slacker.

That's what I feel like. I mean to update this silly website every day, and by the time I have a free moment, I find myself asleep.


The sky is hanging heavily over Paris today, but I find myself really enamored of this weather. It's very mild, as it usually is when the clouds come, and the possibility of rain lingers but I don't mind, because I've learned my lesson and always carry my little umbrella when I leave the foyer.


Where to begin?


This past weekend was really great. I turned 21 on Sunday, and apart from the generic celebrations that are to be expected, both Matt and dad were here, which just made the weekend that much better. It was very strange, all the same, to find myself surrounded by new faces, and I really did miss celebrating with everyone from home. I can't say I regret not being able to hit all the Villanova hotspots-- there'll be plenty of time for that once June rolls around.

Matt arrived with perfect timing on Thursday the 14th. By the time I met him at the Gare du Nord, it was already 10pm, so we found his hotel and then went for a bite to eat. We spent the weekend sightseeing and strolling around.


Friday was quite miserable, as the temperature plummeted to a frigid 34 degrees, but we made the most of it anyway, since I had skipped class just for the occasion. Although he's been to Paris before, I think Matt developed an appreciation for the smaller details of life in the city; away from the tourist traps, the smaller little neighborhoods and parks can be such a relief.
On Friday night, we found a little restaurant in the Latin Quarter advertising "la cuisine traditionelle" and had delicious steak, French onion soup (which is just onion soup in France of course), and dessert. As we were eating, the waiter approached me and asked, "Parlez-vous francais?" as I had been slipping in and out of both French and English throughout the night. I replied that I did, and he seemed relieved, then requested that I translate charcuterie into English for some tourists he was serving in the back of the restaurant. It was a proud moment for me, to act as translator for a French waiter in the heart of Paris.

Matt and I visited the military museum on Saturday, where they had a lot of memorabilia from the world wars, as well as the tomb of Napoleon, but unfortunately we forgot to visit the tomb as we'd already spent two hours wandering the other parts of the museum. Afterwards, we met up with dad in the Marais and had a coffee before going to the Hotel de Ville to see a free exhibition of color photos from the early twentieth century here in Paris. It was really interesting to see photos that normally would have been taken in black and white- in color.

Out for birthday dinner with the men in my life!

That night, dad took Matt and I to a very trendy restaurant in the Marais, where the food was so tremendously sculpted that we found it hard to eat! With things like potato marshmallow on the menu, it was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting meals I've ever had. Unfortunately dad was feeling a bit tired after we ate, so he headed back to his hotel while Matt and I met up with some people from the program to celebrate my 21st.

My Italian roommate, Anne

Me, Amanda, Deirdre, Lizzie, Nicole, and Anne

It was a lovely weekend, complete with a big American breakfast at a diner on Sunday morning, called "Breakfast in America". We had massive plates of pancakes and eggs, and real drip coffee! I hadn't realized my craving for non-espresso coffee until the steaming cup was set before me, with free refills at my fingertips.
After Matt boarded the Eurostar to head back under the English Channel on Sunday night, I was left with a very funny feeling. Celebrating a landmark birthday with people I've only known for a few weeks was very different. Once dad and Matt had gone, and I was back in my foyer, I felt quite lonely and really wished that my whole family and all my friends from home could have been here. I got some lovely phonecalls from Ju and Paula which really cheered me up, but I was quite homesick and missing everyone a lot. At least Matt and dad came; having bits of my life from home around made it a really special occasion.
Thank you for all your good wishes!

This week saw, at last, the grand finale of my seven-week French intensive language program. After a month in Tours and three weeks here in Paris, I'm just about ready to swear off the language classes altogether. We celebrated with white wine and Indian snacks today at the Catho-- I really enjoyed the class, despite the long hours and often-boring lessons. It's hard to believe that while some people are beginning spring break this week, my "real" semester doesn't start until Monday!
One of our teachers, Julie, is studying English and international relations, and hopes to get a job as a representative in South Africa, so she asked myself and the other girls from Central to have lunch with her today to do a little language exchange; half an hour in French, and then half in English. Unfortunately it didn't work out because she had some administrative stuff to do for the end of term, but she took down our email addresses and we'll hopefully see her later in the semester.

Everyone from my class at the Catho
Julie, the teacher is in front in grey

After classes I met up with my friend Jayne, and her boyfriend, who are both studying in Strasbourg. We had coffee at Les Deux Magots, a "literary" cafe where Hemingway and his cronies spent their days. It's now pretty much just a giant tourist trap, where cappuccinos cost 6 euros and the service is inattentive, but I guess the coffee was pretty good (I have to say that, it cost six euros).

Although the days are long and June seems very far away, time is going quickly. Villanova's spring break starts next Friday, which means a stream of visitors for me! De arrives next weekend, and then after she leaves, the majority of Welsh 312 will be here! Colleen, Becky, and Maura are coming from London and staying through Sunday. I cannot wait to see their faces!

I'm looking forward to the start of the real semester on Monday-- to me, it means I can finally settle into a semi-permanent routine and find time to sleep! With my schedule the way it is, I only have to get up for 9 a.m. classes twice a week, and Fridays are free.

Because we're staying in town this weekend, my friend Lizzie and I are planning on doing a bit of exploring tomorrow and on Sunday. Although there's snow on the ground in Philadelphia, the forecast promises 60 degrees in Paris tomorrow, and I think Montmartre is calling.

Book recommendation of the week: McCarthy's Bar, by Pete McCarthy. Absolutely hilarious.