You all knew.

So, I got home yesterday and it's just been absolutely amazing being home. I love it and I missed it so much while I was in Paris. 

When I came out of customs after a crappy morning at the crappy CDG airport, an 11 hour plane ride and customs (of course) that I completely missed my boyfriend standing right in front of me waiting for me. Well, he was dressed like a chauffeur, which he had always joked about doing; he was holding signs that I read, just like in Love Actually, and the last one asked me to marry him in french. Then he got down on his knee and proposed to me. It was the sweetest thing ever and such an amazing surprise. 

Then I found out that pretty much EVERYONE knew about it. LIterally everyone. So I'm writing this but you all knew it way before I did. 

When I take pictures of my ring I'll post them. Hopefully by Sunday I'll have them. 

I'm surprised that everyone kept the secret, I'm proud of you all. 

Even though it couldn't have been that hard, since I was in a different country...so don't get a big head about it. 

Typewriter

So, I'm at a week countdown now! 

I really am so excited to go home but the more that I think about it the more I know I'm going to miss it here, and the more I feel like I haven't done anything while I've been here. I don't know how much I'll miss the city itself, but I'll definitely miss my host family and the friends I've made at IES. It will be so weird going from seeing them each and every day to not seeing them at all! 

This last weekend I spent Friday at EuroDisney with Amanda! It was so so much fun; just like being back home!! We rode pretty much all the rides we could. There was pretty much NO ONE there! It was awesome because the longest line we waited in was maybe 30 minutes, and that's only because it broke down part way through! The rest of the lines were like 5 minutes or just walk on! It was so much fun. It was gloomy and rained pretty much the whole time, but I know that's what kept most people away, so I'm ok with that!

Then Saturday I spent the whole day with Rebekah and it was so much fun! We had lunch at an awesome boulangerie and then went the the Centre Pompidou, the second biggest modern art museum in the world! I took pictures for a dossier that I have to do for my history class and we walked around for a good 2 or 3 hours! The museum was so cool, and I wish so much that I had gone there before now, because I would have loved to be able to spend more time there. Then we hung out around Paris and went to the biggest Christmas market in Paris that's out at La Defense. The Christmas markets are cool, but once you've been to one you've been to all of them, and they're not that great. But it was way fun walking around and making fun of all the junk that people were trying to sell at ridiculous prices. 

I got to study all day Sunday, and still didn't get everything done that I wanted to get done. O well, such is life. 

The weekend before last I went to Amsterdam with Amanda, Bonnie, and Karlene! It was so much fun and such a beautiful town. I had heard from a number of people how pretty it is but you just can't understand how cool it is until you go! We went to the Van Gogh museum and did the Ann Frank house and it was so so so awesome. Ann Frank was such a cool girl. We also walked around the Red Light district, which was quite intriguing and way funny. Karlene and I kept to our every two week routine, and now I won't see her until January! But it's ok, because after that I know I'll be stuck with her every single day. ;)

Anyway, this weekend is going to be a lot of studying for finals next week. And I HAVE to make it to the Cinematheque (film museum) or else I fail at my career path, another place I can't believe I haven't been since I've gotten here. I'll get all my sight seeing in and do plenty of studying, and I'm sure have a great weekend! 

Hope everyone is doing well! 

It really has been fun.

So, I have less than two weeks until I'm on my way home! I really can't wait, I'm so ready to get home and be normal agian: eat normally, work out, have motivation to do things, be able to bake, be creative, and (of course) be able to see the people I love. 

France has been an amazing experience, but has also made me realize that I never want to live here. Not even just Paris, but France in general. It's an amazing country to visit and I'd love to come back someday (especially the south) but it's not a place I ever see myself living. So, I'm ready to get back to Fort Worth and finish up college and see where life takes me from there. 

This week is the last week of classes and the week after that I have four finals and then I leave on Thursday the 18th!!! I feel like I haven't had ANY motivation to do homework at all. I have papers to write, tests to study for, and class blogs to write, but I find myself doing other things instead of anything productive all day. I get really frustrated with myself, but just can't get motivated in the slightest. I think over 50% of it is my environment. I still don't feel completely comfortable in my host family's house, feeling like I should stay in my room and do homework instead of at home when I'd go in the dinning or living room and work. I haven't found anywhere in Paris to go and study, people look at you weird if you go to a cafe and study, and Starbucks (all of them) are always so so packed (like lines out the door packed). Also, to add to the non motivation, the oldest daughter in my host family is home for a month before she goes to start grad school in Australia. Great. She's literally a chain smoker (can't put the things down), her room is right next to mine, and she BLASTS her music, and I don't think she likes me. Awesome. So now instead of just being frustrated sitting in my room I get to feel even more cut off because I have to keep my door closed constantly unless I want everything to smell like smoke (no thanks). And I get to listen to her crappy music too.

Also, Parisians suck (probably not all of them) but for the most part. I'm pretty sure one day soon I'm going to loose it and start screaming when someone shoves me out of the way or pushes me to walk faster. Stop touching me. I get that you're annoyed with me, but I'll bet you I'm about three hundred times more annoyed with you...and I'm taller than you. So stop and everything will be fine. And don't even get me started on French men. Mme. Schein was 150% correct when she told me not to talk to them. Everyone needs that advice before they come here. There's even a facebook group dedicated to how sleazy and creepy they are. Literally all of them. I haven't met one yet that isn't. 

I just can't wait to get home. 

However, I am going to miss the girls I've met here ridiculously. I can't even begin to think about what it will be like to not see them everyday. 

And I really have enjoyed my time here. :)

SDF

Each day that I have been in Pairs I have thought about what it would be like to be homeless. Not that I never thought about it before I got to Paris, but i think about it so much more often now. 

Ever since middle school when my mom took me to volunteer at the Union Gospel Mission, I've had a heart for homeless people. And I know that Fort Worth has a problem with how many people we have without homes and I knew it was a problem everywhere, but I never new how bad it was until I got to Pairs. I feel like everywhere I go around her I at least see one homeless person (or maybe not homeless but without enough money to be begging, or faking it, i don't know). I'm sure I see more of them than the average Parisian because I frequent the touristy areas more but even on my walk to school there are two that are there all the time. 

And the homeless people here aren't just single people homeless. They sit on the metro steps or on the Champs Elysee holding their sleeping children. When I see the children I just want to pull my wallet out and dump it in the change collection cup. But I don't, and I fell guilty until I get off at the next metro stop and see a group of completely wasted homeless guys, or get harassed by one on the metro. 

I always feel like I should do something to help them, but I don't want to give them money because I don't know what they're going to do with it. I don't want to give them money if they're just going to go buy booze or drugs. Because that's what a lot of them do. One night we gave a guy all of our left over food from a pick-nick. I liked doing that, and wish I could do it more, but I don't know where to do it or who to give it to. I feel like they should deserve it, like they should be something to actively get out of the situation they're in. Not that I think the others don't deserve to eat. 

Anyway, I think I've decided to try and get more involved in volunteering next semester and over winter break. I don't have money to give, but I have time, and I think that's even better than money. I don't know what I'll do, but I'll figure it out. 

I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be homeless, or to grow up in a family that's homeless. And when I try to it makes me so sad; I feel like I can't just sit around and think about it anymore; I have to do something to help them. Especially the kids. 

I read about a girl who started a running club with a homeless shelter that she would run by. They started to run together and ended up running the city marathon. I'd love to be able to do something proactive like that, and not just serve food and be done with it. 

Let me know if you have any suggestions. 

Wa Na Na, Jack Bandit

So, I bought a Nickelodeon Rewind series on iTunes and Doug is on it, along with some other awesome Nicktoons that I miss o so much. And I forgot how amazing that show is. I just hope that one day I'm able to be involved in a show like Doug. One that is fun and entertaining but also gives kids a good role model, and, of course, is successful. 

My parents came in this past weekend! It was so so good to see them and to get to show them around Paris. We did a lot of the touristy things but I also got to show them where I go to school and they got to meet my host family and see where I'm living. We had dinner with my host family Sunday evening and it was quite fun. Everyone did a great job with the language barrier, and it was really funny because my parents got to experience first hand what any American in Europe does...Being asked about Obama. At least now it's not, which are you for, but what do you think about (finally!). 

We went to the Musee Carnavalet which is two huge houses that have been converted into a museum of the history of Paris. It wasn't as cool as I was expecting but I think my dad liked it a lot, so I'm really glad we got to go. Plus I'd been trying to get there for like a month!

Saturday we went and toured Roland Garros!!! (the stadiums where the have the French Open) It was so cool to see the different stadiums and then to go onto the main one and realize how small the stadium is compared to Wimbeldon and the US Open stadiums. We got to see the press boxes and the players locker rooms. The coolest part was getting to see the stairwell onto the court because the players sign it every time they walk up to play a match. And they have little markers so you can actually tell who's signature it is. 

It was an amazing weekend, and it was sad to see them go, but really great to realize I only have 3 weeks left. I feel like it's been forever since I've been home, and am so ready to go  back. I'm positive I'll miss it when I do get home though. So for now, I'll enjoy each minute possible so I can look back and remember how much fun I had. 

Good Craic

So the past two weeks have been absolutely crazy. Chrissy came to visit for six days and I had an amazing time with her! We rented the cutest apartment ever for a week down in the Marais (my favorite part of Paris). We had so much fun and it was amazing being able to cook dinner at the apartment and not have to worry about spending a ton of money on dinner every night! We did all of the touristy things like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and Notre Dame but we also went to Pere Lachaise Cemetery which I had never been to before and it was absolutely amazing! When we first walked in most of the grave markers in the tombs were from the 1800s and everything was so old and neat. We say Jim Morrison's grave, Edith Piaf's, and George Melies'. It was a really great place and I can't wait to go back. 

Then this past weekend I went to Dublin to visit Karlene. 

I can't even express how much I loved Dublin. I had an amazing time hanging out with Karlene and just walking around the city. Everyone asks what all we did and we did really do that much but it was just a blast. We went out for one of her friend's birthdays Friday night to a bar and it was so fun. I had my first beer in three months (amazing, I'm getting tired of wine and kir) and I felt so comfortable there. Not like here where I'm constantly worried about the creepy french guys creepin up on me and my friends when we go out. 

Then Saturday we went to Kilmaihnam Prison (way cool) and went shopping. Saturday night we just hung out at Karlene's apartment and I tried sticky toffee pudding which is really good but also really rich. Then Sunday we walked around Dublin more, we went to the National Gallery and walked along the river. Fun stuff, minus having to carry my backpack around the whole time, but it was well worth it!

I had my first hamburger in three months too!!! And it was pretty much the best I've ever had. We went to Joe Burgers which was probably the coolest restaurant I've seen in a long time and my burger had some type of yummy relish, applewood smoked cheese, and apples! It was sooo soooo good. And we had sweet potatoe fries. mmmm

Anyway, I loved Dublin and really want to go back someday, and maybe even live there at some point, that would be awesome. 

My parents are coming tomorrow morning!! I'm really excited to see them and show them around Paris, it will be a lot of fun! Everyone else's parents have come so now it's my turn! :)

Only one month left!! I can't believe how fast it's gone by but also how long it feels like I've been away from home. 

...and that I graduate in less than seven months... < : 0

Cupcakes

Again, it's been too long since i have updated everyone!

IT'S ELECTION DAY!! I'm excited to wake up tomorrow morning and find out who our new president is! Polls close at 9:00 am our time, so it'll be perfect! So, don't forget to vote!! :)
The weekend before last I went on a day trip with IES to Provins, a mideavel city about an hour and a half away. The trip was interesting but not near as fun or cool as I thought it would be. O well, we had an amazing lunch, if IES is good at one thing that's feeding us well!

My family left this past Thursday to go on vacation for the weekend, and I was really excited to have the house to myself! That night I had Rebekah, Bonnie, and Amanda over for dinner and we made mexican food! We made guacamole with extremely unripe avocados which turned out more like pico but it was still good! And tacos and I made cupcakes for dessert!! We couldn't find the right things to make icing in the store so we ended up just using Nutella for icing! lol. it was good and we almost ate the whole jar of Nutella. We also had Marguerittas! It was nice not having to pay 12 euros for them! and they were delicious. That night made me realize just how much I miss being completely comfortable in a house and not constantly worrying about what I'm doing. My host family is amazing and I'm so lucky and happy that I live with them, but it's still not the same. So, I'll be so so glad when I'm back home and comfortable with my surroundings!

This past weekend Karlene came to visit! It was so good to see her even though it felt like we had just been together (which we had)! It was soooo cold friday and Saturday and it rained all day Saturday (boo). We had made plans to go down into the catacombs (which would have been prefect with the rain) but alas they were closed for All Saints day (boo again). So, instead, we spend the day shopping in Galeries Lafayette, an indoor shopping center, since everything else in Paris must be done outdoors. We had fun though! That night we went to dinner with Remi and Antoine and then went at saw W. (an absolutely horrible film). Sunday was a lot of fun, not sunny but not raining which is really all that matters. We went to the Eiffel Tower sunday morning and then went to Rue Mouffetard for lunch at a little tarte restaurant that was amazing! After that we went to the Musee D'Orsay (which was free because it was the first Sunday of the month) and that was really cool. I think we both decided we like the Louvre better though. More history, cooler building, and more interesting paintings (not a huge fan of impressionism! :)

So, we had a balst, and I can't wait to go to Dublin and visit her!

This weekend Chrissy is coming to visit!! I can't wait to see her and for her to see the city! We're renting an apartment in a really awesome area of Paris. She'll be here until next thursday and then that Friday I leave for Dublin. :) busy next week and a half!

I'll add pictures when I get home. I'm at IES using a french keyboard set to American settings, glad that I was forced to learn how to type! :D

Hope everyone is having a great day!