Parisian stuff: November 2011

30 November 2011

cafe sugarplum

So my friend and I planned on coming here to study a few weeks ago but it never happened. Today, when I woke up to the sounds of the season (in French) and my awesome french family setting up Christmas decorations downstairs, I realized that no way in hell was I going to be able to get anything done at home. Instead I watched Love Actually and Four Christmases while putting up XMas lights and covering my walls in wrapping paper before getting my stuff together and heading out the door for the SciPo library. However, the library smells like BO and brain sweat, so I ended up finding this phenomenal slice of American-speaking heaven in the 5e arrondissement. If I could only explain how nice it is to be in a place with Americans and a Christmas tree and American cakes and bottomless coffee...I even had a conversation with a complete stranger.

All of this only serves to remind me how excited I am to be home for the holidays. As much as I love Paris and being immersed in another culture, Christmas is supposed to be spent at home with friends and family everywhere. I can't wait to go to the Strasbourg XMas markets next weekend, I can't wait to see the Parisian XMas markets either for that matter. But more than all of this glitz and glamour, I can't wait to be back in SDub with snow, swiss-miss, my fam, and a small Christmas tree decorated with homemade ornaments. Granted, if I wasn't coming back for second semseter, it would be horribly bittersweet to be going home for the holidays. But I'll be back in the city of lights soon enough. I'm going to be a wreck and a half when I have to leave Paris for good...eek. My little host sister is already like "Divya, why is you have to leave? Just move here forever"...Celeste, be careful what you wish for...

Also almost done with the onslaught of exams and papers. All thats left after tomorrow is 2 final exams in 2 weeks. Finally.

01 November 2011

tangier & fez

this has been one of the best trips of my life. never experienced anything like it. morocco still has state-religion (sunni muslim). women don't have equal status to men. everywhere you go (especially since we were traveling alone) you get cat-called, jeered at...if you react, it only gets worse. had to learn to keep my mouth shut and my temper down pretty quickly. ended up swearing at the first guy to annoy us in tangier (55 year old creep followed us down the street spouting out some really uncomfortable french/english come-ons)...instead of going away after i yelled at him, he proceeded to follow us and threaten us "I'll fu*%&ng kill you you f*%&ing f*%&s" (there ya go dad, i didn't actually swear in public)...but seriously dude, please don't kill us, that would suck...wish i hadn't been so taken aback so i could turn around and be like "nah dude, i'll f*%&ing kill you..." stare at him blankly and see what he did...just kidding i would probably have run away faster...

apart from that colorful incident, morocco is AMAZING. we only had 4 nights, 2 each in tangier and fez. we met some awesome people, Moroccans and foreigners staying in our hostel. we visited to tanneries, the mosques (not allowed inside most of them), the souks, the beach (snow storm back home and i was chilling on a beach wishing it was socially acceptable to wear shorts and a t-shirt)...

now in a hostel with some well-travelled dutchies and aussies. Tom (dutch dude) has been literally bumming around western europe, sleeping in garages and on the roofs of bars. He gets a hostel whenever he needs a shower, and goes where he pleases. Went 3 days without showering since our hotel's shower didn't work in Tangier and there wasn't time to shower before sightseeing in Fez...I could do it...backpacking across northern africa and europe in 2013?

i can't really do this trip justice in words, so here look at some pictures...the ones that would load on this internet connection at least.

back to cold and dreary paris tomorrow afternoon. gonna find a good way to spend my last 40 dirham tomorrow morning...