J'Aime Les Œufs Sur Le Plat!

And we’re back!

I do apologize for the recent interruption! The past few days have been full of adventures! Ok, so maybe spending all day Friday working on my budget isn’t much of adventure, but hey, you should see what I created! I have an excel spreadsheet to kill, complete with charts and all the necessary bells and whistles! I am SO cool! And when I get bored with that, I just turn the television on and watch the TF1 (French Television channel 1) special about the 60 year old naturist who lives in a minivan on the beach! FIND THE BROCHURES OF THAT HOT VACATION SPOT AND SIGN ME UP! (PUKE)

[interruption] I’m not kidding you, I just saw on TV the fattest French person I’ve ever seen! And no sir, she was NOT wearing clothing! I don’t know who makes the laws in the country, but he or she needs to quit striking and make some new rules concerning what can and cannot be seen on TF1!

This week I did have the opportunity to eat with Laruiane and Charlotte at Lauriane’s house. I was under the impression that Lauriane’s cousin would be there; however, I was the only one invited. The two girls made dinner just for me! How nice! We had the traditional long 5 course French meal and shared hours of conversation! Before leaving, we made plans to meet up for brunch on Sunday.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet up with another Baylor student who just arrived in Paris to do the same work as me. His name is Aaron Reynolds and he is stressfully in the process of searching for an apartment. He reserved a hotel room for 10 days while he waits to find something, but as of late, his hopes have been pretty low. I invited him over for dinner and later on we met up with Abel (one of my international roommates at Baylor this last year in the Global Community) and Stéphane (another international student who was at Baylor this last semester). Abel and Stéphane wanted to go out, but Aaron was too tired after only having arrived the day before; therefore, he went back to his hotel while I enjoyed the company of Abel and Stéphane. I also invited my current roommate Hara to go with us because I knew that she had been longing to spend some time with people outside of the apartment.

On our way to find a place to eat, we were in the Métro when a hoodlum decided to spit by the door. Some girl saw him and gave him a dirty look. He was drunk, so as he exited the Métro, he also spat on her. She held her ground by simply yelling, “FILS D’UNE PUTE! FILS D’UNE PUTE!” I won’t translate that for you. We ate at a fastfood restaurant called Quick™ and then went to an Enlish pub. It was the 250 birthday of Guinness ™ (beer), so the bar passed around Guinness™ shot glasses filled with Guinness™. Hara recommended that we keep the shot glasses, so I helped her wrap them up and put them in her purse. We later on did shots of coffee at the apartment! After the pub we went to the Discotheque where Rachel and I had gone with Abel and some other students the first night that we arrived in Paris. Our friend Charles had given me several free passes, so it was FREE99! Stéphane was too tired to join us, so it was just Abel, Hara, and I. We danced until dancing was no longer an option because the club had gotten so stinking hot! At that point Hara and I separated with Abel and went back to the apartment.

On Saturday I woke up to a message from Aaron informing me that he was SO VERY stressed with having to find an apartment. I invited him to meet me for coffee and then we walked to Les Bois de Vincennes (a big park down the road). After walking around for a while, we decided to return back to my place, but got lost. I kept wanting to go in the opposite direction of my apartment for some reason, but luckily Aaron has a better since of European direction that I. It might have something to do with the fact that both of his parents are English. WHO KNOWS! When we finally got back to my place we had dinner and then I took him to the Champs Elysées so that he could see L’Arc de Triomphe. We decided that we wanted to go to Hillsong Paris for church in the morning, so we agreed to look at the time and address of the church on the internet when I got back to my apartment and he got back to his hotel then call each other on Skype™ to plan on a meeting place.

This morning I went to meet Aaron at the Métro Station Olypiades, but he had accidentally gone to Odéon. I called him and we straightened things out. We were a bit late to church, but honestly, not to disappointed. When we got there it was exactly as I had expected. Everyone spoke English and a translator was needed throughout the entire service for those three French people that were there. If you don’t already know this, Hillsong is a church based out of Australia but who has a church in London that operates a branch in Paris. That connection may not completely make sense, so let me put it this way: English – English – English – Frenglish. What’s worse than anything was the fact that the girl that spoke this morning was from Texas. I know that all you cowboys reading this now are hootin’ and hollerin’, but before you get too excited, know that she was a Tech graduate and tried to speak French with a HORRIBLE accent. She kept saying, “JUH TAM! JUH TAM!”, which I think is her version of the French phrase, “Je t’aime!” meaning I love you. At one point she tried to speak completely in French and the translator was translating her “sentences” into English. It was alright until she tried to explain that she went with her family to the top of the Tooer Ighfell (Eiffel Tower). What she was saying was so incomprehensible that the translator (unknowingly) translated her broken French into real French rather than into English. It was hysterical! She then introduced her mom and some other friends that were with her and had them stand up. I kid you not; these women looked like clowns they were wearing so much makeup! Their hair was all fake blond and frizzed from head to shoulders and the expressions on their faces made me want to roll on the ground laughing! I know that I’m not being very kind, especially considering the fact that I am talking about church, but if you were me and in another culture trying to fit in only to realize that your compatriots were making you look like a fool, you too would be ruthless! Unless you like overly made up women with fake hair, in which case you might feel at home. Needless to say, we weren’t too sad to leave!

This afternoon I invited Aaron to have brunch with Laruiane, Charlotte, and I. This time her cousin did come and so did her brother and her cousin’s friend. We ate at a Canadian restaurant where I had steak and eggs. We then walked in the Luxembourg Gardens and listened to a group of 50 – 60 elderly people play in a band under a gazebo. It was somewhat surreal as I began to understand that I was standing in the middle of Paris with French people enjoying a Sunday afternoon of music in the park! TROP COOL! The unfortunate side of things is the fact that I am currently sick with allergies. This happens EVERY time I move to a new place! C’est la vie! Needless to say, I went home for a Sunday nap (3 hours). I still have a terrible headache, so I’m going to the Pharmacy in the morning to get some decongestant. OH LA LA! I ALSO HAVE TO GO BUY A NEW CELL PHONE BECAUSE MINE JUST SHUT OFF AND WON’T COME BACK ON! ZUT!

On Wednesday I have to move out of this apartment, but I will be staying with Laruiane in her apartment for the time between then and the move in date of my new apartment. I’m also going to Lyon this weekend for the confirmation of Lauriane’s brother! I’ll be staying with Rachel and because of the numerous amount of family at Laruiane’s house, so will Lauriane! WE’RE GOING TO IKEA ON SATURDAY! DID YOU HEAR THAT JOHN AND AMBER! I’M GOING TO IKEA! WOO HOO! CINNAMON ROLL AND COFFEENESS!