Quarter-Life Crisis

Bonjour y'all!  It has been a little while, I know...but I can't believe how quickly this session has flown by!  I feel like I just got here 2.5 seconds ago, and already I am halfway done with Intermediate.  That's INSANE!  My schedule is as crazy as always (more 14 hour days...ah!), and surprise, surprise, I am running behind on blog posts.  I have lots of ideas, but not enough hours in the day to get them written.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Anyway, this post is about a week, 2 days, and 22 hours behind, but as of 31/1 at 08:35 EST, I officially became a quarter of a century old!!  I felt a bit of anxiety leading up to this particular birthday because, well, 25 sounds old.  At this point, I am technically closer to 30 than I am to 20.  Kinda weird, huh?  Believe it or not though, I am not as freaked out about it as I once was.  In fact, I wouldn't consider this a quarter-life crisis at all.  I think my change in attitude could be attributed to a number of factors, including the numerous talks from Leah about how 23 is better than 22, 24 is better than 23, and 25 is definitely better than 24.  She is exactly one month and 3 days older and wiser than I, so she has paved the way for me over the years.  It also has to do with the fact at I much prefer where I am now to where I was 5 years ago, at the blossoming age of 20.  I look back at everything I have been through since then, and how much I have grown. While I had an absolute blast living my college years to the fullest and making bad decisions, it is a point in my life that I would never want to return to again.  Who knew that five years later I would be frolicking through the streets of Paris, but then again, life has a funny way of surprising me.

As far as how I spent my actual birthday in Paris...let me tell you, it was fantastic!  I didn't really do anything out of the ordinary, but that was just what I wanted.  People at school repeatedly asked me what my birthday plans were, and I got a few strange stares when I replied that I didn't have anything special going on.  I know that's a reflexive question when you wish someone happy birthday, but seriously folks, I'm in PARIS.  Do I really need to be doing anything? This experience equates to birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, and Flag Day all wrapped into one!  So, what did I do instead?  Well, aside from the 2 classes I had, I decided to spend my birthday doing as many French things as possible to celebrate my time here in France!

Before I jump into the day, I wanted to tell y'all about the weekend before my birthday.  Mom had scheduled to work a long Paris trip meaning that she was here from Friday through Sunday, so we had the entire weekend to play (aside from the 3 classes I had on Friday...why does that always happen?!)!!  On Saturday, we woke up bright and early and hopped on a train to Mont Saint Michel on the border of Normandy and Brittany in northern France.  It was GOR-GEOUS!!!!!!  Fortunately this was one of the very few days in winter where the sun decided to grace us with it's presence, which was absolutely lovely.  Aside from the biting winds and the freezing temperatures, it was a beautiful day.

The abbey sits at the very top, and they just celebrated the 1200th anniversary or something crazy like that.  Translation: this place has been around for a ridiculously long time.  It is the number two most visited site in France just behind la tour Eiffel, so you can imagine our surprise after we meandered through the medieval streets up to the abbey and were virtually the only people up there.  It was incredible!

These views are from the abbey church, where it was just Mom, myself, and the birds.  It was a little bit creepy...

A view from the top

The cloisters

Mom playing tour guide and reading from our book

After wandering through the abbey, we headed back to try and find a bite to eat before catching the bus back to the train station.  Remember how I said we were practically the only ones on the island when we arrived?  Yeah, well, apparently ALL of the tour buses arrived while we were at the top because this is what greeted us on the way down.

Down the street

Up the street

We were very glad that we arrived when we did because it made the experience that much better to be able to explore at our own pace without having to fight the throngs of tourists.  My suggestion if you wish to see Mont Saint Michel: go during the off season and get there early!

So, how did I spend my actual birthday "French style"?  Well, I started out the day prepping a ballotine in cuisine.  Never heard of it?  Yeah, neither had I.  Google it.  I don't know if any dish could be more French.  You begin by de-boning a chicken, which, as Grandad described, is more of a lesson in performing autopsies than actually cooking.  It was definitely a new experience, and what better time to do something crazy than on your 25th birthday, right?

Here is a picture of de-boning a chicken and what the ballotine looked like before we poached it.  After the carcass is removed, the chicken is stuffed with a ground pork mixture and foie gras, and then rolled up to kind of resemble a chicken again...without any bones.  I'll show you the after pictures later.  

After that insanity, I strolled home from class (because the French don't walk, they stroll) and stopped by the grocery store to pick up produce for the week.  As I patiently stood in the loooong produce line waiting for my items to be weighed, an old lady in front of me started yelling across the store about revolting because the man who weighs the vegetables was no where to be seen.  Enter reason 23948 why I love the French.  Always looking to start a revolution.  It's in their blood.

Next, I grabbed a delicious pain au chocolat from the corner patisserie and enjoyed it while walking down my street.  Before I entering my building, I turned around to greet la tour Eiffel, which served as a wonderful reminder of where I live and how fortunate I am to be here.

The view from the front door of my building

 After a few minutes at home, it was time to head back to my afternoon class.  On the way, I decided to hop into the brasserie down the street and partake in a bowl of French onion soup and a class of rosé.  So French!

I don't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but I'm on a French onion soup tour of Paris, trying to find the best one.  This bowl was definitely not at the top of my list, but it hit the spot!

As I was walking back to class, I noticed that yellow crayon guy who worked very hard to deface the Starbucks sign struck again over the weekend.  If I ever see him in action, maybe I'll buy him a grande non-fat vanilla latte as an olive branch.

I'm thrilled to report that Starbucks opened last Saturday, and Nicole and I hit it up on opening day!

 I've come to realize that as I've gotten older, I've become more of a homebody, so my birth-night was spent enjoying a nice glass of wine and a few of the treats that Mom got me in lieu of an actual birthday cake.

Chocolate Macaroon

Mont Blanc

Chocolate and raspberry layer cake

I decided to extend the celebrations into Tuesday night, as well! I lit a candle in my chocolate macaroon, and Mom, Jonathan, and Bentley serenaded me with "Happy Birthday" over Skype.

Bentley!!!!!! 

A perfect ending to a perfect birthday!  25 isn't so bad after all.

- a tout à l’heure!