Losing my Senses in Europe

Now that I am remembering to this lets update:

Class this week was a little lighter than normal and I took the opportunity to make a lifetime of chili. Most of it is safely frozen waiting for the perfect cold day to break it out.

We had our first fragrance lab finally where we started preparing our own basic accords. Think citrus and fresh, fresh and juicy, citrus and floral, and a few more. Working on creating my own formulation was amazing and slightly frightening since I guess that means I am really here getting my masters in fragrances. However, as time goes on the fragrances will change so I am excited and nervous to see if my citrus fresh will remain that way or go off in some crazy direction.

This weekend we went into Paris and I successfully navigated us to a speakeasy. We thought that it was shut down and a pizza place took over, but you actually have to go through the restaurant to get to the bar. It was a lot of fun and all of the drinks were inspired by the prohibition which is always a fun time. The walk back to the train was great since everything was lit up. Notre Dame looked amazing and slightly haunted as it sat over us.

Sunday was brunch day and was so amazing and so much food. The rest of the day was spent studying and planning my parents trip here over Christmas.

Hopefully I will start traveling outside of Versailles and Paris and take more pictures since I have been slacking on that front.

More to come as more happens

~JMS

Hey!

Sorry it has been so long but with moving in, opening a bank account, getting a French phone number and starting classes it has been crazy.

So maybe let’s go week by week for this update and I will strive to blog more.

Week One:

Week one consisted mainly of moving into our apartment, which would not have been possible without both Caro and Gaby’s parents helping out for the weekend. Once they left we went out to open bank accounts so we could get French phone numbers (Fun fact: you cannot fully register your bank card without a phone number and you cannot get a phone without fully registering your bank account). Our apartment is seriously amazing and perfect. We live on a street with lots of locally owned shops, a cheese shop, 3 bread stores, a bunch of fruit shops and more. About half of the first week was spent in Starbucks so I would have wifi to contact everyone back home. This week ended with a dinner party where we met three other girls who are living together Margarita Marina and Laetitia. They are great. The following night I watched the rugby world cup where France beat Italy in a pub. 

Week Two:

Week two started with a trip to Paris to walk around and see the Eiffel Tower and get hot chocolate. Then school started and I was able to buy a beautiful green bike (un velo) that is absolutely great. Classes the first week were mostly introductions and what we should do to make sure we are set up in France. This week ended with a “gala” in Paris. It turned out to be in a sports bar that was basically an American sports bar in Paris. I could have gone in jeans and a tee-shirt but instead went in a dress. Oh well we still had fun anyway.

Week Three:

Week Three again we went to Paris and got crepes while just walking around and going to different events. I woke up at 4:00 am to see the super moon from my window and got great pictures using my new camera (thanks mom and dad). We had more classes which last from about 9 to 5:30 but we get some coffee breaks so that is good. The week finished with noir et blanc. This is a night where everything is open late in Paris and it is free. I went to a Jazz concert and the Pompidou and we took a bus home where we had to stand the entire ride but I had a great time in Paris.

Week Four:

This was the week of the torrential down pour on the way to school. After walking for 20 minutes in the pouring rain everything was soaked and there were legit puddles in my shoes. I had to take my shoes and socks off since they were so wet and eventually we were able to go home for lunch and change otherwise I would have gotten sick. That’s the night that I made chicken noodle soup which was absolutely delicious and everything I needed after that day. I had my first lab where I was grouped with Caro and Gaby (big surprise) and we made 5 beautiful gels which we then had to throw out at the end.

Week Five:

This week started off with our first test which was slightly stressful but overall okay. Then was just a normal week of class finishing off with making 9 emulsions which only 1 proved to be short term stable. We are still waiting on stability tests to know for sure. Then I went into Paris with everyone and discovered Oysho which is very similar to Aerie. We also went to the Marais where I got falafel and challah bread while just looking in the windows of shops since it was Shabbat and everything was closed.

That’s really all for now, like I said I will try to post more often, but with lab reports, studying for tests and learning to identify fragrance components by scent there is a lot to do. If you want to know what I am up to you can also always viber, or whatsapp me  

First meal in Paris!

It was delicious and now I’m ready for tomorrow when I move into my apartment with Caro and Gaby! Can’t wait to meet them and start our adventure together.

In case you’re curious about my flight it was long and hot and squished but my hotel room is cute and the perfect size for me for one night.

More to come as more happens

For anyone who has been living under a rock the past 6 years, 

I have been planning and prepping to go to a school in Europe to learn to make perfume. Specifically the ISIPCA program which is 9 months in Versailles France, 3 months vacation (or an internship), 8-9 months in Padua Italy, and then a 6 month internship somewhere in the world. 

I found out about this program when I was 16 and made it my goal to attend. This past year was the first year I was eligible to apply and was accepted! I will be leaving America for France on September 9, and do not plan on coming back until I have completed the program. 

When I graduate I will have an EFCM (European Fragrance and Cosmetics Masters) and an MBM (Masters of Business Management) focused in the fragrance industry. To help prepare me for this program I have spent 2 summers at Berje Inc as an intern in their fragrance lab, and a yearlong research project where I analyzed a lavender oil and recreated it through GCMS spectrum and the knowledge of the components from my time at Berje.