week three

I have been absent from blogging for a little while due to internet issues, and I’ve been missing it! My apartment internet is horrible. In this post, I will try to recap this past week. Paris is becoming more like my home each day, and I am falling in love with everything. It’s crazy that I have been here for three entire weeks.

Marcy and I finally prepared food for fiesta night this past week! I have been missing Mexican food so much, and so has Marcy. I made my amazing guacamole.. SO good. I tried couscous for the first time and wasn’t that thrilled about it. Still, an amazing meal with plenty of leftovers! We had a movie night with butter pecan ice cream (just for you dad!) and watched Under the Tuscan Sun.

There was a strike in the city on Tuesday. My French teacher said it had something to do with the government changing the retirement age (if I heard her correctly; she was speaking all French). I wish I would have seen the actual strike taking place, but I was busy cleaning the entire apartment. Later in the day, I walked around and saw the aftermath of it all. The streets were covered in trash and flyers from the strike. It was quite a scene. We stopped for some Chinese food. It’s funny how I am eating all other kinds of food and haven’t experienced true French food yet; I am eagerly waiting.

Lana and I had a little date to the Louvre Gardens and Angelinas (the best hot chocolate in Paris). Chanel spent a lot of time at Angelinas, which is near the Ritz where she lived. The hot chocolate was incredible, pretty much like chocolate syrup. We each got a croissant, which we ended up just dipping into the hot chocolate! There was couple next to us from Connecticut; they were extremely friendly. It was nice to not feel like the only American for once! We walked around the area, went into Chanel and Tiffanys. Afterwards, we went to this discount store called Tati. We were getting out of the metro and realized it was an extremely bad area to be in. This guy literally grabbed Lana’s arm and tried taking her. She quickly pulled away; thank goodness! It was all in all a wonderful afternoon spent with great company.

Last night, the American Church in Paris had a young adult worship night I went to. It was such a blessing to be able to have that taste of home. The people were nice, the music was good, and they even served coffee. Most of the worship songs I knew, but I heard some new ones too. After, I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time all lit up. It was such a beautiful sight, one I have always dreamt of. It’s one thing to see it far away, but it’s incredible when you are standing right under it. There was a movie showing in front of the Eiffel Tower, but unfortunately it was all in French. There was SO many people sitting in the grass, drinking wine, and enjoying the movie. It was awesome to see how the French people spend their time. I feel like they are always enjoying themselves, almost like they have no worries in life.

Earlier this afternoon, we met up with CEA people for this wine festival in our arrondissement called Vendange Chateau Charonne. The streets were filled with Parisians, tourists, and lots of kids. They were serving great food. I ended up getting sausage and mashed potatoes. It was delicious. Other people enjoyed bread, cheese, and different meats. We all split a bottle of wine. The place where the festival was at is a restaurant where they harvest their own grapes. Vines surrounded the top of the restaurant and people climbed ladders to pick the grapes, including me! There was all kinds of music and people were dancing. The “emcee” of the festival was hilarious all decked out in Hawaiian gear and a sombrero. It was very lively and a great way to enjoy the 11^th arrondissement.

I am currently sitting in the laundry mat and need to do homework/study for my first French quiz. Pray for me; it’s on Monday! I am headed to Euro Disney tomorrow with friends. So excited for some roller coasters and theme park action!

Au revoir for now.

Tried uploading photos on here, and it was taking forever... so mad :(
They are on facebook though.