One Month In

Can I start by complaining about how differently French people eat meals? Although this is a rather small annoyance, it is something that me and my friends have decided is an instant give away that we are American. For the most part, they are very very graceful eaters, but they also have their quirks. For instance; why would you eat the bun and patty of a hamburger, and then eat the other half of the bun with the lettuce and tomato? Wouldn't it be more delicious to eat it all together..at the same time? Apparently not.

So, I have officially passed the one month mark as of a few days ago here, and the things like eating habits and where to stand on the metro are becoming routine things (thank goodness). Ever since Dublin, nothing too riveting has happened - went to the Lumineers concert, took a shot that was on fire, and tried to find meaning in Dali - just the usual life in Paris.

The Lumineers were hands down the best live concert I have experienced. Between the fact that I was in Paris, knew every word to every song, and the concert hall had the "chillest" vibe ever, it made for a good night. I was surprised how many more songs than just "Ho Hey" most of the audience knew - and listening to the entire crowd sing Dead Sea with a french accent was rather amusing. They played almost their entire album and even covered a little Dylan. For their encore they brought chairs to the middle of the audience, all of 4 feet from me, and played a new song off of their next album. It was completely acoustic, no microphones even, and it was a great way to end it all.

As for the shot, don't worry Mom and Dad it was supervised, and it was one of those once in a life time things that I wasn't allowed to say no to without regretting in twenty years.

In regards to interpreting art, I also visited the Centre Pompidou this week. This museum is quite a lot to take in. The Louvre is Realism, Musee d'Orsay is Impressionism, and the Centre Pompidou is just all over the walls. I'm not the best at interpreting what hanging panty hose really means, so it was an interesting visit. Also, considering I see the Haussmann architecture style (which is quintessentially Parisien) every single day as I make my way through the city, it was nice to see something so modern and unlike the gorgeous cathedrals and cafes that line every other street - even if I didn't quite understand it. All I could think was, "I'm in Paris, surrounded by work that looks like it was made by Aleksandr Petrovsky - that must make me Carrie! Now where's Big?" Alright, maybe not quite that, but close enough.

Apart from the exorbitant prices, I am loving living in this great city, but I can't believe how quickly it is flying by. Weekends are filling up with adventures to other countries, and days are packed with taste testing macaroons and pain au chocolats, or just even people watching. It's weird knowing I'll be back in the states in just three short months (at least finally eating Chipotle) and no longer have 24-hour access to crêpes and gaufres - 'spose it's time I learn how to cook.

Until next time -