Sunday, February 24, 2013

Shit My Host Mom Says: Volume 3 (NSFW kind of)

So today, my host mom bought a surprise. To preface this, my new housemate comes upstairs and says that Louise brought home a little statue she had bought that was a mans head attached to a penis. I thought that the body just looked like penis, but wasn't.

No, it is actually supposed to be a penis. Now cue the really awkward part when she keeps caressing both the man's head and significantly disproportionate penis...that was attached to his head...

Seeing how vastly uncomfortable we were, did she put it away and move on. Non, bien sûr. She brought out two other little figurines from China that were of little porcelain people having sex. "Look, see"as she made sure we saw the clear sexual contact. "They're so cute"

So that was my night. Luckily we didn't eat cold raw beef or endives. 

It's the little things, really.

Bonne nuit, mes amis,
Gabs

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Halfway Point

Today is exactly halfway into my program. Four and a half months behind me, and four and a half months ahead.

I feel like the time has passed so quickly, but looking forward I feel like I still have so much time to do all the things I want to. Even today, I got to cross a few things off my bucket list.

Places I have been in Paris:
- Notre-Dame (climbed to the top!)
- Arc du Triomphe
- Sacre-Coeur
- Musee du Louvre
- Musee d'Orangerie
- Musee d'Orsay
- L'Institute du Monde Arabe
- Champs-Elysees
- Jardins de Luxembourg & Tuileries
- Opera Garnier
- Place de la Bastille

Places I have left to go:
- Catacombs
- Musee de Rodin
- Pantheon
- Picasso Museum (if it's open by June!)
- Grand Palais/Petit Palais
- Climb the Eiffel Tower!

I've also done some traveling, but not as much as I would have like. I've been to Dublin, London, Glasgow, Geneva, Frankfurt, the Loire Valley, and Normandy. I'm hoping I can step up the traveling in the next four months:

- Madrid (next week)
- Brussels
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Rome
 - Venice

I'd also like to hit up some of the beaches in the south of France in the spring. I need a break from all this gray!

Some days I still can't believe I'm here, and other days I take it all for granted. So much is available for me here and I should be soaking it all in though. But sometimes sitting inside watching TV sounds like a really good plan, especially when it's cold and raining. How many more months until the rainy season is over?

LOLJK, it's probably never over.

A toute à l'heure!
Gabs