Quelques Pensees // More Thoughts

Paris in the Rain is SHIT.
A month ago I saw the film, Midnight in Paris,

The protag. is named Gil.
A successful screenplay writer.
Fiance a une belle et jeune femme riche qui ne l'apprecie pas.
Anyway, even though he can't speak French, he finds Paris gorgeous, stunning, aweful. His future in-laws couldn't give a stuff, and take taxis everywhere- this is hugely unrealistic in my opinion, because getting around Paris in a taxi would waste so much time. Paris is an extremely hard city to drive through. FOOLS.

According to him: // D'Apres lui:
Cities have transcendental beauty in the rain.
Paris is better in the rain.
While his fiancee spends a minute exploring the insides of her eye sockets, he bullshiterbates along this line of thoughts (je pense que si t'es pas anglophone, tu ne vas pas arriver a comprendre ca.)
I think the writers thought that it sounded nice and poetical.
Being in that rain as opposed to eating biscuits and patisseries in the Ritz in the 1er watching the rain are two very different things altogether. Yesterday (as now it's almost 00h30) I spent about 45 minutes dans la pluie en raison d'avoir oublie ma para-pluie chez moi. Quel Malchance!!
Anyway, I passed the Pantheon and walked around the 5th. I love how close everything in Paris is. It's about a 25 minute walk from Uni to the Notre Dame. From my appt. in the 11th  it's only a 1h45 walk.
I ended up taking a very circular path. It was a bit nostalgic walking around there en retrouvant all the streets and shops I saw in the first week I arrived in Paris. I realised how much of an impression it left on me- I was only there for about 4-5 days yet it seems as if I spent 2 weeks there. I've changed so much since then.

A little less afraid, more confident, I'm a parisienne now, I know where I'm going and what my purpose is.

UNORIGINAL MEN
When sleazy men call out to me on the street, it doesn't bother me, I don't even look at them.
I make like a french girl and keep on walking with purpose, orientation- quoi.
If anything, it's a bit repetitive. Come on guys, be a little bit more original!

• Being asked for "a little French kiss" outside a pub in Chatelet-Les-Halles.
• Salut!
• T'es manifique!
• Ca va
• WOW!
• Kissy noises at me.
• Wolf-whistled

Not trying to claim at all, because this happens to most girls. Especially foreigners.
I probably stand out here because at one end of the bell curve.


PARISIENNE, MAIS PAS FRANCAISE

• Everyone here has beautiful olive skin // I have rosy, white skin. Go figure
• French: Dark Hair // Tori: Blonde
• Dark Eyes // Blue eyes 
• ACCENT. This depends on how much English I have been speaking that day, how much time I've spent alone, how many lessons I've had that day. It's easy enough to transition into English, but harder to do the inverse. 

TANGENT
[Trust me, Paris is much better when you can speak the language, I'd recommend even enrolling in a short course at Alliance Francaise at least if you don't know any French]
Je peux pas comprendre ceux qui adore la culture francaise, qui parle de la cuisine francaise mais qui n'apprennent pas la langue du pays. Je comprends que tout le monde n'est pas doue pour les langues, c'est bien la realite. Ce n'est pas a moi a juger, mais d'etre citoyen du monde, il faut faire des efforts quand meme.

Mais, j'suis que snob. J'suis qu'une jeune meuf snob. C'est Verlan pour toi.


Voice Memos 
Possibly one of the best functions of my iPod Touch.
Why?
Because I can record my lessons. One of my teachers speaks insanely fast and the words slip out of my head before I can write any coherent notes. I like to play her at half-speed (in theory, only just started to do this).
Also because I can record groovy buskers on the street.

Boring Copy and Paste Information: Skip to Last/Next Post

General Paris day-trips (from Paris)
http://www.parislogue.com/beyond-paris/day-trips-from-paris-2.html


Parc Astérix,

• Tonnerre de Zeus, the biggest wooden roller-coaster in Europe
• Goudurix, one of the most impressive loop-the-loops in Europe, and many others.
• The park is open from the 8th of April to the 15th of October.
• Take RER B3, get off at Charles de Gaulles airport terminal 1 and take the Parc Astérix shuttle (it leaves every 30 min).
• Buy the Forfait Loisirs card that offers a reduced price combination: a transport ticket for the return journey by RER (+ metro from Paris) and the shuttle bus to the Park, and a coupon for admission to the Parc Astérix. 
• On arrival at the ticket desks, you'll exchange your coupon for an admission ticket. 
• Possible to buy the entrance tickets together with shuttle bus ticket at the CDG Terminal 1 at the "Information" stand.
• The best time for visit is in the morning, earlier than crowds, so that you could enjoy all the attractions without queue. Nevertheless, you spend some time waiting for your turn especially to get to Tonnerre de Zeus and Goudurix (all the adults go there first and then to all the other attractions).

BNP Paribas- Partner Banks overseas

	Bank of America Plus de 18 000 distributeurs à travers les Etats-Unis.
	Barclays Plus de 3 000 distributeurs à travers le Royaume-Uni, plus de 6 000 en Afrique du sud, 190 en Afrique auxquels s'ajoutent 3 800 automates Woolwich.
	BNL 1900 distributeurs en Italie
	Deutsche Bank Plus de 2 500 distributeurs dans les pays couverts.
	Fortis Belgique 2 500 distributeurs en Belgique.
	Scotiabank Plus de 2 700 distributeurs au Canada, 350 à travers les Caraïbes, 115 au Chili, 11 en Guyana et plus de 1 000 au Mexique.
	Westpac Plus de 1600 distributeurs en Australie, 500 en Nouvelle-Zélande et 32 dans le Pacifique sud.
	Ukrsibbank 1384 distributeurs en Ukraine.

Bucket List: Europe

Edit: After making this list I really wish that I lived in Europe. Europeans have NO IDEA how lucky they really are.
I have been meaning to do this for ages:

• Louvre on a Friday night: from 18h00-22h00 free for students
•  Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Day Tour from Munich, Munich, Germany: 
  Visit fairytale castles Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, built in French Rococo and neo-Romanesque style by eccentric King Ludwig II and hidden deep in the Bavarian mountains.
  
  
• Monter la Tour Eiffel: deja fait avec ma belle cousine, Rosemea.
• Naples and Pompeii Day Trip from Rome, Rome, Italy: 
  Ride along the Highway of the Sun, crossing the Castelli Romani, dotted with enchanting medieval villages, then, continue across Naples’ historic center, before visiting the ancient city of Pompeii.
  
  
• L'arc de Triomphe: avec Maria et Stefano
• Go to Duplex Nightclub: free before 00h30 for girls, 16e.
• Mixte Nightclub
• Notre Dame Tour: Suprisingly free, yet such a long line to get in. Have to go in the morning one day.
• See the Tour Eiffel light up at night: at 22h00 and 23h00- done this at least five times
• Faire une nuit blanche: x 3 already :P
• Berlin: My friend Viktoria lives there, but she won't be there when I go. Perhaps, she can recommend some places to me.
•  Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath Day Trip from London, London, England: 
  Discover the wonder and mystery of Windsor Castle, home of the Royal Family for 900 years, then step back in time to Stonehenge and the elegant Georgian architecture, Roman spa and Pump Rooms of Bath.
  
  
• Learn more Italian: at a rate of knots. Oral Italian anyway (no innuendo intended)
• Learn more German: Daniel or Viktoria.
• Munich
• Tate Museum, England
• La Belgique
• Holland: ride a bicycle, Anne Frank Musee, take some beautiful photos, look at the prostitutes in the red light district, meet some beau gosses hollandais la-bas. I am going to assume that all Holland-ish (je rigole) people are stunning, just like that Dutch girl I went to school with. Curse them!
• Ski-ing: Maybe I won't have enough money for this, maybe I will...
• London
• Do some more drawings of Paris, fool: Already bought a nice sketch-book and pens for this purpose.
• Rome: I have lots of Italian friends here and I think that most of them come from Roma.
• Decorate my appt
• Get a table
• Send some postcards.
• Switzerland?
• Edith Piaf's former appt.
• Les marches de puces
• Buy something at the Belleville markets
• Centre Pompidou: Free, generally open 11h-18h (10h on w/e, 20h Thursday-Saturday).
• Get portrait done in Montmatre: did this as a child, would be interesting to have a comparison.
• Climb to the top of the Sacre-Coeur
• Visit Sacre-Coeur
• Chateau de Versailles: Should have gone when the weather was nicer. Damn.
• Les Invalides: Gratuit pour les residents de l'Europe moins de 26ans De 10h à 17h, (17h30 le dimanche)
• Musée de l'Armée 
  Hôtel national des Invalides
  129 rue de Grenelle, 75007 PARIS

Le delire et les reves d'enfance.

Sunday night, I had the genius idea of adding some rice that I had cooked and frozen to my simple meal of vegetables.
Bad Idea.
I forgot that my freezer is dodge as.
You can imagine the kind of night I spent.
Luckily I had no classes on Monday, that would have been catatrophic.
This is my first experience of food poisoning ever and hopefully the last. Luckily, I threw up so many times during the month I was sick in Perth before leaving for Paris, that I knew exactly what was coming and could prepare.
That's one of the sucky things about living alone: you have to be completely self-reliant, even when you are sick.
I went to the pharmarcy today and told her about my situation and she gave me some pain-killers and some  medicaments to re-instate the balance of my stomach or something. As I was feeling a bit dizzy and out of it, I didn't really pay much attention.

For K5051, Recits et Reves d'Enfance (Narratives and dreams of childhood) we have to read Freud's psychoanalytical interpretation of the dreams which occur in the novella, Gradiva (1901) by W. Jensen.

The next bit is a bit thick so if you only the summary of it, just read the yellow bits.

I started to read this last night (I should have read it by last week, but I missed the first cours so I didn't know this). Gradiva is a really interesting nouvelle a lire parce qu'il s'agit d'un jeune archeologue qui tombe amoureux d'un bas-relief d'une jeune femme pompienne qui fut morte en 79 a cause de l'eruption de Mt. Vuseve  [a young archaeologist who falls in love with the form of a young Pompeian woman who died in 79 AD during the eruption of mount Versuvius]. Due to her unusual walk, he names her Gradiva, meaning she who walks ahead. This imaginative German youth, while in Pompeii dreams about the destruction of the city and the death of the young woman. This dream no doubt rivetted Freud, because there were so many elements that he could tirer du reve which demonstrates the relevance of his new and unconfirmed theories- he spends some time analysing it.

This dream d'angoisse exprime son desir pour avoir une femme certe, vivante, reele. 
The next morning he flees the town for Roma, but he is troubled by all the happy jeunes maries. Meme s'il est inconscient, ces couples le genent parce qu'il n'a pas une femme vivante a lui. On comprend cet origine/raison apres la decouverte de Zoe Bertang, sa ancienne voisine et son amour d'enfance. etc. etc.
He then goes even further South to escape these newlyweds who seem to have invaded every museum, every hotel and street, but finds that there are still cent exemplaires de ces Venus et Poppilon, ces Augustes et Grete. (Auguste, mon amour- Grete ma douceur). He dreams about one of these young couples represented by Venus and some other figure of antiquity expressing their love for one another. Of course, Freud whose theory is focused on the idea that dreams express nos desirs dans une facon cachee completely ignores this dream as it is obvious what it means- it doesn't give him anyway to demonstrate his theory.

Anyway the long and the short of it is that the main character, Nobert, returns to Pompeii and he stumbles across a woman identical to his Gradiva. He speaks to her in Latin, then in Greek only to have her reply, "If you wish to speak to me, you must do so in German".
After a short conversation, she swiftly leaves, leaving Nobert (what a crappy name), completely confused: Is this just a figament of his imagination or is this Pompeiian woman real?- And that is the basis for the rest of the story.


But I won't bore you anymore with these notes of mine.

I now I have to read Freud's interpretation of Gradiva.

I was in my arm chair last night.
My legs en repos on the mono-chair of ma chambre.
Wearing my ski-pants and jacket.
Reading Gradiva.
Presque en dormant.
I read the book: dream-like state.
Whenever je lis en francais, c'est toujours comme je suis en train de rever.
Je laisse couler les mots sur mon esprit, comme l'eau sur le dos en me lavant.

It's interesting to have this double-state of dreaming.
Dreaming, almost falling asleep.
Reading about le delire et les reves du jeune archeologue, Nobert.


Although this unit is a bit recherche, it gives something for my mind to chew on at the very least.

An Adventure Filled Weekend.

Dear Paris,


You are amazing, but you already know this. Even after six weeks I still think that you are beautiful.


Love Tori xx

Yesterday, I participated in Les Olympiades at Cite U.

Leaving only 1/2 hour before I was sure I would be late, but a little bit of old-fashioned running ensured that I was only 5 minutes late.

Some fun activities -I the ever-sporty representative of Australia- was going nuts cheering for our enthusiastic but nevertheless losing team of Paris 3, all dressed in purple.

Had lunch with two boys from the red team (Paris 8, I think?)- one egyptian, the other moitie italien, moitie francais and a Chinese girl called Louise from my team. Her friend (South Korean), came over to have a look at what we were doing. After she found out that I was an Aussie, we discovered that not only had she been to PERTH, of all places, but she had also done some studies at UWA. What are the freaking chances?!

For lunch, I had Poulet et frites, une salade de carottes et un yaourt all for the insane price of 3,10EUR.
INSANE.

After lunch, more activities and I managed to get more bruises, one even on my fingertip (slight swelling).

I had to leave at 15h30 to get to Bobino Theatre near Montparnasse tower to see Voca People. Incredible. I kept thinking of how much all the girls in the Animando Barbershop at St. Hilda's would have loved it.

After the show, I chatted to my friend Alizee and her godfather's family, who came with us. We departed swiftly to my apartment in the 11th.

I took Alizee to the Eiffel Tour as it lit up at 20h00.

There were some Mexican musicians and we were dancing to the Salsa music.

We took a Carousel ride and then ate a crepe in front of the Eiffel tower- beautiful moments.

Then accidently met two Germans and a Turkish girl who were trying to get to Rue Oberkampf(like two streets from me). I thought one of them was Irish as he had a funny accent (they spoke in English to each other) which is why I started to talk to them. Luckily they met up with me, because they had the completely wrong station in mind! 




Then we danced the night away in a Bar called Mercano. Returned home at 5am (didn't really have dinner except for a fromage crepe in front of the TOUR EIFFEL). Today was Skypery and laziness. Need to really get my study on and plan what to do after Amsterdam.

Update 2:

So from our last session you didn't really answer the question...so what has changed?
I haven't watched television in over a month.

I've cooked nearly every single meal for myself.

I have had to mop and do every single last household task. I pay rent, I clean, I have bought a lamp, books, mops, brooms, kitchenware.

I have learnt that I need to feed myself at regular times to stay happy and healthy.

Living on the 6th floor of my building with the lift broken, stairs no longer phase me. AT ALL.
I practically skipped up the Arc de Triomphe on Monday night: Note that cela comprend 50m vertically.

I do my own grocery shopping. The way I know whether a shop is expensive is by the price of bananas. At the tri-weekly farm markets trois pas de ma residence le prix de bananes est 0,99EUR le kilo. I used to shop at Simply Market (2,34EUR le kilo) down the room, but a week ago, I discovered a big Asian supermarket. It's way cheaper: Bananes? 1,30EUR le kilo!!!


The simplest metro route is nearly always the best chemin. Changing metro lines sometimes requires you to walk kilometres underground.


In short, I have had to be a strong, independent black woman.

Update 1: Friends and Language

So I've been here for 1.5 months.

Seven weeks.

49-ish days.

Many moments.

Wow.

Let's imagine this as an interview in a smoky, dark cafe called L'Assasin in the hip, but louche Belleville.

So what has changed?
What has changed? Can you be more specific?

For instance how has your life changed since moving into your new apartment?
Well, making new friends has been a huge change. At the Orientation session on 13th September all the Erasmus kids (that's the European exchange program), Ben (othe exchange student from UWA) and I were ramasses into an Amphi at the Censier Campus (not far from a Natural Science museum or the Mosquee de Paris).

Sat two rows from the front, we chatted to our neighbours who were Austrichienne and Cheque respectively. After being force-fed with information (tons of renseignments) we made a quick exit and had lunch in a creperie nearby. I, being a Tori, helped them finish of course. Janka complained that the cigarettes in France are too expensive: very interesting because I assume that they are much cheaper here than in L'Australie. 


Je suis desolee si tu ne comprends pas francais, mais ca me gene de temps en temps, de reflechir sur ma vie parisienne, sans ecrire dans la langue du pays.


Racing ahead to the language component, I am starting to melange my French and English. This is natural as I am taking on French as my No. 1 langue.

I'm also learning lots of italien as I have many beautiful Italian friends with their olive skin and exotic eyes. When I say lots, I mean I'm using useless phrases such as:


I spaghetti mi piace. Mi ciamo Vittoria.La Marmalatta di fragele di bosco e orgasmica.


Sono una bella ragazza. Vorrei una chocolata. PREGGO. Andiamo. 


Preggo is by far my favourite word in any language.


I also have some German friends. I like German (the language) now. I always used to think that it was an ugly language. Now I find it kind of cute: it's a bit like listening to aliens talk.

Wasser. Kirsch. Bitte schon. Danke schon. Heil Hitler. Swartzvalder Kirschetorte mit Slagg zhana (don't hate me if I spelt that wrong, I've never done ANY German in my life, apart from orally. Oh god, that sounds so wrong).


In some ways I feel like a bit of a language dunce as I only speak two languages. Some people here seem to speak about five fluently! I blame Australia and our lack of interest in foreign languages.

Sometimes having the international language as your mother tongue puts you at disadvantage: of course it mainly rocks.

One way I can tell that my French is rapidly improving: often when I skype I can only think of the French that refers to the abstract picture in my head. Those of you who skype with me will know this.

Now this is retarded you might think, but it happens to me all the time. Much safer en francais.


En parlant francais, le truc est qu'il y a toujours des mots francais qui me manquent: Mais, bien sur.