You know you're becoming Parisian when... PART 2
I was just looking through some old e-mails and found this list Michael sent me to add to my own. And I thought seeing as Michael just left our beautiful home away from home I should post it.
So, you know you're becoming Parisian when...
- it's not Paris, it's "Paree"
- you will wait 30 minutes for an ice cream from Amorino, even though there's a perfectly good ice cream place 20 metres away
- you have favourite metro lines
- you have favourite metro weirdos
- you go to the Champs-Elysées because it's got Virgin Megastore
- the question "last metro or first metro" is entirely normal
- alcohol downing competitions are with champagne, not beer
- you know the cheapest bar in a 10 minute radius, anyway in Paris, any time of night or day
- you expect the non-alcoholic content in a cocktail to be truly minimal
- flooded gutters simply mean that the cleaners are in the neighbourhood
- a red light only means stop if there's someone looking
- a yellow light means floor it, not brake
- you're no longer baffled by an AZERTY keyboard layout
- Luxembourg is a park, not a country
- your instinctive reaction to the question "where are you from" is to give your arrondissement
Paris me manque!!!
Not Working Rocks!
I've had the best 2 weeks off! It has been filled with amazing live music acts (Daft Punk, Groove Armada, Kings of Leon to name a few), gorgeous days at the beach, catching up with friends, a friend visiting from Europe, reading, sleeping, drinking and lovely days (like today) where I have done absolutely nothing. In short, not working is fantastic and I can't believe tomorrow I have to go back.
Unexpected Visitor
One of the main problems about living in Australia, for me, is that it is very far away and no-one visits, EVER. So I was shocked and very very excited to hear this week that a friend of mine is heading this way. And not is a "planning to visit someday" kind of way but in the "actually booked my tickets" way. And, the MOST exciting part is that she's arriving this month, within two weeks!! It's the most spontaneous thing I've ever seen. I can't wait! YAY!!!
Brisbane
Last weekend I headed up to Brisbane to visit Jess and enjoy some Queensland sunshine. I had such a great time! Lots of fun hanging out with someone who I don't get to see nearly enough.
Friday night we headed out to Jess' local (pub) in the very happening Chermside. It was a random night which included all of the following:- drinking
- talking
- dancing
- teasing Jess
- trying to work out what the guy standing near us was doing there, was he really stood up by his internet date?
- making funny of the 'text me baby, text me' guy
- playing with a really cute puppy
- drunken facebooking
- collapsing in bed at about 4am
I think it's fair to say a fun night was had by all (even Rose).
Saturday was fairly slow, Jess showed be around Brisbane a bit which was a bit of fun. My favourite part was the two hour ferry/boat ride we took all the way along the Brisbane river and back again. Plus we almost forgot to get off which would have made it a 4 hour boat ride. For dinner we had south Indian food just like we used to in Paris (well almost). It was so tasty, mmmmm I can't wait to find good south Indian in Sydney!
RANCHO was Saturday night, it's a big dance party/club night/former house party organised by one of the guys a work with. About five other people I work with came up for the party. They're crazy though, catching a 6pm flight into Brisbane and they a 6am flight out 12 hours later. That's commitment to partying, I was very impressed.
Sunday was pretty much a right-off, I think me and Jess spent almost all day in bed. Though I did manage to get up in time for Jess' Mum's Sunday lunch roast which was great. I love roast! I can't believe Jessie slept through it. Sunday evening we went to Brisbane Openair Cinema to see Jess and Anna's new favourite movie All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane. It's a really cute little movie which has some really fantastic 'hit the nail on the head' type moments including blaming the fact that everyone in their twenties wants to live in the inner city on Sesame Street. And to top of the evening my of the cast, the director and the producer were there are we got to meet them all!!!
Meeting up with Jess wouldn't be meeting up with Jess if we didn't do something big so Monday we went to the Big Pineapple, something I can't imagine anywhere else but Australia.
All in all a great weekend!! Who knew somewhere we tease so often could be so much fun?!
Me and Jess cruising through the suburbs of Brisvegas in the Mazd.
I'm moving!!
Tomorrow!!!!
After being back to Sydney for a few months it's now time to leave the nest (again), I'm finally moving back out of home!!! Not that living at home doesn't have it's pros but it feels like moving out to my own place in Sydney makes my relocating back to Sydney complete. I'm actually setting up my life here rather than just using it to camp out and save money to go away again. I've been feeling like a bit of a nomad recently and I'm hoping moving with make me feel more settled. Strange I haven't really had the desire to feel settled in Sydney in ages, perhaps a new leaf is turning.
So, all my far away friends, start saving so you can come visit and I promise to actually be here (for the next two and a half years anyway...).
facebook-boulot-dodo
yep, that's pretty much it...
Unexpected pride
I'm not always the loudest and proudest AIESECer or the loudest and proudest (former) Alcatelienne but this makes me proud, this makes me really proud.(a bit of a geeky and sentimental post, I know, but I couldn't help it)
Trashbags...
A friend of mine (aka Bo) send me this in an email, though I have no idea why she thought of me :)
It's a pretty good list, I could probably think of a few more, and for me a true trashbag would participate in way more than 5 of them. Anyway, enjoy!
A trashbag is an Australian invented word, but a global concept. A trashbag is one who engages in excessive behaviour while partying, and generally makes a disgrace of themselves - in a good way. True trashbagging doesn't involve just alcohol. It is a way of life. On a night out, a Trashbag should participate in at least 5 of the following:
- Drinking at least a bottle of wine or champagne BEFORE leaving the house.
- Downing more than 10 jagerbombs.
- Eating in at least three of the major fast food outlets in the course of one evening.
- Starting up deep conversations with randoms while waiting in the toilet queue.
- Dancing on any available table, not discriminating against pool tables of course.
- Requesting so many songs that the music is like your own play list, and the dj hates you.
- Screaming I LOVE THIS SONG for every song.
- Having the bouncers, bar staff and dj all know you at your local.
- Putting your bags on the floor and dancing around them so you have more movement.
- Inventing new dance moves, such as the moose, the elephant.
- Bringing out old dance moves such as the monkey, the nut bush or the sprinkler.
- Clearing the dance floor and getting strange looks from everyone that's not you.
- Taking a hip flask of vodka in your handbag or jacket.
- Writing things on yourself and everyone around you.
- Telling random people that they're hot. And more importantly, that you are.
- Drinking Smirnoff blacks because they have 1.9 standard drinks, or Coopers Sparkling, cause it is 5.9% alcohol.
- Taking at least 60 photos of yourself.
- Taking photos of yourself and your friends on the toilet.
- Sucking face with a random on the dance floor. And then another. And another. And, well, you get the picture...
- Starting drinking at 3pm or earlier.
- Continuing till the next afternoon.
- Wearing a skirt so short you need to wear shorts (or special undies) underneath.
- Staying somewhere till you get kicked out, then catching a cab to somewhere else that's 5mins down the road.
- Walking out of a club and the sun is up, the birds are chirping, and noticing that the person you've been suck facing is not as attractive as you thought.
- Being that person on their way home as people are jogging, and going to work/school.
- Doing the walk of shame, either home or out of the club, with shoes in hand.
- Choosing a corner to dance in so you can dance like mo fos in your own privacy.
- Crying/stacking it/booting/all three.
- Sustaining an unidentified party injury.
- Making emotional phone calls to friends you haven't spoken to in a while. Or worse, family.
- Getting into serious conversations with cab drivers that end with you mocking and insulting them.
- Pre-drinks before going out is not an idea, it is a necessity.
Everybody needs good neighbours
Last Sunday, after much partying and foolishness the night before, Amy, Mel and I braved through our hangovers and traveled all the way to Parramatta Westfield to see some of the stars of Neighbours. As I'm sure anyone who knows me would guess we were running late, about an hour and a half late in fact, so when we arrived we were pretty sure we'd missed them. However, after talking to the concierge and we very pleased to hear they were still in the building.
Neighbours is a bit of a guilty pleasure of my so I was quite surprised to see just how many fans there are out there. We were waiting in the line for just over an hour before it was finally our turn to "meet" them. We were in the presence of two stars, a very new character and a veteran. I know that they are real people but it's so much easier to write about them referring to them as there characters so that's what I'll do. Ringo was there, one of the newest characters (I don't really know anything about him) and the highlight of the day Paul Robinson! He even agreed to pretend to be a highly enthused Japanese tourist with us in the photo!!!
Not the most sophisticated day but lots and lots of fun and a great way to kill a lazy hungover Sunday.
Home?
I'm back in Sydney now, and even back to working already. I thought it would be the best thing to do so as not to have too much time to sit around doing nothing and missing my lives in Paris and Canada. I don't think this was necessarily a bad idea but I have realised that nothing can really make me stop missing them and now I'm just exhausted by work at the same time. Oh well, I am happy to be back I guess it will just take a while to get used to it. 
To give a brief update, the rest of my time in Canada was amazing!!! Highlights of my time there include:- spending almost every waking moment hanging out with Anthony
- catching up with everyone (Anth, Lacey, Sunita, Tim, Jamie, Michelle, Andre, Jenna and everyone else)
- meeting new friends making it even harder to leave but great to know I still really have a life in Canada
- going to Tim's cottage for the weekend, without doubt one of the most relaxing weekends of my life
- Barrymore's, Helsinki and all the other bars in Ottawa
Going back made me remember that I have not one, not two but three home town.
I've got photos from Tim's cottage on Facebook or if you've been living under a rock for the last 6 months and don't have Facebook you can just click here.
After a sad goodbye in Ottawa, Michelle, Josée and I jumped on a plane to the craziness and most surreal place on earth Las Vegas. I don't even know what to say about Vegas really... it's Disneyland for adults! Once again too lazy to write a paragraph so here's another highlights list:- the greatest roller coaster I've ever been on at the New York New York hotel.
- Celine, Josée and Pascale you converted me
- "O" by Cirque de Soleil
- clubbing at Pure nightclub and the burlesque show at the Pussycat Dolls Lounge
- our hotel was shaped like a giant pyramid
- I got to go of another summer vacation with Michelle!!!
Once again for photos Facebook or here and here.
The final stop on my voyage was seeing my cousins in LA. It was the PERFECT way to end my trip, I had the best time. Playing with Max and Quinn all day and hanging out with Genitrix and Ghilhaine in the evening, not to mention everyone else. I only wish I could have had more time there. I'm definitely going to take them up on there offer of visiting again for longer.
I was debating whether or not to stop updating my blog now that I'm back but I decided that I'm going to keep it going; living in Sydney is an adventure too!!!
O Canada!
Everyone keeps asking me whether it's strange to be back in Ottawa, the scene of my university exchange, after being away for two years. I have to say that it only feels strange in that it doesn't feel strange at all. It feels more like 'Gigi the quasi-Canadian' has just been asleep for a while and now she's waking up. I'm very happy to say that Ottawa still feels like home!!
It's a fairly relaxed visit as the only thing on my itinerary is to catch up with friends. This basically means many a beer on many a patio. It's funny how so much has changed yet at the same time nothing has changed at all. It's a fantastic feeling to see a friend that you haven't seen in two years and still get along like you were never apart! I'm yet to have an awkward silence in Canada!!!
It's been a while...
Lack of free and easy internet access has led me to put my blog into hibernation at the moment. However I am currently locked inside my friend's apartment with nothing to do except browse the net so I thought this would be a good time to write a new post.
I've done quite a bit in the last month; my internship finished, I travelled to Turkey, Amsterdam and Berlin, and after procrastinating about it for about 3 months I finally booked and paid (ouch!) for my flights back to Australia.
Life after my internship is bitter sweet. It's really nice not to have to go to work everyday, I've been able to do a lot of stuff in Paris that I didn't have time to do before as well as go on a few trips. I've been able to explore new neighbourhoods and visit a whole bunch of different museums (there are SO many museums in Paris!!). However at the same time not working anymore sucks. I really miss all the social aspects of the office, I worked with some of my best friends in Paris and I really miss not getting to see them everyday. Worst of all, the end of my internship marks the beginning of the end of my life in Paris. I've really really grown to love Paris and living here. The city has a really amazing and unique feel to it, life here is always exciting and it's hard to be in a bad mood when you live here. It really breaks my heart knowing that I have to leave and all I can do to console myself is promise myself that I will be back and that I WILL live here again.
At the end of last month I went to Gallipoli for Anzac Day. I'm not sure how to begin to describe this, it's one of those things that I always wanted to do but never actually thought I would do. It was really amazing. I always get goosebumps and a strange feeling come over me at dawn service in Australia, at Gallipoli it was like that but a thousand times more. I'm so glad that I made 'the pilgrimage'. I didn't get to see that much more of Turkey only Istanbul. However Istanbul really blew me away and I'd really like to go back and see more of the entire country.
My trips to Amsterdam and Berlin were more to visit friends as I'd already been to both cities before and 'done' all the big tourist type stuff. Highlights of these trips were catching up with Aafke and Rita (!!!!!!!!!!), Queen's Day celebrations in Amsterdam and clubbing in Berlin.
I don't have any more trips planned before leaving Europe. I just really want to hang out in Paris and soak it up as much as I can while I can. Anyway I better go, I think I can here the key turning in the lock meaning that I'm once again free to roam the streets of this incredible city.
Paris je t'aime.
Spring is here!!!
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And it's ohh so pretty! C'est beau, c'est vraiment beau.
*The photo is from when I was relaxing in Jardin des Plantes last Sunday.
You know you're becoming Parisian when....
- you get angry if you have to wait more than 2 minutes for the metro
- you are recognised by your boulanger
- everybody thinks that you know every street in town, little do they know you secretly carry a tiny plan de Paris in your handbag at all times
- the end of zone 2 marks the end of the world as you know it
- you always open the door and jump off the metro before it has come to a complete stop
- 4 to 5 flights of stairs is nothing (although I don't care how long I live here 7 will always be too many)
- though it is in no way appreciated, you have accepted public urination
- you have also accepted that parks are for looking at, not playing in, and you therefore always remember to keep off the grass
- 8 euros for a pint of beer is, not exactly reasonable, but not exorbitant either
- you find yourself having a stronger and stronger opinion on the left bank versus right bank debate
- 50 square metres is a lot of space
- you always have a baguette, wine and cheese in your kitchen
- you push past people without apologising but you always hold the door open for the person behind you even if they're over 5 metres away
- un cafe equals a short black, no questions
- you introduce yourself to people as Ghislaine
Les Alpes Françaises
After initially banning myself from snowboarding while living in Paris in an effort to conserve cash and suitcase space, I ended up giving in about a month ago when it hit me that it's the Alps!! How could I not go?
It was a bit of a whirlwind trip involving an overnight bus on Friday, two days on the slopes, and then another overnight bus Sunday dropping us back to Paris just in time to shower, take a quick nap and still be at work on time.
It may be the warmest winter Europe has ever had (just my luck, the year I lived in Canada there was no snow in the Rockies and the year I live here there's no snow in Europe) but the Alps didn't disappoint. I spent the weekend at Les Trois Vallées which is the largest ski-able area in the world! I don't think I even got to ride a quarter of what was on offer. The Alps are so different to anywhere else I've ever skied before, most of the runs are above the tree line so when you look around it's just white in every direction and the only thing dividing one run from another is a line of marker poles. The lack of trees led to amazing views, especially on the two beautiful days we were there. The only thing was that the lack of tree also led to a lack of tree runs and I have to say that I really missed narrowly dodging giant pine tree after giant pine tree.
Two days was definitely not enough and it was really hard to head back to Paris but I'm so glad that I was able to visit the Alps, it was a fantastic weekend and totally worth the 20 hours on the bus it took to get there and back.
Quote of the Day
Michelle: Speaking french without le subjonctif is like painting without colour.
La Vie En Rose
In the midst of what can only be described as Edith Piaf mania in Paris with the the release of the film La Môme Marina and I went to see a small musical theatre production about her life. You couldn't have invented a more french sounding evening, a french theatre show about a very famous (probably the most famous) french singer, at a playhouse on the Champs Élysées. Practically too french. Frustratingly for about the first 20 minutes of the play (and the story of the first 20 years of her life) I didn't really understand much, but then something in my head clicked and I understood most of the rest of it (I still don't quite get how this learning a language thing works but this seems to happen fairly often).
It was a really cute little musical, even if it paled in comparison to the film which I saw a few days later. Though it has to be said there is something priceless about a entire theatre audience of Frenchies singing along.
I wish I lived on this street...
Cimetière du Père Lachaise
I always think it's kind of strange that a cemetery can become a tourist attraction but I have to say that after visiting, it is why to understand why Père Lachaise is so popular. The place is massive, gorgeous, and (the factor that lures most of the tourists) it is full of famous people; we literally kept stumbling across them without even trying. The person whose grave I found most interesting was not the cemetery's most famous residents (Jim Morrison or Oscar Wilde) but rather the grave of VICTOR NOIR, a journalist from the 19th century. It stood out because it has a life size bronze statue of him, and what made it stand out even more was that the statue appeared to be rather worn and tarnished in some specific areas, namely the feet, lips and genitals. It seems the story goes that touching the statue will bring you increased fertility.We never would have know any of this if it wasn't for a random guy who walked by and stopped just long enough to explain the whole story to us. We weren't sure whether to believe it or not but being techno-savvy and living in this modern age afterwards I did a quick search on wikipedia, which confirmed the whole story.
A New Post
Well I've kind of fallen off the boat recently with my blog (and my travel diary too actually, bad Gigi!). So much so that my most avid reader, my Mum, is complaining and requesting a new post, so here goes...
I have my french exam tonight for the evening classes I've been taking (hence this post which is really just a form of procrastination from studying). The classes have been pretty good, I do them through the Mairie de Paris so they're cheap and because my class is held in a "not very nice" part of Paris my class is quite small (usually less than 10 people). I know that my french has improved A LOT since I first arrived but I still think it's fairly sub-par. It really is just so easy to live in Paris speaking english, and a lot of it is my fault because I get tired and lazy and generally choose to be in a comfortable situation with my english speaking friends rather than pushing myself into french ones.
Many of my friends from my first six months here have left, though a couple of them have returned (!!!). It's been a bit weird adjusting to life without them but c'est la vie, especially the life of a trainee. But being a trainee also means having trainee friends and I recently found out that a friend from Ottawa just accepted a traineeship in Berlin (Go Rita!!!), I can't wait to visit her!!!!
I've already been here 9 months which is kind of freaking the hell out of me. It only hit me a few days ago that I'm definitely not one of the newbies anymore, in fact I'm one of the old hats. It's good and bad, I love that I feel comfortable in Paris and that it feels like home and know my way around but I hate it that I'm not as excited about 'Paris stuff' as I used to be. But most of all I hate that being here 9 months on a 12 month contract means that I only have 3 months to go. Scary! I'm definitely going to have to make it count and try not to think about it too much.
Anyway, at the moment my hope is that I can come back to Paris in a few years and live here again. And to do that it means I'll have to improve my french, so enough procrastinating and back to the books it is for me!
Amsterdam!!!!
Just as beautiful as I remember it (except with more rain). 
Mmmm herring...
I love Jules!!!
The girls! I love them too. 
Poland = Awesome
I had THE GREATEST TIME in Poland!!! I stayed with possibly the nicest, most welcoming family ever. I experienced, not one, but two Polish Christmas dinners. As well as hanging out with Jacek I got to see Pawel on three of the four days I was in town. I discovered the best post-drinking food ever, zapiekanki. I ate so many delicious homemade creations that I could barely move.
Seriously, I had a really fantastic time. It was such an interesting place to visit and somewhere I'm sure I never would have gone if I hadn't come to Paris and met all my wonderful Polish friends. I only slightly disappointing was that there was no snow so I didn't get a white Christmas (but that can't be helped seeing as there isn't any snow anywhere at the moment, damn global warming!!!). Now I really want to go back to Poland is the summer to see it when it's bright and green and beautiful. Actually, I'd be happy to go back to Poland anytime, especially for Christmas!!!!!
Thanks so much for inviting me Jacek!!!
Christmas in Poland?
Yep!Tomorrow morning I'm jumping on a plane, and after a 'try and squeeze everything in Berlin into 24 hours' day I'm heading to Poznan, Poland. My wonderful friend, and fellow trainee in Paris (well technically not anymore) has very very kindly invited to back for Christmas with his family. I can't wait, I'm so excited!!! Polish carols, home cooked meals, snow (hopefully), seeing Pawel!!! Polish food, vodka, hot cups of tea.I think Christmas is going to be really great this year. It's so nice to spend Christmas with family, even if it's not my own (lounging by the pool drinking champagne).
Quote of the Day
Juliana: (about France) This is the first english speaking country I've lived in or even visited.And I thought one of the reasons we all moved here was to improve our french?? It's kind of disgusting how easy it is to make yourself a life in Paris with very little or even no french.Note to self: Must make more of an effort to use my french.
Do you ever wonder why? I do, ALL the time...
This has got to be one of my most over used phrases now that I live it Paris. It just perfectly sums up so many moments here. I wish I could take credit for it but Jess was saying it way before I was.
Here is a list of some of the 'do you ever wonder why' moments we've witnessed so far (though I have to admit I didn't see all of these first hand, I can assure you that they actually happened):
- trail of raw chicken wings (like bread crumbs in Hansel & Gretel) in the metro station
- flyer for someone's lost pet, but not a bird or a dog or a cat, an asian elephant
- man walking a goat on the metro
- there is always a queue out the door and down the street for the butcher on my street (how can the meat be that good?)
- a man walking down the street with an i.v. drip coming out of his arm
- the Malaysia non-french speaking magician at our favourite indian restaurant performing magic tricks for us
- the guy that runs our favourite indian place speaking 9 languages including farsi
- a guy wearing only his underwear standing outside the AirFrance building near Le Grand Palais
- watching parents encourage their children to pee in public
Oh my god, there have been so many more than just these! I wish I could remember, but I think you get the idea.
I live here...
...sometimes I forget.
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