26 December 2008

Sick...

I don't typically get sick that often, at least over the past 4 years while I was at Biola. However, since coming to France, I have already been sick more times that I was all those four years combined. I am not sure if it is the weather changes, the fact that i live in the basement, being around kids 24/7, or what, but it is NOT fun. I feel like I get a few days rest before my next illness hits me. It's not anything major, I mean, I just have a cold, or a sore throat, or something like that. It's just annoying, more than anything. The most recent one was the worst. My host family left on Sunday for Egypt. I was sitting in church when I started coughing. nothing major. well, i woke up the next morning with a fever and everything fun that comes with that. I drugged myself with quite a bit of tylenol, cough syrup, cold medecine, basically anything i could find. it stuck with me for 2 days like that before my mom told me I should just go to the doctor.

National Healthcare...
France has national healthcare. It has been quite the journey for me getting all my temporary residency set up and I still haven't finished. I am at the point where I am just waiting for my carte de sejour and my carte vitale to arrive. I have done all the steps on my part (i think). I have been dreading having to go to the doctor because of this. I didnt know if I was going to be charged an outrageous amount of money, or what. I was hoping not to have to find out. Well, the time came and I just had to suck it up and go to the doctor. My experience was NOTHING like going to a doctor in the states.

First of all, when I called to make an appointment, they just asked if i could be there in a half hour. They didn't take my name, they didn't ask what my symptoms were, nothing. When I showed up, there was no reception desk. I didn't have to sign in, or even let anyone know I was there. I just went straight into the waiting room that had about 3 other people in it. Every few minutes (like 15) the doctor would come into the waiting room to take the next person. You just had to know what order you got there in. It was so strange. So it came to my turn and I followed the doctor into his office. He had no nurse or anything. He was running the whole office. He was even answering the phones. He asked me my name and then what was wrong. I never had to fill out paperwork (amazing!), I never had to give him my address or any sort of identification. He did obviously ask the questions about allergies or major health problems. He was extremely patient and kind with me, which is definitely different than what I feel in the states. He was willing to listen to my questions and answer them with sincerity. It was wonderful. At the end, he asked if I had my carte vitale and I told him the story of how I am waiting for it in the mail. He charged me 22 euros and sent me on my way with a paper to take to the pharmacist. It was a great experience. The only difference when I get my carte vitale is that I will be able to get another piece of paper from him that I can send in and get the money reimboursed into my bank. So that will be nice. I think I'm all for national healthcare. I haven't seen the downsides of it yet.

So anyways, I didn't have anything serious, just a viral infection of some sort. He gave me some different medicines and told me to take it easy. I feel much better since then and am ready to finally feel completly healthy. I was looking forward to relaxing in my house while the family was gone, but my getting sick kinda put a damper on that. Oh well...

I'm looking forward to the next week because everyone should start getting back from their Christmas breaks. Brandon is coming, my host family gets back, chandra will be here just after new years, and everyone else will be trickling in throughout the next week and a half or so. It will be nice to have everyone back, as it's been a little lonely here all by myself.

Hope everyone has a safe New Years, wherever you will be!

10 December 2008

December

I can't believe it is already December and I have been in France for nearly 4 months. Sometimes it feels like I just got here a few weeks ago, and sometimes it feels like I have been here an eternity. I am starting to feel more comfortable here and realizing that I'm here for awhile. My language has improved drastically and I feel that I can pretty much communicate whatever I need to. I can't say everything exactly as I would say it in English, but I can make it work. I have found a church that I really enjoy. I am hoping to get to know some people there and feel a part of it. I am making some good friends that are from all over the world. I am learning a lot about myself and my faith. I'm really happy to be here.

Christmas is just around the corner, yet it really doesn't seem like it. I rarely hear Christmas music when I'm out shopping or walking around. I have literally seen less than 10 houses with lights or decorations. The stores are not full out decorated and pushing sales onto customers. I have realized that maybe America makes Christmas into a bigger deal than most places. I guess it also feels weird because since my host family is going to Egypt and wont be here, they dont think it's necessary to have a tree. No decorations in the house, no tree, no piles of wrapping paper and tags. it's just different. it's kind of sad. The one thing that I have noticed that I love is the way the individual towns decorate their main streets. Each town puts up lights on all the lamp posts as well as lights going across the streets. It is really cute and quite festive. Also, the Champs Elysees is beautiful. The trees lining the road have pretty blue lights on them and it lights up all the way down. At the end opposite the Arc de Triomphe is a big lit up Ferris Wheel. Its really pretty and magical. Heres a few pictures.



Also, it did snow the other day for a little while. That was absolutely beautiful. It really was only for about 45 minutes, but i still enjoyed it. It started as Manon and I were arriving back to the house for lunch and I got to watch it all the while preparing lunch. I even took a picture, but I dont know if the snow will really show up. no it didnt, but oh well. you can imagine. :)The weather in general is so cold! It has been quite a change from what I have grown accustomed to. Granted, I did grow up in Arkansas and that was cold. But after living in Southern California for 4 years, I got used to warm weather and flip flops year round. I am not used to wearing so many layers at once. It is kind of fun though. My house is really cold though. I'm not so sure how heating works here. I dont think they really have central heat. Each room has a heater in it, but when you leave that room it is cold. My room is usually pretty warm because my heater is on all the time. But as for the rest of the house, it's really really really cold. We also have a very limited amount of hot water for each day, so I can't even take a long hot shower to warm up. It's a little frustrating. I have learned to make it work, but still it's tough.

Well, I have been sitting here trying to figure out what else to write. I am stumped, yet again. So i will just close with a few fun facts:

  • Did you know that in France milk is sold non-refrigerated? You buy it in bulk (like bottled water) and it sits in your pantry until you need it. After that you put it in the fridge. But only one bottle at a time. The rest stays in the pantry. It kind of weirds me out.
  • Families who have 3 children get 30 % off of a lot of stuff. If you have 4 kids, it's 40%, and 5 it's 50%.
  • 35 hours is a normal work week. And typically, they are not allowed to work overtime. Thus, everything is always closed at the most inconvenient times. (ie, 2 hours for lunch every day!)
okay well thats all for now. Hope everyone has a merry christmas.

14 November 2008

Much Needed Roommate Time

*NOTE* i wrote this just after LaDonna left, but haven't been able to post it until now, so just deal with it! :)


So LaDonna just left a few hours ago to head to London to spend some time with her sister. Her time here flew by but each minute was enjoyed. We had such a good time together and I’m so thankful that she was able to come over and visit me. It was much needed. It was so nice to see a familiar face and someone who really knows me. It was wonderful. I was worried that the weather would be bad because when I checked it before she arrived it said it would rain the whole time. Well we were so lucky and had beautiful weather almost each day! It rained the first day and then was a little chilly and overcast the last. But really we had great weather and were able to do a lot because of that.

She arrived Saturday afternoon. I met her at the train station where she was arriving from Amsterdam. We took the metro back to my house and got settled there before going out to explore the city. She was pretty exhausted so we just hung out in Le Vesinet for awhile and rested at the house. We went out that night to eat dinner in Paris and do some walking. We sat at a little café for quite a while just chatting and having a sandwich. We walked around and saw a little bit of paris at night. As we were about to leave, my friend Sam called and said there were a few people getting together down the street from where we were. So we went and hung out with them for a little while before heading back to Le Vesinet.

This is us walking around Paris that first evening.


Sunday was cool. Each first Sunday of the month, most of the museums and other tourist attractions are free entry. Since LaDonna was here for that, we took advantage of it. We headed to Versailles in the morning and spent several hours there. It is so beautiful. I have been several times, but each time I enjoy it just as much if not more. I had never really walked through the gardens, so that is something we made sure to do. They are just massive. They had golf cart tours through the gardens but by that point we were exhausted and didn’t feel like waiting in line. So we grabbed some lunch and headed into Paris to hit up the Louvre. So, we aren’t the most artsy people and don’t have a whole lot of knowledge on the subject. However, we managed to see the famous stuff and read the little placards by some of them. We didn’t spend too long there because we were already pretty tired from walking a lot at Versailles. After leaving there we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe to take a picture and head home. We were exhausted!



This is us at Versailles, out back before strolling through the gardens



There was some strange art exhibition going on by Jeff Koons. They had all these really bizarre "balloon" creations placed throughout the castle. While it was neat, it also sort of took away from the sincerity of Versailles.


Out in front of the castle. You can sort of see another one of the bizarre balloon things in the background.


The massive golden gate!


Venus de Milo (i think) at the Louvre!

We had decided to do the Eiffel Tower on Monday, but had a few other things planned first. For some crazy reason we thought it would be interesting to visit the Sewers of Paris Museum… it wasn’t. It smelled so awful (duh, Joelle…way to think that one through) and was just disgusting. We were fine at first but halfway through we just started running because we couldn’t handle the smell. We got to the end and can you believe there was a gift shop???? We couldn’t even imagine what they would be selling, and we didn’t stay long enough to find out. We were just glad we didn’t work there. I can not imagine coming home from work each day smelling like that. Gross. Anyways, we left there and headed to have lunch before going to the tower. We sat at another lovely café and enjoyed our lunch on the sidewalk (terrace).


Oh the Eiffel tower!!!! Again, the reason I fell in love with Paris. I could go every day and still have the same love for it. The night before we were talking with Severine and she encouraged us to take the steps and not the elevator when we went up. She said it would be more memorable that way and the lines would be shorter. We took her advice. What a climb. When we got to the first level we walked all the way around and looked out over the city before heading up to the next level and the next level. The day was perfect for seeing all of Paris, as the sky was beautiful blue with no signs of rain. It was lovely and really cool to be up there. On the way down I really thought my legs were going to give out under me. They felt like jell-o. we were so tired when we got down and just sat for awhile.



our adventure at the Sewer Museum!


LaDonna's new friend. :) okay not really, but whatever. this was before it started smelling bad. it was just after this that we ran through the rest!

Our little sidewalk cafe where we had lunch before heading to the Eiffel Tower. it was so nice! The waiter set our tables in front of us and it was so cute!

LaDonna's excited face! this was when we were in line waiting to climb the tower!!!!

And here is my excited face!!!



On our way up. not sure what she is looking at, but whatever.

A map of the EU that they set up in the gardens outside the eiffel tower. it's cool cuz you can see it when you are up high. they were in the process of taking it down while we were ascending so thats why it's not complete.

First Floor! doing good...

We made it!!! Look at what a beautiful day it was! and the view! so pretty.


just a picture of paris from the top. i thought it was cool because there was a hot air balloon out there.


The line to get into the eiffel tower! there are 4 entrances and this is just the line for one of them. this line is to take the elevator up. it's cheaper and shorter lines if you just walk, which is what we did. so if you find yourself in paris, walk the eiffel tower and don't ride the elevator! it also makes the event more memorable. right LaDonna??? :)

okay, so i know I just said you should walk and not take the elevator, and now i'm putting up a picture of us after the walk! we were maybe a little exhausted!

she didn't move for awhile...

neither did i...

awwwwwwww!

Tuesday we went to Notre Dame and the Catacombs which were both really cool. At Notre Dame, we were able to walk right in and see a lot of cool stuff. I remember there being crazy lines when I have gone in the past. But it wasn’t bad at all. The catacombs had a pretty big line for some reason but it was okay. We met a lady who has been coming to Paris each October for the past 13 years. She said it’s like home to her. She always stays at the same hotel and knows everyone who works there. She prepares her own meals in the kitchen and is treated like family. It was pretty cute. She had never been to the catacombs and was pretty excited.


in front of Notre Dame

out back of Notre Dame. again, look how beautiful the weather was! We were blessed with amazing weather most of the time she was here!

yes, those are bones. and i think are faces are a perfect demonstration of our attitudes and thoughts. :)

more bones.

Wednesday was our day to do shopping. Ladonna wanted to get souvenirs for everyone and also some stuff for herself. We decided on a few different areas where we would go and set out! It was rainy and yucky this day so it was good we were already done with our sight seeing. We got some shopping done, went to a few cool chocolate shops, and bought some fun souvenirs. There was this tea room we had been trying to go to since the first day but it just never happened. We finally made it on Wednesday and it was soooo lovely. It’s right on the Champs Elysees and is 2 or 3 stories with windows overlooking the street. We were seated upstairs close to a window in an ornately decorated cozy dining room. It was full of small groups of women drinking tea and chatting. The people working there were so polite and were all dressed very professionally. It was absolutely lovely. We ordered our tea and were brought individual teapots with their own mixes of tea. They offered us dessert so we decided to splurge. Well I did anyways! LaDonna ordered a vanilla macaroon and I ordered whatever the lady at the table next to me had and when they came out we just laughed for like 10 minutes. Ladonna’s macaroon was the size of a silver dollar and my dessert was huge! It was hysterical. But anyways, we sat there for hours just chatting about life and drinking our tea. When the pot was empty, they filled it back up with hot water. It really was just the perfect afternoon.


I just want to point out a few things. the massive dessert in the front of the picture is mine. the itsy bitsy round thing in the very back of the picture is LaDonna's dessert. it was quite funnny. But you can also see our precious little teapots and cups. so quaint.

her little dessert. but look how cute the tearoom is too!

Her last day was Thursday and I had to work anyways. So she hung out with me while I worked and then I dropped her off at the train station just before dinner. I had such a wonderful time with her and was sad to see her go.



31 October 2008

Disneyland Paris


So as you know, i'm on holiday with the kids now. Manon and I got to go to Disneyland on Tuesday! It was just an idea and when I asked her if she wanted to go, she was really excited. I told her to ask her mom, and I figured she would say "no, it's too expensive" or something similar. 2 seconds later she tells me that her mom said it was okay! So after looking at the weather, I decided the best day to go would be on Tuesday (and now looking back at the week, it's the only day that it DIDN'T rain). So her mom gave us some money and sent us on our way. Disneyland is exactly opposite where we live on the train line. We just had to hop on and ride for about an hour and it put us out right at the entrance. I was glad for that because I really despise driving here. Anyways, since all of the paris schools vacation at the same time, you can imagine how many people there were. It was insanely crowded. But we had an amazing time. Since I have been to the park in California, I thought it would be interesting to see how it compared and what differences and similarities there were.



- The setup of the actual park was actually identical to that of the California disneyland. All the different "lands" (fantasyland, frontierland, adventureland, etc) are laid out exactly the same. Since I had an annual pass for a year to the park in Cali, I pretty much knew my way around and could get Manon and I to where we wanted to go without much difficulty.

- The restaurants and shops are all the same as well. Granted, the food is a little bit different, but basically the same. That was nice because I knew where to go to eat that wouldn't be outrageously expensive.

- The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was a favorite of mine when my friends and I used to go. The california one was just recently updated to resemble the new movies, but the paris one is exactly the same as the california one before it was redone. Manon didn't really like it because it was slow. She was all for the fast rides. There aren't a whole lot of those at Disneyland, but we still had fun.


- The Indiana Jones ride was my absolute favorite in California so we went to find it in Paris and let's just say it was different. the one in cali is a "ride" while the one in paris is a "roller coaster." However, manon was too short so we couldn't ride it. I was a little disappointed, but oh well.


- We rode Big Thunder Mountain first which is a wooden roller coaster. The wait line was 70 minutes! It was awful. But Manon said it was worth it afterwards. I was about to go crazy because we had these annoying people behind us who were standing entirely too close to us, like way closer than necessary, and I wanted to scream. I "gently" nudged them with my purse, but to no avail... oh well. I survived and didn't let it get to me.
This is us standing in line. I think it must have been early on. We both look pretty happy. :)


- We decided to get a fast pass for the Buzz Lightyear ride, which turned out to be really good because the line was 80 minutes when we decided to go (we only had to wait about 10 with our passes). That ride was probably my favorite. For those that don't know, you sit in a little space ship with one other person and you have a "laser gun" and you shoot the targets. It keeps track of your points on your spaceship and it's a competition with the person next to you. I won. I was pretty excited. :)
So you can't really see much in this picture, but you get the idea. maybe.

I think Manon's favorite ride was Autopia. It's basically a go kart ride except there is a metal track that keeps the car going the right way. Manon was a little nervous at first and being quite cautious. And I was just nervous. :) She was not the best driver.


Then she just got crazy and was having a blast (note- this picture was taken without her knowledge, so she wasn't posing. This is a real candid shot. I love the look on her face!)


By the end we were both having quite a lot of fun! She was still horrible, but it was funny and great.


This is just a picture of Manon after lunch. She got a halloween hat with her kids meal and she was pretty stoked about it. She couldn't wait to wear it on halloween (which is today, and she didn't...). But still, it's a really cute picture!



Here's me in front of the castle.


And here is me by the Pirates Ship:


It was a long day, but it was so fun. Manon loved it and hasn't stopped talking about it. In her words "c'etait SUPER!"

24 October 2008

Differences between French and American Schools

Today begins a two-week holiday for all the kids in Paris and surrounding areas. The schools here are very different than those in America. They go for 6 weeks and then have 2 weeks off and it repeats like that until summer. The reason they get so many breaks is because the time that they are in school is extremely difficult and time-consuming. They are worked hard and kept at school for long hours. My kids go at 8 in the morning and don’t get home until 5 or 6. Julien has to take tests on Saturdays because his teachers don’t want to waste “lesson time” during the week. The students are graded extremely difficult here and are often told that they will never make it. The teachers push the students a lot harder than I remember being pushed as a student. Most assignments are graded out of 20 and it is absolutely impossible to receive a 20. Even if there are no mistakes, it will likely only score a 17. Kids have hours of homework each night and on the weekends. I feel bad for the kids because it seems that they don’t have any sort of social life. I agree that it’s important to receive a good education, but I also think it’s important to have friends and to interact with them regularly outside of school. My kids here aren’t allowed to have friends over or go to a friends during the week. They can only see a friend on Saturdays. As for television, they are only allowed to watch the news during the week. They get home from school, have a snack, watch a very small amount of news and then stay in their rooms all night doing homework. They come down and eat dinner but I don’t see them after that until the next morning. And school doesn’t end when they get home. Julian has math professors and Spanish professors that come over to the house each week for more lessons and practice. I am an English tutor for some kids down the street. I go to their house each Wednesday and help them with their homework, give them vocab words, and work on their writing and speaking. Those kids have another language class on Saturdays that they have to go to as well. They really just don’t get a break. The assignments in English that I help them with are incredibly difficult for a second language. They aren’t just learning grammar and vocabulary. They are studying history, literature, science, and all the other subjects as well (in English!). I had to help a 12 year old write an essay on a Shakespeare play where the topic was asking “to what extent does a mid summer nights dream adhere to a comic play?” it was hard for me, and I can’t imagine what it was like for a 12 year old. In the USA we didn’t start reading Shakespeare until high school. I imagine it must be difficult for a non-native English speaker as the wording is very poetic and old English. There are many days where the kids come home and just cry because of a bad grade they received or just because of the stress of school. I really feel bad for them. Maybe it is just my American mindset, but I don’t know that I would want my children going to school in France. At least in the states, kids are praised for their effort, while here they are scolded if they mess up. I hate that American students don’t learn other languages sooner, but I think Europe may take it a bit too far. It does give me a new perspective on why many foreign people think that Americans are stupid or uneducated. It’s not that we are, it’s just that the standards are a lot higher in other countries.

But anyways, the 2 week break commences today and the kids are thrilled. That means that my classes are on holiday as well because Au-Pairs usually work full time if the kids aren’t in school. My friend Chandra’s host family is going on holiday to Saint-Tropez and she goes with them and looks after the kids the whole time. Most of my friends don’t get to go away, but just stay and watch the kids throughout the day which is what I get to do as well. It’s not too bad for me since I am caring for older children. The oldest two are actually going to see their cousins in England for the first week, so I will just have Manon for that time. We are going to try and do some fun things like go to the movies and go into paris. I don’t know what else we will do but we’ll think of something. Then the second week LaDonna, my roommate, will be here!!! I’m so excited. The family gave me a couple days off so I will get to spend some quality time with her. We are going to have fun. I’m sure I will post all about that with pictures later. So be looking for that.

Well, that is all for today. Thanks for all your input on my postings. I’ll try and use some of your ideas soon.

15 October 2008

any suggestions?

so i haven't posted in awhile because i really just don't know what to write about. can you guys please comment and let me know if there is something you would like to hear about? i'm lost as to what to say. i dont feel like anything exciting is going on, but maybe you guys have ideas or questions or something. so please please, let me know what you want me to write about. thanks guys!!!

01 October 2008

One of the reasons I came to Paris

I love the Eiffel Tower. I always have. I really haven't seen it much during my trip so far. I have climbed to the top on previous trips, but not this one. I have seen it sparkle at night on other trips, but not this one. I see it from a distance and get a little excited. Well the other night i finally got to get close to it. No i didn't go up into it, but I will. Currently, France is leading the EU which is why the tower is blue with stars on it. So these are just a couple pictures of my evening by the tower. It was lovely.




Me and Chandra underneath it.


It sparkles for 10 minutes each hour at night. so here it is sparkling and being blue. *sigh... i love it. i really really just love it. i couldn't stop staring at it the whole evening.

26 September 2008

A new school

sorry for not posting much lately. I haven't had internet at all. but anyways, this might be a long one so hopefully that will make up for all the days i have missed.


So I started my French school this week. I have class on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9-11 am. I am in a class with 14 other au pairs who are all at the same level of french as me. There are girls from all over. the majority are from Germany, one is from canada, another from the US, one is from Maldives, one from New Zealand, one from Sweden, and I don't remember the others. It's cool because since we are from all over the world, we really don't have a common language except french. Therefore, the entire class is conducted in french. its hard but so much better for me. Our teacher's name is Olga and she is probably in her early 30's. She seems fun and nice so far. So basically all we have done so far is just introduce ourselves, do a bunch of group activities, writing exercises, etc. we have covered some of the basic grammar things that we are supposed to already know. it was nice to have the little refresher because it has been quite awhile since i have really studied french. The girls in my class seem to be pretty nice. I have gotten to know one of the german girls pretty well because we take the same train to school. so when we discovered that we started sitting together and chatting. The school is about 10 minutes by train. I also found out that she has the same religious beliefs as me so that is pretty cool. This weekend we are going to go to a french church together. it should be fun.

as for school though, we have a little bit of homework each night and so far it's been kind of fun. The family I live with has been great at helping me. They all enjoy "teaching" me the stuff and correcting the stuff after i do it. it's fun.

Now that I have started school, I am finally in a regular schedule. I thought you guys might be interested to know what a normal day looks like for me.

7:30- wake up
8:15- walk with Manon (the 8 year old) to her school
8:30- walk to the train station where i wait for the train to take me to my school
9:00- in school until 11
11:00- get back on the train to go back to Le Vesinet
11:20- pick up some groceries or something at the store
11:40- Pick up Manon at school for lunch
12:00- make lunch for the 3 kids and myself
1:00- take manon back to school
1:30- some days i will take this time to get stuff done around the house, like ironing, cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc. other times i'll go to the library and use the internet. other times i go to another Family's house where I babysit their children. the latter is what i have been doing so far this week. It's nice because it gives me the opportunity to make some extra money.
4:15- leave to pick up Manon
4:30- on Tuesdays and Thursdays i have to drive to pick her up and then take her and a friend to their gymnastics lessons. on the other days, i just walk and we go back to the house.
5:00- help the kids with their homework, clean, do my homework, play with Manon, etc.
7:00- start making dinner
7:30- eat dinner
8:00- one or both of the parents arrive home and I am free for the rest of the night. Sometimes i will stay at home and do homework, play games on my computer, watch tv, watch a movie, etc. sometimes i'll go over to one of my friends houses and use their internet or just hang out. sometimes a few of us will go into paris for dessert or coffee or wine and just walk around the different areas. Then i go home and go to bed.

that is a typical day for me. nothing too exciting, but busy nonetheless.

well i suppose that is enough for now. if you have questions or want me to write about something in particular just leave me a comment or email me. i want this to be interesting for you guys. i'm not doing it for myself. so if you want to know something just ask.

16 September 2008

just a few pictures

Sorry I haven't been good at putting up pictures. Here is just a blog with pictures and descriptions. miss you all!!!

this is me and Molly (on the left) and Chandra (in the middle). They are two other americans that are living here as au-pairs. Molly is from Arizona and Chandra is from Missouri. This is us in front of the arc de triomphe



These people are some other friends. the one in sunglasses and the dark haired one are sisters from Italy. They are friends of Chandra because the dark haired one studied abroad in the states and lived with Chandra's family. She was their foreign exchange student. The girl between the italian sisters is Chandra's sister. She was over here as an au pair as well, but just left to go back to the states.



This is me and Caroline. She is my swedish friend. We went out for the evening with some other friends. She lives just 5 or 6 houses down from me.

This is La Defense, I think it's actually an office building or something. But it's pretty cool looking. I had seen it from a distance last time I was in France, but never up close. There is some really good shopping right around it. :)


Me in front of the Louis Vuitton store. :)


I found this pink vespa and just had to take a picture with it!!!
Well I guess that is enough for now. I'll post more later. Enjoy!!!


Oh, i start my french classes next week. so i'll tell you about those after they start.