Nearing the End

School Work

I finished my last paper and turned it in yesterday. It was definitely A work thanks to Edouard taking 3 hours to help me correct it. I have a few more tests and a presentation coming up, so the worst isn't over, unfortunately.

Distractions

Edouard picked up a book for me of Oscar Wilde while in Ireland. It is called The Picture of Dorian Gray. I just started it on Monday night at bedtime and I am obsessed. I nearly done with the novel, I just can't put it down. I even read it in class today when we were supposed to be reading Nerval - oh well. I know it's a super famous book so please if you know the end, don't tell me!!

I have been trying to enjoy my time with friends before the break. I will be coming home for a couple weeks which I am extremely looking forward to. However, I am so sad to see my friends who only signed up for the semester leave. We might scrape up all our euro coins and treat ourselves to dinner the last week they are here.

It has been so cold here! I'm dying, really. It was really foggy last week and it was so miserable. I want to just bundle up like in a snow suit or something, but french people would never have that. They, of course, are more fashionable than ever even when it comes to freezing temperatures. There is a store here dedicated to tights, leggings, and hosiery of the sort, and it is my Achilles' heel! I can't walk past it, nor can I go in and leave empty-handed. I often think "lunch or Calzedonia?" Yes, it's that bad.

Maxime's Surprise Party
We had a surprise party for little Maxime this weekend at his bff's house, Megan. It was so fun. Everyone brought something so there was dinner and drinks. Lauren and I were in charge of the cake. That was interesting since they don't have frosting here and and couldn't find powdered sugar at the store we went to. Everything worked out in the end.

Updates
I am staying with Joana until the end of the year so I thought I would post some pics of what my lived-in room looks like 3 months in.

I have been enjoying all my birthday gifts :) I used the money I got from my parents and grandparents while in London. I have so many new fun things to use in the morning like perfumes, nail polish, bath and body stuff. I've been quite spoiled.

I've become the victim of bad music. The current playlist on my ipod includes: Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and the Twilight Soundtrack. Help me.

Random Questions:
Why do French people in general love to talk about American stereotypes?
How do French girls eat a plate of fries every day and still remain thin?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: Also known as another random jeudi.

After a long day of class we (Todd, Bryan, Marina, Lauren and I) headed over to Lauren's place to get ready for dinner. We were so excited. We chattered over wine as to what we were going to eat and how much.

(Thanks Aunt EJ for the cameraaa!)

We (the UC students) were lucky to be invited to a Thanksgiving dinner put on by two clubs in Bordeaux named Bordeaux-USA and France-Etats-Unis. The cost of the dinner was luckily already included in the fees we paid when we first arrived in Bordeaux. (If we would have had to pay, me and mes amis would be celebrating over at cheapy mezzo pasta because the dinner was around 20 euros.) We were all so excited about the American-style dinner. We wished all of our foreign friends a happy Thanksgiving and we were met with confused looks, but we didn't care. I was not going to let french culture get in the way of my favorite holiday.

We arrived at 7pm and had an apéritif (finger food and an alcoholic beverage) around 8pm. This, obviously, wasn't very American and we were all on the verge of eating our arms off by the time the salad showed up around 8:30pm. The salad was a typical french style with that purple cabbage stuff, carrots and cucumbers. Then we received some baguettes in dinner roll shapes. Do you see where this is headed?

Just kidding, really, we got turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and green beans. It was really nice; sort of bittersweet since I knew at home there would be some of my grandma's bomb-ass cooking. However, I was really thankful to be with my friends - my home away from home. We talked, drank lots of wine, ate some more. Then they came back around with wine and salad, and I remembered how much we were in France! We finished with this hazelnut pumpkin pie, kinda bizarre, but they really tried. It was really nice.

We talked with Nicole (one of our program directors) and explained to her our thanksgiving day rituals, which she found bizarre and interesting. Then we spoke with Joel our American consul (who just happens to be a UCD alum!) about being away from home and all the havoc going on at our home university.

We left around 11pm adequately filled with alcohol and food.

London

Thursday - Birthday 

I seriously had an amazing birthday. Here are the pictures to prove it.

Friday

I woke up Friday morning, packed my stuff and headed to the bus stop. We arrived at the Bordeaux airport for the first time and it was small but nice. There was a little "vineyard" lining the entrance. We switched our money to pounds and felt so cultured carrying 3 types of money.

Opening my birthday gift from Lauren (a wrap watch from texto that I've been eyeing for the longest time)

While walking to our terminal, which was more like a hangar, we ran into this bizarre guy. He was wearing a leather tasseled jacket, no shirt, spandex leggings with a neon green stripe, 70s running shoes, a side pony tail AND a fanny pack. And you would never guess his nationality: American. Yeah our country produces some winners. I couldn't even hear what Todd and him were talking about because I was laughing so hard.

And I sort of insisted on snapping a quick photo. Maybe we should start a new website like thepeopleofairports .com ... think about it

Our plane ride was about an hour. We took the bus into the city and I thought we were going to die. Our bus driver was insane, not to mention I kept thinking he needed to get on the other side of the road. We stopped to get some dinner; Marina, bryan and I had hamburgers while Todd and Lauren had fish and chips for dinner.

We walked the 30 minutes to our hostel that no English person said was walkable. Our hostel was really sweet and our room was for 6 so we had a German roommate. He came to London just to go shopping! He said they make the best leather shoes.

 Little quotes around our hostel.

Bunk beds and Entrance.

We dropped our bags and left for the biggest gay club in London fittingly named G-A-Y. It took us a good hour and a half to walk there, but we couldn't really afford the underground. On the way we stopped at Harrod's which was closed but there christmas lights and displays were up. It was beautiful. Everything was covered in Swarovski crystals. We walked to each display and reenacted some of them.

 Acting out the displays - yeah, we're some classy-ass Americans.

 Piccadilly Square at Night.

 The London Eye and Thames River at night.

Half way there, I sat on a bench and declared we should give up and just go to a pub. In the end I made it. We walked a bridge and took pictures of the city before heading back to the street of the gay bar. We were able to get in free with vouchers we found online before we left France. There were several dance floors and bars. It was a blast. We finally got back to the hostel after walking, dancing and walking again for hours. When my alarm went off at 730 to get up, we had a difficult time.

Saturday

We were staying in a neighborhood à la classe by Hyde Park, the biggest royal park in London. We strolled the park in the morning then headed to piccadilly circus. On the way we had an English breakfast. Mine was a slightly altered vegetarian breakfast including: eggs, hash browns, fried tomato, mushroom, beans, breakfast sausage and toast with butter and jam. I cleaned my plate, and it was the subject of conversation all day.

Piccadilly, The London version of times square, was bustling with people and filled with all kinds of languages. We hopped a double decker bus that let us tour the city. We saw so much stuff including: Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge.

Then was stopped to get a drink at one of the oldest pubs in London called Albert. It was cozy but at the same time kinda fancy.

We walked back to Harrod's and got food to go there. Everyone's food was amazing. We finished the night window shopping and enjoying some Starbucks, a rarity in France as none exist in Bordeaux.

On the way home we were admiring all these Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls. After taking some pictures we were walking home and while crossing the street, I was nearly hit by a Rolls Royce. This city was just too classy for us peasants - American peasants at that, the lowest of the 1st world peasant hierarchy.

Sunday

Was woke up before the crack of dawn and walked to the bus stop. We were all talking about how amazing McDonalds would be while walking to our bus at 6 this morning. Miraculously there was a Mickey D's across the street. We spoiled ourselves with breakfast sandwiches and hash browns. Once again: it's the little things people.

We hopped the bus to the airport. I wasn't in the slightest bit ready to leave London, although I can't believe I'm saying this, but I couldn't wait to get back to the euro. The British pound was killing me.

Random questions:

Why is McDonald's nicer in every country other than it's own?

Why would someone pay 9,000 pounds per night at a hotel? Other than the standard Bentley and chauffeur, does it come with a selection of high class prostitutes?

Why don't we have beans at breakfast in the US?

Back to the daily grind.