A man grabbed my wrist while I was at La Défense yesterday. A stranger. Some fool sitting on the steps with his fool friends as I passed by. "Hey! Excuse me, Madame!" and grabbed by right wrist. Just like that.
How dare you. If I was a man you wouldn't have done that, now would you? No, you wouldn't.
I'm angry. I'm angry because apparently women's bodies are not their own, especially not in public. The fact that that fool actually believed he had the right to touch me and demand my attention just because I was there and I happen to be a girl disgusts me.
I don't care if it's a French thing, a male thing, a fool thing, or a boredom thing. If I don't know you, don't touch me. If I didn't ask you to or give you permission, do. not. touch. me.
Keep your hands to yourself! You're a "grown man". No one should have to tell you that.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Caveau des Oubliettes (Wednesday)
The club is divided in two: bar on the ground floor, music in the basement. And this basement used to be a medieval prison, believe it or not! It's really small and a little stuffy, but the perfect intimate setting to allow everyone to feel like they're part of the experience. Entry is free but you have to buy a drink, so Ria and I just ordered guava juice and a coke respectively. From what I've gathered from my research about the place, the night starts with the band setting the tone and warming up the room; then a musician or singer performs a pre-arranged concert; then there's the jam session.
The music started at around 11pm, with the house band for the night jamming for a couple tunes. The concert featured a young singer named Michelle-something (sorry didn't hear her name clearly) who sang the following songs: "Locked Out of Heaven" (Bruno Mars), "If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys), "Love on Top" (Beyonce), "L.O.V.E.", "Soulman" (Ben l'Oncle Soul), and "Treasure" (Bruno Mars). You could tell she was nervous, but she did an excellent job! I couldn't believe it when they said it was her first time on stage!The concert didn't end until around 12:15, and both Ria and I had to leave before our transporation options became too limited (the metro stops running at 1am, and only certain busses and other trains run after a certain time). So we didn't get to experience the jam session, unfortunately. :( And what a shame, too! Toward the end of the concert the place started filling up with artists who were ready to get in on the action, and I wanted to be a part of it! Or at least watch. Eh well. Maybe I'll get to sing there at least once before I leave?
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNEBread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
Another Recital + Jardin du Mail de Bièvre + Indian Food (Sunday)
On Sunday I went back to Centre d'Animation Daviel to watch T sing. She sang a solo in Spanish, and then sang a number of songs in French and English as part of a chorus. I didn't think she'd feel comfortable with me posting the video of her solo here, so below I've posted a video of the chorus instead. They're singing "La Romance de Paris". If you're really curious to hear T's solo as well, follow the link to my YouTube channel on the "LINKS" list (see the left side of this page).
Also, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but on the way to Saturday's recital I passed by a really cool-looking park! Or at least the entrance was cool-looking; I didn't actually go in. It's called Jardin du Mail de Bièvre and its entrance features a Japanese-inspired garden with a miniature pond, footbridge, and toori. It also has a bunch of tropical flowers that aren't exactly Japanese, but hey. The theme might not be consistent, but it catches the eye.
I returned "home" after the recital and just wasted time on the Internet for a couple hours because I couldn't think of anything to do (read: didn't feel like doing anything). Then I got hungry and since I didn't have any food I went down the street to an Indian restaurant called Zafran. I was kinda nervous because I wasn't sure what to order and I didn't want to be disappointed. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the place! And not just the food; the decor makes the place feel very homey. With beige textured walls and black leather seats, I felt like I was eating at a neighbor's house or something.
I ordered vegetable samosas, nan fromage, poulet punjabi, and halwa. Halwa! How come nobody told me about halwa before? It's cake made with semolina, but it's not just any cake. It's warm, moist, almost gelatinous, and oh-so-sweet, with coconut sprinkled on top. It was fantastic! And I don't even like coconut! The poulet punjabi was really good too, but funny story about that dish. Before it came out, one of the waiters asked me if I wanted it to be spicy. At first I said no, but then I thought, Come on now, you're at an Indian restaurant. So then I asked for it to be a little spicy but not too much. He nodded like he'd understood, and went downstairs to tell the folks in the kitchen. But let me tell you, that thing came out and the spice level was at a -4! Haha. I must've given the impression that I couldn't handle spice at all. Next time I'll just say yes to spicy and take my chances.
I must admit, though... it was definitely way too much food. And no, it wasn't an eyes-bigger-than-your-stomach thing. I'd gotten used to the smaller portions that are served at most restaurants here, and I underestimated how much food I would be getting. But! I pushed through and ate it all anyway, and it was one of the best meals I've had in my life! I mean yeah, everything tastes 100x better when you're starving, but for real. I pass by this restaurant weekly and I can't believe I've been missing out on its goodness all this time!
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
Also, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but on the way to Saturday's recital I passed by a really cool-looking park! Or at least the entrance was cool-looking; I didn't actually go in. It's called Jardin du Mail de Bièvre and its entrance features a Japanese-inspired garden with a miniature pond, footbridge, and toori. It also has a bunch of tropical flowers that aren't exactly Japanese, but hey. The theme might not be consistent, but it catches the eye. I returned "home" after the recital and just wasted time on the Internet for a couple hours because I couldn't think of anything to do (read: didn't feel like doing anything). Then I got hungry and since I didn't have any food I went down the street to an Indian restaurant called Zafran. I was kinda nervous because I wasn't sure what to order and I didn't want to be disappointed. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the place! And not just the food; the decor makes the place feel very homey. With beige textured walls and black leather seats, I felt like I was eating at a neighbor's house or something.I ordered vegetable samosas, nan fromage, poulet punjabi, and halwa. Halwa! How come nobody told me about halwa before? It's cake made with semolina, but it's not just any cake. It's warm, moist, almost gelatinous, and oh-so-sweet, with coconut sprinkled on top. It was fantastic! And I don't even like coconut! The poulet punjabi was really good too, but funny story about that dish. Before it came out, one of the waiters asked me if I wanted it to be spicy. At first I said no, but then I thought, Come on now, you're at an Indian restaurant. So then I asked for it to be a little spicy but not too much. He nodded like he'd understood, and went downstairs to tell the folks in the kitchen. But let me tell you, that thing came out and the spice level was at a -4! Haha. I must've given the impression that I couldn't handle spice at all. Next time I'll just say yes to spicy and take my chances.
I must admit, though... it was definitely way too much food. And no, it wasn't an eyes-bigger-than-your-stomach thing. I'd gotten used to the smaller portions that are served at most restaurants here, and I underestimated how much food I would be getting. But! I pushed through and ate it all anyway, and it was one of the best meals I've had in my life! I mean yeah, everything tastes 100x better when you're starving, but for real. I pass by this restaurant weekly and I can't believe I've been missing out on its goodness all this time!
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
First Day of Summer + Fête de la Musique (Saturday)
Saturday was such a great day! I was out for about 12 hours and I came back in such a good mood!
My host mom's daughter (let's call her T) takes singing lessons, and all the people in her class were participating in a recital this past weekend. She sang Sunday, but she was going on Saturday to support her friends and invited me to come along!
The recital was at Centre d'Animation Daviel, which is in the 13th arrondissement (the south eastern edge of Paris, not too far from Chinatown). It ended up being a lot longer than I expected (about 3 hours), and every solo, duet, and trio performed classical songs that I wasn't familiar with. But it'd been a while since I'd gone to listen to people sing, so I enjoyed the recital nonetheless.
Once the recital ended there were some refreshments and mingling, and then from the recital T, T's friend Clem, and I went to go meet four other friends of Clem's. So when we set out for the evening there were seven of us in total. Our first stop was a restaurant called Le Temps des Cerises. I ordered l'assiette vegetarienne, which included a bunch of stuff I don't know the name of and a salad. Not everyone at our table seemed to be too impressed with what they ordered, but I enjoyed my food. It was filling, it had plenty of vegetables (finally!), and it was something different. T and Clem also talked me into trying Sangria, which wasn't terrible (still don't like alcohol though). The only potentially negative things I noticed about this restaurant are that it's not very chic and the menu is a little difficult to understand. (But really that's typical of French restaurants. You'll find that they often dress menu items up with fancy names and descriptions, rather than just calling a thing a thing). But I found it to be very cozy, and they have a pretty interesting workers/Communist movement theme going on that I hadn't seen in a restaurant before.
In addition to being the first day of summer, this day (June 21) was La Fête de la Musique in Paris. As T and Clem explained it to me, this annual festival was started to "démocratiser la musique", or make music accessible to everyone. You have to pay a fee or get some sort of licence to do gigs here (especially in public places), and many artists can't pay or don't feel like they should have to pay to share their music. La Fête de la Musique is a chance for artists to peform with much fewer restrictions, primarily on street corners, in parks, in plazas, and in or in front of restaurants/cafes. Meanwhile everyone else has a plethora of options to spend a night on the town listening, grooving, dancing, or singing along to various genres of music. From Le Temps des Cerises we passed through Place d'Italie, where an Italian band called Medea got the crowd and passersby moving with some reggae-influenced rock. Then we passed by Le Comptoir des Arts (restaurant/cafe) were a jazz band was playing out front. We were actually on our way to enjoy some flamenco music and dancing... but we got to the location and there was nothing there. One of Clem's friends even joked, "Out of the three options we had, we chose the one that didn't exist!" So we settled for Le Village Monge (restaurant/cafe) where flamenco dancer Aurelia Bottero was doing her thing
accompanied by a two-man band.
We sat there for a couple of hours drinking (hot milk with vanilla for yours truly) and talking . Something I've noticed that Parisians like to do is spend hours at a cafe or a restaurant conversing, people-watching, and taking in the atmosphere around them. That always seemed like a boring and inefficient use of time to me, someone who always has to being doing something. But after sitting there with the girls on Saturday, I think I'm starting to understand the appeal.
After it got dark we left and headed back to catch the metro at Place d'Italie. Along the way we passed by CASA France Espagne (restaurant) where El Hacha y Machete was playing salsa music and people were clapping and dancing... and all this was happening on the sidewalk! The place was on fire and we could feel it just by watching from across the street. I think that's the kind of setting we'd originally been looking for and didn't find. But hey, at least we got a glimpse of it before calling it a night.
To sum things up Saturday was a pretty chill day, with lots of walking and head-bobbing and laughing and getting to know new people. I might not ever see Clem and her friends again, but that's okay. During the few hours that we shared each other's company, we all got along and had a pleasant time. And besides, a valuable lesson I've learned recently is that you don't have to file everyone you meet away in your list of contacts or FB friends. Much thanks to T for inviting me!
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
My host mom's daughter (let's call her T) takes singing lessons, and all the people in her class were participating in a recital this past weekend. She sang Sunday, but she was going on Saturday to support her friends and invited me to come along! The recital was at Centre d'Animation Daviel, which is in the 13th arrondissement (the south eastern edge of Paris, not too far from Chinatown). It ended up being a lot longer than I expected (about 3 hours), and every solo, duet, and trio performed classical songs that I wasn't familiar with. But it'd been a while since I'd gone to listen to people sing, so I enjoyed the recital nonetheless.
Once the recital ended there were some refreshments and mingling, and then from the recital T, T's friend Clem, and I went to go meet four other friends of Clem's. So when we set out for the evening there were seven of us in total. Our first stop was a restaurant called Le Temps des Cerises. I ordered l'assiette vegetarienne, which included a bunch of stuff I don't know the name of and a salad. Not everyone at our table seemed to be too impressed with what they ordered, but I enjoyed my food. It was filling, it had plenty of vegetables (finally!), and it was something different. T and Clem also talked me into trying Sangria, which wasn't terrible (still don't like alcohol though). The only potentially negative things I noticed about this restaurant are that it's not very chic and the menu is a little difficult to understand. (But really that's typical of French restaurants. You'll find that they often dress menu items up with fancy names and descriptions, rather than just calling a thing a thing). But I found it to be very cozy, and they have a pretty interesting workers/Communist movement theme going on that I hadn't seen in a restaurant before.In addition to being the first day of summer, this day (June 21) was La Fête de la Musique in Paris. As T and Clem explained it to me, this annual festival was started to "démocratiser la musique", or make music accessible to everyone. You have to pay a fee or get some sort of licence to do gigs here (especially in public places), and many artists can't pay or don't feel like they should have to pay to share their music. La Fête de la Musique is a chance for artists to peform with much fewer restrictions, primarily on street corners, in parks, in plazas, and in or in front of restaurants/cafes. Meanwhile everyone else has a plethora of options to spend a night on the town listening, grooving, dancing, or singing along to various genres of music. From Le Temps des Cerises we passed through Place d'Italie, where an Italian band called Medea got the crowd and passersby moving with some reggae-influenced rock. Then we passed by Le Comptoir des Arts (restaurant/cafe) were a jazz band was playing out front. We were actually on our way to enjoy some flamenco music and dancing... but we got to the location and there was nothing there. One of Clem's friends even joked, "Out of the three options we had, we chose the one that didn't exist!" So we settled for Le Village Monge (restaurant/cafe) where flamenco dancer Aurelia Bottero was doing her thing accompanied by a two-man band.
After it got dark we left and headed back to catch the metro at Place d'Italie. Along the way we passed by CASA France Espagne (restaurant) where El Hacha y Machete was playing salsa music and people were clapping and dancing... and all this was happening on the sidewalk! The place was on fire and we could feel it just by watching from across the street. I think that's the kind of setting we'd originally been looking for and didn't find. But hey, at least we got a glimpse of it before calling it a night.
To sum things up Saturday was a pretty chill day, with lots of walking and head-bobbing and laughing and getting to know new people. I might not ever see Clem and her friends again, but that's okay. During the few hours that we shared each other's company, we all got along and had a pleasant time. And besides, a valuable lesson I've learned recently is that you don't have to file everyone you meet away in your list of contacts or FB friends. Much thanks to T for inviting me!
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
Saturday, June 21, 2014
T-Shirt + Pizza (Friday)
It's nothing fancy, but it's comfortable, it's not plain, and it didn't cost me too much (15 euros). And it doesn't look too bad, right? So I'm satisfied.
Then I returned "home" and watched France whoop Switzerland's behind in their World Cup game with R-M and R. One of my friends back in the States told me that I wouldn't be able to avoid becoming a
And that was my Friday evening/night. Nothing too new or exciting, but it was a good enough start to the weekend for me!
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Because you're miiiiiiiiine!
The boss sent me "home" early today because of my sickness and I was kinda bummed about it. So I looked up this old video for some laughs. In case you'd like to know, I first came across this video four years ago while working on an AP Euro project about witch-hunts.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Sniffles.
Guess
who's sick thousands of miles from home? Yep, you guessed it, this girl
is! I'll take this as a good luck sign, though. The same thing happened
to me around this time last year in Japan, and things turned out pretty
awesome after that.
For future reference, if you're ever in Paris and get sick, look for the establishments with green neon crosses hanging up out front. Those are pharmacies and they're almost as ubiquitous as ATMs, so you should be able to find one anywhere. Also note that you can't just walk in and get what you need yourself, even if it's not prescription medication. In French pharmacies you walk in and tell the pharmacist what's ailing you (unless you know exactly what you want, then you can just ask for it). Then they tell you what your options are and hand you the items that you've chosen from a wall behind the counter. The pharmacist I talked to this morning gave me Fervex powder packets for my cold and runny nose, and Strepsils lozenges for my sore throat.
When I get sick I generally prefer lozenges, powders, and (hot) liquids to pills and syrups. So this is what I've taken so far today:
-Orange juice
-Room temperature water with Fervex
-Strepsils lozenges
-Hot orange tea + Fervex
-Hot chocolate (with milk, not water) + honey
-Water
-Tiger balm (courtesy of my boss)
We'll see how I feel in the morning. Please pray for my health! :)
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
When I get sick I generally prefer lozenges, powders, and (hot) liquids to pills and syrups. So this is what I've taken so far today:
-Orange juice
-Room temperature water with Fervex
-Strepsils lozenges
-Hot orange tea + Fervex
-Hot chocolate (with milk, not water) + honey
-Water
-Tiger balm (courtesy of my boss)
We'll see how I feel in the morning. Please pray for my health! :)
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - JUNE
Bread and Butter [Paris] photos - MAY
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