Day at the Paris Aquarium.

It's cold and rainy today. I wanted to get out of the apartment, so I headed to the Palais de Porte Dorée in the 12th. The building itself, created for the 1931 colonial expo, is spectacular. The exterior is a definite must-see if you're into diasporic or colonial history. The museum has two parts: the aquarium and the center for immigration history. I only got to visit the aquarium and I must say that it made my day.


The aquarium houses an impressive display of fresh water fishes (grammar sidenote: "fishes" is correct when talking about many fish from different families) unlike anything I've ever seen. Usually aquariums do salt water fishes as they're more colorful and more widely known about by the general public. I find this sad as fresh water fish, especially Amazonian and African species, are particularly lively and have actual personalities. I digress.


Anyway, the museum is small and nothing like the Georgia Aquarium, if you've been there, but fun if you're looking for an unusual afternoon. In addition to the fresh water exhibits, there are a bunch of salt water tanks, for the colorful fish lover in all of us. The museum also has a variety of alligators, including a large pair in a central holding pen. A lot of the fish were not terribly well identified, but there are guides wandering about to help satisfy your curiosity. Please check out the Redtailed Catfish. He's beautiful.


Palais de la Porte Dorée
293, avenue Daumesnil 75012 Paris
Metro: Porte Dorée
Adults: 5,70. Kids: 4,20

Crêpes Are Not Pancakes

I love crêpes! I really love them! I'm a huge fan! With a bit of nutella and a sliced banana, they are especially heavenly. However, crêpes are not pancakes. True, both are circular. Both contain flour, eggs and milk. Both are particularly munchable. However the pancake is significantly thicker than the crêpe and has a different taste. I miss the pancake. When I'm in the States, I miss the crêpe. Go figure. My dad makes the most incredible blueberry pancakes known to man. I salivate at the mere thought of them. So yummy!

So today, at the end of a long day, I made pancakes. I had found Aunt Jemima syrup in the international foods section of a local grocery store along with Aunt Jemima pancake mix. All I did was add a little milk, some oil and an egg. A perfect ending to a gray Tuesday.

Young Life Crisis.

How does one combine the love of books and the theatre with social issues and immigration and then mix a little history in? Is an MFA really necessary (hmm, well I haven’t written “anything” since arriving…)? Is it a smart move to get a masters (in history/ international relations) in France? Will I spend the next 5 years of my life in school only to work as a server at the end of it all? Are most writers for National Geographic journalists by training? The New Yorker?

The dollar is failing. The America is falling. An international education IS important and WILL BE even more so in 20 years. What I really want to do is write. Really? Yes. No. Stories. Articles. Why am I pursuing higher education? Because I feel it's the right thing to do. So many whys. I have myself to answer to ... and a credit card and some student loans and....

Day One Hundred Nineteen: Phone Line

As of 7:40 this morning, I have a France Telecom telephone line. The technician arrived around 7:20 - about 3.5 hours early. No matter.

The technician was a young guy, perhaps in his late twenties to early thirties. We talked about school. He said that he didn't pay attention in high school because getting out and earning money in the "real world" was more important. I asked if he had any regrets. He told me that he tries to live without regret but that he now understands his parents labor and love. He wants better for his children.

I liked his lifeview. I try to espouse the living without regrets mentality (part of the reason I live in Paris). I also want to the future to be better (don't we all?). But the thing that made the most impact on me was his understanding of his parents. I would have to say to living independently, away from home, in another country, has absolutely made me understand my parents more than I ever thought I would. It would take pages to hash out why this is, but suffice to say I'm happy that my parents did what they did and do what they do. Here's to a beautiful Parisian day!

Reason #468 Why I Love Oberkampf!

I'm cleaning the apartment when I hear music coming from the street. Like all of my neighbors, I open the window to check out what's happening.



Turns out there was a faux wedding celebration at a nearby theatre that erupted into the streets. Loved it!

Free Fashion Haircuts

At 9:00 AM, Eliza and I were standing outside the Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy. At 2:00 PM, we emerged as new women. In exchange for volunteering to be hair models, we received free haircuts. The haircut was all well and good and everything, but the icing on the cake was the free Nespresso! I loved this place! Seriously though, the cut was the most trendy and well-styled thing my head has ever experienced. Although it took 4.5 hours, the cut was well worth my time (plus I saved 70 euros!).

122, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris
01 40 20 41 62
By appointment only.

Senior Opinions

Remember high school? Sitting for hours in tiny desks. Learning things that you can't recall anymore. Waiting for the last bell. Good times. I've been out of high school for almost 5 years ::gasp:: and couldn't be happier. I hated high school. I thought it was boring. I didn't fit in. I didn't have to study. I yearned for the outside world and didn't see the importance of "blooming where I was planted." The thing is, I see myself in a lot of my students. They're smart, they're unmotivated by the present and they think that life after high school holds all the answers. Oh, and they're first generation college students, like me. I got through university by the skin of my teeth (honestly! compared to what I should have/could have). I hope they achieve more.

Anyway, today my apathetic teenagers got excited. Don't get me wrong, everyone participates in class, but it's usually after I do a song and dance routine to get their attention. Today even the most shy students talked about abortion, immigration, gay marriage, military power, healthcare and taxes. I was floored. I've never seen them so willing to talk. Granted, I provoked them by being devil's advocate, but still! I was on cloud nine. What I did was give them a quiz to determine their U.S. political party. There were only three party options: Republican, Independent and Democrat. There were pockets of hardcore conservatives and some of their answers truly surprised me (about 80% of the kids favored a strong military!) but politically, most of them favored the Democratic party's politics. No big surprise there. Most of the students knew of B. Obama and H. Clinton but had no idea who the Republican hopefuls were. One student told me that the French news "is biased and only shows what they want us to know about." Hmm, sounds like a great description of most news sources! I digress.

Hi. My Name is Izzy. I Have a Problem.

Mom sent two boxes of Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix. I'm sure you've tried it before; white cake with multicolored sprinkles, popular for kindergarten birthday parties, brings loads of smiles to you and your loved ones. The thing is, I'm addicted to the stuff. That's right folks, I can't stop. In a moment of desire, I opened first box of cake mix. I stuck in a short espresso spoon and commenced munching. That was two days ago. Today I finished the bag. Oh so good. Oh so yummy. Nicolas suggested that next time I'm in the need for some straight up calories, a "good ol' sac de sucre" would probably be cheaper. He's probably right, but plain sugar just doesn't have the same taste.

On other news, I explored Le Bon Marche this afternoon and found a room of pretty fabrics and buttons!!! Unlike most other department stores in Paris, le Bon Marche seemed low key (probably because it's so expensive). I had never been before and was totally impressed by the selection. If I had money to spent - or ::gasp:: burn - I would be all over that place like dogs to meaty bones. The button room was surprisingly reasonable in the price category and jaw-drop amazing in the selection category. If you've looking for interesting buttons for that cute vintage piece, stop your search and run to le Bon Marche. As an added bonus, the store has a pretty cool gourmet market for the foodie in all of us.

Amazing Things in a Depressing World

Wednesday's New York Times online "world" section looked like this:

Protests Bring New Violence in Kenya
Woman Suicide Bomber Kills 8 in Iraq
Bush Avoids Criticism of Mubarak
Pakistan Overrun by Militants
Russia-Britain Relations Fray More
Hawk Quits Israeli Coalition
Iraqi Spending to Rebuild Has Slowed, Report Says
Justice Dept. Cites Obstacles in Blackwater Case
25 Dead in Attack on Bus in Sri Lanka
South Korea Proposes Closing Unification Agency
At Least 20 Turtles Die in Bangladesh

For a moment, I thought I was reading The Onion.

We Riot Because We Can

The Paddy Wagons are out in full force this afternoon and have carried away at least a dozen men. For unknown reasons, there's some sort of a protest happening on Boulevard Voltaire. People are chanting. Some are running at the police. Like all my neighbors, I'm watching from the safety of the 6th floor. Ain't nobody gonna touch me here.

Introducing Monop'

I've discovered something amazing. Something incredible. Something that seems totally unFrench. I've discovered an open-til-late grocery store. In fact, a chain of stores that seem to realize that the world might need food after 7 PM. Granted there were always the small, typically Arab stores that carry essentials open late into the night and are also open Sundays. Those places always seemed expensive and often shady (I've you've ever lived in Northern Paris, you know what I mean). What I've discovered is the Monop' food store. They have dry goods, frozen food and fresh produce sections! What more could you ask for in the late hours of the evening! There's one on rue de Lyon and in front of the Pompidou center. I'm sure that there are more. How fabulous!

Folding Chair Drama

I sat on my folding chair this afternoon. It broke. Gravity kicked in. I fell to the floor. Life is fun.

To Be More Mean

New Year's Resolution: To be more mean. Seriously, if I'm not tough, these people will trample all over me - which they have, to some extent. Now I'm going to fight back!

On other news, Red and I have been salsa dancing; all night. Happy New Years!