Efficiency and Happiness

The end of March and the beginning of April has restored a sense of constant productiveness in my everyday life. This had been somewhat lacking in the winter months for some reason, and this feeling of full days, getting up in good time and working hard all day and taking the nights off has really agreed with me and re-invigorated these last weeks at Sc Po. I feel motivated in my studies and am enjoying Paris more than ever. Its a perfect balance and I've had an incredible sense of happiness and contentment that's easy to lose in the everyday grind and routine. Sometimes I'm afraid my recounts of my days might seem mundane to you the readers, but this is how I remember them in my notes, and when I reread them I can perfectly recall the streets, the weather, where I was, and my feelings. This is why and how I need to record these days in Paris, as a chronology, both commonplace activities and exciting events.

I always breathe a sigh of relief come Thursday, which is funny since Thursdays used to be my least favorite day of the week as a child and were often a source of stress back at school in Canada. Now, I can practically taste the weekend, and look forward to getting to class and getting through them, to the point that I often get comments on my good mood on Thursdays. Thursday, April 1st was like a number of others that I've described, beginning with yet another invogorating session at the pool. I am so glad I signed up for swimming this term, and today it was great to talk to Rook, my sport and politics teacher afterwards. She's really cool and this is the closest I have ever come to know a professor and I really like it. This year, I really feel that I have gotten to know my profs way more than in previous years. The value of small classes has really shone through. I had a test in Vichy at the end of the day that I think I killed, and was in a generally great mood since I found out my previous week's expose garnered me my best mark yet at Sciences Po, an 18! Great results motivate me to keep up the good work and validates my decision to lighten my course load. I celebrated after class with Daniel by what's become a bit of a weekly tradition with a beer at Le Basile. After nipping home for dinner, it was off to St Michel area for a Jazz night that I had planned at a well known bar called Caveau des Oubliettes. I really wanted to link my various scattered friend groups, and this term the people remaining are less keen on the initiative of this type of soiree. I'm so glad I did it, and it was a great night of chatting and enjoying the live music with Eva, Annie, Lauren B, Poullette and Pedro. Its often easy to lose touch with periphery friends, but its always worth the effort to get together, and learn a little more about people and in general just catch up. I highlight this because afterwards I walked Poullette back home near Sc Po, and this was the first time we had ever really chatted just the two of us, and it was so nice getting the share the fresh night air, and our reflections on Paris and life together. Had I not taken the time to send the message proposing this jazz night, I would have missed this opportunity. Action over inaction.

Though Thursday's jazz didn't lead to a late night by any means, I still had a tough time dragging myself out of bed and to Sciences Po for 10am to stand in line for a ticket to the upcoming Sc Po Gala at the end of the month. I had wavered earlier about wanting to pay the 35 euro, but in the end, I am so glad people convinced me to get a ticket, and I think it will be a great night. There was no chance to waver, since tickets sold out in about 2 hours! Afterwards, I spent most of the day studying in the library for the first time ever on a Friday, and was so incredibly productive and pleased with myself that I think I might even come again another Friday morning. I took a break to go for lunch with Corina, which is always a welcome reunion. I really value how we try and coordinate it at least once a week to get together since we, especially she, is so swamped with work. When you're far away, the family of friends is so important, and I really want to see this family that plays such an important part in my life for such a brief time as much as possible. In the evening, I had a brief skype call with an advisor for ACE getting some more details about the co-chair position. I think this overseeing position will suit me very well, and am really excited about the prospects of my final year back at UBC. I also got to chat with Vince for a while and he recounted the week's storm the wall drama. I have realized how exceptional this event is and I have missed being a part of the action, and racing with my team Ultimate Altitude this year. Its interesting how you can not want to leave one place yet miss another at the same time. Finally, I headed to Annie's to pre-drink before we went to a concert series called Night in Berlin at Gaite Lyrique with Milena and two new friends Jess and Annika. The building itself was huge and cool, though in the end the concert itself was just ok, with some good music acts. More importantly though Annie and I got into a really great heart to heart. Talking to good friends really opens you up and helps see things clearly, and was it was a funny contrast to be pouring out our hearts in this clubbing experience. A velib ride home and bed by 3:30.

Despite this late bedtime, I managed to be up at 9 with a smile on my face since I was heading to Fontainebleau for the day! This was a much anticipated chateau expedition, embarked upon with Annie, Tom, David, Camila and Ilona. We arrived at the chateau around 11:30 and grabbed some lunch from a boulangerie before beginning to explore the grounds, which were expansive. I love venturing out of Paris and getting into wide open fields, clear of the crowds. You can finally breath. Of course, the fact it was 24 and sunny was a nice added touch. We frolicked in the fields, did cartwheels, jumping pictures, and general photo antics, and the photo session was amazing, though sadly my camera battery died way too early on. Eventually we headed back to town for refreshments and then onto the interior of the chateau. It was huge, and I loved the regal atmosphere thats overwhelming in the courtyard and walking through the corridors and past the rooms. It was interesting to see how in this chateau, even the walls were covered in carpet, or hidden under too many paintings. In general, I find the 18th and 19th century French chateaus to be somewhat overwhelming in their decor, to the point of seeming tacky. Of course I know it was simply the display of wealth back in the day. My favorite rooms were the hall of Francis I, the main ballroom, where you can see the stage where the King and Queen sat, and the abdicating room, where Napoleon I signed his abdication on a small coffee table in 1814 before going into the courtyard to announce the news to his troops. My keener history face sure was getting a workout. After some fresh air overlooking the pond/lake out in the English gardens, we made the journey back to Paris, which seemed incredibly long, though only just over an hour when all said and done. It truly was a great day, and I even got a small sunburn!

Horsing around in a open field.

Inside Chateau Fontainebleau with the crew.

Finally home and a yummy pasta dinner later, the whole group ended up coming over to mine to watch a movie, taking advantage of the fact Etienne was in Bretagne for the weekend. I love having a great tv since it means I don't have to go anywhere for movie night. Its ideal. We watched In Bruges, which was both hilarious and a little dark, and has definitely made me want to try and fit it in at some point before I go back. The medieval streets just seemed so charming. Annie and Camila even stayed for a sleepover, which was fun as we all stayed up late gossiping like school girls. Good fun.

Waking up at the same time, no matter how much sleep you got the night before, gets easier with consistency. I headed to the local Convention market with Camila on Sunday to grab some goodies for a planned family brunch at noon. I realized how fortunate it is that sucha diverse array of scrumptious local farm goods is a just right across the street from my house every week. After the groceries were fetched, Annie and I got into our kitchen groove as Camila and the other guests helped with some other food prep as they arrived. In the end the table was creaking under the weight, and the happiness of over group was palpable. Try this brunch on for size: a dozen scrambled eggs, bacon, real English sausages, pancakes with real Maple syrup, hashbrowns, grapefruit juice, fresh baguette, pate de campagne, a trio of farm fresh cheeses, guacomole, strawberries, mango, oranges, bananas and apples! Needless the say we ate until Christmas dinner status of fullness. I love my exchange family and our diversity of nationalities, all brought together, taking time out of a study filled Sunday to enjoy great food together. It was truly a beautiful thing. Afterwards, I skyped the fam for a while, and then actually researched and started booking Tamara and mine's Euro trip for June. Having it finally all solidified was a great feeling, and I am super stoked for the Sagadore sisters to embark upon what will surely be an incredible adventure. Despite the afternoon clouds, thanks to Daylight savings, I got to squeeze in a run in the evening, worked on an upcoming expose due the next day and watched Coyote Ugly before bed. Another great day to add to year full of them.

Sunday Brunch with my Paris Family! Camila, Tom, David, Corina, Eva and Annie.

I hate underestimating how long a task will take to be accomplished. Even though you think you've allowed yourself ample time, everything seems to take longer and you get caught rushing. This comment is inspired by the state of affairs on Monday as I scrambled to finish my expose for Russian politics. I thought I had it well under wraps on Sunday night, but somehow, condensing the Russian-Georgian War of 2008 into a 15min presentation was more time consuming than I had budgeted. I did get it done in time though, and overall thought the presentation went well in class. Pheww. Double cause for celebration as it was my last expose of my Sc Po career! Good riddance! Now I only have four term papers to look forward to, goody. I had a celebratory run afterwards anyways, and blogged and watched Entourage at night.

I know I have to really be proactive on these essays, since all four are due in 6 days. However, as all students know, it often seems next to impossible to motivate yourself to start and finish an assignment not sue for another 3 weeks to a month. Yet this was my challenge and I was determined to try and do what I have never been able to do before. I got off to a great start on Tuesday by sleeping in and essentially not accomplishing anything before noon when I let Daniel for a weekly Tuesday lunch. We started making concrete plans regarding a joint birthday party, since our birthdays are only a day apart (Daniel's is the 22nd of April). Back at ballroom, more prep got underway for our performance, this time on Quickstep. In the afternoon though, after a brownie to motivate be, I got my game face on and actually officially began researching for my first paper, which was on Russian Youth Identity in the Post Soviet period for Russian Politics. As I chose the topic myself, I was actually really interested, and the research went well. The hardest thing is to really getting the ball rolling, but once you do the momentum really helps. I ended up staying in the library until close to close, working on the blog. Like I said, this efficiency thing inspires me to be continually more productive. No sitting on the couch watching TV for this kid. Back at basecamp after the full day, I called OSAP about the neverending headache that has been my student loan and finished purchasing the tickets for the Sagadore trip!

Rollin, rollin, rollin! Hello library at 10am even though I don't have class until 12:30! That's right, back at the books researching for this essay. I think I'm largely motivated by fear of stress collapse if I don't do it now more than anything. I even packed a salad lunch earlier this morning and ate it in the garden before class. After Structures and Crises, I took and extra long walk along the Seine before yoga since it was a spectacular day outside, and had a great class to clear my mind. After, I ended up velibing home, and successfully negotiated my way thorough a busy 4pm Paris traffic circle at Concorde. Score! The reason for my early trip home was to prepare for my REC interview for the Point, which I had learned of on Monday. I really want to be on REC for both the social community that my friends who've joined have told me about and to get some experience working in journalism etc and could use some experience. I think the interview went well, though this one had some curve balls I didn't expect, like "why should I not hire you" and "what's the funniest joke you've ever heard?" All in all though, I think I gave it a good shot and now to wait and see if I'm two for two on interviews. As soon as it was done I made my way over to Pont des Arts to celebrate Ilona's birthday. I'm not a very good bridge sitter, but nevertheless you can't beat a nice night outside on the Pont and this night was no exception, especially since Ilona was completely overwhelmed by the huge crowd of people that turned up to pass along their wishes and enjoy 'un verre'.

Though Thursday swims, as I keep mentioning, are great, today's was extra memorable since I swam in the same lane and even talked to my pool crush. I found out his name is Felix, and we did the set together, chatted and he even gave me a high five at the end of practice. Omg. Haha I know its lame, but this brief flirtation in the week is nevertheless exciting. The day unfolded with some cleaning, and then a garden meeting with Ayuli to try and plan out a Roubaix trip on Sunday (more details later), followed by a group meeting for my Vichy group paper before class. After class, Daniel and I decided to venture a bit farther afield for our Thursday beer and ended up having a drink down a cool cobbled alley off Rue de L'Ancienne Comedie by Odeon. This street is one of the oldest remaining ones in Paris. I hardly need say we had a great chat over our beers. Just before 9, we went our seperate ways - for me this meant around the corner to a new Hideout (which I had in fact already been to but not the usual Chatelet one) for end of week drinks with Tom David and Annie. An altogether enjoyable time, being thoroughly entertained by the terrible music that was being broadcast. In the end I peeled off first around 11 to get an early night in anticipation of a big Friday.

I was feeling a little under the gun to get this paper done, and since I hadn't worked on it all Thursday, I was bringing my game face to the library at 9:30 on Friday - the earliest ever for a Friday! I decided to start it off at the garden tables out behind the old library. However, at this early hour, the sun hadn't quite warmed it up. I toughed it out for about an 90min before finding a beautiful Mac in the new lib for intense research session pt.2. By the time it hit 1:30 and my time to leave deadline, I had actually finished everything I had hoped to for that day, completing all my research and writing out my detailed plan so that all that remained was the physical writing. In the world of history papers, the hardest part was accomplished! Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled with my mad skills, and this buoyed my mood all afternoon. Feelin' like a champ.

I swung by Annie's to help her carry some things en route to Parc aux Buttes Chaumont, found in the North East of Paris. I had heard that this was one of Paris' best kept secrets as far as parks were concerned and so I killed two birds with one stone by checking it off my list of touristing things to do and also riding the 3bis metro line. Only one line remains and then I've been on all 16 Paris metro lines! Back to the Parc. We rendez-vous'ed with David and Camila and then went to find some grass to sit on and enjoy Pimms. Pimms is an English alcohol traditionally had chilled with sprite and fresh fruit as a summer beverage. Tom had brought a bottle back with him on his last trip back to London to give to David, and David, being the gentleman that he is, had graciously offered to share it with our crew over an afternoon of sunbathing. There we were, sitting on a hill in an incredible parc, drinking this very tasty drink, being serenaded by Tom on guitar in 25 degree whether. A fabulous reward for my hardwork all morning. After about an hour or so of sunning, we decided to explore the parc a bit further, and this excursion solidified its hold on my heart as by far my favorite parc in Paris. Unlike the famous ones of Tuileries and Luxembourg, this parc is untamed and natural, with trees and rolling hills, as well as featuring a pond/lake and cliff with the lookout temple of Sybil giving a view of Sacre Coeur in the 18th. There was also a cool waterfall feature. All in all, the visit to Buttes Chaumont was a smashing success on a fine spring day.

Getting our Pimms on.


The Temple of Sybil.

The excursion left us all a bit drained of energy, and so Annie and I went home to make some delicious food - a vegetable cheese sauce bake. Soo yummy. We also had our first encounter with rancid meat, thank you MonoP. Hopefully I don't have to smell anything like that ever again. The homey food revived us, and around 9pm I started to get ready to meet Eva and Corina for a bit of dancing. We met at Champs Elysees and went to a friend of Corina's in her master for a bit of pre-gaming. I wasn't having anything to drink since I had bit plans for the following day regarding my essay. At around midnight we headed to a club just down the road called Regine's. Thanks to some printed passes we got in for free! Free things are great. The club itself can best be described by the French word "moche", which means ugly. It was kindof tacky, and the music, all pop from various decades, left a little to be desired, but surprisingly, we ended up having a great time just dancing. Eva, Corina and I are a fabulous dance crew. We stayed until a bit before 2 before calling it a night. Best part: 0 euros spent! Now that is student budget effectiveness. I had a nice velib ride home and was in bed by 3. P.S. I have also already received 5 birthday cards this week - Thanks for all the love family!

Saturday = Essay champion. Nbd. (No big deal for those not so up on youth lingo). Basically I got up and got progressively more stoked as I finished writing my Russian politics essay on Youth Identity in one day. Probably one of the best essay writing streams ever. When it just flows out like that, I feel pretty clever, and elequent. Now if only my teacher, dear Gilles, agrees with me... To celebrate I went for a run and then despite initial plans to hit up champs de mars for some drinks, I stayed in and hung out with Etienne and Loic and enjoyed their jam sesh. I also got to hear about their SCANDALE weekend in Bretagne, including the "Ce n'est pas ta voiture story". Oh Loic.

26 and sunny! How many times do I have to reiterate how fabulous Paris has been in the spring. Early morning before going to check out the Paris marathon with Ayumi. The Paris marathon is one of the older ones in the world starting in 1986, but died out before a revival in 1936. Its now also one of the largest marathons in Europe with 37 000 racers. Arriving at Bastille just after 9, we watched people going by the 5km point before relocating to catch the leaders coming through at the 21k mark. We were a bit of a scene with the cheer factor, especially after we were given free 'clappers'. Very appreciated to give the hands a break. All my go to english phrases were nul, so we got creative. The best had to be "Bien jouer les mecs!". Thankfully we quickly picked up the more commonly used cheers of "Bravo" and "Aller". We also tried to read people's names on their bibs to add a personal touch to the cheers, however this largely failed since they print the names much to small to be read when people run by. At least Pascal appreciated our efforts.

The leaders coming through around an hour in.

Ayumi demonstrating proper clapper technique.

Flowering trellises on Promenade Plantee.

As exciting as it is watching people run by, we decided had had our fill by 10:30 or so, and after watching Benjamin Kiptoo of Kenya take home the men's title in 2:06:31 and compatriot Rita Jeptoo take the women's crown in 2:22:52, we decided to do some exploring of the quartier. First up was going to Bastille market. The tomatoes purchased were some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of eating (second only to the ones from the organic farm in Bretagne). After strolling through the 11th, we walked along Promenade Plantee, an old elevated railway track that has been converted into a garden walkway. Its lovely to walk above the noise of the street and see the buildings and flowers. Ayumi and I had a lovely time chatting about spring travel plans and revelling in the fine weather before heading back to mine for some lunch.

The afternoon featured some Paris-Roubaix action on my big screen. Unfortunately we were not able to secure a car and take in the race, so we settled for the marathon and then race watching in the end. I was glad how it worked out in the end. It was jokes how we had the French video playing on the tv, but then ended up streaming english commentary from my laptop connected to the speakers. Sadly, instead of my beloved Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett, we had to settle for some crap commentators, who spoke at about a 40sec delay. Naturally when shit went down and then the commentators freaked out well after we had seen the accident, it was quite entertaining. It was a pretty exciting race, with my fave big Tom Boonen having some terrible luck, while Cancellera and Thor Hushovd were being silly and ended up sucking. A nobody, Johan Vansummeren of Garmin-Cervelo won. He was such a dear, and a massive stick rider at 6'5. Its nice to see a domestique like him have the chance to have the ride of their life and take home the most prestigious race in classics one-day cycling. Cancellera pulled it together and showed why he is a powerhouse to take second. All in all an exciting race, and great to get to watch at a reasonable time.

In the evening I went for a run (I had to get out and burn some calories after watching all those athletics all day). I was loving the weather so much that I even ventured back outside at night to do some readings by the church around the corner from my apartment. After some distractions at night, I settled down to dinner and entourage. A weekend with a little bit of everything!

P.S. I have been a little distracted and so this post has been written ever so slowly over the course of this month. My bad. Good thing I have loyal notes to keep me straight.

March Highlight Reel

This great Sunday night turned into a not so great Monday morning, but thanks to my effective weekend of working, it was just fine, and I got through my classes, had a Eureka moment on the debat on Italian fascism and took it easy in the evening. Forgive me for that extremely long run-on sentence.

Tuesdays of course is a great day, largely because of ballroom. Before that however, I really got to enjoy the fact that spring has truly come and hit Paris in full force, and its as if Parisians are blossoming with the flowers, bringing such an energy and happy vibe into the streets. The parcs are full of people and the Seine is lined with picnics. This day, I had my first outdoor lunch of the season and went to Pont des Arts with Annie, Juliette, Fran, Katie, Louis, Lincoln, Nick and Sarah Coskeran before heading off to ballroom. A lunchtime picnic on the Seine really just puts you in the best mood ever, though not very conducive to returning to indoor library sessions which are sorely needed right now. In dance class, Daniel was sick so I had to partner with the teacher. It was actually great fun because since she is pro, it is so easy to follow along. However, I feel like a giant dancing with her small fragile French lady frame. Oh well. I've always said I'm too big to be cute, but hopefully with these lessons I'll be able to try and aspire to be tall yet graceful as well. Good luck with that. Upon returning to Sc Po to get more work done and meet Grace for our debat, I took advantage of the air and worked in the garden for about an hour on work. Its much more spiritually uplifting, and I was much more productive than I am at home.

At 7:30, I also went to go see a movie with my sport and politics class, called Boxing Gym. Its by director Frederick Wiseman, and this documentary was unlike any other. I couldn't believe that in 90 minutes, no narrative emerged, but was instead just an observational construction of the multi-ethnic and gender community that emerges in this random boxing gym in Houston. It was pretty boring at the time, and it was only when I started writing up my analysis and opinion piece for class that I thought it was actually kindof a cool movie. Our class was watching it as a replacement for a seminar in April when Rook (prof) is away at a conference. It was nice though to go as a class and get to chat with people a bit more. Watching the movie also made me want to re-apply myself to a workout regimen once I go home.

When I got home, I was greeted by Annie. She has been having problems with her door in this spring heat. Apparently when it swells in these hot temperatures, it shifts in the frame so the lock doesn't line up, and she's locked out. This was the second Tuesday in a row that it has happened, so I gave her my keys and she was crashing at ours. It was fun to have her aorund, to rant about various things and laugh. She also helped me come to an important decision that I will elaborate on in a little bit. The best part was that the next morning we got up and made pancake breakfast with real maple syrup, blackberries and french vanilla ice cream while listening to the Boy George Culture Club cd. You just cant help but be in a great mood after that kind of morning.

Back to my important decision. This made my day much much brighter, and my step lighter. I decided to drop a class for the first time in my life. Histoire politique de l'Europe. My reasons were multiple, and can be summarized by wasn't following the narrative of lecture, struggled with the language barrier in the conference and so wasn't participating, getting stressed out because I didn't know what was going on and I have a 4hour exam for this at the end of the term, and not learning anything. Add onto this list the fact that I didn't need any of the credits, continuing on seemed like a waste. Each assignment was incredibly time consuming, but by dropping the class I felt I could focus on my other courses which I am truly loving and do really well on those. I called Mom on Tuesday and talked the matter over with her, and we decided that the reduced stress and workload was the best call. Now I feel recharged to apply myself to my assignments, rather than overloaded. With only a few months left, I don't want to be able to once again balance the ability to explore Paris and do well at school.

This decision buoyed my steps as I headed to Sc Po at noon. The rest of the school day rolled along with another solid Middle East class. I'm probably not supposed to say this, but our prof looks mighty fine in his suit, even in his middle age. He has such energy, striding across the classroom and waving his hands, constantly reminding us of of various interesting tangents that are very engaging, but could be dealt with in an entire other course. The walk through Tuileries from yoga is always refreshing. I can't wait until May when classes are over and I can wander aimlessly for hours. I returned for my final conference for Histoire de l'Europe, and gave my debat without a hitch. I think it went quite well. Not two minutes after we were done, I told my maitre de conf that I wasn't going to validate the class and wouldn't be attending anymore. It was a bit intimidating, telling your teacher you're going to drop, but I thought it was the responsible thing to do. Grace and Sarah cheered me on. And just like that, there were only 4 classes. Stll a respectable number with plenty of work to go around if you ask me.

After velib-ing home for some dinner, I headed up to the 18th to grab a drink at Rdv des Amis. Its becoming quite the familiar watering hole. I teamed up with Annie, David, Tom, Camila, and Camila's sister who was visiting. Pints to celebrate the class drop! We caught up on whats what in day to day. The latest gossip was news of Shawn's being accepted for a Michael Kors Internship in New York this summer. That is just too lucky. We debated for quite a while how he managed to pull off such a feat, especially it was decided he was a "goober" and "elf-like". We have decided he will have to hum the tune "making my shoes like an elf" while employed this summer. Lucky duck indeed. We also discussed the latest youtube craze videos. This week the music video "Friday" was all the rage. If you haven't seen it or heard it, count yourself lucky.

Another big decision also came up that week, regarding the upcoming triathlon club executive elections. Would I return to my former gang, or not? This wasn't just a matter of being on exec, but almost a reflection of the direction of my life in terms of sports and social group. A fairly weighty thing to decide on in one night. After much deliberation, I decided not to run for a position. To cut a long story short, this year has diversified my interests and I want to pursue those when I get back to UBC. I also think that the current direction of UBC TC is headed down a different path than the one I'm on with triathlon. Don't get me wrong, the triathlon club is making huge strides and I fully support them and the race series, but I know that for my own happiness, I need to remain periphery next year.

The 'high' if you will of dropping that class spilled over into Thursday, and combined with morning swim and the fact it was St Patrick's Day had me beaming. I even did my first speedwork in the pool of the year, though only a modest 10x50 holding some respectable spilts. After Russian Politics and Vichy France, Daniel and I went to La Basile to grab a drink since we had missed our normal Tuesday lunch date and caught up on life. I really enjoy conversations with Daniel since they range and we can engage in really academic, theoretical discussions, but also just talk about life, people and relationships. I'll definitely miss our chats next year. After a quick dinner, I headed to St Michel to meet Annie, David and Tom to take in some Patty's Day festivities - namely green beer. We went to an Irish pub, Galway, and spent a couple hours trying to come up with nicknames for Annie, practiced photo face slaps and making truple chins. It really was great fun. I was fading pretty fast though, so around midnight we decided to change venues and find food to revive me. The plan worked brilliantly and a kebab later, we were at the Hideout by Chatelet enjoying 2,50 pints. I had an amicable chat about history, Frenchness and foreigners with a Breton guy, Romain, and before we all called it a night (a good one at that) around 3. Annie and I trekked it back to hers to crash, sometime around 4.

Annie getting "slapped"

Super stoked at Galway

My really cool friends heading to Chatelet. At least David's normal.

Friday, understandably tired, we headed to mine made the best homey pasta and watched That 70s Show. It was acceptable since it was cold and grey outside. Then, Annie helped me prepare for my first interview ever. It was with ACE at 5 via skype, and even though it was kindof stressful having to think fast and organize your thoughts concisely and articulately, I think I handled it well and was pleased with myself at the end. It was certainly good to have some practice at it in a relatively low pressure postion.

I've also been hanging out with Ayumi more recently in an effort to stay in touch with the old Dutch crew. We're sort of spearheading the Helsinki reunion trip, so I went to hers for dinner and planning session. Hopefully we get a good turn out, it really could be such an epic trip, and there's still 11 people left in Europe so its really worth while. We also chatted about UCU, University College Utrecht, which is the school Boudewijn, Boris, Lisbeth and Timon attend. Its only 700 students in 3 years. I can't imagine how small their campus is, and how different campus life would be in comparison to UBC, which is mammoth by all accounts. Even though I bet the family and community feel would be really cool, I have to say the sheer amount of resources on UBC campus is great.

Sometimes I'm not so bright, like this weekend when I inadvertantly did the wrong readings for Sport and Politics. Well at least they're out of the way for next week...

Saturday evening Annie came over and we made an awesome Thai vegetable stirfry. Its was just so colourful, I wish I had a picture - complete with beans, bok choy, mushrooms, red and green peppers, chopped peanuts and peanut sauce. Further evidence of how great a team Annie and I are in the kitchen. Over dinner, I finally got to see the episode of Its Always Sunny in Philedelphia which features the Troll Toll song, and it defintiely lived up to the hype I've been getting from Annie, David and Camila. The food however, made me feel rather lethargic and we ended up bailing on a French soiree in the banlieus after realizing that it was going to take up forever to get there. Instead we stayed in and David came over. While listening to some pretty terrible music, we discussed how basic the lyrics of so many popular songs are. Therefore, how hard could it be to write a song!? Thus, Voleurs of the Night by Punk'd in Paris was born. It was based on Tom's mugging up in Barbes a few weeks earlier, where he had his velib and iphone stolen. It only took about 5 hours of brainstorming, writing, recording and mixing to produce the final 2min product. I used Garage Band on my Mac for the first time and it was awesome. If you're interested, you can search the clip on soundcloud. Maybe I do have a bit more appreciation for the musical process.

On Sunday afternoon, David, Tom, Jordana, Camila and I headed out to Chateau Malmaison. The country manor was the summer residence of Napoleon and Josephine, and is about a 25min train ride from Paris. While I obviously get pumped when seeing anything related to Napoleon, the best part of the day had to be just walking outside in the gardens, enjoying the spring air. Thank you one less course for giving me time to check out castles and really enjoy spring. We frolicked about in the gardens for quite a while, checking out the many "remarkable trees" and seeing the years first daffodils. The whole time I had the Troll Toll song in my head - its quite catchy. The main lyrics are "you gotta pay the troll toll to get into this boy's---oul". I have a feeling none of you readers are appreciating this. Your loss. The inside of the Chateau was quite nice, not as overdone as some other 18th century chateaus. Most impressive was Josephine's bedroom, where she had her initials embroidered on all her furniture, and also seeing one of the famous David paintings of Napoleon riding through the Alps on the Italian Campaign. Overall I was a pretty excited camper. The chateau sits on the outskirts of Rueil-Malmaison, and so we decided to extend our stay and check out the town. Like all small French towns, it was incredibly charming, and had an incredible Town Hall. We also went to an exceptional boulangerie for afternoon treats. A great afternoon outing, low-cost at that!

Malmaison Crew: Camila, myself, Jordana, Tom and David

Frolicking in the spring air.

THE David painting.

The best part of Monday was the love of the continued fine weather! After the day's classes, I velibed home and then was so enthused that I went for a run for the first time on a Monday! Now that its light so much later, this is actually a possibilty. Hopefully it becomes a bit more of a trend.

On Tuesday I got to take advantage of my new freedom on Tuesday mornings, as a result of no more Histoire Politique lecture. I have vowed to head to school at the same time though and use the time effectively, instead of wasting it by sleeping my life away. I did get the library early to start working on an upcoming expose before meeting Daniel for lunch. Rather than going to Lina's down on St Peres as per our normal routine, at my suggestion we grabbed sandwiches on the road and ate at Pont des Arts before ballroom. This particular ballroom class we decided to start writing down the various moves and combinations we were learning in the various styles in order to remember them better for following weeks. That is always the hardest part, especially for Daniel who has the responsibility to lead me. Hopefully this will help. Rather than head back to Sc Po afterwards, we went down the road to Starbucks to study. I love studying in cafes, finding that I focus much better than at home, but that the ambiance is preferable to the library. Back in Vancouver and even Kingston I had a few favorite haunts but I haven't really done much cafe studying at all this year for one reason or another (its not as much in the culture). I'll try and do it a bit more in the coming weeks, especially since so many cafes have great outdoor patios. This way I can enjoy being outside while studying.

I headed back towards the Left Bank to meet Jordana at le Bon Marche to go see the Dior exposition. We'd been meaning to see if for quite a while, but finally got our act together since it was closing the upcoming Saturday. We had finally managed to find a good time, but when we showed up it was closed for a private showing! What kindof luck is that! We agreed on to meet on Thursday to try our luck again, and then walked around the Marche and oggle at the clothes. Its Paris' oldest department store, and is simply massive. Its also really upscale, and one stop shopping for Haute Couture and designer labels. Oggle indeed. Afterwards, I headed back up North to meet Ayumi & Co for some Mexican food at a restaurant that had been received good revies in Paris food blog. Too bad they failed to mention it was really only a takeout counter, rather than a restaurant. In the end we couldn't resist the delicious smells and ordered tacos and burritos and ate them over across the street by Canal St Martin. The tortillas were homemade and delicious, and even received a thumbs up from Poullette, who is Mexican and great cook. Its not too far from Annie's, and a great price, so I will be heading back soon! Once the food was inhaled, our group of Lauren Bailey, Poullette, a couch surfer friend of hers, Ayumi, and myself headed over to Rdv des Amis to meet Boris for drinks. Its spring break for UCU and so he and a bunch of friends decided to spend the week in Paris, and we weren't letting him leave without visiting. It was great time at the bar, and I really got to know Boris a bit better than ever before. Yet another I wish I had known him better in the fall moments. Last metro home.

Lauren B, Ayumi, myself and Poullette at Rendezvous des Amis

Wednesday: Usual fare of class and yoga, but no stress from the conference for Histoire de l'Europe. What a great feeling. Again, I am committing myself to staying at Sc Po until 7 though, just like before, to work on assignments etc. Plus, this gives me a chance to use to beautiful iMac computers in the new library. It makes computer work practically a joy. In the evening, I went over to Corina's for a visit since we hadn't seen each other in a little bit. We ended up going to this Irish pub McBride's for a Sc Po social, which was not that good , and went home in good time. The social was for Crit, an annual sports showdown between the 6 Sc Po branches across France. It rotates in location, so it was lucky that it was in Paris this year. Sadly, none of my 'sports' are included in the program. I only rarely see demonstrations of school spirit at Sc Po, but crit brought it out in full force, which was kindof cool.

Thursday was consumes by my work on preparing my expose on clandestine newspapers in the French Resistance for Vichy france. I even ended up skipping swimming to get it all done, which was annoying. It was a rushed day, and the presentation itself, since I had to go with only 15min left in class and I knew time would be tight. I think I nailed it though, so just have to wait and see. After, I met Jordana to have another go at the Dior expo. This time, it was open, but only for 10 min, so we had to rush through. Thankfully it was really small so we got to appreciate everything. The clothes were truly spectacular, and Dior has really succesfully commercialized this Parisienne dream. The expo was a multi-media exhibit as well. The coolest part was a large digital book in which you turned the page by waving your hand across the image. Each page showed the noteworthy designs of the year between 1947 to present, accompanied by a quote from Dior. The poor 80s and 90s.

I also went out for another take at salsa night, this time with some friends from my old salsa course from the fall. We went to this really cool bar in Bastille called Le Balajo, and I had a great night working on my skills. It was great because I was dancing with people I knew, and so there was less pressure if I made a mistake, and we could try moves together. In general, I like how salsa nights have a great camaraderie. Everyone is dancing with everyone, and willing to teach. Hopefully one day I'll get to move like some of the great dancers that were on the floor that night. It was the most fun I'd had at a salsa night, so I hope this group goes out again. After, I metroed and velibed home. This particular velib night was notable since I had to walk a ways to find a stand, which only had two bikes - one with no chain and the other with a front flat tire. So yes, I rode 20 min on a front flat tire, cringing at the damage to the rim. Sorry velib. Hopefully I don't have to make another ride like that anytime soon.

I am calling this Friday, March 25th, a near perfect spring day in Paris. After a very restful, long sleep, I got up and booked tickets for the Helsinki reunion in May and wrote some fun peer pressure emails to Timon and Bou. By 11:30, I was out running in shorts and tank top, doing my route along the Seine and by the Eiffel Tower. I may have been feeling less than fabulous o nthe run, but the gorgeous weather couldn't even dampen my mood. Back home to shower, I then headed to Avenue to Breteuil to picnic with David and Annie in front of Invalides. It was summer dress weather, and time to tan! We had a delicous spread of food, and Corina and her visiting friend Raluca joined. After, I took Annie to see the Dior expo before it closed and spend a bit more time, and then we did some Bon Marche window shopping ourselves. I walked all the way home and grabbed some groceries and cleaned to apartment spick and span (feeling very accomplished) before going to picnic # 2, this time on Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower with Juliette, Fran and co. We had some wine back at their apartment when it got a bit chilly. I went home around 11, and so tired from the day, curled up with Twilight in bed. Not too shabby indeed.

Enjoying the picnic-ing

Dior dresses at the expo.

Motivation on Saturday to get up early and get at my homework was the afternoon trip with Etienne and Loic to the March Salon de Vin, this time at Porte de Champerret. Equally overwhelming, I am still amazed by how many vendors are there, and the hoards of people that pack the exhibition hall. After a bit of touring with the boys, I split off to do some sampling with Ayumi and her visiting friend. All said in done, I picked up 11 bottles, of 3 varieties and came away with a much better sense of my personal preferences in wine. In the end, this visit was only about 2.5 hours, but when you're at a crowded, hot wine fair, even that does one in. After stopping back home for dinner, I went up to Annie's. We had bought tickets to see this DJ Peaches play at this really trendy hipster club, Social Club, that night with some other friends of hers, but they all bailed last minute with work and sickness. In the end it was just the two of us, but nevertheless it was a great night. When we arrived just after 11, we discovered Peaches didn't come on until 3am! Based on the need to seriously do homework the next day, we ended up just dancing up a storm to the opening acts, which were really good, and still managed to catch the last 2am metro almost all the way home. Europe's love of techno has finally rubbed off on me and I had such a great night, a reminder that I should try and get some more good dancing in this year. I won't mention that after velibing the remainder of the way home, I arrived after 3 - because of time change. Despite this unreasonable hour, I decided it would be a good idea to watch the second twilight movie. Sometimes my stupidity even impressed me.

More Salon de Vin craziness

Trying to get my hipster glam on for Social Club.

Sunday was pretty boring, including a run, finishing my expose, watching the final twilight movie and general chilling. However, at night Loic and his brother Alexie came over for dinner and Etienne cooked up a magnificent Sunday dinner for the four of us. It was great to practice my French, and I am so impressed by how well I follow conversations, and how my own oral is getting a bit better. Etienne and I normally converse in an entertaining mixture of French and English, so when I am immersed in full french conversations for a few hours, I still get all excited.

Monday was also business as usual at school, plus my expose for Sport and Politics, this time on labour migration. It was really annoying since I had emailed everyone who was originally on the list to present that week, but then someone else had switched weeks and not informed our group, so by the time I got to present on the readings last, the class was questioned out and we had kindof been over a lot of the relevant material. After getting over my initial frustration, I still think it went ok, and I later was talking to the teacher, Rook, and she said it was fine. I also started a new trend after class is over at 5 of going straight to the library and working on the blog. I have really fallen behind, and these more recent weekly posts have been a result of this strategy of library blog sessions. Normally by the time I get home, I am just so tired, I don't have the energy needed to be creative an put life into the posts. So now, hopefully I will be able to get on top of it. Darn life for being so full of wonderful things and making blog writing a bit of a chore! I closed out the day by watching an absolutely terrible film called, D'Artagnan, about the Three Muskateers. Love the books, but terrible movie.

Tuesday's big news was an email received that informed me I was being offered the co-chair position for ACE! Even though I had only applied for the Alumni Director position, they felt after my interview that I would be a great leader and offered me a head position! I was obviously both thrilled and flattered, even though it will mean more work. This actually caused a bit of dilemna as I was just in the process of applying for the UBC REC newspaper, The Point. With the added time committment of the Co-chair position, I wasn't sure whether I should still apply, but after skyping Chrissy and discussing, I decided I might as well submit my application and see if I get an interview. I also started a new book today, for leisure, which is something I haven't done in awhile. It was the one I picked up from Shakespeare & Co a little while back, The Paris Wife. Spring in Paris makes me want to read about this incredible city as well. Its so exciting reading about people going by the places I'm living today! It feels me with bubbly emotion that's hard to describe. In ballroom, we also learned that we will be having a year end performance as part of Sciences Po's Semaine des Arts/Arts week. We started work on a routine, or enchainement for Tango. I'm excited about the opportunity to show our friends what we've learned over the course of the year. I closed out the day with a drink at Le Basile with Ayumi after a good library session once again.

Wednesday was overcast and I was in a blah mood, but at least I had tartiflette for dinner and afterwards hosted our "group" of Annie, David, Tom and Camila for brownies and movie night - Get Him to the Greek. Our friend group has really upped the game of getting together during the week and having a great second term. Its been lovely.

And this brings me to the end of March! Next stop: April!

Trying to remember how to be a real student again

After a very long period of play, I guess it was finally time I really had to apply myself to school work. I have in general struck a nice balance of school and extra-curricular interests, but I knew that March was going to end that ideal, and it was time to get my head down. I'll spare you the details of my daily life and just focus of some highlights of the next couple weeks.

Upon return from Grenoble I pretty mcuh spent all weekend working on an expose for Sport and Politics, which was on the politics of doping controls and was really cool. I did however that weekend decide to go to the theatre with Annie on Saturday. We scored some cheap tickets online and went to see a comedy called "Mes meilleurs ennuis" up in the 18th at a small local theatre. It was hilarious! A tale of two brothers having the worse day ever the morning of their sister's wedding. Best of all, I was so pleased with how well I followed along. It really proved to me how much my understanding of French has gotten, in terms of speed and especially slang. I would have been totally lost back in September, but had no problems that night. Plus, it was really nice to take in some culture in a very local Parisian environment.

Its also really unfortunate that this block of school work also falls as spring is really unveiling. On Sunday, I took a break from the expose to go walk around the Latin quarter with Annie. Paris comes alive on sunny days and the streets were packed. We tried to go see the mosque, which is apparently a must see, but got denied for wearing skirts. Oops. Walking around Paris always makes me fall in love with the Haussman buildings, and realizing that I should get out and just walk more rather than getting caught up in the day to day. Easier said than done. We ended up at Shakespeare & Co and perused the shelves. I picked up a new book called the Paris wife, which is a fictional recount of the romance of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley; and their years in Paris. I can't wait to read about them going around to places I go by in my everyday life.

A sunny afternoon stroll in the Latin Quarter

On the gastronomic front, things have been going amazingly. Etienne's mother was in town that weekend, and I have been lucky enough to have French brunches all weekend - sliced ham, solf boiled eggs, baguette, rillette and viennoiseries (croissants, pain au chocolats etc). on Sunday night, Etienne's cousin Eve came over and we got some sushi. I like how when Gaelle is around I really get to practice my French. On Monday, she organized a belated birthday dinner and we had an exquisite meal. Starting with a fine bottle of champagne and a savory loaf, we had these coquilles St Jacques over a tomato puree for the appetizer, followed by a perfectly succulent roast with potatoes, salad and a great bottle of wine to compliment. For dessert, homemade fondant au chocolat - essentially a big brownie cake with soft melted chocolate in the middle. Eve was there again. I think its so lucky that Etienne grew up in a family of 5 cousins within 4 years of each other.

I gave my expose Monday without a hitch, and after underestimating how difficult a mise au point would be for History of Europe, I somehow managed to write 6000 characters, which is about 680 words on the Austrian School of Ecomonics and how their model can be applied to the Great Depression. I abhore economics so it was a real struggle, but I was proud of my efforts in the end, and glad to get it out of the way on Wednesday.

I celebrated that night by going over to Daniel's for a dinner party. He had an old friend and her boyfriend from Israel staying with him for the week as they begin a 9 month European tour. They were the nicest people ever. I can't imagine living out of a backpack, constantly moving, for that long. I think I'm much more suited for this camp-out in Paris and travel from there bit. It was also really interesting talking to them and hearing about their military service, which also applies for girls. They spent 2-3 years each in the military, in radio and search and rescue respectively. Now after their trip, they want to go to university. It was just weird to think of being 22 or 23 and not having had to opportunity to even begin studying yet, and talking to them was very culturally enlightening. I would at some point in my life be interested in going to visit. The dinner itself was fabulous, with a quiche, greek pasta salad and both vegetarian and meat lasagnas. Cheesecake for dessert. It really was great, and it was nice catching up with various casual friends including Julie, Prianka and Sarah Castles.

I also heard back from ACE with an interview request! Its set for next Friday over Skype.

Thursday morning swim, followed by walk up Vaugirard, picking up produce and cleaning of the apartment have become quite the ritual for me and make me feel incredibly productive. It really is wonderful. I also laid down my foot and informed Annie that we would be going to an Afterwork with les Veterans. I love a good night of just dancing, rather than sitting in a random bar buying one over-priced beer. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for these things, especially earlier in the week, but come Thursday when I'm finished classes for the week, I want to let loose and dance. This term I have hardly any friends who really like dancing and I have been missing it. Hence my need to put down my foot an insist on afterwork dancing. Tonight's edition was at VIP room, a very swanky club on Rue de Rivoli by the Tuileries. 15 euros for unlimited buffet and a-champagne before 9. I had also been avoiding Afterworks this term since I finish at 7, so by the time you get to the club, you end up having to wait in long for a while and don't get in until 8, losing an hour of the great deal. Anyways, Annie and I met at Sc Po and walked over to VIP room and got there around 7:30. We were in and coats checked just before 8 which was pretty good, after being a little bit of scene in line as Annie painted her nails on her one hand and we caught up on the weeks events. The really cool thing about afterwork is that all the people inside, especially the men, look fabulous all suited up and classy. This vibe was enhanced by a live cover band that was quite good that played on stage during the cocktail hours. We found Maude and the veterans group and then struggled against the mad champagne lines and managed to get three flutes before 9. Fortunately, being with our group, we had a bunch of bottles after 9 to pass around and even some vodka. The dance tunes cames on and I had an all in all great evening dancing away, or taking breaks chatting with people, including Johanna and Jasper, both of whom I'd just met casually before. By 11, feet sore, we rolled out and were home before midnight. Afterwork truly is a beautiful thing and I really should do it more often.

On Friday, after a mid day debat meeting with Grace for our terrible Histoire de l'Europe class, I met up with Annie, as we planned to go to the museum of Mode et Textiles, aka fashion museum. I wasn't fully in the museum mood however, and in that state, decided to save it for another day when I thought I would enjoy all 8 euros of entry fee. Instead we just walked all down Rivoli, window shopping and admiring the spring fashions. A very appreciated felafel stop in the marais was followed by more wandering past amazing little boutiques. Shopping in Paris is too good. There is just so much temptation. Good thing I am reasonably strong on the whole.

Afterwards, we headed back to Annie's to rest our sore feet. I then found out that my old KCVI biology teacher and cross country coach, Ms. Prentice, has passed away that morning unexpectedly after a cancer relapse. It was quite a shock and a bit upsetting. Its at these moments that I feel very disconnected from back home in a negative way. So far away and incapable of showing my support. In order to cheer up, Annie and I, or should I use our new nicknames of Meavis and Loovis, ended up binging on dance movies - Step Up and Take the Lead. I ended up staying until about 1, after we had booked tickets for a trip to Bordeaux for Easter Weekend/my birthday! Wine tour here we come!

The weekend was primarily filled with many readings for sport and politics, Russian politics, and Histoire de l'Europe. Somehow I also managed to run, hit the markets on Sunday with Etienne, skype so many people and do laundry. These small necessary tasks really interrupt the flow of the day though. At the end, even though I feel like I've been trying to work all day, I seem to have little to show for my diligence, thanks to these interruptions. Its very irritating, and gives people (Etienne) the impression that I never do work. This has been really annoying me lately, but I know I'm working away.

Easter bunny in the display window!

I also managed to get over to Corina's on Saturday night for a drink and catch up. Masters kills your social life and soul. I've realized I'm in no rush to get there just yet. Undergrad suits me just fine. After my drink, I headed to a salsa bar with Emmanuelle. I was really excited to practice my skills, which have gotten a little rusty since classes last term. By the end of the night though, I was definitely improving in my abilities to follow. I will admit though that I think if I had to choose, I prefer regular clubbing to salsa since I can just move however I feel. Salsa is concentration, and I don't know the songs. Its not just salsa either, but Reggaeton, Bachata, and Merengue as well. I do like the change, but I guess I'm just more in my element on a regular dance floor.

Sunday night was surprisingly also pretty great. As per usual, Etienne transformed into master chef for the evening and produced cotes de porc, salad, potatos, and an amazing '05 St. Emilion wine that made the meat sing. I made fun of his glasses as being cleaned with a tranche de jambon. Afterwards, we hung out in the living room grooving to the Shoe Polishers, which is this great Breton celtic music. Etienne got out his piccolo and we bounded around. Soon I was rocking out some Neil Young and Great Big Sea. This was also my first time trying malt whisky, as Etienne insisted I try some of his fine stash that he received for his birthday. I was surprisingly impressed. Soon I was trying to teach him the cup game that I learned at RKY (to no avail) and we cheers'd Breton style - Yehad Mad! A rowdy Sunday night indeed that was definitely a highlight of roommate living.

I'll cut this off here just to feel accomplished. xx