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?)