American things in Paris

Amongst all of the French things, sights, smells, and language; I was able to sneak in a few tributes to America-

Canada vs. USA: Olympic Hockey Game

For the final Olympic hockey game, my friend and I pushed our way into a famous Canadian bar, The Moose to watch Canada and US battle it out on the ice. It was my first packed sports bar experience and first taste of hockey since I had left my Terrier boys in Boston. My friend and I were so excited to hear English chants and cheers- until we realized that we were surrounded by Canadian hockey fans! We meet some friendly French fans- rooting for the “OO S A” but I felt more outnumbered than I do as an English-speaker in France! The game was intense, the crowd and a lot of fun-- loud, and the beer was good. Unfortunately Team USA was trying to catch up most of the game and didn’t come out with gold medal, but it was worth being a proud American fan IN a Canadian bar IN France.


St. Patrick's Day

It’s funny when a holiday like, St. Patricks day rolls around and you’re stuck with a cross cultural dilemma. In Boston- it’s an all out Irish Fest. At home it’s a meal of corn beef and cabbage. But what do you do in France? Do I go to Ireland to celebrate? (Oh yes, Ireland. Why not? I’m already in Europe) Or completely ignore it because hardly anyone is French/Irish? No- you do what any American would do in France- find an Irish pub, filled with other Americans and seek out green beer. I ended up somewhere in the middle- packed in BU’s favorite local bar with most of the program, drinking regular beer, and wearing everything green in my wardrobe. It seemed perfectly logical for all the Americans in the bar, but the French bartenders seemed completely confused as to why it was so crowded on a random Wednesday night and why everyone wanted green syrup in their beer.

Cupcakes

In a land of perfect pastries- I thought that it was weird that I was craving cupcakes- all the time! I became obsessed with pretty, yummy, decorated cupcakes. Cupcakes are not an easy dessert to find in Paris and most of the shops are run by American or Canadian pastry chefs- but I was able to stumble across a few:

Berko
23 rue Rambateau 75004 (near Centre Pompideau)
http://www.cupcakesberko.com/
*I had two amazingly, delicious- and American cupcakes: chocolate health bar crunch and chocolate peanut butter m&m. They also sell cheesecake by the slice- if you’re missing New York desserts.

Cupcakes and co.
25 rue dela forge royale 75011 (near Bastille)
http://cupcakesandco.fr/
*I had Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing- a little less cupcake and a little more “tiny” cake, but so moist and decadent.

Cupcakes places are popping up all over Paris now but will they ever be regarded as highly as the croissant?! Probably not.

Chocolat: Jean-Paul Hevin

L’amour. This is my favorite chocolate shop so far. It was love at first site when I saw the chocolate high heel shoe in the window and it’s been a wild affair ever since. Our first night, I bought a bag of assorted chocolat noir bon bons and started walking to the metro. It was too beautiful out to go underground so I decided to continue walking though the Tuileries to the next stop. It was about tusk so I had to sneak in to the Tuileries since it closes early before April. I walked to the reflecting pond at the Concorde. Outside of the park was the crazy circling of cars and headlights, but around the calm reflecting pond was chairs and a few people resting. I climbed up the stairs to overlook Concorde and it was literally the most beautiful view of Paris that I could imagine. All of the buildings were lit up, the sky was dark, and the headlights were creating a flow of lights. I sat and enjoyed my chocolats, which were DELICIOUS and watched Paris. I saw the Champs Elyese, Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais, Le Seine, Tuiliers, and the Louvre. I finished my chocolats and headed across the Seine to the metro. I even caught a glimpse of Notre Dame at night, Musee d’Orsay, National Assemblee, Invalides, and Le Tour Eiffel. It was such a lovely evening that I think Jean-Paul and I will make it a regular event, alas he has some pastries that looked delicious!

Paris, Je t'aime!

L'entretien

The second part of my study abroad program is an internship in Paris. We have a separate company, EUSA, set up the internships for BU students. I met with EUSA representatives in November and told them that I wanted a marketing internship for the semester. I received an email with an interview appointment at Martine Leherpeur Conseils in Paris. After researching the company and reading previous student's reports, I was really excited about my interview. I had a mock interview with one of the EUSA representatives and practiced my french up until the Friday morning interview.

I got to the office without a problem while remaining fairly dry in the rain. After waiting a few minutes in reception, I met my interviewer and she offered me coffee or tea. Knowing it was rude to refuse, I asked for tea. We sat in her office and she placed three cups in front of me. One mug with the tea bag in it, which she poured hot water into. Another smaller cup was next to the mug and finally, a bowl with three sugar cubes. I had NO IDEA which cup to drink from. I politely asked which cup I should use and she waved to all three. Usually the French drink tea from large bowl-like cups, but there was too much sugar in bowl to be correct. So after debating in my head, I poured the tea from the mug into the smaller cup. Of course, I spilled all over the table. She started laughing and told me that I put it in the wrong cup. Mordified, I realized that the little cup was for the tea bag- ah ha. Instead of repouring eveything back into the mag, I dropped the sugar cube in a took a sip. Oops. Next time- I'll ask for coffee.

The rest of the interview continued with the same uneasiness as before the tea incident. She spoke in English but I responded in French and I told her about my work experience. When she asked about my future plans, she seemed disappointed when I told her "consumer and market research". She said that this position is really about finding images and not about "hard numbers and research". My role would be to search databases for images that reflect a theme or product. We looked at some past projects and I asked some follow up questions. She told me that they would get back to me in February- not too encouraging. I sent a lovely follow up email as soon as I got home and we'll see what happens next!


Update: I got the internship! I will be interning at Martine Leherpeur Conseils from mid-march to mid-May.

Musée Marmottan-Claude Monet

I went on a Sunday adventure to a small Monet and Impressionist museum in the 16th Arrondisement. I walked through a park with lots of families and a donkey ride (bizarre) to get to the tucked away museum. There was a long line of people in front of a white house with colorful flags, as I ventured closer, I realized that it was the Musée Marmottan- Monet. The outdoor line moved quickly and I was soon inside this gorgeous home in Paris. They have the rooms set up with furniture as if someone lived there, but hung on all of the walls are some of the greatest Monets. The rooms trace his career, his different styles, and scatter in a few other Impressionists, like Manet, Renoir, and Auguste Rodin. I was actually impressed by the house as much as the artwork. I moved into a hallway and gallarie that traced his paintings at Givery, then the Nympheas, then just paintings of scenery. Standing alone in a glass case was his actual paint palette!

The best part is that in my modern and contemporary art class, we just studied Impressionism. We studied Monet's Impression Soleil Levant, and it was right there!

In the basement, there was an exhibition on the Fauves and Expressionists. They have much more colorful and abstract painting than Monet but it was cool to see. When I got home, I started reading for my next Art History class and the chapter was called "Expressionisme et les Fauves". I was so excited because I had just seen some of the artwork! Studying art in Paris is really the best choice that I could have made. I miss my business classes but it's amazing to study something that is literally part of Paris.

Musée etiquette: The museum was crowded but the upstairs felt very open. It was cool to be a part of the Parisians, waltzing around discussing the artwork. But downstairs got a little pushy- a woman literally shoved me aside to read the name of a painting and then shoved me to the next one. I thought that museum etiquette would be more universal but I think the personal space limits are quite different in Europe. I tried as best as I could to move along from one painting to the next, in pace with my art-enthusiast friends.

Les Marches

I've grown to love the farmer's markets in Boston, but a Parisian market is far superior. I had to visit three markets last week before I actually bought anything because I was so tongue tied. However, now I am a marchiere! The market near my house is open Sunday mornings and early afternoons so I stopped by after my run. Not only do they have fruits and vegetables but they also have meats, fish, pastries, clothes, jewelry, housewares, shoes, etc. I went to a self serve stand, gathered some carrots, sweet potatoes (potate douce), bananas, apples (pomme), and I even ordered a piece of salmon! Today however, I went to the market by school and successfully ordered a bag of almonds, pears (poire), bananas, carrots, and brussell sprouts (chou Bruxelles). Then I walked around with a friend, as we discovered cheese stands, candy stands, juice stands, and coffee stands. Of course I found a chocolate stand but I still have a bar left over from Sunday so I'll have to hold out to the next market. Everything was amazing and I plan to continue to shop at the markets twice a week for fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and a different treat every time.

But becoming a marchiere wasn't easy. They markets are busy and filled with activity and pushy Parisians. The vendors don't have time to wait for my broken French/English orders and usually just hand me the bag to choose myself. Also, I haven't mastered my numbers yet. Think of how fast you can spit out numbers in your native tonuge, well French isn't native for me. Usually 1 euro 86 turns into a mumble of French jargon, so I've resulted to visiting vendors with receipts. At night, I've been practicing my numbers by watching Le Juxe Prix, The Price is Right. Furthermore, when I said they sell meat and fish, I mean entire chickens/ducks/rabbits and entire fish/shrimp/squid. Yuck!

My next market to conquer is the marches aux puces, flea markets. There are large flea markets Friday-Monday in the Northern arrondisement of Paris. I will venture soon- with lots of company for support!

Bonjour! Bienvenue a Paris

It's amazing all that has changed since my first letter of acceptance into the BU Paris Internship program. I have felt excitement, happiness, and frustration. I spent months preparing documents, and a week packing, just to lug 50kg of luggage to a stranger's doorstep. All of this, and I became the stranger (l'etrange) as soon as the shuttle dropped me off. I know I said this freshman year, but it feels like summer camp- like someone is going to pick me up in a few weeks and take me home. I'll have pictures and souvenirs, but it'll all just be one quick vacation, or not. Today was my first day of Orientation and the BU Staff introduced us to reality. This was school; we were here to take classes, intern and experience a roller coaster of culture in between.

For those who don't know me: I am Caitlin, a junior at BU. I fell in love with French in seventh grade and pursued it in high school. It took a backseat to business classes in college (@ Boston University), however I managed to squeeze in a 4th semester French class which made me eligible for BU's study abroad program in Paris. I will take 8 weeks of classes, and participate in an 8 week internship. BU Paris is located only 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel)

I decided then to make my journey about something that you all know I love, chocolate. My journey through Paris, France, and Europe will be easily traced with wrappers from some of the most amazing chocolates in the world.

To start- the airplane (Air France) served wonderful chocolate pudding for dessert.