110 Days

Hey guys!

So the other day I was bored out of my mind so I decided to see if I can fit everything that I needed into my bag for Paris. It took me a while to figure out the best way to go about doing it but eventually, by making sacks of my clothes (I'll explain in a later post), I fit it all! I was so proud of myself! But, then I realized that it might be a bit unreasonable to take all of the clothes that I wanted with me. I am too ashamed to tell you guys how much that was. So, I decided that over the course of the next 100 days I will make a log of what I wear and I will only pack the clothes that I wear most! That way, I know I am not packing unnecessary stuff and my parents won't yell at me for taking basically my whole closet...

The 100 days left mark is coming up soon! I will try to do something big for then. Any ideas?

126 Days

God, I just wish it was summer already. This winter is going by way too slow.

I've been checking out more on the classes I can be taking and I've picked out a few that I think could be interesting.

1) Architecture: I would be studying the "development from the Roman times to the present" and I would be looking at the "urban planning, aesthetics, structure and design." I'm not entirely sure that I am deeply interested in architecture but I'm good at math and you get to tour around a lot looking at the different structures around Paris so it shouldn't get boring.

2) Contemporary Global Issues: This basically seems like a debating class on the basic controversial topics which seems fun! I love to debate things, but while I'm in Paris I would like to be doing something that would get me out and into the Parisian culture!

And last, but not least...

3) Fashion...The Trendsetters: This one seems pretty cool! You learn about the current fashion trends and industry. The class takes you to different museums and the high-fashion areas around Paris. It seems like it would be a fun and relaxed class, which is nice. But I'm not planning to have fashion be a part of my future so if I decide on taking this class it would just be for fun, which is not a bad thing!

I have to admit, as I was looking at the Summer Study website and at the Paris program a tear escaped my eye. I just want this cold weather to be gone already!

129 Days

Hi guys! I'm sincerely sorry for the huge lack in blogging!!! I was away in Disney World all last week and had no downtime. To make up for it, I will try to make this post as interesting as possible!

While in Disney, I went to Paris! Doesn't make any sense, right? Well in one of the parks, as some of you may know, there is a "world showcase" which includes France, Paris France to be more specific!

Oh, how I wish that it was the real Eiffel Tower in the background. Right around the corner there was a worker who was from the real Paris. His name was Jean-Pierre and was tres gentil! I had a nice conversation with him in french and we talked about my trip this summer. For some reason, I got very nervous speaking in french with a real french person and my face turned beet red. But he said that my accent was very good which definitely boosted my confidence! Merci Jean-Pierre!

This was a menu from one of the french cafes there. I wanted to stop to get something petit, but my family was in the mood for japanese food that day :( Doesn't a warm croissant or eclair sound delicious? Apparently not that much to my family... Oh well! In 129 short days I will be in France instead of fantasizing that I am, as seen in the picture below.

I have noticed that I have had an influx of views on my blog in the past month! Please keep coming back! I will most definitely be blogging more often now that I know that there are more people looking at my page (not saying that my two family members who have been with me from the start are not important). There is much more to come and if anyone has ideas for what they want to see on upcoming posts feel free to message me or comment (I'm not entirely sure if you can message people... I'm still new at this).

Thank you so much mes amis!!!

150 Days

Bonjour!

I have made some additions to my Paris Playlist and I wanted to share it with you guys!

11. 5 Years Time- Noah and the Whale
12. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa- Vampire Weekend
13. Mr. Maker- The Kooks
14. Ten-Twenty-Ten- The Generationals
15. Viva la Vida- Coldplay
16. White Sky- Vampire Weekend
17. Follow- Crystal Fighters
18. Change of Seasons- Sweet Thing
19. She Moves In Her Own Way- The Kooks
20. Cousins- Vampire Weekend

It's not much, but that's all for today!
Au Revoir!

153 Days

Sorry for not blogging in a while! I have dedicated my free time to reading Parisian Chic and trying to alter my closet to be more Parisian!

Here's a short overview of what I took away from the guide...

Be simple. Don't have too many bright colors or too many bold pieces in an outfit. It is much better to mix one bright thing with more simple things. For example, instead of matching your bold vintage bag with something else bold, use it with a plain cashmere sweater.

Don't be scared to be different. If you love a dress that is not particularly "in style" right now, wear it anyways! People will commend you for being bold and, sometime that look might come into style!

Don't follow trends to a tee. Use them in all outfits, but don't use everyone of them in every outfit. It is better to use them one at a time with other simple, classic styles.

It seems to me that Parisians wear a lot of men's clothing. Scarves, blazers, belts, everything... Ines says to shop at H&M in the menswear section. Looks like I'm going to take more out of my dad's closet than just his big sweaters!

According to Ines, there are 7 main parts of a Parisians closet

1. Men's blazer
2. Trench coat
3. Navy sweater
4. Tank top
5. Little black dress
6. Jeans
7. Leather jacket

As long as you have these, it is nearly impossible to go wrong!

Also according to Ines, there are 5 pairs of shoes and 5 bags that should be in every woman's closet
Shoes

1. Ballet flats
2. Open-toed sandals
3. Black heels
4. Penny loafers
5. Riding boots

Bags

1. Big tote
2. Clutch
3. Satchel
4. Ladies' handbag
5. Straw bag

Ines also gave a lot of advice on places to shop. However, seeing as I don't have a couple thousand dollars to spare, I don't think that I will be going to the places she recommended. Also in the book, she gives advice on beauty and make up (overview: keep it natural) and also how to decorate your home (keep it uncluttered). It was a lot of help and had many other tips.

This will definitely be on my Paris packing list!

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.

1. Ballet Flats
2. Skinny Jeans
3. Cardigans
4. Scarves
5. Blazers
6. The "Little Black Dress"
7. Black Everything

Luckily for me, I have skinny jeans (although fewer than I hoped for), cardigans, and scarves. As for the other things, well lets just say that I will be taking some money out of my bank account for it. But, first I will consult and analyze and re-analyze Parisian Chic to make sure that I have my facts straight.

Hopefully this $18 investment will be the solution to my being an American problem.

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!

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!

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?

1. Horchata- Vampire Weekend
2. Don't Quit! Not Quite!- Hey!Hi!Hello!
3. Home- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
4. The Sun- Portugal. The Man
5. Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap
6. Phantom Limb- The Shins
7. Rocks and Daggers- Noah and the Whale
8. Generator ^ First Floor- Freelance Whales
9. Daylight- Matt and Kim
10. In the Morning- The Coral

Anyone have any suggestions of songs? I would love to be introduced to new music, so please do!

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!

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!

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!

1. Buy a baguette
2. Have crepes with banana and Nutella
3. Watch people while drinking a coffee
4. Act like a real Parisian
5. Be fascinated by at least one thing each day
6. Go to an outdoor market for breakfast
7. Swim in a fountain that you aren't supposed to go in
8. Get a taxi (even though they are so damn expensive)
9. Make a gendarme smile at Le Louvre
10. Stare at a piece of art and look like you are analyzing it
11. Actually analyze a piece of art
12. Eat an escargot
13. Have a fluent conversation with a french person
14. Wear a beret
15. Learn to cook something other than pasta

I'm hoping to make this list as long as possible, so I never run out of little things to do.

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!