holiday knitting.

now that my camera cord has been found, i can finally post all the crafting i did!

needle-felted objects::

yellow bird.

minimalist garland.

thrummed mittens. [in progress]

knits by a pattern::

ascot.

hurricane hat.

katherine hat.

knits by improvisation::

slouchy hat.

needle-felted owl clutch.

 

garter stitch hair clip.

button-up way oversize cowl scarf.

boyfriend cardigan. [in progress]

i was inspired by surfing the web, i'm sure you've seen many knits like these popping up everywhere, in blogs and etsy shops. the first two hats were knit for my mother, the second one was entirely for me. the boyfriend cardigan is supposedly for my gay friend max, but i havent heard from him in a while. i might just keep it for myself. the button-up cowl was knit flat in reverse stockinette with varying grey stripes. it measures eleven inches wide and seven feet long. the ends close together with black buttons. it can be worn as a cowl or as a scarf, either way it is possibly the warmest thing i have ever knitted, perfect for parisian winters. i was copying a cowl i saw in december, but cant remember where.

the clutch was knit then felted. the front boasts a needle-felted red owl, complete with heart. a large, lopsided bow was attached next to it. the inside has a hand-sewn grey lining, and a zipper as well as snaps for closure. the back is plain.

i finally conquered needle felting! my 101 in 1001 goal was to needle felt a bird, and i did it! i even made some more things, but i left my supplies in phoenix. my suitcase was full of yarn, and i couldn't justify the pounds of roving!

i still have a few projects on the needles, and am hoping to finish them soon! i am also planning to participate in the ravelympics this year, on team buttercup. i think i am going to design a sweater or jacket of my own. who knows, maybe ill just knit mittens instead.

the resolution of problems. finally.

yesterday, i experienced my first rainy day in paris. the weather has warmed slightly, just enough to form a chilling rain that settles in your hair and on your fingertips. paris becomes deathly still when it rains. the sky turns solid and grey, weighing heavy on the rooftops. puddles form in the cobblestones of the sidewalks, creating a silent echoing cocoon, broken only by the sound of the splashing raindrops and the slosh of tires on the slick asphalt. voices are hushed, and even the dogs are intuitively quiet. i passed the morning riding the train, with fog condensing on the windows, blurring my view of the graffiti covered industrial yards and the small back alley homes, built by the tracks. the train was rickety and rocked with movement, i stared vacantly out the window, clutching my copy of "franny and zooey", while a traveling, begging musician played accordion for the empty car.

i arrived at charles de gaulle, and guessed my way to united baggage claim, after dubiously following the instructions of a security guard, who told me to enter a part of the airport clearly marked "interdit". but, half an hour later, i emerged from the airport feeling much lighter. they have found my bag, it is now in my possession.

my bag arrived yesterday, one problem solved! only two more to go...

i have found housing, i moved into an appartement in the ninth arrondisement. i share a very large room with a friend i made here named katy. the room is in a very large flat, which we share with an older woman.

the room is large, and has two desks built into the wall against the window. against one wall, there is a mini fridge, a microwave, a pantry, a wardrobe, and a small dining table with legs shaped like pencils [complete with matching stool]. on the wall opposite, there are two buitl in bookcases we use as closets, a chest of drawers, and katy's double bed. against the final wall, is simply my futon.

before arrival, katy had said i could take the bed. i sat on it, and instantly hated it. it was much too firm, and i felt like lying on a wooden board would be more comfortable. katy sat on the futon and sunk in, proclaiming it horribly soft. so we swtiched, and that has worked out perfectly! that is the only thing that has gone right!

our first night was a bit worrisome, the double bed was placed in the middle of the room, taking up much of the free space. we decided to move against the wall, which our roommate/land lady didnt appreciate. she proceeded to give us a lecture about how we must ask her if we want to do anything else, like move around, add, or take out. we can do whatever we want in our room, as long as we ask her first and dont make noise... she didnt have the access code to the internet, so i was unable to enjoy my camera cord and post pictures, or talk to my parents. when it came time for bed, i couldnt figure out how to get the futon to fold down, and had to sleep on it as a couch.

we woke up in the morning under rested and cautious, uncertain what the day would hold. we spent hours trying to figure out the internet and failed. desperate for the internet [we had homework], we went back to the temporary housing for the final day and used the internet there. we returned back to the apartment around eight, and our landlady had not moved from the desk in the living room, where we had left her at noon. she had spent all day, perusing internet dating sites and talking on the phone. as it turns out, she doesnt even know the code to leave the building. she works from home, and has no need to venture out. we are thinking she might be agoraphobic...

but the problems were resolved! after a couple of hours, we finally figured out the internet. [it was an ip address problem] and she showed us how to work the futon. the main issue is now the landlady herself and the fact that the heat doesnt work in our room. im not sure what to do, if we should just stay here, or move somewhere else and risk losing our deposit...

*i have edited my other posts to include the pictures i wasnt able to post before.

panic attacks and exploration: week one.

in english: 

i am in paris, trying so hard to learn french! from now on, i will try my hardest to blog in french as well, at the end of the entry. [at least for the weekly updates.] there are no photos, sorry, my camera still isnt working. i will add photos later!

28 weeks left...

daily updates:

le 7 janvier 2010. my first day in paris, posted about here.


le 8 janvier 2010. i went to micefa, the headquarters of my program. they introduced us to the program, started us searching for housing, and gave us a walking tour of paris. a few girls and i had lunch on the terrace of a cafe, and bought french phone numbers. it was somewhat difficult, because the phone guys refused to speak to us in english. they thought they were being flirtatious and funny, but i was unsure what i had just spent fifty euros on. they were very nice, and very fond of winking. im a little sore because they told me my glasses make me look like harry potter!! it took some real translanting to figure out that french sentence!

le 9 janvier 2010. micefa gave us a boat tour on the seine, much like my programme provided boat ride on the thames in london. i got to see the eiffel tower lit up, the notre dame, and all of the different bridges. it was quite breathtaking. after the boat tour, lauren, katy and i went to get a drink. we all go to nau, but none of us had ever met before. now i am not one for school pride, but it takes a certain type of personality to like my school, which guarantees youll get along with anybody who actually likes it there.

we went to a cafe in the fifth, in the latin quarter. we sat down next to the trellises, peeling off our many layers and shaking the snow out of our hair. lauren lit up a cigarette, looking completely french with her shorn hair and her blasé attitude that comes only from living in paris before. i scoured the menu, silently translating the many beverages into english. mourning the loss of british cider, i settled upon a beer. the instant i placed my menu face down onto the table, the waiter appeared. he was long and skinny, with brown hair that fell in his face when he looked down at me. he asked what we wanted, not even noticing lauren's accent when she spoke first, taking the lead as usual. i screwed up my face, straightened my shoulders and gave what i thought was the best french accent i had ever used. instantly his face lit up, and he exclaimed "oh! vous êtes americaine!" trying to hide my disappointment at being found out so easily, i smiled and simply said "oui!" he asked where we were from, and pretended to recognize the state we mentioned. katy stumbled over her order, but he understood and disappeared with a smile. he came back shortly, with three drinks balanced on a tray with a bowl of unrequested popcorn. i was so impressed with the popcorn, that i stared longingly, wonderingly at it. my gaze was so intense, i didnt notice when he spoke.

"regardez-vous le pop-corn?" taken off guard, i stared up at him, and dumbly stated "quoi, pardon?" he reapeated his question, and i nodded my head vigorously, glad to understand his rapidly spoken french.

"oh, c'est trop mal! j'ai espéré que vous avez regardé moi!" i didnt understand again, and looked at lauren blanky when she burst out laughing, calling him a name i was unfamiliar with. responding to my questioning gaze, she exclaimed: he said, he was hoping you were looking at him!

for not the first time in my life, i was glad i couldn't blush. scanning my brain for a witty response to quickly translate into french, i came up empty handed. all i could do was glance at him from under my eyelashes and smile dumbly. i was taken aback. due to his somewhat pallid, oddly attractive but nerdy appearance, i had deemed him somewhat shy and awkward, as he would have been in the states. but he was witty, outgoing, flirtatious, and even got the better of me!

three of the best beers i have ever drank, and three continously growing bowls of popcorn later [i swear by the time we finished, we were eating it out of a bucket!], we paid our check and left. i was a bit tipsy by then, and didnt object when lauren decided she wanted to go dancing. unfortunately that part of the night of didnt work out. any place decent or trendy had too strict a dress code for our jeans. all the rest were too expensive. i went home and slept soundly, exhausted from the hours spent in the parisian cold, frost, and ice covered sidewalks.

le 10 janvier 2010. i slept, and i slept, until seven at night. i ate some bread and cheese, then i slept some more.
 

le 11 janvier 2010. i had my written test, which would determine what skill level my french was at, where i should attend classes, and the intensive french preparation class i should be in. i went home, wrote my paper for a class back in london, and indulged in a small panic attack. i still havent fixed all the issues, but i am feeling much better about them, due to the helpful comments of other bloggers. 

le 12 janvier 2010. i took my french oral, which was the same as the written test. afterwards, i looked at housing with katy. it didn't work, and we found nothing. i finished my paper, talked to my mom for hours on skype, and tried to get some sleep.

le 13 janvier 2010.  il a neigé!! il a neigé!!

[insert picture of snow covered street here. ici, insère un photo de la rue a couvert en neige.]

i went for my first french class in the morning. i have been placed in the third section. i am always in the third section! i cannot wait until my french progresses to the fourth and fifth years, and i become fluent! we watched "l'auberges espagnol", a really popular film here.

that night, a teacher in our programme held a party at her flat. from the balcony in her apartment, you can see the champs-élysées, the eiffel tower, and notre dame. it was so typically french, and possibly the best apartment i have ever been in, rivaling even the houses. i met all of the other students, but had to leave early to view an apartment. the apartment wasn't a good fit, but still, i have hope!

some more, interesting photos:

weekly highlights:

dates: 7 - 13 january [days 1-7]
sights seen: paris!!!

something new: i had a drink on the terrace of a café.


somewhere new: paris!!
someone new: countless!! :) notably, katy and lauren.
new venue: countless!!

what i miss: my suitcase, my bank account, my mother and knowing where i live.
what i love: everything, the food, the wine, the metro, the language.
what i am not so sure about: speaking french, finding housing, and the smell. (the metro smells funky!!)

...............


en français:

28 semaines restant...
résumé quotidienne:
le 7 janvier. mon premier jour à Paris, je l'ai écrit ici.

le 8 janvier. je suis allée au bureau de MICEFA, à l'immeuble pour ma programme. les profs avons nous aide avec les recherches pour logements, et elles ont pris le groupe sur un tour à pieds. les autre filles et moi avons mangé à un café. ensuite, nous avons achetés les téléphones portables français. les hommes qui ont travaillé au magasin n'avons pas parlé à nous dans anglais! j'ai devenu embrouillé, mais je les ai suivi. jusqu'à un homme m'a dit que j'ai regardé comme harry potter, parce que mes lunettes. C'était une phrase difficile à comprendre!

le 9 janvier. désolé, je sais pas comment créer un résumé de ce soir à français. peut-être plus tard, quand je sais plus!

le 10 janvier. j'ai dormi à 19h. j'ai mangé du pain et fromage. après, j'ai dormi plus.

le 11 janvier. j'ai pris mon examen  écrit. l'examen décide quelle fac j'irais, et quelle classe de française je prendrais. j'ai retourné à mon hôtel et j'ai écrit rédaction pour ma université à londres. après, j'ai cédé à une petite affolement. mais, ce n'est pas grave. merci à vous pour votre secours!! je sens mieux, parce que vous!

le 12 janvier. j'ai pris mon examen oral, le même chose du examen écrit. après l'examen, katy et moi avons cherché pour un appartement. ce n'est pas marché, nous avons trouvé rien. j'ai finit mon rédaction, j'ai parlé à ma mère, et j'ai essayé dormir, avec pas bonne chance.

le 13 janvier. je suis allée à ma première classe de française.  je suis dans le troisième niveau, comme tout. je n'attends pas pour quand je devinerai fluide! dans le classe, nous avons vu "l'auberge espagnol", c'est un film très populaire.

ça soir, une prof a eu une soirée dans sa appartement. l'appartement était le plus beau que j'avais vu. sur le balcon, on peut voir le tour eiffel, la notre dame, et les champs-élysées.


les ponts forts hebdomadaires:


les dates: le 7 jusqu'à le 13 janvier. [jours 1e - 7e.]
les attractions m'ont vu: paris!

nouveau quelque chose: j'ai pris un verre sur la terrasse! 
nouveau quelque part: paris!!
nouveau quelqu'un: incalculable, en particulier katy et lauren!
nouveau lieu: incalculable!

quelques choses me manquent: mon valise, mon argent, ma mère, et savoir où ma maison est.
quelques choses que j'aime: tout les choses, les nourriture, le vin, le metro, et la langue.
quelques choses m'embrouillent: parler français, trouver logements, et le odeur. [le metro a un odeur!]

aidez-moi, s'il vous plait!

i have always been a very independent person. i usually face each problem individually and silently, rarely asking for input or advice. it is not very often that i will discuss what is bothering me, or issues that i am facing. i tend to deal with things like that personally.

when i first arrived in london, i had very little trouble adjusting. yes, things went wrong. but i faced them myself, and bandaged over the problem.

upon arrival in france, i assumed my first few weeks would mimic those in london and i would acclimate with little turbulence and grace. but now i know better, i think i have to come face with some issues i cannot solve. usually, when in over my head, i consult my parents. i love them; i could not have asked for better parents, i have turned out a little carbon copy of them. but as much as i love them, they are little help here. they have very rarely traveled out of the states, and the last time was surely twenty years ago.

so, i realized recently that i have an entire world of help at my disposal. i mean, what is the point of having a blog if i do not reach out to the blogging community? many of you have already offered advice, and i have enjoyed reading it. but now i am desperate.

i sit here writing this, in a wrinkled plaid shirt and holey tights, smelling like the common parisian bums camping in their tents on the sidewalk or in the metro. the airline has lost one of my checked baggage, unfortunately they lost the one with all my clothes, toiletries, electronics, and mementos. basically, i left my whole life somewhere between phoenix, arizona and paris, france. i was returned one bag, but it was the bag packed at the last minute, with forgotten shirts found at the bottom of the hamper and the yarn i couldnt bear to part with. the tiny suitcase held simply this: my truffle cardigan, one thin hoodie, an even thinner boyfriend cardigan, two pairs of tights, one pair of underwear, one dress, three tunics, a scarf, two pairs of glasses, a toothbrush sans toothpaste, and about thirty pounds of yarn. now that might seem like a lot, but paris is cold and i have no jeans, so i have been forced to layer. thus, i have been wearing the same thing over and over again, alternating which shirt and which pair of tights is the outermost layer, so it looks as if im changing my clothes. but, alas, i am not. i am frumpled, dirty, breathtakingly smelly, and at a loss of what to do about it.

the main issue is this: the airline is now saying they have no record of my bag, or even a record of my claim. the numbers are always busy, the voicemail is always full, and if i do manage to get through, the call is always dropped and i get nowhere. i have sent my father to the airline in phoenix to try to sort this out, as it is a really big adventure for me to trek my way to charles de gaulle. he has not yet found anything out, but i am on pins and needles.

i refuse to say the bag is lost forever. my heart and my mind cannot even begin to fathom that. but do i admit defeat and buy new clothes, new toiletries, new electronics, a new life? or do i wait it out, hoping a miracle occurs and the bag is delivered within a few days?

i ask you this, dear bloggers: have any of you ever lost a bag? what did you ultimately have to do? what would you have done if that bag contained what you were expected to need for the next seven months of your life, perhaps longer?

sadly, this is not even the worst of my problems. i am having trouble with my bank. it started in london, when skype charged me some hundred dollars in fraudulent charges. i canceled the card they used, and was sent a new one by chase. that new one could be swiped in stores and used online, but when i went to withdraw money from the atm, it simply said i had the wrong pin. i waited it out, returned home, dragged myself to the bank, and reassigned my pin. with a hopeful heart, i moved to paris and approached a french atm. naively i pressed the buttons, without a worry in my head. my good mood quickly plummeted, upon being told i had the incorrect pin.

this time, i know the pin is correct. everything is correct. the card works in stores, use in europe has been approved. so why isnt my pin working? i have also sent my dad to the chase bank to sort this out, but they arent very accommodating. i have only been in charge of my own finances since august, but in the few months since then, my experiences with them have all been negative.

again, i need help. has anyone ever heard of something like this happening? is this common?

being over here has destroyed my credit. due to hidden fees, conversion charges, and sporadic access to the internet, i am constantly going over on my balance. i have tried to avoid credit-ruining purchases, but sometimes you get stuck somewhere and have to charge a train ticket or get cash back for a taxi fare. i would like to open a new bank account in bank of america (they have a sister bank in most european countries), but i am afraid my credit is not good enough now. my parents' definitely is not, though great parents they are, money is definitely not their strong point. [theyre artists and hippies, i could never expect anything more from them. i am glad they taught me to live and be happy, rather than worrying about status or income. just times like this i wish i could open a bank account!]

does anyone know how to open a bank account abroad? can it be done? are there any banks to go through that work abroad and accept poor-ish credit?

beyond this, i now have six days to find permanent housing in paris. i have been offered many places, all of them turning out to be scams. luckily i have seen through their alluringly worded emails and shockingly low prices, managing to hold onto my 1100 euros. but i am no closer to housing!

i wish i could show my pictures though, they are breathtaking. i took a late night boat ride on the seine, floated down the river and watched the eiffel tower sparkle. i drank a beer and ate popcorn in the terrace of a cafe, flirting with the waiter in my broken french. my meals have consisted of bread and cheese and wine. i explored paris, playing in the freshly fallen snow that builds up on the sides of sidewalks. it truly is a magical time, only slightly blemished by all my frustrations that have built up.

i do have one picture, taken by my friend katy, outside our housing and in the snow.

please give me some advice!! i am at a loss!! 

arrival.

i am in paris, writing this from the room in my temporary student housing.

i arrived earlier today, after one cancelled flight and another delayed. i arrived two hours after i was scheduled to, then spent another two hours trying to track down my checked baggage. turns out it was lost, as were almost twenty other bags belonging to other passengers. so, i cannot post my pictures until tomorrow, when the bag holding my camera cord is likely to be delivered to me. after that, i spent another forty minutes outside the airport, trying to reserve a shuttle to get me to my student housing. a boy spoke to me, failing miserably at coercing my phone number out of me. while he was speaking french to me, all i could think of was the movie "taken" and the boy who approaches the main characters at the airport, and sells them into slavery and prostitution. my dad is no liam neeson, so i knew it was best to just discourage his advances. which is, sadly, easier said in english than done in french.

but i am here, have already made friends, and am absolutely loving it.

the city is dusted in snow, and my boots crunch and slip when i walk. my breath fans out in front of me in huge puffs, and the world seems much smaller and tighter than it does in phoenix. whenever it has snowed around me before, everything has gotten silent and still. in paris, that does not seem to be the case. the sounds of traffic are endless, sirens split the air, and voices filter up through my window from the street below. the world is close, but nowhere near quiet. the sun is setting now, and the sky is a pink haze which fades into the bright blue that only winter snow can create. the buildings are tall and narrow, old and quaint with their chimneys and the long floor-to-ceiling windows boast shutters, romeo and juliet gates, and contrasting trim. arches adorn the narrow streets, tiny cars with round headlights weave their way in and out of each other, and the city simply feels old. i am looking forward to seeing the other arrondissements, there is so much more to discover.

earlier, a few girls who live in my building and i went exploring our neighborhood. we walked aimlessly in either direction, lost in conversation and the beauty of the architecture. i half listened to what they were saying, hoping to memorize and file away the images of the curve of the streets, the color of the buildings, and the font of the signs. i devoured every word hungrily, trying to decipher their english meaning, saying each syllable in my head to practice later. i have been speaking french all day now, peppered by english curses and random phrases said on accident, when my frustration outgrew the speed at which i can speak in french. i have encountered many people who dont speak english, but sincerely listen to my broken french and respond in kind, trying to help. i have also met others who refuse to listen to my attempts at cohesive sentences and simply speak to me in english, deciding that will hurry the process along. although it is hard now, and im finding my tendency is just to be silent and speak softly, i feel i will become fluent in no time. i feel no shame not knowing the language perfectly, they expect me not to. i am much more comfortable speaking french on the streets of paris than i ever have been in a classroom in america, or even london for that matter. however, this is all my first brief impressions. it may very well change, as time goes on.

we ended up at a boulangerie, where i ate a toasted panini and eyed the crepes and "croissants amands" and "pain du chocolate" hungrily. i did not succumb, knowing a sugar rush was not what i needed when my shoulders were beginning to hunch from the 24 hours spent awake, sitting motion sick on a plane. it was the first time i had felt sick while flying, the unsettled feeling and slight dizziness has still not left me since that first set of plane wheels left the runaway, even though i am now bundled up in the few hand-knits i packed in my carry-on, switching between typing sporadically and staring out my window onto a courtyard from my cozy heated room, even though the heating is somewhat sub-standard. there is, however, a heated towel rack, so i am using that warm towel as a blanket/heating pad to ease the tension in my shoulders caused by excessive knitting and chase away the chill caused by not having socks. i am hoping a good nights sleep will cure me, settle my nerves, and i will awake refreshed in time for orientation tomorrow.

years of planning have finally culminated; i am in france. i cannot believe it. i get to spend the next seven months of my life here. i am truly blessed.