I've been AWOL

I know I have been AWOL. I realize that and I'm sorry. These past few days have been a

complete whirlwind and I haven't had time for much other than eating, sleeping, and walking.

So here's a quick update:

I have moved into my room near the Bastille, which is a quarter of Paris in the 11th arrondissement. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements beginning with the very first one in the heart and center of Paris where the cathedral Notre Dame and the famous museum that houses the infamous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, La Joconde, or more famous among us Americans, the Mona Lisa rests, the Louvre. The arrondissements disperse in numerical order from the center and out in a snail like matter.

So technically speaking I'm relatively close to the center, meaning walking distance to the Notre Dame and many major historical buildings. Place de la Bastille, alone has very significant history in the French civilization. Here is where the Bastille prison stood and where the famous "storming of the Bastille" took place on 14 July 1789. Today this quarter hold lots of that remembrance of the past but has mixed it with the new and modern amenities such as shops like Sephora and American fast foods like McDonalds, Subway, and Starbucks. Not that this quarter doesn't hold the special French charm with its local small cafes and small alleys leading to more shops and street life, this quarter is the place to be for a student like me.

I started school today and I have to say I really didn't want to start yesterday but today I am happy to be back in school. I needed structure in my life once again. After a month of being in Paris I have come to realize quite a bit in the past month and I am happy to have school to clarify the cultural differences I had not noticed before. Deeper issues that circulate the French government on a daily basis are what have got me conflicted. For example the whole Burka business here in France. Before this trip I never realized the significance of this issue in France relative to the world and of the women subjected to wearing burkas. This issue made me realize that Paris isn't really this magical place where everything is peachy and keen. Real problems of security exist all over the world.

I feel extremely blessed and lucky to be experiencing yet another trip to Paris and Europe. So as of right now I have been touring new friends around the city that I love so much, making them love it just like I love it. <3

till next time Have a beautiful day/night!

A whirlwind of days

Jan. 4, 2010

I woke up to Ale poking me. She was NOT feeling rested and better. Her philangee was hurting her and she could not take the pain anymore. It was time to see a French doctor. DUN DUN DUN!! We were looking through our paperwork and such to figure out her insurance and because she could not find hers, I called mine to find a doctor close to the appt and who knew how to treat the philangee. I called my insurance and explained the problem. They thought I had the philangee so they recommended me some places then we found a phone number of her insurance. We called and they gave us a doctor to go to. So we set out on a mission. The doctor they had recommended was near the Place de la Concorde and we hopped on the metro slowly but surely with Ale being crippled. Once we finally got there, the French doctor was very nice. She agreed to see her even though she had no appointment. While she was being checked I stayed outside waiting. All of a sudden I heard OUCH! That couldn’t have been good. Her philangee turned out to be a holangee nothing to do with the other. Ale had misdiagnosed herself. After seeing the doctor we were able to go to the pharmacy and buy her medication. We shared a few laughs and sighs of relief for the simple fact of knowing what the holangee was and how she was going to treat it.

Jan. 5, 2010

Ale is seriously a trooper. She was feeling better today and endured a lot. We ventured out in the cold to the Latin Quarter for my first crepe back in Paris. Yum! Oh and how I love the Latin Quarter. We walked towards the Notre Dame to eat our crepes. After, we quickly went underground to avoid the cold and headed to Cergy to pick up the rest of my luggage. Still crippled Ale taught me the ways of cheap grocery shopping at Auchan. She showed me the “poor section” and all the best low cost things to buy and see. She even made dinner that night when we went back to Paris. Tomorrow was the beginning of our next adventure, Marseille.

Jan. 6, 2010

Sitting on the train to Marseille. First of all to get here was kind of a mission. We left Olivier’s appt. @ 8h30 to get to Gare de Lyon and catch our train to Marseille. As you already know my friend Ale is crippled by causes too hilarious and too horrible to begin to describe hence the holangee. Let’s just say her crippleness made her walk slower and odd, so as you can imagine getting to the train station in time @ 9h16 could have presented a problem. Miraculously and with plenty of drugs, she woke up feeling a lot better and was even walking faster than I which helped us arrive on time. But other circumstances would make us nervous. While on the metro to Gare de Lyon, the metro began to slow down and the lights began to flicker. I joked about the metro stopping. 2 seconds later, it stopped but luckily it started in a minute or so. We arrived at the train station. We boarded and 2 minutes later I turn around and this very handsome French man boarded with a lady. Oh man ladies this is where I go on a bit of a tangent:

This man was probably in his mid-late 20’s. Tall, slender, dark short hair, light skin, beautiful face, which includes eyebrows, eyes, eyelashes, and mouth, he was perfect. Now while Ale who is obsessed with French men because of their distinctive long pointed noses, I don’t care for them much. I prefer the look of the German men. But even this French was parfait! Here comes the best part of European boys, the dress code. He was wearing fitted khaki slacks with a belt, stripped collar shirt that peeped out of his light black sweater and a stripped scarf with square dress shoes. And the best part he spoke French! Ah kill me now, he was with his g/f.

We arrived in Marseille, the south of France where it was suppose to be warmer. Not so much warmer but I’ll take what I can get. We made our way to our hostel, Hotel Vertigo. It was a quaint place with lots of people. We booked a 4-bed room and we were there first so we were kinda anxious to see who would arrive. We headed out to the old port of Marseille lots of boats but not many tourists since it was still cold. We visited the old part of Marseille that included the cathedral, le panier, and other old monuments. We found some sketchy parts of town. We had the most delicious pizza in a sketchy side street but I think it was more delicious because we were so hungry not because it was quality. Frankly I was disappointed with the city of Marseille, it was dirty and it lacked a certain charm of spectacular architecture and enchanting side streets. In my travels to European cities I have always chosen cities to visit because of recommendations, documentaries, history and pictures. I never really pictured myself in Marseille but when Ale thought it a good place to visit I went along with her. I’m always up for an adventure.

Jan. 7, 2010

It ended up being a couple that had checked into the same bedroom and checked out the following morning so again we had no roomies. We ventured out again in the morning after breakfast in the hostel. Palais Longchamp was our destination. It was a very large fountain with great statues. We headed back to the hostel to make food and rest. As we were getting up we met our new roomie Julius from South Carolina. The great thing about traveling and staying at hostels is that you get to meet other fellow travelers and right off the bat you share one common passion, the love of traveling. I have always met great people in my hostel experiences except for one…

So anyways we met Julius who tagged along with us when we left to go to an Irish pub Omalley’s. We had great conversation about history and Mexicans and governments and traveling of course. That night we all passed out.

Jan. 8, 2010

We reunited with old friends today, Olivier and Manu and headed towards the famous Calanques of Marseille. It was a crazy mission to get to the Calanques. I had no idea it would take so much effort to see this natural beauty. First of all I was totally not prepared, I wore 6 lbs shoes rainboots that wore me down as we hiked to higher altitudes. So of course I was automatically left behind…trailing. There’s something you must know about the French (European) lifestyle. In Europe the streets are very narrow and are really not made for cars therefore the government provides excellent public transportation to help its natives travel within the city and continent. Furthermore the locations of popular places around each city are not separated by massive highways but are actually rather near to each other so that people can walk to each place. It is possibly the best set-up for a city and its people. Lots of walking means less overweight people, even with all the cheese and bread they eat. So of course I was left behind…trailing in my condition having barely been in Europe for less than a week and already competing with two native French and Ale who had already accustomed to the French lifestyle of walking. Now it’s not just walking but also put with that a fast pace walk uphill, lets just say I was dying trying to keep up with these Europeans.

Nevertheless we made it to the top and it was spectacular. The view from up there was breathtaking you could see thousands of green trees that led to the coastal cliffs of white and brown rock that spilled into a turquoise sea. The calanques were rock formations clearly seen from our altitude.

This night we were scheduled to depart Marseille at 23h14 on a party train. Yes, you read right a party train. A party train that was to last 8 hours on a trip that normally only takes 4 hours. This party train was to have a DJ on board with a bar and a dance floor. Yep, in Europe you can party anywhere even in the train. So we arrived at the train station in Marseille ready to party. DELAYED! DELAYED! DELAYED! was the reading on all the train schedules. We had heard there was snow in Paris but we had no idea it had caused so many problems with the trains. We sat our cold butts down to wait. Three hours later our train arrived at 02h25. By this time we were completely exhausted and cold all we wanted was a warm bed and to arrive. It was no party train it was a regular train that made its way to Paris across the snow-covered terrain of central France.

New Year's in Germany 2010

Dec. 29, 2009

I woke up sore as can be from moving Ale’s stuff but I quickly packed and headed to the train station Gare du Nord. Germany here I come. I was so excited to see my friends I had made in my university in San Diego. My train was scheduled to leave Paris around noon and arrive in Köln, Germany where Mayina would pick me up at the train station on the platform. I guess I was too excited that I completely forgot about meeting on the platform so I headed down to the inside of the train station where for some reason I thought she would be waiting. Nope, I looked around and no Mayina. Hmmm well I figured I should stay put by the phones until she came by, and yes I tried calling her cell but these tricky European phones work differently in each country so I could not figure out what the German lady was saying on the other side of the phone. Anyways I stayed put waiting. After about 10 min, Mayina found me and we had a movie-like meeting where we are both running towards each other. Apparently she had a message for me over the loudspeaker telling me to go to the Information center. I didn’t hear it. Finally together we went to meet Shukri and the three of us walked around. Them pointing out the important things to know about Köln and I starring in amazement. The cathedral of Köln was the last landmark we went to and it was gigantic! It’s really impressive when looking at it in person. We met a really nice priest who gave us information about the cathedral and told us to “Enjoy life, not to worry about anything else in life but to simply enjoy it,” why can’t all priests be like that. I think I would go to church more often if that were the mentality. After leaving the cathedral we got a ride to Bonn, Germany where Mayina and Shukri live. We ate amazing Afghan food prepared by Mayina’s mom and it was time for sleep.

Dec. 30, 2009

We woke up and headed to the car rental to drive to our rental home near the North Sea. I heard the name of the town where we stayed at probably a thousand times and yet I still don’t know how to spell, pronounce, or even begin to say the name of the town. All I know is that it started with a K and we were in the middle of nowhere. So at the rental car we were presented with a couple of dilemmas that are important for future blogs. Dilemma #1: We only had the rental car until Saturday and we were supposed to be back Sunday.

Dilemma #2: We did not have winter wheels because they cost more and they told us if we were to drive on any kind of snow we would be charged more just for not having winter wheels so to be safe we decided to pay extra for the winter wheels. Better safe than sorry even though we weren’t expecting snow.

So once those issues were straightened we headed to Dusseldorf where we picked up another friend, Marina. Once on the road many things started to present obstacles that made it hard for us to get to the house. I was completely still jetlagged. I must have taken like three naps so I don’t think I noticed how long it took us to get to the house as much as everyone else. Many things contributed to our lateness, Shukri’s navigation system didn’t work at points with no service so we got lost various times, then snow and lots of it, and lastly traffic was a major issue in our delay to get to the house. So we made it and once again I was reunited with Alla. How I missed so many nights that we went out to party in San Diego with this girly. That night I met new people and we had dinner, drinking games and girl talk. It was fantastic!

Dec. 31, 2009

Happy New Year’s Eve! We woke up to a great breakfast and ready to throw firecrackers and fireworks. We began to drink in the morning, true German style. Our crazy stories and games made it a really fun day indoors. The girls started to get ready for dinner, we all dressed up to celebrate the coming year. A little before midnight we headed outside to throw some fireworks. I had no idea this was so big in Europe, it’s very similar to Mexico. After we threw some fireworks I noticed a far away city that was also setting their own fireworks all in a line it looked pretty spectacular. What came after the fireworks was the best part of the weekend. We all headed back inside because it was so cold and we began to drink even more. The two games we played this night were ideal for our mental states. The first being TUCK and the second Charades, Tuck involved numbers and sequence and Charades was just hilarious. We went to bed around 6 am January 1^st.

January 1^st, 2010

Happy New Year! Our late/early night/morning made it very difficult for us to rise and shine at decent hours. Our goal for today was to visit the North Sea before it got dark. So we headed out around 3pm and made it there in about 10 min. It was sooooooo cold. I was wearing a tank top a long sleeve a sweater a coat a scarf a head covering, jeans, long socks that went up to my knees then some cozy socks on top of that and my boots. But I made one grave mistake. I wore no layer under my pants on my thigh area. If felt like sharp needles were stabbing me in the thigh. I have never experienced anything so cold in my life. I wanted to walk to the edge but the coldness didn’t let me. I sat in the car while the others walked some more. I did however manage to take Mister Hobo on a little photo shoot. This was our last night at the house and we spent it drinking the rest of our alcohol and playing Charades.

Jan. 2, 2010

We left the North Sea this day and it was snowing. SNOW, the day we leave go figure. I love snow well loved snow. So at that moment I was ecstatic to see the snowfall but when we started driving I wasn’t feeling the snow anymore. It made us slower to get to places meaning traffic. We decided to make a quick stop at Primark a discount store that carries clothing and items similar to H&M at a fraction of the price. There really were some great things for very cheap. Getting there was a mission. There was unbelievable traffic because of the snow and we then got lost going in circles very near to Primark, the girls all started speaking in German louder and louder and I decided I wasn’t going to say a word. To get to Primark we had two cars, we were leading the other car and unfortunately the other car didn’t have winter wheels, luckily remember we did get our winter wheels. We had a minor fender bender but we finally made it to Primark. Letting go of getting lost and the accident we were like children at Disneyland. We all separated to look through the store and I have to say, I was excellent. I spent 34 euro on 7 items. I think I did great. So we headed out to eat feeling accomplished. Now the next part I’m a bit ashamed of. We ate at McDonald’s. Yes, I know totally embarrassing but it was definitely different. It tasted different and of course it was more expensive because of the euro. But hey I’m hoping that will be the only time. To my defense it was because it was around the corner and open. The ride back on the Autobahn was really scary driving back to Bonn. It was snowing so hard that the roads were not being cleaned in proper time and we could not see where the lines were on the roads. So Mayina drove at a speed that would keep us safe and we finally made it to Bonn at 5 in the morning. A trip that should have taken us 5 hours took us about 13 hours but we made it home safe because of Mayina’s careful driving and for that I’m eternally grateful!

Jan. 3, 2010

Shukri took me back to Köln where I was to take my train back to Paris. I bought a first class ticket back because it actually ended up costing me less than a second class so they fed me on the train. I have to tell you, the trains in Europe are amazing!!!! They will take you anywhere in the matter of hours and they are very comfortable. It really is one of the most efficient ways to travel throughout Europe. That doesn’t say much about the food they feed you because the food I was fed in first class scared me. It was fish at noon with some kind of jelly substance on top of it. It was weird; I’m sure some French concoction. Although most of the things on my plate did not look so appealing I tried every single thing. I remembered the pact to try new things so I did. First came the salad, I was safe there. Next came the green peas, not too bad. Next came the mushy substance next to the fish, ewww not so great. And lastly the fish with jelly substance, double ewww. It left an aftertaste in my mouth that was quite unappetizing. I tried to get rid of it with bread. When I finally arrived in Paris about ½ hour late because of the snow, I greeted Ale and she quickly told me she was crippled. Her self-diagnosis was somewhat serious but with rest it would have gone away and not hurt. We will call the illness Philangee. So that night we stayed in and relaxed.

Je suis arrivée

I arrived in France around 9h on Dec. 28th 2009. The longest day of traveling was finally over but I wasn't in Paris yet.

I was picked up by one of my best friends, Ale #2. It was a funny meeting, I had just passed the doors and went straight towards a phone to call her as soon as it began to ring on my receiver I heard a phone ringing. We were once again reunited and we took off to Cergy, France. Literally not much but some houses and a great business school in this city. We spent the day in Cergy moving Ale from one appt to another and eating and meeting new friends, so in my mind I wasn't really in France just yet because I wasn't in Paris.

One of my French cuties that I met in San Diego really "hooked it up" by letting me stay in his appt. in Paris very close to the eiffel tower. That night we headed out to Paris, the city of lights. It was such a mission lugging aroud everything, I was exhausted!

Even though I was exhausted we ventured out to get a glimpse of the city.

Paris in the winter is much different from the summer, which is the only time I have ever been here before. In the winter it has an aroma of death with an unexplainable magic. I know weird. Death and magic don't usually go together but here it works. I mean death because all of the beautiful plants and trees are literally dead twigs and it's so cold that there are far fewer people outside. But magical because even in this cold and death, Paris knows how to dress it up. For example, we ventured to one of the most famous streets in the world. The street known for its luxurious shops and elegant people and restaurants. The long street where many armies have marched through throughout history and thousands of bicycles have biked through on the Tour de France. Have you guessed yet? The Champs Elysees. It was absolutely beautiful even in the rain and cold, the street was lined with colorful Christmas lights of red and green mixed with the gigantic neon advertisements it was truly a sight to see.

After I caught a glimpse of Paris, we headed back to the appt. First day in France not too shabby.

3, 2, 1.....Blast off!

Ok so Christmas came and went....

Yesterday was spent, like I said, working and with family. I didn't even get to say goodbye to the ocean I love so much.

Right now I am sitting in terminal 1 @ SAN @ gate 15 United but WOW did it take me a while to get here. I hate United!

I thought I had taken enough clothes out before and when I go to weigh my bag it weighs 58.5lbs WTF!!!!! really? I literally had to unpack more clothes and stuff out of my bag AND THEN I come to find out I have to pay for 1 checked in bag. 1!!!! Since when do airlines charge for 1 checked bag! Again, I hate United Airlines! I'm hoping they won't say anything about my backpack. Agh so annoying.

But I am here in SAN next stop DEN and then MCI and then ORD and then finally CDG (Paris).

Yesterday I purchased my ticket to spend New Years in Germany, I'm so excited to see old friends. Germany here I come!

Time to board my 11th flight of the year.

Till Paris,

Have a beautiful day/night!

5/4 Day Countdown... Packing Trial #2 & #3

So I have now packed a total of three times. Still my luggage is overweight, but I am getting closer I think one more repack will do the trick and that will happen on Christmas Day.

Today I couldn't resist and had some Nutella Banane Crepes at a French Bistro in Hillcrest. Nothing like the real deal in Europe though. Right on the side of the street from a vendor who makes them fresh right in front of you for 3 euros. I can't wait. If you haven't tasted nutella you are either like two of my best friends who don't like chocolate or you have not been exposed to this delicious substance. It's pretty amazing!

Later on in the day, work. I'll give you a clue as to where I work. There was tons of people, annoying may I add, a day before christmas asking for sizes, colors, gift boxes, and gift receipts. Yep you guessed it I work retail! and yes I hate it! I have worked many retail jobs but enough is enough. The truth is I only took this job because my last job was seasonal and I wanted to make some extra cash for Europe. So I decided to take this job up until the day I left on the 27th of Dec. Guess what? I work on the 26th. Yea I know, brutal!

Tomorrow marks Christmas eve and I will be spending it in Tijuana, Mexico with some family. This will provide me with a hilarious blog no doubt.

Till then,

Have a beautiful day/night!

7/6 Day Countdown.. Packing Trial #1

Yesterday marked the 7 day countdown. It was quite uneventful because I caught up on much needed sleep.

Today I realized I leave for Paris, France in less than a week, so I decided to do the one thing every traveler must be good at. PACKING. I really hate it! I should be used to it by now because I do travel so much but I'm not. This is the least favorite part of the traveling experience. Nothing ever fits and I get frustrated.

I was really determined to pack mostly everything and make it fit comfortably. I realized that it's a pretty impossible thing to do on the first trial. My little sister helped me pack things into my suitcase.

Packing- Trial #1 went like this:

Me: OK! Let's start

Sis: Ok tell me what to do.

Me: Alright lets start packing all the liquids into a bag.

(At this point the whole room was turned upside down. All of the bags that contained the toiletries were emptied. There was shampoo, razors, creams, loofahs and everything else imaginable on the bed. All of my clothes that needed to be packed were near the space bags. I spaced bags all of the clothes and saw hope.)

Sis: What next?

Me: Put all the socks into the boots.

Sis: What socks?

Me: There was a bag of socks

Sis: Where? It isn't here.

Me: It was just here a second ago. It has to be under you. I just saw it.

(This is where we search for like 10 min to find them under the towels)

Me: How much does the suitcase weigh now?

Sis: 55 pounds

Me: Scheiße (German for SHIT) I give up. I need to stop for today.

I'm glad I started today because I realize I have to cut my clothes by half. Again, I really don't like to pack. I guess it comes with a big trip like this one. Trial #2 will come on Wednesday.

Have a beautiful day/night!