What's happened to me?

     So, the internet where I am staying was faulty last night, sorry for the lack of post. I am now packing some things for my overnight trip to Roubaix. I came to Lille this morning with Mathilde- she went to school, I browsed the stores, like usual. Seeing how I had to throw away my FAVORITE boots, I picked up a pair of really cute heels from H&M.
    And so the story goes. My legs have been hurting for some reason for the past couple of weeks, and today, the epitome of pain. I put these shoes on and started to walk. At first, my legs were fine; they miss wearing heels. And then, to my surprise, pain started shooting up my legs. WHY???! Why do you choose to cause me pain, heels? And now, after hobbling a few blocks, I am sitting in Gare de Lille Flandres, waiting for my legs to not hurt anymore. I am literally afraid to walk. I don't know what's going on with me. I have another 2 hours until I need to get on the Metro, and I think I might just sit here the entire time. I am embarassed to walk because my feet turn in and I look like I am going to fall over.
     I always made fun of people who couldn't walk in heels, and now I am one of them... I am so sorry. I think that this just might be what people call, "KARMA." I hate this. I know this has just been a rant, but it's killing me.
     Other than that, I am not doing anything of importance. There's supposedly this really interesting museum in Roubaix that used to be an old pool- I think I might go see that tomorrow. Wait for pictures though, because I forgot my USB cord at Mathilde's house. Oh! I got to meet their housecleaner, Corrine, who talked my ear off. She has a really strange accent, so it was really difficult for me to talk to her/ understand her. It was fun though.. Okay.
     I have nothing else to say, but I am afraid of looking like a creeper at the train station, just staring at my laptop. I'll be in contact soon, I promise. Love, love, love.

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Un jour tranquille.

     Today has been a quiet day. Mathilde and her family are all off at work or school, and I am staying in the house. I read quite a bit of Baudelaire's prose- it takes me forever to translate it! As of right now, I am sitting in their kitchen listening to classical music, waiting for my coffee to brew. I went on a run this morning in the rain, which was really nice.
     I am headed off to Roubaix on Thursday after a day at Mathilde's school. Her professor wants me to speak to her English class about what I've found odd or surprising about the French or France in general. I am a little bit scared because I am supposed to be speaking in French- that's really hard for me, I get timid when I have to speak in French.. We'll see how that goes. I am, however, really excited to get to meet new people in Roubaix.
     I still miss Paris. I'll post some pictures of the house that I am staying in a bit later.
With love.

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Sorry!

     Hiatus, I know. I'm sorry that I haven't written, I've been actually travelling. As some of you now know, I arrived in Lille just yesterday, and I've been fighting to find wireless internet everywhere. I am actually staying with a friend of mine, Mathilde, in Neuville de Ferrain. It's a smaller city on the outskirts of Lille.
     She has school everyday, so I came with her into Lille today, and I've been spending my day in and out of cafes, fighting the cold, and searching for WIFI. Ugh. I have a ton of photos to upload, but I don't have my cord, so expect some Lill-ian pictures later.
     And, I miss Paris. I am so in LOVE with that city. I miss it so much. There's just something so magical about that place, and I feel a void forming in my heart. Another thing that is bothering me is that all of a sudden, I've started gaining weight. I lost a few pounds when I first arrived in Paris, but now it's starting to catch up to me. No more bread or cheese. Now I am going to survive on cafe alone, because it is now the only thing that I can afford. All of the cheap food is like, Nutella Paninni, Pan au Chocolat, Croissant, etc. and it kills me. Everything here is very expensive, and when I start to convert the prices into USD, I want to cry. I am getting to be so broke, I hate it. And all of the clothes here are to die for. KDJHALKJAD. Frustration.
     I am hoping to see a friend of mine sometime this week who lives in Roubaix, an even smaller city by Lille. He attends an art school there, and it would be nice to see a familiar face.
     Family, I miss you. Mom, come to France soon so that I can go back to Paris- I miss it already and it's only been one day. I don't even care about going to Italy now... Let's just stay in Paris, okay? You'll like it better, I swear. I think I'm going to move there sometime in the next few years. I'll just practice y French and attend college here. It's really really cheap. Better than the 40,000 USD here.

     A bientot.

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Le Globo

    Sorry for the late post, but I had an amazing night last night! I got to go to this really popular club called Le Globo because it was technically my last night in Paris. I am leaving tomorrow morning for Lille at 9 AM. It’s bittersweet because I would love to remain in Paris for the entirety of my trip, but it’s not financially feasible. Anyway, this club- AWESOME. I’ve discovered something about Paris; nothing is as it seems. We pulled up to this club, and the outside of the place was decrepit and ugly, with a small line, and I was super disappointed. But then, after we made it past the bouncers, down the 3 flights of stairs, and through 3 doors, I saw the dance floor. Oh my god. So many people, ALL dancing. It was fantastic. I am in love with this place.
    We ended up dancing all night, finally leaving at 7 AM, and that’s why I am not headed to Lille today. The last train was at 9 this morning, and I wouldn’t have made it. I’ll fill you all in on my Lille adventures as soon as they occur, and I am sure they will. I’ve become quite the adventure-seeker. Lots of love, I miss you all.

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Sacre Coeur

     Yesterday I travelled to Monparnasse and I got to see Sacre Coeur at night! I have to say, it’s absolutely breathtaking. You can see it in the photos below. As I stood on this balcony five stories up, I could look to my left and see what the past has given us- Sacre Coeur, and to my right I could see what the future holds for us, Monparnasse, with cranes everywhere and skyscrapers littering the skyline. It was really inspiring, but I felt a tinge of regret. We have no art today like the art of yesterday, no marble statues or glittering cathedrals, and it saddens me.
     After that, we took the Metro back to Place de Voltaire and we began a great French film called Prophet. I am sure that it will be a contender for the Academy Awards. That film is still on my mind- so powerful.
     This morning, I made some really good poached eggs on croissants, but as I was cleaning up, I sliced my finger pretty badly, so I’ve been nursing that for most of the morning. It’s funny how little you can do when you are without a pinky! I’m sure I’ll get out today, but I can’t spend any money anymore. I am absolutely broke- for now!
     Oh, and I hope everyone got a kick out of the “Obama Phone” seen below. It’s hilarious. “YES WE CAN- have a cellular phone in Paris.” Love it.
A tout suite.

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Alive

I'm alive, I promise! It's 12 and I just got home.. I'll write a bit later
Love

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Love is the Answer

Today I went back to the Latin Quarter and I walked around on some really popular streets. I didn't do any shopping to my surprise, but I did see a ton of really cool urban graphic art. I took a ton of photos and people watched for most of the day. I got to see Notre Dame again, amzing as usual. It's so fascinating that structures like that are actually built by people. not by angels. Notre Dame is breathtaking. There are saints carved into the front of the building and the gargoyles are to die for. Amazing.. I just bought some delicious cheeses (St. Felicien!! Someone try this cheese, it's unbelievable) and two baguettes, about to eat some dinner! Love you all, thanks for following my travels. I'll post again soon.
Gros bisoux.

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New Jersey?

If you don't know already, the people that I am staying with produce documentaries, and right now they are working on this one about an adult named Mike, who has muscular dystrophy and uses medical marijuana. Today, New Jersey passed legislation allowing medical marijuana plants to be established in the state, so there's been a lot of stress for us this morning. They are trying to figure out how much money they should cut for him, but it keeps going up because he is becoming more and more famous for his speeches for the use of medical marijuana. Ugh. Stress!!
So today is a day for work.
I am going to go by my Eurail pass at some point today, but I don't have any other pertinent plans. I want to go see Sacre Coeur, but today just doesn't seem like the day to do it. I'll post again later if and when I do something interesting- I am sure that I will, but probably later in the day. Well, congratulations to Mike and New Jersey- enjoy your pot.

A bientot.

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Lost in Translation

So, today was a bit uneventful. I spent the latter part of my day in and out of cafes people-watching. I had an amazing cafe esspresso, by far the best I've had since I arrived.. I've started translating some Rimbaud and Baudelaire, but it's going slowly. I bought a french-english dictionary (FINALLY!) and it's quite a help. Anyway, I am going to go grab a crepe, seeing how I haven't eaten one yet, and I am craving something sweet. Sorry for the short post!
A tout suite.

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Pompidou, Notre Dame, etc.

Okay, so I had a really fun day today. This morning I woke up early and decided to meander around the city, sans metro- REALLY difficult for me. I don't really know the streets well yet. But, I made it to the 3rd arrondisment and then finally to.... POMPIDOU! The museum of modern art. I never thought I could be so perplexed. I spent a good 5 hours there just wandering through the exhibits- I featured some of my favorite pictures below... But, there was SO much to look at, I could have spent 2 weeks there. My favorite installment there was this film called "Heartbeats," all about the intimate lives of 14 couples. It lasted about 30 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. I found myself in this pitch black room by myself, slumped against the back wall, absolutely perplexed. It was just a bunch of photos and music, but it was SO amazing.. Then I saw a bunch of Picassos- but they weren't my favorite.. After that, I wandered around and found Notre Dame on accident, but it was nice, I got to mark it off of my list of things to see- photo below. I slunk through the Latin Quarter, but I need to go back because I was just too tired to have fun. I polished off the day with a quick run in at Zara's for a pair of heels, seeing how mine are just absolutely DESTROYED. Now, I'm at home, cuddled into bed watching CLOSER, my favorite movie of all time. Tomorrow is another adventure, see you then!
A bientot.

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Ahh, a new day.

So, today was a little more calm than I thought. I ended up going to a ton of art galleries, but I forgot my camera on the charger! I was so angry. I went to this really interesting boutique called OUT- it was SUPER Homer. The man who owns it loves Thailand and so most of the pieces were Thai things that he had altered. Really cool. Then I went to a vintage upscale boutique, such beautiful things... I was drooling the entire time. I have now made it a goal to have a bunch of money so that I can afford the 200 Euro dresses there. Oh, and to lose 25 pounds first. Everyone here is so tiny and beautiful, it makes me a little timid. Give me another 2 months of being broke, maybe I'll learn how not to eat. :)
It's been really cold here, about -5 C, and its actually snowed!! A little taste of home. I really miss my family, but it's hard to talk because of the 10 hour time difference. When they wake up, I am sleeping, and vice versa. It's difficult, I am getting a little bit homesick. Other than that, I am planning on heading up to Lille sometime this week to see Mathilde, and I might make a stop in Roubaix to see my friend Melrose. It would be nice I think! I am off to go cook some dinner- I might post a little bit of the new story I am writing later! Here's some photos of where I have been walking.

 

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Winter in Paris

It's snowing! Well, not really, but for Paris, this is crazy. I just ran out and got freshly baked baguettes and some cheese, delicious. I spent the day walking around just looking at shops and galleries- it's super cold today, about -2 C, and really windy. Mmm. Tomorrow I am going to go to Pompidou and maybe some other galleries. Like I said earlier, Winston and I went to the Louvre, but we did not go in because it was really crowded, so I might do that as well. Since I'm going to Lille in a few days, I have to get all my touristy things out of the way. I need to go see the cathedrals and the catacombs still! Well, I am going to cook some dinner, but I'll post later! Love, love, love.

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Calmez-vous.

At the request of my mother, here is a post that describes my current living situation in excruciating detail. I've heard that some of you- mainly my family- are very worried about me, and I want to let you know that I am taking a journey for myself. I am going to have to take risks, CouchSurf, and yes, even drink the occasional glass of wine with my dinner.
Okay, so the family that I am staying with is almost an exact replica of the family that I love so in Homer. It's really two families that are very closely bound. The first family is Fabrice- the father,- Clare- the mother,- Winston- the son,- and Manon- the young daughter. Then, the other is Melrose- a friend, and his father Lorenzo. They are being super nice and letting me stay between their houses so I don't have to CouchSurf my entire trip. The two sons are exactly my age and have become my close friends. They show me around the town and take me out to eat, it's nice.
So again, maybe having this blog was a bad idea. I'd prefer to be honest about what I am doing, but if it's causing too much unrest, stop reading it. Anyway, I don't mean to have a tone of distaste, but I am traveling- more accurately BACKPACKING and I am going to have to live at stranger's houses. Sorry.
I'm planning on taking a trip up to Lille to stay with a friend of mine, Mathilde, but I can't stay there forever, it's too much of a burden. And i'd prefer to stay in Paris because there is so much to do and see, while many people are telling me that Lille is all buisness, less to see. I'll update you on my plans.
With love.

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Mom, you'd be proud!

So, Winston and I spent the day shopping- but I didn't buy anything! It was crazy.. This week in Paris is like Black Friday, because EVERYTHING is on sale. Everything. I got to go to H&M and a ton of other stores; it was really nice, but super busy. Winston had to buy some gifts for his family in California. We walked past the Louvre and saw some really amazing art galleries. But, the story for tonight is that I finally got to cook!! I decided that because the people that I am staying with aren't making me pay rent that I would buy some really good food and cook. On the way home, we stopped at a fish market, and being the Alaskan that I am, I bought a ton of salmon. I grilled it with some rosemary, basil, and seasoned olive oil and then I topped it with a sauteed salsa of fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, shallots, onions and fresh basil. So good. It was perfect, so Mom, thanks for teaching me how to cook. It's allowing me to stay in a really safe home. :) I should have taken some pictures, but I forgot.
We also drank some dellllllicious wine. So good. I don't know how I'm going to adjust back to life in Alaska, not being able to buy wine. Ugh.
But anyway, I'll post some new stories later tonight. My creative juices have been flowing! Lots of love.

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Breakfast, anyone?

Okay, so I just had to brag.

Mmmmm.

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a poem.

dedicated to the woman sitting on Place de Voltaire.

Woman, broken
Waging war in her rags

    Are you jingling your paper cup at me?
I haven nothing to give
Only my eyes
    They burn through

Beg, woman, forgiveness is not certain
And the moon laughs
at you

    An invocation? Bewitched
Pass me by
For I have nothing to give

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a day of rest

Ah, a day of writing. Like I said, I have been writing little short stories, and today it's so cold, i'm just going to stay in and write, write, write. I need to find some creative writing scholarships to participate in while I'm here. Lorenzo went to go eat le plat du jour, and I made some pasta and coffee. If I write anything good today, I'll post it later. Anyway, just thought i'd check in. I'm off to be creative!
Oh, and at the apartment, there are a ton of windows and i've been making it a habit to watch the people who live here. There is this one girl who is absolutely beautiful who is always hanging out at her window, looking into someone else's room, so I wrote a little story about it. Here's a taste.

"And the sun bled through the blinds, drowning her in truth. Like usual, she took her coffee at the window hoping to catch him as he woke, but this morning her heart broke. She watched as her stranger ran his fingers through his lover’s hair, onto her shoulder, and back up to caress her cheek. She couldn’t help but imagine herself in that woman’s place, with his crisp, white sheet wrapped around her shoulders- she couldn’t help but dream.
    It had become habitual, her watching him, each morning, each night. She perched herself on top of a mass of old leather bound books, cigarette in hand, her hair loosely pinned up at the nape of her neck. Some days he would meet her gaze and smile, some days he was absent, and other days he would wait for her. Sadly, she fell deeply into love with the man she only knew from behind her windowpane- and surely it would be a love that tortured."

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FUMER TUE!

So, some things that I find funny:
When I walked into the room that I am staying in, I found this-

Europeans LOVE Obama.. Even more than the youth in America. It's hilarious. You see his face EVERYWHERE. Haha, and the people that I am staying with absolutely hate Sarkozy, and are a part of the Socalist Party of Paris. I should upload some of the posters- it's so funny. Dad, don't worry, they aren't recruiting me...Yet. Oh, and also this-

Not only are these the cigarettes that the people in my favorite show smoke, but in France, they have very nice labels. The French, as you know, LOVE to smoke. They love to smoke everywhere, all the time. But unlike in the United States, the labels here are direct. For those of you who don't speak french, "Fumer Tue" means Smoking Kills. And it's so funny because this label takes up half the box, and people still go through them like water (this probably isn't the best analogy, because the French also believe that "water is for the flowers." Yeah, they don't drink water- only wine. And usually only red wine). It's fabulous.

So, i've been writing little short stories- vignettes, if you will- since i've been here. Maybe I'll start uploading them onto here or something. But until then, here's a picture of the room that I am staying in! The person who usually lives here is quite the artist, so the room is full of really cool art posters and materials and stuff. I wish I was that talented!

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Finalement, La Tour Eiffel.

     A good day! I walked until my feet were dead. I started my day with a long Metro ride to La Pont D'Alexandra and then I made my way to the Eiffel Tower. It was nice, but I have to admit, a little dissapointing. The tower itself is absolutely amazing, but it was so crowded at the base and there were about a million people trying to sell you things that you didn't want. Another good scam I saw was a bunch of women dressed in rags would come up and say, "You speak English??" and if you answered yes, they would give you a peice of paper that said, "I am from Bosnia, and I have ten children who haven't eaten in a week, etc. Can you spare ten euros?" It was awful. I told her that I had no money to give her because I am backpacking and broke as well, and she then went on to say, "But, you have a Marc Jacobs purse, and a North Face, I have NOTHING!!" She actually tried to shame me into giving her ten euros. Dear Lord. It was terrible. After that, I walked to the Champs Elysses, and drooled for a good hour. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Zadig & Voltaire, on and on and on!!! I wish I had money. Holy cow. They have guards at the doors of the nice stores, you can't go in unless you LOOK the part. It's crazy.
     You might not know this, but I had about a third of my clothes stolen from me at my first hostel, so I took that as a good excuse to shop- a little bit. It's impossible not to on the Champs Elysses! I ended up getting a sweater, a wool jacket (because all of a sudden it got so cold!!), and a wool dress.. Ahh. Finally, shopping. After that, I headed back to Place Voltaire, and now I am resting my feet. Like I said, a good day. Here's a couple pictures.

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Au Revoir

Sad day.. We are taking Melrose to Gare de Nord today so that he can go back to his town. I think we are also going to a big outdoor market today, so I will be sure to take some pictures. Last night was really fun, we went out to a really popular club downtown and there was a really good DJ playing. So many people!! It was an absolute blast. The sun is finally starting to come out- it's a real treat because winter in Paris means that there is only rain... Rain, everyday!! And so, I will be sure to fill everyone in on what I did today later- maybe I'll have have some pictures.

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