St. Sulpice

Today I had planned to go to Notre Dame, and explore that area, but I wasn't feeling so energetic, to walk all the way there. I was already on my way, and was about to go back home cause I was feeling tired, but I decided to just go to St. Sulpice which was half way of my original planned walk, real close to the Jardin du Luxembourg, and the Alliance Fracaise. At the end of the day I ended up talking a loooong walk, but it was nice, because it is kind of long I am diving this in two post instead of having a very long and boring one.

Well I started at the church of St-Sulpice because I remeber it appears on the Da Vinci Code Movie. Once there I totally forgot to look, for the shots from the movie, I guess I will have to go back.

This church has many things to look at, it is very pretty. First right outside there is a fountain with four sides each looking to one of the cardinal points, I really liked the detailed work on the lions on the fountain.

Once inside, there are 3 mural by the famous painter Delacroix, I only identified 2:

Jacob fighting with the Angel

Heliodoro expelled from the temple

There also was this pretty chaire or pulpit on the side, and a statue of St. John the Baptiste

 A real nice stained glass windows, the little chapel to the virgin, and the organ on the top, and behind of the church (right on top of the entrance).

 I am not a catholic, therefore don't adore saints, but I have been very impressed, by all the images in the churches here, I mean they are very pretty and it must've taken very hard work to accomplish them.

They were offering what looked to be real nice brochures that explained everything about the church, and when I went and try to get them they costed 10 euros, so I obviously didn't buy it, but good thing I have all my nice pictures I took for free, hahaha.

Les Invalides

Friday since I had no class, I woke up late, and very calmly got ready to head out. I ususally like to stay in the house, and rest all day long, just watching some TV, movies, just doing nothing really at all, but just rest. Since I am in Paris, I am really going against my nature, and everyday day that I don't have class I am really going to try and go somewhere, I mean there are a lot of thing to see, that I have to try and see them. I am taking easy, going one thing at a time.

I decided, to go to the Hotel de Invalides, which was the first military hospital. It now has two museums, the Musee de l'Armee which is of military history, and tons of weapons, and the Musee des Plans-Reliefs, which has scale models of military buildings, and how this where made. I didn't go in the museums, since as before I will wait for someone to come see it with me, besides there where lots of tourist. To anyone out there thinking about coming to Paris, really you should avoid August, there are to many people to really be able to see any interesting place.

In there there is also the church St-Louis-des-Invalides which is the one for the soldiers in the hospital I went inside this one but forgot to take pictures, I will have to go back.

I leave you with some of the pics I took!!

Saturday morning I took a quick walking tour of the main Paris attractions and realized they are all really close among them. I kept thinking they where kind of far of where I live in the 15th district, but no so much. This makes will make it easier for me to really follow what I am trying to do to go somewhere diferrent every day!!

So many things to see, and this time, I do have the time to see them!

Montmartre

Yesterday since I had no french class I woke up with no rush, and with the help of my flatmate, I finally got a phone.

After that I got ready because I had a job interview in the 18eme. Eventhough I am not sure about this job, which if I end up taking I will tell you more about it. The apointment was very far away from my apt, and since I had to buy a bus ticket, I decided, to make my money's worth of the trip, and looked in the map, what was close by, and I realized in was in teh Montmatre area, which is where all the artist are, and Sacre Coeur is. With this in mind, I got ready, and even took my book, so I could follow the little walking tour suggestion.

It was in the afternoon, and it was pretty warm, and wow, it has been a long time since I saw so many tourist together in the same place. I had the best intentions to go inside Sacre Coeur, but after seeing all the people there, I decided, to just walk around, and go back and go in when some of my friends come visit, hoping at least half of the amount of people from yesterday is gone.

Even though one can get a bit tired walking this area of Paris, since you have to go up a lot (either by climbing stairs, or just walking some steep streets), it is really worthy. The views of the city are amazing, and even though I didn't go in, I took some pictures of Sacre Coeur, and is really pretty.

The area is really colorfull, there are a lot of art galleries, with some real nice painting, although some a bit pricy for what I can afford, but I hope I can take at least one when I return back home. It would be a very nice souvenir, which I hope I can buy later. Specially in the down season, when I hope prices might go down a bit. I also somehow found my way to the famous Moulin Rouge, but I have to go back at night so I can take better pictures!

I leave you with some pictures, hope you enjoy them!!!

  

One of my future houses, hahaha

A sun clock

The last wine vineyard inside Paris

Sacre Cour

A view of Paris from Sacre Cour

Moulin Rouge

Wall decoration at the Moulin Rouge

French Class #1

I got up this morning at 3 am, and no matter what I did, I couldn't go back to sleep. I stayed in the dark, I read my book, went back in the dark again, and nothing. So it is safe to say I was ready on time to go to my class. I got tho the Alliance earlier, to go pick up my ID card, as well as to be assigned a group, and buy the textbooks.

I got my thing and went to class, not even 15 minutes pass and I realize, this is "tres dificile" for me, so at the earliest chance I talk to the teacher about being changed. I went back to the reception, and they sent me to the testing classroom to talk to one of the teachers there. I got my class changed, and by the time I bought the books, the 2nd hour is gone. I finally made it to class, and as they go over the material I am thinking, "All right, this is much better, I already know all this", but at the end of the class the teacher tells me that they sent me to the wrong room. That this is to easy of a class for me. By the time I finally manage to go to my right room, everyone is gone, and I am left without being sure what to expect.

Will this be the right class for me? All the french I had learn is gone, and I know words, but I would rather go back and start with a good understanding and make the most of it, than stay in a class where I will only learn half or less of what is being taught.

Oh well I guess I will see how it goes tomorrow. I hope I can get a full night sleep tonight!

Checking Things Out

Well, after crying most of my evening, talking to my boyfriend, as I woke up, Sunday morning I decided not to saty in and cry, so I got up, and went to the Alliance Francaise. I figured it would be good to know how much time it took me to get there walking in order to get there tomorrow to start my french classes. So I did, and I got there, and as I was checking my pocket map (which the girl that rents me the room, so kindly let me use during me stay here), I realized the Jardin du Luxemburg is just 2 blocks away. So of course I went, and it is soo nice.

      

 

Since it was Sunday morning, it was full of people just reading, walking, exercising, just hanging out, having a good time. I had seen this garden in a TV show, but didn't realize how big, and pretty it is, until I got there. I sat in front of the lake (to me not exactly a lake, but that is how its called). and just chilled for a bit. It was quite nice to just sit down and look at the kids, play with their boats, and see people just relax.

While I was sitting down, I started looking that the Eiffel Tower was close by, so I got on my way, and went to take a look. It turns out is just about a 10 minute walk form my apt.

Time to go sleep, and be ready for classes tomorrow.

Paris!!

So the day finally came; when I travelled to Paris.
Luckily the seats in front of me where empty, so I could change seats; otherwise I don’t think I would’ve been able to make it. I was kind of surprised, since I didn’t really cry at all while traveling, don’t know yet, if it was because I still hadn’t fully realized the idea, or might be that I am growing up,(its probably the first one, but oh well) either way, it was good flight.
Once at the airport, it was so easy, I just follow the signs in English, and at the taxis, just showed the address, and that’s It, I think I hardly said a word and made it ok to where I will be living.

Here is a picture of me, just as I arrived to Paris. The girl that leased my the room, was really nice welcoming me, and so far looks pretty easy going. After the airplane I had the worst time most of the day because my ear kept feeling stuffed, and it hurt, but either way, I could resisted and went outside to walk a little, and to go see where my school is.

Even though I didn’t feel well, I was so excited to be physically at the school, but yet I still have a hard time believing I will be attending in less than a month. I mean, I think I never really thought it would be possible for me to be doing this, yet God is so good to me, that he gave me the chance to do this, and not wonder when I am old, what could’ve been.

After I came back from my walk, so in my desperation I went to the pharmacy hoping to get something for my ear, and here is where I really began my adventures with the French language. I read to always try to speak in French even though you know nothing, it said it will go a long way since people will appreciate the effort, so I did, and I trust it was funny. I go into the place, saying “Bonjour, excuze moi, je parle un peu francaise…mmm…adjourhui (or how ever it is spelled)….avion”, and then I pointed to my ear and made a face of pain. The guy looks at me, and says “Ohh yes, here, put 4 drops 3 times a day” in English, after he heard me try to put two words together, anyway he gave me the drops, and I came back to put them immediately, to my good luck they work!!

Anyway I am sooo excited, and so tired at the same time, since I didn’t really sleep at the airplane, and haven’t all day, hoping I can get a full night sleep.

Let’s see what there is for tomorrow.

And The Day Came, When I Quit my Job

After months, thinking about this moment, it sure came faster than I expected, the day I quit my job. For months I wished to be fired, although secretly hoping not to because I new I would feel very bad if the company I had worked for, fired me without any regret; and after my best efforts, to not work efficiently, and to not care for anything, waste time at work (which in reality was harder than one may think, since all me life all I have known is to be responsible), etc., no one fired me. It was now all in my hands, the time had come, but will I really had the guts to just drop everything I had worked so hard to get, and just quit to go to Paris?

Well, it turns out it was more nerve raking that I had thought it was going to be. That day I got to work with my resignation letter, ready to be turn in, but I had to let my bosses know before I sent the letter, besides anything I really didn’t want to just be rude and leave without even saying a word. After half a day of going over and over how I was going to say things, I was on the phone telling my newly arrived boss, that I was leaving the company. Since my company was bought by a bigger oilfield company, this new boss form the bigger company didn’t want me to leave, he tried to talk me out of it, but I had decided long time ago. There was no turning back at this point, I couldn’t undo all I had been doing in preparation for my trip. He even offered to grant me a 1 year leave of absence so I could go study and come back to my job, but since in paper we are still in my small company’s payroll, and they don’t have that program, nothing could be done. I finally submitted my letter that night after giving some time regarding the permit. One thing that I wasn’t expecting, but felt very good was that I was offered a job, upon my return, since I was quitting the old company and not the new one, they were not going to hold that against me, and would be willing to take me back next year. This is definitively, not what I would like to do, but it is always nice to have a back up plan, just you know like a safety net under you in case anything happens.

A week later as I walk away my job in my last day, my friend asked me if I was excited, she wanted to know how was I felling, which got me to realize that nothing about going to Paris has yet sinked in. I think I haven’t fully processed the whole idea, and don’t think I will any time soon, since I only have less than two weeks before I go to Paris, and have soo many things to do before I go, that I don’t think I have a free day to even start to think about what I am about to do.