March Madness

As March 2012 is coming to close, there is no better way to sum it up than the ironically simple, "March Madness." Although I can't say I've watched one NCAA basketball game (gasp), the past 30 days have been eye-opening and nothing short of spectacular.

Everyone has milestones in their lives: first steps, first day of school, first soccer game, first kiss, first heartbreak, first National Championship, first time trying sushi, first drink, first time talking your way out of a speeding ticket... don't act like you never have. The only one's who aren't agreeing are the ones that didn't pull it off successfully. Blame your inadequate-cry-on-demand tear ducts, not the police car hiding out around the corner. Nevertheless, we all have an indefinite amount of "firsts" but as we grow older, these seem to dwindle away. Whether we get too sucked into our daily routines, are afraid of change, making excuses, or hesitant about taking risks, the fact of the matter is that grown ups are just no fun. Jokes, however I do think it's slightly depressing to see less and less people stepping outside their comfort zone or try something new. Think about all the "firsts" kids are experiencing and compare that to the number you are. What happened to "living life to the fullest" or "never let a moment pass you by" ?!? CARPE DIEM PEOPLE! CARPE DIEM!

Up until this month, March 2012, my number of "firsts" was on a downward spiral as well but in the past 30 days.. my gosh, it feels like watching a flat lined electrocardiograph machine turn into a crying seizure. First time stepping on European soil, first time seeing the Eiffel Tower, first time eating a TRUE crossant, first european soccer game, first time seeing the Mona Lisa and other works of art, first time hanging out with a group of people of a dozen or more different nationalities, first time using a euro, first time learning the hard way to not STAND on the left side of an escalator (it's like a huge unwritten law here.. but really, can't pick up your dogs poop?), first time uttering my most commonly used phrase "I don't speak French," first time mistaking hand sanitizer for mouth wash, first time having wine and cheese for lunch, first time hearing the word "douche" (meaning shower yet I still can't bring myself to terms with saying), and many, many, MANY more... some of which are intentionally neglected. Sorry, but grandma's reading this. Grandma, all I neglected to mention was all the cool old churches/cathedrals I've been in like Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. Yes, that's it!

Two people I do want a take a minute to make an example of are my parents. As most of you know, March 29, 2012 (yesterday) was moving day at 1 Southwick Place. This has been an extremely tough pill to swallow and the one thing I wish was not on my March 2012 list of "firsts" -- not being able to call "maintenance mountain" my home. To go walk back into my house I would see nothing but 15 years of fond memories. Some good, some bad, but more good. Miranda Lambert says it best... it was the house that built me. You can look at it two ways, be sad knowing I'll never make that sharp left turn up our driveway again (crossing my fingers that no one is coming down), or happy that I had that for the majority of my life. My parents didn't make the extremely difficult decision to just simply leave our home, but made the choice to buy a lake house instead where they can grow old, make new memories, and as they keep saying, "somewhere great to bring the grandchildren." (I keep telling them I need to find a boyfriend first but they just don't seem to understand!) My parents chose to step enormously outside their comfort zone and choose to make a "first" of their own and for that, I am very proud of them. As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. Although I don't think there will ever be another like Southwick Place, as I said earlier, walking through my house again, all I'd be able to see are memories in every corner of every wall. Lucky for me, memories are intangibles and something I can take with me where ever I go.

March 3 was the first time I said "goodbye" to Southwick Place instead of just "see you later." On the flip side, March 4 was the first time I said "hello" to Paris and an extremely exciting new chapter of my life... My oh my, March Madness! Even though most of us are miles away, I'm glad you guys are all along for the ride! The love and support I receive from home on a daily basis is amazing and makes this experience even better knowing I get to share it. Here's what I've been up to since last week:

"First" Flea Market

"First" time at Cafe Oz together

Can't say this is a "first"

Isabel going green!

"First" AMF! ... or the French version of it anyways

Aftermath of the "First" time staying out until the metro's reopen at 5am.. cute.

Inside Musee Carnavelet- History of Paris Museum

Courtyard at Musee Carnavalet

Leslie snuck this picture of me. We both agreed we didn't learn much about
 Paris at this museum but we liked the courtyard :)

Lunch at our new favorite spot in the 4th spectacularly named "Le Favorite"
It was not your average French Cafe, much more urban and modern

Bridge going from the 4th over to Notre Dame

"First" time at Notre Dame!

Inside Notre Dame... SO beautiful!

Walking off our lunch and chocolat along the Seine.
Lots of people lunch here

Josh and I spent the day at Le Jardin D'Acclimatation...
Kids amusement park close by with lots  of animals.
Loved that he chose the SF Fire Dept truck :)

Happy boy!

The blondies

Hope you like the pics! I love posting/captioning them because it makes me fall in love with this place all over again.

Last night I went and played soccer again... I’m loving the girls and the team! Even the girls that don’t speak English I’m learning how to communicate with and have started bonding. The head coach is French but ironically played for the Boston Breakers when the league first started in ’05 I believe... meant to be! Right now I’m heading to a doctor appointment so I can get cleared to play games with them. 

As for what’s next... tonight Leslie and I are going out which is always something to look forward to! Tomorrow I’m giving my first english lesson to an 11 year old girl who lives across the street. Not sure what to expect given the dynamic of a little girl who knows only a few words of english and me, who can’t even pronounce “au revoir” properly. Good thing my French classes start on Monday! My first set of classes will be 3 weeks long, 2 hours a day Monday-Friday. Let’s hope these teachers can work some magic! Sunday night Leslie, Jennifer, Isabel, and I are going to take a night bike tour all around Paris. It’s 4 hours long and we will see all the touristy attractions but since it’s at night, will involve lots of wine pit stops :) Then a week from today, Leslie and I will leave for Barcelona! Viva Espana!! We’ll be there Friday until Tuesday and my hopes are to experience as many “firsts” as possible. Leslie mentioned the idea of some Sangria... I didn’t oppose. 

Until next time, I hope everyone has a good weekend and goes out and makes at least one new “first” of their own... After all, it’s March Madness!

Want To Go To A "Football" Game?

As promised, I had to write another blog about my Wednesday night! It all started last week when Thom asked me if I'd be interested in going to a Paris soccer game. He tells me his neighbor has connections and can get us some tickets. In my head I thought, sure that could be fun... Little did I know the extravaganza that entailed going to this "Paris soccer game."

Back track to last Saturday night, the neighbors came over for dinner. Mind you that when I say the word "dinner," you wouldn't believe the preparation that goes into hosting a couple here. For starters, they call to invite you over at least a week in advanced. Normally whoever is hosting will cook but since Sadia didn't feel like it, they ordered a ton of really nice Moroccan food... for the entree. Don't even get me started on the mouth watering variety of appetizers, desserts, wines and cheeses they had. There was at least four different restaurants present at the dining table that night. But I guess that's just how Paris rolls! Anyways, back to the story, the neighbor Loic (Lou-week) was a very nice, well dressed, French man but luckily speaks English. The wife, not so much, but was nice as well (at least the smile and nods she was able to give me). Turns out, Loic is very high up in his company, Daniel Hechter, which is a clothing company specializing in men's dress clothes (suits, shirts, ties, belts, shoes, you name it)... No wonder why he was dressed so well. I thought that was cool but was even greater come to find out is that Daniel Hechter is the sponsor that dresses PSG (Paris-St. Germain), the professional soccer (football) team here. No big deal. They give the team 60 suits, 120 shirts, belts, etc. in return for getting 3 minutes of advertisement during the game as well as get hooked up with tickets, events, and all that jazz. Thom informed him about my soccer and not only said he'd get me tickets for Wednesday nights game, he said he could get in contact with the PSG women's team! We'll have to see how that one goes...

Fast forward to Wednesday night, while trying to bathe Josh and get myself ready at the same time, Thom mentions there is a dinner afterwards so we don't have to eat before. I say okay and don't think much about it other than cool, free food. We leave the house around 7:45 so we can get there before kick off at 8:50. Upon arrival, we drive into a "VIP Only" underground parking garage. Once parked, we walk over to stand in line to get chauffeured over to the stadium (which turns out to be easily walking distance). Right away I notice that it is all men, dressed in suits. I think I might have seen one woman in line who was someones wife. We spot Loic in line and once it was our turn, get driven over to the stadium in a Mercedes S Class chauffeur car. I'm thinking "wow..." but no, it gets better.

We get to the stadium and immediately go upstairs to a special entrance where we are greeted, given wrist bands, and escorted into the VIP Lounge. Okay, now I'm thinking "WOW." Once again, I immediately notice at least 98% men, dressed in suits, and waiters carrying silver trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. I'm not in Kansas anymore. Immediately regretting not doing my hair or putting on much make up, I walk around in awe until I run right into one of the three open bars... it's like a 6th sense of mine. Thom and I each have a drink and then get ushered towards the doors into our VIP seats because kick off is about to start. As I was in awe of the this VIP Lounge, I was completely blown away as soon as I walked towards my seat. 40,000 screaming fans present tonight whose passion for "football" would be evident to a blind man. The teams take the field and the crowd gets even louder. My immediate reaction to everything I'm absorbing is to laugh and I don't even know why that was... I was in a pure state of shock. Soccer in the US is not exactly everyones favorite past time and as it has been my life for the past 18 years, it was unbelievable to see first hand. 

The game gets under way and I'm mesmerized watching the game live. Their touch, finesse, speed, (bodies).. I mean, athleticism. All so brilliant. In the first 10 minutes there was an undeserved PK given followed by two other goals. At half time PSG was down 2-1 as we made our way back into the VIP lounge (heaven forbid we were to hang out in the stands for half time). The lounge was transformed into a banquet style room filled with more hors d'oeuvres. It was all too good to be true so naturally, I HAD to document it. Looking lost wandering around the room, trying to figure out the best place I could snag a picture with fewest people noticing, while trying to seem like this ain't no thang (like everyone else seems to be doing)... well, that was impossible. The conflict in my head between choosing to look like the sophisticated, mature, young adult munching on some salmon cracker thingy with my pinky in the air orrrr the token newbie creepily sneaking pictures in the corner thinking no one is noticing... it was a first round knock out. 

Second half got under way and was even more exciting than the first half. While PSG came out fired up with at least a dozen scoring opportunities, Lyon held off and was awarded a late (deserved) PK to finish them off 3-1. PSG losing was the only negative part of my night and even that, I didn't so much care about (shh). So the game is over and it's 11 o'clock at night... time to go home, right? Guess again. We walk back into the lounge and the room has magically transformed once again. This time into round dining tables everywhere topped with bottles of champagne, wine, soccer balls, and PSG paraphernalia. As we find out table, I notice that every table has a sign on it saying which company or person it was reserved for. We sit down and I take a look around at all the well dressed men (and maybe 4 other women) all around me. The first thought that crosses my mind is "nice ratio." Followed by a more sensible "... the networking I could be doing in this room." There were representatives present from every sponsor possible including Daniel Hachter (Loic's company), Orange (the major phone company in Europe), Fly Emirates, Nike, and more. Did I mention I really need to start learning French? Luckily, everyone at "my" table spoke English. 

First course came out and it was 3 scallops the size of my thumb nail and mashed potatoes the size of my eye ball. Why is it that the smaller the food is, the nicer and more gourmet it tends to be? Seconds please... After the waiters cleared our plates, I noticed the others at my table "cleansing their palate" so I reached for my water to do the same. In a situation like this where I'm surrounded by wealthy, older men, I notice it turns into a game of Simon Says. They take a bite of food, I do too. They pour some more wine, I do too. Unfortunately Simon did not say to spill your drink all over the table. I managed to knock a glass of water that dominoed into a glass of wine and spilled everywhere. I'm out, game over. Just when I thought I was starting to blend in with the crowd, hello, the token American is in the house.  Luckily no one was in the splash zone so the men just laughed and immediately fetched some extra table napkins. Besides this embarrassing glitch, the rest of the dinner was really nice. The scallops and potatoes were followed by a rack of lamb and ratatouille and ended with a heaven sent creme caramel dessert. As dessert was being served, another treat came out in the form of two young, handsome men... PSG player meet and greet time! Two of the teams best players came out to talk about the game, answer a few questions, and take pictures. As much as I wanted to get their number.. I mean, take a picture with them, I was a big, fat chicken and only snapped a photo from afar. 

Overall, the night was a complete success and needless to say, set the bar very high for future football games to go to. Everyone at our dining table was very friendly, including me in all the conversations, speaking English for the most part otherwise translating what someone was saying. Again, did I mention I need to learn French? At around 12:30 we finally said our goodbyes, were given a bag of PSG goodies as if we were leaving a five year olds birthday party, and headed for the exit. The chauffeur's were outside waiting in a line to drive us a few hundred yards back to our cars. By the time we got home around 1am, I was feeling very tired and full. That night I went to bed looking out my window which I can see the Eiffle Tower from, laughing, thinking.. is this real life?

PSG Stadium

Kick off

Half time

VIP Lounge

Dinner is served

Player answering some questions about the game and the team

Friends, Festivities, and Firsts

Hi all! I've been staring at this blank page for at least a few minutes now, racking my brain on where to start with this blog post... Choose a theme... What day to go into detail about... It's been in the back of my mind since Monday to update everyone on my weekend/new experiences but I kept putting it off, half because I've been so busy, half because there's just SO much to say! The way it feels to me is completely backwards... the more I'm experiencing, the harder it is to write about. In the past week, I've experienced more "firsts" than I have in probably the last ten years.

Imagine how a baby acts when first given a new puzzle. He/she might look perplexed, stumble around a little bit trying to fit the triangle piece into the circle, but after a few mistakes finally figures it out. The mom or dad might be watching on in shear amusement to see their child try to figure it out on their own, when they could easily point to the correct place to put the puzzle piece. But once the baby figures it out, the excitement that baby shows is written all over their face. He did it all on his own! He put the triangle puzzle piece into the correct place. 

I know this is such a corny example, but after being around a 2 year old all day long, I can't help but see a resemblance as we both are trying to figure this big big world out. While Josh might be trying to learn how to not poop his pants, I'm learning how to know when to take the Metro vs RER vs tram vs train vs bus, how to pronounce "de rien" (meaning "you're welcome".. I cannot pronounce that word for the life of me. And Sam loves asking me to say it just to get a laugh), or simply order a crossant without the help of one of my "enablers." Even though I'm stumbling all over the place, it's a great feeling when I finally get the hang of if without the help of someone else. Paris is really starting to feel more like "home" to me as I familiarize myself with the city... and I'm truly enjoying every minute of it!

Now for updates of my lastest happenings! Since it's been almost a week since my last blog I thought I'd just give you a few highlights from each day:

Saturday: I met up with Isabel (a German au pair who I've become friends with and have really enjoyed getting to know) and her cousin, Karen who was in town visiting. The three of us had a very touristy day, visiting both the Musee d'Orsay and Centre Pompidou. The Musee d'Orsay was stunning! It used to be an old train station in the early 1900s and then was converted to an art museum and is best known for its impressionism pieces and featuring artists including Monet and Van Gogh. Unlike the Louvre which is paparazzi central, there are no photos allowed in d'Orsay but shhh, I still managed to snag a few :) 

Centre Pompidou on the other hand... (I type with a slight smirk and chuckle). It's, "how you say"... a freak show. No I'm kidding, but this museum is all modern art that makes you wonder what the artists could have possibly been thinking (or smoking) to create. (see for yourself below. We made a contest out of who could find the WEIRDEST... I mean "most original" piece of art). Piece after piece, I would say to Isabel or Karen, "you're kidding me... I could do that." To what Isabel quickly would reply, "but you didn't. They did. That is why their art is in here and yours is not." Touche girlfriend. Nonetheless, it was cool to see this place and add another "first" to my list. 

2 museums, 1 panini each, 1 coffee, and countless miles walked later, it was safe to say we needed a break. We headed back home and then called it a night... NOT. Come on, Saturday night.. St. Patty's Day.. anyone that knows me... it's time to party! The three of us accompanied with 2 of our friends Kendall and Jackson made our way into a popular bar area in Paris. After downing our "friends," our feet felt fully refueled and ready to dance the night away! The pubs were wall to wall crowded.. apparently American's aren't the only one's who celebrate St. Patty's! (which I was completely content with) We finally made our way to Cafe Oz known for being the Australian Bar but I met people from all over the world there. I have to say that's one of my favorite things about meeting people here. Instead of being in San Diego and basically asking what part of California you're from, the question is formed more along the lines of what part of planet Earth are you from. It's awesome :)

Cafe Oz turned out to be a fun filled night of dancing on tables, taking green shots made with who knows what, and some glow in the dark face paint. I didn't hate it :)

Bridge where couples inscribe their initials on a lock and throw the key into the Seine

View out of Musee d'Orsay

Inside Musee d'Orsay which used to be an old train station

Van Gogh-- so not allowed to take a picture of this

The Freak Show... I mean, Centre Pompidou. The red things are the escalators for each floor

Performance going on in courtyard outside the museum.. A unicyclist and a drunk. I'm assuming only one was supposed to be there but guess who stole the show...

Standing in another line... 

Andy Warhol

... am I missing something?

Sums up the museum pretty well 

ouuuuuu

ahhhhhh

OH!

firehose. ?

And the winner goes to.... 

Ok, this was actually cool. Picasso! 

Karen wasn't the only one wanting a little rest

Out at the pubs! 

 Cafe Oz :)

Happy St. Patty's Day from Paris!

Inside Cafe Oz

Isabel and I :) ... dancing on a table.

Sunday: Went to the American Church of Paris again. It was a really good sermon and focused on one of the most common bible verses there is-- John 3:16. After that I met up with Isabel and Karen at La Defense to shop a little and get a coffee. Leslie and Jennifer joined us then 2 more au pairs joined us for my FIRST sushi dinner in Paris. I'd have to say that dinner was the highlight of my day. It was hilarious swapping stories of our experiences being an au pair, our families, and "kids." You don't even want to know some of details we were getting into but I can assure you it's nothing etiquettely proper to discuss over dragon rolls and edemame. We had the whole restaurant giving us looks from our collective laughter. With all our different dynamics going on, I truly believe we could write a damn good book on "the au pair life."

On my Sunday stroll to church.. Infront of the invalids.
Crepe stands are everywhere!

 SUSH!

 Nutella sushi dessert. Bomb.

Monday: Back to strollers, diapers, playgrounds, bottles, and toys. The weekends go by way too fast. While I was getting Josh ready for school, I had to stop and laugh when I realized I was stimutaneously brushing my teeth, running down stairs to throw out his diaper, putting on his socks, turning off Barney, and putting away his race cars. Fast forward 12 hours... I went out in the St. Michel area to a pub called The Greatest Canadian Bar. It reminded me a lot of San Diego for the fact that it was 50 cent wing night-- I'm sure the closest I'll get to "Wing Wednesday" at Bub's. As I mentioned earlier, it's great getting to meet people from all over the world. Monday night was no exception as the only American representative, other countries included Australia, Italy, France, Brazil, and Spain. Meeting people from all different walks of life has already felt invaluable and is changing the way I look at so many things!



Tuesday: Happy 1st day of Spring!!! I didn't want to waste one second of it so Leslie and I decided to go sit out in the Jardin du Luxembourg... the most cliche way to possibly spend this day but so fantastic! One thing we know how to do is chat it up... We're eerily similar to where we are in life so everything we talk about is so relatable. Leslie was supposed to be leaving Paris in September but has decided to stay until December which obviously thrills me! Watch, next step will be pushing that date back again and us looking for an apartment somewhere in the 6th arrondissement. Kidding Dad, don't have a heart attack... 

 Jardin du Luxembourg

 Sitting outside here.. again, these pictures don't do it justice

Thursday (today): Myself, Leslie, and Jennifer met up to go check out the new Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacob exhibit. It was so cool and interesting... I think my favorite to date. I really loved seeing the artistic talent that goes into fashion and how they're intertwined. It's Jennifer's birthday today (Happy Birthday!!) so afterwards we found a cafe across the Seine from the Louvre to sit outside and have a glass of wine. As we were starting to wrap up, the man sitting next to us ended up being American as well (but has lived in Paris for 20 years now) and ended up buying us another glass. By 1 o'clock we were slightly buzzed as we said "merci" and strolled through the Louvre courtyard and ate sandwiches out on the lawn. 

 Louis Vuitton.. the man!

 Some of the first LV's packers

 LV purses from all different eras

 Jennifer, me, and Leslie :)

 Outside Marc Jacobs/ Louis Vuitton exhibit (it's also a normal museum as well I believe)

 12 o'clock happy hour

 Where we sat outside and looked out onto the Seine and Louvre

Sante!

Some of you might have noticed I left out Wednesday. Don't worry, I didn't forget but I decided it was just way too good and deserves it's own blog... so stay tuned!