Daily vlogs! Day 9 Disneyland Paris!

Salut !

The footage for this video had been sitting in my memory card since May with the intention of being turned into a vlog and I finally found the time (and patience) to sit down and turn the footage into a vlog. This was the last day I filmed before my food poisoning got bad, my laptop died, I injured my knee, and did everything before going back to San Diego. I was very sad that I couldn't finish the daily vlogs as I had intended to do but hopefully in the future when I go back to France I'll be able to vlog everyday to show you the life of an expat. 

I'm not going to go into much detail about Disneyland Paris since I wrote a little more about it on this blog post when I went in February but all I can say is YOU NEED TO GO! Disneyland Paris actually has strong rides unlike the ones in the U.S. which is great for those adrenaline junkies. Another thing I need to point out is that it's not too expensive to go even for study abroad students. If you're a year long study abroad student you qualify for the Billet Francilien which is meant for French citizens and residents. You will need to bring your passport to show your visa though. I had to show my visa the first time I went but the second time they didn't make me show it but bring it just in case. Prices range from 35 for one day, one park to 53 euros to go to both parks on a weekend.

Hope you guys enjoy the video as much as I did!

Daily vlogs! Day 8 Happy birthday Beatriz!

Since I'll be at Disneyland all day today, I decided to post the vlog at 3h22. Yesterday was my friend, Beatriz's, birthday and we went to celebrate it at the French restaurant, Au Père Louis which I highly recommend. The food was so good! I swear I died and went to heaven when I tried their gratinée à l'oignon, and the confit de canard was just perfect. Once we were done with dinner we headed back to the apartment to have cake! And not just regular cake but cake with Speculoos filling! YUMMY!

Watch Beatriz's 22nd birthday dinner and wish her a happy birthday!

Le 8 mai 2012

Off to Disneyland in the morning! Expect some updates on Twitter and on my Facebook fan page. 

Daily vlogs! Day 7 Romeo and Juliet at the Opéra Bastille

Almost 9 months after arriving to Paris, we FINALLY got the to experience a show at the Opéra. My friend, Beatriz, and I decided to go see Roméo et Juliette at the Opéra Bastille yesterday night and it was spectacular! The two main reasons why we chose to go see Romeo and Juliet was because...

1. We were familiar with the play.
2. They were the cheapest tickets we found.

The show was a opera/ballet, which I wasn't expecting since when we bought the tickets it said it was only a ballet. The lighting was perfect, I really enjoyed how they played around with shadows to create more drama. The choreography was very interesting, there was obviously ballet but there were times that there was modern dance which added some youthfulness to the show. Despite what dance it was it was always full of energy and passion which made the show even more memorable. The costumes, were nothing out of the ordinary in my opinion but I did particularly enjoy the tutus especially during the masquerade scene which was my favorite scene of the show. 

I highly recommend to check out at least one show at the Opéra during your study abroad year or semester, it's a great experience plus it makes for a great story to share when you go back home. The prices may be a little high but if you want cheaper tickets you must schedule it MONTHS in advance but it'll be worth every Euro, I swear.

Check out our night at the Opéra here!

Le 7 mai 2012

Daily vlogs! Day 6

Yesterday we had a very lazy Sunday, and when I say lazy you better believe we were LAZY! Watch the video if you want a recap of what's coming up this week! I promise it'll be a lot more exciting than me cooking breakfast burritos.

Le 6 mai 2012

Daily Vlogs! Day 5

Cinco de Mayo in Paris! Find out how we celebrated Mexico's victory over the French with some duck? Yeah, duck- the best duck in Paris as a matter of fact.

Le 5 mai 2012

Daily Vlogs! Day 4

Here's day four! Meet Orlando, he's been in a couple of my vlogs before but you'll be seeing a lot more of him in this series. Watch as we go to get some pho and try my best not to make a huge mess.

Will I succeed? There's only one way to find out!

Le 4 mai 2012

Daily Vlogs! Day 3

Here's the third day of the series! I think I've started to get a hang of editing my vlogs which makes me even more motivated to keep it up.

Check out how my school day went and the mystery ingredient in my sandwiches.

 Le 3 mai 2012

Daily Vlogs! Day 2

After the horrible video from May 1st, yesterday I made sure to make May 2nd a lot better. I downloaded Sony Vegas Pro 11 and started teaching myself how to edit videos on it. I'm still in the process of learning how to work with the program so this vlog will showcase split screen which I'm currently playing around with. If you own the program and have any pointers, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hope you enjoy the video and there will be regular blog posts coming up real soon.

le 2 mai 2012

Daily Vlogs! Day 1

So first of all I have to apologize because there was a huge glitch on this video and it freezes for like half of the video. I didn't notice this glitch until I was modifying the lighting which was pretty late. I won't be recording on my webcam any longer because the quality is just horrible so expect better quality vlogs starting tomorrow! I can assure you that tomorrow's vlog will be a lot better than this one.

I hope everyone enjoys this series and gets a better insight on the life of a study abroad student. I'll see you all tomorrow with another vlog!

Le 1er mai 2012

Disquaire Day (Record Store Day) 2012

Arcade Fire and St. Vincent RDS exclusives.

I've usually bought Record Store Day exclusive records every year I've gone to Coachella but since I'm studying abroad and didn't go to Coachella, this became my first year actually going to record stores on Record Store Day or Disquaire Day in France. For those who don't know about RSD, it is "the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music."

7 month update!

Sorry for the delay but as promised here's the latest update!

Can you guys believe we're getting close to the end?

 

For more information about Record Store Day (Disquaire Day) in France CLICK HERE.

Colette Carnaval

This past weekend there was a free event at the Jardin des Tuileries called Colette Carnaval and let me tell you after living her for almost 7 months it felt really good to get things for free. Free samples, masks, Polaroids- it was just amazing! It was a fun event filled with art, music, fashion, and food booths. The booths I was looking forward to were the Impossible Project, Lomography, Ed Banger, and Kitsune but as soon as we walked in we realized there was more to see. It was great to see Parisians loosen up and have fun while they were trying to win things, that a side of them I don't see too often but when you do its absolutely amazing.

Here are a couple pictures for the Coletter Carnaval, vlog coming up soon!

Disneyland Paris

Welcome to Disneyland Paris.

Last Tuesday I finally got to visit Disneyland Paris with my boyfriend (who's not really into Disneyland). One of the biggest difference between Disneyland Paris and Disneyland in Anaheim or the Magic Kingdom in Orlando is not obviously the language but also the rides! For the most part you have your classic Disneyland rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups but in Paris you have some stronger roller coasters which will satisfy any older Disney fan like me. The strong rides will even please those who don't like Disneyland that much  *cough cough*. My top rides were by far Space Mountain Mission 2, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, and Big Thunder Mountain. And if you're a Star Wars fan you'll be able to find the original Star Tours here! While I may still like Disneyland in Anaheim a lot better, Disneyland Paris is definitely worth checking out and especially if you're a resident because its only 30€ on Billet Francilien until the end of March.

Enjoy the vlog and pictures I took at Disneyland Paris!

Keep in touch with people back home

As you all may know I am extremely close with my family and friends back home and I still am! I find myself talking to them almost everyday so I keep them updated about what's going on. By talking to them often I also know how everything is back home. It's more than possible to talk to your loved ones almost as much as you do back home and for FREE! Watch the video below to learn the many ways you can talk to your loved ones while you're studying abroad.

Websites/Apps mentioned:

• Live Profile
• Skype
• Tinychat
• Twitter
• Twicca Twitter app for Android

More apps:

• Voxer
• WhatsApp
• Email
• Instagram

Seeing Paris as a tourist

Chilling next to a Picasso painting.

During my 4th month living here I've found myself doing the tourist thing once again thanks to my brother being in town. Its weird how one becomes used to various sites such as the Arc de Triomphe and can simply walk right past them without thinking anything about it, but what I've realized is that its good to marvel at these historic sites like tourists every once in a while. And as for my brother he's enjoying seeing Paris as a resident and going to non-tourist trap restaurants.

The Soundtrack of my Study Abroad Journey

I think I've made it no secret that I'm a huge St. Vincent fan and also that Strange Mercy is by far my favorite release of 2011, but after yesterday I have become an even bigger fan of Annie Clark- if that's even possible. The show was held at Café de la Danse which is one of the best music venues I've been to let me tell you. I arrived at 17h30, about and hour and a half before the door were supposed to open and there was no one! Not one single soul! Which is very strange for me because I'm used to seeing people lined up hours before a show starts regardless of the artist back in the States. I had a pleasure of meeting a guy from the Philippines who also liked the same music as I do before the show and my friend, him, and I just chatted away until the doors finally opened. I bought my ticket to see St. Vincent during my second week of studying abroad, the very day they came out, so you can imagine how many different emotions were running through me when I walked into the venue and when I made my way to stand in the very front (have I mentioned how much I love not having a barrier?).

Blending in with the Parisian

One of the things I've noticed about Paris is that despite being the fashion capital not every Parisian is necessarily fashionable. Most students at the Sorbonne do have a really great style but if I were to judge the city as a whole I would say that its like almost every other city: you have those with great style, those who play it by the rules, and those who seem to not own a mirror. I've found the way to easily spot a Parisian is by looking at who is wearing headphones on the metro, and particularly Dr. Dre Beats.

3 month update!!!

Oh and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Californian's Tips on how to stay warm in the fall

My fall essentials: Warm headband, button-down shirts, and  a wool sweater.

Yes, you've read correctly... IN THE FALL! Despite the common misconception it does get cold in Southern California... for about two months in the year but the point is that is does get cold. Paris currently feels like San Diego in the winter which is about 30º-50ºF. I have already seen my fellow Californians walk around like a stuffed animal by wearing a ton of layers and their fluffiest jacket as if it was already snowing. I've even read on Facebook statuses that the heater has already become their best friend. Let me tell you I'm not doing any of that because my plan of attack is to get used to the cold since I know that it's just going to get even colder in the coming weeks.

México en Paris

Tacos de carnitas y una tostada de nopal con queso

.

As I've mentioned before it is a lot harder for authentic Mexican food in Paris than it is to find something American. There are McDo's and burger joints everywhere and also American themed restaurants. I've found a lot of Tex-Mex places here which causes French people to think that fajitas and chili con carne are Mexican dishes (PS. That's not really Mexican). So for Mexicnas good luck on finding dishes like menudo! In my search to find the best Mexican food I've come up with this conclusion- if you want authentic Mexican food then you'll have to cook it yourself.