Lost in Translation (Day 15)

Eiffel Tower on Wednesday night

Gr!  I messed up on my homework today.  I was supposed to do all of pages six and seven but I did exercises six and seven.  The directions got lost in translation.  Since our professor always writes out the numbers that we're supposed to complete, I saw those two numbers and did them.  Oh well.  We went over it in class and I was so confused when everyone else had done all of it!  It was the second time that I've had homework trouble.  The first day we had homework, there was a picture and we were supposed to write names of classroom supplies on the blackboard in the picture, but I thought we were supposed to label it... ugh.

This afternoon I used some Dove lotion that the girls before us had left behind.  I put it all over my legs and it smelled awfully strong and didn't go on very well.  It was really white like sunscreen and I had to really rub to get it to blend in.  Weird. 

Glittering Eiffel Tower (Wed. night)

When my roommate came home, since it smelled so strong, I mentioned that I had tried it and she said she could smell it and then after a few seconds said, "isn't it for the shower?" ....it was shower gel.  But it was in French, and said creme, so for two weeks I had seen it in the bathroom and thought it was lotion.  She said she did the same thing but on her hands.  I should have thought something was up when I washed it off my hands and it was all foamy.  Oh dear.

Eiffel Tower (Thursday afternoon)

Today I came home after class and had to take care of lunch, laundry, some packing and studying for class.  I went out for a little while and went to CEA to pick up my ticket to go on the boat ride up the Seine, and I went to the Eiffel Tower to take pictures for a little bit.

Friday after class I'm going to the airport to fly to Barcelona.  Whoop!

Days Two and Three

Yesterday (Friday) we had CEA orientation from around 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.  One of the sections touched on research by Pascal Baudry that looked at French v. American culture.  It was really interesting and a great way to explain the differences!

After explaining some of Baudry's research, she said that Americans are less close to their families and country, making them have a solid inner shell, but are easier to talk to and friendly (and thus have Facebook friends in the 100s), a softer outer shell.  The French are much closer with their families and country, making them have a soft inner shell, but are a little harder to get to know (Facebook friends numbering less than 100), a harder outer shell.  Americans=peaches French=coconuts.  So she said if someone bumps into us and doesn't say sorry (as we bruise easily as peaches) or yells at us, to keep that difference in mind and not take it personally.

Cavalier Bleu: Crepe with nutella

Cavalier Bleu: Croque-monsieur

CEA took all of us to lunch at a restaurant down the street from the headquarters called Cavalier Bleu.  They ordered  croque-monsieur with fries for our main course and we had crepes after.  Yum!  I know my dad will probably love to see the food and others might too, so I'm snapping quick pictures (no flash) with my iTouch as I go.

Les Invalides: Napoleon's tomb

The Eiffel Tower at sunset

Last night my roommate and I walked around to check out our neighborhood, then decided to see if we could find Notre Dame.  We didn't find it (but can't say we were lost because we were just walking wherever we wanted without looking at a map!), but we did find Napoleon's tomb and a view of the Eiffel Tower at night!  And I learned a valuable lesson: DON'T leave the apartment without my DSLR!  It made me sick that my good camera and tripod were at the apartment when we ended up at the Eiffel Tower with such beautiful clouds in the sky.  But at least I had my point and shoot. 

Glittering Eiffel Tower

Today (Saturday, May 28) CEA had a bus tour lined up for us.  We rode around Paris and got to see the major monuments and get an idea for where they are in relation to each other.  Once that was over, my roommate and I walked around and looked at vendors along the Seine river, then went to dinner close to our apartment at Café Canon des Gobelins. While we were there, I said my first whole sentence in French (to our waiter, my first person who didn't start speaking in English after being around us for five seconds!): "Qu'est-ce que vous me recommandez?" or, "What do you recommend?"  See her answer below.  From what I could tell it was made up of eggs and ham in a pie crust.  Yum.

Café Canon des Gobelins: Tarte salée du jour