A little update from the Monica residence...
Life is Good!
First, I would like to state that Amazon is amazing! When I got dropped off from school I noticed a little brown package leaning against my red door. So I scooped it up and brought it inside, thinking it was the blender blade that my mom ordered a few days ago. But when I opened it up, inside was Parisian Chic! I was expecting to wait two days to two months (I've had bad experiences with shipping) and it got here in less than one.
Additionally, it is 62 degrees out. Yes, 62. That is not a typo. It is January 31st and feels like it could be May 31st. I am currently lounging in my backyard in shorts and a tank top, listening to my summer playlist, eating a delicious burrito, taking notes in my fashion guide, and loving life.
Merci beaucoup Amazon and global warming!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
158 Days
Bonjour mes amis!
I have decided that if I go to Paris solely with my current wardrobe, I will stick out like a sore thumb and will be tagged as a tourist. This is definitely not my intention, so I had to take some precautionary measures to prevent this. As usual, I first do tons of research. It is obvious that I am most lacking in the department of... well everything fashionable according to Parisians. So, I found myself this nifty little book called Parisian Chic, written by none other than Ines de la Fressange (former face of Chanel and fashion designer). Hopefully Amazon will hurry it to my house so I can get started with my Parisian Style Studies.
In the meantime, I have been looking around online for tips. So far, what I have deciphered from the fabulous Google machine is that there are seven main parts to Parisian style.
Hopefully this $18 investment will be the solution to my being an American problem.
I have decided that if I go to Paris solely with my current wardrobe, I will stick out like a sore thumb and will be tagged as a tourist. This is definitely not my intention, so I had to take some precautionary measures to prevent this. As usual, I first do tons of research. It is obvious that I am most lacking in the department of... well everything fashionable according to Parisians. So, I found myself this nifty little book called Parisian Chic, written by none other than Ines de la Fressange (former face of Chanel and fashion designer). Hopefully Amazon will hurry it to my house so I can get started with my Parisian Style Studies.
In the meantime, I have been looking around online for tips. So far, what I have deciphered from the fabulous Google machine is that there are seven main parts to Parisian style.
- Ballet Flats
- Skinny Jeans
- Cardigans
- Scarves
- Blazers
- The "Little Black Dress"
- Black Everything
Hopefully this $18 investment will be the solution to my being an American problem.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
160 Days
Today, I have been trying to pick out a new hairstyle. My philosophy is that you shouldn't have the same hairstyle for longer than a year and a half. Well, I've surpassed that by about four years. It's time for a change.
The weather is being quite bipolar. It's the middle of winter, but it is about 50 F out. This is madness! But I would rather this than snow, so I'm not complaining.
Enough with the babble and on to a much more important topic: clothes. Today I am picking out my first outfit for Paris!
I hope you are enjoying my blog so far. I'll try to post again soon!
The weather is being quite bipolar. It's the middle of winter, but it is about 50 F out. This is madness! But I would rather this than snow, so I'm not complaining.
Enough with the babble and on to a much more important topic: clothes. Today I am picking out my first outfit for Paris!
And here it is! It's a navy blue loose tank top with a small flower pattern from who knows where with dark orange shorts from Forever 21 and work boots from my mom's closet.
I hope you are enjoying my blog so far. I'll try to post again soon!
Monday, January 23, 2012
165 Days
Great news!!!!!
I got my acceptance letter in the mail today! I'm officially going to Paris this summer!!!
All of this winter weather is bringing me down. There's snow on the ground, the heat in my house is turned up, I have my snowman sheets on my bed, all in all it's winter and I don't like it! I need some summer planning to bring my mood back up. So, today I am forming a summer playlist to which I will make additions to as I find new music I like. But 10 is a good round number to start off with, right?
To the few followers I have- Please try to spread the word! I am going to try to blog more often (I've been a bit busy lately, sorry) and I would love to have a larger audience! Thank you!
I got my acceptance letter in the mail today! I'm officially going to Paris this summer!!!
All of this winter weather is bringing me down. There's snow on the ground, the heat in my house is turned up, I have my snowman sheets on my bed, all in all it's winter and I don't like it! I need some summer planning to bring my mood back up. So, today I am forming a summer playlist to which I will make additions to as I find new music I like. But 10 is a good round number to start off with, right?
- Horchata- Vampire Weekend
- Don't Quit! Not Quite!- Hey!Hi!Hello!
- Home- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
- The Sun- Portugal. The Man
- Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap
- Phantom Limb- The Shins
- Rocks and Daggers- Noah and the Whale
- Generator ^ First Floor- Freelance Whales
- Daylight- Matt and Kim
- In the Morning- The Coral
To the few followers I have- Please try to spread the word! I am going to try to blog more often (I've been a bit busy lately, sorry) and I would love to have a larger audience! Thank you!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
170 Days
Wow, its been 10 days since my first post! 1/18th of my time until Paris is gone, it sounds so small when I say it like that.
Today is my favorite Paris pictures!
This picture is the background on my phone
That's all for today! Thank you to the people who have been stopping by to check out my blog and also to my fabulous cousin Julie for spreading the word!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
171 Days
I just sent in my final papers for the application process... Exciting!!!!!!
Within three weeks I should find out if I made it into the program. I hope I did!
Anyways... I have been coming up with a list of things that I want to get done in Paris and I will be adding to it as I go along. Feel free to comment with any ideas!
Within three weeks I should find out if I made it into the program. I hope I did!
Anyways... I have been coming up with a list of things that I want to get done in Paris and I will be adding to it as I go along. Feel free to comment with any ideas!
- Buy a baguette
- Have crepes with banana and Nutella
- Watch people while drinking a coffee
- Act like a real Parisian
- Be fascinated by at least one thing each day
- Go to an outdoor market for breakfast
- Swim in a fountain that you aren't supposed to go in
- Get a taxi (even though they are so damn expensive)
- Make a gendarme smile at Le Louvre
- Stare at a piece of art and look like you are analyzing it
- Actually analyze a piece of art
- Eat an escargot
- Have a fluent conversation with a french person
- Wear a beret
- Learn to cook something other than pasta
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
177 Days
How I convinced my parents...
Convincing my parents to let me spend 3 weeks in a foreign country was not an easy thing to do. But, thanks to my persuasion skills (and how lovely my parents are, of course) I did it!
I started by first mentioning it months before. At the beginning of the school year (September), I was looking into being an exchange student for the second half of my sophomore year. I wanted to do it in France, but I wasn't comfortable taking classes in French. So, I began with planting the seed of me going to England for a semester in my parents' heads. I started researching different programs, and so did my mom. When I asked my school counselor about being an exchange student, he gave me information about a summer program! At first I was annoyed because I asked for programs during the year, but, eventually, the summer idea grew on me. So, I started to plant the summer program seed in my parents' minds instead.
After that, I did a ton of research. I spent hours on the computer looking for different organizations that would work for what I was looking for. I had to find a program that had French classes, housing, food, and most expenses included. Also, it had to have organized sight seeing, activities to do in the free time, enough supervision to make my parents happy, enough freedom to make me happy, be in the center of Paris, and couldn't be too expensive. I probably went through 100 different websites and found 9 of them eligible.
From there, I started to make a PowerPoint (nerdy, I know). After a few hours I got all of the information on the slides in a presentable fashion. But then I realized that it wouldn't be nearly enough. Just showing them what they probably would think they could find after a 10 minute Google search would definitely not convince them! So, I came to the conclusion that I would have to think like a parent. Over the course of the next few days, I racked my brain, asked friends and asked teachers what reasons my parents would have against me going. Each time I got the same answer. Worry, cost, worry. So I went back to the PowerPoint! On it, I listed the pros and made them all fancy, and I listed the cons and made them ugly, then I refuted them. That required even more research. I had to look into how safe Paris was compared to other cities and I wrote a small report on each of the programs I found and their supervision. Strangely enough, the number of murders that occur in Paris each year is not an easy statistic to find.
When I was done with that, there was still the little problem of the cost. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have nearly enough money in my bank account to pay for the entire trip, and, if I did, I would be very reluctant to spend it all. So, I had to come up with alternatives to paying for the trip. First, I looked into scholarships for the programs. Most said that they are only available for people who have the financial need for it. So, I had to decide how much I wanted this trip. I want it a lot. I knew I had to make some sacrifices. I told my parents that I will not take allowance and I will not ask for any money for clothes for the rest of my life. Also, I said I will pay for airfare and all costs once I am in Paris.
Thankfully, my hard work on my PowerPoint payed off! When I showed it to my parents, they were very impressed with my dedication and effort. After a few days of thinking and looking at each program, they decided that I can go!
Convincing my parents to let me spend 3 weeks in a foreign country was not an easy thing to do. But, thanks to my persuasion skills (and how lovely my parents are, of course) I did it!
I started by first mentioning it months before. At the beginning of the school year (September), I was looking into being an exchange student for the second half of my sophomore year. I wanted to do it in France, but I wasn't comfortable taking classes in French. So, I began with planting the seed of me going to England for a semester in my parents' heads. I started researching different programs, and so did my mom. When I asked my school counselor about being an exchange student, he gave me information about a summer program! At first I was annoyed because I asked for programs during the year, but, eventually, the summer idea grew on me. So, I started to plant the summer program seed in my parents' minds instead.
After that, I did a ton of research. I spent hours on the computer looking for different organizations that would work for what I was looking for. I had to find a program that had French classes, housing, food, and most expenses included. Also, it had to have organized sight seeing, activities to do in the free time, enough supervision to make my parents happy, enough freedom to make me happy, be in the center of Paris, and couldn't be too expensive. I probably went through 100 different websites and found 9 of them eligible.
From there, I started to make a PowerPoint (nerdy, I know). After a few hours I got all of the information on the slides in a presentable fashion. But then I realized that it wouldn't be nearly enough. Just showing them what they probably would think they could find after a 10 minute Google search would definitely not convince them! So, I came to the conclusion that I would have to think like a parent. Over the course of the next few days, I racked my brain, asked friends and asked teachers what reasons my parents would have against me going. Each time I got the same answer. Worry, cost, worry. So I went back to the PowerPoint! On it, I listed the pros and made them all fancy, and I listed the cons and made them ugly, then I refuted them. That required even more research. I had to look into how safe Paris was compared to other cities and I wrote a small report on each of the programs I found and their supervision. Strangely enough, the number of murders that occur in Paris each year is not an easy statistic to find.
When I was done with that, there was still the little problem of the cost. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have nearly enough money in my bank account to pay for the entire trip, and, if I did, I would be very reluctant to spend it all. So, I had to come up with alternatives to paying for the trip. First, I looked into scholarships for the programs. Most said that they are only available for people who have the financial need for it. So, I had to decide how much I wanted this trip. I want it a lot. I knew I had to make some sacrifices. I told my parents that I will not take allowance and I will not ask for any money for clothes for the rest of my life. Also, I said I will pay for airfare and all costs once I am in Paris.
Thankfully, my hard work on my PowerPoint payed off! When I showed it to my parents, they were very impressed with my dedication and effort. After a few days of thinking and looking at each program, they decided that I can go!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
178 Days
A little more about the program...
It is called Summer Study, look it up if you are interested in going to Paris yourself. There are 3 week and 5 week programs. I am doing the 3 week one, frankly because it is less expensive. I will be taking classes at the Sorbonne, the university of Paris. There are French classes and other enrichment classes, including photography, architecture, fashion, and business. Other than a French class I'm not sure what to take. Every weekend there is a trip out of Paris (Loire Valley, Versailles, EuroDisney, etc.) and all of the sight-seeing in Paris is, fortunately, pre-organized and included. I will be staying in an All-Suites Hotel close to the center of Paris with 2 roommates. If I have my facts straight, I think that after the first week I will be able to go out unsupervised but with a few people, which I am very happy about.
All in all, this looks like it will be a great program!!!
It is called Summer Study, look it up if you are interested in going to Paris yourself. There are 3 week and 5 week programs. I am doing the 3 week one, frankly because it is less expensive. I will be taking classes at the Sorbonne, the university of Paris. There are French classes and other enrichment classes, including photography, architecture, fashion, and business. Other than a French class I'm not sure what to take. Every weekend there is a trip out of Paris (Loire Valley, Versailles, EuroDisney, etc.) and all of the sight-seeing in Paris is, fortunately, pre-organized and included. I will be staying in an All-Suites Hotel close to the center of Paris with 2 roommates. If I have my facts straight, I think that after the first week I will be able to go out unsupervised but with a few people, which I am very happy about.
All in all, this looks like it will be a great program!!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
179 Days
A little...or a lot...more about me
My name is Monica and I am currently a freshman in high school. I have blonde hair (NOT a dumb blonde) and blue eyes. I wear big nerd glasses that people think are fake, but they really aren't. I have 2 sisters, one of whom came up with the idea of this blog.
My favorite band is Mumford & Sons, and my favorite song is Horchata by Vampire Weekend. Other than that, I listen to Noah and the Whale, Phoenix, Freelance Whales, Portugal. The Man, Matt & Kim, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Kooks, The Shins, Ellie Goulding, and much, much more.
My favorite books are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, The Hunger Games series, and, of course, the Harry Potter series.
My favorite movies are Inception, [500] Days of Summer, all of the Harry Potter movies, the Lord of the Rings movies, and Wild Target. My favorite shows are Workaholics, New Girl, and How I Met Your Mother.
A few random things: thinking about the universe and God frustrates me because there is no way to find the answer and I like answers, I would rather be by myself, reading a good book than be with people, but I'm a very sociable person, the one thing that I hate most in the world is people flaking on plans, I love to write, but I don't like to show my work to other people, the word moist makes me cringe, always is my favorite word, and I love to find quotes!
My favorite quote is
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
My name is Monica and I am currently a freshman in high school. I have blonde hair (NOT a dumb blonde) and blue eyes. I wear big nerd glasses that people think are fake, but they really aren't. I have 2 sisters, one of whom came up with the idea of this blog.
My favorite band is Mumford & Sons, and my favorite song is Horchata by Vampire Weekend. Other than that, I listen to Noah and the Whale, Phoenix, Freelance Whales, Portugal. The Man, Matt & Kim, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Kooks, The Shins, Ellie Goulding, and much, much more.
My favorite books are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, The Hunger Games series, and, of course, the Harry Potter series.
My favorite movies are Inception, [500] Days of Summer, all of the Harry Potter movies, the Lord of the Rings movies, and Wild Target. My favorite shows are Workaholics, New Girl, and How I Met Your Mother.
A few random things: thinking about the universe and God frustrates me because there is no way to find the answer and I like answers, I would rather be by myself, reading a good book than be with people, but I'm a very sociable person, the one thing that I hate most in the world is people flaking on plans, I love to write, but I don't like to show my work to other people, the word moist makes me cringe, always is my favorite word, and I love to find quotes!
My favorite quote is
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
Sunday, January 8, 2012
180 Days
A couple of days ago I convinced my parents to let me go to Paris for 3 weeks this summer. It took a ton of research, thinking like a parent, and a few hours making a powerpoint. Fun stuff. Since then, Paris has been all that I think about. I've been coming up with things to do, who to be, what to wear, and what to bring. Call me crazy for basically packing my bag 180 days in advance, but I can't wait!
I'm planning on blogging pretty often, about plans for Paris, outfits for Paris, fantasies about Paris, etc, etc. And, when I get any followers...IF I get any followers...I will ask for suggestions on everything Paris!
I'm planning on blogging pretty often, about plans for Paris, outfits for Paris, fantasies about Paris, etc, etc. And, when I get any followers...IF I get any followers...I will ask for suggestions on everything Paris!
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