Things I will miss about Paris

The food
The street performers
The musicians on the Metro
The pitas
The pastries
The chocolate
My cute little host mother who never gets offended
The overcast days that mean I won't get sunburnt yet
The carrousels
Speaking French
The Louvre
The museums
Walking by the Seine
The little cars
The parks
The concerts
The shows
Being able to walk everywhere
The chateaux
The cathedrals
I think I could keep going a long time, so I'd better stop
Did I mention the food?

My adventure

This morning my roommate and I decided to take some of our luggage that we are leaving in Paris while we are taking a trip to our directors. Tomorrow we are bringing our stuff for the trip and we didn't want to have to drag two suitcases on the metro during rush hour. It all starts out well, but on the street that passes the parking lot to our apartment complex, I start to hear a weird sound. I checked my wheels, but I couldn't see anything. But the sound persists, and I know something is wrong, but we are already late. We cross the street and I turn to my roommate and ask, "Is something wrong with my wheel?" She replies "You don't have a wheel." Great. Fantastic. I turn back and found the wheel in the street before we crossed it. The wheel is flat on one side; well, that accounts for the weird sound. So the real question is what now? I decide to carry on because it will be easier than turning back and making a new plan. So I heave the suitcase over one shoulder and continue the walk to the train station.
Let me tell you a little about this suitcase. It is close to two feet by three feet and I have put all my books in it because I'm not planning on reading them in southern France. So it probably weighs between 50 and 60 lbs (yes, I am going to be overweight on my flight back to the states. That's what happens when you have a love affair with books). So the point I'm trying to make it, carrying my luggage the ten to fifteen minute walk to the train station is not the most fun thing I have done. Still, I manage to get it there, put a postcard in the mailbox, down the stairs, through the turn stile, and up the stairs to wait for the train. I turn back to see how my roommate is doing with her luggage. Well, she has managed it fairly well, except that at some point (through the turn stile?) she managed to bang her hand on something somewhat sharp and cut it open. It is bleeding quite well (she says it was gushing). Fortunately, I have a tissue, which she wraps around it and we continue on our way, riding the train, walking the moving sidewalk and escalators to the metro, up the stairs and to our directors house. Good news, she had a band-aid.
The adventure continues my friends!
I had thought possibly I would buy a new piece of luggage, however the shop that has luggage that I always admire is actually a wholesale shop. So, no new luggage (yet?), which means I get to transfer my luggage from my director's house at the end of the trip to my hotel room, then from the hotel room to the airport, then onto the car in Utah and then to my house. Fortunately after that, it is going to take a nice visit to the dump. And I think the airports have those nice little luggage transporter things. (don't ask me what that word is, my brain shut down after my final today)
Ah the joys of life!! Too bad I didn't get a picture with me hauling my luggage around!

Finals Week

Yes, we have them here too. I'm supposed to be studying right now, but I am thinking I am going to take a shower and go to bed. Staying up til midnight to watch conference and then getting up early the next two mornings does not make for getting enough sleep (yes, I did watch all the sessions. Two in French, and two only in English, one I did watch twice).
But I just was thinking that I haven't really updated my blog recently. I have at least four entries from things I have done that I have not posted and I'm trying to decide if you really want to see pics of a cemetery (Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Jim Morrison, Moliére, etc), more chateaux and the Comedie Français. I may not get to it, especially with all my studying and after Thursday, I will not post until after I return to the States, seeing that we will be traveling to Geneva and Marseilles. So if I don't get a chance to post again, I'll see you when I get home!!

Conference

I was watching the first session of the 178th Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the countenance of President Monson had so much energy. It struck me how much the Lord supports and blesses his prophets. President Hinckley was like that too, so much energy and enthusiasm for the gospel. The Lord gives strength and energy to those he calls. He does not let them falter. How grateful I am to have a living prophet on the earth

Disneyland Paris

Today we went to Disneyland, in Paris! Yeah! A few of us met up and went this morning. We were there early when the park opened and we left when it closed. Sadly this is not as exciting as it is in California because the park opens at ten and closes at seven. It was very strange to leave while it was still light outside. Very strange. But I think it is different in the summer. We tried to do everything in the park. Obviously we did not eat at every restaurant, nor did we shop in every store, or go to each of the kid playgrounds. We did not go to the arcades and we missed Pinocchio and the Winnie the Pooh show but we hit almost everything else. It is much smaller than California and the lines were at most twenty minutes long.
We did get on one ride that broke down before we even got inside, so we had to come back later.
We had a really good time. I even bought myself a souvenir. I didn't buy the pajamas I wanted because with the exchange rate, they would have been about fifty dollars. I could probably get the same pair in California and not have to pay the exchange rate!
You know, you just can't help but smile at Disneyland, I was in a good mood all day!

So, who's up for Disneyland this year?

Unpardonable Sin

I just ate at an American fast food joint in Paris.
What is the point of eating American when you are experiencing another country?

Well, for those of you who know me well, and know that I have a mild pizza addiction, it may not surprise you to find out that I finally gave in to my pizza craving and went to Pizza Hut. French pizza is not quite the same as American, and the bread sticks are a little different too, but it sure hit the spot!!

I love pizza!!

Little bit of everything

I think that I am really looking forward to coming home in three weeks. I keep checking my email, but no one writes. Including comments on my blog. I think I checked twice a day Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Today I finally had five messages. I checked them and they were ALL from companies I buy stuff from. Sad, sad day. I can't figure out if I am just impatient to talk to me friends (whose blogs I check regularly and am sad when they don't have new posts), or if my friends have finally gotten used to me being in France and can't find time to write to me. It's really not all that bad, my friend who just had a baby and her husband emailed me to tell me they had a baby, so that was exciting.
I have just over a week left in Paris and I am so worried that I won't get everything done that I want to! We are trying to pack it all in, but we definitely won't get to everything, but we have made a list of things that we must do (This does include going to Disneyland on Friday. How could I pass up Disneyland in Paris? Its like two fabulous things together). Then we spend the last week and a half in Southern France. And the beach. I have to remember to buy sunblock if I don't want to look like a lobster.
It is rather unnerving to have tests and papers and then have your teachers assure you that it is just so they can justify giving you a good grade. What does that really mean? I want A's in all my classes, but I know I don't catch everything I should. Especially in my Moliere class. Is she really going to give me an A, or will it be an A-? There is just no way to know your grade because it is unclear how we are doing in class!
I really didn't like going back to Daylight Savings Time. Now I'm back to being farther away time wise from friends and family, and its harder to call them. Or get emails at a decent hour.
It's getting warm here. Today I didn't need my coat at all. It was quite nice, except that I had to pack my coat around everywhere.
I am really sad that I feel like I am finally getting a handle on the language and now it is time to leave! I am FINALLY! understanding what people are asking me and now is the time to wrap it up! I feel like I am just getting started!
My luggage is going to be too heavy. I am going to have to pay for an extra 20 lbs. I bought too many books. Do I have a mild addiction to the written word? No, not me . . .
For the first time in my life I am trying to decide if I should watch all of General Conference. I plan on watching the sessions that are broadcast at a decent hour, but the afternoon sessions here are at night, and I'm trying to decide if I should stay up, past my bedtime, to watch them, or if I should take the time after the first session to see more things in Paris and then get a good night sleep. I'll probably end up watching it, if I know myself at all.
Ok, I think I am more than a little tired because the filter on my brain is completely shot and everything I am thinking is coming out on this blog.
Not to mention that every day, my legs hurt. Do I really walk that much? Maybe. But I am looking forward to taking a break and a long, hot bath.
Umm, yeah. Should probably get off the computer now.