Sunday 1 April 2012
Sunday Times
Felicia day is doing a live blog... I waaas going to write my post... but maybe tomorrow :P
Sunday 25 March 2012
Copenhagen photos soon
Okay okay I know I owe everyone Copenhagen photos, but I'm in the middle of exams. Also there was a yogurt incident, so my camera is temporarily out of service. Hopefully this will be fixed before Prague.
In the mean time, here is a picture of me with the always incredible Mr. John Green. His smile is painfully forced, but considering the amount of puff, I figure I can forgive him.
In the mean time, here is a picture of me with the always incredible Mr. John Green. His smile is painfully forced, but considering the amount of puff, I figure I can forgive him.
Thursday 15 March 2012
I left my heart on the bridge
Okay okay, I know EVERYONE has this photo... and originally this post was supposed to be the wastefulness of such an activity, but who am I kidding. One day, I want someone to put my lock on the bridge with :)
I still love you, here have some photos...
I don't particularly have an explanation for my absence, except that it took me 6 months to settle in to Europe... but I still love you, so here, have some photos.
 |
| Brugge- 2012 |
 |
| Budapest, Winter 2011 |
 |
| Budapest, Winter 2011- for the record my favorite place I have visited so far. |
 |
| Edinburgh- Winter 2011. |
 |
| Den Hague, 2012 |
 |
| Den Hague, 2012 |
 |
| London- 2012 Christmas |
 |
| Paris, March 2012 |
Sunday 25 September 2011
Markets and FOOD
 |
| Photo curtesy of Divya (from Parisian Stuff) |
It is Sunday, which means it is Market day! Unfortunately I am stuck inside this sunday doing homework (or not doing, as this blog demonstrates) but I have had the fortunate experiece of wandering the markets on a previous sunday (The one near Saint Germain.) Very over priced and the veggies wont last more then a day or two, but lots of great people watching and interesting foods to try. Naturally I didn't bring my camera, but I do have an odd amount of food photos floating around on my computer.
A good list of markets can be found at http://chocolateandzucchini.com/parismarkets.php put together by a a local parisian and food lover. Also her website is called Chocolate and Zucchini, so you really can't go wrong
 |
| at BIA |
 |
| Market loot, veggies! |
Friday 9 September 2011
Falling in love with the Marais
I've officially made it through my first week of school, and with it I've learnt a few things a long the way. I have many thoughts on the French education system, especially compared to the one I know so well. Unfortunately I haven't figured out how to jot them down in a smart and intelligent way yet (like I can ever do that!)
As for my classes, they are difficult but interesting. What really makes me excited is the real world application of them. Never before has someone given me such a concrete link between politics and religion, history and the future and so on. Science-Po is a political sciences school, but because of it so many new doors are being opened for me. I'm still an ethics and religious studies student, but all of a sudden my degree means something. Religion and democracy might not mix, but society does need to find a balance in order to function, and to survive.
In my off days of learning about the world, I have been exploring my neighborhood. The Marais is a wonderful and bustling part of Paris, filled with restaurants and bars and kitchy stores. It is not the wonderous gay haven that I imagined, but it does come pretty close. A friend asked me when he knew if he was in the Marias, and I replied quite truthfully that it's when you start seeing posters of half dressed men. I've been trying to remember where and what stores I've come across here, but I keep getting wonderfully lost and not being able to find my way back at all. For once in my life that is actually a good thing- oh the places I've found! I really do want to share with you, my lovely readers, all the places I've seen, but stupid me NEVER brings a camera. On top of that, the one day I did set out to take photos, I didn't come across anything exciting. Here are a few of the "regular" locations however...
As for my classes, they are difficult but interesting. What really makes me excited is the real world application of them. Never before has someone given me such a concrete link between politics and religion, history and the future and so on. Science-Po is a political sciences school, but because of it so many new doors are being opened for me. I'm still an ethics and religious studies student, but all of a sudden my degree means something. Religion and democracy might not mix, but society does need to find a balance in order to function, and to survive.
In my off days of learning about the world, I have been exploring my neighborhood. The Marais is a wonderful and bustling part of Paris, filled with restaurants and bars and kitchy stores. It is not the wonderous gay haven that I imagined, but it does come pretty close. A friend asked me when he knew if he was in the Marias, and I replied quite truthfully that it's when you start seeing posters of half dressed men. I've been trying to remember where and what stores I've come across here, but I keep getting wonderfully lost and not being able to find my way back at all. For once in my life that is actually a good thing- oh the places I've found! I really do want to share with you, my lovely readers, all the places I've seen, but stupid me NEVER brings a camera. On top of that, the one day I did set out to take photos, I didn't come across anything exciting. Here are a few of the "regular" locations however...
 |
| This is where I live. It has a clock, and a dragon and a man fighting said dragon. Every few days a tourist asks me what it means, or what the plaque says. Perhaps one day I should actually google it? |
 |
| stealth photo! This is my regular coffee shop. Ah sweet sweet caffine... |
 |
| I almost tripped over a homeless man to get this photo, you're welcome. |
 |
| One of my regular bakery stores, although this one is mostly just sweets and giant cookie type things |
 |
| Space Hair, my favorite thing on Rue Rambuteau. It's totally purple, and sparky and very very gay. I've never been in, but I'm determined to get my hair cut there at some point. |
 |
| The Ballet store! Okay so this might not be the Marais anymore, but they always have beautiful things in the window. |
 |
| Chez Mar... I can't remember, Marianna maybe? Pretty building though, and very yummy mediteranian food |
 |
| I origionally left my house because I was hungry for falafels (please note, I am ALWAYS hungry for falafels) but the line up was really long today. |
 |
| This was the poster I was referring to |
 |
| A side view of Pompidou. This is where Mario and I live... |
Monday 29 August 2011
Update for the ones I love
This is going to be a boring post for most of you I think, and a rather personal one for me. This blog really is for my own consumption, as an online journal. If you are reading this out of interest though, there will be a more exciting picture post soon :)
People keep asking me how Paris is. Just like before I left, everyone seems to assume that I'm having a blast and I'm really excited and I'm LOVING it. That is called the honeymoon phase of an exchange (see I paid attention in class!) and unfortunately it is not a phase that I am privy too. I wasn't excited when I left, and I’m certainly not all that excited at the moment. I realize that this makes me sound either very spoiled or very sad, and usually both accounts are correct, but here it isn’t the case. I’m not blasé or depressed, just a little..off.
I’m not so homesick that I can’t function, but try as I might I can’t seem to get all that excited about things either. I don’t know anyone, I don’t speak the language, the courses are scaring the shit out of me and all in all it’s been pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, the people I have met have been very kind, but my fantasies of partying the night away at popular lesbian bars in the Marias are slowly disintegrating. I feel like if I could transplant my life in Calgary to Paris things would make so much more sense.
Part of the problem is that I am only here for 4 months, which is hardly enough time to learn the language well enough that I can make friends outside of the exchange. Again I want to emphasize that the people in the exchange have been awesome and a lot of fun, but it’s not exactly the crowd I’d take out for a wild night in my part of town. The other problem is the continuous awkwardness of having to explain myself to people who I hope to become good friends with, but who are really strangers. I’ve become much more practiced at casually slipping in the “I’m gay” part of my life, but it’s still an obvious point of anxiety for me. I’m not one to shout it from the rooftops or wear rainbows all over the place, but it’s still a vital part of who I am. This probably won’t make sense to most of you who are reading this (presumably straight) but think about the last time you talked to a friend about a movie (omg ___ is so hot in that!) or reminisced about past adventures that may have involved your significant other.
And so I’m left feeling a little… dissatisfied with this whole adventure. Mainly because I haven’t been doing much in the way of adventuring yet. And I know that all good things come to those who wait, and it will get better soon and yadayada… but I don’t want to sit in classes all day listening to mean French Profs. I want to be seeing the sights and going to clubs and picnicking on the banks of the Seine. So please my amazing family, who I really do love so much, please don’t ask me if I’m having fun. The answer is yes, I am having fun- I LOVE all the different cultures and languages surrounding me. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ve embraced Parisian culture and am particularly content with my current situation.
And that my loving friends and family, is your sadface blogpost post for this trip. Hopefully there will be no more to come J
People keep asking me how Paris is. Just like before I left, everyone seems to assume that I'm having a blast and I'm really excited and I'm LOVING it. That is called the honeymoon phase of an exchange (see I paid attention in class!) and unfortunately it is not a phase that I am privy too. I wasn't excited when I left, and I’m certainly not all that excited at the moment. I realize that this makes me sound either very spoiled or very sad, and usually both accounts are correct, but here it isn’t the case. I’m not blasé or depressed, just a little..off.
I’m not so homesick that I can’t function, but try as I might I can’t seem to get all that excited about things either. I don’t know anyone, I don’t speak the language, the courses are scaring the shit out of me and all in all it’s been pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, the people I have met have been very kind, but my fantasies of partying the night away at popular lesbian bars in the Marias are slowly disintegrating. I feel like if I could transplant my life in Calgary to Paris things would make so much more sense.
Part of the problem is that I am only here for 4 months, which is hardly enough time to learn the language well enough that I can make friends outside of the exchange. Again I want to emphasize that the people in the exchange have been awesome and a lot of fun, but it’s not exactly the crowd I’d take out for a wild night in my part of town. The other problem is the continuous awkwardness of having to explain myself to people who I hope to become good friends with, but who are really strangers. I’ve become much more practiced at casually slipping in the “I’m gay” part of my life, but it’s still an obvious point of anxiety for me. I’m not one to shout it from the rooftops or wear rainbows all over the place, but it’s still a vital part of who I am. This probably won’t make sense to most of you who are reading this (presumably straight) but think about the last time you talked to a friend about a movie (omg ___ is so hot in that!) or reminisced about past adventures that may have involved your significant other.
And so I’m left feeling a little… dissatisfied with this whole adventure. Mainly because I haven’t been doing much in the way of adventuring yet. And I know that all good things come to those who wait, and it will get better soon and yadayada… but I don’t want to sit in classes all day listening to mean French Profs. I want to be seeing the sights and going to clubs and picnicking on the banks of the Seine. So please my amazing family, who I really do love so much, please don’t ask me if I’m having fun. The answer is yes, I am having fun- I LOVE all the different cultures and languages surrounding me. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ve embraced Parisian culture and am particularly content with my current situation.
And that my loving friends and family, is your sadface blogpost post for this trip. Hopefully there will be no more to come J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)