It has come to my attention that Australians have a very bad reputation for their drinking habits in France (and elsewhere I'd imagine). Of course I knew we had a bit of a bad rep but not as bad as what I have recently discovered. I have met quite a few foreigners (mostly other travelers) in the last week, some french people too, and all of them have told me that I don't drink very much for an Australian. I didn't think much at first until talking to a french person who explicitly told me how most French people frown upon the amount of alcohol consumed by Australians. He also said that Australians really knew how to fight. I really didn't have any defense for this as I know both stereotypes are far from exaggerated. You see the difference is that Australians drink to to get drunk and take any excuse to do so, the French drink to experience and savour good alcohol. Of course this can not be applied to all Aussies and all French people and the stereotypes can be reversed, but it is interesting to see these little differences in culture.
Saturday afternoon I walked up and down Boulevard Haussman spending up a storm. I also did something very un-French, I went to Starbucks. In my defence all the cafes on the street were ridiculously expensive, 4 50 euros for an ice tea and no one does a chocolate frappucino like Starbucks... Shh!! Saturday night I stayed in looking after the girls and watched Les Simpsons. If you think the Simpsons are weird in English then its nothing compared to french-speaking yellow cartoons.
Today I made the mistake of walking around for hours on the left bank until I almost melted from the heat that has recently hit Paris. I found the hotel I stayed in last time, some very large and grand buildings in the middle of what seemed like no-where and finally I bought a huge salad and ate it in the Luxembourg Gardens. By that time I was craving a patch of shady grass to lie down on but it so happens that there are men in uniform who patrol the gardens and blow whistles at anyone who dares step foot on the beautiful soft grass.That's the French for you I guess. The gardens were very nice and I saw the teeniest ducklings in one of the ponds. Of course I had to end the day with some irresistible ice-cream from Haagen Dazs. On the metro home I experienced a new move from a french man. He was on crutches and asked if I would help him down the stairs. Of course this was just an excuse to talk to me and ask for my number as he could clearly walk fine on his own. Thankfully he wasn't the stalker type and after about five 'non' from me he left me alone.
I have a test at school tomorrow, I'm a bit worried that I will get yelled at again for my grammar, at least its my last week, next Saturday I'm heading down South, beach here I come!!

Football, summer and picnics in Paris

It has been a while since I wrote mainly due to the fact that I have spent most of my free time sleeping off late nights and long days. The beginning of the week was fairly uneventful except for the strangest visit to L'OFFI (immigration/integration department) where I had to have a medical test (just in case I posed a threat to the population of France). It was very bizarre, they weighed me, measured me, checked my eyesight then x-rayed my lungs. I understand the x-ray but the rest???
Wednesday I took the girls to the pool and had my first experience of the Paris bus system. On-time, efficient, regular! Australia has a long way to go before we are even halfway towards the standard of European transport. Wednesday night it was back to Cafe Oz to watch the make it or break it match. It was a load of fun as a crowd of Serbians were there screaming their chants to which us Aussies replied with Waltzing Matilda etc. Eventually the Serbians left after we scored two goals and replaced Aussie favourites with a chant of 'look at the scoreboard...'
Since the weather has gone from arctic to simply beautiful me and my new Swedish friend decided to have a picnic by the Seine on Thursday night. It was a wonderful night, the sun didn't go down till 11pm, it was balmy and half of Paris was sitting by the water with their picnics. We bought some supplies (cheese, olives, salami, bread, wine etc) and joined the merry crowd, talking and eating till I had to go home due to my early start for school.
Friday I finally finally finally worked up the courage to go for a run on the streets of Paris. For some reason I have not wanted to go out because it just seems weird to run on main roads amongst well dressed Parisians. In fact it was very nice, I ran up the canal and back and got quite a good workout, very sore now as all I have been doing for exercise is walking. Post-run I went to Elin's place for drinks as her (Australian) flatmate had some people over.
I'm looking forward to another gorgeous day out in the Paris sun. Might head out to do some shopping, it's been too long since my last purchase and I'm eying off some great summer heels.
XX

I spent Friday walking, walking, walking!! I started at the tourist ridden Champs Elysees, walked up and down, paid a visit to my regular shopping stores: Louis and Cartier, then decided to move on. The Champs Elysees, while great at first, gets rather boring and seems very detached from the real Paris. There are tourists everywhere you go in the city but on the Champs its like the tourist industry is on steroids. Everyone is trying to sell you something, everything is huge, bright, and the once historical buildings now house Adidas, Nike and MacDonald's.
I then walked to the musee d'orsay and enjoyed a steak-frites lunch in a little bistro. From there it was on to the islands where I bought an ice-cream and listened to some live jazz in the park behind the towering Notre Dame where the endless lines to get in nearly drown the huge building. Finally I found myself in the streets around Places des Vosges (I can't keep away, it's too nice) and found some great shops before picking up the girls.
Saturday the weather turned arctic, which makes complete sense as tomorrow is the first day of summer...?? I waited all day for the socceroos match and ended up watching it in a tiny little bar with a few Aussies just around the corner. It was disappointing to say the least but I have complete faith we'll pull a miracle against Serbia and Ghana will beat Germany... Hmmm?
Saturday night, what a night! I met up with a Swedish girl Elin who is the friend of a friend of mine and offered to take me out. We pub hopped around English, Irish and Scottish bars one in which two Australian guys were playing live music. By about midnight I was pretty tired but apparently going home before 5ish is very un-French and so it was that I didn't crawl into bed until 5:30. I hadn't realised that the metro stops between 2 and about 6 so I was pretty much stranded. Nonetheless I had a great time, met some other world travellers and learnt how to party in Paris. It didn't feel much like I was in France as I spoke not a word of french and the pubs made me feel more like I was in Dublin or London.
Anyhoo as I am living on only about 3 hours sleep and its bloody freezing outside I'm going to crawl back to bed and hibernate for the rest of the afternoon.

Mourning

I haven't been able to do much in my state of mourning post the 4-0 loss. Sunday night I went to Cafe Oz on Boulevard Montmartre to be once again amongst aussies. Unfortunately I ended up next to a group of very loud Germans who made all 4 goals incredibly painful. Nonetheless it was good to be in an english speaking crowd for a while, to order my drinks and food in english. I fear that if i do not speak it regularly I will forget my mother tongue and be left with only my shoddy french grammar. Monday at school I was once again shamed by the laughter of my classmates, ah well at least my team is in the cup, who's laughing now???
I have now decided to come out of mourning and look to the future, Saturday is sure to be better!!
Yesterday was the 10th birthday of the eldest girl who I am looking after so I spent the morning making cupcakes. After struggling to find all the right ingredients in french I finally managed quite a masterpiece (see pic). Cupcakes were followed by a trip to la piscine where it is obligatory to wear a swimming cap and take a shower before swimming- the french love hygiene!!
Today I had school where I practiced some french tongue twisters, can anyone say: Ces six saucissons-ci sont si secs qu'on ne sait si s'en sont (with a french accent?) This afternoon I wondered around Place des Vosges until the rain forced me into a cafe to wait for the girls to finish school. The waitress seemed taken aback when I ordered a hot chocolate rather than un cafe. I simply cannot handle french coffee as the only time I drank one of the tiny cups of espresso I nearly couldn't walk home because of the strength of it. Guess I'm not very french in that regard.
Anyway I'm off to teach english to the girls, nothing cuter than french kids speaking english!!

Just Paris and Me

In any other city being without your family and friends would probably render one lonely and homesick but in Paris, it's almost like you're never alone. That's not to say I don't miss home because I do everyday but there's something about the feel of the city, its endless beauty, history, and maybe the french men who follow every lone woman, that keeps one occupied.
I have had a very wonderful past couple of days wandering parts of the city I have not yet been to. Friday I finally completed my quest for some french boots and designer sunnies (I had to, I'm in Paris) followed by a stroll amongst the luxury streets surrounding Place des Vosges. I then took my tired self to collapse on the grass in Place des Vosges where I read my book and took in the inspiring surroundings. Ah what a life!!
Saturday me and my new boots clomped around the Montmartre cobblestone streets with the woman I am living with. She showed me the best little shopping streets with great boutiques and a tiny little cupcake store that I will definitely be returning to. Away from the Sacre Couer and the thousands of tourists, Montmartre seems far from the centre of Paris. Almost like a quaint little village, the quintessential France: the 'just trying to make a buck' accordion player, the crepes cooking on every corner, people chatting in tiny cafes drinking their tiny coffees. Marvellous indeed! Not so marvellous though when my feet started cursing me for wearing heels on cobblestones.
I then took myself to see Sex and the City 2 on the Champs Elysees where I discovered the most amazing bathroom ever. Each cubicle had its own design and outside them was a gift shop selling every weird and wonderful toilet accessory you can imagine including toilet paper in hundreds of different patterns, the photo isn't very clear but yo can still see how many sorts there were. This was followed by a stroll to the Eiffel Tower to admire it at night, also to try and see some football. Unfortunately there were so many people watching that I couldn't get close enough to see the score, and then I got followed at different times by about three French men. One claiming 'I just want to practise my English', another more bluntly saying 'I just want to take you for one drink'. I just, I just... Mmhmm au revoir you slimes! It seems a woman alone in Paris is a magnet for unwanted sleazebags.
Today who knows what will happen but tonight I plan on heading to Cafe Oz to join fellow Aussies for the football.

I have discovered why my french grammar, and probably that of every other person who tries to learn french as a second language, is so horrifically bad. Everyday I must help one of the girls revise and recite grammar points and now understand that it takes years of practice and that even the french themselves are far from a full comprehension of their language of love. I say if the french themselves have to do this, what hope is there for the rest of us...?
Paris continues to be a city of endless new discoveries. On the weekend I found Roland Garros in the heart of Paris. It seems the french go crazy for tennis and outside Hotel de Ville were numerous tennis courts and a huge screen. I watched the disappointing women's final at this strange site: the huge, old, beautiful Parisienne monument contrasting with the bright red courts. Another discovery: a street where every shop sells nothing but stamps, who knew there was a market for such things. More strangely however is the love between the french and their dog. Everyone knows that the french love their dogs, but just how much I was unaware of till the other day. I came across a woman and her dog taking lunch together. I say together for the dog was not just inside the cafe next to the table but ON the table, sharing a bowl of nuts with its loving owner. Dogs ride the metro, go shopping, share coffee and I'm sure if it was possible would wear designer trench coats and 6 inch heels.
I have started school, very close to where I live in the 11th arrondissement, and attend three mornings a week for three hours. Most of the students are from China, one from Italy, Colombia, and Japan. It is very funny listening to how everone's first language affects the way they speak french. As most of us have a team in the world cup we are going to have a little bet on each match (verbal only) and it seems no one has faith in France but to my personal dismay they all laugh when I say Australia has hope. I don't think anyone believed me when I said we have beaten Uruguay more than once. Either way, world cup fever is brewing in Paris and so from Roland Garros at Hotel de Ville I move to the big screen under the Eiffel Tower where apparently all the games are being played.
ALLEZ SOCCEROOS!!!

Oh Paris!

So I have just discovered the closest place a food lover can be to heaven- the markets of Paris that sell every description of fresh, delicious, mouthwatering food. I spent friday morning walking around this haven discovering just how lucky the french are to have so much amazing produce in the palms of their hands. Strawberries as big as apples, every sort of meat you can imagine including pigs feet and ears (why??), huge fish, nuts and dried fruit and CHEESE! So much cheese! Before I liked cheese a lot but now I simply love it, you haven't eaten cheese till you've had it fresh from a french market. To top things off, all this delicious food is now in my fridge, jealous anyone???
That day I also took a trip to Galleries Lafayette and Printemps hoping to find a pair of boots that are a must if one is to be a true parissienne. However I quickly realised that apart from souvenir keyrings or boxes of chocolates there was nothing under the hefty price of about 200 euros. Merde! One good thing though is I must look a little french as a tourist asked me for directions, in french! Score!
Friday night the family took me to a typical french restaurant where I ate something very french, I don't know what it was as I couldn't understand the menu but it tasted good. Of course much wine was consumed with this meal as this is another obligatory facet of French life, a poster in the restaurant claimed: Un repas sans le vin est une journee sans soleil (A meal without wine is a day without sun). Thus I have been told that I will leave either a wine expert or an alcoholic, I'm hoping for the former!!

I spent yesterday with one of the girls doing not much except for a visit to la librairie (bookstore) where I discovered the French are just as mad about twilight as the rest of the world (why???) I was forced to speak french all day which was very good for me as I can already tell that my french has improved.
Today I went to hand in my placement test at ecole PERL where I will be studying French three times a week. I had to do an oral test and was told I speak the language very well. I was very pleased until she took a look at my written test and began to exclaim loudly in French: oh la la ta grammaire, ta grammaire... Well yes I have not been studying for about 7 months I tried to explain to her but this proved difficult as she is the fastest and loudest talking person I have ever met both in french and english! I don't think she approved of my excuse thus it is back to my grammar books otherwise I fear I may be banned from the french language altogether.
I also put off resisting shopping today and went to Forum des Halles but was mildly disappointed as there was not much of interest apart from H&M where I can proudly say I spent only 10 euros! I then took a walk around Place de la Republique and came across the strangely placed Canal Saint-Martin which, despite the rank smell, is quite nice. However quite nice turned into my first experience of sleazy french men. As I was admiring the view from one of the bridges a man took it upon himself to befriend me. After trying to ignore him I told him I had to go. To my horror he kept on appearing everywhere where I was walking including close to where I live. It amazes me how some men cannot take the hint the first time you say defiantly you will not give them your number! Oh how I wish I knew something rude in french!

Lost!

Laneless roads, police on rollerblades, schoolgirls in 6 inch heels, snails, frogs, and everywhere cigarettes. I can now see that the many stereotypes of the French are neither false nor exaggerated.
Within an hour of arriving in Paris I had already eaten a pain au chocolat, exchanged numerous double-kisses with complete strangers and experienced the fearless drivers of Paris who seem to live by... no rules whatsoever. I have nearly been run over several times, mostly because I forget the traffic moves in the opposite direction to Australia, also partly because at all the lights there is a zebra crossing and I automatically think I have right of way, perhaps right of way to death!
The two girls I am looking after are incredibly cute, a bit shy and speak french a million miles a second. They have very little english thus our conversations mainly consist of me asking a simple question in french and then nodding at an answer I understand little of. I hold onto the hope that it can only get better.
The day I arrived there was a small fete in the area where I live. Here I discovered that the worry of gaining weight seems not to exist in France as everyone eats copious amounts of cakes and bread yet obesity is nowhere to be seen. It also came to my attention that a hand must always be free for the ubiquitous cigarette, the other is for the stroller or toddler's hand, quelle horreur!
The past two days I have spent getting lost. Where? I have no idea, my solution to finding my way home is to jump on the metro and catch as many lines as need be to get to where I need, thank god for my monthly metro pass!! Tomorrow there is no school so I will be with one of the girls all day, hopefully she will prove more helpful than my map when we go out!
That's all for now,
Au Revoir.