navigo which was a one year pass - expired over 2 weeks ago. this is a huge disadvantage because my new one had not come in yet and well as a tourist its ok to buy tickets and pay for the metro per use (at 1.50 each time you get on) but for someone who lives in the city and depends on the metro as a means of getting anywhere in a decent amount of time -- its very necessary to have this pass navigo. very. necessary. today - after 2 weeks of not having a pass navigo and not having a life or going anywhere really -- i emailed the lady i work for and asked if she could check up on the status of my paperwork. this afternoon i received some of the worst news i've heard in a long time. *warning: dramatic kara coming out* my paperwork had been denied because they misread my birth date and therefore had to be corrected with new paperwork and it will be another TWO weeks before i receive my new card. um seriously????
1. do you know what they misinterpreted? the difference between a 1 and a 7. so the french like to write their 1's like 7's and therefore you must make sure to put a strike through on the 7 so there is not misunderstanding. well - i am an american where we write our 1's like a 1 and our 7's like a 7. just like how this computer is showing you - right? there is a lot that i've picked up on that the french do different from what i am accustomed to being an american and i'm cool with that. i actually openly enjoy learning the differences and adjusting to them because its fun sometimes but this is one case where its not only NOT fun but downright annoying. lets think for a minute here: if the problem was the difference between the 1 and a 7 -- why did they not take a second to realize that there is a 1 and a 7 in my birth date 1987 and realize that with my wonderful hand writing (no -- my handwriting really is good and besides that i always am extra careful on documents) that there was a difference between the 1 and the 7 and i clearly was not born in 7891 .... because the navigo i am applying for is a student one and it is not granted to anyone above the age of 26 -- they misread my handwriting and thought i was born in 1981 and thus i would not be granted a student navigo and decided to void it and reject it. sweet. thanks kind person sitting behind a desk making minimum wage but holding the key to my life in their hands.
i digress.
so this news on top of my already frustrating and equally as hard job made for kara being in a horrible no good very bad mood. doesn't happen very often but when it does its no good. i had already planned to meet up with my super cool friend Grace after work today because between my lack of a social life (you don't get one when you get off work after 9:30pm every night and have no navigo) and her studying for exams that are in a week and having no life -- we decided to meet up at a park by my house. we finally get to the park and after her life saving hug (she is british and the british appreciate hugs as much as the americans) she says she has gifts and i need to close my eyes and hold out my hands. i'm not one to be much for gifts but grace has been known to be quite the gift giver. she always knows exactly what i need at the exact time i need it. so i closed my eyes and held out my hands and in a matter of seconds i had received everything good in life. she started off with a diet coke -- which is kind of to me like what a beer is to an alcoholic. especially on a bad day. then she gives me a viennoise nature which is my favorite goodie from the bakery (and is sure to ALWAYS put a smile on my face) and lastly she says i'm really going to love the final thing she has and i have no clue what else she could be bringing me and she handed me a spoon .... and then finally a can of my favorite betty crocker icing. seriously. seriously. ok those of you who know me know that i have a bit of fascination with icing. as in i should never purchase it because i will eat it before it can make its way to a cake. and she got my favorite flavor ---the kind with little sprinkle things in it. and she found it in paris! besides the fact that its not cheap here-- probably around 7 euros if not more --- this isn't something you can just pick up from any ol' grocery store. no--she called around to the special epiceries to find out where she could find some and then went to this metro called Republique which is no where near where she lives to purchase this icing....just for me! if that isn't a friend then i don't know what is. and the best part was that she brought 2 spoons to eat with me. I cried. a little. but i cried.
I am not much of one for gifts unless its green and come from a tree and no i don't mean a leaf. if you're going to get me a gift i prefer gifts that are meaningful and very personal and grace has mastered the art of giving me gifts. her gifts usually aren't expensive but they are things she knows i will love or need at that point in time. like -- did i ever tell you how she bought me a brush. a hair brush. yes-- she did. and it was one of the sweetest things i'd ever received. sounds kind of strange yes but it was incredible. she came over one night when i got sick in the middle of the night and didn't want to be alone. i was really sick this specific weekend. the kind of sick we won't really go into much detail here on this blog because i am a lady. anyways -- in the process of being sick i damaged my hair brush and it was unusable anymore. i had no time or know where to purchase another brush as i was going out of town for 2 weeks starting 2 days later and it was a weekend anyways and i was still ill. she came around the next day with a brush. ok - sounds a bit stupid but she's the girl who knows just what you need and gets it for you without hesitation. the kind of friend i want. a brush doesn't cost much but the sentiment meant the world. i am definitely holding onto her for life and never letting go. hopefully you all will meet her one day. you will - i'm sure of it.
anyways -- so there we sat in a beautiful park-- chit chatting away eating our american icing from the can with spoons. the perfect ending to a not so perfect week. (which leads me to another topic later of being a europeanized american in france -- and being ok with it)
well ii'm off to go dream away the night. dors bien mes amies and ma famille! je vous aime!
let me explain to you two things i am in total dislike about the french right now:
my pass navigo which was a one year pass - expired over 2 weeks ago. this is a huge disadvantage because my new one had not come in yet and well as a tourist its ok to buy tickets and pay for the metro per use (at 1.50 each time you get on) but for someone who lives in the city and depends on the metro as a means of getting anywhere in a decent amount of time -- its very necessary to have this pass navigo. very. necessary. today - after 2 weeks of not having a pass navigo and not having a life or going anywhere really -- i emailed the lady i work for and asked if she could check up on the status of my paperwork. this afternoon i received some of the worst news i've heard in a long time. *warning: dramatic kara coming out* my paperwork had been denied because they misread my birth date and therefore had to be corrected with new paperwork and it will be another TWO weeks before i receive my new card. um seriously????
1. do you know what they misinterpreted? the difference between a 1 and a 7. so the french like to write their 1's like 7's and therefore you must make sure to put a strike through on the 7 so there is not misunderstanding. well - i am an american where we write our 1's like a 1 and our 7's like a 7. just like how this computer is showing you - right? there is a lot that i've picked up on that the french do different from what i am accustomed to being an american and i'm cool with that. i actually openly enjoy learning the differences and adjusting to them because its fun sometimes but this is one case where its not only NOT fun but downright annoying. lets think for a minute here: if the problem was the difference between the 1 and a 7 -- why did they not take a second to realize that there is a 1 and a 7 in my birth date 1987 and realize that with my wonderful hand writing (no -- my handwriting really is good and besides that i always am extra careful on documents) that there was a difference between the 1 and the 7 and i clearly was not born in 7891 .... because the navigo i am applying for is a student one and it is not granted to anyone above the age of 26 -- they misread my handwriting and thought i was born in 1981 and thus i would not be granted a student navigo and decided to void it and reject it. sweet. thanks kind person sitting behind a desk making minimum wage but holding the key to my life in their hands.
i digress.
so this news on top of my already frustrating and equally as hard job made for kara being in a horrible no good very bad mood. doesn't happen very often but when it does its no good. i had already planned to meet up with my super cool friend Grace after work today because between my lack of a social life (you don't get one when you get off work after 9:30pm every night and have no navigo) and her studying for exams that are in a week and having no life -- we decided to meet up at a park by my house. we finally get to the park and after her life saving hug (she is british and the british appreciate hugs as much as the americans) she says she has gifts and i need to close my eyes and hold out my hands. i'm not one to be much for gifts but grace has been known to be quite the gift giver. she always knows exactly what i need at the exact time i need it. so i closed my eyes and held out my hands and in a matter of seconds i had received everything good in life. she started off with a diet coke -- which is kind of to me like what a beer is to an alcoholic. especially on a bad day. then she gives me a viennoise nature which is my favorite goodie from the bakery (and is sure to ALWAYS put a smile on my face) and lastly she says i'm really going to love the final thing she has and i have no clue what else she could be bringing me and she handed me a spoon .... and then finally a can of my favorite betty crocker icing. seriously. seriously. ok those of you who know me know that i have a bit of fascination with icing. as in i should never purchase it because i will eat it before it can make its way to a cake. and she got my favorite flavor ---the kind with little sprinkle things in it. and she found it in paris! besides the fact that its not cheap here-- probably around 7 euros if not more --- this isn't something you can just pick up from any ol' grocery store. no--she called around to the special epiceries to find out where she could find some and then went to this metro called Republique which is no where near where she lives to purchase this icing....just for me! if that isn't a friend then i don't know what is. and the best part was that she brought 2 spoons to eat with me. I cried. a little. but i cried.
I am not much of one for gifts unless its green and come from a tree and no i don't mean a leaf. if you're going to get me a gift i prefer gifts that are meaningful and very personal and grace has mastered the art of giving me gifts. her gifts usually aren't expensive but they are things she knows i will love or need at that point in time. like -- did i ever tell you how she bought me a brush. a hair brush. yes-- she did. and it was one of the sweetest things i'd ever received. sounds kind of strange yes but it was incredible. she came over one night when i got sick in the middle of the night and didn't want to be alone. i was really sick this specific weekend. the kind of sick we won't really go into much detail here on this blog because i am a lady. anyways -- in the process of being sick i damaged my hair brush and it was unusable anymore. i had no time or know where to purchase another brush as i was going out of town for 2 weeks starting 2 days later and it was a weekend anyways and i was still ill. she came around the next day with a brush. ok - sounds a bit stupid but she's the girl who knows just what you need and gets it for you without hesitation. the kind of friend i want. a brush doesn't cost much but the sentiment meant the world. i am definitely holding onto her for life and never letting go. hopefully you all will meet her one day. you will - i'm sure of it.
anyways -- so there we sat in a beautiful park-- chit chatting away eating our american icing from the can with spoons. the perfect ending to a not so perfect week. (which leads me to another topic later of being a europeanized american in france -- and being ok with it)
well ii'm off to go dream away the night. dors bien mes amies and ma famille! je vous aime!
Thursday, September 15
today was one of those days
when you are beyond happy to leave work-go home- and put your feet up.
...only to do it again tomorrow.
ps. the comma button on my computer is not working and its really annoying me so i apologize in advance for the lack of commas.
my job is hard.
really. hard.
and add to that i don't have my pass navigo --- the thing that lets me have unlimited trips on the metro --which means i am currently having to pay per use which is not a cheap thing
and this equals exhausted and social life less kara.
so today was exhausting to say the least but i'm in it for the long haul so bring it on. welcome kara to the life of an au pair... no really. welcome.
anyways -- i'm off to go watch an episode of something and then sleep until next year. or 8am tomorrow.
ps. i'm going to houston for christmas. yipee.
...only to do it again tomorrow.
ps. the comma button on my computer is not working and its really annoying me so i apologize in advance for the lack of commas.
my job is hard.
really. hard.
and add to that i don't have my pass navigo --- the thing that lets me have unlimited trips on the metro --which means i am currently having to pay per use which is not a cheap thing
and this equals exhausted and social life less kara.
so today was exhausting to say the least but i'm in it for the long haul so bring it on. welcome kara to the life of an au pair... no really. welcome.
anyways -- i'm off to go watch an episode of something and then sleep until next year. or 8am tomorrow.
ps. i'm going to houston for christmas. yipee.
Saturday, September 10
kind of really excited for Texas
I am kind of really excited for Texas, even though it is forever and a year away, or so it seems! I wonder if December will ever get here?
I have already started a mental list of places I want to go and shop or eat or visit.
Lets start with: a real american hotdog. weird, but yes, i would love to have an american hotdog. those don't really exist here. the french version of a hotdog is a sausage in a baguette with cheese melted on top. not what i would consider a hotdog.
next we'll go with somewhere that has a soda fountain (which is everywhere) and ice cubes. i will take a lot please and thank you. mexican food is definitely very very high on my list and often while I am there.
I am also so excited to know that I will be there during the after christmas sales so who wants to take me shopping after christmas?
So today I am going to experience something new. This afternoon I have my first eye doctors appointment in France. And without my insurance. This should be interesting.
The thing is, my job comes with insurance, but you see, the French government is slower than a turtle and just trying to get a metro pass takes a month, so can you imagine how long it takes for them to process insurance paperwork? I think last year i finally got my insurance card halfway through the year. Long story short, I'll probably be paying for this one out of pocket, yipee! Oh the joys of growing up and becoming a real full fledge adult. It means you actually have to save for times like this and not get to go spend your money on everything cool anymore. :-( But I do have to admit, being able to see again would be a little cooler than a new pair of shoes since at this point in time I can't really see the shoes to appreciate them. haha. I'll let you know how this experience pans out... hopefully it'll be drama free but nothing in my life so far has been drama free so don't count on it.
Alright, well i'm off to go explore a big saturday market that takes place just down the street from me... have fun my friends!
Love, moi
I have already started a mental list of places I want to go and shop or eat or visit.
Lets start with: a real american hotdog. weird, but yes, i would love to have an american hotdog. those don't really exist here. the french version of a hotdog is a sausage in a baguette with cheese melted on top. not what i would consider a hotdog.
next we'll go with somewhere that has a soda fountain (which is everywhere) and ice cubes. i will take a lot please and thank you. mexican food is definitely very very high on my list and often while I am there.
I am also so excited to know that I will be there during the after christmas sales so who wants to take me shopping after christmas?
So today I am going to experience something new. This afternoon I have my first eye doctors appointment in France. And without my insurance. This should be interesting.
The thing is, my job comes with insurance, but you see, the French government is slower than a turtle and just trying to get a metro pass takes a month, so can you imagine how long it takes for them to process insurance paperwork? I think last year i finally got my insurance card halfway through the year. Long story short, I'll probably be paying for this one out of pocket, yipee! Oh the joys of growing up and becoming a real full fledge adult. It means you actually have to save for times like this and not get to go spend your money on everything cool anymore. :-( But I do have to admit, being able to see again would be a little cooler than a new pair of shoes since at this point in time I can't really see the shoes to appreciate them. haha. I'll let you know how this experience pans out... hopefully it'll be drama free but nothing in my life so far has been drama free so don't count on it.
Alright, well i'm off to go explore a big saturday market that takes place just down the street from me... have fun my friends!
Love, moi
Thursday, September 8
get excited
Because last night I purchased my plane ticket back to Texas for Christmas!
...and the crowds go wild in excitement! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I am actually very excited about this (rather expensive) purchase I made last night. And I can't wait to be back and hug and see and visit with everyone. I actually have been homesick off and on for the past while and if I had a holiday between now and Christmas I know it would've been hard not to buy a plane ticket then as well (even though my bank acct would not have agreed to that) so I'm very eager and excited to get back for a few days. Christmas, here I come!!! 7 days of KARA at your disposal!
So I can't sit and think too much about going back to Texas or else I get too excited because I start making lists in my head of all the places I want to eat, all the things I want to do, and all the stores I just have to shop at. Ahhh!!! Let's start with Mexican food, Dr. Pepper and a little shopping spree at Target! Oh yes, those are among the most missed items here in Paris. And lets face it, i'm ok with those things not being in my life right now because it wouldn't feel right to have any of those here, but I miss them all terribly!
On another note, I had to use my American cell phone (yes, I still have it...) to call Continental last night for some help in buying my plane ticket and then I decided, what the heck, its already on and there is a phone call I've been dying to make so why not... So last night my favorite person in the whole wide world, Sarah, got a call from moi!!! So, Daddy, if you're reading this.... thank you for paying for my phone call to my favorite cousin from France to the US!!!
And what's on the agenda for today? ....first off we'll start with getting out of my apartment before noon! I'm aiming for 10:30am. I have been super lazy this week to make up for the whole summer that I not only did not get to sleep in once but also spent most of the summer sharing a room with an almost 2 year old who woke up several times in the night. But today I am eager to explore and visit a market or a park or SOMETHING, geeez! Oh, and I survived my first 8 hour Wednesday with the kids. It was not so bad at all. I really think this job is something I am going to truly enjoy once I have a groove and a better relationship with the kids and grip of the French language. All those things continue to make my job a bit of a challenge but not one I'm willing to let overwhelm me.
It's almost the weekend.....I can't wait! My weekend is full of church outings. Starting with Saturday morning breakfast with a bunch of guys to watch the something something rugby match. I was told i needed to get more into the sports of Europe so thats exactly what I'm doing... haha, one rugby match at a time.
Hope everyone has a great Thursday! <3
...and the crowds go wild in excitement! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I am actually very excited about this (rather expensive) purchase I made last night. And I can't wait to be back and hug and see and visit with everyone. I actually have been homesick off and on for the past while and if I had a holiday between now and Christmas I know it would've been hard not to buy a plane ticket then as well (even though my bank acct would not have agreed to that) so I'm very eager and excited to get back for a few days. Christmas, here I come!!! 7 days of KARA at your disposal!
So I can't sit and think too much about going back to Texas or else I get too excited because I start making lists in my head of all the places I want to eat, all the things I want to do, and all the stores I just have to shop at. Ahhh!!! Let's start with Mexican food, Dr. Pepper and a little shopping spree at Target! Oh yes, those are among the most missed items here in Paris. And lets face it, i'm ok with those things not being in my life right now because it wouldn't feel right to have any of those here, but I miss them all terribly!
On another note, I had to use my American cell phone (yes, I still have it...) to call Continental last night for some help in buying my plane ticket and then I decided, what the heck, its already on and there is a phone call I've been dying to make so why not... So last night my favorite person in the whole wide world, Sarah, got a call from moi!!! So, Daddy, if you're reading this.... thank you for paying for my phone call to my favorite cousin from France to the US!!!
And what's on the agenda for today? ....first off we'll start with getting out of my apartment before noon! I'm aiming for 10:30am. I have been super lazy this week to make up for the whole summer that I not only did not get to sleep in once but also spent most of the summer sharing a room with an almost 2 year old who woke up several times in the night. But today I am eager to explore and visit a market or a park or SOMETHING, geeez! Oh, and I survived my first 8 hour Wednesday with the kids. It was not so bad at all. I really think this job is something I am going to truly enjoy once I have a groove and a better relationship with the kids and grip of the French language. All those things continue to make my job a bit of a challenge but not one I'm willing to let overwhelm me.
It's almost the weekend.....I can't wait! My weekend is full of church outings. Starting with Saturday morning breakfast with a bunch of guys to watch the something something rugby match. I was told i needed to get more into the sports of Europe so thats exactly what I'm doing... haha, one rugby match at a time.
Hope everyone has a great Thursday! <3
Wednesday, September 7
La Rentreeeee
La Rentree: the first day of school but also an expression meaning the end of summer when everyone returns from their holidays. I blogged about it last year when I was learning about it and never envisioned myself experiencing another even though I envision myself living here for a long time. Anyways, the first week of school is nearly half over and its been an experience to say the least. It's already been a long week and I am so tired. How is it possible that I am so tired when I am working one job this week and somehow I survived and even had a partial social life last week when I was working 2 jobs equally 60 hours last week?
So, the first day of school for the kids was also a new learning day for me. Honestly, you don't need a tv or other forms of entertainment here in France when you have all the funky stuff I have that goes on in my life to make it much more interesting than any reality tv show ever could. So, my first task was to be at the kids school at 4:15pm. The mom sent me a text with the address and asked me to the meet the grandmother there so she could explain to me how the after school schedule worked. You would think this would not be so hard but apparently life isn't so easy. First, the mom accidentally sent me the wrong address. It was the correct street but the completely opposite direction, so I ended up walking about 4 or 5 blocks in the wrong direction, arrived at the address given to me and knew something had to be wrong when I looked in the door and saw a stairwell leading to apartments. Hmmm, not the kids school, I thought. So I unenthusiastically called the Mom (lets face it, on the first day, the last thing I wanted to do was to be bothering the very busy Mom at work because I couldn't find where I needed to be going). Luckily for my sanity I realized she had given me the wrong address but that also meant I needed to not only walk the 4 or 5 blocks back to the original starting point, but continue walking past the starting point in that direction for another 4 or 5 blocks. And by this time it was past 4:15pm. So eventually I get to the school which is on a street corner and was FULL of mommy's, nanny's, strollers, children of all sizes, and lots of snacks which meant a lot of nasty pigeons. I searched and searched and searched and could not find either of the 2 boys, their older sister or the grandma. Where were they??? I eventually called the Mom again and told her I had been waiting at the school for a while and had not been successful in finding anyone in the family. Fail numero uno for Kara! So (yes, this is a bit dramatized but it makes for life to be more interesting than not) there I was standing in a crowd of moms, nannys, and too many kids to account for wondering where were the people I was supposedly meeting? After another ten minutes or so of just awkwardly standing around the school on the street corner watching everyone dissipate and eventually being the only one left standing on that street corner I decided to call the other nanny and ask her what I should do. I figured at this point that they just left without trying to find me which was fine but I had no clue where they would have gone which is why I stayed waiting to find out where to go. I mustered the courage and made the phone call in French and found out that everyone was to be at home and I should just make my way there. Whewwww!!! Ok, so I'm nearly an hour into my job at this point and I am kidless and late to work. Good job Kara! So i start making my way towards the house and think to myself, Ok, i know the way, lets just go this way. Yea, not a good idea. Unlike the streets in the cities where I have lived in Texas, the streets in Paris do not make any sense ever...they do not run in a grid form and just because it looks like its going in the direction you want to be headed does not mean it will end up in that direction. Just my luck, who knows what street I took or how I ended up where I needed to be, but too much time later I landed on at the front door of the home. The only un-frustrating part of that whole experiment in walking was that I figured out where a few more streets come together and explored a little more.
So there you have it, my second week of work and the kids first day of school... awkward!
Yesterday was much better and now I can conquer the kids school pick up routine fine by myself, so score for Kara! Today, however, is another story....its my first FULL day with the kids. You remember how French kids don't go to school on Wednesdays? And how most nannys work the whole day? Well, I am lucky that I don't have to work until 1:30pm, but that still means 8 hours with these kids in the middle of the week. Say a little prayer for me if you will. They are 'good' kids, but 8 hours is a lot when you're just getting to know them and still don't fully speak the same language.
Et voila, the stories of a second year au-pair have commenced! and there I am, waist deep in speaking my infamous franglais. It really is the spoken language here.
Oh, and life is pretty good when small things make you really happy...like 5 euro pizza from pizzahut! yes, i am slightly obsessed with pizza hut these days and the fact that every tuesday all their medium pizzas are just 5 euros. you know where to find me every tuesday! Yesterday, Maya and I met up for a late lunch of pizza hut, duh! and because we didn't have too much time and the parks were all too far to walk we decided to just walk for a few minutes until we stumbled upon somewhere interesting to sit. We walked down this one major street in the direction of a park incase we didn't find anything first and low and behold I look to my right at a random intersection and see this magnificent building just sticking up from behind some apartments and it draws me over. We end up eating our pizza next to some really beautiful and randomly placed church. So there you are for random experiences as well. Just walk a little and you'll find something cool you didn't know was there. That is my experience at least.
Anyways, the minutes are ticking and I have still so much left to do before my 8 hour shift starts! Love to you all!
So, the first day of school for the kids was also a new learning day for me. Honestly, you don't need a tv or other forms of entertainment here in France when you have all the funky stuff I have that goes on in my life to make it much more interesting than any reality tv show ever could. So, my first task was to be at the kids school at 4:15pm. The mom sent me a text with the address and asked me to the meet the grandmother there so she could explain to me how the after school schedule worked. You would think this would not be so hard but apparently life isn't so easy. First, the mom accidentally sent me the wrong address. It was the correct street but the completely opposite direction, so I ended up walking about 4 or 5 blocks in the wrong direction, arrived at the address given to me and knew something had to be wrong when I looked in the door and saw a stairwell leading to apartments. Hmmm, not the kids school, I thought. So I unenthusiastically called the Mom (lets face it, on the first day, the last thing I wanted to do was to be bothering the very busy Mom at work because I couldn't find where I needed to be going). Luckily for my sanity I realized she had given me the wrong address but that also meant I needed to not only walk the 4 or 5 blocks back to the original starting point, but continue walking past the starting point in that direction for another 4 or 5 blocks. And by this time it was past 4:15pm. So eventually I get to the school which is on a street corner and was FULL of mommy's, nanny's, strollers, children of all sizes, and lots of snacks which meant a lot of nasty pigeons. I searched and searched and searched and could not find either of the 2 boys, their older sister or the grandma. Where were they??? I eventually called the Mom again and told her I had been waiting at the school for a while and had not been successful in finding anyone in the family. Fail numero uno for Kara! So (yes, this is a bit dramatized but it makes for life to be more interesting than not) there I was standing in a crowd of moms, nannys, and too many kids to account for wondering where were the people I was supposedly meeting? After another ten minutes or so of just awkwardly standing around the school on the street corner watching everyone dissipate and eventually being the only one left standing on that street corner I decided to call the other nanny and ask her what I should do. I figured at this point that they just left without trying to find me which was fine but I had no clue where they would have gone which is why I stayed waiting to find out where to go. I mustered the courage and made the phone call in French and found out that everyone was to be at home and I should just make my way there. Whewwww!!! Ok, so I'm nearly an hour into my job at this point and I am kidless and late to work. Good job Kara! So i start making my way towards the house and think to myself, Ok, i know the way, lets just go this way. Yea, not a good idea. Unlike the streets in the cities where I have lived in Texas, the streets in Paris do not make any sense ever...they do not run in a grid form and just because it looks like its going in the direction you want to be headed does not mean it will end up in that direction. Just my luck, who knows what street I took or how I ended up where I needed to be, but too much time later I landed on at the front door of the home. The only un-frustrating part of that whole experiment in walking was that I figured out where a few more streets come together and explored a little more.
So there you have it, my second week of work and the kids first day of school... awkward!
Yesterday was much better and now I can conquer the kids school pick up routine fine by myself, so score for Kara! Today, however, is another story....its my first FULL day with the kids. You remember how French kids don't go to school on Wednesdays? And how most nannys work the whole day? Well, I am lucky that I don't have to work until 1:30pm, but that still means 8 hours with these kids in the middle of the week. Say a little prayer for me if you will. They are 'good' kids, but 8 hours is a lot when you're just getting to know them and still don't fully speak the same language.
Et voila, the stories of a second year au-pair have commenced! and there I am, waist deep in speaking my infamous franglais. It really is the spoken language here.
Oh, and life is pretty good when small things make you really happy...like 5 euro pizza from pizzahut! yes, i am slightly obsessed with pizza hut these days and the fact that every tuesday all their medium pizzas are just 5 euros. you know where to find me every tuesday! Yesterday, Maya and I met up for a late lunch of pizza hut, duh! and because we didn't have too much time and the parks were all too far to walk we decided to just walk for a few minutes until we stumbled upon somewhere interesting to sit. We walked down this one major street in the direction of a park incase we didn't find anything first and low and behold I look to my right at a random intersection and see this magnificent building just sticking up from behind some apartments and it draws me over. We end up eating our pizza next to some really beautiful and randomly placed church. So there you are for random experiences as well. Just walk a little and you'll find something cool you didn't know was there. That is my experience at least.
Anyways, the minutes are ticking and I have still so much left to do before my 8 hour shift starts! Love to you all!
Monday, September 5
i moved!
My address has changed and my bags are on their way to becoming unpacked. Today is the first day of the school year for the French kids and the beginning of what is going to be a great year full of new experiences and lots of great memories.
So my new apartment is really cool if I do say so myself. Its rather small. Actually, really small compared to the last one I showed with pictures on here. I do not have my good camera over here yet so I don't have pictures to show but I was thinking because its so small and there isn't a good place to stand to get good pictures show it, I might just try and do a video and see how that works.
So the logistics: I have 11m2 and for those of you who work in square feet, its 118 square feet. small, yes! but comfy? yes. I have a shower, but no toilet. There is a toilet on my hallway that I must share with several others but I don't mind. Actually, this set up, as my sister described, is a lot like a dorm setting. I have a shower, a sink, a fridge, a hot plate, a futon, and cabinets for all my stuff. So it has all the necessities. It actually has a lot of cabinet space for such a small apartment so I am very happy with that, as I have been to some peoples small apartments and there has been no where to put your stuff. I am anti clutter so I can't stand when my stuff is visible when the space is clean, so its very nice to have all this space for storing stuff. I also am very happy to have my large painting as the walls are all white and this space definitely needed some color. I should be receiving another painting as soon as I go and pick it up and its of the eiffel tower. My good friend Maya loves to paint and she is really good at it and offered to let me store one of her lovely paintings in my apartment. I am on the 7th floor (which is really 8th american) and one of the best parts is that I have an elevator. I'm sure I've mentioned before how elevators are special gifts in France because the buildings are so old and not all have them. Especially for me to live on the 7th floor, which is where the "maids quarters" are and were used as back in the day (or I guess I am a "maid" of sorts, haha) and elevators are even more uncommon for the top floor of buildings. And then to add to all of this, my view is spectacular. Since I am so high up I have a view of the rooftops of Paris which is not a bad view itself, but I face towards the Eiffel Tower which means I have a view of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumph.
Anyways, this weekend has been rather busy for me with moving and working and church and catching up with friends. One of my closest friends and favorite people in the whole wide world showed back up on Friday. Maya spent the summer catching up with her family in the States but returned back here to work and we have been spending a lot of time together. I definitely missed my other half. But it has made for long days and late nights when I needed rest and relaxation this weekend. So i am taking advantage of a Monday morning where I don't have to work and laying in bed watching tv and updating my blog.
Since I am now getting settled in I have been doing a lot of research as well. Now that I live in Paris I need to be more cultural and local and learn about my neighborhood and all that it has to offer. Starting with markets. So last night I spent some time looking up different markets in the area and their hours and what they sell. Sadly, since I moved to Paris, I have yet to visit a market. This kind of disgusts me. So anyways, today I need to head over to my old apartment and grab the last few things I had left there and then I'm off to explore my new neighborhood and find all the hidden treasures in the area.
And this weekend I had a minor scare. I decided it'd be a good time to clean my computer since I was cleaning my new apartment and unpacking and I think a few drops of water accidentally got in the keyboard of my computer and a few of the keys stopped working. I almost died. As my dad put it, "a bit of a drama queen?" But you don't understand, I live in 11m2 in the most residential neighborhood in all of Paris (ok, maybe not the MOST, but theres not much in the way of entertainment around here) and so without a computer I have no music, no way of knowing where the markets are, or watching movies, or anything! A computer is an essential piece of my life these days, so for the keys to not work, which means I couldn't turn on the computer because one of the letters that didn't work was a letter that was in my password, meant that all life had come to a complete hault! Yes, dramatic. But anyways, I consulted every "nerd" I knew in this country, haha. Just kidding. But I did call a few friends who I know have a bit of knowledge on Apple products or computers and they suggested a few things and so I tried to be as patient as possible and see if it would just fix itself. et voila! I came home last night to see if things had improved and my keyboard worked again! It seriously was a miracle! Ok, laugh all you want, it is a bit dramatic but live a day in my shoes and you'll realize how precious this little electronic square is to you. So I am VERY happy that I didn't ruin my keyboard and that its as good as new again and I will think twice before trying to clean it next time. haha.
Anyways, I'm off to go have a few productive hours before work this afternoon. Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day while I have to labor today.
Love, moi
So my new apartment is really cool if I do say so myself. Its rather small. Actually, really small compared to the last one I showed with pictures on here. I do not have my good camera over here yet so I don't have pictures to show but I was thinking because its so small and there isn't a good place to stand to get good pictures show it, I might just try and do a video and see how that works.
So the logistics: I have 11m2 and for those of you who work in square feet, its 118 square feet. small, yes! but comfy? yes. I have a shower, but no toilet. There is a toilet on my hallway that I must share with several others but I don't mind. Actually, this set up, as my sister described, is a lot like a dorm setting. I have a shower, a sink, a fridge, a hot plate, a futon, and cabinets for all my stuff. So it has all the necessities. It actually has a lot of cabinet space for such a small apartment so I am very happy with that, as I have been to some peoples small apartments and there has been no where to put your stuff. I am anti clutter so I can't stand when my stuff is visible when the space is clean, so its very nice to have all this space for storing stuff. I also am very happy to have my large painting as the walls are all white and this space definitely needed some color. I should be receiving another painting as soon as I go and pick it up and its of the eiffel tower. My good friend Maya loves to paint and she is really good at it and offered to let me store one of her lovely paintings in my apartment. I am on the 7th floor (which is really 8th american) and one of the best parts is that I have an elevator. I'm sure I've mentioned before how elevators are special gifts in France because the buildings are so old and not all have them. Especially for me to live on the 7th floor, which is where the "maids quarters" are and were used as back in the day (or I guess I am a "maid" of sorts, haha) and elevators are even more uncommon for the top floor of buildings. And then to add to all of this, my view is spectacular. Since I am so high up I have a view of the rooftops of Paris which is not a bad view itself, but I face towards the Eiffel Tower which means I have a view of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumph.
Anyways, this weekend has been rather busy for me with moving and working and church and catching up with friends. One of my closest friends and favorite people in the whole wide world showed back up on Friday. Maya spent the summer catching up with her family in the States but returned back here to work and we have been spending a lot of time together. I definitely missed my other half. But it has made for long days and late nights when I needed rest and relaxation this weekend. So i am taking advantage of a Monday morning where I don't have to work and laying in bed watching tv and updating my blog.
Since I am now getting settled in I have been doing a lot of research as well. Now that I live in Paris I need to be more cultural and local and learn about my neighborhood and all that it has to offer. Starting with markets. So last night I spent some time looking up different markets in the area and their hours and what they sell. Sadly, since I moved to Paris, I have yet to visit a market. This kind of disgusts me. So anyways, today I need to head over to my old apartment and grab the last few things I had left there and then I'm off to explore my new neighborhood and find all the hidden treasures in the area.
And this weekend I had a minor scare. I decided it'd be a good time to clean my computer since I was cleaning my new apartment and unpacking and I think a few drops of water accidentally got in the keyboard of my computer and a few of the keys stopped working. I almost died. As my dad put it, "a bit of a drama queen?" But you don't understand, I live in 11m2 in the most residential neighborhood in all of Paris (ok, maybe not the MOST, but theres not much in the way of entertainment around here) and so without a computer I have no music, no way of knowing where the markets are, or watching movies, or anything! A computer is an essential piece of my life these days, so for the keys to not work, which means I couldn't turn on the computer because one of the letters that didn't work was a letter that was in my password, meant that all life had come to a complete hault! Yes, dramatic. But anyways, I consulted every "nerd" I knew in this country, haha. Just kidding. But I did call a few friends who I know have a bit of knowledge on Apple products or computers and they suggested a few things and so I tried to be as patient as possible and see if it would just fix itself. et voila! I came home last night to see if things had improved and my keyboard worked again! It seriously was a miracle! Ok, laugh all you want, it is a bit dramatic but live a day in my shoes and you'll realize how precious this little electronic square is to you. So I am VERY happy that I didn't ruin my keyboard and that its as good as new again and I will think twice before trying to clean it next time. haha.
Anyways, I'm off to go have a few productive hours before work this afternoon. Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day while I have to labor today.
Love, moi
Saturday, September 3
week from hades over, thankfully
So my week of working two jobs and 12 hours a day with no breaks and no social life is finally over. Thank God. No really, I am very thankful. It was one of the longest and most exhausting weeks (physically) that I've had in a long time and while it was quite the experience that I won't soon forget, its not really one I would choose to repeat any time soon either.
Last night I got the keys to my new apartment and a map explaining how to get there and find my way and so I set off on an adventure. Well, first I took a bunch of stuff and tried walking down the streets of Paris with everything the mom had purchased for my apartment so I'm sure I looked a bit silly. And then I waited for my friend at the metro but was so exhausted from the day and carrying so much stuff that I sat down and waiting for her and realized I looked like a homeless person in distress (albeit, a well dressed and supplied homeless person: I was carrying my LV bag and had all brand new items from IKEA). My friend arrived, champagne in hand, and we made our way to find my new apartment.
I don't have pictures but let me tell you, its nothing like the one I showed you earlier. Nothing. Its a lot smaller and way different in every possible way, but way cute at the same time. I walked in and thought instantly, I can live here! This can be my home! (Which is great because I was a bit afraid since I hadn't seen it yet). It's rather petite at 11m2 which is not much larger than 100squareFeet if you can imagine living in a space like that, you Texas people. I've definitely had to learn that not everything bigger is better since moving away. It has a shower, the same sink that is for the kitchen is for the bathroom, there is no toilet so I will be sharing with my hall mates (very common when living in the type of apartment that I will be living in) but its my space. I have a click clack. not a sofa bed, a ..... gosh, the english word is not coming to me... anyways, its called a click-clack in french and its not a sofa bed but the same idea. I actually have quite a bit of cabinet space which I think I am very lucky to have in such a small space and it has a view of the Eiffel Tower as promised. It's absolutely beautiful. I am one street away from a metro, soooo close, in a very secure, very beautiful building. I live on the 7th floor but there is an elevator which if you've ever been to france know that that is the golden ticket and such a blessing so I am very thankful I will not have to carry all my stuff up 7 flights of stairs today, or ever. The basic overall message is, its small but its going to be my home and I think I will be very happy being there.
There is a lot of stuff that needs to be purchased for this apartment as its completely bare. No one has been living in it for a while so the mom purchased some pots and pans, a few plates and silverware and a few odds and ends but definitely not enough to complete an apartment. The shower does not have a shower curtain so that shall be interesting when I need to shower, for the time being (there is not wal-mart readily available here and the equivalents to wal-mart in paris are not always stocked with random odds and ends for the home so acquiring one might be a bit interesting.). I will probably end up wanting a rug for the floor and a few more things to make it feel less "white" and more like Kara's humble abode! haha. But that can take time.
Anyways, I now have one hour to repack all my stuff before the father of my new family arrives to pick me up to help me move to my new apartment! I am so excited and a bit nervous (that he'll think i have too much stuff) but so ready! so ready!
Anyways, the point of this post was to say that one chapter has ended (again) and a new chapter is beginning and I couldn't be more excited for the future and what is to come. I had a great go with the family I worked for this summer. I had a lot of great times and made a lot of great memories, had opportunities to do and see places and things that I can't say I would have done on my own ever and for that I am very thankful, but I am also very excited that this summer is over and I can settle down, unpack, and get back into a routine of life. I am excited about starting French classes again in a few weeks (ha, we'll see how long that lasts) and to file for my new visa in a few months and to bond and make new memories with my new family.
So, i'm off to go dream (and pack) about my new apartment and how i'm going to decorate it. I have to say though, I am very thankful for those of you who continue to support me being over here. It helps the bad days to be a lot better, the good days to be amazing and I constantly can feel the love, even though there is an ocean and quite a few time zones that lay between us.
Oh, and on my last note: my other half and soul mate has returned to Paris for another year of crazy times. Maya, i'm sure I've talked about her, after having a Parisian hiatus and going to our homeland all summer, she has returned and I couldn't be happier. In her first 24 hours we already had time to make a million new memories to last us a lifetime.
Have a great weekend mes amies and ma famille where ever you are....
Love, MEEEEEE
Last night I got the keys to my new apartment and a map explaining how to get there and find my way and so I set off on an adventure. Well, first I took a bunch of stuff and tried walking down the streets of Paris with everything the mom had purchased for my apartment so I'm sure I looked a bit silly. And then I waited for my friend at the metro but was so exhausted from the day and carrying so much stuff that I sat down and waiting for her and realized I looked like a homeless person in distress (albeit, a well dressed and supplied homeless person: I was carrying my LV bag and had all brand new items from IKEA). My friend arrived, champagne in hand, and we made our way to find my new apartment.
I don't have pictures but let me tell you, its nothing like the one I showed you earlier. Nothing. Its a lot smaller and way different in every possible way, but way cute at the same time. I walked in and thought instantly, I can live here! This can be my home! (Which is great because I was a bit afraid since I hadn't seen it yet). It's rather petite at 11m2 which is not much larger than 100squareFeet if you can imagine living in a space like that, you Texas people. I've definitely had to learn that not everything bigger is better since moving away. It has a shower, the same sink that is for the kitchen is for the bathroom, there is no toilet so I will be sharing with my hall mates (very common when living in the type of apartment that I will be living in) but its my space. I have a click clack. not a sofa bed, a ..... gosh, the english word is not coming to me... anyways, its called a click-clack in french and its not a sofa bed but the same idea. I actually have quite a bit of cabinet space which I think I am very lucky to have in such a small space and it has a view of the Eiffel Tower as promised. It's absolutely beautiful. I am one street away from a metro, soooo close, in a very secure, very beautiful building. I live on the 7th floor but there is an elevator which if you've ever been to france know that that is the golden ticket and such a blessing so I am very thankful I will not have to carry all my stuff up 7 flights of stairs today, or ever. The basic overall message is, its small but its going to be my home and I think I will be very happy being there.
There is a lot of stuff that needs to be purchased for this apartment as its completely bare. No one has been living in it for a while so the mom purchased some pots and pans, a few plates and silverware and a few odds and ends but definitely not enough to complete an apartment. The shower does not have a shower curtain so that shall be interesting when I need to shower, for the time being (there is not wal-mart readily available here and the equivalents to wal-mart in paris are not always stocked with random odds and ends for the home so acquiring one might be a bit interesting.). I will probably end up wanting a rug for the floor and a few more things to make it feel less "white" and more like Kara's humble abode! haha. But that can take time.
Anyways, I now have one hour to repack all my stuff before the father of my new family arrives to pick me up to help me move to my new apartment! I am so excited and a bit nervous (that he'll think i have too much stuff) but so ready! so ready!
Anyways, the point of this post was to say that one chapter has ended (again) and a new chapter is beginning and I couldn't be more excited for the future and what is to come. I had a great go with the family I worked for this summer. I had a lot of great times and made a lot of great memories, had opportunities to do and see places and things that I can't say I would have done on my own ever and for that I am very thankful, but I am also very excited that this summer is over and I can settle down, unpack, and get back into a routine of life. I am excited about starting French classes again in a few weeks (ha, we'll see how long that lasts) and to file for my new visa in a few months and to bond and make new memories with my new family.
So, i'm off to go dream (and pack) about my new apartment and how i'm going to decorate it. I have to say though, I am very thankful for those of you who continue to support me being over here. It helps the bad days to be a lot better, the good days to be amazing and I constantly can feel the love, even though there is an ocean and quite a few time zones that lay between us.
Oh, and on my last note: my other half and soul mate has returned to Paris for another year of crazy times. Maya, i'm sure I've talked about her, after having a Parisian hiatus and going to our homeland all summer, she has returned and I couldn't be happier. In her first 24 hours we already had time to make a million new memories to last us a lifetime.
Have a great weekend mes amies and ma famille where ever you are....
Love, MEEEEEE
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