I love you Andrew.

Big News: Andrew is moving to Paris in January to go to HEC Paris to get his MBA. I am so proud of him and just so thankful for our relationship. Life is so much better with him in it, and his coming to Paris means many more good memories together to come! xx

Strikes, Santa, and Snow

Last Thursday was a very strange day of “work.” I left early to take the trains, and they were all on time despite several strikes, or “greves,” that had been going on in Paris public transportation. However, as soon as I got to school, I found signs that said “lycee en greve” (high school on strike)! Strangely enough, it wasn’t the teachers or administration who were striking… it was the students! There has just been a reform passed for the educational system in France, and the students didn’t like it. Alors, strike. Only natural to a French person. But students? All of the students were out in front of the school protesting, and the door was blocked by some of the older students. They let me through and were basically laughing at my confused state. As soon as I got inside, I saw all of the other teachers looking out the windows and acting like this was completely normal and that there was nothing they could do.When I asked some of the teachers why the students have the right to strike, their reply was that this is France and that is just how things work here. Another student later said that the French are expert complainers and aren’t afraid to let the whole world know what they are complaining about. C’est la France.

Becca and I went to a Christmas concert at American Church in Paris last Saturday and it was beautiful. I love things like that because they really remind me of what Christmas is all about and put me in a cheery sort of mood. It really is a wonderful church and I have loved going and getting to know some pretty wonderful people there.

On Sunday, we hosted a Christmas dinner party at out apartment. It was great to have everyone here together before we went our separate ways for the holidays. Please note the fabulous snowflakes on the window crafted by our very own Emily Plug.

Also note that Fozzie Plug (Santa) and I coordinated outfits.

In other news, IT SNOWED TODAY!!! It started this morning and I was smiling even at 7:30am in freezing cold weather because Paris gave me a little going away Christmas present on the last day before I leave. It was so beautiful... out in Villepreux, the small suburb of Paris where I teach, literally everything was white. My classroom has a

big window and I watched the snow fall all day. Some of the snowflakes were as big as my hand! Lovely.

So I leave tomorrow morning for San Francisco to spend Christmas at

home! I am so excited to be with my

family and just to be home in America for a bit. I love it here, but I do miss the sense of familiarity of home and it will be nice to have that for the next two weeks. Also, I will be in Los Angeles for New Years so everyone should go/stay there :) Can't wait to see you all!

get's me in the Christmas spirit...

City of Love

Last week was the best week I have had in Paris.

Paris in and of itself is an amazing place. The city never sleeps, and there are so many beautiful things to see and do. But Paris still is just a place, just another point on the map. The most meaningful things about it are the experiences I have shared with friends here. The people you love really do make all the difference in life, whether you are in Paris, OK, Los Angeles, bay area, or in the middle of nowhere.

So this past week was Thanksgiving, and with the holiday came Andrew, Chris, Molly, Brett, Lauren, Connor, and Kyle to add to my wonderful friends already here in Paris. I cannot express how amazing it was to see them all and show them my new life here. We visited a lot of monuments, museums and so forth, but some of the more memorable times were when we all got together at my apartment to hang out and make dinner (we did that a lot!). Thanksgiving was a little unconventional, what with a turkey sandwich meal and all, but the company made all the difference. (Side note... I found out from a friend Sean that a big turkey cost her family about 90 euros!!! Wild). The icing on the cake was being here when Chris proposed to Molly. He had been planning it for months and managed to keep it a secret from Molly (barely!). He proposed at the Trocadero, which has a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower, and they met us at an Italian restaurant after. I am so excited for them both because they really are perfect for each other and I can't wait to see where life takes them!

Having Andrew here was one of my favorite times with him ever. The first time we said goodbye was hard of course, but I think I was really anticipating all of the new things I was getting ready to experience so I had a lot on my mind to keep me distracted. That being said, saying goodbye this last Sunday was a whole new challenge. I am settled into Paris now, and I wanted to show him that and share everything with him! After a week of doing that, I wasn't ready to say goodbye again. Of course we talk a lot on the phone, but his physical presence here made me realize all over why I love him so much. Our relationship has grown a lot throughout this time, and it took literally less than two seconds after seeing him before he fit right back into his place next to me, even in this new environment. It wasn't anything we specifically did that made the trip so great together, it was just him. Andrew, tu me manques.

Right now Andrew and I are facing an opportunity that could mean we would be together again much sooner than we thought, so I am praying a lot that God will guide us through this time of important decisions. I trust Him to take care of us!

A good distraction from everyone's leaving this past Sunday morning was another Thanksgiving at our apartment with my roommates and friends in Paris. We would have all (roommates, friends, guests) liked to do it together in the first place, but plans and timing didn't match up... I'm not complaining, two Thanksgivings are better than one! After I came back from the airport, I decided to take a long walk. It was good to clear my head a little and reflect on such a wonderful week. When I finally got home, round two Thanksgiving preparations were in full swing! I got a chicken (please note turkey prices above!), Emily made home made apple pie and kiri corn, Becca took care of vegetables and stuffing, Kara made the best macaroni and cheese I have ever had, Sean created a sweet potatoes and marshmallows masterpiece and mashed potatoes, and our British friends Alison, Faye, and Emmanuela brought a wonderful rhubarb crumble with creme anglaise! Not to mention everyone brought some wine, Carl brought some baguettes, Melissa brought chocolate (mmm!), and Greg and Fozzie Plug took care to grate the cheese for the macaroni. It was such a great meal and time to share with friends! It also made me realize how much I love our apartment. Because it is so open, it makes a perfect cozy and inviting place to hang out with friends. And we make quite the hostesses, let me tell you.

Life has settled down now that all of our visitors have left and we are back into our routines. I am still teaching, tutoring 2 boys, and also now tutoring a history teacher in English at my school. He is such a nice man and wants to be certified to teach history in English, so I will be helping him until his test in March. This is a really great opportunity for me to become better friends with teachers at my school too, which is a big goal of mine. The more effort I put into life here in France, the more I will get from my experience!

I hope the holiday season has everyone in good spirits, I miss you all and think of you often! I will be on a plane home for Christmas in 2 weeks and cannot wait! The young adults group at the church I have been going to has been discussing Advent and we have been reflecting on what the holidays are really all about... Let us all remember that Jesus is the reason for the season!

mise à jour

A lot has happened in the last two weeks. I went back to school from the holidays, Chris Ramento came to visit for 10 days, and Nicole Serleto and Nathan Reim stayed with us while they were visiting from Florence. It was so great to have visitors--we miss our friends and family so much! Especially having Chris here so long was great because we already know him so well... he honestly felt like our fourth roommate! It was great just relaxing and living here with him. Come back from Scotland, Chris!!

Also, I have been getting more involved at the American Church in Paris, and I really like it! They have a great young adults group that meets weekly for discussion/bible study and I have met some really great people. They are also very service-minded. Becca and I went to a homeless shelter/soup kitchen last Saturday and it was a really great experience. It is run by the Missionary Sisters of Charity Roman Catholic order (founded by Mother Theresa), and all of the Sisters were so kind and committed to their mission. It was really neat to serve the homeless people (there were about 400 who came in that morning) and get to talk with them a little. I am amazed that they open the kitchen every day for such a large and extensive meal to so many people. I was really blessed to be a part of it and I hope I can go back soon.

Last Friday, Kara, Chris and I got to see Andrew Bird at the Casino de Paris. He is an incredibly talented one-man-band. He plays the violin, picks the violin strings, plays guitar, whistles, and has an amazing voice. He records all of the instruments while on stage first, then has them repeat so the song progresses. Beauty. Other than a weird, long intro and one of his guitars not being tuned properly before his first real song, it was a great show.

Me and Chris before the show

Did I mention New Moon (Twilight) comes out here TODAY??? Check out this larger than life metro ad. (Tentation is the French title for New Moon).

Andrew and friends come in 4 days!! I can't wait! Love you babe.

parlez-vous francais?

Initially when we moved to Paris, the adjustment and trying to find a place to live was enough to worry about. I was starting a new job (my FIRST real job, and in a foreign country!), homeless, jet-lagged, and starry-eyed.

Feeling more settled in now and realizing that I have already been here for 2 months (!), I am starting to reflect on all of the things I want to accomplish while I am here. I have a never-ending list that continues to grow of cafes, museums, parks, etc. that I really want to visit. Not-so-touristy things... my students helped give me a few ideas when I asked about their favorite things to do and see in the city. I want to really know this city because I already love it so much.

Beyond that, I have been starting to get serious about learning--really learning--French. Yes, I have taken it for 8 years already. Yes, I live in a French speaking country and can get around just fine with my French. BUT I teach entirely in English, and I now tutor a 6 year old boy as well in English. Not to mention that we speak English at our apartment (duh) and all of my friends here speak English. I am beginning to realize that unless I really try to put myself out there with speaking French, I could potentially leave here no better off with French than when I came. It's not as if I avoid French; I speak it in the street everyday, but that is much different than having a long meaningful conversation.

However, there are little victories here and there. I am getting better about understanding the mile-a-minute conversations at lunch with the other teachers I work with, so I am trying to encourage myself to stick my neck out a little more and speak! I think I have been too afraid of being wrong or of making a mistake so it has been easy to stick to situations where I can control my French. No more! I have been studying French and practicing on Rosetta Stone again in the evenings and am going to look for either lessons or a person that I can have a "conversation exchange" with. I am going to really make an effort to be bold and speak French everywhere I go (Emily and I had a long conversation about this last night and actually had a short conversation in French in the apartment!). Mark my words and hold me to them: I WILL BECOME FLUENT.

Halloween and All Saints Day

Haloween in Paris: First of all, let me point out that the holiday is not nearly as popular here as it is in America. We barely saw any kids dressed up, and we had to search for Halloween events to make sure we saw anyone in costume at all. Also, our options for buying costumes were slim; not very many purely Halloween stores here. We decided to make ours instead!

When we have seen certain Americans in Paris, presumably just visiting for a few days, we can spot them from a mile away. Cameras, weird screen printed shirts of cats or the American flag or something from the souvenir kiosk down the road, and of course, speaking English loudly. I realize this is the extreme stereotype, but we have seen many people just like this. I mean, we live 2 minutes from the Eiffel Tower, the mecca for all tourists! Being the "sophisticated," culturally sensitive, assimilated Americans in Paris we like to think we are, we think it so funny when we cross paths with these people. Alas, we chose to let down our guard for the night to be obnoxious American tourists!

Let me explain a few aspects of the costumes: jean vest over a horse t-shirt; tye dye; cameras flashing at every instant; running shoes with jeans; sweat pants; baseball hat; 50 cent t-shirt and a pink hearts Paris hat; and of course, the American flag. We acted out the part perfectly, being loud on the metro, taking thousands of pictures, speaking only English and acting surprised if anyone didn't immediately speak it right back to us... it was so fun! So many people would stare at us and turn their heads to watch as we walked by! It was more than just a costume. We owned it.

For the evening we went on a pub crawl organized by the lovely Sylvia (aka Lady Gaga). We found it on the internet under Paris meet up groups of course. We had a blast seeing other people dress up, moving around from pub to pub, dancing... and especially hearing people guess our costumes exactly. Success!

Being that the next day was All Saints Day, we decided to continue the celebrations. Naturally, we went to breakfast at a place called Breakfast in America (we waited over and hour an a half in line out the door to get in, it's that good). Pancakes, American coffee, bacon, eggs, hash browns, breakfast burritos! It was so good and worth the wait. Good news to the people still waiting outside while it was pouring rain!

After breakfast we went to the famous cemetery, Pere Lachaise. Here lies Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Balzac, Oscar Wilde, and the likes. We thought All Saints Day would be an appropriate day to visit since many other people would also be paying respects to their ancestors. It rained almost the whole time we were there and leaves were falling all over, adding to the fall/gloomy atmosphere. Quite an experience.

Das Rheinland

This past week I spent in Vallendar (Koblenz), Germany with Andrew's grandma, Yola. I had such a great time visiting with her and seeing the German countryside.

She drove us down the Rhine River one day to show me all of the historic small towns and castles (there are so many!). Another day, we went along the Mosel River to explore wine country. It was so beautiful -- they literally have vineyards on the sides of the mountains! The last day we met up with some of her friends for a tour of Koblenz. I learned a lot about the history of the city, which dates back to the time of the Romans. It was interesting also to hear about how WWII left much of the city destroyed... our guide Oscar used to be a city planner for Koblenz and showed us where old city walls and buildings were and where parts of them now have been replaced with newer, more modern buildings. I even have a picture, below, next to a part of the Berlin Wall (After its fall, many cities around Germany wanted a piece of it to remember the historic event).

Although I don't know any German, I did pick up a few words here and there. Yola helped me with that, especially in the food area. I can't remember the last time I ate so much: bratwurst, rouladen, knodel, federweisser (new, fermenting, sweet wine), zweibelkuchen... I can't even remember it all! I must say, you learn a lot about a country by eating its food.

Being in Germany and struggling to get around because I know no German whatsoever really made me appreciate my abilities in French. I often underestimate myself, but after being helpless in Germany, I now realize that I know a lot of French! Sometimes it is hard to feel at home in a place where you know you are a foreigner, but getting off the train in Paris and hearing French over the intercom gave me a feeling that I do, in fact, feel at home here.

MJ forever

Michael Jackson fans in France may very well be more hardcore than those in America, or anywhere for that matter. Seriously. Case and point: these guys. Every week when we have gone to the Champ de Mars park by the Eiffel Tower, this group of MJ fanatics is there practicing their idol's moves. We have seen them so many times that we're convinced we know them; you should have seen the tension last week between the lead guy and his "school-girl" girlfriend. Way better than any American reality show, that's for sure. Does anyone else think that the guy in the lead looks like Michael Phelps?

paris montage

i'm really bad at this...

Keeping up with the old blog has been difficult... I have been pretty busy lately with school and Teaching Assistant orientation meetings!

An update on life:

I had only been observing and meeting students at my lycee (called Lycee Sonia Delaunay) until this week when I began to teach on my own! As I mentioned before, I meet with groups of 10 or less students at an hour at a time in my own classroom. My job pretty much requires that I facilitate conversations among the students so they can practice speaking English. However, I still plan a lesson on which to center the conversation. This week, I kept it simple and explained how the class is going to go throughout the year, what my job is, introducing myself and providing background about my life in America, and having them introduce themselves to me. Also, I told them about Halloween traditions in America. Although they all know what it is, French people do not celebrate Halloween nearly as much as Americans! I also asked them things that they would like to learn about in future lessons so they would get out of this class what they want and I can encourage them to speak English in a way that isn't boring. They mainly want to learn about music, movies, food, TV, sports, and fashions in America... EVERY single one of them wants to go to America and wants to now everything about it. They asked me questions about surfing, cheerleaders, Obama, Desperate Housewives... you know, all the typical American things (haha). The good thing is that I have their attention since I am the girl from California as opposed to another French teacher, so they are very interested and talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. I think they seem like really good, smart kids and I am going to enjoy working with them. Well I haven't met all of them yet, but I hope it will be like this!

Other teachers at my school have also introduced themselves to me and have been really nice and speak slowly in French so I have a chance of understanding them. Every day I pray that I can learn a little more French and be able to practice it more often. I know it is the only way to become more confident in speaking the language. I am so lucky to be at a great school where this is possible.

Today after school I was walking to the train station to go back to Paris and I ran into a girl I recognized from the school. Her name is Kadie. I actually won't have her as a student-- it's a long story, but basically she is taking both English and German classes as second languages, so there is no time for her to take class with me. However, I did meet her when I was visiting and observing in English classes. I spoke to her in French and we had a good conversation about school and what it is like in French lycee and her opinion on it. She is very smart and spoke slowly and clearly so I could understand and speak back to her. I rode the train halfway with her until she got off at her stop, and I think i will be able to see her at this time every Thursday as we are both commuting home. I think this will be a great opportunity to both practice French and get to know her and help her with her English.

Life is good outside of school too! This week, we figured out our bed situations... meaning we bought extra beds so we all have one now! Our apartment is basically all done; we still are looking for a room divider to separate the beds from the living room area, but other than that it is really home-y. It's so great! I promise to post pictures once it is all clean and set up!

Also, last night Kara, Becca, Emily and I went to the France vs. Autriche world cup qualifying soccer game!! We went to a game back when we studied here our sophomore year, so we wanted to go back because we had so much fun. All over Europe people go WILD for soccer, and France is no exception. It is such a great cultural experience to come to a game here... by the end we were shouting all of the same chants as everyone else, such as "ALLEZ LES BLEUS!" (go Blues!).

I feel more "French" everyday... now I have a French cell phone plan, NaviGO pass (for transportation), bank account, apartment, job, and I will soon be getting French social security benefits! I also read French newspapers every day on the train. Even so, I still have my American moments -- I am eating Mexican food tonight! We found the only place maybe in all of France that has authentic Mexican food and our mouths have been watering all day!

Love and miss everyone, more pictures to come.

good news

This past week, we found an apartment to rent and I had my first day of school!

We didn't end up getting the apartment that I spoke of last time. Long story short, it turns out that the landlord and his family were waiting to hear back about construction that is being done on their other apartment that they will be moving to. They found out that it will take longer than they thought, so the apartment we wanted won't be ready until the end of October. We were pretty bummed, but we just can't wait another month to feel settled.

So, back to square one. We looked at a few other apartments and called about a lot of places, and were getting pretty discouraged that nothing was working out. Luckily, though, we found a place right by the Eiffel Tower, near both Emily and Kara's schools and really close to the train station that takes me to my school outside of the city. The apartment is actually loft style, meaning it is all one big space with no separated bedrooms. There are good and bad things about this, bad being that there isn't much privacy. However, the apartment is really big and there is plenty of room for us all to have beds along with an area that acts as an open living room, a desk area, dining table, and great kitchen. The bathroom is separate of course! It is a really charming, clean and Parisian apartment and since it is so open it feels even bigger than it is, something the other apartments we have looked at don't have. I can post pictures once we move in and get settled... everything will be finalized Tuesday!

Yesterday I had my first day at school! I work for France's Department of Education through a program that hires foreign graduates to come teach in language classes in French schools. There are people from Germany, Spain, UK, Canada, etc. who come to be Language Assistants here. I have been assigned to work in a lycee (or the equivalent to an American high school). The lycee I have been assigned is in Villepreux, which is about 30 min southwest of Paris by train. I have a supervising teacher who is in charge of the English department, but I have freedom to teach lessons myself with groups of about 10 students from the different English classes at a time. They basically just want me to speak English with the students and help them feel more comfortable speaking the language in topics they care about with someone who is closer in age to them. Also, I only work 12 hours a week (usually spread over 3 days)! My supervising teacher, Catherine, is so wonderful! She has been really helpful and has really made me feel welcome. I went to a few of her classes and she introduced me to her students, and they all seemed really interested in me being there. I told them I am from California and they brightened up... EVERYONE here dreams about California, no joke. I can tell I will learn a lot of French because obviously everyone in the lycee does, but especially at lunch time when I will eat with the other teachers... yesterday they were so nice and tried to include me in their conversations. The stereotypes you have heard about the French being rude or exclusive are lies.

Basically, I love it here! Once we move in to our new place and feel more settled, I might get another job--maybe just babysitting here or there to save money. I will still have so much free time though... which means I can finally begin to relax and experience Paris all over again.

I am truly blessed.

the apartment search continues...

This last week Kara, Emily and I have been working really hard to find an apartment. No luck just yet. We have called and emailed for at least 100 apartments and have gone to see 7. Even though Paris is a big city and you would think there would be hundreds of apartments available at any given time, there are thousands of people looking for places to rent just like us... most owners of the apartments we have seen say they get hundreds of calls after posting an ad. Overwhelming.

On top of the race to beat others to the perfect place, we have to make sure that it is 1) furnished, 2) the right price, 3) right size, 4) in good condition, 5) in a good location (...location, location), and 6) that the owner will accept dogs (Emily's petit chien Fozzie).

So far, we have found several apartments that we liked. The first one: the owner decided she didn't want roommates living together (the French are funny about things like that). Second: we decided we liked it enough after we found out we couldn't get the first one, but when we called someone had already rented it. Shoot. Third: a cute little apartment in a building that is rented out mostly to students. Clean, good size... BUT on the edge of the city. And Paris is big, so a metro ride anywhere from there would take forever, and we aren't sure it would be worth it.

Finally: we are waiting to hear back from a man who is trying to rent his apartment in the 4th arrondissement. We LOVE it. However, when we went to visit, he told us that he chose four people out of the hundreds who called him to view the apartment and that he and his wife will decide who they choose to live there. We visited it last night and he said he will let us know Monday morning what his decision is. The problem is that we love this apartment so much and have decided to wait to hear from him, but if we (knock on wood) don't get it, we are back at square one and lost this whole weekend to be looking at other places. So please pray for us to get it! It is in a beautiful, central, and safe location and the apartment has everything we need. We will just have to wait until Monday to see...

The apartment search has kept us really busy lately, but we have still had time to wander the city. I have taken some pictures, but I will have to upload them later; my computer doesn't have internet at the place we are staying now.

Also, I have been studying for the LSAT a lot lately, and I take it TOMORROW! I'm a little nervous but very ready to just do my best and go from there... it has been hard to enjoy Paris with that and not having an apartment looming over my head.

I start teaching soon, so I'll explain more about that when it comes time! I am getting nervous but I look forward to starting my job and getting into a routine.

Skype me: jennadalynn. I would love to hear from you/see your face via videochat!

Paris, finalement!!!

I have finally arrived in Paris! I flew in yesterday morning and took a cab to meet Kara at her, Emily, and my temporary apartment in the 17th arrondissement. It is a one bedroom, small apartment but we will only be here until the end of the month and are looking for permanent residence now.

It is a funny process looking for apartments to rent here. Today, for example, we called about a few places and one woman spoke in such rapid french that neither Kara or I could understand and she couldn't hear us at all... eventually she just kept saying "occupe" (meaning "occupied") and finally hung up. We will have many more awkward phone conversations like this no doubt. Hopefully one of them will be successful!

In other awkward French moments... Kara and I were racing to make a metro before the doors closed and the car was PACKED. Somehow I managed to jump on and squeeze in (being jammed in the door in the process) and poor Kara didn't make it! After having lived here before for months, we have resorted back to being noobs. C'est n'est pas grave! We will be right back at home here in no time I'm sure.

Despite having a few American moments here, my French is much better than I remember! I have been able to keep up and communicate pretty well. Perhaps it was all that practice with Rosetta Stone this summer! I had a full conversation with my cab driver yesterday and felt very accomplished. On my way to fluency...

Wish us luck to find an apartment soon!