Extension

So as you all may have been wondering, I am planning to stay in Bordeaux until the end of the school year. There is a ridiculous amount of paperwork and I am going to be a super senior when I return, but I guess all that doesn't matter when you get to live in France longer.

I am in the process of getting a ticket home for Christmas, but I must renew my visa before I leave so they let me back into the country (I don't want to be Tom Hanks in Terminal).

Funny, because this morning was the first morning that I woke up feeling quite homesick, questioning my decision. I miss home. I miss my family and friends. I miss my mom and dad's home cooking. I miss Pierre beyond belief. I even miss scout and his horse self. This list could go on forever, but I will spare you.

However, I know if I go home, and stay, I will feel like I missed out on this incredible, crazy, life-altering adventure. Thus, I'm going to swallow my fears and doubts, and dive head-first into this new chapter in my life.

Weekend in Paris

Friday

B.I.A.
Marina and I decided to meet Bryan in Paris for the weekend before he flew off to Scotland. We left Bordeaux around 7 am and arrived in Paris around 10:30 am. First on our agenda was good 'ol American Breakfast. It was packed in the little diner and a mix of french and english filled the room. When my eggs and potatoes arrived I covered them in ketchup, Heinz ketchup baby, and showered my pancakes with maple syrup. Oh, it was grand.

Hotel (pictures)

We checked into our little hotel in the 5th arrondissement. They were really sweet, and the hotel was really nice but let me tell you some things we found really weird

• they don't take check - you must pay in cash or check
• they don't take anything as collateral. When I asked when we should pay, the receptionist said we can pay when we checkout or whenever really
• I insisted on paying early and he wrote my receipt in pencil on a post-it
• showers were 2.50 euro for 5 minutes

We had a really good stay though and it was affordable. If I ever returned to Paris, I would recommend the hotel, even with it's quirks.

Natural History Museum

Edouard got me curious about the taxidermy in Paris after I told him about Arcachon. It wasn't weird at all; it was actually really really cool. The first floor was sea life while the second and third floors were animals. There was even a room with endangered and extinct animals. One I saw was extinct since the late 1800s and I find it incredible they still have a taxidermic animal. Marina mentioned it is a good way to learn about animals rather than putting them in a small cage in a zoo for their entire lives, assuming the taxidermic animals died of natural causes.

Fun Fact: There was even a "Grande Tortue Rodrigues" extinct from Rodrigues Island.

After the museum we strolled the large plant garden behind it.

Eiffel Tower at Night

Last time we visited Paris we never saw the Eiffel Tower at night. It is breathtaking. On the hour the tower sparkles, so we waited 45 minutes to see it. I was so excited by the time it happened that I dropped my camera. It broke. Sad day, man. I wasn't really that depressed though because I though it was one of the best ways for a camera to die.

Saturday

Flea Market

While Bryan went to pick up his friend Katie from the airport, Marina and I went to the Flea Market. I was so cold I ended up buying a hoodie there to wear under my coat. I'm seriously going to die in this country from hypothermia. It's only October!!!!!

Rodin Museum

My favorite thing of our entire trip. God it was amazing. I think I might of squealed when we went through the entrance. There is a beautiful garden with sculptures like The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais, and the Gates of Hell. Then there is an indoor museum with even more of Auguste Rodin's work and even some of Camille Claudel and letters between Rodin and Monet. Crazy shit man.

Sunday

The Louvre
Yes, we did it again. We probably spent another 4 hours there. I was sooooo drained by the time we left. We literally went to the café across the street by the time we left because we were too drained to find/to think of anything else to eat.

Monday

Montparnasse Cemetery
The ghost of Famous dead people get together and party here at night. I can't believe how many famous french people are buried here. Upon entrance, you get a little map of the cemetery where you can find the most notable names. Favorites we visited:

• Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), famous poet
• Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), feminist philosopher & author
• Samuel Beckett (1906–1989), Irish author, playwright & poet
• Porfirio Díaz (1830–1915), longest serving Mexican President, Dictator, General
• Alfred Dreyfus (1859–1935), Jewish military officer falsely accused of treason (the Dreyfus affair)
• Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), sociologist
• Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991), poet and singer
• Eugène Ionesco (1909–1994), Romanian playwright
• Pierre Larousse (1817–1875), author of encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique
• Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980), French philosopher & novelist

I've been spending the entire day today in my jammies relaxing after the go-go-go life of Paris.