Frozen Account

I haven’t been able to locate my credit card for about 3 weeks now. I know the last time I used it was at Monoprix… I purchased hair dye and a few other miscellaneous items.  I found the transaction receipt on the floor in my room but my credit card is still MIA. This is unfortunate because I really loved the island sunset design on the front of the card, and also because I haven’t been able to shop. It turns out that neither has anyone else (been able to shop, using my credit card) because I have been keeping tabs on it thanks to online banking. Glad it at least wasn’t stolen, dealing with identity theft from across the Atlantic would be a pain in the ass. Last week, I caved and decided to give up the search, cancel my current card and get a new one issued. Capital One was really helpful on the phone (5 stars for customer service!); easily cancelled my current card and issued me a new one. Because I’m in France, though, they have to send the card to my address in the states, and from there the card has to be forwarded to my French address by my parents. So, my Capital One account is currently frozen. This is good news for my US Bank savings account (it was feeling overworked)… This situation made me realize that I have to start budgeting and getting my finances in check. Paris is such an expensive city, and truth be told, I haven’t really watched my spending at all as of yet. Three months is a long enough honeymoon, it’s time to rein myself in and start living like the starving college student that I am rather than the posh aristocrat that I have been acting like.

My finances will ease up a bit as soon as I finish applying for the CAF, get paid for November and get reimbursed for my Metro transportation costs. La vie à Paris est très CHEREEEE! 

Moving on to something more exciting. Thanksgiving. 

This weekend was so much fun and full of friendship and camaraderie. Friday I got in a great work out in the morning then came home and headed to Starbucks for a caffeine fix. There, we (Rhea, Bella and myself) met up with Manny and Juan (we met Juan in Nice earlier this year). After Starbucks we headed to Thanksgiving, which is an American food items store in Paris. This establishment is extremely expensive, but tell me where else I’m going to find canned pumpkin and pop tarts. (Answer, nowhere) We then headed home, I talked to Peter on the phone for a while (so nice to hear your voice PEDRO).. then went to Montmartre for some more shopping. I ended up spending 100 euros on beauty products… they’re also ghastly expensive but necessary. Friday night, Rhea and I hung out in the kitchen creating our delicious desserts for our Thanksgiving feasts. My specialty was a pumpkin cheesecake, and she whipped up a yummy pistachio torte. Both items were hits at our feast the next day. 

Saturday was the day of our big Thanksgiving banquet. Woke up, went to the gym, came home to start cooking. I made pumpkin soup first. I had made pumpkin soup before so felt confident leaving the recipe behind. I’m pretty sure that the savory flavors enticed the entire crowd later in the day.

I ended up being the chef extraordinaire the rest of the day. I made garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and warmed the rotisserie chickens (when there isn’t a turkey to be found, ya gotta get creative.) The electricity went out halfway through preparation, but the champagne was flowing so the guests didn’t mind. 

Our menu consisted of: 

Rotisserie Chicken

Pumpkin soup

Macaroni & Cheese

Cranberry fluff

Garlic mashed potatoes

Green bean casserole

Brie puff pastry

Pumpkin cheesecake

Pistachio torte

Apple crumble

And

LOTS

And LOTS

Of champagne

27 bottles to be exact. 

Yeah, most of our guests were hurting the next day, but I think they left with full bellies of food and fun.

It was exciting to share this traditionally American holiday with an array of different cultures. We had guests from America, Scotland, Ireland, and Spain. (I don’t think I’m forgetting any, but I might be.)

Yesterday, I whipped up another pumpkin cheesecake and then headed to Lauren’s host family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Real turkey was carved up and the feast was scrumptious! I hadn’t realized how much I had been missing pecan pie. (so good)

Last night I went out for dinner (I didn’t eat, no room in my tummy) with Rose, Rhea and Rose’s mom and aunt. The restaurant was typical French cuisine and rather inexpensive. I had a nice Bordeaux. I think I’ll go back when I have an appetite because the food looked really good. 

Finally, after dinner last night, I went out with some newly made friends (and some old ones) to Corcoran’s. It was a pretty low key night which is rare to say… Corcoran’s usually gets me in trouble. Last night we had another full house of sleeping beauties… 5 people in our living room... hope they got a good night’s rest. It’s safe to say that our apartment truly is an auberge. I love hosting.

So, here I am... today is Monday.  The beginning of another week. It sound cliché to say, but time here really does fly. I can’t believe another weekend is gone. I am still thankful to be here and can’t wait to see what this week has in store. For now, I am waiting to teach another class. If I don’t gain anything else from this experience, I can say that I have become a more patient person because waiting is the most common theme I have come across.

.40 centimes for a cup of Joe

It is the last Thursday of November. A regular day of work here in France; back home, this day is exponentially more valuable... Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, aside from the undeniably ugly historic context, is my favorite holiday. Traditionally, my mom and I begin scouring Woman's World magazine weeks in advance for just the right recipes. The day of, we spend hours in the kitchen concocting delicious new dishes. In the evening, we feast. It's a pretty typical tradition, but this year I appreciate it more than ever. Being far from home on holidays is not easy, but I feel calm and content celebrating Thanksgiving in my own way this year. I have lots on the agenda for this weekend! Rose's mom and aunt arrived in Paris this morning, and tonight they are taking the roommates out for dinner. Tomorrow, I am going to do some grocery shopping and have a coffee date planned with Rhea. This Saturday, we are celebrating our own version of Thanksgiving at l'Auberge Americaine (this is what we have dubbed our apartment). On the menu are your usual items such as sweet potatoes, potatoes au gratin, green bean casserole, pumpkin soup, etc... but instead of turkey (they're extremely expensive in Paris), we are substituting rotisserie chicken. I think it should make for an excellent swap!

In honor of it being Thanksgiving 4,145 miles from here, I will cite a few things that I am currently thankful for.  At this very moment, I am thankful for:

WIFI (so that I can write while I wait to teach my next class)
.40 centime espresso machines (so that I can keep my eyes open and not burn a hole in my pocket purchasing Starbucks on a daily basis)
students that participate (also so that I can keep my eyes open)
wonderful friends and roommates to support me and love me while I'm so far away from my loved ones back home
wonderful friends and loved ones back home who continue to support me from thousands of miles away (virtual support is still very much appreciated!!)
a store in Paris entitled "Thanksgiving" (where else am I supposed to find canned pumpkin for my pumpkin soup recipe?)
the opportunity to live, study and work in Paris in general (I can write a separate entry on this topic entirely)

So, thanks, to serendipity, to fate, to destiny, to luck, to who or whatever causes the universe to flow the way that it does... I appreciate the way in which you work!

To all of my loved ones back in AMERICA, stuff your freakin' faces today and be thankful for what you've got!

P.S. : My lesson plans for today are AWESOME.  "I Will Survive" and "Can't Stuff This" -- 2 songs that chronicle the lives of some defiant turkeys are gracing the ears of my French students.... they're loving it.

Hanson, who would have thought?

So, a few weeks ago Rose and I rediscovered Hanson. You know the classics from their first album Middle of Nowhere, MMMMBop, Man From Milwaukee, Yearbook, etc. We felt like little school girls youtube-ing their videos and drooling over Taylor (you have to remember, the adorable middle child with the long blonde hair!) Rose purchased the trio's new album on iTunes, and for the past two weeks we've been playing their songs non-stop. Fate would have it that last week, when I was at work working (after hacking into Facebook), I saw an ad on the side panel of Facebook that indicated a Hanson concert at the Bataclan in Paris. I squealed with delight when I saw it and messaged Rose, impolitely changing the direction in which our conversation had been heading... it went a little something like this:

• Andrea Marie Hall:
• LOL OMG
• sorry to change the subject
• but
• um
• HANSON
• IS
• COMING
• TO
• PARIS
• ON
• NOVEMBER
• 22
• lol
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
• shut up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• how much?
  
  
  Andrea Marie Hall:
• damn it
• access interdit pour moi ici
• omg
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
  ill look
•  
• Andrea Marie Hall:
• theyre at the bataclan
• on november 22nd
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
• and meiko!
• i know one song by her
  
  
  Andrea Marie Hall:
  whos that??
•  
• Rose Friederichs:
• they are 34,50
• should we go?
  
  
  Andrea Marie Hall:
• ha i think we should
• what night is that
• what time?
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
• i do too!!!!!!!!!
• tuesday
• at 8
  
  
  Andrea Marie Hall:
• haha i see no reason why we should not go
• lmao
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
  ok we'll buy them tonight!
•  
• Andrea Marie Hall:
• what this means is that we have to start putting their album on repeat so we can sing to ALL the songs lol
• AWESOME
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
  yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
•  
• Andrea Marie Hall:
• im fucking excited
• theyre totally going to close with yearbook
• lmao
  
  
  Rose Friederichs:
  haha who knows!!!!!!!!
•  
• Andrea Marie Hall:
• on verra  lol
• but im super excited, what a freaking blast from the past
• this is called destiny
• hahahah
  
  
  ________________________________________________________
  
  
  So, this all transpired in a matter of 2 weeks... rediscovering Hanson, seeing an ad for them on Facebook, buying tickets to their show and going to their concert last night!
  
  

  THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! You absolutely have to check out their new material. IN addition to being really amazing musicians, they have all grown up to be extremely attractive men... I can no longer say that I only have a crush on Taylor! hehehehe...
  
  
  
  
• 
  

It's her partyyyyyyy....

Rose turned 21 on September 22nd, and in her honor Rhea and I planned a spectacular birthday bash. We cooked a wonderful meal, had champagne and ordered a huge tarte aux fraises from a nearby boulangerie. Take a look at some of the photos from her special night!

F...

I just wrote a lovely blog reviewing the last 2.5 months of my life here in France; full of descriptions and photos. I was THIS close to publishing it and something went awry. So, what I'm going to say instead, is that I will start fresh when something exciting happens in my life. If curiosity strikes and you want to know a funny anecdote from the past few months, let me know! Otherwise, stay tuned!

Some images

Cold Spaghetti

The Time: 12:43pm Central European Time
The Date: Thursday, November 10, 2011
Location: L'hay les Roses, France

I am sitting here, in room 212A of Collège Chevreul listening to Just a Little Heat by the almighty Black Keys, thinking to myself that I should start a blog. I have been in Paris on this crazy adventure since August 31st and have only kept half-assed accounts of my happenings cataloged in a silly journal... the last entry is dated September 11th, so you see, I need to get back on track.

My reason for being in Paris, France, you may ask? I was hand picked  selected, along with 40 other candidates to teach English in Paris and the surrounding banlieues. In addition to teaching English to snot nosed adoring middle schoolers, I am also taking classes at the Université Saint-Denis.

The set up is actually quite nice and the benefits that this program provides for the students are wonderful. I am responsible for teaching 12 hours of English lessons per week in exchange for almost 800€ per month. This amount of money is sufficient for people that know how to budget; I am not one of these people (but that is a whole different story).

Aside from teaching and studying, I have been up to many other things in the city of lights.

I arrived here on August 31st with temporary housing at La Cité Universitaire. Looking back on this time, I remember being woken up at 5am on a daily basis by my roommate who would religiously get up and run for 45 minutes then come back to disrupt my sleep again at 6am. Otherwise, the temporary  housing was a fantastic way to meet other students/teaching assistants going through the same transition of getting used to a foreign land.

I hit the jackpot when it came to finding an apartment.

When I arrived I had been told that there was a housing crisis in Paris. I was advised to accept a hole in the wall for 600€ if I came across it... luckily, Buddha had other plans for me. I came over the Atlantic with two potential roommates: Rose & Rhea. I had known them from my university at home and we had been planning to room together. After several days of frustrating apartment searching we found ourselves at our program headquarters with the housing coordinator. Ellen is her name. Ellen was assisting us with phone calls to potential landlords when we came across a document citing a lavish 3 bedroom apartment in the 9th arrondisement. Rose, Rhea and I gasped for air when we saw the rent (2600€) per month but decided that we must see it. Serendipity would have it that, sitting in the corner listening in our conversation was Adriana, who would soon become our 4th roommate. We set up a visit with Madame Kaplan for the following day.
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We take the 12 to Saint Georges and locate 4 Rue Henry Monnier. We wait. We wait. We wait. We see a chic French woman approach. She smiles. We smile. She introduces herself. We introduce ourselves. IN ENGLISH. We walk in. We walk up. We enter. We gasp.

THE APARTMENT IS AMAZING. Classic. Parisian. Apartment.

We take a tour of the apartment. Enter. Foyer. Wooden closet to the left. To the right, the toilet room. Step forward. To the right the kitchen. Enter the kitchen. MARBLE counter tops, dish washer, washer, dryer, refrigerator, oven, appliances, fully furnished. Leave the kitchen. Walk across the hall. 2 bedrooms. French windows. French doors. Walk out to the hall and into the living room. GRAND. White walls. Yellow curtains and furniture. PIANO. Fireplace. Art. Walk to the right. One more bedroom. White walls. Red curtains. Beautiful view. Fireplace. The entire apartment is a dream.

We agree on first site that this magical place is to become our Parisian pad. We sign papers. We move in.

HOME SWEET HOME.

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Roommates

Rose: Rose and I live in the same room. For a while, we were sharing the same bed. We agreed to this, and thankfully I actually enjoyed her body next to mine ...Aside from the several nights she was snoring like a lumberjack. (haa) Rose is an outgoing, vivacious young woman with a zest for life much like myself. I can say with all honesty that we get along VERY well.

Rhea: Another vivacious personality. She is the mother figure (although Rose packs a mean first aid/sick kit)... Rhea is a nurturer with a really caring outlook for her friends and family. Rhea is fun and down to celebrate everything. Like me, she is also addicted to white chocolate mochas from Starbucks. It's safe to say I have a coffee buddy for the entire year!!!

Adriana: Adriana is from New Jersey, but absolutely nothing like the ridiculousness that encompasses Jersey Shore. She is intellectual, quiet, and somewhat awkward (this is a self proclaimed analysis). She keeps to herself most of the time in her Harry Potter sized bedroom, and she is ok with that!

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The bell just rang, I must be off to teach! TTFN.