Le M

So, I wasn't planning on writing anymore tonight. Especially not about a hamburger. But I just had the most incredible hamburger of my life. At McDonald's, of all places. No, I wasn't at McDo for wireless...I was there because I only have 5 euros to my name at the moment and was hungry after Megan and I had been chatting over drinks at a little cafe by the Eiffel Tower. So, we stopped by McDo cause it's one of the only food places still open at 1am here...and I decided to try this burger called "Le M." It's on ciabatta bread, with emmental cheese, and the meat is marinaded in something. It was amazing...so juicy that I had to dig through my purse for something to use as a napkin while I was eating it on the Metro because it had dripped all over my hands. Seriously, McDo...why don't you sell these things in the US?? And, by the way, McDo actually has like good quality meat here. I've only eaten a meal there once since I've been here, though, despite how many times I've mentioned it in here.

That's it. If you're ever in France, go to McDo and have Le M.

Quick Update

Just a quick update before I head out with one of my friends...

Today was a lazy day! I haven't gotten much sleep since I've been here and, since we didn't have classes today and most of the people I hang out with were going to Disneyland Paris (which I wasn't interested in going to because it's way expensive and really not that different from Disneyworld, which I've been to 100 times), I took advantage of that and caught up on sleep! I also explored my new neighborhood a bit. It's a lot more residential than my old one (which was very touristy since it was right by the Champs-Elysees), which means more grocery stores, cute unique cafes (without the Champs-Elysees price tag, too...still expensive, but still more affordable), little shops (a chocolate florist!), and little parks. I bought some groceries thinking it would be more economical to pack a lunch for school, but the groceries were so expensive that it really wasn't worth it!

In other news...Paris has far too many appealing desserts, and I think I need to cut back on sampling them all! It's still awesome seeing the Eiffel Tower out my window. The Musee d'Orsay is cool (it's all impressionist paintings, like Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh), but I've realized I don't like to experience museums slowly like most people. Classes are classes, regardless of where you're taking them or what language they're in. Made of Honor was much better than I thought it'd be and you should go see it.

And now I'm out for the night!
Riley =)

La Belle Vie de Riley Goes Multimedia

Let's try something new...


Sorry the sound isn't the greatest...that's what I get for using my webcam for part and my Canon for the other! The next one will be better =)

PS - If you're checking this right after I post it, it probably won't work yet...check back later!

Feels Like Home

I am writing this in my new homestay, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, on avenue Mozart. It's right across the street from the Jasmin Metro station, which is very nice! My new host family is amazing. The mom is very down-to-earth and speaks English quite well (which is quite useful when she has important things about locks and whatnot to tell me...I told her I'd prefer to speak French around the house, though, so I can learn, and she agreed). I met the dad briefly tonight because he works til 8pm, but he just set up the Internet on my laptop and that was all. They have three daughters, too, ages 7, 12, and 15, and they are adorable! The youngest is super cute, the middle is very curious, and the oldest is very informative and smart!

My room in the new house is smaller, but I love it! The view is AMAZING! I look right out at the Eiffel Tower! This is my view:

Amazing, eh? I have a MUCH more comfortable bed here (my previous one felt more like a board than a bed), a nice closet, a little TV (I watched French Who Wants to be a Millionaire with my friend Alice today), a set of shelves, and a desk!

Speaking of my friend Alice, she was a HUGE help today and came with me after school to help me move out. It turns out that it was a good thing I had help, because when I called my former host mom, she thought I had said I was going to be there to move out in three minutes, not thirty minutes and was freaking out cause she had a meeting. So, when we got there, she told us we had three minutes to get my things together and leave. I handed her the keys and said, "pour toi," which was a no-no (because I used the "tu" form instead of the "vous" form, which is a big faux pas when you're talking to an "elder"). She didn't say anything about that, but we rushed off into my room and threw everything into my bags. Now, my laundry had just been done that day and Madame de Pommery had put it in a paper shopping bag. I figured this was because she wanted to make it easier for me to get my things and go. But when Alice started putting other things in the paper bag, she told Alice that she still needed the paper bag and we couldn't keep it! I said I thought since she had put my clothes in it, we could use it, but she apparently wanted it, so I said I'd put the clothes in other bags but it'd take a few minutes. She just stared at me, so I just kept the stuff in the bag and Alice and I got it out of the apartment. We noticed the handle of the paper bag was broken, so ended up taking all of the stuff out of it anyways...and leaving it in the hallway where we knew she would see it later.

So, that's my exciting move out story. Both Alice and I were laughing all the way to my new home. It is always good to have fun stories to tell!

I miss you, but I am loving Paris!

Riley =)

PS - I added links on the right to my pictures I've taken so far!

Je Te Manque

I got my first piece of mail yesterday! THANKS SO MUCH FAMILY =) That card totally made my morning! It was awesome to see how many people had signed it! For those of you not in my family, a bunch of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family all signed a card and sent it to me. It was a nice first piece of mail! Some people have been asking for my address again, so here it is:
IES Paris Center
c/o Riley Steinmetz
77, rue Daguerre
Paris 75014
France

Megan and I didn't end up making it to Montmartre yesterday. We went to Forum des Halles to get books for class and ended up being distracted by the shopping! Forum des Halles is a three-story mall on top of the world's biggest underground subway station. The store that we had to buy our books at, FNAC, is like Best Buy plus Borders. They have three floors, one of which is devoted all to books, one which is all for DVDs and computer stuff, and one for music and other technology-related stuff. It's very, very crowded. All of Forum des Halles is crowded, though. Actually, most of Paris is crowded. But, then we went and did homework at Monop' (a mini-version of the grocery store Monoprix that has a little cafe area where you can sit) on Rue de Rennes, then I had to go for my last dinner with my host family.

I told my host family this morning that I missed the noise and energy of having kids around, so I was moving to a different place. They took it a lot better than I thought they would. Or maybe they didn't understand since my French isn't the best. Either way, I'm moving today most likely! How exciting! After moving, I'm going to try to actually make it to Montmartre!

Thanks to everyone for the phone calls to my French phone. It's been really awesome getting to talk to people from home. I miss you.

Riley =)

Jailbreak

So, I just got done talking to the IES Housing Director again. I'll be moving homestays either tomorrow or Wednesday. I don't know where I'm moving yet, but it will be one of two places, both of which are younger families with kids (one with young kids, one with older kids still at home). Either sounds great, so I'm excited to find out which one I'll be at!

I'm about to head off to Montmartre with some friends. We want to look at some of the little artsy shops and the Sacre Coeur and all those fun things!

More updates when I have more to update you on...
Riley =)

New Love for those Golden Arches

So, I can't stand McDonald's at home. I like their French fries (ha), but that's about it. Well, now, it seems like I am in McDo every day here in France! It's not for the American food (although I did have my first McDo hamburger today...it was totally different than the American ones)...it's because it's cheap (which is a rare find here) and has wireless Internet. It's also nice because it doesn't have the greasy, fried food smell like the ones at home...they're actually really nice and designed for people to hang out in, not just eat and run (cause trust me...the French do not just eat and run). Also, it's open on Sunday. Hardly anything is open here on Sunday except for shops catering to tourists. I tried to go buy my books for class today, but the librairies (book stores) were either closed or too far away. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get my homework done...

The French love their food, and they love to enjoy their meals. Last night, Megan and I went to a cafe by her homestay around 10:30pm (they also eat dinner very, very late here). We were done within the hour, even though, by our standards, we were taking our time and enjoying our food. However, the French people around us just sit and talk for hours after their meals. In fact, they don't even bring you the check at French restaurants...you have to ask for it, and then they will eventually get around to it about 15 minutes later. Megan and I, being the impatient Americans we are, got tired of waiting after a half hour and just went up to the bar to pay, which totally confused them.

Tonight is hopefully one of my last night's at l'appartemente des Pommery. I was more comfortable at Megan's house and with her host brothers this weekend than I've felt in the entire week I have been at the de Pommery's.

Have a good week!

Riley =)