Generalities: Overall I am liking life here. I enjoy taking the metro, and grabbing my croissant and pain au chocolate on the way to work in the mornings. Work is good, I finished transcribing hours of interviews, now I am indexing them. I don’t know if I will get a contract or not, we’ll have to see. I would like one.
I am getting used to being bumped into, but it can get annoying. I have my little routine where I’ll wait for the next metro in the morning, so I know I get a seat, it is key to me starting my day off right. I have learned to be lighting quick, like when Michael and I went for poutine, I was already on seated before he had even stepped on the train. When I take the metro with Binnie, it’s just not the same, because she likes a different end of the train, and she is such a hurry that she doesn’t take the time to wait. And so I usually have to stand for most of the journey, plus we liking different seats. She likes the set of three seats facing each other, I find it too squishy, I like the set of two facing each other, more room. I don’t think I will take the metro with her anymore. I love Binnie to bits though, she’s a doll. She bought a lightbulb for a lamp so I can have a reading light. And I really like her cats, my cats now muahahahaha. So that’s it really. Well I have said enough I think. I am going to Barcelona this weekend from the 11th to the 13th, as a birthday treat to myself (I’ll be 24 on the 16th, for those of you who don’t know for shame.)
March 8th so yeah, went for lunch with Veerle, thinking of going to the Chinese place that I always go to, but she didn’t want to go there, and so we went to this sandwich place. I had the worst lunch of my life. It was terrible. For starters we asked for chicken pasta, and instead we got pasta with meat, and when we point this out to him, he gave us back our plates with the sauce strained of, and chicken globbed on top. I don’t know if he even bothered to remember who’s plate was whos and we had started to eat before we noticed. Gross. And the pasta was microwaved, and was superhot, and it was overcooked. And of course I am wearing a white shirt, and now have an orange stain down the front of my shirt. I on the plus side did find a really cheap alarm clock, well 2.50€. I need one because Vanessa is moving out soon, and I have been using one she’s leant me. My one from home doesn’t keep time because of the difference in electrical currency.
March 7th I had lunch in the cafeteria, which has affectionately become known as the Cave, because it is on –1. Did I mention that in Europe 0 represents the ground floor, and then 1 is the second floor, 2 is the third and so on?
Last night, Annette and I went to go see Stage Beauty. We both liked it. Unlike Austria, there aren’t assigned seats, which is nice. Because it started so close to when work ended, I bought the tickets, and Annette got us dinner. We had Quick burger meals, it was so strange eating fast food in the theatre, because that would never be allowed back home. I usually go to the coffee bar in the afternoon, and I was with Veerle yesterday, and she was teasing me about not believing me that I went to England on the weekend, and she said I just wanted to prove how spontanious I could be, but I can't be that spontaneous, because I have to tell Wanda, before I leave the country. Jenny and I are thinking of a day trip to Brussells.
March 6th Stupid me made plans to go to Musee D’orsay early Sunday morning, as it was the first day of the month, which means free museum day. Annette’s brother had come to visit her, and so it was me, Annette, her brother and Jenny. Although it was originally supposed to be, me and Jenny, we had decided this a few weeks ago, but I thought I would be nice for the four of us to go. I met Jenny at the metro, and then we had to wait in line for like half an hour outside, and then we met up with Annette and her brother on the top floor. Did I mention that I can now count to five in Swedish and say hello and good-bye? Anyways, then we had lunch, the salad was really yummy, so was the quiche. Jenny wanted to see this photography exhibition so we went to that, and I basically it was of photographs used as models for paintings. I don’t like paintings of naked women, I mean come on there is more to art than that. Ugh, this what happens when men are in charge. Then Annette went to see her brother off at the entrance cause he had to go back to Munich. Jenny and I walked around, and then when Annette re-joined us, she wanted to look at the furniture exhibition which at this point, I hadn’t seen a single painting yet, was tired, and so not interested in looking at furniture, if you want to look at furniture go to a historical house, not a museum people. Anyways, so I went up stairs by myself, and looked at the paintings and they were supposed to come find me. I was grumpy all the while because I was by myself, and they were taking too long, after seeing what I wanted to see, I just got tired of waiting so I went down to the entrance and read my book and waited for them. I think I wouldn’t have cared if I hadn’t been so tired. After they showed up, we went to a café, where I didn’t have anything, and then Jenny wanted to walk along the seine but it was too cold for me.
I did like the museum though it was neat. It is in an old train station. The art is focussed on a sixty year period. They have a lot of impressionists art. I am getting good at recognizing artists. I could tell right away that a painting is a Renoir or Klimt. I really like them. This museum had the famous Van Gogh painting of his bedroom, and the self portrait before he hacked off his ear and mailed it to his love. There was also some painting by Cezzane and Monet. I like Monet too. I am becoming an art buff. I am so excited a Gustav Klimt exhibit is coming!
My mom called me, her first transatlantic phone call, and she told me the phone sounds funny when it rings, because it doesn't really ring, when you call someone it is more of a beeeep. I still don't have a cell, and won't get one now, I just use Binnies home phone.
Mar 5th England –Got up at 5 after going to bed at 1. It was ugly. Went to visit the Queen. She is a great dame. No, I just for the day, as it was a spur of the moment thing. I took the chunnel, I was worried about feeling claustrophobic, but after being the metro so much it wasn’t all that scary. I started the day off right by listening to the Spice Girls.
In London, after arriving at Waterloo station. I did the tacky double decker bus tour thing, the kind where you can hop on and hop off. It was very clichéd going over the tower bridge in the bus. I saw most of the main sights, Big Ben, Tower of London, the London Eye, London Bridge Westminster Abby, Kings Cross station (no there is no barrier between platforms 9 and 10, they filmed it on the barrier between platforms 4 and 5). I missed going to Westminster Abbey by 10 minutes I was almost in tears. I was telling on the tour operators how bummed I was about missing out, and he suggested that I change my Eurostar ticket and go back tommorow, and he would take me out to dinner. Ugh. As if. That reminds me of the first time I told Binnie that I was bummed, and she didn’t understand, because it isn’t a polite expression in British. I saw the changing of the guards in Had fish and chips for lunch, had the hardest time finding a post box, not to mention had a hard time finding out how much it costs to mail to Canada. The tube or subway is very retro, and crowded beyond belief! It is much more expensive than Paris or Vienna. They always tell passengers to “mind the gap” between the train and the platform. I didn’t believe my housemate Vanessa when she told me that it was very dirty under there, until I blew my nose- black. Ick. Anyways, the cross walks have signs on the ground telling people which way to look, because as you all know they drive on the other side of the road there, and tourists can get injured by looking the other way. Oh yeah, exits are called “way out.” I went to a Titanic exhibition it was just alright, I thought there would be stuff salvaged from the wreckage, but here wasn’t. I did some shopping in Piccadilly Circus. Tried to find some exclusive Harry Potter Merchandise, but there wasn’t any. I went to this toy store Hamleys and they had this Harry Potter staircase, that showed scenes chronologically from Prisoner of Azkaban. It was an alright day it rained a bit, but I was prepared and brought an umbrella. I left at 6, to catch the Eurostar back to Paris. It was a nice ride, I talked the ear off of the guy next to me, he is British. I did sleep a bit to cause I was just so exhausted. I bought the british version of the DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. One is from Picadilly circus, and the other from Kings Cross. Back in Paris, I paid $1.60 to use a bloody toilet. I hate pay toilets. Then I went home and collapsed into my bed exhausted after making a few phone calls so people knew I returned home safely.
Mar 4th I checked again on prices for the Eurostar, and I found a ticket for 70€ and after that it was decided, I booked my ticket. I was going to go the Louvre, but Jenny and I spent some time looking up stuff on the internet about London, and then I just went home to do some planning. I didn’t end up going to bed until 1, after chatting with Binnie and everyone, and calling Canada.
Mar 3th in the morning I went to into the shower and the window was wide open and it was really cold so I didn’t go in, and then I asked Binnie about it, and it turns out it was Rolland who left it open, I couldn’t reach it because it was too high, -he is very tall and unattractive- he tousled my hair like a child. drinks with the Crew at General Beurett. I woke up with the idea of going to London for the day on Saturday, but when I looked up prices I saw that it was over 110€, so I didn’t think it was feasible.
Mar 2th, went to St. Lazare and bought my cds, Avril Lavigne and West Side Story to cheer myself up, because Jose Luis, never got back to me about lunch, and I was feeling very vexed. And when I ran into him, he didn’t say anything about it.
Mar 1 I met Rolland, my new roomate.. Didn’t get a very good impression of him, because I thought he though of as a dumb kid. I guess because he is like 10 years older than me, and is way more jaded. I happen to like being idealistic thank you. At one point when we were discussing politics he told me to grow up! Binnie says that your brain is not fully developed until you are twenty-five. Sure Bill, whatever you say.
I went to this lecture on gender and migration, and it was better than the other one on gender and poverty. There was discussions on group vs. individual rights, and I asked the speaker what about minority women who don’t fit into women or Indian rights, because they have their own special needs. Afterwards this black woman asked me what minority I belonged to, kind of like who does this white chick thing she is saying she belongs a minority, and then I told her I am native.That shut her up. I have the hardest time saying what I am because I don’t want to say I am Indian I am not from India, I don’t want to say I am aboriginal as to not confuse it with the aborigines of Australia. I am not native American because I am not American, even saying native is difficult, because it can also mean native to that country. I don’t like the term indigenous. Apparently people in certain parts of Thailand are considered indigenious I feel no connection to them whatsoever. It has been a challenge.
Feb 28th I was going to buy some cds after work at St. Lazare, and I dragged Annette along, and then music store was closed at 8 pm, come on now this is Paris, not Skidsbury! So we went to her “flat” to eat, well I kind if eat my food on the way there. And then when she wanted me to the metro station, I got to see the Moulin Rouge, it is more garish than I expected. But I am glad I saw it. I found out that I was getting new housemate. His name is Rolland, he is from Germany. I never thought I’d say this but so glad I missed the oscars last night. I would have been chucking things at the TV.
Feb 27th Binnie and I went to this museum, Musee Andre Jacquemart. It is really neat. It is in a private home, and basically their private art collection. There is a fantastic staircase, and a really rare Egyptian artefact of a deity with the head of a human and the body of a crocodile.
I really liked some of the paintings. I discovered this new artist, well new to me, Boucher. There is this whole floor just dedicated to stuff from Italy, quite fitting since I want to go there so badly. I am thinking Venice. There was this one statue that should a little boy peeing, and that’s where the water came out. There was also a Napoleon exhibition there. They had his death mask, alls I can say is, I wouldn’t go for him. Binnie also wanted to show me this column du buree or something like that, it is this court yard, that is filled with different size columns, that are black and white striped. I don’t get modern art. Yuck.
Feb 26th, checked out the shopping mall at St. Lazare, and went to buy my ticket for Alanis, over 52.50€ later. I was talking to Binnie about Canadian music, and she had fit when I told mentioned the Barenaked Ladies! Anyways I wanted a McRodent’s breakfast, since I haven’t had one since Canada, and they didn’t have any at the one there. I was so mad. I listened to the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack, it is still too expensive here. I paid to use a toilet and there was no toilet paper. As if, if I am paying I want paper. The toilet paper here is very colourful, pink, yellow, etc. Well at the supermarkets, not so much in public places. At Binnies we have pink. That night I went with Jenny to go see Finding Neverland, oh my god, I balled my eyes out. It reminded me of my aunt.. We also went to this Spanish place The studio for dinner after the movie, it was good, but the service was so slow.
Feb 25th, No Louvre, although it is Friday. Went for drinks at the Roi with Jenny, Steph and Michael, and brought Bo Boun, home for take away.
Feb 24th I booked my tickets for my trip to Barceona This a day of much pride for me, because everyone went over to watch a movie at Fathimath’s. A Bollywood evening, with curry and everything. The movie Chori Chori Chupke, Chupke, http://imdb.com/title/tt0256692/ and it was in Hindu, with French subtitles, and I was able to understand it and follow the story. That is why I am so proud. The story is was interesting, there were some scenes there were straight out of Pretty Woman, because it envolves the make over of a prostitute, so she can be a surrogate mother to a couple, where the woman is barren. I was horrified that the husband and the hooker slept together, its’ called a turkey baster, or going to a lab. Ugh. It is also a musical! Anyways, if the tv has captioning on it, I can understand it. This has persuaded me to maybe try again to read Phantom in French. Btw I found bunch of sights were you can read classic books on line. Anyways I can notice the difference in the French subtitles, to the English text. The old movies Binnie and I watch are in English with French subtitles, and there are a couple shows like that on tv like Two and a Half Men, and Dead Like Me. Both are show at different times in both version francaise and version originale. Binnie things Dead Like Me is a dangerous show, because it talks about a decent life after death, but I think it is about trying to live life to the fullest, and about finding meaning in it. She doesn’t believe in life after death.
Feb 23th, Wanda brought the snow with her. We got a fair bit of snow. The most Steph has ever seen in Paris. It is quite funny seeing people using umbrellas in the show. Went to the Chinese place with the crew (Steph, Jenny, Mike, Annette and Fathimath, we had a really interesting conversation about the different names of Disney characters and fairy tales, and the differences in the versions. I wanted to go see Finding Neverland, but nobody wanted to come that night, I was so bummed, and I didn’t go. But something positive happened earlier in the day, because I just happened to run into Jose Luis. He invited me for lunch for the following week, although he got too busy to follow up with it. He is writing his PhD in French no less, although he is Spanish. Anyways, so he remembered from our lunch a little while back that I wanted to see Alanis in concert, and he remembered and told me that she was coming to Paris in April. You people have no idea how happy I was so hear this, I have loved her for years, and I think I actually cried the day she played in Barrie, and I wasn’t there. I was just devastated. I was also 15 at the time. It was so cute he looked up the info on where to get tickets and sent it to me. Majorly crushing here.
Feb 22nd after having talked to her on the phone and via e-mail for almost six months, I finally got to meet Wanda. I guess she was in Europe looking at new placements for future interns. She incedentially has never met Doug. Unfortunately Helga was with her. Of all people I met in Austria that I would want to see again, she is not one of them. So excited Lisa is coming to Paris for a week in April. I ended up having lunch with all three of my supervisors, talk about having to be on my best behaviour. Then Wanda met with me, just to make sure that everything is okay and all that. I took her over to meet Binnie, since Binnie works on the same floor as me. God, I am going to miss Binnie. We talk a lot, I am truly fluent in british now. They don’t call dish soap, dish soap it is washing up liquid, and they don’t say doing the dishes, they say doing the washing up.
Feb 21. Ben showed up to work in the clothes from the night before. Hehe. In this magazine I got at the American food store, I found out about this Canadian bar, The Moose, it is near Odeon. I went there with Michael, there were no other takers for that particular evening.. We meet another cute Canadian there named Michael, who thought Aussie Michael and I were a couple, well I found this out via e-mail correspondense after, I cleared it up though, although I didn’t tell Michael or Steph. Anyways I wanted to go to this place because I was craving poutine. It was so yummy, the best poutine ever. The bar was very clichéd and they had hockey sticks as the railings at the bottom of the bar for your feet. They had basic poutine, and like gourmet poutine, which tons of strange additions to it. They also have crème brulee made with maple syrup which I have to go back and try it, although I am a little weary of seeing Michael again. Because as soon as he heard that Michael and I aren’t a couple, he didn’t reply. I was sort of flirting with him before I found out he has a girlfriend living in Paris with him. The strange thing is, he had applied for the program I am in, and had actually talked to Wanda, and Wanda just happened to be Paris that week, how strange is that? Canadian Michael decided not do the program this year because he wants to do his articling, he is going through to be a lawyer. He is metis.
Feb 20th I found root beer! At $3.20 a can no less, I also found salt and vinegar crisps, and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. It was a day of North American indulgence. I have also found my tootpaste and shampoo here, so I am all set, I may never comeback now. Annette got to try B&J, and Root Beer for the first time. We went to this fashion museum, and there was this exhibition about a French singer Sylvie Vartan’s wardrobe. She has some outfits designed by Dior and Bob Mackee. On the way there we saw the place where Princess Diana was killed. Well above it. It is near Alma Marceau. There is this gold flame of liberty that was there, but since her death almost 8 years ago, it has become kind of an unofficial shrine to her. I just happened to have recognized it from the picture in my guide book, Annette had walked by it before, but never knew what it was.
As soon as I returned home, I had to go back out again, almost back to where I just come from, Michael called me, to meet up with him and Steph, and Ben, a cute british guy who works in an office next to me. Walking to the metro I had to go the bathroom, and I went into the one near the station, and it was my first experience with a squat toilet. Thank god, I live in North America’s that’s all I have to say about that. I met up with them at this bar the Frog and Princess, but on the way there, I couldn’t remember the name of it, just the princess part, and I had not idea where it was aside from the metro stop. I ended up getting directions from an American guy. It was quiz night, and it was a lot of fun, after the quiz was over, the four of us played this game boy/girl is what they call it, where you come up with six categories, like movies, countries, etc, and a letter of the alphabet is randomly selected, and you have to come with for example the name of a movie that starts with that letter. It was fun, and I beat them all. Not bad for a beginner, eh?
Then Ben was going to near where I was, so we took a cab, and I finally got to see the outside of the old Opera house before he dropped me off at a metro (St. Lazare) closer to my place. There is a new Opera near the Bastille, but it is modern and just not as nice. I haven’t been to an Opera yet.
Feb 19th Veerle and I went book shopping in the St. Michel area.It is such a pain meeting people at metro stations sometimes, because they are massive, and have tons of exits. It is difficult if both parties don't have a cell, I was so worried I was going to miss Veerle. We just said we'd meet at the ticket office, but there can be a couple. I have read so many books that I need new ones. I have read, 1984, Hemmingway’s A Farwell to Arms- never again, Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs, Judith Kerr’s The Other Way Around – I bought that when I was out with Veerle-, Little Women, and right now, I am reading the book before the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons. Then that night, although, Veerle wanted to go out, I was just not up for it at all, you need to be in the mood to party.
When were sitting in this cafe, we were watching this car parallel park, the parking here is crazy, and there are way smaller slots. So this car hit the car in front of him, and then the one behind him, and then hit them again, and he didn't think nothing of it. They have to there is no space. If you guys think I am a bad driver, you should see some the people over here. Insane! So many of the cars have dents in them!
After leaving Veerle, I went to go check out Saint Sulpice, a church that is in the Da Vinci Code, it has this ancient for sundials thing, or something that has to do with the solstices. I made the mistake of asking one the church ladies about the Da Vinci code, because I couldn’t remember which part of the church was mentioned in the book. Big mistake. Huge. I got lectured –in French no less- how it is fiction and not true. I was like I know, I know, I am still curious though. The churches are all the same shape and very different than back home, they have the layout of a cross, and at the short of the end of the cross it is typically rounded, and all along the sides, there are chapels for the Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the various saints etc. I also saw another church that day, but I can’t remember the name of it, but it was near St. Michel.
It you want to see what I am talking about, or the layout, you can check out www.ratp.fr, and you can see the various metro stops, that’s how I know Paris, I am never lost as long as I can find a metro station.
Feb 18th, an e-mail from Gawan really cheered me up, the lucky bum is going to Costa Rica for three weeks and will be back around my birthday. I went to the Louvre again, I checked out the ancient greek, and Egyptians stuff, majorily re-inforced my desire to go Egypt, although I am not allowed because Wanda says so. I also went to see the Mona Lisa again, and Madonna by the rocks, or something like that it is in the Da Vinci code. In case you can’t tell that is part of my latest obsession. There is a connection to Harry Potter in it- leave it to me to find- Nicholas Flamel –who was a real person and there is a real legend concerning him a philospher’s stone- is mentioned in both books. Are your eyes tired yet from all these reading? Anyways so that was that. I had a four-cheese pizza from the food court in the carousel d’louvre and there was a big mound of some strange cheese on it.
Feb 17th, I went for more Chinese food, at a different restaurant, maybe it was Thai, either way it was good. This was with the other intern Lindsey. This was a miserable couple of days, I was feeling a little depressed for real reason, and a little lonely because all the people at work were so busy with guests and such.
Feb 16th I had lunch at this Japanese place around the corner with everyone, including a former employee named Bronwyn. I didn’t have sushi, but I had some really good kababs. They have sweet soya sauce here, which is fantastic. I also discovered I am not bad at using chopsticks.
Feb15th. I attended a lecture on the Feminization of Poverty. I disagreed with a lot of with what the speaker had to say. I met Jenny, Steph, Khalissa, Michael for a drink at the bar just around the corner from Unesco, where we always go, it is called the Roi something. I always have a Kir Pesche very good stuff. Jenny’s ex-fling Max- he is German-was also there, and they played roulette receipts, where everybody took a receipt, and they had to pay for that bill, no matter how much it was, because there was only 5 reciepts, and I am a lowly stagiaire, I didn’t get to play, but I got my drink free. Khalissa, I don’t think I mentioned this before, she is from Algeria, she lucked out and got my cheap bill of 2.80€.
Feb 14th I went to the movies with another intern named Veerle (prounced Verla- she is from Belgium) and another girl named Vera, she is from the Netherlands. The three of us are historians. We watched Vera Drake, about a british abortionist in the 50s. It was just alright, the ending was sad. Speaking of movies Binnie and I have been watching lots of old black and white movies, because there is this newspaper Le Figaro, who in trying to increase it’s readership has been selling/giving them away for the extra price of 3.50€. There was the Man with the golden arm, the outlaw, scarlet street, A Farwell to Arms, unfortunately I know most of the movie’s titles en francais.
Feb13th I ventured out to visit ol’ Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Sarah Bernhardt at Pere Lachaise cemetery. Ironically –as my guide book points out- Jim visited the cemetery the week before he died and said he wanted to be buried there. This is like nothing you have ever seen back home. First of all it is massive, it takes like 25 minutes to walk from one end to another, and you need a map! There is very little greenery, and they don’t have tombstones, but like massive miniture mausoleums. You have to pay rent on the grave plots. The pet cemeteries here look more like our cemeteries. I was playing tour guide, to a couple from the canary islands, and a couple of good looking Italians, because I had the map. Then I took the metro to go check out Sacre Coeur church. I specifically stopped at Abbesses because I saw that stop in Amelie, but it wasn’t at all like the one in the movie, so they must have filmed it somewhere else. I stopped at café on the way to use the bath room and so I bought a drink, because I thought it was only 2.80, but because I didn’t order at the bar, and sat literally less than 5 feet away, I had to pay a whole extra euro. Sacre Coeur is very beautiful, inside and out. I much prefer it to Notre Dame. They have some great souvenir shops there. It is very pretty and white on the outside. There was the funniest thing, when I tried to ask for directions to the metro and I ended up asking a couple of Americans in French for directions, and both of us were like I don’t understand, but we made it back to the metro alright, once I asked someone who lived here.
Feb 12th recovered from Annette’s party, just chillaxed most of the day and watched Lost in Translation and started Amelie. Lost and translation makes me sort of want to visit Tokyo. But it is still not on my list of must go places. They have a cheap-ass version of the eiffel tower in Tokyo called Tokyo tower. I could have gone to the theatre with Binnie and Vanessa, but I didn’t feel up to it. Rare occasion of actually talking to my friend Nick! Yes, Nick you warrant mention on here.
Feb 11th Annette had a really fun party, I arrived with Jenny. I learned how to count in Italian, and how to say cute guy. and was very happy. This girl Whitney and I kept on practicing our new Italian phrases to each other “que fico,” “ciao bella.”It was supposed to be masque, but there were like two or three people who were dressed up. Annette looked really cute in her Vikings helmet with fake braids.
Feb 10th I had lunch and coffee with my former housemate Jose Luis. He is such a sweetie, I have a crush on him, I swear. He bought me coffee, and we had interesting conversation! That night I went out to dinner with Jenny and her friend Anna at an Italian place near her house in Marie D’Issy. Anna is from New Zealand.
Feb. 6th, Annette and I went to the Picasso museum-yawn- so funny that his family didn’t want to pay the taxes to keep his art! Haha! One of the two paintings I liked there wan’t even by him, but one he owned. I don’t consider it art because it is crap compared to Gustav Klimt and some of his other contemporaries. After the first few rooms I was board. That museum is massive. I then dragged Annette to the Victor Hugo museum. It was alright nothing overly special. They didn’t have info about the rooms in English, I was so annoyed. It was neat seeing his old room, and stuff. There was a really nice painting of his wife, that had tons of details, which I pointed to Annette was real art, unlike Picasso. We went for pizza, the pizza is just weird here, I miss normal greasy pizza. We were really close to the Bastille. She told me that she doesn’t like Doug’s wife. What an icky situation. We had pizza at this restaurant and money was really tight, and so we were supposed to share a pizza, but the guy told us they were small and we made the mistake of trusting him and each ordered one although I really couldn’t afford it. They were massive, but I made myself finish it.
February 5th,After hearing so much about her, I finally met Binnie’s daughter Aurelie, who has just moved away this September. Aurelie has had to do one day of military service, in order to get her high school diploma. I am finding out that high school graduation ceremonies are very much a north American thing. I guess this is a new thing where they make girls do it too. All her little friends and her boyfriend came over for lunch, so I had to speak French a lot, because they don’t speak English. Binnie has lived in France for many years and her ex-husband is French, Binnie took on a French nationality though after Aurelie was born.
Binnie put on quite the spread and I got to join them. She makes killer chocolate cake and tarte tatin, the French equivalent to apple pie. The baking is very different here, they don’t have Vanilla extract, they have vanilla sugar, and vanilla pods. Binnie’s oven has gas marks of like 1-9. Food at the grocery stores will have the temperature, and the gas mark. This was also the day Jose Luis moved out. So said. Vanessa, moved into his old room. I went for drinks with Jenny near the Bastille-or in the neighbourhood where it used to be-, we had the cocktail du jour, and then went for a beer at an American Beer. (I am really starting to sound like an alcoholic here! I usually only have one! We also had burgers at Quick Burger for the first time at like 11:30pm or something, as you can tell, my excellent eating habits have remained the same.
February 4th, I went to the Louvre again, this time, I went to see Napoleon III’s apartment, and the foundation of the Louvre. I also checked out the crown jewels. The French Royalty décor is just as opulent as the palaces in Vienna. I am going to wait for the nice weather to go to Versailles.
February 2nd, there was a coffee to welcome me and another girl Fathimath, who is from the Maldives, in the South Pacific. Michael did some photoshoping and made certificates for me and Fathimath, saying that we have participated in this coffee thing. Also to say good-bye to a collegue Claire who is going to Austrailia on maternity leave. All three of her children will have been more in different countires. How cool is that? Steph’s sister came to town and we went for dinner at the Chinese place, and then drinks, and then to stephs for another drink. Steph’s older brother is the same age at my mother. Jenny convinced me to walk with her to take the metro with her and change to my line at Montparnasse, which is bloody huge, there is a conveyor belt to take you from one end to the other! That was the day she lost her brand new monthly metro pass. Poor thing. They aren’t cheap either. So glad, I get to claim mine!
February 1st, Binnie and I went to the L’arc de triomphe, and walked up the 284 stairs, and looked out at Paris. Never again. I love the person that invented the lift! There is a museum up there too, and there was a colour photo exhibition on WWI. Binnie is very into the World Wars. This is also when we had pizza
January 31st I went for a drink with Jenny at a bar around the corner and we just chatted and I found out more about her.
Jan 30th This was a lazy day, I went to the market with Binnie, and that night I went to the Champs Elysees and bought a copy of Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoe String for almost 30€ from the Virgin Megastore. Oh how I love that store! Although the book is very expensive!
Jan 29th Steph and Mikes’s housewarming party. The big boss Dirk, just found out last week that they are together. The party was great fun. We played this game called the animal game where people choose animal sounds and you have call to one another with the sounds. There is one person who is a lion, and they are the head, and then, as you call to one another, we are sitting in a circle, if you make a mistake, you have to go sit at the end, which is the on the Lion’s right hand side. And the sounds stay in the same place, like for example, if the person on my right made an elephant sound, if I moved to that spot, I’d have to make that sound now. At this party was Mike’s friend from Australia, he was cool. And there is also this girl named Georgina, who is a friend of my collegue Michlene (French and English, in her 40s or 50s, but they left before the animal game). Georgina is Spanish and from Barcelona, so I am staying with her this weekend when I go! After with Jenny, Steph, Mike and Mike’s friend we went to this underground bar run that feels like a cave, it is run by an American. It is near the Louvre. I paid 7€ for a drink. I almost died when I saw the price!
Jan 28th My first trip to the glorious Louvre, and seeing the inversed pyramid. Plus I got Thomas and Corentin’s e-mails, although I don’t know if they ever got the e-mails I sent. Boo-urns to that. I was so excited about getting them too. Thomas has such a cute smile and Spanish accent.
Jan 27, our workshop. It went well. Henry Redcloud, and David Bartecchi who I met in Vienna attended this. I had to introduce him to Doug. This lady said something about black people that I disagreed with but can’t remember for the life of me, something along the line of it having to do with land. This was also the night of the book launch where I didn’t eat Rudolph, and disocovered the joys of a café éclair, which tastes sort of like a Timmies’ Iced Cap. Went for dinner and drinks with Steph, Jenny and Michael at Las Ramblas near Unesco. They had paella, and some of the seafood was bad, and so we all got free shots of sambuca. It was dinner for Michael’s birthday, he is Australian.
Jan 26th award cocktail reception for winners of some kind of scientific thingy.
Jan 25th reception at French Ministry of Foreign affairs. Lots of people, little hor dorves, got elbowed in the jaw trying to hang up my coat, and the person didn’t apologize.
Jan 24th conference on biodiversity began today, and it lasts all week. Dinner with Doug and people from work, with Teddy. As well as Doug’s wife Marie.
Jan23rd read the Da Vinci code
Jan 22nd, shopping at Chatlet with Annette, we also went to Notre Dame. I will never forget changing my money and getting less than 50%, I had 20 euros to my name because the banks were closed, and at the time I though this was the cheapest way to change money.
Jan 21st- arrival, toured Unesco, saw Eiffel tower-still haven't gone up yet-, drinks with a bunch of people from Unesco. Walking back to Unesco this guy started chatting me up and asked me if I was Spanish, and I told him I wasn’t. Another time someone else thought I was Spanish, there was this nasty old man at the internet café near my place, one night he sort of caressed my hand when taking my money and giving back my change. Alls I have to say is thank god, Binnie bought a new computer and we have internet at home now.
