A few weeks back API took us on our last excursion- a day trip to Normandy.

We started as usual with with warm croissants and pain au chocolate (generously provided by API) at place de République, where we catch our bus, and set off for Monet’s house and gardens in the town of Giverny. I originally wasn't interested in going here but I must say that it was absolutely incredible!!! The gardens were among the best that I’ve ever seen: there were blossoming trees and flowers of every color and shape! There were literally thousands upon thousands of blooming flowers - and they looked amazing (not tacky like some gardens that have so many different types of flowers everywhere). After, we toured Monet's house which was cool - especially the kitchen which was bright blue and had wonderful tile designs, etc. After the tour of the house we walked over to the Japanese gardens, where "Monet's" water lilies are, which were amazing! No wonder Monet painted so much nature- living there it would be hard not to. After a few hours, and souvenir shopping we hopped back on the bus and...

After another hour and a half we found ourselves in the picturesque Norman port of Honfleur. The port wasn’t destroyed in World War II, so it retained its old-world charm and is a popular weekend destination with the Parisian crowd. A bunch of us had lunch on the harbor which was great fun. After, we wandered around, did some souvenir shopping, and went to the town's main church, St. Catherine's I believe, which is really like two churches smushed together as there are two alters in the front.

On the way back, we saw the Pont de Normandie from the bus which was the world’s largest suspension bridge when it was built, and it connects Honfleur with the massive port city of Le Havre.

All and all it was a great day - although a lot of driving on the bus was necessary!

On Saturday I finally went to Versailles with my friends Mary and Jenna, and Jenna's friend Kelly who was in Paris for the weekend. From Paris, Versailles is only a half hour metro ride, so we got up early and headed to the castle when it opened at 9AM in an attempt to prevent waiting in line. Apparently if you want to beat the crowd you need to show up about 2 hours prior to the castle's opening as we had to wait over 1.5 hours just to make our way past security and into the compound. The castle itself is situated smack dab in the middle of a small town (well obviously the castle came first but still...) and as such is a little awkward with its huge golden gates and gold rimmed roofs and windows. Once we made it onto the grounds we got audioguides and started the tour of the manor - which is HUGE. The memorable rooms for me were the King's Chapel, and of course, the Hall of Mirrors. You here about Versailles in history class, but you don't really understand it until you see it with your own eyes. Marie Antoinette's room was also interesting as we got to see the door she used to escape the castle during the Revolution. After the tour of the house we wandered the grounds which must be at least 10 times the size of the castle, and wandered down to Marie-Antoinette's village - which she created so she could discover how a peasant lived. The village is quite charming- it actually reminds me a lot of Belle's hometown in Beauty and the Beast. My favorite part of the town were the animals- but the buildings were quite incredible as well. There is a small stream that runs through the village where people were looking intently into the water. Being a fan of ducks I assumed that there must be a really cool duck down there- but turns out that there was a cluster of literally hundreds of large catfish-type fish. It was absolutely disgusting and reminded me of when the fisherman force fed the dying fish the dead fish at the dock in Marseilles. Overall, I had a great time exploring the compound - we had a wonderful day weather wise, and the fountains were on which is amazing since they only go off on certain days during certain time slots. However, despite the marvels of the castle, I must admit that it was really not my favorite French castle. It was super crowded and hard to move around and see everything, sometimes we would have to wait upwards of 20 minutes just to get into an adjoining room because of the amount of people. Case and point - at one part during our tour of the castle there were so many people that I accidentally placed my foot under a wire and set off the alarm, after which I promptly ran away. However, it was a worthwhile venture for sure.

Saturday night was La Nuit de Musée in Paris where all of Paris's museums stay open late and all exhibits are free of charge (some museums even stay open until 2:30 AM). My friend Ellen and I decided to go to Les Invalides, the national "army" museum where Napoleon is buried. This museum is probably my favorite museum in Paris - it is absolutely amazing. In addition to Napoleon's tomb, the museum also has one of the largest World War I and World War II exhibits in the world and it is truly spectacular. There are countless army uniforms, memorabilia from concentration camps, video footage, newspaper articles from around the world, etc, all displayed in a remarkable way. After the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C., this would probably rank as the best and most moving museum that I have ever been to.

In other news I have only 11 more days left in France. Where has time gone? It seems like I just got here - and now I'm procrastinating studying for finals. If anyone has any souvenir requests let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

In France, people don't have individual yard sales. Instead, every few months or so each neighborhood of Paris hosts a giant flea market/ collective yard sale. Luckily for me, this occured right outside of the FEU on boulevard Jourdan last week. I spent a good while looking at things people had brought, but the sale went on for miles down the street so I didn't get anything/look at everything, but they had quite the spread- jewelry, books, dolls, statues, antiques, even saddles!

Yesterday was my last day of classes. So now only 4 (although potentially only 3) finals are left before I return home to the US in less than 20 days! What a ride this whole process has been. I'm excited to go back but at the same time wish that I was never leaving Paris. Living an "American lifestyle" is going to be very, very weird.

The Quick and Dirty on SPRING BREAK!

So as you could all tell by my last post, the beginning of spring break was rather depressing. However, in the end, I had a great time, thank goodness for my friends here who were able to pull me out of my depression!

On the first Monday of vacation- I stumbled into the API office to see my friends Mary and Christine (whose plans were also screwed up) and we ran into the API Director Anne Marie who -like the rest of us- had a strong hatred for volcanoes. One look at all of our sad faces and she exclaimed "You need chocolate!" and she proceeded to feed us all candy. After, she decided to make us lunch! We had a smoked salmon pasta, plenty of bread, and for dessert she gave us 60 euros and told us to have fun at the pastry shop next door! We ended up having a great lunch together - drowning your sorrows in food is always a good time - especially when you have a great cook like Anne Marie!

In lieu of going to Prague with Auntie Kate (damn volcano) I went to Bretagne on Saturday (a region of France) with my two friends Annie and Aaron (whose trip to Italy was permanently grounded). We stayed in Rennes (the capitol) which is in reality a pretty small, but beautiful town. We went to a park (which is actually the number one tourist destination of Rennes) and it was absolutely beautiful. The park becomes a botanical garden at the end and - after discovering the macro feature on my camera- I proceeded to take a million photos of all the pretty flowers and plants. Dad would have really loved this park - I think I took so many photos so I could show them all to him. Later, the three of us grabbed dinner at a crepe place and ate savory and sweet crepes along with a bottle of cider (one of the region's specialties). We procedeed to grab drinks on the Rue de la Soif (literally translates as the "Street of the thirsty") which is known as the student area with many cheap bars. On Sunday, we took a day trip to Mont Saint Michel - which is an incredible place. Words can not describe the beauty here. In essence, Mont Saint Michel is a small island that depending on the tide is either completely surrounded by water or has a walk way with plenty of dunes and beaches. When we went the tide was out, but still incredibly beautiful. Everything here is extremely old and as you are walking through the narrow streets you feel as though you have been transported back in time to the middle ages. We checked out the abbey (the islands big draw) which was incredible. Fun fact: in order to get into the abbey for free I convinced the man at the ticket booth that I was a french citizen. After the abbey we wandered around the town more, took lots of pictures, and ended up buying a pass to see the museums there. The museums were really cheesy but we had a good time and definatly got a few good laughs. When we got back to Rennes we had dinner, grabbed a quick drink (I drank my first ever glass of beer - it was a struggle (as I hate beer) but I did it!), and went back to the hotel. However, on our way back we saw an ambulance but a man into a body bag and take him away - it was really freaky and needless to say we basically ran back to the hotel. The next morning we got up early, checked out of the hotel, had lunch (we had the regional specialty- a sausage wrapped up in a savory crepe- which I liked at the time but now thinking about it makes me nauseous- weird I know) and explored the city more. It was a holiday so a lot was closed, but just walking around and souvenir shopping was a lot of fun. Afterward I needed to head back to Paris in order to catch my plane to Rome the next morning and my friends continued onwards to Saint Malo. On my way back, I was almost kicked off the train (literally - they will stop the train and kick you off- no lie) for not being on the correct train. It took a lot of explaining to prove that I was in reality supposed to be on the train but that there was a mistake at the ticket booth (as I switched my ticket for an earlier train but it was not noted on my new ticket) but luckily I was able to continue onto Paris. Talk about getting nervous!

After I returned to Paris from Bretagne (around 8 at night) I ran around and packed for my one week trip to Rome and Dublin. The next morning I woke up at 3am and met my friend Hillary in the lobby of our dorm to take a taxi to the airport. Our flight was delayed by over an hour but the flight itself was smooth. When we arrived in Rome we checked into our hostel, met our friend Christine for lunch (real Italian pizza - very different then American pizza but good none the less- and a regional specialty which had a mixture of rice, cheese and tomato sauce rolled into a ball and fried with breadcrumbs). After Hillary and I went to the Colosseum (as our friends already went). It was absolutely incredible! We decided to take a tour and so we learned a lot of interesting facts. At one point, our tour guide stopped to talk to some "gladiators" about their lives and I was picked to stand with the gladiator as the representative of their..."lady-friends" as they and the tour guide explained the history of the Colosseum and the role that the women played. It was rather mortifying and I am in about a million photos taken by the other tour group members but I got to take a picture posing with the gladiator after so I guess it was worth it. The inside of the Colosseum is incredible - it is hard to believe that people built such amazing things so long ago! Today the Colosseum is shorter than it used to be (which is pretty incredible considering how big it is) because an earthquake destroyed parts of it a long time ago. After the Colosseum we continued the tour and went to the ruins across the street which consist of the Palatine Hill - the hill where according to legend Romulus first established the city of Rome- and the Roman Forum. On the top of the hill is the ruins of the first palace of the Roman empires- which at one point stretched over the course of a mile with indoor plumbing and a gym that contained three indoor pools of different temperatures (one hot, one cold, and one at room temperature). These guys were SMART. Also on the grounds is a house that was built by Mussolini as he wanted a residence on the ancient grounds of the Roman empires' palace (it has now been converted into a museum). After our tour we headed back to the hostel and rested for a bit before meeting Jenna, Christine, and Courtney for dinner near the Trevi Fountain. This is a huge and very magestic fountain that if you throw a coin into (while turned around so that you are throwing the coin behind you) is supposed to make your wish come true. I probably threw in about 10 coins - hey I need all the help I can get! We found a cute Italian restaurant not far from the fountain and I had the most amazing ravioli's EVER. The next day we went to the Vatican which was absolutely incredible. Because we went on a Wednesday we even had an audience with the Pope! I'm not particularly religious but the whole thing was really moving. The Pope blessed us all (and our family and friends - so you're all blessed!) and spoke to everyone in the audience in their language (Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, English, and German) it was really incredible to see. After the ceremony we went to the Vatican museum. Words truly can not describe. There is more art and history here then can be found in a million Louvre museums. Part of the Museum also contains the Sistine Chapel which was not at all what I expected it to be but was really cool none the less. After the Vatican Museum we climbed Saint Peter's Basilica - a hard feat but completely worth it. There were over 550 steps to get to the top and half way through the walls slant horrifically so you feel as though you are on a carnival ride! At some points the stairs are so steep and narrow that you need to hold onto a rope to climb up them! However, the view from the top is incredible and I was able to take some great photos. After another wonderful pasta filled dinner and gelato desert we headed back to the hostel. The next morning we woke up early and decided to visit the oldest catacomb in Rome which lies on the outskirts of the city. We took a bus there but ended up getting off about 3 stops to early and so had to walk several miles to the catacombs along a busy road in the country that had no sidewalk. It was quite the adventure and despite many potentially bad situations we finally made it there in one piece! The catacombs were very cool and very different from those in Paris because they are so much older. There are no bones only the shallow cutouts of graves and occasional markers. There is also a part of the catacomb that was used as a crypt for three important Roman families. The catacombs lead into a chapel were the remains of Saint Sebastian are buried and where the footsteps of Christ can be found (which are pretty cool even if they may or may not be authentic). We were able to find a small restaurant near the catacombs which is at a flower garden (very beautiful) and there were many ruins around so we checked those out as well. We went back to the bus station and had to wait over an hour in the hot sun for the bus to come! It was quite the scene the four of us sitting on the ground on the relatively nonexistent sidewalk amusing ourselves in the extreme heat. At one point I made up a story about Captain Nemo Sparrow and his merry pirates which was quite amusing if I say so myself. The next day was our last day in Rome and so we visited an old castle and the Pantheon. Both were very cool. We caught a late flight to Dublin and finally arrived in our hostel in Dublin around 1AM.

The first day of our trip was probably my favorite. We got up early and took the train to a small Irish town named Howth. The town is exactly what you think of when you think of Ireland - a marina, small shops, and cliffs. We did a cliff walk and took some amazing pictures. Afterward we went to a pub and got sandwiches for lunch where they had actual diet coke! It was quite exciting. While in Howth we also went to an old castle which was gorgeous. I loved Ireland- it is so peaceful, while climbing the cliffs I kept thinking about how much Dad would have loved the view with the sailboats. I took lots of photos for him though! When we got back to Dublin we explored the city a bit and did some souvenir shopping before grabbing dinner and heading out to explore the nightlife. We ended up coming home pretty early but we had a good night out and I discovered a love for cider beer. On Sunday we got up and went to the Guinness Factory (nothing screams Ireland more than getting free pints at 9:30 in the morning). The factory itself is pretty cool- and the view from the top is awesome. After, we went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells and the Old Library (stunning) followed by the Dublin Castle. Feeling truley American we decided to go to TGI Fridays for dinner. For the first time I felt 21 as I ordered myself a few cocktails from a truly American establishment! The next morning we got up early and headed back to Paris - but before we left I bought some really great Celtic jewelry.

Spring Break defiantly had it's ups and downs but overall I had a really great vacation!!!!

A volcanic eruption in Iceland has literally frozen all of Europe. The funny thing about it is that here - where you would expect there to be a lot of news coverage- there is literally nothing. I have to look at American newspaper websites to keep up to date with what is happening.

The eruption could not have come at a worse time - everyone's spring break has been effected in one way or another. My parent's trip has been canceled, and although I still hold out hope that they will somehow make it here this week I'm starting to think that it will not happen. I didn't realise how much I wanted/needed them to come until I woke up this morning and they were not here. It looks like Prague is not going to work out as well, and Dublin and Rome are still up in the air.

Unfortunately, the majority of my friends were able to get out of France before the eruption began to effect French airlines and so I'm stuck here by myself until next Tuesday (unless a miracle happens). I know it could be worse - let's face it Paris isn't the worse place to be stuck- but right now I really want nothing to do with Europe anymore.

On the plus side I will have a lot of time to do all of my homework for the next month.

I really wish things had worked out differently- I feel badly that my Mom won't be able to get her first passport stamp.

I could have sworn that I already wrote this entry but apparently not.

So...

Last weekend was the Loire Valley 2 day weekend trip with API.

We got an early start (the bus left at 8AM) and began our trek to the ville of Tour. We arrived at our destination around 11h00 and for once the weather was perfect!

Our first stop was le Château de Chenonceau- which is built over the Loire River. Despite being under some renovations the castle is very impressive and has a beautiful garden and a forest with a maze in addition to many walking trails. Besides being pretty the castle has a rich history - it had been fought over by the Queen and the mistress of the King (and their families) for over 200 years! I was able to get some great pictures and even got to eat lunch (albeit it was only a greasy hamburger and fries) in one of the castle's gardens.

After spending several hours at the castle we went to the Musee de Camponnange - a small museum dedicated to trade guilds located in the town where our hotel was. I think that the majority of people were more interested in the Pizza Hut down the street from the museum than the museum itself - but regardless there were a few neat things such as a very realistic violin and bow made out of sugar, and various replicas of very elaborate staircases. After, we went next door to a candy factory and learned how to make the four main kinds of candy that the shop specialized in. The best part of this tour was defiantly the free samples. We tried a type of candy that resembled a cough drop, some small chocolates filled with an orange flavored cream (called Les Muscadines), a chewy cake with different nuts and fruit, and prunes filled with apricots, rum, and apple filling. The prunes were actually not that bad - I was going to buy a box for my Dad (he would have LOVED them) but unfortunately they would have gone bad before I got them to him. That night I had dinner with some friends, walked around the town a bit, and then returned to the hotel.

On Sunday we got up early to go to another castle called le Château d'Amboise. It was here that Leonardo di Vinci spent the last few years of his life and is where he was ultimately buried. It was very cool to see his grave and the castle itself is very beautiful. After a guided tour of the castle I had lunch on the go with a few friends and we quickly explored the town and bought some souvenirs (and ice cream) before we needed to return to the bus. On our way back to Paris we stopped at a bakery and learned how to make different types of bread. It was actually really interesting and the baker gave us all a huge roll/loaf of a bread with nuts and orange flower water for the road. Finally we stopped at a chocolate factory where we had a tour and many free samples. It was interesting to learn how chocolate goes from a bean to a bar of candy but by that time all I wanted to do was get back on the bus and go to sleep (as did everyone else). However, as we were leaving the factory a parade of very old cars came through the parking lot! My Dad, Uncle Steve, and cousins would have died. I tried taking some pictures for them but unfortunately we had to leave before I got many good shots.

Tonight I went to see my first French film at the movies with my friend Mary! It was called Adele Blanc- Sec and it was very funny and very good! I was surprised by how well I understood everything- especially since the movie is about mummies, pterodactyls, and overall crazyness.


On Sunday my parents are finally supposed to come to Paris - however due to the recent volcanic erruption in Iceland the French airports have been closed and the majority of flights have been canceled. Please pray that things clear up before they fly out tomorrow!

This has been a very busy and eventful week!

I am happy to announce that Easter Sunday at Cite went very well! My friend and I had decided to host Easter dinner at our residence (because there is a big kitchen/sitting area/ping pong table in the basement of Cite) and in total there were about 12 of us! On Saturday, Hillary and I had gone to the market to pick up some supplies, including champagne and wine (what Easter is complete without these goodies), stuff to make a salad (by this I mean lettuce and a red pepper), and our main meat dish. Originally we decided to bake a ham (traditional American Easter fare) however wouldn't you know that the French do not sell full hams - just ham lunch meat. So we scratched that idea and walked out of the supermarket instead with a "BBQ pack" of pork chops, steak, sausages, chicken, and some sort of bacon- no lie it said "BBQ pack" on the label! We got back on Saturday and organized some of the food and then I was able to chat with home which was very nice indeed. On Sunday people started showing up around 5 PM and we set off searching for pots and pans to cook in (which required raiding the 10 different kitchens at Cite). Finally we had what was required (sharp knifes, silverware, plates, pots, pans, utensils, a strainer, etc) and we started cooking! When we were finished cooking we had our BBQ pack meat selection, spaghetti in an olive sauce, fried rice, potatoes with cheese, a salad, fresh strawberries and grapes, beans, bread and lots of cheese, Oasis (an amazing fruit drink, limonade, and a lot of wine! It was a lot of fun because everyone brought something and we ended up having a great spread! After dinner we organized two Easter egg hunts which were a ton of fun and we also played some intense games of ping pong that may or may not have consisted of using cutting boards as paddles.

Tuesday was my 21st birthday! What a strange sensation! I ended up going out for dinner (we went to Bistro 32)with my birthday twin Michelle and a few friends, and after we went back to her dorm and had a great cake, limonade, and cider. I also tried my first ever Reese's Peanut Butter Cup - which I had mixed feeling about. Overall a great night, although it consisted of absolutely no alcohol (hey, I had class early on Wednesday)! Anyways, I'm sure I'll make up for at some point in the near future ;)

Tonight I saw Alice in Wonderland (called Alice au Pays des Merveilles in French) in 3D at the cinema in Forum des Halles. The movie was in English, with French subtitles and we used very funny looking 3D glasses. This was my first movie since being in France and I had a great time. Interesting fact: in France you can choose to have salty or sweet (kettle) popcorn at the movie theater!

Tomorrow I leave for a two day trip to the Loire Valley with API. Should be a great time!

Busy would be an understatement...

Hello!

I apologize (again) for dropping off the face of the Earth - I have been super busy living the Parisian life - aka doing a lot of homework and traveling!

I'm going to summarize the last two weeks as best as I can -

Day Trip with API to Champagne: As the headline suggests, two weeks ago we went to the Champagne region for the day. We had to meet the bus at 8AM- at which point it was absolutely pouring outside! Luckily the weather cleared up a bit by the time we got to our first destination - the Taittinger Champagne Factory/Wine Cellar. We had a tour of the champagne caves - which was really cool- complete with a champagne tasting at the end! While walking down the many stairs to the cellar my friend Jenna wiped out behind me while taking a picture and sent me flying down the staircase with her! Given my track record everyone thought it was me - which was pretty funny. People at the bottom of the staircase (who couldn't even see us) heard a big thump and all thought it was me falling down another staircase. Luckily nether one of us were hurt - and we all got a pretty good laugh out of the situation. After the tasting, we got back on the buses and headed to Reims - about an hour away from where we were. In Reims is a giant Cathedral where all of the Kings of France were crowned (dating back to Clovis). It is also where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The Cathedral is probably the most spectacular sight that I have ever seen - far surpassing Notre Dame and the likes. We spent the afternoon in Reims, and had lunch at a small bakery in the center of town. Finally we all climbed back onto the buses and headed to our final destination - the Mercier Champagne Factory. This wine cellar was much bigger than the first - and was much more high tech. We started the tour by watching a short film about the company, and then proceeded to get into elevators to take us into the cave. On the way down one side of the elevator opens up to act like a window and you see different levels of scenes on the way down (one of a hot air balloon, followed by a wine cellar, etc.) Finally at the bottom the elevator opens out onto a small train that you climb aboard and from there you complete the tour (it reminded me a lot of the tour at the Jelly Belly factory with Mom and Auntie Kate when I was little). Again, we had a free champagne tasting at the end of our time at Mercier. Overall we had a great day - complete with a MacDo run around 10PM when we got back to Paris. Nothing like chicken nuggets and a frosty to make you day complete.

Our First Parisian Strike - The French are notorious for going on strike. Last week all public transit went on strike for the day - talk about a giant headache. Trains that normally run every 5 minutes ran every hour instead, and when the train actually showed up you needed to battle your way on-board. Super stressful. But I survived and by the next day everything was back to normal.

Barcelona, Spain - Last weekend I went to Barcelona and had an absolutly wonderful time! Hillary and I left late Friday night and met up with Annie and Ellen at HelloBCN hostel - where we were able to share a room between the four of us for a great price. We saw so many wonderful things including Parc Guell, the Olympic Stadium, Gaudi's apartment, the magical fountian (which would have been more magical had it been turned on), the bizarre but really cool Sagrad Familia Cathedral (seriously you should Google this one), and of course the beach. At one point I "pulled a Sarah" and got my flipflop caught in an escalator in the middle of going up a giant hill while my friend was trying to take a picture of me and my two friends. Needless to say a lot of laughter ensued after a minute or two of panicking!

It would be a major understatement to say that the nightlife in Barcelona was impressive. It is common/expected to go out around 12 and not come home until 6am or later! Needless to say living like this for an extended period of time would kill me but for two days it was not too bad. The first night we were there we stumbled upon a gay club which had amazing music and was overall a really good time. On our second night our hostel took us to Razzmatazz the largest club in Barcelona - and dare I say the world. The club hosts over 5,000 people and is converted out of what appears to be an old warehouse. The concept was great, but I would of liked it better had the music been slightly different. Overall I had an amazing time in Barcelona, and enjoyed a much needed vacation- I can not wait until my next trip!!!

Presentation - Tuesday I gave my first presentation while in France. Called an orale expose I stood in front of my class (albeit only about 13 people all of whom I know) and talked about macaroons for an extended period of time. I think I did pretty well overall- but I am certainly glad that the experience is over!

This weekend is Easter, and two days later my 21st birthday! Needless to say the next time I write I should have lots of fun stories :)

The last week has consisted of playing tour guide, spending too much money on food, going to the Eiffel Tower and taking lots of pictures (twice!), going to the library and doing lots of work, and trying to teach English to four and six year olds with no attention spans...needless to say it has been an interesting week.

The good news is that my teaching internship is now solely on Fridays - so I have Mondays off completely! I do enjoy teaching English - however it is difficult to teach English and have conversations with the children in English when they do not know many words at all (other then hello and goodbye, some colors, animals, and body parts). I need to come up with some lesson plans for next week - any ideas? I'm thinking of doing flashcards on animals or some other topic, and then trying to find a story to read based on the new vocabulary- once again difficult because their English is extremely limited.

I've been learning a lot about myself in the last week, about disappointment and friendships, and that overall growing up can be a hard thing to do. However, I am currently planning my trip to Prague with Auntie Kate which is extremely exciting - in addition to trips to Germany, Italy, Holland (I hope to see the tulips!), and maybe Spain. Anyone have any travel ideas/recommendations? This upcoming Saturday API is taking us to Champagne for the day, and the week after we have our weekend in the Loire Valley.

I posted photos in my last entry - are they visible to everyone? I know that the facebook links were not working well last time.

Bisous,

Sarah

Provence Weekend Trip

Update on Life

I apologize for dropping of the face of the Earth- but I am happy to report that it was out of a busy and exciting few weeks! I will try to summarize the last two weeks as best as I can.


Last Saturday Uncle Todd and I went to Chartres (as I previously mentioned). That evening I went out for couscous (a new obsession) at a small restaurant in Port d'Orleans with Mary and Christine. We had a great time, and because we split a plate of couscous, a cheese plate, and a side order of french fries we only ended up paying 4 euros each! However, our frugal-ness was ruined when we decided to go to Le Rouge Pomme (the red apple in English) for crepes. Needless to say we needed to get cider to go with the crepes so I ended up paying 4 euros for dinner and 15 euros on desert.

Last Sunday API took us to see the ballet La Dame aux Camélias at the Paris Opera House. It was an amazing performance but I have never been so uncomfortable in my entire life. The seats were excessively small - so much so that your knees literally dug into the person in front of you. It was also a million degrees warm- but regardless I want to go back very badly.

On Monday I explored the Cite Universitaire (where I live) and the surrounding area. I found a very pretty park and a used book store that sold books for 20 centimes (about 40 cents).

On Tuesday I had my "Day of the Dead" with Ellen, Mary, Annie, and Christine. We went to the Catacombs of Paris and later Pere Lachaise cemetery (where Jim Morrison, Edith Pilaf, Chopin, Oscar Wilde, etc are buried). The catacombs were fun and we all felt like we were in an Indiana Jones movie- so many bones! Many of the bones were arranged in different patterns for example a heart and skull and crossbones - can you say freaky?! The cemetery is beautiful and I saw several cats which was a plus. Many monuments in the cemetery are dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust- they were both beautiful and horrible at the same time. It was a sobering experience to see.

Last weekend API took us to the Provence region of France for the weekend. Provence is a region in the Southern part of France and because of this the temperatures were much nicer there than they have been in Paris. There are also many palm trees which is pretty funny. Most of the architecture was influenced by Italy and as such the buildings look much different from those in Paris. They tend to have a yellowish tint instead of white amongst other things.

On Friday all 72 of us met at the train station at 6:50 AM to catch the TGV to Aix-en-Provence. The train ride is about 3 hours long. When we arrived in Aix (where we would spend the first 2 days) the weather was gorgeous and we were allowed to wander around the city. Later in the afternoon we had a guided walking tour of the city and that night some of us went to a Mexican restaurant and to a bowling ally, after which we proceeded to go back to the hotel and watch some of the Olympics.

On Saturday we got up early and Anne Marie took some of us on a tour of the Grande Marches (Large Markets) in Aix. The markets were HUGE - each part of the town was a different section- a flower market, a fruit and vegetable market, a seafood market, clothing, jewelry, you name it. Later in the afternoon we went to the town of Cassis - right on the Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunatly, most of our time there it rained. But we were still able to take a lot of good pictures and have a good time. I also managed to fall down a steep hill, scrape my knee, rip my black jeans, and re-injure my ankle. The ankle part concerned me a lot, but I iced it and tried to keep off it it and it is doing much better now- even though it is bruised and still hurts a little.

On Sunday we left the hotel early in the morning and went to the sea port Marseilles. Again the weather wasn't great but we made the best of it. Our tour guide never showed up so Melissa and Pascal led us around the city with the help of a guide book and we saw the sights. There was a huge Church- that almost seemed inspired artistically by Muslim art- and a hospital that was used to treat the poor during the black plague. After the walking tour we got back on the bus and went to the Notre Dame de la Gare Cathedral which sits on top of a huge mountain overlooking the city. The church was gorgeous and we took a lot of great pictures overlooking the city below. After, we all had lunch at a restaurant on the sea. We had a fixed meal that consisted of a green salad with different meats and cheeses, a fish or lamb dish (I had the fish), and a cake with real fruit baked in for dessert. It was very good - but I still do not understand why the French do not debone their fish. It is hard to have good manners when you are constantly needing to pick tiny fish bones from out of your mouth. We were given some free time after lunch to explore the beach and it was truly wonderful. It was hard to believe I was at the Mediterranean and not the Atlantic! Around 5 we headed to the train station and went home. We arrived back in Paris around 10 PM and some of us went to McDonald's (called Macdo here) because we had all spent our money in Provence and you can not beat a one euro hamburger.

Tonight I am very excited because my best friend from childhood is coming from Italy to visit with her friend. I'm not sure exactly what we are going to do but I am sure that we will have a good time regardless.

Now I must go clean the room before everyone shows up!

Will post pictures later,

Love,

Sarah

CHARTRES

This weekend was amazing. On Friday night I met up with Uncle Todd and we had a great dinner at a small restaurant near his hotel. It was so good seeing him, catching up, and swapping stories. It really raised my spirits :)

On Saturday morning, Uncle Todd and I decided to go to Chartres for the day. I woke up early and it was POURING/SNOWING. This was slightly funny because I had told Uncle Todd the night before that it never snows here. Luckily by the time we left the station the weather had cleared. It is partially a miracle that we found each other - the train station was huge and I could not find the left luggage place anywhere.

I had never traveled long distances by train before and I must say that I really enjoyed it. It was great to see the French countryside. I think that I am going to travel by train as much as I can - just to see the sights.

We finally arrived in Chartres around 10:45 AM. We headed straight to the Cathedral . The Notre Dame Cathedral Chartres is absolutely spectacular and has such a rich history. The first record of the church is from the 800's but many people speculate that the church could be older. We toured the crypts of the church which was a lot of fun in a freaky kind of way. There was a well that must have been 30 ft deep and dates back to Gaelic times. After, we took a tour of the cathedral led by Malcolm Miller - an expert of the cathedral who has written numerous books and has led tours of the Cathedral for over 50 years. Miller did an amazing job - I learned a lot about the cathedral and had a great time listening to all of his stories.

Uncle Todd and I decided to have lunch after Miller's tour and walked around the town searching for a place to eat. I was following Todd and he was following me so needless to say it took us a while to realize this and find a place for lunch. We finally settled on a restaurant that had an 11 euro formula (entree and main dish or entree and dessert). The food was excellent and our waiter was quite amusing.

After lunch we went back to the Cathedral for a bit, and watched a choir that was having a dress rehearsal there. The church is known for its' relic- a piece of cloth from the clothes the Virgin Mary wore while giving birth to Christ. The fabric has been dated back to the first century which helps support the claim.

Todd and I finally took the train back to Paris around 5PM. We had a wonderful time together and I hope that I get to see him again soon!!


Some pictures from our trip (before my camera died):

The stained-glass windows

Uncle Todd outside of Chartres Cathedral

The outside of the Chartres Cathedral

Pictures Part 1

Here are some pictures from the top of the Ferris Wheel:

La Tour Eiffel in Lights!

The Giant Ferris Wheel!!!!

Here are some pictures from the Winter Circus:

The Circus!!

White Stallions!

A Circus Performer: Wearing High Heels!!!

The Lion Tamer

The Big Top :)

I apologize for not writing lately, things have been super crazy!

We ended up going to Breakfast in America for dinner and it was AMAZING! I had chicken nuggets and french fries and new york style cheesecake for desert. My friend Mary had real pancakes which looked heavenly, and Christine and TJ both had burgers. It was nice being in a diner -like setting and having a menu that was in English and a waiter who spoke to us in English (the fact that he was a very handsome British man helped too)! The restaurant itself is quite small and we were lucky enough to get the last open table - apparently there is a larger version of the restaurant elsewhere in Paris but the one we went to (on metro stop St. Paul) was very cozy.

Last week we went to the Cirque d'hiver Bouglione, a very popular- and one of the most famous- French circuses. We had a great time! There were acrobats, clowns, dancers, a lion trainer (the lions were HUGE), llamas (which made me think of Erica so I took a bazillion pictures of them), and even two young children who are part of the family that owns the circus who had trained pet goats. There was also a segment with white horses that entered the arena in dim lighting and with smoke/fog - it was really enchanting! Everyone had a wonderful time, including Lidia- Anne-Marie's two year old daughter- who was almost as entertaining as the circus itself!!

After the circus Evie, TJ, their friend Claire, Mary, TJ's friend Lauren, and I went to by far the most amazing restaurant in the entire world. It is a small, traditional french restaurant located off of the Port d'Italie metro stop. We had to wait over two hours to get a table (and there is no place to wait inside the restaurant so we were outside in the cold) but it was totally worth it! I had a veal dish that was layered with melted cheese, fried-like potatoes, bacon, and a mushroom sauce (served with bread of course). Absolutely amazing - my description does not do it justice! The best part is that the restaurant itself is not expensive for what you are getting, around 13 euro for the best food that you will ever put in your mouth. When my family comes in April I am defiantly taking them!!

The last few weekends my friends and I have been going to the Latin Quarter where there is a great bar called l'Antidote. There is no cover charge to get in and in the basement there is a dance floor. The bar plays great music - a lot of old school American pop classics which is priceless- and the drinks are good but expensive. We tend to go here after we have had a few drinks at the Hideout or another bar with good happy hour prices. I am currently trying to convince myself that I like beer (as beer is cheap and cocktails are very expensive) but I am not having a lot of luck.

The last two weeks have been very interesting with school...

I decided to drop my 20th century history class, it was a hard decision but I think in the long run I will be a lot less stressed which at this point in my life is an important thing. I am still taking my socio-histoire class which has proved to be interesting- in a this is a difficult and bizarre class kind of way- thus far. The only good thing is that it is a six week class and tomorrow is the halfway point.

I am having a really good time in my cinema class and I found out that it will count for French credit which is really exciting- now I am guaranteed to have a minor in French by the time I leave, and will have the option of finishing up a major- we'll see how that goes.

I have finally been assigned my teaching internship!! However, leading up to my initial meeting was extremely stressful! I first received a voice mail from the principal of the school on Monday morning when I was in the shower. After listening thoroughly to the message and practicing the anticipated phone discussion for a while ( I really did this) I finally got the nerve to call the school. A very unpleasant french man picked up the phone and started yelling so I hung up, assuming that I had dialed the wrong number. When I called back about an hour later - after I worked up more courage- another man answered the phone. We had trouble understanding each other but eventually he took down my name and phone number and told me that she (the principal) would call me back when she got in from lunch. The rest of the afternoon I was glued to my phone- but no one called. The next morning I had my RD cooking class and during the break tried calling back- this time I was passed on to a woman who told me that she had no idea who I was and asked me not to call back. Needless to say this made me panic and I went and talked to Melissa and she offered to help me out. She listened to the initial message and called the school and left a message on my behalf. The next morning I received a call from the school while on the metro -just my luck- so I had to wait to call back during my break for sociology. Finally I talked to the school secretary who was very pleasant and we set up a rendez-vous (meeting) with me and the principle (Madame Quelquejeu) for Friday. I was so nervous to go to the meeting- but Madame was so nice and very, very pleasant. She asked me some questions and explained why she liked having American students come and teach and we created my schedule for the semester. I will be working on Monday afternoons from 3:45 until 4:15, and then on Fridays from 10h-11 and then from 1 until 4 in the afternoon. I'm sad that I have to give up my four day weekends, but very excited about the internship! My first day was yesterday and the class I met with was great! The teacher was very nice and the students (who are from age 8-10) told me their names in English and anything else that they could say in English. One girl in the class is completely bi-lingual and helps when there is a mis- communication between myself and the teacher or if one of us has problems finding a word to describe something important. Next week the teacher asked me to bring in a poem or something to share with the class, any ideas? On Friday I will be working in small groups and I figure that I will talk to the students and see what they are interested in and go from there.

On Thursday night, Uncle Todd is coming! I am very excited to see him and to hang out with family from home. We want to go on a day trip to Chartres amongst other things. Whatever we do I know that we will have a lot of fun together! I feel badly that my internship is cutting into our time together but know that it will all work out in the end.

Missing you all,

Sarah

Yesterday was my one month anniversary in France! Sometimes I feel like I have been in France for years othertimes I feel like I have only been here for a few days. Anyways...


Yesterday I had my first Translations class with our actual teacher, and I think that the class will be harder than I first guessed. The teacher is a French woman who learned English in London, which causes problems for the American students because of the difference in syntax. For example, I would translate one thing as "she took a bath" where as the teacher would translate the same sentence as "she had a bath". It seems like it is the same thing, but for translation purposes it is completely different and my version is wrong. So in essence the American students have to translate the French into American English and then the American English into British English which I do not know. It will definitely be an interesting semester - at least I have friends in the class!

The other course that I had yesterday was the lecture component of Modern History of the XXth century. I really want to keep this course because it would go toward both my French and Political Science degrees- but the course is really kicking my but- hard core. Every time I leave this course I feel the need to hit up the nearest happy hour. This could be bad.

Today I went to the bagel shop near API for lunch, and I will soon be heading out to Diderot to actually register for classes. Tonight we might go to Breakfast in America - a restaurant that serves every kind of American food that is unavailable in France ( milkshakes, pancakes, burgers, chicken fingures, bacon, breakfast sausage, etc)

I realized that I have forgotten to mention some of the "little" things that I have done over the last few weeks, so I figured that I would catch up a bit before continuing to update.

1. On one of our free days, I went to the Georges Pompidou Museum with TJ and Ellen. This is the major modern art museum in Paris, and although I am not the biggest fan of modern art I had a good time. There was an interesting special exibit on Robert Soulanges, an artist who paints almost exclusively with shades of black. The design of the building is also really cool (lots of pipes and tunnel type things) and ultimetly looks like a half finished/really modern building. I took some pictures of the museum which I will post later.

2. After our trip to Notre Dame, our program tour guide took us to Berthillon, an extremely famous ice cream shop in Paris (and apparently known world wide). I had one scoop of Raspberry Rose Water and one scoop of Vanilla Chocolate Cake The ice cream was amazing, and the location on Ile-St-Louis is extremely pretty and very French looking. However, at the end of the day I think I am a cheap ice cream person - bring on Friendly's!


Today, I had to report to the OFII office (French customs) at 8h30 for my medical exam. It was a huge production and consisted of moving from one room to another to another to another and waiting for long periods at each step. Essentially, the exam was comparable to a physical with height and weight checks, vision tests, a test for diabetes because I am at risk (which consists of pricking your finger and having a blood sugar machine read the results), a chest x-ray (for which you have to walk around topless in the x-ray room which, as a girl, is really uncomfortable), and a meeting with an actual doctor who asks many questions and checks your heart and blood pressure. Luckily, I'm healthy as a horse and finally (after about 2.5 hours) I was given the final stamp for my visa. Now, I am a legal resident of France for the next 6 months (which is just really cool), and I can freely travel in and out of France during that time period (prior to this stamp I was not allowed to legally leave, and then come back, to France).


That's all for now!

I survived my first week of classes!

On Thursday I had my first class at Charles V - the English School of Diderot. It is called Themes, and is what the French call French to English translation (the reverse - English to French translation- is called Version). Our actual teacher was absent, but a student teacher (who was clearly American) filled in. We had to translate a page from L'Homme de Londres (or The Man from London in English). In theory, translation is easy, however in reality it can be difficult. It is not enough to understand the meaning of what is being said- you have to be able to word phrases exactly as the author intends. For example, saying "I killed Bill" instead of "I just came from killing Bill" is a huge difference (and will result in a failing grade), when in reality the meaning of the phrase similar. Luckily, we are able to use dictionaries which will be a huge help. My french will defiantly improve as a result of this class.

On Thursday afternoons I have the lecture component for my history of the 20th century class. The teacher is very intimidating - she speaks very quickly and has a no nonsense attitude (she also wears diamond rings on EVERY finger which is intimidating by itself). Luckily, the course focuses on post WWII- which is probably my favorite chapter of history- focusing mainly on WWII and the Cold War (or so it seems).

On Friday's I currently do not have any class. This is both good and bad. It will be great for traveling, but it is defiantly hard to motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning. On Friday night, TJ, Mary and I tried to get into an Opera at the Opera Bastille (they sell 25 euro tickets 30 minutes before the show starts to students and people over 65) but had no luck. So, we went back to Chatlet, and ultimately found ourselves at Planet Sushi- a small restaurant with a very classy feel, great music, pink accessories, and a television that showed fashion runway shows (need I say more?). We were given free fruit smoothie shots while we waited for our table, and we ordered a plate of different kinds of sushi. I had never had sushi before, but found that I actually enjoy it. The tuna and salmon rolls (wrapped in seaweed) were really good, and the California role wasn't bad either (considering that I don't like cucumber or avocado)- however after 4 or 5 pieces I was feeling done with sushi. I think it's the texture that gets to me. We plan on going back at some point because they have a good lunch menu - I'm pretty excited! Interesting fact - the French put cheese in almost all of their sushi which I am assured is not a common practice!

Saturday was a lazy day, but at night we went to TJ's apartment at the Vivaldi and watched youtube videos and Drop Dead Gorgeous over a bottle of cider. We all had a lot of fun.

On Sunday, TJ and I once again tried to get into the Opera. This time I arrived about an hour early to wait in line for our discounted 25 euro tickets. While in line, an old woman (who must of been at least 100 years old I kid you not) started yelling at me in French- saying that I could not appreciate opera because I was too young and that I was taking her spot! I really didn't know how to respond, other than to say "I really do like Opera", and all of a sudden the woman behind me started yelling at the old woman saying that I did like opera and that I had every right to be in line! Eventually, the old lady was escorted off of the premise and I was told (by the woman that defended me) that this is a weekly occurrence with this particular woman. After all of this, it turned out that there were no discounted seats for the opera that day. As a consolation prize, TJ and I decided to go to a Chinese restaurant near Charles V (which was very yummy) and then we walked up and down the Champs Elysee, stopping finally at the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top (all 300 narrow and winding stars) but it was totally worth it! Like the time I went with Pauline and Marie - the view was absolutely incredible! It was nice being able to see it during the daytime too, now I can see I have had the best view of Paris at night and during the day! Later, we met up with friends and went to the Banana Cafe (which is quickly becoming our evening hangout) for some cocktails.

On Monday, I finally received my Diderot student card!!!! I am now officially a French student (although I am not officially signed up for classes yet-haha). I ran some errands, had a CROUS (school cafeteria) dinner, and went home to prepare for Tuesday's classes.

Today (Tuesday) was the first day of the RD course taught by our Resident Director Anne-Marie. The class is called "The trick is in the sauce - a history of France through French Cuisine". The class does seem like it will be a lot of work (we have an oral presentation, a midterm, final, and final paper - which for a course in France is quite a bit). However, I think the class will be fun and interesting and I really like Anne-Marie. We even get to cook two full course meals during the course of the semester. After class, I grabbed a quick lunch and went to the TD (discussion) for 20th century history. Once again, this class freaked me out and left me feeling completely overwhelmed. It is not that the class is necessarily difficult - it is the attitude of the French students. Many people showed up again trying to enroll and they were not happy that we (the American students) had priority. I understand where they are coming from but I felt so attacked! At least my friend is also in the class, so we are able to tough it out together.

Tomorrow is my medical exam to complete my visa. Completing this step enables me to obtain a stamp that allows me to travel outside of France and re-enter into the country legally. I hear it is quite the ordeal- hopefully it will go well!

Missing you all something dreadful!

School!

Yesterday was my first day of actual classes, and let me tell you it was interesting.

My first class, a discussion session of History of the 21st Century, met at Montreal - a building on a different metro spot than the main campus. I met up with two friends at the metro station and together we embarked on our adventure to find class. The building is in a rather ghetto part of town, there is a McDonalds about 30 yards from our classroom, but we found it relatively quickly. We arrived to the classroom - which could fit about 30 people- and most of the seats were taken. However we found a seat and waited for the professor. While we were waiting another 30 people showed up...and that is when we all began to panic. The professor announced that anyone not on her roster had to leave - and we, not having student cards, were not on the roster. So my brave friend spoke up stating that we were American students and did not have our cards. His comments were met by our fellow classmates with laughter making all of us panic even more and we become even more embarrassed. However the professor allowed us to stay and started kicking out "non priority" students (which resulted in many angry outbursts about the American students not deserving the spots etc). Finally after about 1.5 hours of trying to figure out the class roster our teacher became fed up with the class, dismissed us, and gave us her email address so that we could email her our interest in taking the class to which she would either let us in/reject us. Now, mind you this is all happening in French, so the three of us from API were not 100 percent sure what was being said at any given time - and consequently we thought we had been kicked out from class at minimum 3 times. Luckily - after class we went up to the teacher and explained our situation. She was very, very nice to us (a complete 180 degree flip) and explained that we were guaranteed a spot in the class and not to worry about everything that happened in class as "they were just being French". A girl standing near the teacher (perhaps a TA of sorts?) happened to be a tutor from the International Students Office, and she was a great help. She took time to explain the course description to us more and even explained how our method of evaluation would be different from the rest of the class because we are international students (i.e. we have the option of writing a paper in french instead of giving a 30 minute oral report). So although I wanted to cry for the entirety of class, I left feeling slightly better about life.

My two classes today were not half as bad, probably because they were both relatively large classes and as such seating and class registration were not as important. First I had a constitutional law course, which was interesting. If the class was taught in English I would probably love it. Understanding the french isn't horrible - the main parts of the lecture were clear (I think haha). The class is three hours long, which is different from the way courses are back home, but this particular course only lasts for 6 weeks so I guess I can't complain.

My second course is essentially about musicals and the importance of music and dance in film. I'm not exactly sure what the method of evaluation is, but it seems like it will be a good course. We watched bits of American movies today - such as Forrest Gump, Sweet Chariot, and Back to the Future- which made me slightly homesick.

After classes ended (about 6 PM) I broke down and bought a Parisian notebook - they are very annoying! In France lined paper does not exist - only graph paper and graph paper with a bazillion extra lines. The paper is also not the same size here. Sometimes I do not get this country. As our Resident Director Anne-Marie says, it really is the little differences (like different paper/notebooks) that you notice when you live abroad.


I have two more classes tomorrow, wish me luck!

Some things that I have noticed...

Hello!

Today I woke up around 10AM and decided to lay in bed until around 12 - however I suddenly heard the voices of our maids in the hallway (they come into our rooms once every two weeks to change our sheets). Needless to say, this caused me to- quite literally- jump out of bed, throw on clothes, attempt to clean my room, and leave before they could come in. I'm still not sure why I felt I had to do all this, but anyways I did, and when I came back to my room several hours later it turned out that today wasn't the day that they come. Epic fail. However, in kicking myself out of my room I was able to go to the API office, meet up with friends for lunch, go to the post office, go to the pharmacy, and walk around a little bit.

People have been asking me the biggest differences between home and here, and honestly it is the small things that make all of the difference! Here are some of the things I have noticed so far...

1. The metro doors here are, for the most part, not automatic - you need to push a button to get on and off. Needless to say my first time on the metro I found myself waiting for the metro door to open only for the train to take off with me still on it.

2. Nothing is open on Sundays except for some museums and restaurants

3. Dogs in France are VERY cute, and when it is cold or rainy all of them tend to wear jackets! It is also not uncommon for people to bring their dogs on the metro or into stores while they shop- and there does not seem to be any leash laws here.

4. There are a lot of stairs in France!! I think I walk about three times as much here as I do back home which is good because...

5. Carbohydrates are really the way to go here! For example, a typical breakfast is normally a croissant with yogurt, or bread with butter and jam. Cereal is an option but does not seem to be popular and is very expensive.

6. Coffee is very popular, but for the most part is served in very small portions, and is not served with milk.

7. Due to Parisian zone laws most buildings must be under 7 stories - so although it is a big city Paris always seems to be smaller.

8. Mopeds often ride down the sidewalk (I'm really not kidding!)

9. Almost all stores in France are specialized. For example, there is a shop only for candy, one only for cheese, one only for bread, one only for meats, etc. It is a little more time consuming, but the food is much better and a lot cheaper than if you were to buy in a supermarket equivalent.

10. It is expected for your bedroom to have a sink.

11. Toilets, or the W.C. here, are flushed by pushing a button - not by pulling down a lever, and most toilet paper seems to be pink!

12. At most grocery stores you need to pay for each plastic/paper bag you use to package up your groceries - so people bring backpacks, gymbags, etc, instead.

13. Computer keyboards are organized completely different here to accommodate for the accents used in the French language.

14. There are no CVS's here. When you need medicine, you go to la pharmacie, tell the pharmacist your symptoms and they hand you medicine.

15. Soda is VERY expensive. Oftentimes the same price as an alcoholic drink, and refills do not exist (except for at Pizza Hut!). Also, there are no "doggie bags" here - you are expected to finish what you are served!

I know that some people were having trouble with the photo links I posted, so here are some pictures that I have taken from my trip!! Enjoy :)