What a weekend

If I was remotely concerned that I was becoming too anti-social and not going out enough- I completely retract any prior statements made.

Thursday night I went out for drinks with a new friend. Long story short, I drank too much, and felt very horrible the next day in school. Needless to say, I'm going to be taking it easy during the school week. Friday night, the Americans threw a party for our friend Lam Lam. She's from Honk Kong, but studied at Northeastern with all of us. The party was in true American collegiate style: a bucket of jungle juice, beer pong, games of flip cup, and of course a dance party. So many different people came! The party was a hit- everyone kept saying how much fun it was, and that Americans really know how to throw a great party. We came to the conclusion that yes, yes we do: BUT because we have to. Everyone else around the world can drink or go out to bars when they're 18, but we can't. In order to feel some sense of maturity, we bring the socializing to our own homes (well.. dorms, appts etc..). If we didn't- well, I think we'd be very bored and much better students. So, it was pretty fun explaining to people from Spain, France, Italy, Australia, you name it, the rules and general point of playing beer pong. It was a great night. I know I had a blast, and I hope everyone else did too.

The next night I had to take it easy. I cooked dinner for Lam, and just relaxed a lot. Then, Sunday morning the Americans decided to have an American Breakfast. It was so much fun. We cooked eggs, pancakes (they ended up just being really really thick crepes... Good in theory, a bit rubbery in actuality...), hash browns, bacon, mimosas, etc.. It was really nice to hang out with everyone and just enjoy good food and good company.

Aside from that, there isn't too much to update. I have a long break in between classes tomorrow... like.. for 6 hours.. so I'm going to try and go out and do some photography. I forgot how relaxing it is for me. Oh, speaking of which, I've uploaded new photos of my room and stuff onto Facebook- in the album "Hello France." Check it out if you want!

Ok. Over and out.

After a month, I'm BACK!

Well ladies and gents, today is my one month anniversary of living in France. I'm finding it absolutely ludicrous that it's already been so long. At times, I really felt it. But now.. It's amazing how time can just pass you by.

Today I was decently productive. I really REALLY needed to do my CV, and I did! YAY! In a CV you're supposed to put a picture of yourself, but it should be of good quality. Obviously, I'm waaaaay too cheap to go to a professional photographer- so I did it myself. I set up my tripod, hooked up my ah-maaay-zing camera, set up the lighting, got all pretty, and had myself a nice little photoshoot. I edited it afterwards, and baddabing! Insta-professionalquality-photo! Alright, so it's not that great... but it works!

Let's see.. What's been going on? Well, for starters, I had made tentative plans with some new friends to go to Paris to see the Michael Jackson movie. Off subject, but people must think I'm from another planet- I've caught myself being waaaay too overly obsessed with MJ. I may need to tone it down a few notches... Naaaaaaah. So, anyways, we were all going to go to Paris to see the movie, because I thought that it wasn't playing here. WRONG. It is. It actually works out well because both of the girls cancelled on me because their parents are coming to town. Totally fine with me- I'm just happy that I can see it locally!

I've come to realize that a lot of my blog is about food. Interesting.. I think it's because food is such an integral part of culture. It's strange and difficult enough being someplace else but home, but when most of the food is different- it really becomes unsettling. That is, of course, until you start to make your own habits. I think that I've been so brain-dead because of this big transition I have made, that I had lost my cooking creativity for quite some time. But alas, it has returned!

I feel that this is so monumental because my brain is finally allowing itself to be comfortable in a completely foreign environment than how it's programmed to think. I now must think outside the box. For a while, I was stuck on the fact that I didn't have an oven. "That's how I cook! with an oven! What the hell am I supposed to do without an oven??"

I don't what triggered it, but something has caused me to just.. move on. I ain't gettin' no oven, so I better start being inventive or else I just keep on eating the same old, quick and easy shit (aka pasta and soup... great in moderation, but they'll destroy your palate if you have them everyday). It could be that I'm finally starting to feel well rested. That's big too.

So, my big, creative, wonderfully satisfying dinner (that I'm eating as I write):

Appetizer: An eggplant sliced thin, sauteed in olive oil with sea salt and black pepper- what's funny is, I never eat eggplant. I went shopping the other day and they were just so pretty that I had to buy one. I ate the whole thing. Granted, it did mostly taste like olive oil. I can picture what my dad would say if he ate some of it: "Hey. Deen. How 'bout a little eggplant with that olive oil?" Eh, it was perfectly greasy, salty, and toasted perfectly brown.

Main dish: Quinoa, topped with-- sauteed haricot verts (I would say green beans, but they're thinner..), red onion, yellow bell pepper and kidney beans, seasoned with cayenne pepper, curry, basil, salt n peppa, and garlic-- with a dollop of creme fraiche (sour cream ain't got nothin' on creme fraiche).

Dessert: Maybe an apple? or perhaps a pear? Of course followed by a wonderful camomille tea and local, crystalized honey.

I'M BACK!

I can already feel my creative juices flowing! Maybe I'll finally get out and do some photography, weather depending of course.

I find it odd that I'm just so at ease right now. I've never spent this much time by myself before, but I'm so completely happy with it. I like the tranquility. Don't get me wrong, I'm making friends every day, and they're all wonderful. I think it's all due to the fact that I have my own place. I've never really had my own place before. Sure, I've moved away from my home into an apartment- but I've always had roommates that I'm good friends with. (shout-out to Nicky, Julie, TJ, and Amanda! hahah). During the transition of moving from school to home, or vice versa, I always find myself feeling so lonely. Maybe it's because I'm accustomed to constantly having friends around- that when they aren't there, I feel completely alone. Now, now it's all different. I expected it to be very difficult to live by myself.. guess I was mistaken!

I wonder how I'm going to feel in a month from now. I've already been through such a dramatic, roller coaster ride of emotions. I'm kind of liking this whole blog thing because I can track my emotions.

Well, I'm definitely in a good mood for no particular reason. I think I may jam out to a few tunes, finish formatting my CV, have me some tea, and watch a good movie.

Always remember, no matter where you're going, there you are. Thank you Buckaroo Bonzai.

Goodnight to all, and to all a goodnight.

TGIF

Thank GOD It's Friday

Man, these school weeks are SO long. I stand corrected, by the way. I actually am taking 13 classes. That's right, 13 classes in one semester. It's a crisp autumn night in Reims (who am I kidding.. it's freezing outside) and I have decided to stay home, change into my plaid flannel pajamas, and take it easy.

I'm realizing how much work I have ahead of me. This weekend is going to be productive. It HAS to be. I must complete my resume and cover letter. Typically, students send out an average of 75 resumes in order to find an internship. 75! I need to get this process going, or else I might be up le creek sans paddle.

I've discovered yet another delicious new favorite snack.

I call it: Le Breakfast Sangwich

-take one wasa cracker. place on plate or napkin (optional)

-spread one triangle of La Vache Qui Rit cheese on smooth side of cracker for even distribution

-scramble one egg with a pinch of salt

-place scrambled egg on top of wasa cracker and cheese

-devour.

I need to start being more inventive with my meals. In my kitchen, I have only a stovetop.

While this is soooo much better than not having a kitchen at all, I must admit that I am not experienced with stovetop cooking. I cook everything in an oven.

If any of you have ANY ideas that are good for stovetop cooking, I would greatly appreciate it. If I eat any more pasta, I might do something dangerously reckless. I'm sick of it.

Ok. Time to finish my tea and pass out. BIG DAY TOMORROW. PRODUCTIVITY. HOO-RAH

It's the little things in life..

Today was the first day I was able to use the laundry room (vs washing everything in my bathroom sink and air-drying across chairs and other contraptions).

2 loads in the washing machines- 7 Euro

2 loads in the dryer- 4 Euro

Climbing in to a fresh, clean, warm bed after an exhausting day and not caring that you just spent 11 Euros on 2 loads of laundry - Priceless

I have to admit it's getting better, it's getting better all the time

I didn't realize it has been a while since I last wrote a new post. I'll try to be a little better about keeping you up to speed... although I have to say, I don't really even know if anyone's reading this. Meh, I'll write anyways.

Last week, I completed my first week of classes. Wawaweewah! It's going to be the most intense academic year I will ever have. This semester, it appears as though I am taking 11 different courses. Yes, 11. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work. This system at my school is much different than in Boston, and honestly, I don't understand it. I think I have already taken many of these classes before, which is helpful. However, it isn't smooth sailing. I'm trying to remember the material that I already learned, while trying to figure out what each professor is saying, while trying not to confuse which class I need to be at. The other interesting thing about my schedule is that it changes every week. There's no set schedule! For example, if I was back home and was taking a Marketing class, it would be every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday for a certain amount of time throughout the entire semester. Not here. Last Monday I had three hours of Economie International. This week, I don't have it at all. Go figure. This will definitely take some time to get adjusted to.

What else... Oh, here's an interesting little tidbit: Every time I go to do my laundry, the laundry room is closed. Every single time. Today I washed all my socks by hand. Do you know how hard that is to do in a bathroom sink? Each day, I wash a little bit here, a little bit there- but this whole thing isn't working for me. Main reason: It's not that I don't mind washing by hand.. I'm not that lazy! It's really that I hate the feeling of clothes that dry by air. I feel like maybe I must be doing something wrong, but my clothes dry really stiff and uncomfortable. So, hopefully I'll be able to get some washer and dryer action going on.

This past weekend looked promising. I was invited to a party hosted by a few really nice French guys that I met in school. Friday night, I pick out a nice outfit, and me and my friend Simon head over. We get to the party, and I start to feel sick as soon as I enter the room. Not THAT kind of sick! But sick as in, hold on to the handles because you're about to get smacked in the face with a brick (and by brick, I mean a cold/flu). The pressure was building in my ears. It felt like someone was pushing down on my face. My throat started tightening, I started to get the shivers, and my muscles felt weak. Fortunately, Simon left the party with me, and we walked back.

I got home, pulled off my boots, and lay in bed. For some reason or another, I remembered that I packed a little baggy of medicine before leaving for France. When I opened the bag, light beamed out and angels began to sing. I had packed Tylenol Cold/Sinus pills. HALLELUJAH! I medicated myself, crawled into bed once more, and went to sleep. I was asleep by 11:45. Ah, to be a young woman on a Friday night, abroad during the prime of her life. I'll spare you the details, but essentially, I didn't leave my bed until I had to go to class this afternoon. It's Monday- by the way. I discovered some great websites to watch tons of movies, and that's exactly what I did. I saw Beauty & The Beast, Lady & The Tramp, Burn After Reading, The Hangover, The Holiday, Sunshine Cleaning, Bedtime Stories, a few episodes of Will & Grace, the last 3 or 4 episodes of Entourage that I hadn't seen, The Holiday (again... sigh... that's depressing), Confessions of a Shopoholic, and probably a few others that I can't even remember. I drank about... well, lets just say I plowed through an entire box of tea bags. I downed a quart of OJ, a few liters of water, and 3 packs of Emergen-C. Now, I'm feeling much better. I have a bit of a cough, but I pretty much annihilated that cold. It didn't stand a chance.

Ok, now I have to do some homework.. and download some Planet Earth episodes.

Much love to ya

I Feel Independent

I've finally accomplished some major things. 

1. I sent in all the paperwork for my visa. This is landmark for me. Not only did I send in all required documents, but I did so in a timely manner. Pat on the back.

2. I ran around town the other day (in the pouring rain with no umbrella) in search of an official translator. I went to Le Marie (which is like city hall), who then sent me to the Justice Department, who then gave me a list of official translators, one of which I CALLED ON THE TELEPHONE, and got my birth certificate translated. SHAMWHAAAAT? such accomplishments. Now, (hypothetically) I have given all necessary documents in order to receive APL (Aide de Personnel Logement) which is money given to students by the government to help pay for rent. Kudos France... lets just hope that I get it!

3. I've started all of my classes. Pat on the back. I know I may sound ridiculous, but I can't believe I'm actually doing this. As I sat in my Diagnostic Financier class (I think it's the same thing as Financial Management... that's my best guess), I started to congratulate myself. TRUTH: I had no idea what the professor was talking about. TRUTH: It was 8 AM and like all my other classes, it was entirely in French. TRUTH: It's going to be the hardest year of my life. FACT: I somehow did everything correctly, arrived safely, and managed to start school in a different country?! What am I even doing here?! THIS IS CRAZY! and I can already tell that despite all the upcoming challenges and tears I know I will shed, this year might be one of the best in my life.

4. I paid my first ever electricity bill today... by myself... at a post office... in Euros. Pat on the back.

5. I concocted an interesting dinner tonight. I am trying to be as fiscally resourceful as possible by spending the least amount of money I can. Instead of going to the grocery store (which I actually need to do tomorrow desperately) I created a soup/stew/pasta/hotpot dish... I have no idea what you could call it. Essentially: a few nights ago I accidently cooked enough quinoa to serve a small country. I've been adding it to soup.. eating it plain.. throwing pesto on top... putting it in omelets. Tonight, I conjured up some sort of dish that consisted of quinoa, water, french onion soup mix, frozen roasted veggies, Harissa (it's this crazy spicy Middle Eastern hot pepper paste... closest thing I can find to crushed red pepper), tomato sauce, noodles, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. It was very interesting... in a good way! It was both incredibly filling and sinus clearing.

6. I have a French bank/credit card. It has my name on it. Friggin cool. Again, pat on the back.

7. I've established new favorite snacks! I'm sorry, but a full tummy is a happy tummy, and a happy tummy is a happy Dena. Wasa crackers + Le Vache Qui Rit cheese (topped with an optional smoked salmon). Wasa crackers+thin spread of butter+honey. Wasa crackers with eggs over medium on top. Wasa crackers+nutella... anyone noticing a pattern here? Man, my creativity and ingenuity astounds me sometimes.

I can't tell if I'm so calm and collected right now because I actually am, or because I'm so stressed and in-over-my head that I have this invincibility complex going on. Either way, I'm going to bed tonight with a smile on my face.

I've already started to plan a trip to Paris for the last weekend in October. Here's the general game plan: Find a super cheap way to get there, find a couch to sleep on, and get tickets to see This Is It, the Michael Jackson movie that's coming out... and maybe see the Eiffel Tower (only if time permits it..) Ha, I kill myself. I really do. Although, I am starting to wonder if I can find someone as equally as ridiculous as myself to go to Paris with me to see the MJ movie. Is it sad that it has become my main motivation to go there? Pshaaa.... nah.

Anyways, goodnight to all you mesdames et messieurs.

You stay classy San Diego.

I'm such a slacker

It's almost amazing how good I can be at doing absolutely nothing...

Yesterday, my friend and I watched so many movies in a row. It started off with Gran Torino, followed by Adventureland, and then Twilight, finished off with Away We Go. It was so nice to just veg out and literally do nothing. Plus- all of the movies were great.

Today I watched about a season and a half of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I attempted to do my laundry, but the laundry room was locked. I washed my sheets and towels by hand in my bathroom, but that was way to much effort. So, I decided to just wait until tomorrow.

I had a great evening though. I met an American at synagogue during Yom Kippur, and she and I made plans to have a night of matzo ball soup. She did all the cooking, and I happily ate.

Tomorrow I have a big day ahead of me- it's the first official day of classes. Yippee! I'm excited, yet nervous, happy, yet wanting to just stay in bed for weeks at a time. I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

New favorite snack: Wasa crackers with a honey/butter spread.

Time for another episode of Fresh Prince, followed by a nice little coma.

Much love to ya,

Dena