Author: jenjedda

Saturday Night in Paris

It is Saturday night.  I am settled on my couch/bed watching L’Ecole Des Fans, a cute program where children around the age of 5 get to sing a song with one of their favorite French singers.  The kids are asked pretty basic questions prior to their performance (i.e. What is your name? What will you sing? … Continue reading Saturday Night in Paris

Week One as a French Débutante – Fini!

The French word for “beginner” is débutante….kinda nice, I think…and I suppose it is good that I like the word as I am sure I will be using as a self-descriptive adjective for a while! My first week of French classes fell during a week that France also had a national holiday or un jour férié.  Ascension Day… Continue reading Week One as a French Débutante – Fini!

Home in the 17e…At least for the next 4 weeks!

Ah! So nice to be in my own space! I officially moved in today around 1:30pm. I should have been here to meet Ignacio at 1pm, but a late taxi delayed me (more and more I am learning customer service is not the strong suite of the French). To enhance your customer service, click here… Continue reading Home in the 17e…At least for the next 4 weeks!

Temporary Apartment Found!

So I haven’t found THE place, but I have found a really cute little place to lay my head for the next 4 weeks…maybe 8.  Thanks to my language school, I found a furnished studio that was JUST renovated in the 17th arrondissement.  In fact I will be its first occupent and the first to… Continue reading Temporary Apartment Found!

So Much For Blending!

My year in Paris has officially begun!!! Actually it began last Thursday at 10:58am France time when my plane landed 30 minutes early at Charles de Gaul airport.  I welcomed myself to my new home upon pulling up to the jet way, but it didn’t really hit me that I was absolutely in Paris with no return ticket until I heard my first,… Continue reading So Much For Blending!

T-Minus 1 Day! The City of Lights Awaits!

Ah, back to blogging….I kept warning I would start my blog back up once I got to Paris, and I am true to my word. Well, I am a little ahead of my word.  I actually don’t leave to Paris until tomorrow.  In fact tomorrow morning at this exact moment I will be at the Missoula… Continue reading T-Minus 1 Day! The City of Lights Awaits!

Degue, Degue – My Life Lesson from Mali

It has been exactly 2 months since I concluded my 62 day adventure to West and North Africa and Europe.  I arrived home Saturday, November 27th at 11:30pm.  Dutifully my dear girlfriend, Dianne, picked up her jet-lagged friend at the airport and somehow we shoved my 54 lb-stuffed-to-the-brim-34″-roller duffel and overloaded backpack into her gold convertible, hard top BMW.  Once… Continue reading Degue, Degue – My Life Lesson from Mali

The Almafi Coast, Rome and Saying Good-bye to Italy…

Well, as stated earlier in my travels….travel companions, although glorious to be with, do not lend to consitent blog posts.  As it happens, I am actually in Greece right now :)…having a light cheese plate, glass of white wine and listening to Mark and Adam talk about the importance of the UN. I left Italy… Continue reading The Almafi Coast, Rome and Saying Good-bye to Italy…

Modena! Modena! Modena!

My last night in Modena  (pronounced MO-deh-nah), my adorable server, Luca, asked me, “Why did you come to Modena?”  The simple answer: to eat…of course!  The medieval town is not the tourist mecca that some other towns in Italy draw…but the Emilia-Romagna region is touted as having the best food in Italy.  The famous Parmigiano… Continue reading Modena! Modena! Modena!

First Stop in Italy: Torino to Visit my Italian Cousins!

As unbearable as getting up at 5:15am to catch my 7:41am train was, the views I witnessed as we crossed the Alps from France into Italy were breathtaking.  The train traversed through dramatic rugged mountain peaks dusted with some of the first snow of the year.  The mountain sides were painted with the colors of  the… Continue reading First Stop in Italy: Torino to Visit my Italian Cousins!