The Queen of Versailles

Made a trip "ouest" to Versailles on Saturday because my NavigoPass lets me go alll the way for free on weekends. :)

My lady MU MU and I...

Diptychs.

1. Rue de ____ (16eme) // My friend Orpheo who always wears the coolest floral printed shirts.
2. Cool skateboard kid. I love all the detail in his accessories (from his hat to his shoelaces) and the oversized scarf is kind of a winner // a Rue pres de la Marais.
3. A cool Chanel Robot window display // Me sur le rue de ____ in the marais somewhere.
4. A photo ready monsieur and his chien. They were so nice! // cool details of a building on the backside of passy.

Je pense à toi

1. Grammy walking in Passy. Killer printed bottoms, but i'm digging the picture with the cane. So slick.
2. The strange unfinished clock in the Marais area.
3. Kid on a Vespa. Sorry for the strange color effect...

La Vie Parisienne.

 

 

a glimpse into an artist hard at work...

Tour of the Seine / LV x MJ

So I'm here now...

I had booked a car to take me to LaGuardia airport around 1 o'clock, so I waited downstairs with my two overweight bags and a third carry-on. My driver pulled up and I watched him struggle to put my luggage in the car. I felt terrible, but it was overrun by the thoughts of a possible overweight charges and a rude lecture from the airlines. As we made our way through NYC traffic, I could not help but to feel a sense of regret. Was I making the right decision? I knew I would miss New York so much, and all of my friends were here, the opportunities were here... what was I doing? I thought maybe if I jumped out of the car now, perhaps I could just rejoin the regular New York students and continue on living my normal life.
I didn't though.
and after a couple minutes of silently watching the sky scrapers pass by, my driver spoke to me.
"Where are you going?" He asked, perhaps to break the dead silence rather than out of courtesy.
"Paris," I responded curtly, I was in no mood to talk, let alone gush about how excited I was...( I was not).
My driver grinned and began to speak to me in French. I sat listening to him rattle on about his adventures in Paris and the time his girlfriend began to shout at him in the middle of the street because she thought he was cheating on her--and through this, I began to feel better about leaving my wonderful city. And perhaps it was because he was speaking in a perfect French accent without slang or too many slurrs or too quickly, but I understood what he was saying. This was probably the most encouraging thing for me, almost like a sign from God saying "See you can do this." So as I sat there conversing with this random man about my future in Paris, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I'd be alright.

My plane ride was a bit hectic. There were thunderstorms right as I was departing, but thankfully I caught an earlier flight through stand-by. I flew with Air Canada, and despite my coach seat, I had a great time. I watched all the latest movies, The Hunger Games, The Intouchables, and The Avengers all on a tiny screen directly in front of me. This mixed with a few glasses of wine (free on Air Canada), and a not so delectable dinner, I woke up in France.
Scrambling to find the rest of the NYU Paris group, I realized they were all the way across the airport. CDG is not compact either, so I pushed by little trolly full of suitcases through the airport and met up with the rest of the group. On the bus to our FIAP (youth hostel), where we were staying for a few nights, I fell asleep.

The next couple of days were a mix of emotions. I think everyone in my program was tired and restless. We were all looking for friends, but at the same time trying to keep our options opened in case we didnt really like the people that we met. I cant deny I didn't do the same thing. I really hate this whole orientation process. Its a bit of a cow herd being led across grass. No one knows where they are going or what is even going on.
its a big, huge, freaking mess.

But for the most part, I am enjoying my time here.
Eating too much, drinking too much, taking too many pictures, seeing too many beautiful people.
For now, everything is in excess... and whats not to love? I believe the moderation will come sometime in the near future.


Tips for students:
I recommend that you fly into Paris earlier. You need the time to adjust to the weather here as well as the speed of life, and time difference.
Go to the meetings and other orientation stuff: even though it sucks and seems like a waste of time, you should still meet people in your school.
Study the map before you come. Know the arrondissments and what they are called, perhaps even the metro system a bit.
Make french friends. Trust me, you wont know where to go until you've been in the area for quite a bit. Make friends at the grocery store and cafés. Just talk it up!
 

List: Things I want to do + Places I want to visit

laces I Want To Visit + Why (part ONE):
Lake Como In Italy; I was riding in a Yellow Cab one gloomy morning. It was a terrible day. i was at my internship, things were falling apart, I was getting homesick, fighting with friends…etc, etc. Well, I was sitting in the back seat of a cab when the driver started talking to me. He was a friendly old man, probably around 70 or something. Definitely not like the other taxi drivers I've had before. He had a heavy accent and I asked him where he was from. "Italy" he replied, proud of his heritage and hometown. Soon, I couldn't help but to tell him about my upcoming trip to Paris. At that moment, it seemed like Paris was the one light at the end of the tunnel that kept me from quitting everything and returning home. It was my prize. He was genuinely thrilled for me and immediately told me a list of places to visit in Paris. See, he had lived there himself when he was younger. In fact, he met his wife of 50 years there while he was working. Soon our cab ride was more of a friendly outing than a simple transaction of services. We eventually landed on the topic of his hometown: Lake Como. He told me that his family's house is 2 miles from George Clooney's vacation home. He swore it was beautiful--the people, the culture, the food, the sights. He made me swear that I would go, and I agreed. He seemed to know a lot more than I did so, why not? 


Florence, Italy; This pasty year I studied Dante's Inferno, one part of three in the Commedia collection. It is said that the gates of hell are found here in Florence, although it is completely a myth. Yet, the book was very interesting, largely captivating, and entertaining to say the least. Dante was exiled from his hometown of Florence, and thus it is stated that he based many of the landmarks in his work off of this city.