de Cuisson en France

For some strange reason I have had a serious urge to bake for the last week. Maybe becuase I overdosed on Red Velvet cake when I was home and I am going through withdrawls... I really have no idea, especially because I am NOT a baker. Not even a little bit. I love cooking always have , but that is mostly becuase when cooking there is the freedom to mix and match and sprinkle a little of this and a little of that. Baking on the other hand is precise and scary and revolves a bit too much around Math for my liking. Anyone who knows me, knows that Math and I DO NOT MIX - we are sort of like oil and water (funny enough those are also two things commonly found in baking recipes, I am sooooooooo hysterical sometimes I can't even stand it). Back to the baking... after finding an amazing osunding recipe for Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies I was ready and determined to make this happen. It has been quite the process. First I realised I didn't even have a pan to bake in - quick trip to Monoprix to find something that would work. Then after searching around for all of the ingredients, I came to the next realisation which put a huge damper on this whole potential project - I have NO IDEA what on earth the ingredients are translated into French. Seriously I was ok when it came to flour (farine), butter (beurre) and eggs (oeuf), heck I can even find a large egg (gros oeuf) but then came the difficult things... for example Baking Powder - I had no idea where to even start... so I stood in front of the baking aisle in Monoprox after work one evening and pulled up my trusty buddy - Google Translate on my even more trusted buddy, my iPhone, and started searching away. The worst part was once I found something that could have been it I couldn't remember if i needed baking soda or baking powder and what on earth the difference was in general, after my 25 minuites of translating then realising I still had no clue which one I needed, I began wishing for Mommy. So "why not just buy both" I thought... then came the search for baking cocoa - this is when I really started wishing for my Ma. Does baking coca have sugar or not and why on earth are there so many choices?!?!?! After making my best judgement about what resembled that box of Hershey's baking coca powder stuff, the biggest road block came into play - red food coloring, pretty much impossible to find in this lovely country and a serious neccesity for Red Velvet anything... at this point, after spending aover an hour and a half in Monoprix, my patience were gone, I was starving and I wasn't even halfway through the ingredient list. I won't lie - I plopped my basket of random selections that resembled baking goods down in the baking aisle and marched myself home, picked up some yummy China chow at the place across the street from ma maison, cracked open a bottle of wine and re-evaluated my mission to make a tasty treat. After some research I think I discovered what most of the baking supplies were that I needed when the next problem came into play. The measurement system in France is 100% absolutley not the same as the one in the US - meaning that my recipe now required some serious conversion... I don't know if you have ever tried to convert cups of flour into grams (especially when you aren't a mathematician) but as mentioned before baking is a science somehting that needs to be handled with care - or else you could end up with an explosion in your oven, hockey puck type treats or even worse a gooey mess in a pan that never turns into anything... needless to say, I have been working on this potential project for a week now and nothing delicious has come out of it. I have researched, purchsed the correct baking supplies and even found a recipe that sounds tasty and is in French (ingredients and measurments - now we just have to hope my French reading level is as good as I assume it is)!! Now the mission is to get my butt back to the store, buy all of the supplies I need and make it happen. Who knows, maybe baking will become my new past time and I can be the next Betty Crocker - if that happens I think I will bring awesome aprons into style...

McNuggets ....

So I have an addiction to Chicken Nuggets. I always have for as long as I can remember. It is not something crazy and out of control that will cause me to seize up and have cold sweats and night terrors if I don't eat them on a regular basis -  but that is because I know I am an addict and I know how to manage it. Everything in moderation... well except the occasional drink, shopping spree or the pairs of shoes that I own - but those are all topics for another day and another time... Anyhoooooo ... my bestie has shared a few pretty funny and slighlty disturbing US headlines about nuggets in the last couple of weeks. I mean who knew that nuggets were such headline makers but apparently they are. These posts and the sharing of stories have been the jumping off point for many debates and conversations about fast food, and especially, fast food in the US vs. Fast food here in France.  Deciding I needed to stick up for my addiction and the occasional trip to MacDo (as it is called here) I did some research. Funny enough this article was just published on NPR: Why McDonald's in France Doesn't Feel Like Fast Food .

Take a glance and let me know what you think... for all you Frenchies - is it really better here? I will through my vote out there and say ABSO-EFFING-LUTELY!!! But that won't stop me from the occasional indulgence when I am back in the states....

Why McDonald's In France Doesn't Feel Like Fast Food

January 24, 2012

by Eleanor Beardsley

 
Greetings from McDonald's, or "MacDo," as they call it here in Paris, where I am comfortably ensconced in a McCafé enjoying a croissant and a grand crème coffee. I'm surrounded by people of all ages who are talking with friends, reading, or typing away on their laptops like me.The beauty of McDonald's in France is that it doesn't feel like a fast food joint, where hordes of people shuffle in and out and tables turn at a fast clip. McDonalds is the world's largest food chain. It operates in 123 countries around the world, and just this week the company said it plans to open another 1,300 restaurants in 2012.

Naturally, the U.S. is its no. 1 market, but guess who is no. 2? You got it: France. A paper out this month by three graduates of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business says McDonald's is such a success in the land of Michelin three-star restaurants because it has adapted to French eating habits and tastes. There are now 1,200 franchises in France; the company opened 30 restaurants per year in the past five years alone.

Even in these harried times, the French spend more than two hours a day at the table. Sitting down to a meal is a cornerstone of French culture, and McDonald's seems to get that. French McDonald's are spacious, tastefully decorated restaurants that encourage people to take their time while eating. And the cozy McCafe's with their plush chairs and sofas have become an extension to many restaurants.

I remember there used to be a few Burger Kings in Paris, but McDonald's closest competitor went belly up years ago. The Wharton study says it's because they tried to transplant the total American dining experience to France, without taking into consideration French preferences.

McDonald's, meanwhile, offers all kinds of Frenchified dishes, from the Alpine burger with three different kinds of cheese to tasty little gallette des rois, or King's Cakes, popular after Christmas and sold by all the bakeries. Last year, it introduced the McBaguette.

Another reason McDonald's works so well here is that the food is locally sourced and very high quality. As we all know, France is the land of haute cuisine. But it's also the land of good cuisine. The French appreciate quality in any category, even fast food. Restaurateurs in France know they'll go bust if they offer substandard products. I've had friends from India tell me that the Indian restaurants in Paris are among the world's best.

And if you like good meat (who doesn't?!), then McDonald's France is clearly superior. In the U.S., McDonald's says its cattle are mostly corn-fed. While the company doesn't address on its site whether growth hormones and growth-promoting antibiotics are added to the animal feed consumed by the animals it buys, it's a reasonable assumption that they are.

French cattle are all grass fed, which many argue makes them tastier. Growth hormones are illegal here and each animal has a passport showing where it was born, raised, and slaughtered, according to McDonald's France. That's called traceability, and we don't yet have such a national system in place.

As for chicken nugget lovers, French chickens, unlike some of their American counterparts, are not rinsed in chlorine to disinfect them. The regular use of chlorine in the U.S. chicken industry is why poulet americain has long been interdit in the European Union.

Of course you can still find French people who dislike McDonald's because it represents American hegemony in a globalized world and the homogenization of food and culture. French anti-globalization activist Jose Bove actually served prison time a couple years back for sacking a McDonald's restaurant in southern France. For a friend of mine who lives in Burgundy — pretty much the French heartland — MacDo is the symbol of malbouffe, or bad food and bad eating — a major slur here. He says he'd never take his two young sons to eat chez Ronald.

But this McDonald's in Paris' 15th arrondissement is brimming with parents who've brought their kids in for lunch. There's a good dose of teenagers too. Like teenyboppers back home, French adolescents, or ados, love to hang out at MacDo — they just gather in the café instead of the parking lot.

Ooey, gooey and definitely low fat (HA)

After a little more thinking (and a little drooling) I decided that the "Boite Chaude" I had for dinner the other evening deserved a little more mention then number 12 in the top 12 things I have done so far in 2012 (that was a lot of 12's - and there goes another). I mentioned in my previous post that this yummy and ooey gooey cheese dish is a typical winter meal (at least I think I mentioned that) that you eat with charcuterie and a very specific type of saucisse that comes from the same region as this cheese and boiled potatoes. Intersting fact: You do not peel these potatoes until they are cooked and you are seated at the table. Apparently there are very specific ways to eat specific potatoes in France but I feel as though that is another conversation for another time. I mean we are talking cheese here - potatoes are just a detail!!

Before the wine and garlic are added. Apparently the small box is a bit "lighter" in taste than the larger box.

Scoop out a few sections of cheese, inserct cloves of garlic and cover with Jura Vin (a very strong, whiskey smelling wine) that also comes from this region of France. Side note on the wine - I love wine and I love whiskey but this strange combo of the two is a bit intense. It tastes unreal in the cheese but on its own in a glass - ummm jury is still out on this one as far as I am concerned.

Saucisse de Morteau

Bubbly, ooey and gooey - seriously it is beyond addicting.

Notice the sides of green on the table .. you have to balance out all that cheese with a few veggies

And well broccoli and cheese is an unbeatable combo

This photo obviously has nothing to do with hot cheese in a wooden box. But for dessert we surprised Eric with a custom made birthday cake (see below). Eric is the happy and proud owner/photographer/writer/editor and brains behind Paris Daily Photo. One of my favorite blogs and a great way to see things in Paris you may never pick up on just walking the streets.

 

The nice plastic man on the cake is Eric taking a photo of the grand Tour Eifel, if you look closely at the computer you can see it is screen shots of PDP!! Quite creative and incredibly thoughtful :) 

Get it on ...

FYI - This video is a bit "racy" if you will, so if you are against balloon animal intimacy then you may not want to click the play button... but seriously it's pretty funny so think long and hard before deciding to skip it!!

I mentioned a few weeks ago some crazy European news stories that I have stumbled across, I also made mention of the (almost always) more sexual film titles that the movies here in France have BUT this morning a friend shared this commercial for Durex condoms that seriously made my Monday morning.

** For those of you who are unaware - I broke up with Monday today and I am considering protesting it for the rest of my life. Monday is never any good to me unless it's a paid day off, a vacation Monday or basically unless I am getting some benefit- talk about a healthy relationship, all take and no give :)

So this little clip really made my morning. I am almost 100% positive that this would never make the airwaves in the US, maybe it can be found on YouTube, but a little bit of kidding around like this may help promote the use of condoms and safe sex, or at least inspire some giggles from the audience!! Happy Monday all!!

A Haircut and then some... seriously...

I am almost 100% positive that I have mentioned having my hair cut here in Paris before by the one and only Crazy Japanese Hair Lady - Fukiko... and let me tell you what, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop sharing my hair adventures because they just keep getting better.  

I was introduced to Chez Fukiko a little more than a year ago by the one and only PIC and I am not sure that I have ever been happier about anything (ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration but seriously every time I go in there it is such an adventure I laugh for days every time I brush my hair after seeing her...) This last visit (yesterday) did not disappoint.  It was time for a trim and a bit of a refreshed look and so going to see Fukiko was the only rational solution. It may not look like the most exquisite salon and I am sure there are plenty of designer places where I could have my hair cut with golden scissors and be served champagne and macaroons, but nothing beats the fresh tea and coconut cookie you get while waiting to be beautified ( I think I may have just invented that word)!! Yesterday as the PIC, the two nuggets and myself entered the salon we were greeted with hugs, kisses and laughs - as she kindly reminded me it had been much too long since I had been in to visit.  After being washed and conditioned I made my way over to the cutting chair, where next to me a sweet family was also being beautified ( I am really liking this word). The family started talking to us as if they had known us for years, they became especially active in the conversation when Fukiko decided she needed to play match maker for me. **Sidenote, every time you have your hair done at the salon, Fukiko insists on taking a photo to hang up on the walls to help decorate. She insisted that PIC and I search through her boxes of photos, looking for pictures of ourselves and some young American gentleman that she thinks is my future husband. Now searching through photos for a person you have never met before if nothing but interesting and well impossible!!** With my Franglish in full force we traded stories about what had been going on since I had last been in there and she tried to sell her other young American client to me. Luckily for my hair this conversation took place while I was getting my hand massage (another fine service that you don't find everywhere) because I was laughing so hard, I am sure that if she was cutting while this was happening my blond locks would be a tad bit crooked!! Once we finally got back on topic (my hair), I really ventured out on a limb and described what my expectations were for my new cut (in French) hoping that all of hours of lessons I have had paid off ... Luckily for me (and my French teacher) I think things turned out ok and it may have been two of the most hysterical hours I have had in awhile. You see not only does Fukiko cut hair and entertain with singing, matchmaking, and photo browsing she also gives up one hell of a massage once you are finished ... she starts this massage off by aiming two hairdryers at your back to relax you with the warm current of air and proceeds to take over. This massage comes complete with a head massage, temple rubbing, spine straightening and breathing exercises (these look slightly inappropriate - see exhibit below)! She then completes the experience with a photo and carefully selected fruit bon bons as you exit. I don't care who you are or where you come from, this is one of the most eccentric hair experiences you will ever have and if I do say so myself - the haircut came out quite nice as well :)

Check out her fantastic hair rollers, I wish I had a photo of her hair Au Natural - It is UNREAL!!

The breathing exercises I mentioned earlier, I swear I could not stop laughing!!

Showing off the new do with my <3 Nova:

A few inches shorter, some bangs to play with and I think we are good to go...
Just the update/change I was craving!!

New Releases ....

Walking in the Metro this morning I noticed a film poster for a movie I had seen many previews for while I was visiting the states a few weeks ago – in English the film is titled “What’s Your Number” but in French they have changed the name of the movie to “Sex List” … very logical translation right? No not really, unless you want to give them credit for getting right to the point of the movie. FYI: The movie is about a single girl who decides to get back in touch with all the people she's ever dated in the hopes that "the one" is someone she's already met and dated. This obviously means someone that she has already had sex with… well at least if you are French that is what it means!! Anyway this got me thinking to other movies that have been released while I have been here or older movies I have watched where the title has been translated, actually translated isn’t even the right way to put it because most of the time they just change the title to have the word sex in it somewhere, I have noticed a lot of the titles have been changed but are still in English… I am not sure the exact reasoning behind this but I wonder if it helps the movie sales?! Here are a few other titles that I have stumbled upon with new French titles…

The Other Guys: Very Bad Cops (this one I understand because they really were very bad cops…)

Get Him to the Greek: American Trip

No Strings Attached: Sex Friends

Step up: Sexy Dance (Ok.. it does include a lot of sexy dancing… not that I have ever seen it…)

Eurotrip : Sex Trip

Cruel Intentions : Sex Intentions

Wild Things : Sex Crimes

Never Been Kissed: College Attitude

The other big difference I have found here in the way they promote movies here – the posters are much more risqué – most of the time the title and the image are a bit more than what we would see back home in the US… take a looksi!! 

Men ... French vs. American

Since I have arrived in France this topic has come up at least once (or twice or even three times) a week. Sometimes because I am surrounded by French and American friends, so it is an easy thing to debate, sometimes because I am trying to over analyse what a text or gesture actually meant, sometimes it is just simply because well French men have an incredible presence that I find rather intriguing. Now that I am exploring this world a a bit more, I find that there is always a question of culture, what to expect, what is considered normal here and what is simply American ... because let me tell you what, dating here is a whollllllllllle new ballgame baby. A few weeks ago during a rather intense conversation  my good buddy and I were discussing a recent encounter I had with a gentleman...  which of course lead to the always present question of who is better - French or American guys. Although I can not give a 100% answer currently, the jury is still out on this one. We did a little search to try and figure out why the French man is so irresistible this is what we found....

Why are French men so irresistible???

Don't be scared - click it and take a peek...

A few highlights for those of you that don't have time to read at this very moment:

•  A Parisian has no competitors for fashion sense. Ordinarily you would never buy an orange scarf for your boyfriend, until you see a Parisian walking along the Champs Elysees with an orange silk scarf complementing his "decontracte" style. (I never thought I would double take a man in a scarf and tight jeans, I am continually proven very, very wrong ...)
• It does not matter what a French man tells you, if he says it in French you will be at his feet. Their accent, pronunciation and who knows what else are so irresistible (Ding, ding, ding ... we have a winner)
• Attitude, French guys look straight into your eyes when they are talking to you. (At first this is almost intimidating unless you are talking to someone with gorgeous eyes)
• With French men you can talk about anything you talk with your girlfriends. ( Yup - it's true, anything and everything, periods, sex, clothes, shopping, you name it they can chat about it)
• A French man actually appreciates your selection of toiletries. They can even recognize your perfume by name. (This is for sure a true story...)
• French men are still gentlemen (mmmmhhhhmmmmm, I'm talking opening doors, giving you the jacket, and carrying your purse)
• Their life does not revolve around football matches.  - Ok this is the only thing I MUST dispute, even though I don't have much to go on from what I have seen, this quality is built - in trait, no matter where you are ...

Joyeux anniversaire a moi!!

J'ai habité a Paris depuis dix mois!! C'est incroyable comment vite le temps passe.

Sometimes I think about it and it feels like it was just yesterday that I was standing at the gate in Boston crying as I waved goodbye (and got yelled at by the security agent for not paying attention), or waiting outside of the boulangerie until there was absolutely no one around so I could go in and buy my bread without peeing my pants from fear!! It is a little unreal how much change can come and how much progress can be made in just 10 short months. Although I came here for work and to experience some of life’s crazy ups and downs I promised myself before I left that I would speak French no matter how long it took. Even though some days I feel like I should be fluent in this silly language I know that I am getting just a bit closer everyday. My goal is to be able to carry on most conversations in French before May 15th. Why that day you ask ... just because ; )

In honor of these last ten months I have come up with 10 things I am very happy about right here -right now:

 1. The fact that my family and some of the very best friends a girl could ask for have supported me being gone and growing, especially through all my tearful calls home, my stories that probably make no sense because you have no idea where I was or who I was with, my drunk dials and my always present indecisiveness about when I will be home next. Being gone makes you realise who really will be there - bottom line. Thank you.


2. My fantastic group of friends that I have made here. These people have truly become my "French Family". They help me with everything from setting up my cable and internet,  to sharing recipes and little known restaurants, singing cheesy songs over coffee with me, inviting me to meet other people and see things I would never imagine finding if I was just exploring on my own and they always have stand up advise when it comes to being homesick, work and all the other little things that may come up... (including but not limited to shopping dilemas, Mr.Cocktail, interpreting textos and deciphering what they maybe serving at the cafe for lunch...)


3. Coffee. At first this incredibly strong black stuff just kept me up all night. Now I wake up craving it. Two in the morning (usually with some tasty little biscuit or cookie) and one after lunch. And if you throw in sitting outside on a gorgeous spring day you can't go wrong.


4. My Franglais. Yes that is my mix of French and Anglais. This is something I have been working very hard at - as mentioned above and there are days when I literally want to jump up and down and scream YIPPEEEEE when I understand entire conversations... you can't even imagine my enthusiasm when I actually speak in a complete and proper sentence. It's a beautiful thing.


5. My ever-growing dictionary of inappropriate French Words... This actually factors in from Number 4 - but now I will be able to go home and use all the bad words I want and no one will ever know. Sorry Ma but it's going to happen ;)


6. Pain au chocolat - enough said. Seriously how I have lived for 27 (oh snap almost 28) years without this buttery chocolate filled delight is beyond me.


7. Euro Disney - yes maybe this one sounds strange. But I had one of the best days of my life here when ma seur et son copaine were here visiting. My face honestly hurt from laughing at the end of that day. Between the rides, the princess crowns, the crazy people we saw and hearing Disney characters in French - I couldn't have asked for a better day with two more amazing people.


8. Vin Chaud - another one that maybe a bit odd but I have MANY happy memories attached to this cheerful little winter drink. Especially walking around the bitter cold land of Strausbourg with my parents, exploring Hambourg with a very dear friend and of course daring to battle the winter cold still sitting on a cafe's terrace (I live in Paris, I can't say no to a terrace). It makes for a happy little pick me up. This one can also just include all of the other delicious wine I have been lucky enough to experience here in Paris as well. Because let me be honest - I have tried a lot and I have liked a lot...


9. My boot collection - yeah yeah yeah - you were all just waiting for this one. My shoe/boot collection has "matured" quite nicely since my arrival in Paris and yes that makes me a very, very, very happy girl


10. Last but not least - knowing that I still have an incredible amount of experiences to look forward to, more friends to make, laughs to laugh, wine to drink, tasty treats to eat, French to speak without the Franglais, and relationships to build and grow in- with people both here and back home. I am incredibly excited about the last one in the list of many but then again I would be lying if I said I was not excited about the rest of the list ...

Jammin.

Woke up in a lovely mood today and when trying to figure out how to say it in French, a friend was instantly reminded (SIDENOTE:: and he is very often instantly reminded when someone says a word or phrase that just so happens to be in a popular song... take "hello ... is it me your looking for......" It's classic and one of the most hysterical things ever) of this little tune:

So not only was I informed how to say "Good, good mood this morning (bonne bonne humeur ce matin)" in French, but I was introduced to a little piece of French pop cultural and who doesn't love the awesome Batman shirts??!!!

Sunday in Paris

I have no idea why but I woke up this morning with this overwhelming feeling of "I cant believe I live in Paris!" Nothing significant or life changing happened in the last 48 hours to cause this revelation it just sort of set in and woke me up thinking. Maybe it was the exploration of a new area last night, filled with restaurants and jazz clubs, maybe it was the sun coming through my bedroom window this morning, or the sound of the pigeons fighting outside (the big one definitely won) but whatever it was it just reminded me how lucky I am to be HERE!  So to celebrate that this morning I am lounging on my window seat, with the windows opened, sun coming in, drinking my coffee and reading my new favorite book "Dirty French". I am sure you are wondering what exactly Dirty French is and I have to be honest it is exactly what it sounds like. The guide to every bad word, French pick-up line and insult you could ever possible need in this pretty little city. Who said studying French had to be serious????

Expat Expo

Confession - I love the Flag for Follow up option on our Lotus Notes email at work. Without this nifty little feature I think I would drown when it comes to answering important emails or remembering the emails I open when I am super busy but would LOVE to go back to. Now the other confession is that sometimes I use it to flag some very important maybe not so work related things... like the one I had set today. About 2 months ago I was forwarded a link to an Expat Expo that will be taking place in Paris during the first week of  February. Now two months ago this was definitely the last thing on my mind - exactly why the reminder feature is so useful - but today I was more than happy to see it pop up and did a little exploring. The expo will take place for three days in February and covers pretty much ANYTHING an expat here in Paris would want to know. You would think that after almost 7 months here (GULP - I just realised that by the time this rolls around it will be over 8 months since I arrived!!) I would know everything that I need to know but it simply does not work like that. If I had to break it down I would say I spent the first 3 months just trying to get adjusted to the fact that I live in Paris ( 1 month was spent just trying to sleep at night), the next three months I was finally comfortable enough to get started with my French lessons, actually go into a bakery when there were other people in line, start to go out with some friends, meet new people and even travel a little, that leads us to about a month ago when I realized that it is time to really get settled in because I am not going anywhere for awhile!! So after a little exploring on the website I think that this could be the perfect little kick in the right direction.

This little expo offers everything from:

• Conferences on Successful Integration (I am working on this one but I am sure they will tell me to speak more quietly in the Metro!)
• The Challenges faced When Learning French (This one really caught my eye and I am pretty sure I could actually lead this conference)
• Cooking Demonstration (Ok.. this is obvious... We all know I will be at this one, need volunteers for taste testing? YES please!)
• A Guide to your Style Profile (This one is about as obvious as the one above - shoes, bags, jackets, shopping in general, I am SOOOO there)
• How to Make the Most of Paris (This one just seems like it would be silly to not attend)

 Now that you have seen all that I am sure you agree it would be incredibly silly for me NOT to attend. If not for myself but for everyone that has been dealing with me and my French lessons, getting lost everywhere I go and enteratining me : )  Anyone want to join?????

Time is flying

I just realized almost an entire week has passed and I haven't updated a thing. I don't know if it is because I am getting older, am living in another country and am always on the go, or if I just never noticed it before but time is just flying by me. It is like they strapped the days on a TGV and then shot if off on a rocket ship. Seriously though - it has been almost 7 MONTHS since I arrived here in Paris and I look back and wonder, if those months went by so quickly are the rest of the months I have in front of me going to go even faster?? Eeeeek. I hope not because I am not ready for that at all. Or maybe time just feels especially fast over the last week since it has been so jam packed. Now that I think about it, it has been packed to the brim!! I gave my first speech - in front of people, not just at my reflection in the mirror, in French last week. Which was an incredible feeling, mostly because I was so nervous I hardly remember speaking and the rush after was almost exhausting. I co-hosted the first Alstom University AUtube Awards show, our very own, Oscar themed evening full of stars. Which I thought I would be just as nervous for but really actually had one of the best times ever on stage.  It helps my co-host is a pro at this kind of stuff ; ) AND I have been running around trying to get my life in order because in 6 days I am flying off back to the US, for my favorite holiday season (aside from my birthday and yes that is a holiday) to see my family and bestest friends ever. So maybe at least for tonight I will blame time taking off on all of the above mentioned.

Matelas Gonflable

I made my first French purchase on-line. Now this doesn't seem like a big deal BUT when everything on the website is in French and everything in the check-out is in French it is a bigger accomplishment then one would think. I will be having some visitors next week a little couple I like to call Ma and Pa - woohoo - and after thinking about how heavy carrying an air mattress over here via luggage and a plane, I decided to take matters into my own hands. After a little direction on where to look on-line (Thanks Michael!!) and a few conversions from centimeters to inches and using my notes from my cours de francais (ok.. maybe I used Google Translate once OR twice too, but there are just some words I have not yet been introduced to!!) I made the purchase. When I arrived home today there was a lovely box waiting for me in my flat. We Have Success.... so now the test will be to make sure it inflates and really can fit two people - or I guess I am giving up my bed next week ....

French Lesson (Leçon de français)

Had my first French lesson yesterday. Holy exhausting. I knew when I started this would be one of the most challenging parts of being here. It is also one of the parts I am most looking forward too. Being able to say I am bi-lingual or can at least sort of speak another language when I leave here will just be such an accomplishment for me. Not to mention how much easier it will make my day to day life for the time being!! This may seem dorky but I actually daydream about going to the outdoor market and asking for fresh fruit and vegetables or going to the butcher and getting one of those delectable smelling roasted chickens..... but until I can at least semi speak and semi understand those treats have to wait. Gives me something to look forward too though - have any of you noticed how much my life here revolves around food?? Ok just checking!! Back to French lessons. I will be meeting with  my teacher, one on one, twice a week, for three hours a week and then going forward maybe more if we can fit it in. I have about 150 hours worth of lessons to use this year, I plan on using as many of those hours as possible. So my first lesson went well, I think that is a good way to put it. I laughed a lot, mostly because in my head I sound very, very, very silly. It is unbelieveably awkward to say words in a completley unfamilar way. We covered the basics - numbers,where I live, my name, what languages I speak, how old I am - I actually told her the wrong age, said I am older than I really am, that is  how flustered I was. Hahahaha. Oh well. Once we covered my basics which we repeated back and forth MANY times she asked about my brothers and sisters and to describe where they live and where they work etc etc. What she didn't know is that I have six of them. Talk about a long and painfully tough exercise for me (probably her too). Let's put it this way by the time the first hour and a half was finished I needed a piece of chocolate, a glass of vin (wine - see I learned something) and a NAP. My brain honestly hurt.

I think the key to success here will be to stay motivated and practice. Which I think I can handle - so do me a favor and keep reminding me how badly I really want to learn this beautiful language.

Now I am sure you are dying for a sample:
Je m'appelle Heather
Je parle anglais
Je travaille chez Alstom Universite
Je suis une femme
Je suis (une- I think - the feminine/masculine stuff is a whole new story) coodiantrice evenements mondial
J' habitat en Paris dans le six-septieme
J'aime la pizza!!

Happy Translating : )