To open endings...

I'm baaaaack!! YES!

It's been about 4 months since I returned to the US. Yes, things here seemed foreign at first, and yes, I believe I've changed at least a little within the past year, but I think all this is to be expected. I mean, how is it even possible to live somewhere else for a year ( foreign country or not) and not come back with some new habits and new ways of seeing things?

I adjusted back to the American culture better than I thought though. There was a little bit of homesickness for Paris, but I was mostly just happy to be able to see my family again and my boyfriend and to not be afraid of going to the bank anymore (it's really disconcerting to only understand about half of what someone in control of all your money abroad is saying). I was a little stressed out right when my classes at Georgia Tech started again just because the teaching methods are so different and they demand so much more work from us students. But now I'm used to it. I think the only thing that throws me off still is, ironically, the way that people my age speak to each other. I realize that this is a weird thing to feel foreign. Then again, the average GT student is at least slightly nerdy and might not have the social skills anyway.

The main thing is that life has continued on. Within the past few months, I've moved into a new apartment close to campus with Hunter, been hired to work as a Student Assistant for an office at Georgia Tech that helps other students find work in other countries (how fitting, right?), and started my final year before graduating with my B.S. (YES!).

By the way, here are some pictures of our new super trendy apartment:

Hunter talking with our leasing agent as we're touring the building.

View from our side. Nice, right?

Our beautiful terrace (we have to share with everyone else in the building, but I don't mind).

Still on the terrace- the grill and TV.

But I definitely haven't forgotten Paris. I still hang out with the other students who went on exchange with me last year, and I've met the students coming from Sciences-Po who are on exchange at Georgia Tech this year. In fact, we all have formed a kind of group and every now and then someone organizes an event in Atlanta (I organized the Halloween party!).

And as for Monica, we still keep in contact with each other and I hear that she's really happy now. When she first returned home, I think she had a harder time adjusting back just because her hometown is significantly smaller than Paris (for me it was easier since Atlanta is still a fairly lively city with several things to see and discover). But she's also started classes again, gotten a job, and I hear she's pretty happy with her personal life too. We're definitely planning to get together soon - I think I might be taking a trip up north to see her sometime within the next year.

So yes, I am back from Paris, but Paris for me is not over. It lingers around in my life with newly adopted habits, pops in unexpectedly with a message from one of my Sciences-PO friends, and lately it's been resurfacing with friends who have been staying with Hunter and me for a weekend to visit us and explore Atlanta.

As a result, I've decided that anything that happens which is reminiscent of Paris deserves to be shared and posted on this blog. So who knows when this blog will end. I can't help but enjoy posting about things that inspire me, and since Paris continues to inspire even from across the Atlantic, I think it's fitting to leave this blog to an open ending...

Until the next 'Paris' reminder...

Bisous XOXO

My last day in Paris

This was it.

My official last day of my study abroad in Paris. My flight back to the US was taking off in less than 24 hours so I had one last morning, one last lunchtime, one last dinner, and one last night of sleep before it was all over.

I know this sounds slightly depressing and like I'm expecting to never return to Paris for the rest of my life (completely untrue). But it FELT like that. I was focused all day on trying to burn every remaining feeling into my memory. I have pictures to remind me of the sights, but to me, it was the feeling of living in Paris and being familiar with certain parts which I wanted to remember the most.

First, I had to take care of the packing and moving out of my apartment. My landlord wanted me out a day early so he could move in a new tenant (don't worry, I had a couch to sleep on at Monica's place). I cleaned up everything I could, shipped off my winter clothes to my house (it most definitely would not fit into my luggage), and around lunchtime I met Monica and Catalina for some very delicious pizza near my (now old) apartment.

The next big task was moving my bags to Monica's place across Paris so I could stay the night there. There was no way we were taking the metro for this. My two bags were the size and weight of dairy cows so I opted for a taxi, and it was totally worth it because seeing Paris by car is actually quite beautiful. Anyway, after a lot of struggle and very fatigued hands from gripping the bag handles, we made it to Monica's. By this time, the hard part of my day was over and I was dead tired from it all (my previous paragraphs about how difficult it was to accomplish everything I did really don't do me justice). Monica and Catalina went out for some last minute shopping while I stayed behind and napped for an hour or so. Then Mariel (our friend from Mexico) came over and that's when the reminiscing began...

I wanted to get a few candid photos of us all talking as a group, so I set up my camera on a chair and put it on a timer for a while- the result is a slide show of pictures showing what we all look like when we're just relaxing and having good conversation...

From the left: me, Mariel, and Monica.

Catalina joined us on the right.

I really like photos like these- ones of real life where no one is posing.




But posing isn't so bad sometimes...

It hasn't been that long and I already miss Mariel! She's one of the few people I know who can be the life of the party and make you feel so close as her friend at the same time.

And we couldn't leave Paris without seeing the Tower one more time!

After dark, we brought some wine, cheese, baguettes, and made a little picnic in Champs de Mars, the green space right next to the Eiffel Tower, and Monica's roommate, Nicole, and her friend joined us too.

During our picnic, we all decided to help Monica fulfill one of her promises to a friend back home. She had to take a picture looking as French as possible- meaning she dressed up in a beret and held a bottle of wine, a baguette, and a cigarette in her hand while standing in front of the Eiffel Tower (we bought all the accessories earlier that day).

Here's a video of us all teaming up to make this picture possible...



Obviously, there were Frenchies all around us laughing at the "silly tourists who think they're French"... but we were well aware of how crazy we looked and it only made it funnier! I personally thought it was a bit ironic- here we all are, students who have been living in Paris for almost a year, and some of our last pictures of Paris involve major stereotypes about French people (ha ha). But then again, what better way to conclude an experience like this one than with a big fat joke?

We obviously couldn't stay out too late since both Monica and I had flights the next day, so the time came (too soon) that we had to go back to get some sleep. Of course, we all cried and said long, over-emotional goodbyes to the Tower and Paris and each other.

And the next morning, I was flying home.

Au revoir, Paris, and bisous XOXO!!

A little flirting in the check out line

Ugh I'm stuck inside during all this beautiful weather doing another exposé. At least it's the last exposé I will ever have to do at Sciences-Po. Ever. Meaning once it's done I'm going to do crazy things like go outside and eat chocolate and drink wine to celebrate! Woo!

I witnessed something interesting in the grocery store yesterday afternoon that I thought I'd share with you.

I was in the check out line putting all my food on the conveyor belt, and this rambunctious guy in front of me, who I noticed was only buying 2 beers (hmm?), was flirting with every woman in sight. The lady in front of us in line stocking up for the week, the cashier, me, and so on. And he was being obvious, too, meaning the first sentence out of his mouth to any woman he spotted was "Hey, are you single?" Am I single? In the check out line, really? Yet I couldn't help but notice that the French women around me didn't seem to be phased at all by this guy. In fact, they seemed to be flirting back! There was giggling, sly looks, and the lady in the front of the line stocking up even winked at me as if we were sharing a silent joke about how funny this guy was! The guy didn't end up with any phone numbers, but it was obvious that all these French women thought he was cute for trying, nonetheless. I don't think I've ever seen a similar response to a loud and fairly obnoxious flirt in a public place like that in the US.

So maybe this is a lesson in cultural differences. A loud, obnoxious flirt in the grocery store check out line in the US is a bother. In France, it's flattering. Good to know!


Oh, and something else. I found a mouse in my apartment last night around 2am as I was working on my exposé! Right as I saw it, it ran back towards the door, so I figured it left.

Tonight, I saw the same mouse in our bathroom (did it ever leave? gross gross gross!). I go to trap it, but then it runs out in between my legs to our couch, which happens to also be my bed. After I calmed myself down a bit (I was screaming like a 4 year old girl with an extended umbrella in my hands on top of a chair), I waited until it came back out on its own so I could try again to trap it. The last time I saw it, I think it crawled out the window. That's what I'm going to believe anyway, for my own peace of mind. I will let you know if further complications arise...


So those have been my recent adventures for the past few days. Now back to the exposé. I present it Friday, so the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching.

Bisous XOXO

P.S. Less than a month left in Paris! Aaah!

Hunting through Paris! ... Day 2 (bikes and Versailles)

Like I said before, I had something special planned for Hunter's visit for his second day here: I took him to Versailles! But the best part was that I found a really good bike rental company by the Eiffel Tower that gives bike tours throughout the city and to Versailles- so that gave me the idea to rent the bikes for a day and take them to Versailles ourselves! I've already been to Versailles before and I'm fairly familiar with it, so there was no need to pay for a tour. I figured we could find the bike paths ourselves and ride around wherever we wanted!!

But first I had to take Hunter to the Bastille Market!

If you know anything about my boyfriend, you probably know how much he likes vegetables. I would go so far as to say he might be obsessed with eating them (I call him Popeye sometimes because he eats sooo much spinach). And since the Bastille Market sells fresh produce for really cheap, I'd be a horrible girlfriend to let him leave Paris without seeing it!

So we went, we bought a LOT of veggies (including that round zuchinni that my mom thought was cool while she was here), and went back to my apartment to drop it all off.

Here's a video of us walking back from the market:


Did you see that he got me flowers?? It was adorable... right before he asked me how to say he wants to buy something in French, and then he disappeared for a while and came back with beautiful red roses! He's such a romantic!

And I was obviously really happy about it!

Here's Hunter carrying the fresh veggies and wearing his Parisian scarf that I gave him last Christmas. He's also wearing his new jacket that he got here in Paris on Day 1. I helped him pick it out. I think it looks so great on him! :)

Here we are in my apartment getting ready to go rent the bikes!

I was still happy about the flowers!

Then we went to the bike rental place! While we were trying to find it, we must have seemed lost because a French woman came up to us and asked if we need help finding the Eiffel Tower. I said no, we're looking for the bike rental place. She said "Oh, les Américains?" and pointed the way. And that's how I found out the bike place was an American company, ha ha.

If you happen to be reading this and travelling through Europe now or soon, I definitely recommend using this company to rent bikes, especially now that the weather is getting nice. Just look for the Fat Tire Bike Company online and browse around the site for the rentals and tours. We had so much fun using them!


Like I said before, the office was really close to the Eiffel Tower, so we rode by that on the way to catch the train to Versailles!

Me on my bike by the Tower!

Hunter and me by the Tower!

Getting through the train station with the bikes was slightly difficult for me since my arms aren't strong enough to carry the bike up and down stairs. So Hunter had to help me by carrying my bike for me. Poor guy having to work so hard...

Don't laugh, it was heavy!!!

Soon after, we were riding the train to Versailles!

Here I am looking out the window!

Yea! Bikes on the train!

Hunter: "I can't believe you made me carry your bike up and down those flights of stairs!"






After about half an hour, we made it to Versailles!

Picture by the train station!

Riding the bikes to the château!

Having fun on the bike path!

We found out that we couldn't ride the bikes in the same area as the château, so we had to ride around the perimeter of the gardens to find a way in. I never realized this before but the actual city of Versailles, excluding the château and tourist areas, is really pretty!

Hunter on his boy bike riding inside the gardens!

By the way, these bikes reminded me a lot of the bikes in Amsterdam because they looked a bit old-fashioned. My mom had a bike that looked like that once too. If I ever buy my own bike, I think I'll get one that looks like that too. I really liked them!

Me by a sheep! They still maintain a farm on the château grounds.

Me on my bike! Hunter was the only one who could ride a bike and take pictures at the same time, so we ended up with a lot of pictures of me on my bike, ha ha.

In fact, here's a video he took of us riding by the Grand Trianon, or Marie-Antoiette's private residence:






Then we saw the château! Here's Hunter at the front gates trying to seem unimpressed.






I love this picture! Hunter was fumbling with his camera and accidently took a picture of us holding hands!

Hunter presenting the château.

Thumbs up for Château de Versailles!

Before we went inside the château, we decided to check out the gardens behind it first...

Here's Hunter with his "I'm cold, stop taking pictures" face.

Hunter made it to the top of a really big staircase!!!

Now for some fun with panoramic shots!

The 3 sides of Hunter!

The 3 sides of Samantha!

Hunter's roundhouse kick in action!

(actually this is Hunter's way of telling me it's 1pm)

Hunter gazing at the gardens.

Me jumping for joy in the distance!!

I actually don't remember what I was doing here, ha ha...

Then we went inside the château! It's been a while since I've seen the inside of the château, and I forgot how opulent it is. Each room looked like it was dripping with excess wealth, and I can't even imagine what it must have been like living here during the 18th century.

The ceilings were probably the best part in my opinion just because they were so ornately decorated.

Here's a relief of Louis XIV by the Hall of Mirrors.

I liked the marble floors too!

We got free audioguides when we entered the château!
(And I put on my glasses so I could see all the details in the decor.)

We heard some organ music resonating through the halls, so I took a video:

Picture of us in the château! (See how cute Hunter's face is?) :D

Hunter standing around in the king's apartments.

Portrait of Marie-Antoinette.

Portrait of Louis XVI.

One of the rooms in the king's apartments. And I found some extra Hunters wandering around.






Part of a ceiling. The painting is of the Greek goddess, Artemis, who governed the night.

Hunter by a window overlooking the gardens.

The Hall of Mirrors! This is probably the most famous room in the château, and with decorations like these, it's obvious why visitors like it so much.

Again, I love the ceilings!

We heard on the audioguides that this room was used as a ballroom and it was meant to show off the wealth and power of the French monarchy.


It's called the Hall of Mirrors because there are obviously a lot of mirrors on the walls, making the room look bigger than it already is.

Here's a reflection of myself and Hunter!

And here's a video I took of the room (don't mind my dancing and humming- I had the Six Flags ad song stuck in my head):

This was the King's bed chamber.

And this was the king's view every morning when he woke up. The view looks out over the kingdom to the east so that the sun would shine directly into his bedroom. It made sense since Louis XIV was called the sun king.





Here I am standing in front of the chapel. This is where the organ music was coming from earlier.

Me and Hunter standing in one of the massive halls!

Another long hallway.

Really tall staircase.

Here we are in one of the rooms.

I tried to imitate the attitude of the statue...

This is one of my favorite sculptures in the Louvre! (The one here is a replica.)





Since we bought the late tickets to enter the château (they were discounted), we had to leave soon afterwards so they could close the château. I managed to get a couple videos as we were leaving though:








We left Versailles just as it was getting dark outside, and by the time we made it back to Paris, it was completely dark outside. We rode our bikes back to my apartment, but made a few stops along the way to check out the scenery:

Here's a picture Hunter took of the Seine.

Here we are posing in front of the Bastille monument.

After we got back to my apartment, we changed and went out for a French dinner of moules marinières et frites, which is a pot of mussels cooked in a white wine sauce and served with french fries. I think Hunter liked it, too! Then I took him to Saint Michel, which is close to Notre Dame, and bought him some gelato for dessert ( we tried dark chocolate mixed with cherries). After that we met up with some of my friends, including Monica.

Amazing second day!! :D

Bisous XOXO