Ok, so big week just passed!
On Sunday Jan 10 I had girl scouts! Since the 6th was "Epiphany" and girl scouts here is religious, we had a "Gallett du Roi" its a French traditional cake with a little ceramic thing inside that has a sort of almond paste or apple inside. AMAZING. In the morning we played games and read books, and in the afternoon we went to the park behind my dorm, which is a good 25 minute walk. it was snowing. and there were like 20 8 year olds. a little difficult to keep tabs on all, but we did. Once we got to the park, it was awesome! We did a snowball fight, and since I was the only leader who would play, they ALL attacked me with snowballs. Good thing I'm a giant compared to them and they were all very slow in comparison to me lol Then I made a little snowman. And i mean little. There wasnt really enough snow to make a giant snowman, so I joked that it was a little snowman for little girls. Finally by the end they were helping me make it and seemed very satisfied that they did what they did lol
Monday was a little weird. I went into work in the morning b/c I was having a make up class in the afternoon. I was one of the 1st people in and went straight to working. I saw in my e-mail we were going to have a meeting at 11am to discuss plans for 2010. At the meeting we discovered that they had to lay people off. Since Friday was my last day, it didn't seem like such a big deal. But it quickly became awkward when one of my coworkers was fired! People were crying. They had to the leave that day! It was sooo uncomfortable. So we all got the rest of the day off, and went out for drinks. Imagine if I hadn't gone in in the morning, but in the afternoon and walked in on this scene??? I also got the next day off, for my bday :)
That night, after class, me and my friends went out kind of for my bday for a quiet night of beer and wings, which is a little tradition of ours. It was really nice and I was shocked when my friends got me a slice of cake and sang happy birthday!! Mary Beth was there too, and it was soo nice! I really loved it
Tuesday, my birthday, I mostly studied. On wed. I had class at 9am, and exam at noon, and then work!
Thursday I had an exam 10-12. After, my friend Noelle's friend Noel (lol) was leaving, so we went out for lunch for sandwiches/crepes, and to another place for coffee. Then she left for the airport and I met with my friend Angela, she was my TA at Binghamton (aka my teacher lol). We had a really great lunch- I had soup and fresh squeezed o.j. So good! We had a nice chat about French history, and it made me realize how much I actually miss studying it, and also a little stressed that I hadn't done everything I've wanted to do... work, and then a final 7-9. After, my class went out for drinks, which was really really cool.
Friday was really super busy: class 9am, had to get my 25 page french paper bound, then lunch with work (Italian- I was sooo disappointed) and then work til 6:30... It was my last day of work so we had cake and I hung out for a long time with a few co workers which was really really fun. Me and my friends didn't end up going out Friday, but rather hanging out in the basement here. Found out I got the CAF, which is a thing for students in Paris with a bank account! Read: free money. (I hadn't mentioned this earlier, in case I didn't get it, but filling out all the paper work and going to the places I needed to go to was such a pain and really time consuming- but obviously worth it in the end!) As a result, we celebrated :)
Saturday, I sold my fridge to a kid in my building, then tried to go to a convent with the most evidence of the September massacres. AKA blood on the walls. Unfortunately, it was closed, but thanks to the help of an American in a band (he gave me his band name and said he'd send me a cd- but i lost the paper!!! :( )
and a 13 year old french boy, i learned that it was closed and I need permission. So now im on the hunt for that lol
Then I met with friends for a drink and dinner, then to Noelle's new apartment to drink some more, and then out. We went to a bunch of places, but finally ended up at a Scottish bar called the Highlander. This was a little chaotic for me because I was with my dorm friends (there were like 9 of us), then had Pat and his french friend meet us there too, and Angela and one of her friends was there. So 3 groups of friends, loud crowded bar... I didn't know if they would just be clicky or if they were intermingle well, but in the end I had sooo much fun! It really worked out well.
Sunday I was supposed to meet Angela and go to a church, but she was really late and didnt have a phone and then I found out it was closed between masses anyway so it was a no-go. I played basketball with friends (im so bad!). Then met up with Angela and Pat for lunch in an American/French coffee place and had a really great hamburger. Pat and Angela are around the same age, and they'll both be here after I leave, so I helped them both make a new friend! Yay!
After we went for a drink, and then they met up w/ 2 of Pat's friends (french) and I went to dinner with my dorm friends b/c one of the guys from my program, John, was leaving the next day. We ate Indian, I had chicken tikka massala- sooo good!
After we went to an American bar called the Moose and the Jets game was on- that was really cool, but I can already tell there will be a little counter culture shock.
I came back early b/c I had a presentation to day and I wanted to practice and go to bed early.
The presentation on my 25 page paper went really well, it was very easy. They told me my French was very good.
No plans for today... Less than one week til I come home!! It's really weird, b/c sometimes I cannot wait, and other times I get really sad b/c I don't want to leave...

I forgot to mention last time that I saw a special exhibit called "Rembrandt to Vermeer" and it was about the golden age of Holland art. very cool
Well, after England, I went to work full time for 3 days which stunk.
For New Years Eve I ended up getting sucked into going to a club, which ended up being totally awesome! A little too fun... But it was cool, there was a count down and lots of "Bonne Annees!" lol
Sat. I tried to go to the catacombes b/c they just reopened with my friend Sara. Ended up being like a 2 or 3 hour wait, so we went to a garden on top of a train station. Very nice and quiet! Really loved it. Then we met my friend Pat. He's from Strasbourg and working in Paris and I know him b/c he studied when Julian was a Strasbourg so I met him once. His English is so fluent he doesn't have an accent or anything! We met for lunch and hung out for like 2 hours (me Pat and Sara) so fun! I ate a hamburger! AMAZING!
That night I made Mexican with some friends. Burritos! With Chicken and Rice!! Yessss!!
After we went to a bar where you can buy 10 shots for 20 euros and Emily's friends from NY met up with us. That was also very fun lol
Sunday I played basketball with friends and then we went to the Centre Pompidu b/c it was the 1st sunday of the month so it was free. We had KFC! I've never had it before... apparently its better in the US lol
The Centre Pompidu is cool, but I'm not really into modern art, so it was a little wearing after a while. But the view from the top is breath taking!!! You can see the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and the Hotel de Ville (which glitters at night) and since it was night, everything was lit up! Really worth the whole trip...
On Monday I met Monique, my French tour guide. She's really too sweet! She took me out to lunch, and we had real Breton food. That means crepe with cheese, egg, and sausage. Then a crepe suzette and some other delicious crepe. they had apples in them (bretagne is known for its apples) and some liquor from apples that they set on fire when they serve it to you! that was really cool. We also drank hard cider, which I really liked. And then we had coffee!! Really was too nice of her!
Tuesday was a busy day... work class, and then noelle's friends from ny were here... We went to Chez Georges. Its this awesome wine bar where the bottom is like a cave (ie: wine cellar) and its totally french, not touristy at all. I really like that place but I've had a cold for the last 2 days, so I was kinda tired. :(
Today I met Pat for tea at Laduree, which is a famous french place for macaroons. Very fancy! Definitely google it! I had some fancy tea and he had fancy hot chocolate. It was sooo nice!!!
Well I miss everyone and cant wait to come home!!! Next week is my birthday, but also 3 finals, so I dont think im going to get to celebrate :(
I also might take advantage of "Les Soldes" 2x a year the french stores are allowed to have big sales. This is that time! It goes on until Feb 9th, so I might reward myself for surviving such a difficult semester with a little shopping (haha!!)
17 days til I come home!!!!
xoxoxo