Italy: summary of highlights, lowlights and other happenings that I found noteworthy.

Italy

Okay- so no kidding. 4 cities in a week. yeah, I am tired.

We left Paris on Tuesday and took a bus. Bus. BUS. Bright idea right? No, but it was cheap. Actually it wasn’t too bad- and proved to be a very relaxing way to travel. The tour company took care of all accommodations and travel between the cities so there was very little to worry about.
I almost died laughing though when we first got to Italy. We pulled into a gas station around 4 am and the reason I knew we were in Italy was because the pump was labeled “Servito.” A good friend of ours, Roxanne, believes that the Italian language is just an English word with “O” tacked on. Even at my groggy state that early in the morning, I could clearly tell that we weren’t in Kansas- err- France anymore. Not that the French don’t have their own issues with ending -or not ending- words in a funny way. Rox- I would have taken a picture but I wasn't thinking with a clear head!


Florence- Our first stop was a day in this quaint town. We had a some good recommendations on what to see in Florence so that helped a lot since we only had the one day to fit it all in. The most amazing thing about Florence is the history of the city itself. I particularly enjoyed the importance of art in this city and the amazing detail of all the structures. We asked a local for a dinner recommendation and it took us forever to find this place—it was one of those alleys, then another alley- but not THAT alley, then another alley etc. . . The restaurant was called 4 lions (in Italian) but it was tremendous. Excellent. Too much wine. I also had the best ice cream/ gelato of my life. KOOKIES. It’s a recommend. Almost worth flying to Florence just for the ice cream to end all ice creams. I spent the rest of the trip trying to find the same flavor. Florence photos: click here!





Rome- So overwhelming. So. Over. Whelm. Ing. We did a bunch of touristy things the first day we were there, Colloseum, Forum, Pantheon, the ancient Roman ruins, Trevvi fountain, Spanish steps. The second day we were advised by our trusty guide to get to Vatican City early- so we left our hotel at 6 am and made it to the Vatican by 7 am-not bad considering that included coffee. We started with St. Peter’s which is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We then went to the top of the dome, which was a real test for those afraid of heights, and I bought some souvenirs for family on the roof of St. Peter—just because I could! Really- how cool is it that t came from the roof of St. Peters?! After we returned to the courtyard we saw why exactly you should get to Vatican City early. There was a GIANT line to get into St. Peter’s. Yay for Rick Steve’s. This picture is of me chilling with Rick. After lunch we headed over the Vatican Museum. Okay- here is my major rant about the lack of crowd control in this museum. There is only one path. . . and at the every room there is a sign that reads: “Sistine Chapel, this way!” Yay, I thought! We are almost there! 67 hours later *exaggeration* we were shoulder to shoulder with other tourists and still seeing signs that read: “Sistine Chapel, this way!” All I could think was—lies! lies! lies! And in the city of God. . . . shameful. Finally when we get to the famous ceiling I have to say—don’t shoot me here people- but I kind of thought it looked like every other ceiling in the Vatican Museum. I took an illegal photo of the Sistine Chapel just to help relieve my crowd frustration. Some Germans were doing it too . . . Hee hee. Rebel. We then stopped to eat- see the trend with the food- and took a pretty walk. After getting to an internet café, we caught up briefly with the outside world and looked for the restaurants that the beau-parents recommended. Sorry gang, I hate to say that we were unsuccessful. A very nice 15 year old helped us look up the addresses on the Rome yellow pages but we couldn’t find the addresses! Another big bummer for the beau-parents, but I looked in every shop available for green sambuca! I couldn’t find it! I was crushed. Sorry! If it helps, I have converted my friend Diana to looking for it as well! Rome photos: click here!

Padua- It was pretty cool to see the shrine of St. Anthony of Padua given my affiliation with the St. Anthony, Minnesota connection. (Not sure if St. Anthony is named after THIS St. Anthony.) Actually, I saw a lot of Tony—I saw his teeth, his vocal cords and his garments. Which made me wonder what Tony is wearing now. . . Not very modest. . . (blushing) We were only in Padua for a few hours, just enough to see the church, the relics and a bit of the town. During the course of that short visit, I did manage to lose my sunglasses. “Tony, Tony turnaround. Something’s lost and must be found. I went back to the restaurant where we had lunch and walked in the door and the cashier, who didn’t speak French or English, handed me back my sunglasses before I said anything! Pretty cool. If only I were that lucky every time I lost something. Maybe, I could just work on not losing my crap all the time. . . . Who is the patron saint of absent minds?
Padua photos: click here!

Venice- I heart Venice. HEART. Despite how touristy it is, I found Venice quite charming and relaxed. Venice is filled with street after street of mask shops, glass shops, lace shops and great food galore! After Rome, I was feeling a bit monumented-out, so Venice was a welcome break. Venice is just plain cute. I loved being around so much water and seeing the sites. I also had a good time watching the kids feed the pigeons. A big language breakthrough came while visiting Venice. Diana and I stopped at a café for dinner right before leaving. The menu had pages for Italian, French, German and Spanish. Casually, I flipped through the menu and started reading. I had been perusing for 5 minutes before I realized that I was in the French section. Winner! YES! (Fist pump.) In all reality, I kept wishing that the Barrister would have been there with me, he would have loved it and it didn't seem right to be there without him. Venice photos: Click here!

On the return trip to Paris, there was a woman, who reminded me a lot of a drunk Julia Child. This woman kept yelling to everyone who would listen and our tour guide just kept looking at the rest of the bus with his hands up in the air and making apologetic faces. At one point, I did assert myself and say in the nicest way (and probably with broken French.)

"Madame, those girls are sleeping, those girls are reading, please be quiet. Please. You are talking quite loudly." I nodded my head in the- you’re a wee drunk but I am trying to be nice in the middle of the night kind of way. - At which point she imitated my slow speaking speed and said: "I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND!" ok. At least I tried. I bet I get brownie points for the effort.

I am now back in Paris for a couple of days and I am heading to Munich tomorrow. While there we are going to drive through the Black Forest a bit and make a stop in Salzburg for a night. We are also going to visit the Dachau, the concentration camp, on the 61st anniversary of the liberation. I am really looking forward to this next trip and would appreciate any comments about people's favorite places in those cities.

I will post as I am able. lovies until then!

monday morning quiz- how american am I?

Turns out . . . not that much. Try this one out and let me know how you rank!

You Are 27% American

America: You don't love it or want to leave it. But you wouldn't mind giving it an extreme make over. On the 4th of July, you'll fly a freak flag instead... And give Uncle Sam a sucker punch!

How American Are You?

I'm back

Okay- back from my 7 day trip to Italy-- went to 4 cities, Florence, Rome, Padua, and Venice. Super cool people. I will post links to the pictures as soon as I finish my homework for tomorrow. Duty calls . . .

when in Rome

I'm in Rome!! Sorry I have been out of communication for a couple of days. I got a part-part time job running around France taking pictures of horse feed. Very interesting.

To visit Mr. Ed , I needed to rent a car- which was hilarious. A car full of nuns honked at me and I had to stop at a gas station outside of Paris to figure out how to put the car in reverse-Which is a word I don't know in French.

All in all, it was an exciting couple of days.

I spent yesterday in Florence and am in Rome for the next two days! I will write as I have the opportunity.

guest blog part deux

I decided to steal pip's thunder a bit and pre-empt her on today's blog while she scans the countryside for horses. Not that we can complain here in the Cin Twitties, as it is again 75 degrees out with no clouds in the sky. Life is pretty rough...

For those that missed it, we had a Bored Board games party here at the residence last evening to relieve mine and pip's brother's boredom of life while pip is au francais. It was a good time-- good enough that we're going to need to do it again. But I thought that I should share the lessons at least I learned last night, as they are blog-worthy:

1.) Miller and I are a formidable Trivial Pursuit team. Really, we can be downright scary.
2.) The push for mafia was lacking a bit without Pip. Hmmmm...
3.) Apples to Apples truly requires a subconscious connection that Rads and Snyder seemed to enjoy. I have half a mind to think they were cheating. But my other half-mind wonders why I picked "handcuffs" for the green card "desperate" and somehow also picked "whips" and "chains".
4.) More apples to apples pondering: I fear there may be some correlation between the green cards you "win" and your personality. Whereas Pip's bro ended up with ones such as "intelligent" and "wise", at the end of the night I had the following in my hand: Corrupt, Soft, Fresh, Nasty, Rough, Delicious, Sensual, and Luscious. Should I be worried about this? Should Pip be worried about this?
5.) Far more seriously, I learned the extreme need for such random fun connection evenings in life. It's far too easy to get stuck in the virtual world of blogs and IM and in the robotic nature of a career. I have spent the past month or so since I visited Pip stuck in techno-world attempting to compensate for my own feelings of missing her. While it is the best option we have, IM is a poor substitute for real personal presence, and the ability to smile and laugh with someone in person is something intangible that cannot be recreated.

But aside from being with who we love, it is our friends who give us the ability to continue moving on, for they allow us to appreciate our own opportunities and successes. From last night I recognized it was the ability to do something as simple as a walk around the lake with great conversation (thanks, Snyder), notwithstanding the rambunctious dog, that allows us to feel reinvigorated and refreshed.

With our world spreading out it is my great fear that we will lose that personal connection-- wherein great adventures were a dorm room and a N64 away, it now can take an intra-suburb trip, hours in a car, or even a long plane ride to reconnect. While new friends and faces are inevitable, there is something comforting about being with those that know us well. That feeling is instant yet irreplaceable, but very much necessary.

Ok, I have rambled enough for today, taking up already too much of pip-vision. Now back to your regularly scheduled dose of pip.

why I married him

Her.

Pip sometimes questions why I love her. The more I think about it, the more I understand it's a good thing to reevaluate from time to time why you do what you do.

By way of background, I have always seen beauty as far more than skin deep. Beauty is a state of being-- a mindset of appreciation combined with a physical sense of motivation with a generous and true heart.

Truth be told, Pip is the most beautiful woman in the world. Not only is she the most physically attractive woman I know, but she possesses the state of mind of motivation and desire in that, she not only wants to make a difference in the world, that she can and will make that difference in the world. Such goes beyond hope and dreams, as she makes hers reality. She sees potential in this world-- a potential to grow, to succeed, to be vibrant-- that goes well beyond my comprehension and understanding. At once she is physical and metaphysical, present and future. Her mind is ablaze- too quick sometimes to even retrace the logical paths we must go through-- a blessing when the whole world is capable of being conquered.

I see in her eyes a warm woman who knows no true stopping. Sappy, yes; but caringly so-- I'll never forget her eyes when picking up a puppy for the first time-- so loving and protectionate, but full of hopes and dreams for this tiny ball of fur that would be reality for sure. These same eyes seek to ensure her loved ones are treated like she wants to be-- omnipresent and self-sacrificing.

I love her for the fact that the hardest thing for herself is sleep. It is a struggle with the amount, the time, the dreams that will one day become reality. For myself, who struggles to dream, she does enough for both of us.

Her skills are those that are beyond my capability- a joy of performance and free-form, words and sounds, colors and motion. She drives herself to perfection in those fields and accepts nothing less than that. She seeks cohesiveness and community-- we are all one big family and we all share in that love. Her desire to enable opportunities for others yields recurring dividends without gain to herself-- it is love of others and true desire for helping others achieve their best as well.

I often believe I disappoint her-- she seeks perfection in me, and I feel most of the time I fall short of that goal. But I know where I fail she succeeds, and it is comforting to know that I can trust in her to gain where I would not.

In short, she complements me. She completes the circle- while we have different styles and manners, different laughs and smiles, together they create one big completeness. I could see that from the moment I first saw her at CSB-- she was in a play, I was in the audience, and the way she carried herself, even if on stage, I got this feeling. And when we first started dating, I looked in her eyes and could see it clearly then-- I just knew. And when we had our first dance, I looked at her eyes again, twinkling in the light, it was never more apparent. Time and time again I could barely muster the words because they are so powerful when I look into her eyes, I love you.

Lovies, dear. I miss you.


He's dreamy and he thinks I am special. Yep, lucky girl.

lucky girl- revisited

Lady Di and I were supposed to go out for this raging night out on the town in Paris. . . and we started talking about gratitude and life's lessons. Needless to say that the moonlight stroll along the Seine with a friend and good conversation got the best of us. Di spent time telling me about her love for her family, growing up in Bulgaria and what her culture meant to her. I found many of the customs to be inspiring and her telling these stories made me feel closer to her as a friend because I saw a glimpse of her humanity. In her I saw my own reflection.

The topic of gratitude has occupied my thoughts constantly over the last few days and is closely aligned to my feelings regarding mentorship. Like Diana, I was raised by a family. I was raised by the gifts of many.

The past few weeks have revealed something that I think I have known all along; I am the luckiest person alive. No kidding. I am convinced in every which way that my life is as sweet as any life could possibly be. I guess the more I think about it, the word luck isn't really enough for me, the word grace seems more fitting. As many of you know- early indications might have predicted a not- so -bright future for Ms. Pip; at best partly cloudy with a chance of rain.

Looking back, I realize that am fortunate in ways that can't be explained by luck alone, circumstance, or even hard work. I understand Grace in an intimate and powerful way and this understanding continues to grow with each day that passes here.

Not to say that I haven't seen dark times. Many of you can attest to those dark times and were there to hold my hand, hand me kleenex, or even help me get to a Target. Although the last few months prior to leaving were trying, it has led me to now, and the now is fantastic. It is through those times that I think I have such a tremendous appreciation for how rich my life has become. Indeed we are resilient creatures, capable of almost anything. Able to co-create our own reality.

Going at this experience on my own, making my first conscious step without the safety net of a mentor has been something I desired for myself. I knew that I would be alright, but it was important for me to apply what I have learned and step away from my incredibly full life. Already in this short time, this trip has given me perspective on the true role of generosity in my life and how it will pull me into the future. In my opinion, sharing your life with another is the greatest gift any human could give.

So an immense thank you to all of you who taught me how to cook, clean, learn, hug, play, dance, laugh, love, fight, be vulnerable and to play cards. I am one work-in-progress who is continually grateful.

Springtime has come to Paris. Forecast for tomorrow: sunny with blue skies all day long.

strasbourg-revisited

s
Okay kids, all pictures are posted here. *Em, I am posting extra photos for you!

Here are some of my favorites.
When I said that I ate meat and sauerkraut, I wasn't kidding. I wanted proof so I took a picture. It's on flickr- because the photo is a wee gross. It was also accomodanied by 'some' wine. Okay, who are we kidding here. . . .quite a bit of wine.

But notice. . the glass is half full! So full in fact- that I made friends with the ducks who crept up to our table. Look how popular I am with all my new friends.







Strasbourg is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.


Do check out all the pics if you have time.
I felt at peace in Strasbourg and I believe the photos represent that feeling.

listening

Natasha Bedingfield- Unwritten

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in, No one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

If there were a Princess Diaries 3 , This would be on the soundtrack.
I love it even though I am not technically 13.

i-pod: filed under the playlists

• Conquer the world.
• Running

break a leg

Go Follies Go!

101

101. like a bunny.

100 posts, 100 pieces of useless FAQ.

In honor of my 100th post, I am going to address the couple of FAQ and the many not so FAQ that I thought my good friend, the internet, might want to know.

1. Mes Vies means My Lives
2. I am very tall and very afraid of heights.
3. Grilled cheese and tomato soup should be standard issue on bad days.
4. I make up nicknames for my loved ones.
5. Honest—I wake up with a smile on my face. (I disagreed. But the barrister says it is true. Yes, he did help me think of some of these. . . . 100 is a lot. And once I realized how many, it was too late to back out.)
6. Favorite songs- Jackson 5 ABC and Eye of the Tiger. No question.
7. My dog lifts her leg to reveal her ‘stomach’ if you make eye contact with her.
8. I have many mentors and am very blessed for their gifts.
9. My stomach talks....and sometimes, when I’m alone, I talk back..
10. I run, but I don’t really love it, it is just the easiest form of exercise.
11. I am very sad about missing Easter at CSB and playing cards with Srs. Janice, Merle and Lois. Easter is a very special holiday for me.
12. I know a lot of kid songs and I still think they are fun. It works well because I happen to know a lot of kids.
13. Pip is the main character in Great Expectations. Google it. . . interesting character stuff.
14. I have a sweet tooth. The phrase ‘This is too rich’ has never exited my lips.
15. I take lessons for the sake of learning new things.
16. I’ve always wanted to be invisible.
17. __________
18. I used to eat a lot of ice cream because I was told that it would make your chest grow. Lies!
19. I use the word community a lot.
20. I am allergic to most metals.
21. I started this blog because I hoped that it would be an easy way to keep in touch with my family and friends, and my friends who are family. Lovies!
22. I would naturally stop here due to laziness and lack of creativity. . . but I already numbered the page to 100.
23. I don’t sing or play the piano well, but always had a dream.
24. I don’t embarrass easily. Works out well because I don’t sing or play the piano well.
25. I have an obnoxiously loud laugh
26. I love Cate Blanchett.
27. I get excited by ideas.
28. I like daisies because they are purely happy.
29. Some of my greatest lessons to date I learned from my ladies in college.
30. I am an abstract thinker
31. I started dating the Barrister on instant messenger.
32. I asked him out first.
33. He asked me to marry him.
34. He is wonderful.
35. I have scoliosis, and I refer to myself as Quasi. Usually I am drunk when this happens.
36. I don’t watch a lot of tv on tv, but I do love tv on dvd. Preferably in marathon sessions. We once tried to do 24 in 24. No good.
37. I think meat on pizza stomps all over the more delicate flavors of vegetable goodness.
38. I am often told that I am perceived as very serious but am in reality quite goofy.
39. I don’t think in a linear pattern.
40. Pants can be an adjective, adverb and a noun
41. When I think about people I love, my heart hurts a bit from missing them so much.
42. I have a tendency to become a hermit when I am not feeling well. I am not good at reaching out to people during those times.
43. Bed is my favorite place in the world. When doing relaxation exercises and they tell you to go somewhere peaceful. . . like a beach or the mountains.. . I go to bed. Always have. Always will.
44. I like it when He calls me Dear.
45. I think showering is a waste of time and I try to strategically time it so that I don’t ever have to shower twice a day.
46. I didn’t see the ocean until I was 22.
47. When I was a kid I pictured myself in ET...when I was an adult, I pictured myself in Sex in the City. How times change.
48. I love dancing at gay bars.
49. I am reading a Jodi Picoult book currently. It was recommended. I'll let you know the results.
50. I put reading on my ‘to-do’ list. To-Do lists go on post-its.

--Intermission—

51. I once ate off my father-in-law's plate at a Christmas dinner. Before he was my father-in-law. He laughed. . . good sign for me.
52. I have a recent fascination with organizing the files on my computer.
53. I wear flip flops in the snow.
54. I am particular about my pillows.
55. My writing is getting worse as I get older.
56. I like good food.
57. I can no longer do the splits.
58. I have this thing about matching. . . I like red and green together only in the month of December, and I like pink and purple together only during Easter. It bugs people.
59. I am not a Bush supporter.
60. I state the obvious.
61. I really want to be pregnant some day. I think pregnancy is one of the most beautiful life stages possible. The idea of one life being able to give to another makes my heart beat faster.
62. I have a lame sense of humor.
63. I am afraid of ghosts and I sleep with the lights on if I am home alone.
64. I judge others based upon my own moral compass, but I am not proud of that trait, and it can sometimes leave me unsatisfied.
65. I love smart people who love to just talk about how the world is for them.
66. My grandparents and relatives have been instrumental in my upbringing.
67. It isn’t that I take on too much . . . it's that I get bored easily.
68. I am right handed.
69. I am an online shopper. I love free shipping. I avoid the malls if at all possible. I hate trying things on.
70. If someone gave me a brick . . . I would use it as a doorstop?! (Franky contributed that question.)
71. My most frequent complaint is that people don’t care about me the way I care about them. But being here is teaching me about how little that matters in regards to my love for them.
72. When I am nervous I can’t catch my breath.
73. I spend a lot of time thinking about poverty and its implications.
74. I love city living.
75. Painted toenails are fun.
76. The Barrister used to give me a pedicure every month. . just like Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. I like to tell the Barrister that he can be like Jesus whenever he wants. . . .
77. I love to have my back scratched.
78. I had planned on naming our dog ‘ASK’ER’ but the Barrister vetoed it when he saw her cuddle for the first time.
79. I like the word grace.
80. My first job was peddling pens. Not as sexy as it sounds. Exactly.
81. I have yet to cook salmon successfully.
82. There is a soundtrack to my life. Shawn is the DJ.
83. I hate having hair in my face.
84. Caffeine.
85. Target sushi is acceptable date food.
86. 500 holds many fond memories for me.
87. I prefer 8 hours of sleep each night.
88. I would consider myself very spiritual but not necessarily religious in a traditional sense.
89. I read spoilers of scary movies so that I don’t have to see them. I have learned that actually seeing scary movies does not help me at all.
90. Not a math fan.
92. I laugh at inappropriate times.
93. I learned to knit from a book called I Can’t Believe I am Knitting!, and I learned to crochet from a book called Crocheting! In Just One Day! And I paid for these books.
94. DDR is A-OK. Dance Dance Party Dance!
95. Am I wrong or is golfing like chasing a tiny little ball around a field until it happens to fall into a tiny little hole?
96. I want my table to always be a welcome place for all.
97. In the summer, I love air conditioning. In the winter, I love the furnace. Apparently, have no body temperature regulation.
98. I can’t find anything the minute I start looking for it.
99. I love countdowns. VH1, MTV, E!-- they all are great. Why is Thriller always the number 1 video of all time?! Give me a break people . .

100. I want a hug.

lucky girl

Okay, so I have had a reflective couple of days. Being here has really allowed me to be exposed to a variety of people and a variety of lessons. Already in this short time I have come to realize that I must be the luckiest person on the planet.
Must be.
Why do you ask?

Stay tuned. . . . I will write more after the much deserved nap. . . . .

My first blogging cliffhanger. . . nice.

at what point do you just adapt?

Ok, so I admit I am changing. I no longer think it is completely ridiculous to do your grocery shopping every day and I have given up to the reality that 'errands' can easily consume an entire afternoon.

There are still things I find absolutely hilarious-- like the incredible paper trail of France-- receipts for everything; croissants, coca light, clothing. . . and today the bus driver got up out of his seat and followed me to my seat to make sure I got my receipt.

(In case I want to return my trip?)
(In case I need proof of being on the bus at 2:21 pm, eating a croissant, drinking coca light, fully clothed?)
(In case I need a souvinir of this great voyage from the HEC to the train station?)

I am now wondering about the balance between seeing the differences between your culture and the culture you are visiting and adapting your style to match their culture. Can you do both?

The reason I thinking about this is because I overheard a fellow exchanger rant about what a pain it is to travel from Paris to Jouy. Yes, HEC is a bit 'out there' but I don't think the French would consider it an inconvenience. I am using this as an example because we have been here for 2 months and it is just as inconvenient as it was the first day right? Where is the balance here? Open for discussion . . .

strasbourg

I spent the last 3 days visiting the beautiful city of Strasbourg. More than anything, I really wished that the barrister and his family could be there with me! I was feeling very German!!

I ordered and ate 'meat' and sauerkraut. Meat turned out to be various sausages and bacon type looking things- I ate most of it. Christina at the rest.

Strasbourg is a neat place because it has strong influences of both French and German culture and you can really see the contrasts in everything from the building styles to the language of the people. It's a 'recommend.'

Christina and I had wonderful conversation, a great time seeing the sights and a relaxing break from midterms.

But, I am not going to lie--one of the best parts was the snap decision to take the first class train back to Paris. Fancy pants! Clearly I have never taken first class before but it was on my life to-do list. And I have to say first class is not too shabby people . . .

pictures coming soon!

how I cast my vote for student elections

The decision was tough. . . here is what the candidates offered. . . .

Delivered to your dorm room.
1. massage by a male or female- you choose
2. food- crepes, pizza, candy, sandwiches, soda, anything you really wanted. . .
3. alcohol
4. dance party- complete with dry ice and a disco ball
5. poetry readings
6. jazz performance/ theater performances
7. pot- rumor has it. . .
8. getting tucked in/ followed by breakfast in bed at the times of your choosing
9. t-shirts
10. movies


If you care to venture out of your room.
1. more food
2. free haircuts
3. laser tag
4. carnival rides
5. dance parties in the school building, I heard Madonna's 'HungUp' four times during a 3 hour class once. These happened at lunch time every day and continued into the afternoon. Despite popular opinion, it would appear that crazy euro dancing is not entirely due to alcohol consumption
6. dance parties every night.
7. velcro wall
8. karaoke
9. parades
10. a boxing ring in the middle of the cafeteria where whipped cream wrestling takes place at meal times.

Earlier I spoke about the ridiculous budgets for these campaigns- and by the first day of election week, it was oh so clear. . .

I thought this was funny- I asked one of the students why all the teams changed names and colors between last week and this week--( for example, my old team Sin-O-Sens was pink and turqoise but was now referring to themselves as the guerill'eros and sporting blue and black. )

She said that it was the rules that between campaign and pre-campaign each team had to create a new name, a new logo, new color scheme, new dance and get new merchandise. I asked why- when it seemed like a marketing nightmare and a heck of a lot of work.

She said- I don't know- it is a lot of work, but it is just the way it is. Again, tradition trumps efficiency at HEC.

Proud day for me though-- my kids won! Clearly it was the superior dancing. . .

barcelona... i mean strasbourg!

change of plans

barcelona!

hey, I know I have been light on the posting lately- but there isn't much to say about anything going on here. However, I could probably tell you quite a bit about keynesian open economics models. But frankly neither you nor I want that.

I leave tomorrow for Barcelona. I will probably not have internet access there- so catch you all early next week! lovies.

I'm still, i'm still pippy from the block

a view from around the corner of my new abode. No, I did not take this picture- I have been squatting illegally at HEC-trying all day to play macro-economics. This is my one sneaky post that I shouldn't be doing. I have a lot to say and will be back soon. . . . maybe. . . tomorrow. . . . after my nap. . . . aah. nap. I wanted to show you what my neighborhood looks like- even though I am not there. Franky went back this evening and he said that the trains are still very difficult and that the neighborhood looks like, well, like there was a riot today.

I also liked this one:

both compliments of bbc

I just found out my grandparents sometimes read this blog-- HI! Miss you! I'M BEING SAFE! Promise. I heard the worst that can happen is having a car burned, and I don't be having no car! If worse comes to worse, and I can't leave my flat, I can, I don't know. . . study? Or go to Barcelona. . .

I vote Barcelona! Leaving in 2 days! The devil on the shoulder beats the angel! Again!


HEC again responded in their own way to the riots today . . . there was a velcro wall.

couldn't make it.

I am officially back on caffeine. Is there a 12 step program somewhere!?

french revolutions

The French eat croissants, drink and smoke excessively, insist on smothering all food in butter or cream, or if at all possible: butter and cream. Love all things caffeinated, love all things chocolate.

Love indulgence.

Why? Because they decided to say screw it all once they saw the price of the damn health clubs. Why even try?

"If the people have no bread, let them eat cake."
"And if those people have the cake, let them have a treadmill."

"booger" 2

Players: you already know.

The scene:

Kay: How was your day?
Pip: Good, Can I just say that I have really bad cramps?
Kay: Sure you can say it. . . What are cramps?
Pip: (reflective, remembering an awkward nasal discharge conversation) umm. Nevermind.
Kay: Nevermind. I know now.

international education 101: car burning

So do you remember how I said that I lived far from the riots. . . well, I lied.

My new crib is one block away from the action.

4 days and counting

Caffeine free but a pounding headache- I am really trying here people. . .

Actually, I am in a somewhat reflective mood this morning. Last night we went to pizza to celebrate a birthday and I am not sure if it was the presence of Duane or the grinding lack-of-caffeine headache, but I just wasn't feeling like going to the party afterwards. I came home and msn'd the Barrister who very kindly talked to me and kept me company until I fell asleep.

Last Sunday was daylight savings time here so there is now an 8 hour difference between here and home. The only benefit to this is that the Barrister could call me to wake me up as he went to bed last night.

I am almost packed and ready to go to Paris. I have no idea what to expect from the experience. I have been spending a lot of time thinking and reflecting over the past few months and I am hoping to continue with that in some ways even though I will now have roommates!

More than I anything, I am very excited to have the opportunity to live in the conveniences of a city again. Not that this wasn't a good experience. . . As long as you don't look at any of the buildings, the campus is quite beautiful. The winding paths, the blooming trees, and the emerging green are all very exciting and make me want to explore the woods all the more. However, I have not felt very energized lately and part of it I think is due to the fact that it is very difficult to exercise here. There is a weight room-- sort of. If you count one rowing machine and 5 broken machines with no pins, then yes, HEC has state of the art equipment. With the weather being what it is and the lack of indoor facilities, I have really used that as an excuse to eat way too much chocolate. Tomorrow morning's top priority?-- find a gym!

Interruption-My cleaning lady just came in and we were able to get through an entire conversation with only one pantomimed action. She was talking very quickly and she used a word for something that I didn't know. I am now the proud vocabulary owner of the word dust. Who knew. . .

So to end this rambling entry, I will say this: Despite the neon green curtains, shitty weather and inconveniences of Jouy-en-Josas, I am a *little* sad to leave this place. In a short time, I have come to identify it as home and will miss many of the little quirks of living here. (I will not be missing the mud!)

Life's lessons not yet learned

Do not. . . .
I repeat . . . Do NOT . . . buy the family pack of Twix bars.

6 candy bars is not a replacement for lunch.



No one person needs to eat that much chocolate in one day.

david and goliath

Or should I say, Rosie and Goliath.

I dare you to tell me that this isn't cute.

* compliments of the Barrister's camera phone!

I want to put you in my pocket and take you home

"Wanna gummy bear? They've been in my pocket for a while, so they're nice and warm."

-Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Kay greatly alleviated my first true Duane day by leaving me surprise gummies outside my door. I might want to bring another 'too cute for words' European home with me in my pocket.

Barrister, there is room right?!

I am half way across the world and still lucky enough to find good people.

this campus is brought to you by the letters: E, Z , and the corporation: L'Oreal

So I am guessing we have all heard about the student protests. Right, so you would have to be living in a cave to miss it. Roy, a friend of mine from CSOM, wrote me asking about the HEC students reaction. I have spent quite a bit of time over the last couple of weeks thinking about this and the best way I can describe it is to say that the next best option to living in that cave would be living at HEC.

If it weren't for my addiction to online news, I wouldn't have known about the protests. It isn't that the students here don't care, it is that they are privileged in a way that I have a hard time even beginning to describe. If you ask the students directly how they feel about it they will say that they support the student efforts. However, by supporting I mean that they are most concerned about the possibility of class cancelling.

Now, let's talk about this privilege. When we first came to campus, the international student advisor touched on this fact during our orientation. She said to not be surprised if we hear phrases like 'we are the best' or that 'HEC is number 1.' Which made me giggle, Then she followed it up by saying that it was true. These students are the top of the field for their age. Each year HEC admits 300 students from 50,000 applications. Here is where the privilege becomes prevalant. In order to be accepted at HEC you must be tri-lingual and have completed 2 years of preparatory work with excellent marks. This is where things start to bug me a little bit- from what I understand preparation work for HEC means a intelligence yes, but also a considerable family financial contribution. Not to diminish the hard work that these kids have done in order to get in here, but I am sure that the fancy schools and private tutoring helped too.

So why are these kids not worried about job security for the under 26 market? Because they aren't worried about job security at all. HEC is a pretty sweet resume booster and they are guaranteed a job once leaving HEC. Students do not take academics seriously at all once they are here, but rest assured they do take 'networking' very seriously. It is because of the diminished academics, which mind you I am not complaining about too much, that I have time to reflect on life's greater issues.

What are the kids worried about? Drinking? Yep. Student government elections are this month and each group that runs is sponsored by a corporation. Now for a point of reference, when you run as an individual at CSOM you get $25 to help in your election, which almost no one uses. Each team of 20 individuals or so is sponsored by a corporation and is given $200,000 to campaign. Not a typo. There are 3 teams, so that means $600,000 being spent on drinking and bribing. Again, not a typo. I have heard that there are helicopter rides next week. Can't wait.

Last week was the week of 4 Thursdays, with each night a different party in the cafeteria (. . .this is the room ikea built) being transformed by each of the groups running. Yes, we are choosing our elected representatives based on their ability to throw a good theme party. Two
themes stuck out to me. 1. Girl Power- which had posters featuring pictures of lipstick and Kellogg's corn flakes- pointing out the fact that Corn Flakes is Fat Free. Yes, women can and should be epitomized by lipstick and fat free corn flakes. Yes I am being sarcastic, don't hate-mail me. The other theme was 2. Cowboys and the Rouges (the reds). I think the title alone is enough to see why it bothered me.

Part of the reason, I am a little thoughtful about this topic lately is because of something I witnessed in London during the March 18 protest of the war in Iraq. The 3rd anniversary was commemorated around the world with various protests and we were fortunate enough to particpate while we were in London. What struck me so powerfully about this event was the diversity of the protesters, many carried signs, many carried children and many carried Starbucks. All were in community and all were present to the issue, passionate about the cause. photos

So, due to the fact that HEC is 20 minutes outside of Paris, the greatest inconvenience is the fact that the trains haven't been running. In the meantime while Paris is off protesting the greater needs of student rights, we are playing Cowboys and Indians in the woods.

missing kindness anyone?!

Okay- the mystery is still unsolved, and I *hate to approach it this way. But desperate times, desperate measures.

Someone sent me a wonderful bottle of wine in the mail without a name on it and I don't know who to thank!!!

please help?

retraction

I am sorry to confuse people. I certainly did not mean to use the word "customer service" and "French" in the same sentence. No relationship whatsoever between "customer service and "French" should be inferred from the post.

The Easter Bunny, Santa and French customer service simply do not exist.

hee hee

the impossible dream

I overcame incredible odds.

I fought the unbeatable foe, I went where the brave dare not go in an effort to right the unrightable wrong. That's right folks, some would even say that I dreamed the impossible dream.

I stared deep into the evil eyes of French customer service and got what I wanted!

I successfully changed a class for the second 1/2 of the semester.

To my clever opponent, France: You may be winning the war. But this battle was all mine. Next week on the agenda, marching into hell for a heavenly cause.

with great thanks

I got mail!! Because I didn't ask these people first if it was okay to post this-- I will just say this-

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you


What a day maker!

Personal emails coming soon!

chocoland

The girls went to Belgium for the weekend- one day in Brussels and one day in Brugge. There is a lot that happened, and frankly Halfsies did a nice job describing it in greater detail.

part 1
part 2
part 3



Here is what I will add as my abridged addition to her post:
A. I ATE WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR. HMM CHOCOLATE. HMM WAFFLES.
B. Brussels, kind of non-descript
C. Brugge, very cool. See letter A.

Pictures HERE!

random

I am moving to Paris on Friday! How is that for random!?

glory to the dorms

So we all remember my porn loving, alien killing neighbor, right?!

It is 1 am and I am leaving for Belgium in 3 hours- let that set the stage. There was a knock on my door. But wait- it wasn't my door as much as the psycho neighbors door. She lives above the loud dude and can't sleep- it is the 3rd time she has complained! She asked howI was able to sleep. . . then I lost her and we switched to English.


If my french were better I would have asked her if it was more the explosions that bothered her or the women screaming.

Funny thing- I have pretty much tuned it out. I didn't even hear it tonight!

I hope you all think this is half as funny as I do

Often the morning after big parties, students will put a sign on the door asking the cleaning lady not to enter at 8 am. Think of it as the French equivalent of the Do Not Disturb Sign.

Here is why this is funny:

George speaks French much better than English. He is from Quebec.
The Clean Lady only speaks French. Frantic miming sessions can vouch for this fact. Ponder this: What is the universal symbol for garbage can?

I was walking to the bathroom this morning and passed George's door and immediately ran back to my room to get my camera.

In George's defense- he blames this on the fact that so many of his friends (me) prefer English.
George I will not clean your room. Promise.

travel adventures- coming soon!

I am going to Belgium tomorrow! Cool!

advice please

Dear Abby,

My hair. Yes, it is an odd subject for advice but this is desperation on my part.

I can't get my hair clean. The water here is very hard and my hair is getting sticky. Yes it is gross.. I thought at first that I wasn't rinsing all the shampoo out of my hair but that was over a week ago now and the situation is only growing more urgent. This is a new experience for me and I don't really have any thoughts on how to fix my issue. My hair doesn't really 'dry' anymore and the ponytail is becoming no longer a convenience as much as a band-aid for the situation. Oh wise internet--please advise!!

your friend in need,
dirty mop head.

teach me your dance- the second installment

t-shirt
Originally uploaded by mes vies.

A boy ran up to me in the cafeteria yesterday and started talking rapidly in French. I started to drool, which is generally what happens when people don't make a conscious effort to speak slowly. I responded the only way I knew how. . .Please slow down (in french. )

He said that I got a t-shirt because I learned their dance!

If I wear it, I will get my drinks faster. At least. . . that is what I think he said.


That's right- that makes me an official, 'shirt carrying' member of the team!

The dance team.

I found it!

Tesco!!!
Taaaa Daaaa!!



What do you say Mr. Belinda Jensen, since we went all the way to London to benchmark our client, does that make Federated the worst team ever? Have you seen wedding crashers?


Post script: I watched wedding crashers on the plane ride to Paris.

"booger"

I present a conversation:

Players:
Pip- A 20 something from MN who is frequently a bit immature
Kay (KIE)- a 20 something from Norway who is soooo considerate and kind, that several international students have dubbed him, "Cute Kay."


The scene:

Pip: . . . . . . . .oh booger.
Kay: What does "booger" mean?
Pip: UMM. Nasal discharge?
Kay: Nasal Discharge-- you sound so formal.
Pip: Right. Wasn't sure if "snot" would be considered slang or not.
Kay: No, no. I know what "snot" is. So what does "booger" mean other than "snot?" It is good for me to learn slang.
Pip: Uh Kay. . . "booger" isn't really slang that people use regularly. Um, just me. yeah.

Scene may have been altered slightly due to lack of memory, presence of alcohol, and to allow it to run in the time alotted.

mind the gap

So the Barrister, Matty and I spent the weekend in London. First and foremost I found it such an unbelievable relief to be able to speak in English all the time. I didn't realize how taxing it was to be confronted with a bit of fear every time you approach someone on the street for directions or try to buy anything- even a pack fo gum. (I certainly do not know the french translation for peppermint. I was half tempted to stock up on gum in preparation for my return to France where I pick my gum flavor based on the color of the packaging which I imagine is closest to what I think peppermint might be. Okay, I got distracted. . . .)

London was interesting to experience after being in France for a while. As odd as this sounds, I felt lighter somehow. The little things were more enjoyable. I was pleasantly amused by just reading the advertisements in the metro- which is not something I have the luxury of in France, or being able to read the tube map without having to translate. I also found the metro's loudspeaker announcements of "mind the gap" commentary to be somewhat funny. To be honest, it isn't that Paris is scary, I feel more comfortable in Paris many ways because it is so far from what I expected and so far out of my comfort zone that it just forces you to operate in a completely different way and without customer service in any way whatsoever, whereas London culture is just slightly different than US culture which messes with your mind.

London was great all in all- although it is quite a bit more expen$ive than France. We did a lot of touristy type things including a bus tour and a visit to the Tower of London. I liked the Tower quite a bit and realized that I am way too tall to have lived in the 16th century. I would frequently have to mind my head. I mean, mend my head. We also spent an evening watching a rugby match in a bar and we spent another night at the Lion King. Like most theater productions, there were parts I enjoyed quite a bit and parts that drove me to giggle in the not-so-nice way. Matty was no help with the giggling thing. Can you feel the love tonight? Also the movie certainly did not feature a musical number, "Chow Down!" The stage version shouldn't have featured it either. . . The dance was great and many of the scenes were quite beautiful. A good spectacle that I rather enjoyed.
Being with my family in London was great. A brief moment where the gap between myself and home didn't seem so far apart.

sitting in the seat next to you

On the train to Normandy Matt and I switched IPods. I immediately started looking for any music that would fit in at a coffee house and I imagine he immediately started looking for any music that involved an electric guitar. After we noticed that all we were doing was looking for our own music on each other's IPod, Matty suggested a song for me to listen to that was more 'my style.' I didn't know the band, Butterfly Boucher, or the song, Another White Dash- but the first lyrics I really heard were:

There is something about having everything
You think you'll ever need
Sitting in the seat next to you


Indeed, life has a soundtrack.

good things still in my head

check back tomorrow. . . I actually have homework to do first! But alas not to worry, I have macroecon tomorrow for 3 hours which means that I will likely finish the blogs I started in class today.


bad blogger. bad.


(and bad student)


PS: Arnholt, Jay and Matt-- I took a very campy picture of myself at Tesco over the weekend. . but I can't find it! I am crushed. Tesco-who?

welcome home

Welcome home Barrister and Matty.
My room is much emptier,
but so is my life.

It has been 12 hours and I am already feeling sad pants.

I swear I have good things in my head

but they aren't coming out at the moment. I have had very many funny blog-able moments and thoughts. . . . but they will have to wait for my 3 hour strategy class tomorrow. We are covering Porter's five forces. . . . and I am planning on booking travel plans and blogging. I would feel guilty- but the guy next to me brings a pillow and sleeps through class without the blink of an eye.


new pictures on flickr.


again. 2 points for the pun. I kill me.

I'll be here all week. Try the veal. Tip your waitstaff well.

Guest blog compliments of Matty

Guess what.
I've got a fever.
And the only prescription is more Grey's Anatomy.

I waited five years to get my very own classically posed, cheesy study abroad picture

and here it is.

grey's anatomy really is that good.

Matty: "There are two new episodes? Let me guess, a man gets pregnant."
Pip: "Don't dis my show."
Matty: "George was looking pretty round."

Guest blog extrordinaire

So here I am, now taking over Dana's blog for a post. Or more...

I was thinking Yesterday about why the French are in France yesterday on our train ride to Normandy. As Dana has mentioned, the weather here is strange, it isn't particularly green right now, and the countryside of northern France is reminiscent of Central Minnesota with its mandatory two cafes and a tall church steeple in every village. Everything old was crumbling; everything new was, well, strange.

On the way back, after visiting the beaches of Normandy (which were entirely devoid of French visitors, which I thought a bit odd), I figured it out. The red sun was setting into the clouds over the ruins of a Norman castle and with Dana resting her head on my shoulder, France was perfect. It was just us together sharing a moment that nobody else seemed to see. I had the love of my life next to me enjoying the same sights, and there was no place we had to go, no rush to be anywhere, no language barrier to restrict our options, and no time mattered any more. No further words could better describe it-- it was perfection in life.

Maybe you can have a scene like that anywhere. But here when you do it, it becomes an art form-- a picture meant to last, an image burned into memory that generations later still exists and glows brighter than ever before.

From the graffiti covering every square inch of Metro walls to the halls of the Louvre, the French enjoy their art. Not to say they're the only ones, but the French certainly figured it out-- the art isn't just on the walls in France. You live it here-- being with the one you love here makes life not only bearable, but beautiful.

God lives in France this time of the year

Yesterday we based a lot of our trip on chance. We got up in the morning and took a trip to Bayeux which is the closest train stop to Omaha beach. I had a hard time finding solid information about how to actually get to the beach but I was hopeful that we would be able to figure it out once we got to the train station. I believe I said the words. . . "I am sure we will find a large sign that says TOURS OF OMAHA BEACH THIS WAY -->"
We went into Paris to look for the large UBER station that would take us to Normandy. We eventually found the large train station and the attendant was nice enough to let us get on an earlier train which meant that we wouldn't have to transfer at Caen. Win number 1. After passing through Caen which looked like a pretty big town with signs everywhere to visit beaches, we continued on for 20 minutes or so to Bayeux. Okay- so Bayeux is not the metropolis that I had hoped. In fact, it was smaller than Jouy. Quaint, with a big, beautiful, gothic church and a bar. . . . and in the middle of fucking nowhere. Drats. So, trying to be optimimistic we left the train station and started walking toward the bar. About 10 seconds later we saw a giant sign pointing to the bar that said: TOURS OF OMAHA BEACH THIS WAY --> win number 2. The tour place was 'quaint' as well. . . but the tour man was very nice- especially when he told us that we had unfortunately missed the last tour of the day but he could get us a driver to take us to all the sights. win number 3.
So we all piled into an old van and the cutest french man ever, who we later realized was probably just the cook, drove us to the cemetary, Omaha beach and Pont Du Hoc. Very cool . . . very very cool. I also got a message from Aunt Sparky that mentioned that my grandfather had landed there in WW2, so that was pretty neat to think about as well. The final win of the day came when we missed the last train from Versaille to Jouy. Right, doesn't sound like a win-- in fact we thought we might need to get a hotel 10 minutes away from campus. But wait there is more! We walked out of the train station towards the town of Versailles in hopes of a bus or cab that might out of pure luck be willing to go to Jouy en Josas. Right in front of the train station was a cab, I asked the cab driver in French if he spoke English. And he said "No. . . (pause). . .HEC?" Win number 4. 15 euro later, we were back on campus and we didn't even have to walk the mile uphill from the train station in freezing weather. That is a damn bargain if you ask me.

As Matty put it: "God must be in France this time of year"

Few pictures included and more available on the flickr site:



The last few days have been really fun. The Barrister was pretty sick when he got here and now Matty has come down with it as well. We have been taking it easy just kind of heading to Paris as people feel well enough. Tomorrow we head to London. With our luck, let's hope God has a timeshare in London as well.

exploring negativity

pip: 'What do you mean a can of diet coke is a 1 euro 60?!?! France sucks.'
halfsies: 'Wow. That is the first time I have heard you say that.'

beautiful parents

Dear beautiful parents,

Thank you SO much for the cookies and the movie, it totally made my day! I also have to say thanks for taking care of Sophie while we are gone! (hide the ham!) I got a letter from Andy last week as well which was pretty awesome- it makes me feel so happy to be a part of such a wonderful family! I miss you all and can't wait to see you again.

I thought you might appreciate this- the french translation for mother-in-law and father-in- law is La Mere Belle and La Pere Beau. (Beautiful Mother and Beautiful Father)

we share DNA

I love this kid.
Can you blame me?

feels like home

Last night while I was trying to fall asleep I was thinking about how blessed I am in so many ways. The barristers arm was draped across my stomach and for the first time in weeks I felt an unconditionally love that was familiar but has been missing in France. Since being here I have often thought of home, but last night a new thought hit me. Home is not a location nearly as much as it is a someone. Home is wherever the person you love resides.

proud day

"Look dear, you would be proud of me. I bought underwear on my own."


yes. yes. very proud.

how to get sick

halfsies with halfsies
Originally uploaded by mes vies.

step 1: walk around all day in a very wet paris
step 2: share a cup of very famous (read between the lines. . . . expensive) cup of hot chocolate with a friend.
step 3: don't get out of bed the next day.

halfsies with halfsies didn't work out so well. oops.

post script. After an entire box of kleenex, I am feeling much better today!

this will only make sense if you have seen disney's 'beauty and the beast'

Remember the scene where Belle is walking down the street in her village. . . .

Jouy en Josas reenactment compliments of yours truly.

Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!

guess what monkey butt

Barrister and Matty will be in France in 20 minutes! Hard to concentrate in classs. WOO HOO.

highlights from my first presentation in france

Pip: "blah blah blah blah electricity infrastructure blah blah blah"

Random french guy who didn't do any work: (whispered)(during the presentation) "What's the name of the company?"

Pip: (gulp) "Mercatronic."


WHA?!?! I spent how many hours trying to read this case in French and he doesn't know the name of the company.


Je suis salty.

christmas gift is quite helpful

I save these for very rare occasions. . . but!

It is cold, and dreary and dank and I feel like a crank.

If the weather and my mood does not clear up these puppies will be my foundational undergarments for tomorrow.

I miss my friends and family ;(


*thanks for all your your warm thoughts and messages- it has really meant the world to me and has kept me from having to wear these yet!

french weather

picture from my run
Originally uploaded by mes vies.

A picture from my afternoon run.
I swear to God that it was sunny an hour earlier. The weather in France has PMS

teach me your dance

The Thursday Party
Originally uploaded by mes vies.

Remember how I was saying that the french do the Macarena? Or at least some group aerobics type dance that looks like the Macarena? Well my public, for you I have answers. . .

Ok- so the Thursday parties are still one of the most fascinating events at HEC. This particular Thursday was the "big party"-- meaning they take the entire cafeteria, which looks like a room that was furnished entirely with neon, plastic, Ikea furniture and turn it into a dance club. Note the picture.

So, anyway before the party- there is the "pre" party- complete with as much vodka pomme (apple juice and vodka, the HEC drink of preference) as you would like. It just so happened that pre-party was in the same building as the french YMCA convention! Yay! Answers!

So, after more than one (or two. . . or. . . ) vodka pommes I hopped over to the room with the dancers/ exercisers and got the scoop from my new 19 year old friend, Pierre.

They are first year undergrads running for student senate- each team of about 40 students or so has to create a dance and perform it the day of elections. So you guessed it. . . I am a proud honorary member of SeenInnocence*, one of the groups campaigning. *I don't get the play on words. . .

Pierre and his posse taught me their dance (to Touch Me) and it has all of the following "moves":
surfing
guns shooting in the air
hip thrusting
cat scratching
rocky like bag training
hands pulsing over a beating heart

I am sure I can find a way to integrate this into the Music Man.

*my favorite part is the 20 or so students all calling out the moves in unison:
droit!
gauche!
droit!
gauche!

home sweet home

so this is really my building
and really where I live.
pretty.
probably not the best example of beautiful, french architecture.
unless that beautiful, french architecture happened to be built in the 60's.
the 1960's.

success

I have been working on my RRRRR pronounciation since I got here-- and I am proud to say that I have had 2- count em 2! successful R's today. Eat that Tirez!

beaucoup cartes

At CSOM, there is 1 card for damn near everything

At HEC, there are 6 cards needed to operate as a student

Cards Needed:
1. student card
2. student activities card
3. printing card
4. copying card
5. dining card
6. coffee/vending card

Operational efficiency at France's top business school.

HEC quote of the day

"We may not have internet, but at least the water is back on." Halfsies

prom with smoke and booze

So this is a wee late, but here is a quick description of the gala.

All day I was in class for this mandatory seminar that I am doing this weekend and next weekend. Which was a major bummer because it meant that I missed Kirsten’s wedding. More on that later. After being in class for six days straight, I was pretty jazzed about doing “something” during the evening- especially if that “something meant getting out of Jouy en Josas. There was a fundraising- gala put on by the school and it seemed like as good of a plan as any. The gala was really the prom with cigarettes and alcohol in a very beautiful location. There were six of us who went in one itsy-bitsy euro-car (driven by someone else). A very kind student drove us there- which totally rocked because it was quite chilly to be parading to the train station in dress and heels. Highlights: The Westin is beautiful, so beautiful that it has bodyguards at the door. Apparently I sound the same when I say champagne and alcool—(how is that for a bad accent?). The French can dance easily with a lit cigarette in their hand and I managed to not get burned once. There are NO cabs at 4:30 am in Paris. NO CABS. We got another ride home with another very kind student. Yay for the French people! It was quite a bit of fun however and I am growing increasingly concerned about the welfare of my liver- especially since the BIG Thursday party is this week- the one that goes to 5 am instead of 3 am. Can’t wait to see that madness. Gala pictures available here.

Side note- I called the Idzerdies on Sunday and caught them together at lunch the day after Kirsten’s wedding, a very typical Idzerdy happening. It was good to talk to them on so many levels but it really gave me a real dose of sadness. As much as I am thankful for being here, I also feel a deep regret for missing the life events of the people who mean so much. Love you all SOOO much!

Congratulations Kirsten and Reggie!

for my public

These are the crazy photo's requested by my friend anonymous!


I heart anonymous.
I heart comments.
i heart having a public! (albeit, self declared)

additional photos available flickr

we share a shower

Georges- Etienne
aka: George
aka: G-E

He is holding a baguette, the staple of the student diet at HEC.

the french education system

Couple points I would like to share:

The positive:
1. Each class has a packet- and those packets are FREE!!! That's right! F-R-E-E!
2. There is a really cheap coffee machine immediately inside the building.
3. The school has a subscription to many newspapers- all of which are free for students to pick up.


The negative:
1. There are not assigned classrooms for classes so each and ever day you have to stop by this television which has shows a list of the room assignments for each class that day. Not so convenient in the morning when you are almost surely running late from trying to push your way through the mobs of French students. Would it be sooooo hard to assign a classroom for an entire semester? I mean the game of musical classrooms is fun and all.. . .but, still.
2. The queue for the coffee machine is quite long and the menu is in french. but it is perfectly acceptable to be late to class as long as you walk in holding the sacred dixie cup of coffee.
3. Who the hell has time to read newspapers for pleasure? I am too busy trying to read my damn marketing case and keep up my social life. Geez.

new hobbies

I came all the way to France to find Grey's Anatomy. yay!!!

fair and balanced

Just wanting to give another perspective on HEC.

From Halfsies.
(another exchange student at HEC. )

I wish you could have seen what I saw

So we exited my building to go to the "thursday night party" compliments of "pulp it up" I saw (through the window) that in all three lounges of the building next door groups of 20 or so students were huddled around a laptop doing dances in unison. The only way I can describe this is that it looked like some combination of jazzercise and the macarena. All three floors. . .

The 'thursday night party' went until 4 am, so I am a little bit tired. and hung over.

50 ways to use the toillette:

You just pull on the chain, Duane
Try to avoid the men, Ken
Stay in the stall, Paul
Just let yourself pee
Turn on that crank, Hank
Go quick and avoid the stank
Just use your knee, Lee
And get yourself free

Does not translate:

The student organization here is called:

"Pulp it up"

Is there some english reference that I am just not getting?

email from netflix shipping

In my email today I got an update from the good folks at Netflix.

For Thu: Scrubs Season 1: Disc 1
For Thu: Wedding Crashers
For Thu: Scrubs Season 1: Disc 2


I think *someone* was tired of me controlling the queue. :)
Happy viewing, dear! Lovies.

nap cures all

My spirits are up today folks. Last night I got--count em-- 10 hours of sleep! I followed it up by a 2 hour nap after class! Mad props over here. The debt of sleep deprivation has been paid in full, with interest.

My classes in general are not very difficult- except for the occasional blindsiding by the teacher-- for example my marketing strategy class has all the cases in French with no translation. Well, that's a bummERR (french for bummer) if I ever saw one.

Yesterday, I went down to Jouy en Josas to catch the train to Paris. (which deserves an explanation point) Paris! I heart Paris! There were three of us and we walked around the streets a bit- got cell phones switched over and exchanged money. I also got a new pair of jeans with glitter! Apparently my 20 year old friends think that I need to dress less matronly. . . . hence the glitter. Very chouette. I am getting a better feel for the weather and the clothing now and have started to supplement my wardrobe with more practical things that work well in mud.

One of the girls is from the OC which I found to be pretty funny after yesterday's conversation. She told us at dinner about the process for rushing a sorority-- let's just say that I had NO idea that the tv show the OC was based on truth. I heart Minnesota. (but no explanation point. . .)

Getting back to the quaint setting of Jouy en Josas proved to be somewhat challenging late in the evening. Many of the trains were no longer running at that time, so it took well over 2 hours to make the trip. When we got back to Jouy en Josas (J+J for the csom folks) the bus to campus wasn't running. It is quite easy to walk to J+J but very hard to walk from J+J. Regardless of what path you take, the campus is on a GI-normous hill. Due to my impromptu training session last night, I felt pretty ok about skipping my workout this morning in favor of my marathon sleeping session.

tired

Okay, not to complain, but last night my friend across the hall-- the one who attacks aliens-- changed to trance music about midnight last night, which sounds a lot like moving furniture. . . to a beat. After about 15 minutes of trying to sleep, I decided to put on my earphones and listen to my ipod in bed- which was a good option for a while. Ultimately about an hour later I took off my earphones to hear every bit of 'dialogue' to a VERY QUESTIONABLE MOVIE. grr.

Sir, I can hear you, and I am totally judging you. turn down your speakers, si'l vous plait!


So in a daze I walked to class today amongst the gaggle of French students, who sound like they are all laughing and bantering on in some sort of whooshing whisper. I was just opening the door to the school building when I heard the group in front of me break the french shushing and one say to the other: "do you have last season of the OC?, oui?'


viva la france.

Life's lessons not yet learned

When Pip is tired and her feet are cold, it is better to get out of bed and put on socks than to silently complain about aforementioned cold feet all night. Cold feet induced insomnia does not make sense when socks are three feet away. Condition often leads to over-reliance on coke light.

I kid you not

pour les enfants?



wine juice boxes?



+2 points for the pun.

not too shabby

Highlights from my trip to Paris:


1. My French is improving by leaps and bounds. I have met some nice Canadians who make me speak in French all the time! It is great! I was also able to easily have all my conversations with waiters/ store clerks etc. en francais.(which was a struggle 3 days ago)

2. Pip: "Hmm. That building looks big. (pause) Wait. That looks like Notre Dame!" Yep. *(Quasi comes home. . . ;)
*For Barrister and Kate.

3. I got a wee bit motion sick on the bus and train--- I didn't "get" sick-- but it was a pretty uncomfortable trip home. Could have been because I didn't get much sleep the night before. Coke light has much more caffeine that diet coke. I am going to stick to bowl coffee from now on.

4. A french student asked me if I was from the US OR Brittain! This means I am making progress in my French right?

5. I have another neighbor-- he likes a lot of bass when he plays video games. Based on my wall shaking, I think he is invading. . .


6. The other students who are studying abroad are fantastic. I am really excited about this experience!

summary: Sunday was a much better day all together and I am not feeling nearly as homesick as I was on Saturday. Thank you all for the kind messages!

Conversation

Pip: SHAWN (insert whining) I don't speak French well. . .
Pip: And it (reprise) SUCKS.
Shawn: At least you speak english well...you didn't say "i don't speak french good"


Right. It could be worse.


**A note on the french-thing. I was doing better with the French when I was watching tv in Paris and getting around town. I still struggled to speak- but I could understand almost everything around me. Needless to say it is much harder at the school to understand average conversation.

2 points of clarification

Since I have already had several questions:

1. The bathroom is really co-ed. Really. 2 stalls. 2 urinals. And yes, you have to walk by the urinals to get to the stalls. The floor is co-ed and there are 12 single rooms.

2. The curtains are really green. As in neon, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air green. Ok- the curtains aren't that bad. . . but they cover an entire wall during the night and I feel like I am living inside a lime.

gray skies are gonna clear up

1. Took the shower-- it wasn't freezing cold-- just lukewarm/kinda cold-- okay by me!

2. Got this email:

HI
i don't know who you are, where you come from or if you speak french but
i'll be happy to help you....

just contact me at any time by mail or by phone

anne, your buudy



I get a buudy?!?! Yay!

coffee in bowls

So let's get back to this Maslow thing. . . remember food and shelter being important? Okay- so my biggest dilemma at this point-- and I am sad to admit it-- is the fact that I still can't figure out the food situation. I am on my third day of 1 meal a day and I can't say I am super pleased about it.

Today I got up early, 5 am France time, went for a run and then tried to make my way back to the cafeteria for some food. Of course, because I am clueless, I decided to follow the French girl that looked like she knew what was up with the food situation. I followed her-- got some bread- which as it turns out IS breakfast here. Then I sat down and ate my bread-- realized that other people have coffee. . . but I don't know where it is.. . and all I see is bowls. I later find out that the bowls and the coffee are related. So after my bread, I return to the dorm to find the power has gone out-- as has the internet. SAD PANTS!!! NO worries, I think to myself- I will take a shower- but turns out that shower is freezing cold. Son of a. . . . So I accidentally took a nap, which means I skipped the 30 minute window they call lunch.


Dinner is in an hour -- which means FOOD and a single sex bathroom.

Goals for tonight:
shower
Send out contact information
have some coffee or coke light.

all is well and my curtains are green

Not just any green-- BRIGHT GREEN!

Okay- seriously- I will not bore you with the finer details of dorm life. The university is good-- but my taxi driver got lost twice finding it. To say that the university is out a ways from Paris would be a giant understatement-- you have to take a train transfer twice then take a bus to get to campus-- yeah for the Taxi! Too bad that I can't take a taxi everytime I go to Paris. The taxi ride alone is 70 euro. Dang.

The campus looks a lot like SJU in parts-- lots of concrete and 60's era decor- which leads me back to the GREEN Curtains!!!


Other key highlights from the trip so far:

First songs heard in the taxi on the way to the hotel:

Celine Dion in French
Sexbomb- Not in French
Mambo # 5- Not in French
Roxanne- Not in French
Celine again. . . in French

After an exciting taxi ride and a more exciting hotel check in-- I made my way to a French convenience store to make my first purchase: A pocket sized English/ French dictionary. hmm.

I successfully ordered a cappuccino in a cafe as well as an omelette and salad. I may have been willing to be more adventurous but every other menu item contained an ingredient that I simply wasn't sure about. . . . but the cappuccino was great- as was the omelette. I ordered completely in French and almost survived all parts of the meal without needing a translater until she offered dessert and I thought she said cheque. Damn. I did accomplish one of my life goals-- I ate alone and didn't read anything. I just sat and watched people, which was great because if fulfilled one of my life goals and I was SUPER tired and I don't speak french well . ..

Got to campus with more luggage than any human needs and had to wind around to various buildings until I found the bureau de residence. They were at lunch. So. . . I waited for a while then found out that I needed 400 euro in cash in order to get my room. . . which no problem b/c there is a ATM on the other side of campus. Me and my luggage made the journey again.

Found out that the bathroom is communal-- and co-ed. zut! I thought it was a mens bathroom because of the urinals. . . but no. So I waited all day until George-- see below-- filled me on the rest of the story.

I met George from Quebec who is my next door neighbor and shares my shower. He is great- he is an undergrad student who is studying abroad here.


Excerpt from my conversation with Jenny from Sweden:

Jenny: Where are you from.
Pip: US
Jenny: Right. But WHERE in the US.
Pip: Right. Minnesota.


The campus is mostly closed today because the French students are on break-- so there wasn't any food places open all day-- so I just got back from dinner hour. No worries. . . they have diet coke. It is in a smaller bottle- so I will have to get two. Food at the cafeteria isn't great- but it is super cheap and breakfasts are free for all students. Can't complain about that!

Needless to say- things are looking up since I found the bathroom and ate. Maslow really was right. . . some needs simply must be met before self-actualization :)

We will see how tomorrow goes. . .. I am seriously considering taking extra french classes. . . there is a huge difference between asking where things are etc. and actually communicating. . . those boogers talk very fast! ;)

Pictures available flickr include: 2 shots of my dorm. . . Paris via my hotel room and an artistic shot I will call. . . "paris when you are supEEERRR tired and hungry and you leave the camera on landscape"


bon soir

i am here but the keyboard is weird

or as the french would say:

i q,here but the keyboqrd is zeird


I will write more when i can get my laptop to work!


Miss u all


ps: barrister; can i call u barry?= pillow was a bonne idee

Medical Updates from Sophers

I am submitting Sophie for this training program.
Week one: Learn to sit. Yes, I mean on command.
Week two: Defeat cancer

hook, line and . ..

Thank you to all that attended last night. It is now 5:30 in the morning and I am still up thinking about the generosity of each of you and the gratitude I feel for having a life so full of joy and love.

Thank you so much for sharing in my journey and special thanks to Eric for making it such a wonderful evening. I was VERY surprised-- but in a VERY good way.

You are all making it very hard for me to leave!!


Pictures available here!

Send me on my way

Last night a bunch of my college girlfriends came over for dinner. It was a bitter sweet departure because it truly was a perfect evening. Scott, Eric and Matt made dinner for all of us and the food was INCREDIBLE. We ate and drank and laughed and it was just a perfect night all together. . .

These are just a few of my favorite photos-- Kirsten practicing her wedding crying with tissue roses, Sara(h) squared kissing and a group shot.

Often with this group of ladies- and those that couldn't be there-- but you know who you are-- I have thought to myself about how lucky my life has been. These friendships are often closer than any sisterhood I could imagine and are deeper than any love could be. I don't know how I became so blessed that the people I admire most in life have become such incredible friends.

Other highlights of the night:

Matt got Drunk Part Deux- The re-education of Matthew J. Kelly
Matt: "I feel warm."
Kate: "Me too."


On the Olympic Opening Ceremony. "The Canadians get cute hats because they have money to buy cute hats because they are not at war"
-Liz.


On the French Language. "Why do the French say WE WE when it is spelled OI. OI.?"
-Sandy.
Hmm. good point. I will ask when I get there.

On Kirsten's Wedding.

Kate: "Are you going to sell raffle tickets for dances with your grandpa?"
Kirsten: "I don't want him to have a heart attack"
Kate: "I will resuscitate him"

**Editors note. Pip had to look up the spelling for the big nursing word said above.




Other photos are available here via flickr

And she makes a mighty fine lemon bar.

The other night, my dad took me out for dinner before I left. We always knew when my dad wanted to celebrate because he would insist on ordering a steak. Steak is the traditional meat of celebration in the Kelly world. So on our date to Outback- home of the Aussie Steak, My dad and his fiance, Marge, talked about different issues in each of our lives. I realized while my dad and Marge were talking about their first date how the table had turned. They talked about their upcoming, yet not planned, nuptuals and my father called her 'mother' when asking her what 'mother' wanted to order. ("Mother should order the steak")

I would have thought that my father replacing my mom with another woman would be hard for me to take. But I have to say that at some point despite myself I actually became an adult.

Marge is a great addition to our family, even though she is short. She makes my dad a happy man. And for that I am happy.

shout out to the CSOM IT department

I got my laptop fixed and it is:
New
and Shiny
and Perfect.

Panic

Who will scratch my back in France?

Shawn. . . .the corruptor

Pip: I need to work
Shawn: Play with myspace instead
Pip: that won't help me with my presentation on Thursday

So, as you can see on the next slide. . .
I am a virgo.
with 8 friends.

Can that be animated in ppt?

Porn Dog

A raw account of my everyday conversations.






Sophie: Rub my belly?

Pip: Princess, ladies don't show that much skin. Or lick themselves.

All that you can't leave behind

A quick snapshot from sledding. This was taken couple of weeks ago- but I thought you might appreciate the love. These nights make it hard for me to go. . . but I remind myself, it is 4 months. . . I am not dying. I can go sledding when I get back in June.

summary

All too accurate. . .

Many of you know about my recent health issues and I thought you might appreciate this commentary by dooce.


I have never heard my situation described in more clarity:

"Besides, I don’t feel hopeless right now, and for anyone who hasn’t ever felt that deep, lonely ache of complete hopelessness, not feeling it feels like a present of chocolate orgasms under the Christmas tree with your name on it. That good. "

You're fancy

JP: you have a domestic animal, a real job,....do you have magazine delivered to your home?

A note on time management

Barrister: How is your work going? (Dear)
Pip: I am accidentally im'ing CP

oops. i'm an im whore.

UBERgreat

Although things are pretty busy until I leave-- it is all with UBERgreat things. As many of you know, I greatly prefer busyness to idleness. But I greatly prefer idleness that involves movies or theater or napping to busyness. So here are some recent UBERgreat activities from the last day or so:

1. Margaritas with Emily. Girl. you know me well. . . . nothing but love here. . . .
2. Getting the barrister to take a nap and watch the American President- yes, with Michael Douglas AND Annette Benning. . . . Barrister- you made me proud. I will make you lazy yet. . . .
3. Matty and Barrister are coming to visit me in France in a month!! Wahoozers.
4. SupEEERRRRR. Any english word can become a french word if you either explode the second half of the word or ommit the second half entirely ( ex. gourmet.)
5. Barbara's party. Good times.

Goodbye Cell Phone

I am cancelling my phone subscription when I leave. . .

Things seem a bit more real.

DEA tip

Aveda has trace amounts of cocaine in it's products.

Can't.
Get.
Enough.