I have been having a crisis with the blog. So far I have kindof outlined my weekly happenings here in Paris and all around, both for friends and family back home, but also for me to keep track of everything that I've been doing for myself, as a sort of travel diary. Problem: After a promising start of updating the blog weekly, I have fallen further and further behind, and its now been 2 1/2 weeks since my last post. This means that I've been feeling less motivated to update because I know I will have even more to do when I finally sit down and get to it. Should I start just writing a small clip every day or so, that way the task seems less onerous? I think this is going to be my next goal since clearly my current strategy is ineffective. Damn homework and social duties.

I can hardly remember what I've been up to the past few weeks, so much is happening all time. Following my weekend in Marseille I came home to a lovely expose on the the Salvador Allende government in Chile right before the military coup. Despite my hard work before leaving, I arrived at my group meeting at 9am Monday to find my two partners in a bit of a panic as the powerpoint was still not done, nor a handout even started. Not what I was expecting. Fortunately Lauren to the rescue, making a stellar handout as per usual while my partners rushed off to class, and the expose went off without any difficulty. Really I am only mentioning this because it outlines why group projects suck. I don't understand why some people think that they can not pull their weight in a group and everyone else will be ok with it. Not cool. Choose partners carefully if at all possible.

I have decided the rest of the post is going to be in short form, a chronology of sorts.

Thursday Oct 7th: Invited to my first soiree by a French girl in one of my classes, Laure, with only French people. Score. Practiced my skills. Then went out to watch our national past time: Hockey! Normally I am not a huge follower, but being overseas, I have come to miss a few things from back home. Opportunity to watch Hockey in one of two Canadian bars in Paris with other rowdy canucks? Game on! Toronto vs. Montreal game, start time 1am. 5euro pints. I was so distracted I forgot to order poutine to top the night off. Another failed night bus mission at 4am resulted in cab home. I will get the best of you yet nightbus, mark my words!

Being Patriotic - Go Canada!

Saturday Oct 9th: Versailles. What better way to spend a gorgeous hot saturday in October than take the train 40 min and go stroll around the gardens of Versailles? Corina and I, and a bunch of other Canadians actually headed to Versailles to soak up the last shorts and t-shirt weather of the year probably. An unbelievable picnic by the water and an afternoon strolling through incredible gardens and the Marie Antoinette Village. Beautiful. The atmosphere is indescribable, especially with hidden speakers in the trimmed bushes playing classical music. It made me want to don a huge ballroom gown and promenade or waltz through the grounds. I can't even imagine what it must have been like back in the time of Louis XIV. Planning on making a second trip back for the Chateau.

Pictures can't capture how beautiful the gardens were.
Full album of pictures on Facebook.

First successful walk home mission from a soiree in the 5th. Only took an hour. Conveniently Corina and I live only 15 min apart so we could walk most of the way together.

Sunday Oct 10th. I wanted turkey so bad. The past two years, even though I wasn't with my family for Thanksgiving, I was always taken in by others kind families and given a thanksgiving meal. Here I was confronted without Thanksgiving for the first time in 20 years, and I did not like it. Even though Versailles for Thanksgiving was nice, its during these major family celebration times when I know everyone is together that I miss home the most. Plus turkey dinner is my favorite meal ever. EVER. Give me dressing and the special mashed potatoes and I will love you for life. Just ask my mom.

Nothing extraordinary happened for a while. Sorry to disappoint. I'm just going to post this for now and catch up on the rest when I get back from my weekend in Bretagne visiting Etienne's family!