Ah, life in Paris is getting better every day! The sun is shining for the entire day and my winter coat is too hot! Hooray! I have been up to many things since I last wrote. Classes are going very well, perhaps I say this because I haven’t had to turn in any work yet, but nonetheless I am very optimistic that the work will all get done somehow. Maybe you avid readers recall that I have developed a relationship with a sixty five year old French couple. I stumbled into their lives because my family rented their apartment over Christmas. At any rate, they have had me over for innumerable meals, all lavish, and teas, all complete with a snack, and we spend an hour speaking in French and an hour speaking in English. They ... read more

HELLO! It has been far too long and I am very sorry. That just means I have much to fill you all in on. It also means I will most likely just skim over a lot of the past few weeks and make some sweeping generalizations. At any rate, here we go! December, the good, the bad, and the wonderful Schoolwork was in abundance before our winter break but I made it! I wrote many a paper and even did a few oral presentations. I wish I could say my French was amazing but…. I went to the doctor in order to get my Student Visa to stay in France and had quite an experience! First of all it was bizarre being herded like cattle from one room to the next with complete strangers in a ... read more

Well when the opportunity arose for me to join my friends in Athens for Thanksgiving I of course jumped at the chance! Abby is studying there for the semester and Amelia, coming from Rome, Ali, coming from Amsterdam, and I all converged upon her and her fair city for four glorious days of fun. It was a very mellow adventure full of long chats and exploring the city, oh, and the food, how could I forget the food! Thursday was spent traveling to Athens and inside because of rain and wind but we ate our first gyros and Greek salad so the night was far from a waste. Not quite the usual Thanksgiving feast but I was warmed by being with my good friends and found myself at home in a very foreign place. Friday we ... read more

Well I suppose those of you who read the news deserve some word from this end of the world. I don’t really know what to say. If you really want to understand the underlying psychology and attitudes, I suggest you rent La Haine, or HATE. I’ve seen it in Blockbusters and independent movie stores. I couldn’t believe when I read this in the New York Times: "This is just the beginning," said Moussa Diallo, 22, a tall, unemployed French-African man in Clichy-sous-Bois, the working-class Parisian suburb where the violence started Oct. 27. "It's not going to end until there are two policemen dead." New York Times, Craig S. Smith, published: November 7, 2005 There seems to be a very tit-for-tat mentality that was represented very well in that film. I warn that the film is ... read more

My my my, what a week this has been. I have been on many adventures and have had some major changes to my agenda! Here goes. Having my guest, dearest Amelia, for the weekend was wonderful! She arrived into my metro station at 12 on Thursday night and the fun began. It was a bit of a squeeze because a friend of hers needed a place to stay so my hard wood floor was the best option for her, bummer! Friday classes ran over so I met them at the Musée d’Orsay and then we ate too much lunch and then bided our time until the Louvre was free for students and went and enjoyed the museum for a few hours. Then came a yummy dinner in my area. Saturday we jumped up to go to ... read more