Another Day of the Neverending Break

I'm not quite sure how Sciences Po expects me to jump back into the swing of school after a month and a half of break. I guess I'll see soon..

Yesterday was another typical day  in my ridiculously scheduled life. I stayed awake until 7am talking with my sister Natalie and friend Aimee (who were together or course, Natalie always stealing my friends!). I woke up in the afternoon, said hello and goodbye to the host-grandparents, and went to get the kids from school. Vic was in a rather rambunctious mood today. He didn't want to listen or clean up after himself. He spilled a lot of cheese onto the floor during dinner. When I asked him to clean it up, he threw it in the corner when I wasn't looking. I was not impressed, especially after I made the kids garlic cheesebread!


 For the rest of the night we (meaning I) built a tower together out of building blocks and it almost reached the ceiling. Vic wanted nothing more than to knock it down. He did.

At the end of the night I met up with Dunc, Oscar, Maria, and Nissa from U of I to spend time with Maria on her last night. We went on a barcrawl in the Moulin Rouge area. Unfortunately, we felt a little ripped off by the prices, but we ignored the feeling and had a good time together for her last night in Paris. I had to leave early for today's activities.

I woke up at the ungodly hour of 8am ('ungodly' considering my previous sleep schedule!) to go to the airport to get Carrie! She will be studying in Grenoble (south of Paris) for the semester. It was great to see her again, but not so great to see all of her luggage! She brought 3 fully loaded bags-including her extremely awkwardly shaped snowboard bag which rendered us plenty of questioning looks. It was definitely an adventure back to my room to store her things..

We ventured out into the streets and had a sandwich at a nearby bakery (there's always a nearby bakery..). We saw the Eiffel Tower, had coffee and hot chocolate, and continued to Sacre Coeur. Dunc met up with us and we walked through Montmartre, an awesome little nook of the area with artists everywhere painting and selling their own works. Carrie and I were both tempted to by something, but we decided against it. I know I will buy something from there by the end of my trip; it'd be a genuine souvenir.

I had a nap while Carrie checked in with friends and family, then we headed to our friend from the Share America program of the last 3 summers. Marion and her family welcomed us for a delicious dinner where I ate spiced duck for the first time. We also had mushrooms that weren't too bad, especially considering my general dislike of them. But you have to have an open mind here, and it really helps me enjoy French cuisine!

Carrie is staying the night at their house, and we're continuing our adventures tomorrow and Sunday. It's really cool that she's sharing this experience with me; we started French at the same time in high school and became friends through the program. Many years later we're sitting by the Eiffel Tower in a little cafe, surrounded by and in the middle of French life.