Found in translation

I have been home for a few weeks now and I can't help but observe how much I've changed. The way I perceive the world, the way I conduct myself in conversations, and even the way I handle stress. Many aspects of my personality have changed (for what I believe) for the better. I finally feel as though I am coming into my own. Without leaving for those four short months, I would have never had the opportunity to expand my horizons and begin the journey to find my true bliss.

I am beginning to realize that I have a very restless heart. The world is so vast and beautiful, I need to find a way that will permit my exploration.

I will forever be found in translation.

Merci Beaucoup.

Thank you Paris.
Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to the world.
Thank you for introducing me to some of the most amazing people,
and for creating the most unforgettable of memories.
Thank you for making me appreciate my home,
and for making me crave the sights, tastes, scents, and textures of the rest of the world.
Thank you for helping me find myself,
I was never going to find her if I had always stayed in Rhode Island.
Thank you for your magic,
I will always love you.

Je t'aime

Prague has the Lennon wall.

Paris has the Love wall.
Found in Montmartre, behind the metro stop Abbesses (line 12):
Over 300 phrases
translated from hundreds of the world's languages-
all playing with the imagery of love.

Chocolate Covered Ants.

Next time you want to feel unique and cultured, I don't advise trying chocolate covered ants.


Step 1: Purchase said product at the grand Bon Marché

Step 2: Sit in the Sevres-Babylone Metro Stop

Step 3: Place said delicacy in ta bouche

Step 4: Enjoy the crunchy, protein filled treat.
Note: Make sure to carry floss with you.

Although they are a great party prank.

"In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language."

-Mark Twain

Dear Sorbonne,

I took a 10 credit course with you

Hoping to help my French
I sat through you each day
In a room
That smelled of
body odor

Ms. Shwan
you gave me as a professor
A woman who purchased her clothing
at museum shops
Found great amusement
in destroying my desires
to speak French

You gave me one exam
that would determine if
I would pass your course
One exam lasting three hours
of my life
50% survive

Dear Sorbonne,
I believe I proved Ms. Shawn wrong!

With great happiness,
M.

Come on Eileen.

For all of you vintage-shop lovers, hold onto your slightly used yet totally Indie hats, and let me share this amazing little secret that the beautiful Nina kindly bestowed upon myself.
Found tucked on a small side-street nearing the Bastille; Come On Eileen is one of Paris's best kept shopping secrets.
Within its 2.5 floors, Come On Eileen has everything from sunglasses, to purses, to jeans, to wedding dresses, to vintage t-shirts, to designer ensembles, to old fur coats.... the list could go on and on.
I highly suggest the trip, even if its only for the experience.


Come On Eileen |
16/18 rue des Taillandiers | Marais/Bastille (area map) | +33143381211
Mon - Fri 11:00 - 20:30, Sunday 14:00 - 20:00

Happy Holidays.

Magic.

It snowed in Paris tonight.
Life was magical for those few moments.
I was home.

Only in Paris.

Where else in the world would I take university courses in the same court yard Alexander McQueen designs his art?

Thank you Mother Nature.

When Rhody comes to play.

It is always a wonderful treat to have friends from home come visit.
It almost legitimatized Paris as my home.
My lovely ladies from URI came for a visit.
La belle Allison attempting to fit in.

I think she could potentially pass as a Frenchie.

The Eiffel Tower

I brought the girls the the Eiffel Tower for thier first introduction.

Slightly magical on many levels.




I think she cried a little.


L' Arc de Triomphe

Daily outdoor market

Allison getting a french haircut.
She had me explain to them what she wanted (in French).

I guess I did pretty well.

Taught Me.

The other night, Kiersten's friends from home stopped by for a quick second in Paris (I understand how ironic that sounds). They were on a European tour with their band, Taught Me, and we were lucky enough to hear them play in a cozy little bar in the 20th Arrodissement of Paris.
I, for one, was super excited. Her friends couldn't have come at a better time. I was beginning to become super homesick for nights like these.
The music was grand. The band, Taught Me, had a beautiful sound. True musicians in my book.
The bar was called La Mer à Boire- Café Animé -- great atmosphere and not too expensive for Paris standards.

Some of their other projects:

One + Plus

Uzi & Ari
Zero Friends Creative Clothing

Note to Self: Always carry camera around.

Because you never know what or who you might bump into.

Pigeon Mail.

One of my favorite things to do is find unique postcards and mail them home. Like everything else in Paris, many of their postcards are works of art as well.

Parc Floral de Paris.

I have found that not planning every detail, leads to wonderful surprises. Today, Laura and I decided to have a picnic and explore (a.k.a. play on the play-ground) Parc Floral. One of the great things about Paris, is that you can turn a corner and run into something centuries old. Before making it to Parc Floral, we literally ran into Chateau de Vincennes. Here, we sat on some stone steps, ate our cheese and baguette sandwhiches, and attempted to appear french. Maybe my intense laughter or our nerdy photo-session gave it away that we weren't. But we had as much fun as the little kids that we competed for the swings with.