First things first…
Thanks so much to all of you who sent me a video message yesterday. It was absolutely on time. And special thanks to Bro. Wilson who took my desire and made it happen. I’ve been running a marathon of church DVDs this past week and I really miss my family at 411.

Next…Votes!
So far the tally goes as follows: 1 for #1 Donc, uuuhh, 3 for #2 Young Cocoanut Water and 1 for #3 All Roads Lead to Monoprix. Thanks to those of you who have voted. To those that haven’t, what’s taking so long? I’m only going to be here for about four more weeks so let’s get to the business!

Well, I have a lot of things to share so I’ll get right to it...
Last weekend, I went to Amsterdam. Overall, it was a fun trip, with the exception of the bus rides to and from Paris, which were particularly hot, stuffy and uncomfortable. I guess what matters, is that we all arrived and returned safely. In retrospect, I didn’t do very much in Amsterdam outside of walking around and adjusting to the culture shock. Although, I went to the Van Gogh Museum, which was sooooo awesome. It has the largest collection of his paintings in the world. The permanent exhibit follows his works chronologically, giving anecdotes and historical information alongside the tableaus. I feel like I really know Van Gogh and his career, which makes me appreciate his style more and also piques my interest in other painters as well. Also in Amsterdam, I visited the Bible Museum and it was fantastic. Amsterdam is built on water and along the canals are large houses that are generally about four or five floors high. The Bible Museum is in a canal house like these. Its motto is, “Where Bible, art and culture meet in a monument full of history.” Upon arrival, visitors take an elevator to the top floor, where the first exhibit, “The Children of Israel in Egypt,” is located. All of the exhibits were very interesting. The collection included artifacts from Biblical times, a model of the tabernacle according to its description in the Old Testament, visual and interactive media presentations and a host of other things. One exhibit examined Jerusalem as a Holy City for Christians, Jews and Muslims. For me, that was by far one of the most compelling attractions. Also, outside in the garden, there was an amazing statue. It captivated my attention and my cameras for quite some time. I won’t even try to describe it; just look at the pictures. (Click or copy the following link http://uchicago.facebook.com/photos.php?id=2903401&l=40fe5 and you should be directed to my facebook photo albums. The statue is in the album titled European Graffiti, etc. Let me know if the link doesn't function properly or if there is a problem navigating the site. Check often; I update my albums more than my blog.)

Another good thing about Amsterdam is that nearly everyone speaks English, which is great because I don’t speak a word of Dutch. I went to a restaurant with a couple of friends and a waiter approached us and said what sounded like five or six words in Dutch and we were just completely baffled. We responded with our customary request, “English?” He said, “Yes, I know. I was just saying ‘hello.’” It was so bizarre not to know a single word of the native language. Throughout my trip, I always had the urge to use French when speaking to clerks, etc. but of course, that was generally useless. American television in Dutch is hilarious. Flipping through channels in our hotel room, my roommates and I stumbled upon the Disney cartoon Kim Possible, dubbed in Dutch. It was a riot, especially when some words weren't translated. You hear all this Ductch then some goofy phrase like, "super security freaks" in English. What is that about? Dutch is a strange language to me. When I hear it, it’s like listening to an altered and somewhat painful form of English. Many words sound nearly the same but there are all these other foreign sounds that confuse my brain! Ouch! At the end of my three days and three nights in Amsterdam, I was extremely glad to return home to Paris and I still didn’t learn how to say “hello” in Dutch. (How many of you reading this just cringed at my usage of “home” and “Paris” in the same sentence? I know my mom just did.)

And the enchantment continues...
So, I’ve been back in Paris for a week now and it just keeps getting better. (Don’t think that I’m not homesick though, because I definitely am.) I’ve recently discovered an amazing microwaveable dinner that does not have to be stored in the fridge or freezer. Moreover, it has a crazy long shelf-life of like a year or something. How is it preserved that long? They’re sold in the same section as canned foods and include hearty combos like rice with chicken and vegetables in mild sweet and sour sauce, couscous with chicken and veggies, etc. I have picky eating habits but this stuff is actually good. It takes three minutes to cook in the microwave and its perfect, like home cooking. The French students here no doubt think us Americans crazy for all of our instant cuisine. They are so into cooking that I’m absolutely jealous. Everyone, even the men, create elaborate dishes from fresh ingredients. (Is there anything more attractive than a man who cooks?) Okay, maybe they’re not all that elaborate but they sure smell good. Until I discovered the microwaveable meals, I was so sad to walk through the lonely hallway, smelling that fine cooking and then come home to a baguette, chicken nems (egg rolls) or some canned something. Now, all is well. Oh and by the way, I did buy a mug for tea and a bowl so that I don't have to eat my canned somethings out of the can.

Last thing
Today, I went to a mall here for the first time. I don’t go to the malls in Chicago all that much but, this was so exciting. It really felt like home—meaning Chicago this time. I loved hearing the ambient noise of the large hollowed hallways, bustling with shoppers and the random and often American music playing in the various stores. I walked around and absorbed as much of the Americanized vibe as I could. It’s the kind of experience that you want to share with someone. For me, malls are absolutely ideal because I am a relentless comparison shopper—except when it comes to things I really like, in which case, price takes a backseat to my satisfaction. I comparison shopped a lovely while even though I didn’t buy anything. I also found “my shoes.” A few weeks ago, I was out with my home girl, Diana, and on the way to the Pompidou Museum we got sidetracked at a shoe store called Andre. She kind of needed a pair of shoes, I kind of didn’t but we both found a pair and then talked ourselves out of buying them. However, in a matter of about 7-10 minutes, I was able to successfully convince both of us that we did in fact need the shoes and more importantly, that we deserved them. So, we went back to Andre but unfortunately, they didn’t have either of our sizes in the requested styles. Since then, I have made it one of my personal missions to find another Andre and get my shoes! Wouldn’t you know it, there’s an Andre in the mall at Montparnasse and at some point I plan on returning to get what’s mine.

Okay this is actually the last thing—for real this time.
As per the advice of Diana, I’ve created a list of “Things to do before leaving Paris,” since most of my trip is behind me. The list reads as follows:

1. Revisit Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) with camera. (The first time I ended up there accidentally and without the proper equipment.)
2. Ride a boat. (preferably a dinner or lunch cruise)
3. Climb the Eiffel Tower. 20 novembre 2005 (That’s right, I already did it!)
4. Return to Centre Pompidou (a modern art museum) and explore extensively
5. FIND THOSE SHOES! 21 novembre 2005
6. Eat crème brûlé.
7. Visit Notre Dame.
8. Visit Cité. (another museum)
9. See "Melancholy". (a really cool museum exhibit at Grand Palais) 21 novembre 2005

So in the last two days, I’ve made a nice little dent in my growing list. I have to say that I’m quite proud of myself and I’m definitely on a roll. I didn’t realize how good it would feel to strike an item off the list in my Moleskine until I returned from the Eiffel Tower yesterday. It was soooooo cold but Diana and I climbed as far as we could. (You cannot actually climb to the top, just to the first level from the top, which is I think 400+ stairs and then you must pay again to take an elevator the rest of the way.) I expected to be sore today from all that climbing but I’m okay and I have to say that I wouldn’t mind doing it again. (Hey, I just slipped another story in didn’t I? Sorry folks. This wouldn’t happen if I blogged more consistently. What’s wrong with me?)

Anecdotes

Here I am again folks, writing to you all the way from Paris but I have been a bad blogger. It’s been a couple of weeks since I last visited J’adore Paris and I apologize but I fear that I am running out of things to say here. Perhaps next week, I’ll have more interesting stories after my trip to Amsterdam. Still, there is plenty happening in Paris that I could write about, of course and I don’t know if it will be interesting or not but I’ll give it a try anyway. (By the way, those of you who have heard about the riots should know that Paris, although it has been somewhat affected in the southern areas, is still safe and I am still safe. All is well.)

Anecdote 1 Donc uuuhh…
A week ago in French class, our instructor invited one of her colleagues to talk to us so we could practice speaking with someone new. The woman is Japanese and she teaches Japanese in a French school, I think. She was fun and interesting to talk with and she pointed out a difference between the way French people speak French and the way other people speak French. When Americans speak French we generally say, “Uummm” in between thoughts as we do in English or we just don’t make any sound when we have a loss for words. The French always have a sort of background hum behind their speech. There is almost always constant sound and their “uumm” is more rounded like “uuuuuuuhh;” it’s very heavy on the “u” like in the empty-headed “duuuh" sound but without the “d.” Ours is a lighter sound. (When I get back ask me about it and I’ll demonstrate.) So now, all of us Americans turned Frenchies walk around Paris trying to sound authentic, making the “uuuuh” sound instead of the “uummm” sound and one of our favorite phrases is “Donc, uuuuh” (donc means thus or therefore) and we say it all the time but rarely ever in context. It has become apart of the growing vocabulary of our Franglish. It is amazing to me how easy it’s becoming for me to interject a French word into an English sentence, whether I am talking or writing. I can’t tell you how many times in the last 15 minutes alone that I have wanted to type “je pense” for “I think” or “mais” for “but.” This habit works here when I’m speaking to fellow French language students but when I get home, je pense, uuuuuhh, I’m going to have to do a lot of translating.

Anecdote 2 Natural Young Coconut Water
Here in the wonderful city of Paris, I have taken the opportunity to sample a variety of different Asian cuisines. I have never had so many different types of Asian foods in my life! I think I can safely say that every week I’m eating someone else’s Asian food. Whether it’s Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese, none of it is French and I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I’m not complaining though, its genuinely good food. Tonight, I returned with two friends to a Vietnamese restaurant for Pho, (pronounced “fuh”) an amazing beef based rice noodle soup that really warms you, heart and soul. Dinner was a success but as we were heading to the bus, we passed an Asian market and decided to stop. On the way out, I bought “Natural Young Coconut Water” as per the recommendation of one of my friends. I am generally willing to try different foods and drinks, so I approached this coconut water with an open mind. Unfortunately, it was awful. I personally do not think that one should have to chew when drinking out of a can. I don’t know what I was expecting but what I got was not it. The drink tasted kind of like V8 or something with a vegetable base, particularly carrots but then again my taste buds are strange. I think that Pho, which has cinnamon in its broth, tastes kind of like the milk left over from Cinnamon Toast Crunch but in a good way. So don’t take my word for it; check out the Argyle stop in Chicago and try some Pho or perhaps even some “Natural Young Coconut Water;” maybe your experience will be better than mine.

Anecdote 3 All Roads Lead to Monoprix
In my last entry, I mentioned our class trip to Barbizon, which was cut short, so a couple of weeks ago, a group of us decided to return to the town of Fontainebleau (the place in which Barbizon is located) to view the chateau there and perhaps take a hike through the forest. I traveled with five other students, some of whom were visiting Paris from a Spanish program in Grenada. We traveled by train to Fontainebleau, which is small and adorable like the Parisian countryside usually is but more urban, like Paris, with shops and bakeries, etc. In the beginning of our excursion, I separated from the group with my friend and we toured the grounds around the chateau, taking pictures like mad—which, I must say, we do quite well and quite often. After that, we toured the chateau—very nice—then we just walked around Fontainebleau for hours upon hours. While traversing the small town, we noticed a Monoprix, which is a large chain of stores in Paris that resemble something like our “super” stores. Monoprix sells clothes, house wares, etc. and also has a full-sized grocery store on the upper level. So, we walked all over Fontainebleau, saw the sights, walked through a cemetery, got a little lost—you know the drill. After the cemetery, we returned to the center of town and decided to pick another random direction to explore. Before long, we saw Monoprix again, so we picked another random road to follow; a bit later, Monoprix again. Finally, we decided to go in and buy something. Can you blame us? It was always there, just staring us in the face with its bright red letters, begging us to come inside and buy something, anything (even a 1.5L bottle of Fanta Light). In the end, we concluded that the franchise has a monopoly over that poor little town and uses its location as a marketing ploy so that regardless of where you go in Fontainebleau, all roads lead to Monoprix.


Now, the fun starts.
In my boredom, this chilly Sunday night, I have come up with what will hopefully be a fun way to increase reader commentary. Unfortunately, my previous attempt was unsuccessful but I am resilient and refuse to give up without a fight. Donc, uuuuuhh, I have presented these three anecdotes to you, my readers, so that you may select your favorite one. There are no criteria whatsoever; judge them any way you would like. All I ask is that you submit your vote via the comment link located just below this entry. Write as little or as much as you would like, leave your name and then publish your comment. I’ll give updates on the votes and then in a week or two, I’ll post the final results. If this seems completely pointless to you, you’re right, it is pointless but who says you can’t have fun doing something absolutely meaningless? Besides, it means something to me when readers comment; it’s encouraging and it makes me eager to write again because I know someone is reading. So, let’s get this party started! Vote early and vote often!