End of February Adventures: Invalides & Paris Erasmus Party #2 Friday, Feb 29 2008

Well, it looks like I have to write another post for February again!  So my friend Stefania turns out to be leaving for her internship this Saturday, March 1st, so we decided to have a little get together as out last time to see each other in Paris on Wednesday.  We trekked over to Invalides, where Napoleon is buried.  However, we were just an hour too late, getting there at 5pm, the tomb being closed at 4pm.  So we ended up just taking a walk outside the building and around the garden.  The pictures I took are posted on Facebook!

The next day I went to the Paris Erasmus Party for the second time at Mix Club.  This time was a lot more fun as I was bothered a lot less.  I still got grabbed a few times, but no one kept at it after I shoved them off of me like the last time, so it wasn’t so bad at all.  And not only that but I bumped into a friend of mine from school, in fact my friend Claire whom I went with the last time I went there!  Anyway, it was a lot of fun and my friend and I even met another Canadian girl and her friend who’s American.  All in all it was a silly, fun time, and some of the moments are recorded and can be found on my page on Facebook again!

Tonight will be another night out with friends.  I am heading out with Michelle, a girl I met volunteering with the animal rights group here called Droits des Animaux.  She invited me out with her friends, so we’ll see what mayhem ensues!  I’m sure pictures will surface on Facebook soon enough!

Thanks for listening and I hope all of you are doing well, my thoughts are with you!

Cheers,

Meagan

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Day of Firsts Tuesday, Feb 26 2008

I thought my “February Summary” post was going to be my last post for the month, but after yesterday I had to make another post.  So yesterday turned out to be my “Day of Firsts”. 

I finally managed, after trying to, almost ten times it must have been, to make it out to a CS event, to finally make it out to one.  As crowded and noisy and hard to get to talk to people as it was, I had a good time.  Because, as all CS events are known to be, it was full of wonderfully friendly, crazy, and ready to party people!  I am surely going back!

Yesterday was also a “Day of Firsts” because I had my first night of dreams in French!  It was slightly bizarre and disconcerting, and it really gave me a weird feeling when I got up, but yes, I had a full night of dreams in French!  I can’t remember what happened exactly in these dreams, but all the conversations and events took place in French.  Boy oh boy this trip is definitely getting more interesting at every turn!

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February Summary!!! Monday, Feb 25 2008

Sorry everyone, but this month has continued to be super busy!  Things did settle down a bit after first settling in, and that is when I started my blog, and I got some partying and fun in.  But as I’ve been trying to manage to balance school, going out, and just all the regular things that pile up (I’m sure you all know what I mean), I just haven’t had much time to keep my blog up to date, but I am now!

So I will just summarize what’s been going on with my Paree life since I started my blog.  I’ve been going out a bit more, as I’ve been finally getting to know some people better.  As you can see from my Facebook albums, I’ve done some shopping at Galeries Lafayette, which I’ve wanted to do since arriving in January!  It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.

The pictures from the vegetarian restaurant / tea shop are quite nostalgic now, since I just found out yesterday from a fellow volunteer that it has now just shut down last weekend due to bankruptcy!  It’s too bad, that place was really lovely, I’d love to have a place like that in Toronto to go to! 

And yes, you read right, I AM volunteering!  I’ve already told some of you, but for those whom I haven’t told, I’ve been volunteering for an animal rights group for over a month now.  Every week I help out with their tabling, and we have a T.V. showing footage from factory farms, pamphlets on animal rights, veganism, and anti-hunting, and we also sell books, pins, and other animal rights paraphernalia.  I’ve been finding it really rewarding helping out there, even though sometimes I feel rather useless because my French isn’t good enough, especially when it comes to talking about complex issues like animal rights.  But I’ve convinced one person so far to turn vegan, and we often do our tabling in Champs-Elysees, and many tourists speak English there.  So when the local volunteers can’t handle the English-speakers’ inquiries, I can help, and that’s nice.

Other than that, school has been a real downer, just a lot of work.  And of course it takes at least double if not more of the time it would usually take if it were in English.  But I’m glad, generally speaking, I can handle all my courses, even without the use of a dictionary.  It just takes a bit more time than if it were my first langauge.  I can already see my French improving and I get to practice French with a lot of my local friends from school, so it’s pretty nice.

So, just to remind all of you, I have added on Facebook pictures from my shopping trip to Galeries Lafayette, an album of pictures from a local artists show I went to that a friend of mine participated in, a night out with some of my friends at a Brazilian bar called Favela Chic, and various photos of vegan meals I’ve made at home (yes, I’ve been cooking a lot since I’m trying to save money, I’m a poor student after all!).  And for those who still haven’t looked yet, pictures of my apartment have been up on Facebook for awhile now!  I hope you’ll enjoy them and leave me comments and let me know you’ve seen them!

Again, I miss you all very much!

Keep warm and I can’t wait to hang out with all of you again!

Cheers,

Meagan

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Paris Erasmus Party #1 Friday, Feb 8 2008

Hello Peeps!

So, last night, after my last class of the week, which also turned out to be my only class of the week, as all my other professors punked out, I went to my first Erasmus Party, Erasmus being the European term for exchange students.  It was crowded and crazy and just completely nuts!  I went with a bunch of exchange students who came from Caen, Normandy by train, and Claire, a girl I met from school and her boyfriend, Yore, both of whom are from the Netherlands. 

I was not impressed with the crowd.  It was clear that at least half the males there were looking to get laid.  My most memorable run-ins were with 2 sleazy guys, 1 who came up to me and started grinding up against me, at which point I simply walked away.  He then followed me and decided to just grab me, and so I thought it was time that I pushed him the hell away from me.  Apparently that was not clear enough of a signal and he grabbed me again.  So I pushed him again and told him not to ever touch me again, then Claire and I left and got the hell away from him and his friends.  Guy #2 thought yelling Happy Chinese New Year to me would somehow be charming.  The first time he said it I just politely smiled and nodded.  The second time I looked away and kept walking.  He decided following me and consistently yelling those words would for some reason impress me.  It didn’t.  After perhaps the fifth time I turned around and gave him the finger.  He continued to greet me with the phrase and to follow me.  I then turned around and screamed fuck off.  He got the message.

To my delight, Claire pointed to the stairs towards the front doors about 15 minutes after I was grabbed by Guy #1 and it turned out that the imbecile was being forcibly removed by 2 bouncers.  He was actually being dragged out with his legs dragging across the floor, and there had to be 2 bouncers because he wasn’t cooperating.  It was a pretty terrible sight, with everyone watching.  I guess he kind of deserved it though.

Despite everything, I had a pretty good time there.  I had too much rosé way too quickly before I got there, thanks to Christian and Alex, and I was drunk before I even got there.  And although the crowd and the club itself, including the bouncers, were rude and arrogant (the bouncers kept pushing people around) and completely not my style (so Richmond, guys! boy do I miss Neutral and Velvet and Funhaus!), I had fun with my friends while I was there, and that’s what counts, as always!  (U know what I mean, my usual clubbing posse: Ang, Claire, Tim, Natasa, Carla, Michelle, Jenn, Judy, Rankin, Mark C., Paul Fig.,…and TYLER!)

Anyway, pictures from that night are posted on Facebook.  I’ve decided, for privacy reasons, to post all my pictures on Facebook.  There are 3 albums from before I started this blog that are posted on Facebook as well, they are Fée Mini Thé Vegetarian Restaurant, Paris Randomness, and Shopping in Montmartre.  Please do look at them and enjoy!

Again, much love from Paris,

Meagan

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Finally, a Blog as Promised! Tuesday, Feb 5 2008

Hello Everyone, my dearest and most loved Toronto lovelies!Well, it’s been really busy the last month, so I haven’t been able to do much except get the apartment together, get school organized, try to keep in touch with quite a few of you (you know who you are!  those who I’ve called or talked to on various occasions on MSN or messaged through facebook!).  Anyhow, since a few of you have requested that I start a blog while I’m here in Paris, I’ve decided to do exactly that!From now on, you can come here to keep up with what is going on with my life, browse pictures (I promise everything will be kept G-rated!  lol), keep track of trips I’ll be going on, etc.  I’ve already made plans to go to various cities, including Taggia and San Remo in northern Italy, Prague, Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh; the first 5 being cities I already have plane tickets for.  So there will be many adventures and photos to come, it looks like! I would also love if the lot of you will leave comments to my blog entries, as a way for me to keep in touch with you all.  I really miss all of you, I can’t even start to name you guys, but I’ll try.  I’ll start with some people I miss a lot but haven’t been able to contact yet (I had my cell phone stolen not too long before I left Paris, so with it I lost basically all your phone numbers as well): Mark (Mr. Credland), Paul Figueiras, Jeanne (btw, Happy Bday!), Sam Tosaria, Carla A., Jonah A., Heather Chu, Michelle Lee, David, Bassel, Tara K, Caroline, Lucy Camputaro, Natasa & Andrea (Krones).  And for those I have spoken to, either very briefly, or through long phone conversations, I just want to reiterate how much I miss and love you!  These people are: Ang (of course), Aurora (again, of course), Bea (again, of course!), Austin (again, of of course!!), Claire (sweetie pie!), Tim (Mr. Sweetie Pie!), Rosie (u know it!), Shannon (bien sur, ma cherie!), Debs (most thoughtful princess), Jenny Bunny (u r my Montreal peach!), Britni (ur not from Toronto, but u love it enough and ur close enough that u count!), Chris (yep, u, Mr. U vs. Me), Jay, Judy, Neil (thanks extra for the UK tips!), Sarah Dewdney, Marianna, Janice, Garry (Mr. Vending Machine), Rob Arkwright, Katie Brock (of course, of course, u Baker Extraordinaire!) Sofia T. & Matt Atkey (my favourite Bay Street Lawyer)!

And, of course, although he isn’t in Toronto right now, the person I miss the most, the most is Mr. Tyler Kelly…but he already knows that…hehe. 

Well, I sure hope I didn’t miss anyone…if I did, it sure wasn’t because I don’t miss you, it’s just A LOT of people, u know?

Anyway, this is it for now.  Please send in any requests for things you’d like to see or hear that are Paris-related, I will satisfy any requests as much as I can!

And, again, I miss and love you all very much, hugs and kisses from gay, old Paree!

Cheers,

Meagan

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