Two of the (many) things I will miss!

1. The beautiful monuments. The Eiffel Tower has grown to be one of my favorite spots in Paris! I'm going to miss the luxury of jumping on the metro at any time and seeing how beautiful it is, especially at night when it's all lit up..
2. My beautiful new friends! Without them I'd be so lost, and my time here would definitely not be as fulfilling. I'm so glad for them and for being willing to undergo all the many adventures we've experienced together these past seven weeks. They are amazing <3

Au Revoir, Paris :X

The program and my stay in Paris has come to an end. VERY sad! I'm done packing and am getting picked up for the airport in about 6 hours! Yikes. Still gotta sweep my room and take my trash downstairs. Ughhh.

On the second day we were here, they told us that our stay in Paris would be like a rollercoaster, with sooo many ups and downs. Man, they sure were right. There has been so many things I've missed about CA, but at the same time I know there will be so many things I will miss about living in Paris. I've met so many wonderful people that it's weird to think that tomorrow we'll all be off doing our own thing, whether it be traveling to other parts of Europe or going back to ours homes in CA (that's me!). I'm glad to have met them and to have made such wonderful memories with them on this trip. Je les aime <3

Anyway, there is so much I could say about these past seven weeks, but in all honesty no words could ever do justice to all the things I've experienced during my stay here... So I won't try. All I can really say is that it definitely has been an amazing experience, and I am so thankful to my mom and dad for pushing me toward studying abroad and helping me get to where I am today. (:

So that's that. A few more things to stuff into my luggages and I'm off to the airport in a few. It's been fun! I will probably write a post-Paris reflection blog later, but I'll save that for another day..

Til then, au revoir!

Picture of the Day: View from the Top

I braved my fear of heights and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower! This is a picture taken from only the second level (there are three levels of the tower). I did make it to the very top also, I just don't have the pictures yet. This picture is of the Seine River cutting through the city. So beautiful!

Paris, je ne veux pas encore te quitter!

My summer in Paris is actually coming to an end (too) soon and I actually can't believe it. It feels like I just got here last week. I'm still not used to the lifestyle here and I guess it's meant to be like that. C'est la vie.

But I must admit, I've fallen so greatly in love with this city. Not so much the people or the social culture, but the city itself that is so beautiful. I know it's so touristy for me to say it, but it's places like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and the Notre Dame that make me love the city so much. The monuments are so unchanging, so unresponsive, so welcoming that it makes me forget the harsh realities of the cultural practices and norms of its people.

It is here in Paris that I've learned to appreciate just sitting on the grass and enjoying a picnic with friends. I'm so used to a fast-paced life where I always have to be doing something, that coming to Paris really helped me appreciate the art of slowing down.

Slow. Down.

Life seriously moves so fast! The life here in Paris is very fast-paced as well, but it's wonderful to know there are refuges where you could just sit and relax and enjoy and collect your thoughts.

All my life (and even my time here) I've learned so much about the history of Paris, something I have always been interested about. It was amazing to actually see the places where events happened, walk where kings walked, visit where revolutions happened. I got to celebrate a French national holiday with the French, watch fireworks at the Eiffel, drink beer with the locals, and yell "Sante!" with my friends at the bars.

It has definitely been an amazing time here.

Anyway, this won't be my last post. I was just getting sentimental thinking about leaving this place that I've grown to love so much after only 6 weeks. I will write again later!

Bon journee!
(Have a good day!)

Picture of the Day: Sacre Coeur

My friends and me at Sacre Coeur. It's a beautiful cathedral at the top of Montmartre, but it was a very controversial monument from the start. Apparently two men proposed its building in the late 1800s and created it as a symbol of repentance, strategically placing it at the highest elevation point in Paris so ALL of Paris will be reminded of their need to repent for their sins in destroying the monarchy and creating mayhem with their desire for a more democratic Paris (you can pretty much see the Sacre Coeur from everywhere in Paris!). It was bombed during World War II but its foundations are so deep and the material from which it is made is so strong that it remained standing. Very interesting!

Picture of the Day: Hall of Mirrors

Taken in the ever-so-famous Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. When King Louis XIV was in power, he moved government from Paris to Versailles in order to enable his security. He created this Hall of Mirrors in his palace with one wall full of mirrors facing a wall full of windows. When the sun rose in the morning, it created the effect of the sun all around in the room (soo beautiful). It's one of the reasons why Louis XIV was called the Sun King. Crazy, huh? I love the history of Paris (:

Pourboire?

Here in Paris, servers and hosts/hostesses work on salary, not on hourly wages, meaning customers do not leave tip on the table like we do in America.

When I learned that, I thought it would be sooo awesome because then of course, I wouldn't have to tip like we do in America. The only thing is, when you ask for the check (l'addition, s'il vous plait), tip is already included and factored into the meals' prices.

And of course with a tip already included, any sense of customer service goes flying out the window.

I forget how fortunate I am that restaurants in America are actually really concerned about their servers' customer service, people skills, etc. I know at Chili's you even have to pass a personality test to even be considered for hire! And it all makes sense. I've had the WORST customer service here in Paris over the last few weeks than I have in my entire life. Haha. Maybe someone instituted tipping in America cuz they came to France... Haha, just kidding.

But really, here in Paris you could wait 30 minutes before someone even asking for your order. If your waiter hates his job, he will NOT hesitate to show you. You could sit another 30 minutes for a carafe d'eau (pitcher of water), even if yours has been empty for a while and your server just doesn't want to acknowledge you. Haha. It's so awful but it is what it is. I end up involuntarily tipping (probably very generously with food prices so high) many waiters/waitresses who have let their rudeness really shine, only because it is already included.

Sigh. Makes me appreciate American customer service (which is not even the best!) soo muuuch more.

Of course there have been a few servers who have really left their impression on me. One of my first weeks here, my friend and I went to a restaurant where the waitress knew absolutely zero English, and at the time I knew little to no French. The communication barrier was soooo difficult to break through, but from both sides we both tried very very hard to understand each other. I knew she was getting frustrated but she didn't let it show. In the end we got some awesome food and she was able to show me that some French really ARE nice and that not all French are rude..

Also, my friends and I went to a restaurant last night and got some awesome customer service from a very busy waiter who still put in the time to throw in some jokes. Just when I was starting to think that all French had no sense of humor, this waiter came and changed my mind. It's extreeeeeemely rare to find a waiter who will really take time to make you smile.

Anyway, apparently when French receive exceptional customer service, they leave a little tip called a "pourboire." This is left on top of the already-included tip, and on top of the check. It usually is only 1euro-2euro max, and it literally translates to "for a drink." Basically you're giving this server money so he/she could buy a drink after work! Giving money for a drink. I think that's an awesome concept.

The rude customer service, however, is not cool. I miss American hospitality. I'm spoiled with being an American and frankly I absolutely loooove it. (: