i'm lucero herrera and this is my blog

Okay, not really. I DO like being creative, though! And I was scrolling on Urban Outfitters, as one does, and found this pair of cute shorts. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Disney theme OR the fact that they were sixty whole dollars! This isn’t really an exercise in thriftyness, but a way for me to be really stubborn and make my own pair of cuter shorts. 

I started off with this pair of dark wash jeans from Buffalo Exchange Outlets. It was only a dollar!! I made an initial cut just to get the heavy pant legs out of the way, but made sure to keep a little length to play around with. Most shorts are not the same length in the front as they are in the back, so definitely just make a general cut first with extra length

And then, I cut the sides higher because I wanted short shorts. I was really happy with how the cut came out, because I usually don’t like the way that shorts in store fit. I wanted really loose legs, and a higher hem on the sides so that I would still have extra fabric near the crotch, for lack of better term. It was important to me that they weren’t short all around, because I’ve run into the issue of shorts riding up and giving me a jean wedgie because they were too tight and too short all around. 

... and then I tailored the waist with elastic, bleached them, and ironed on a patch. And of course, forgot to take pictures of those parts! I do think the hem is the most important part though, to be perfectly honest. The wash depends on what you want, the patch is just for decoration, and I only fixed the waist because I read the size wrong and bought a pair of pants that were about six inches too big around my waist. 

Overall, I really like how they turned out! I added a black belt to keep them up. The elastic helps, but isn’t super strong. I also gave them a quick wash, because the bleach smell was really strong. For the tie-dye ish effect, I wet the shorts in my bathtub but didn’t use anything to keep them fully submerged. After drenching the shorts in bleach, I didn’t swirl them around to distribute the bleach better. Whatever areas had the most bleach got lightened more, obviously. 

They fit really nicely, which has been my favorite part! Because as much as I love short shorts, the styles I find in store just don’t fit right. I highly encourage making your own pair with an old pair of jeans or some from the thrift store. You’ll get a style that you like, and for cheap! 

Here’s one more shot, but with my hair because I blowdried it just for this post! 

June 26

This was my last day of class. We had our final presentations and the latest copies of our briefing books turned in. Besides a few hiccups during presentation, they all went as I expected. During the presentations, I learned a lot, they were really long, and a little awkward (yes, even mine) -- all of which was to be expected.

Later that night, we had one final, group dinner. It was really awesome seeing everyone and being together one last time. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and I loved laughing as I listened to stories of people’s favorite, or least favorite, memories from the month.

I got one last scenic picture overlooking the Seine, because of course I would. Clearly, I like the dress (so much so, I hand washed it and let it hang out my window to air dry). Unfortunately, I had to finish my packing once I got home.

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June 27

I said bye to my host mom as she dropped us off at the airport. We were her first set of students, and I think anybody else who gets her as their host mom will be really lucky.

The trip back home was long, and in my typical fashion, full of shenanigans. My first flight was delayed three hours and American Airlines gave me a 15 Euro food/drink voucher to make up for it, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep before we took off and woke up really disoriented at 30,000 feet, a young man in Chicago overshared his life story and wouldn’t let me eat my cheeseburger in peace, and I almost lost a toenail to my heavy luggage. Overall, I spent 24 hours either in an airport or in the air.

June 24

Following my long day at Dieppe, I figured the best use of my Saturday was to walk a lot again. That’s a good idea, right? I hadn’t seen the Basilique Saint Denis yet, and I was told it was beautiful. I also had a free ticket to go inside and see the heart of a mummified boy, but in true Lucero spirit, I was halfway to the basilica before realizing I hadn’t taken the ticket with me. And it wasn’t a distance I was willing to backtrack on, it took me around fifty minutes to get there by metro, as it’s actually not in Paris, but a bit north of the city. 

So I sat there on the metro with a baguette in one hand, my phone with tunes in my other hand, and a disappointed look on my face. 

Regardless, it was beautiful and I still got to see most of the inside, just not the mummified heart (which is fine, the concept creeped me out a little anyway). Their rosaries and other religious things were also way less expensive than Notre Dame, so of course I got more. 

While I mapped my route to the basilica, I noticed on Google Maps a little rainbow section that was the designated Pride route, and it was near the Louvre. I quite like the Louvre and wanted to go back and do more shopping in that area and figured, “hey why not go to Pride, too?”

Let me tell you, it was a crowded and wonderful time. I marched with everybody for about thirty minutes or so before I got too claustrophobic to continue. It was just such a joyful time! We danced and screamed and had a grand old time. It was a great first Pride parade for me!

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June 25

A bit of a lazy day, I finally took some time to rest my aching feet (who wears boots to Pride? this dumb girl). I also had to start thinking about dinner! Earlier in the month, our home mom asked my roommate and I if we would make her authentic, Mexican food. We said sure, well knowing that we had no real experience making Mexican food and that we were just good at eating it. 

Nevertheless, in the span of two hours, we cooked up homemade tortillas, taco meat and filling, and cilantro-lime rice. And our home mom loved it!

From where I left off, I decided to climb the cliff and get to the castle thing (I think it’s a chateau but I could be wrong) so I just warmed up my hands, got a good grip on the side of the rock facing the ocean and... jk. I walked around the hill until I had a clear path to the top. Apparently, I was on some sort of monuments path.

Again, I didn’t intend to explore, only get some good sun in.

As I get up, I see some cannons and I’m like “heck yeah I like cannons” and I set up my timer (on my canon camera! ha ha!) and get a snapshot of the moment. It’s nice to finally feel like I’ve mastered the art of the self timed, self portrait.

So I continue my climb (I say, as if it requires serious exertion -- I’m wearing a long dress and ten dollar ballet flats, clearly I’m in no shape to ascend the face of a cliff or anything) and really trying to enjoy my time as I walk up. It’s very scenic, but the part about taking pictures that I really didn’t see coming was all of the French teenagers making out.

Seriously.

I ran into like five couples on my way up, and I definitely empathize with them. There’s nothing else to do in that town when it’s too cold to swim. I think I saw on their tourism page like, a bowling alley. So I unfortunately got to see lots of young people just, going at it and I think I was more embarrassed than any of them.

I gave myself an hour to climb, and if I didn’t make it I had to head back to the beach so I could make it to the train station with plenty of time. Dudes and dudettes, it took like fifteen minutes. I overestimated how big Dieppe is by a lot, as demonstrated by the fact that I circled it several times in the span of a few hours. But on the bright side, I felt very accomplished in having made it through several of their monuments.

Once I made it to the overlook, of course I utilized a little podium to take a picture. Who would I be if I didn’t?

Also, about the dress.

It was a fun little number I picked up at a market for ten Euros and I thought it was be great to take to the beach. It’s floral! Flowy! Well, people kept looking at me. Like, men and women would just stop and stare. Guys on motorcycles would turn their heads as they drove past. I don’t appreciate rubbernecking, as it implies I’m an accident. It was all very bizarre, because in Paris my existence rarely warrants a second glance (which is good!) but in Dieppe, people would not keep their eyes to themselves. One older gentleman even told me something about my dress being nice. I’m not super sure, I heard “jolie” and “robe” and I was like “ah! he likes the dress!” but my homestay mom and I deduced that since I’m not dark enough for it to be an issue anywhere in France, the cause of all the hubbub was the dress.

After finding a spot in the grass where someone else had already been (therefore, was safe to sit) I sat and admired the view. Dieppe was the kind of setting I needed. It was also a good exercise in adapting and keeping good spirits even when things didn’t go as intended.

Blah blah blah, morals and lessons and stuff. But really, I mean it all.

As I’m watching over the beach, I look and see people in suits dipping their feet in and walking on the sand and it hits me... there’s sand! What the hell? I endured stony territory just to get some salt water on my little toes, and these guys are walking around on nice, soft sand?

Not in my house.

So I decided to climb back down and head to the beach one last time. On my way, I passed by flowers that I think are lavender but I’m no botanist (or even someone vaguely good at identifying flowers)

I’m back at the beach and behold, I have sand! There’s also lots of little wormy things that at first my mind was like “oh no, parasites!” but my sleuthing skills quickly determined that it was probably seagull poop.

Seagulls are terrifying.

I saw some flying, and one glided backwards using the wind. He just, straight up stopped in the air and zoomed backwards without so much as a single check to make sure he wouldn’t hit a friend or something. I don’t trust birds, period. But especially not seagulls!!

Anyway, I left all my things on the rocks and just... ran around on the beach.

There was no rhyme or reason to it, just splashing and stomping and trying not to slip and fall. I might’ve looked a little crazy and it’s probably because it was only 6p and I’d already been up and moving for twelve hours (hey, a girl likes her beauty sleep) but it was fun. And revitalizing! I keep coming back to that idea but it’s true.

[Editor’s note: jk, I don’t have an editor. Anyway the verb tense changes, I’m pretty sure throughout the story. Don’t mind that, I’m not fixing it.]

Finally, I have to get moving because I’m at the farthest part of the beach from where I originally started. There’s still other people roaming about and taking pictures. Dieppe is actually very touristy, as I expected but all of the tourists are French too.

I somehow manage to take the longest way possible to get back to the train station.

Not long enough time wise that I’m worried, but just long enough that the feeling of ease and whimsy was gone. I did get to see the old shops one last time, and I’m sure they were tired of seeing my dumb face for the third time. I’m not exaggerating when I say I saw the town several times over. My phone showed that I did 12 miles at Dieppe, not including my frenzy at the beach.

I took one last look at the tiny town, and entered the station. My way back was far less eventful than when I returned, thankfully.

I think my poor little heart would have given out from the stressors of a second rough trip.

Thanks to the long summer days, leaving at 7p meant I still had plenty of light to admire the view. It also meant that when I got back to Paris at 10, I still had the remnants of a sunset to keep me company on my ride to my homestay.

And THAT, my friends, was eight hours in Dieppe.

I learned lots of things today! Trains are allowed to be late. The people of Dieppe are nosy but kind. Climbing hills isn’t that bad in a dress. The weather is colder in coastal cities. And traveling is always an adventure when you’re the physical incarnation of Amelia Bedelia.

June 23

BOY let me tell you, I went to Dieppe today (it’s in Normandy, don’t worry, I had no idea where it was either) and it deserves a whole post of its own because it was quite the adventure. If you’ve ever longed for a drawn out post with around 30 photos from me, this is your time to shine.

Going to the beach was not a last minute decision.

I’ve wanted to use a weekend here to go, and the last weekend before heading home was the only time that worked. And so I set off this week trying to find inexpensive tickets to a place that wasn’t too far, so I’d have the whole day here. My home mom recommended Normandy, which I definitely thought was a city (it’s not, it’s a region -- oops!) and so within Normandy, I tried looking for a close city with a swimable beach but the heat from this week legitimately made it hard for me to process information. And so it wasn’t until yesterday that I was finally able to find the closest beach to Paris, which happened to be in Dieppe. 

So I bought my tickets the night before, and had to print them at the station. 

That’s fine, right? Nope.

Well, the train station connects to the metro station and so it was really far to walk and then I had issues with the machine because my card doesn’t have a chip and then the information lady couldn’t help me, neither could the next guy because he was exchanges, and then the first ticket dispenser man couldn’t help because apparently he only prints French tickets and then finally ten minutes before my train was due to leave, the last guy printed my tickets just as I was starting to tear up. 

And then my train was late because of security measures and so I missed my connecting train in Rouen and had to take the next train to Dieppe instead and the guy checking our tickets asked me why I had a ticket for an earlier train and I showed him my other ticket and tried explaining that my previous train was late and he just said “is okay” with a heavy French accent. 

The moral of the story is that the French will always be French, but it helps sometimes to be a cute American. 

Then I finally got to Dieppe at 11a, and the first thing I saw were these boats and some dingy old buildings. I learned later that the train station is in the dumpy part of the town. But I step out, and it’s cold (ha ha ha this is what I get, isn’t it?) and I have my towel and swimsuit with me but it’s only 62F so obviously the beach isn’t going to happen.

 And the first thing I think is, “ah shit I have to spend eight hours here.” 

But I’m determined to get to the beach somehow but only when it warms up. So I start walking around town and it’s really cute, like I would shoot a music video there if I was an up and coming artist on a budget. Maybe a nice Europop track? Who knows. They’ve got banners, old brick buildings, even a little French dude playing the accordion. It’s great, very French. And so I’m walking around, and the sun decided to hide from me after all I said this week and so the wind is really getting to me. 

But I’m really stubborn (in case that was lost on anyone) and so I decide that I will warm up as the day goes on. Never mind the fact that literally every other person I see has on a jacket and scarf. Nope. Don’t care. I see a church, and I’m like “that’s cool, can I go inside?” Nah. Some parts look like they’re under construction and the door’s obstructed, so there’s literally no way to get in. It might open on Sundays, who knows? I didn’t look up anything about the monuments in Dieppe because I only wanted to go to the beach. I even had snacks! And sunscreen. 

I applied SPF 50 sunscreen today. 

Then I realize that it’s not warming up. Moreover, the closer I get to the beach, the colder it gets. Within the town, the buildings block all the wind. And so I suck it up and re-enter a store and buy a black tunic type thing. It has gaudy patches on it (which is a lot, coming from me! All I’m saying is, I probably wouldn’t put an American flag patch on my jean jacket) but hey, it keeps me a little bit warmer. And I’m walking around the town and it’s honestly very pretty and quaint and I like it a lot. 

Finally, I make it to the beach and it’s like 12:30p. Still, the sun is avoiding me and it’s too cold to get into the water, not even to dip my toes in. 

And so I did what anyone would have done, I started throwing stones in. 

Both arms, just hauling rocks into the ocean. I figure, maybe the exertion will warm me up. It didn’t. But I continued on, throwing rocks. I tried to get as many into the water as possible. My arm is so bad that a lot were still hitting the shore. Let me just say, it was very cathartic. I don’t know what I had pent up inside me, but throwing things into the ocean while the sea just swallowed them up and I could feel the salty wind around me was wonderful. 

But I was still cold.

And so I went into one of the beachside shops and ordered a coffee. Well, tried to, anyway. No one really spoke great English. 

But I know how to order a coffee with milk, and that’s what I got. 

It was delightful. I’m not sure what was better, the hot coffee or the glass walls keeping the wind off of me. It was kind of awkward, though. I’m sure they get lots of business when it’s sunny but as I was the only one there, the four dudes working would kind of just peek at me as I drank my coffee. 

Warmed up, and feeling a bit better about Dieppe, I recall seeing some things going on by the pier, port area. There were lots of sailboats and shops up and I wanted to go back and see what they were all about. I’m still not quite sure what was happening, but I think it was a competition. There were posters up of men with their names, faces, and the names of their boats. So it was either some sort of race, or just over the top show-and-tell. And I walked around and people tried to lure me into their tents, but the joke’s on them! 

I don’t speak French!

I did end up buying some postcards because I like postcards. Then I headed back to the town to grab food. I ate at this cute little restaurant that looked more German than French. The people here are definitely less accustomed to speaking English, because when I started to look confused instead of switching over right away as I’m used to in Paris, they just re-explained whatever it is they were saying. Anyway, I had a sandwich and tried to get the restaurant dog to let me pet him, but no dice. 

By now, it’s only 3p and I was feeling really full and shouldn’t have had the whole sandwich. 

What could make me feel better? Going to the sea, that’s what. 

The salt was really good for me. So I went back, and there were more people there, finally. I saw a guy play fetch with his dog, and they moved into the water. I thought to myself that sticking my feet in the water was a great idea. It was still only 65F out, and the heat had brought on some gnarly sore throat, headache combo that I was only just starting to feel better from. And yet, I stuck my feet in. 

It was both a good and bad experience. That part of me that needed to go into the ocean was extremely satisfied. I can see why people go to the beach to think, it’s very calming. And then, my feet were not super happy because it’s a pebbly beach so I stood on a bunch of rocks just to dip my toes and have them get cold. But it was invigorating, so overall a good time.

I stood around and people watched and then I really just tried to take in my surroundings. I saw this castle on a hill and thought to myself, “wow wouldn’t it be nice to see the ocean from up there?” 

So I climbed up! 

And the rest is for part 2. 

June 20

I don’t care how many times you have to read this on my blog, it’s so hot in Paris right now. Sinfully hot! The irony is not lost on me that I’m an American in Paris, currently boiling, not weeks after Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Accords. Yeah. 

We turned in the first draft of our briefing book today and had time to work on the next assignment, which is an op-ed piece. I used the time productively, and vaguely thought of I what I might write about. It was too hot to think, honestly. I went through this giant document about Dubai Smart Cities which should have awakened the tiny energy enthusiast in me (see: Amsterdam posts) but I couldn’t even focus on the graphs and pictures. They were really prettily done, too.

So instead, I joined some friends, grad students, and my professor for lunch at the “best falafel in the world.” I’m very particular about falafel, and this was great. I’m inclined to agree with their tagline, honestly. It was in a Jewish area that also had really interesting shops, so if I have time I think I’ll go back and look around when I don’t feel like my brain is melting (black backpacks are the worst and I’m dumb.)

And then a few of us split off and spent the afternoon in the Picasso museum! Best. Idea. Ever. Their air condition was so efficient and cold and wonderful that it soothed my overheated soul a little bit. I took my time looking at the pieces, and one of my friends knew a lot so he gave backstory to Picasso’s life. One of the exhibits was on Olga Picasso, his first wife. I don’t have the whole story but he kind of sounds like a jerk? Anyway, that visit was revitalizing and such a good time. 

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June 21

The only kind of heatwave I like is the Martha Reeves & the Vandellas kind, but unfortunately it seems like I get more hot weather for today and tomorrow. I finally nailed down more words in my op-ed piece even though it was like trying to catch a butterfly with an inefficient butterfly net. See what I mean?

My roommate here has been looking for a bag for her mom since we got to Paris, and so in the last couple of days left we’ve set out to find one! Our host mom recommended trying a different market than the closest one to us, but there was no success. It was hot and I just wanted to find the nearest freezer, climb in, and live there forever. But no such luck.

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June 22

Apparently the heatwave is supposed to leave today! After school, my roommate and I tried our closest market again, and she finally found a bag! It was such an exciting time. I’d love to haggle, but that would involve knowing numbers in French and I basically know up to twelve right now. It’s the worst thing, I’ll literally ask them “how much is this?” in French and then need them to translate to English to give me the number. Or throw hand numbers until I get it! That’s what we did today. Thirty = two open hands, flashed three times.

Then I walked around the market too, and found a cute dress and a souvenir or two for my brother (if you haven’t noticed, I don’t elaborate too much on souvenirs because I like surprises). Seeing as it was still quite hot, we stopped by the little Carrefour on our way home and picked up cold-ish drinks. And then, when we tried to get upstairs I was so disoriented and out of it that I placed my keys back in their original pocket and promptly forgot I had done so. The next five minutes were a sluggish search for my keys in different hands, bags, and I eventually checked the ground floor as well to make sure I hadn’t dropped them. I hadn’t. Luckily the heat will soon be gone!

June 18 

One of things I didn’t realize about the Arc de Triomph is that you can get to the top. I also didn’t know you’d need to take stairs. It’s fifteen flights, give or take a flight, if case you were wondering. As the temperature has been climbing, I thought it was be a great idea to climb this thing. So I did! 

It was quite a feat, and I was really sweaty. But I’m a smart little American and I always have water with me, so that’s helpful. I learned about the history of the arc, mostly because they had a video playing on one of the indoor floors and it was kinda sorta cool in there. It wasn’t quite air conditioning and more like somebody with palm leaves just going ham. Appreciated, nonetheless.

There, uh, isn’t much else to do up there but take pictures and exercise your sweat glands. So I decided to walk around Champs Elysees. As I write, a small attack occurred today (the 19th!) involving a guy and a police car, to the best of my knowledge. It’s a bit concerning but makes sense because this is a very touristy area. And just a week or two ago, there was a small attack at Notre Dame. It’s all part of the territory, I guess. It’s a reminder to stay alert. 

Luckily, the biggest complaint I had was that I felt a bit too hot and not tan enough for all my trouble. But I walked around, window shopped, and walked up and down the avenue. I was killing time before dinner with my fellow classmates, because I’m not one to miss school sponsored meals. Unfortunately I don’t have photos from that, because it was a fiasco of its own!

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June 19

Monday! Back to class, and more work on our briefing book. Luckily we got to sort a lot of it out in the morning but by the time 1p rolled around, my partner and I still needed to make a lot of changes. A few of the guys wanted to head to a coffee shop that was well rated on Google, and I like to live a little sometimes so I went along, deciding that a change of pace might be nice.

Okay, so the good part is that it’s aesthetic. It’s really pretty and cute and they had some damn good cold drip coffee. There was lots of greenery and flowers and everyone there was so pretty and well dressed. 

The bad part is that it was completely enclosed, and had a single fan pointing away from our tables. It was 92F out, and there was no a/c. I know I complain about the heat a lot and it’s because it’s hot!!! I don’t need highlighter anymore, because I have permanent dew on my skin. I couldn’t form complete sentences because my brain was slowly melting into my skull. Maybe I’m a little dramatic, but that’s what the heat does to me. ;) 

June 16 

Today I worked for six hours on a group project. As it was Friday, I got to sleep in and have a lazy morning but otherwise, myself and my partner labored over the first draft of our section of a briefing book. Phew. It’s on food and energy, and we’re basically proposing policy to reduce food waste in the US. It’s hardly the kind of writing I’m used to, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

My roommate and home mom headed out of town on separate trips, so I had the apartment to myself! I went to a local small Carrefour and picked up some cheese and a baguette and had a nice, quiet evening in. It sounds boring but if you don’t know me, I’m very introverted and like to live on the languid side!

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June 17

I set off on an adventure to find a Primark in Paris. Didn’t quite succeed. I found a Primark! Forty five minutes away from me. It wasn’t quite in Paris, but on the outskirts in a shopping center. Have I mentioned it’s hot here? Because it’s hot here, and the mall didn’t have air conditioning. I’m not surprised, I just like to complain. 

After spending the early afternoon shopping around (and picking up souvenirs, because what kind of sister/daughter/roommate/girlfriend would I be otherwise?) I went back home and had an early dinner then left again to the Pompidou Museum! It’s basically full of modern art and right up my alley. Then again, if you’ve peeked at my blog for the past few weeks you’ll learn I also really like museums, like, a lot. Apparently, this is a pretty popular area among young people. I saw couples and friends just sitting around and drinking, which was kind of cute.

I think my favorite art piece, I stumbled upon without meaning to. I found a Dan Flavin! I’ve been to one of his exhibits at the Menil in Houston, and he’s known for being a minimalist artist who created installations with fluorescent lights. I’ve experienced one of the walk-in pieces, and it was so fun to see another of his art installations all the way in Paris. Small world!

What I also really liked about the modern art museum, is that it’s really interactive. I loved seeing Renaissance and Impressionist art at other museums but they’re so stiff and fragile. But the art here was very inviting! I got to listen to recordings, touch some of the glass and mirrors, flip pages, and really feel out the art.

There was this art piece that had started out as a blank roll of film playing endlessly. However, as the tape ran on, it began to accumulate dust and scratches. So now, the projector shows what appears more like static than a blank white screen. It sounds weird and boring at the same time but it was really fun interacting with it. 

The museum also had a hidden view! One of the art installations on the upper floors had an infinite waterfall that overlooked the city of Paris. There are other hot spots to take pictures, but I’d never heard anyone mention the Pompidou. Anyway, it was a really lovely view and going in the evening was perfect! 

June 13

More. Company. Presentations. I don’t hate them, I truly don’t. I just wish I understood more of what went on, honestly. So this morning we had The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) come talk to us about the future of nuclear energy in France. Apparently, France gets up to 80 percent of their energy demands met by nuclear energy. AND the nuclear power plants don’t have to run 24/7 like they do in the US. They can stagger their run times to match demand and also allow time for maintenance and repair. I’d never really considered nuclear energy as a significant source of energy, I guess because I’ve been exposed to a lot of anti-nuclear sentiments post events such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. The presentation today definitely made me reconsider how I felt about nuclear energy, especially if it can be disposed of safely. 

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June 14

This morning we had our first real lecture in a really long time. The past two weeks have been chock full of travel and company visits, and finally we just had time to sit a little and think about grammar and plagiarism. Areas where I’m actually familiar with the content and don’t feel so out of place! 

Then I went to the sewers. Yep. At three, we had a tour of the sewer museum underneath the Seine. It wasn’t as smelly as one would anticipate, but definitely not nice smelling either. It was like the inside of an old bathroom with subpar plumbing, except I was down there for an hour and not just for a minute to do a pee. I was honestly very proud of myself for not gagging, despite the fact we walked on grates over slowly moving sewage. I learned that sewage workers actually are compensated very well, and given tenure-like positions. Therefore, the jobs are highly coveted as they only work six hours a day and the waitlist can be as along as several years. 

I also learned that there are lots of efforts to take care of the Seine. They used to dump their shit in it, and the great sewage system means that the Seine is a lot cleaner than it used to be. They also monitor oxygen levels and are prepared to provide extra so that the fish can thrive. 

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June 15

I was up BRIGHT and early, to head to Dunkirk today! The last of our company visits was Total, an oil and gas company. We took a two hour train ride out to the north of France. When we first arrived, I was skeptical of the tour just because the whole place was one giant, old refinery. 

But it was actually my favorite tour of this whole trip! I was given a big suit to wear, boots, gloves, protective eye gear, and a hard hat to wear. I felt kinda like a kid pretending to be an oil engineer, just because everything fit so big on me. We were divided into three groups, and there were three activities that we rotated about. The first one I did was a scavenger hunt, where we were meant to label different parts of the refinery. The issue is that I’ve literally never been to a refinery before, and so the only label I felt confident about in the midst of terms like “magnetic level indicator” and “junction box” was “thermometer”. After that, we toured the facility and climbed up on top of the different platforms. I’m not scared of heights, I’m just scared of falling.

We broke up for lunch (which was really nice btw, like super fancy) and then the last activity commenced, which I’d heard from others was the best part. I went inside an old distillery/fractionating column!! We had to wear safety gear to go up, lest I fall from the ladder. And then I scooted myself inside the manhole that looked a little too tight. And I was inside! It was very warm but interesting, and I learned that the metal grating we were standing on was purposefully accordioned to maximize surface area for condensation. They were a little funny about photos, but the people of Total took some and I’ll update here with any fun photos as soon as I get them! 

June 11

Today, I took it easy and just picked one site to go to in Paris. Amsterdam really wore me out! Still love that place, though. A lot of my friends went to Disneyland Paris, and I’d been on the fence about it for a while. However, I figured I’d save the money and just go do new things in Paris since I’ve actually already been to Disney in Paris. I think I made the right choice, because it was absolutely boiling today and I would’ve been so miserable. 

Anyway, I went and visited the Sacre Coeur Basilica, because I’ve heard it’s beautiful. What I did not expect was for it to be so touristy! It’s kind of in a remote part of the city, in my opinion, but maybe that’s because I was a dumb person and took the stairs up and down, instead of the tram. In any case, it was really quite stunning (photos prohibited inside, sadly) and I love sitting in grand churches. 

That took up most of my late morning. Unfortunately, I’d missed the 11a mass so after looking around inside, I meandered around the area. There were lots of people selling trinkets and cheap things. Back in my day, I only saw knock off handbags and cheesy souvenirs. But now, they sell fidget spinners and selfie sticks! My, how the times have changed. 

I’d been told the area was cute and had nice shops, so I made it a point to go up and down a few streets. I stopped inside a chocolate shop because they had really nice air conditioning and bought about a fifth of a kilo of chocolate. In my defense, that sounds like quite a bit and it really isn’t, especially if you like chocolate. 

I then found myself in the middle of a French flea market and bought a few trinkets as souvenirs. I’m not one for kitschy souvenirs if I can help it, and I have lots of fun digging around anyways. Overall, it was a nice afternoon but quite hot and I admitted defeat and went back to the comfort of my homestay.

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June 12 

More site visits! Just when I thought I knew everything about energy, there are more companies to visit. In the morning, we went to the International Energy Agency to talk to them about energy policy on the international scale. What’s been interesting to me is the developments foreseen between now and 2040. Basically, China and India are growing a lot in terms of population, which means their infrastructure has to as well. However, leaders in clean energy would really prefer if they did so using sustainable and renewable energy sources. But that’s expensive. And so the debate continues, onward and forward!

After lunch, which I found at a cute local place that sold shawarmas pressed like paninis, we headed to Schlumberger. Their site was really pretty and interesting and I appreciated getting to walk around more, rather than sit through presentations. I like exploring and learning from exposure. They have this cool software called CemSTRESS that is used to model, I think cement with a low Young’s Modulus as it undergoes different loads and such. Essentially, it’s an optimization tool which was really interesting to me. 

They were really interesting visits, and it’s always fun to see ways that I could contribute to bettering the world a little through my field (not energy, but computational engineering)

June 9

This morning’s presentations were from Amsterdam University of Applied Science and one of their partners, Alliander on Smart Cities. The idea, to my understanding, is to create a city that allows its citizens to interact with their data. For example, using smart meters that a homeowner could use to monitor their energy or water usage. There are currently lots of projects in place to help facilitate involvement and change. For example, we heard of a park that was created by a neighborhood of people who voted for it, and signed a contract to help upkeep it. Overall, I was super impressed with the level of innovation and creativity in the energy/water companies in Amsterdam, and it made me excited for a more sustainable future! 

Following the meetings and bagged lunch, we were on our own for the day. The line for the Anne Frank House was notoriously long, and as such, no one wanted to go with me. It felt really important that I should go, and so I went by myself. Two hours of standing around honestly didn’t feel like so long because Amsterdam is pretty and I had music to pass time while I people watched. 

If you’ve kept up with the last post, you’ll know I’ve been feeling poorly on this trip and today was no different. It meant I was very emotional (I say, as if I haven’t cried over a dog video before) and I cried a lot when touring the Anne Frank House. Her story is one I’ve always felt very connected to, and the weight of it all never leaves, no matter how many documentaries or movies or plays I watch. Each time is still as difficult as the last. And I think it’s important to not become desensitized to the atrocities that have afflicted people, especially as the events start to fade from our cultural memory. Anyway, doing the audio tour around the house and seeing photos of her family I’d never seen before was my favorite part of the trip, and I honestly just feel better overall for having been. 

The area that the house was in was very nice, as is all of Amsterdam so I walked around a bit and poked my nose in different shops (I got new patches for my jacket!!) I walked into a tulip museum’s gift shop and looked at all of their flowery things. Did you know tulip chocolate is a thing? If it weren’t 10 euros, I might have tried some.

I kept seeing teenagers walk around with giant Primark bags, and I got curious. Primark is, I think, an English brand and I recognize it for it’s inexpensive prices. Forever 21 and H&M are sinfully expensive in Europe, for the product they deliver. And so I went out and found the Primark and spent some time in there. The prices were really great, and I got a few things for myself and a few souvenirs! I’d worked up an appetite and so I went to McDonald’s and got a Happy Meal for the first time in a long time and called it a day. 

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June 10

We left Amsterdam today and it made me sad. After having breakfast and packing up my things, I ventured out in search of the Van Gogh museum. A few of my friends and my professor had done it the day before, and I’d heard nothing but good things about it. On my way there, I spotted three x’s on the ground. The three x’s are St. Andrew’s crosses, and the symbol of Amsterdam so they’re everywhere! They’re not associated with the red light district, as some might assume.

Just as I’d been told, the museum was fascinating! They had Van Gogh’s work laid out in chronological order and I was able to follow the story of his life through his work and small placards. I also did this alone, and it was nice to go at my own pace and listen to music as I went along. I think my favorite part was actually a separate exhibition on Parisian prints, oops!

I took my time getting back to the hotel, because I definitely didn’t want to leave. I don’t know what it was about the city, but I really enjoyed it all. The rest of the day was uneventful, which is always good when travelling! Taking the tram, a train, and a metro to get back to my Paris in homestay took all afternoon and evening and I was properly worn out from it. 

Long time, no see!! I’ve had spotty wifi while in Amsterdam. And I’ll explain how I got here!

June 6

This morning I had an early call time, and had to be out of the apartment and at our school headquarters at 7:45a AND look presentable for our company site visit! Oof. We took a metro ride over to Engie, an electric utility company that used to focus on natural gas but currently does lots of research into other types of energy. There were three separate presentations, some confusing and all of them interesting. My favorite presentation was on this small side project involving drone use to identify and clean out pipes, instead of sending a single individual. And then they use photogrammetry to map where they’ve been! One of my projects this last semester involved the use of photogrammetry for art, so my ears perked up when I heard that. Otherwise, the presentations were interesting but not necessarily a field I’m very interested in at the moment. 

We spent the morning at Engie, where I also started my period. This is probably too much information, but it’s relevant because I felt terrible and in the process of packing my bag, I forgot to move over my pain medication from my backpack. I usually have two kinds with me! And the women of Engie who were showing us around quietly banded together and found a Tylenol equivalent for me to take, and I was able to carry on after that. It’s always the humanity and kindness of people that makes an impact on me. 

After the presentations at Engie, we headed back to the school headquarters and broke off for a lunch break and met back up at 3p at the Musee des Artes et Mertiers, a scientific/engineering based museum. It was really interesting and featured the historical side of inventions such as the loom. We had a really funny tour guide who quizzed us on things we didn’t know. I cut this visit short, because Tylenol only works for so long on me. 

On my way home, it started to rain. Actually, it was hailing too. And I was so tired and crampy that I just decided to take out my umbrella and power through it when I got out of the metro. So, I soaked my flats inside and out and by the time I got home I had tiny ice pieces stuck to the bottom of my feet. In a day, I managed to start my period at a major company site visit, got hail in my shoes, and they day before had my card eaten by an ATM and was told at lunchtime that the technician hadn’t come in that day so I could retrieve my card. Truly, when it rains it pours. Or hails, in this case. (A bit of a spoiler, it all works out in the end!)

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June 7

We had a late start day, luckily, after our early call time yesterday. I met up with my group for one of our big projects and got some details hammered out. And the lecture was really informal, just a debrief of the site visit from yesterday. And then, about five minutes before leaving to our metro-train-tram journey to Amsterdam, our program director pulled me aside and told me the bank had gotten my card out of the ATM! Literally in the knick of time, I was able to go to Amsterdam with more than 40 Euros in my pocket. Yay! (For the record, my TA had committed to helping me if need be, although I really didn’t want to need her help!) 

We’re in Amsterdam for a few days for some energy company visits! Yes, more of them. It’s pretty exciting, even though at this point, I still didn’t know much about who were were meeting with. We all took our backpacks and carry-on sized suitcases and travelled the metro, and definitely didn’t look like tourists. :-) After we made it to the train station, I picked up a meal for the road that’s been my favorite in Paris so far -- a sandwich and Orangina, a type of orange fizzy drink. Think Fanta, but less sugar. 

The journey itself was unremarkable on my end, because I slept most of it! Ha ha! And then I woke up in Amsterdam (more like AmsterDAMN am I right??) and we left the train station and quickly found our Dutch program coordinator. It was a lovely change, even though as soon as I stepped out of the station I was greeted by the smell of West Campus (weed, I’m referring to weed.) We used the metro to head to the hotel which was super cute! Amsterdam is all very cute, and everyone is tall and rides bicycles. I’m not kidding. 

Later, we had dinner as a group which was interesting! We’ve all had different sites to see and so my plans haven’t matched up with many people’s. It was nice getting to know people. I had a very fancy meal, and they were very good about accommodating my food allergy. I had veal! It was great, and very different from French food that I guess i’m used to at this point. We walked around and took an impromptu tour around the area. It was still light out, even though it was past 10p. After wrapping up the tour, I headed back home and crashed out because there was an early start time!! 

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June 8

After complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we headed off to start the bike tour. We had this older, Dutch lady named Wilma who was our guide. She was actually insane. Nah, not really but she definitely didn’t go easy on us. Everyone says Amsterdam is flat and it’s easy to cycle there, yet Wilma found all the weird hills and dirt roads and cobblestones for us to ride over. She’d periodically stop, explain the significance of wherever we were, and would promptly return to the road without so much as a glance as us. There were a few times where people were left behind because we’d cross a busy intersection, and Wilma was not happy to wait. It also began to rain! I put on my poncho early, but we also lost people who were left behind putting on their raincoats. Otherwise, it was a very nice and scenic tour and I’m glad I got the full Dutch cycling experience (rain, busy traffic, holding a stroopwafel with one hand and trying to steer with the other, etc). 

After the morning bike tour, we went back to the hotel and had bagged lunches and then walked over to the University of Amsterdam for the beginning of the company visits. We had a presentation from Waternet, a Dutch water company for Amsterdam and the surrounding areas. It was really interesting to see the innovations they’ve had to come up with, as Amsterdam sits on former swampland and rains increase by the year. Following them, we listened to a speaker from Amsterdam’s Advanced Metropolitan Solutions Institute, which was also interesting! Definitely my favorite presentation, because our speaker went into detail about De Ceuvel, a project in Amsterdam meant to help reclaim land heavily polluted from shipping. I liked this presentation because we’d stopped by De Ceuvel on our bike tour, so I was familiar with the project.

Following hours of presentations, we were left free to wander the city and grab dinner. I walked around on my own in search of a pharmacy, because I was almost out of pain meds and I wasn’t doing so hot that day (yay, periods). In the process of exploring a little, I picked up some stroopwafel from a local grocery store. Stroopwafel is a thin waffle filled with caramel, honey, or other syrup. It’s delicious, and egg-free! After finding my favorite dessert, I found actual food at a local pizzeria and it was lovely. 

From there, I met up with a few friends and we traipsed the red light district together. It’s a bit of a risqué topic, but more than anything the area was very touristy. I saw lots of ladies and smelled a lot of smells, but otherwise it was not as intense as I’d imagined. I’ve definitely seen more promiscuity in movies or in advertisements. It was an experience for sure, but I wasn’t left scarred or shocked by any means. Definitely glad to have experienced a little of it, though! When we were down walking around (there are only so many windows and so many novelty shops to stop at), we walked back to the hotel for a good night’s rest. 

More to come!

Bonjour!!

June 3

Way back when, I was once in Paris and made it to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa in her tight lipped, smug glory. But that’s about all I remembered. Today, I got to go back and explore more of the famous museum. We left late in the morning and walked around in search of the Mona Lisa (not for me, but for my friends who wanted to see her.) And so, we set off on an adventure that really shouldn’t have been an adventure. We had a map. But the floors are divided a bit funny and so it was a feat to finally go see her.

On our way there, we made our way through ancient sculptures. I’m really great at appreciating art, as you can see. I wish I knew more, but all the placards were in French! Ha! One of my favorite exhibits was the bit on Islamic art, because I didn’t need as much of an explanation for those.

After touring the museum for a few hours, we made our way to find lunch and go thrift shopping. Lunch was a panini, and thrift shopping never happened per se. The thrift shops were closed, as it’s Pentecost weekend. But funny story, I ran out of shirts today. I expected to do more laundry and wear sweaters. But it’s been mostly hot!! Today is the first day I felt chilly. So, two Zara Kids shirts are allowing me to out off laundry a little longer.

Dinner followed shopping, at a pizzeria near our headquarters. Most of our students were there, since it was set up by our coordinator. I had margherita pizza, my FAVE. My friend was also in Paris for the weekend from Metz, where she’s doing research. So I met up with her at a bar/pub place in Odeon, which was really pretty.

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June 4

I’m Catholic and I thought that “International Mass” at Notre Dame meant that parts would be in English. Ha. Ha. No! That would be too easy. We we’re given little sheets with the readings in English, French, and Spanish with parts in Latin. It was a really nice mass, but the organ playing at the beginning and end were incredibly ominous and freaked me out. After mass, I went to Musee D’Orsay because the first Sunday of the month is free.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I liked Musee D’Orsay MUCH more than the Louvre. The Louvre had a focus on Renaissance and older art/ art history, whereas D’Orsay was more Realist, Impressionist, Romantic, etc. I got to see a George Seurat! He’s been one of my favorite painters since I was eight, because I just thought pointilism was hella cool.

I also got to see an incredible Monet exhibit that featured Van Gogh’s as well. I saw some Rodin as well! And a Picasso! And A Burial at Ornans by Courbet! Overall, it was such a nice collection and didn’t feel overwhelming. I think it’s obvious I liked this museum more.

Sunday night, we had another school sponsored dinner at a creperie. I had like, curry and applesauce because crepe’s contain eggs and the batter’s pre made. :-( It’s okay, it was really good applesauce.

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June 5

This morning, we had presentations on book summaries we prepared by chapter. I didn’t expect to feel nervous, but I guess I did. It went well, though! Every day this week, I’ve seen something new in France and it just finally caught up to me. After school ended, I went to my homestay and took a nap and did some much needed laundry.

Bonjour!!

June 1

Today we had class and grabbed paninis at a nearby cafe. They’re quickly becoming my favorite thing, because they’re quick and cheap and can be taken on the go. I’ve also tried Orangina, an orange fizzy drink similar to Fanta. It’s quite nice. I’ve taken to trying every food and drink I can!

After paninis, we made our way to the metro and headed towards the Eiffel Tower. I’ve been here before, but it’s either been re-done on the ground floor or I completely misremembered it. Or both! The floor just beneath the tower is concrete, and I’m not quite sure why I remember grass.

Lines everywhere were really long (ha ha I don’t know what I was expecting!) which wasn’t terrible except for the fact that it was so hot! It’s important to understand that it never reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but the lack of air conditioning anywhere had made it difficult to cope. But we made it to the second floor of the tower, and a breeze picked up and it was nice. The sun helped the tower cast a really cool shadow over the trees.

So, I have a pretty strong fear of heights. It’s not quite a fear of heights, but more of a fear of falling. Roller coasters are fine, but going to the very top of the Eiffel Tower and then looking down through the fencing? Not as fine. Apparently she’s about 300 meters tall, which is substantial.

After waiting in line again for more tickets and to get to the top, we made it!! Despite my reservations about falling, I trusted the civil engineers who designed it and sat on the railing for a picture. It really is very necessary, as there are tons of people even at the top. Lots of oblivious tourists, poor parents with strollers, and loving couples sucking face. A little elbow push never hurt nobody.

And here’s the view! I’m not sure what was nicer, the view or the beautiful, cold wind swishing about. I had a heavy backpack with me and I’d smartly (not!!) worn a black shirt and jeans so I was quite sweaty and tired. But overlooking the Seine, everything was alright.

After stopping for ice cream and granitas, my roommate and I made our way back to our homestay for dinner. I originally wanted to do a bit more, but things take longer than anticipated and I tire out like a little kid. Besides, it’s nice to spend time with my home mom. She’s a retired English teacher and is incredibly intelligent, so she makes great conversation. Others are fortunate but not so lucky as I am, and can’t quite talk about more than basics with their home families. So, it’s nice.

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June 2

Today was my first full day in Paris without schooling! I definitely love the course so far, and have been learning a bit about ethics. I like the actual academics, I’m just not a fan of the building. It’s pretty warm and doesn’t have air conditioning.

Anyways! My roommate and two friends and I decided to hit up the Palace of Versaille today. It only took a two metros, a tram, and a bus to get there. It was also quite warm today (why am I surprised????) and also had the chance of rain. But as you can see, there were no rain clouds in sight when we arrived.

We were told to pick something to visit, rather than try to do the entire grounds. I think that was a smart thing to do! As you can see, the palace is very ornate and the inside was just as pretty. This chateau is where King Louis XIV had moved the royal family and stuff to, instead of keeping royal affairs in Paris. So, we just toured the palace.

From what I could gather (I’m not big on French royal history, or any royal history for that matter) King Louis was just really extra. I can’t imagine living in a place like Versailles. It’s so big, and looks fragile. It was very interesting though to walk around and look at all the paintings. I’m always up for making up stories for the people depicted.

I think this was my favorite part. It reminds me of the Vatican, and its Sistine Chapel. The dork in me is probably more excited about the Corinthian columns, though (shout out to Calvert!!)

After several hours of walking around, we decided to call it quits and look for food. I was absolutely starving. But it’s okay, because paninis never fail me (jambon et mozzarella = trés bien)! The Palace had also kicked up dirt, or otherwise had too many flowers because my allergies began to really be a pain. On my way back home, I practiced French and asked for allergy medicine. I’m not convincing by any means but I think the broken French inspires sympathy, which was really all I needed.

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So, I’m in Paris and this is French farmland.

I’m here for a month on a study abroad program called a Maymester (get it? it combines the words May and semester ha ha!) studying engineering communication. It’s a required course for all engineering majors to take, and one that I’ve liked so far. Our professor recommended journaling this month to remember it. She never said I had to do it on paper!

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May 29

I took three planes to get to Paris at around 7:30 in the morning. Besides the fun farmland photo, I didn’t document that part. It was uneventful, which is really good. I met my TA and French coordinator at the airport along with some other students, and from there we went straight to the international school headquarters. We were packed into three vans, in which I remembered that air conditioning is not very popular here. Yikes. I had to ride facing backwards and the van was full of smelly boys. But I managed to snap a few photos on the ride!

From there, we had orientation and lunch. We grabbed sandwiches at a local cafe and it might have been the jet lag and disorientation, but it was sinfully delicious. Then, we took taxis in twos to our homestays. That’s another thing, I’m not staying in a tiny Parisian apartment with three other girls. I’m staying in a tiny Parisian apartment with a lovely older French woman instead! Her name is Isabelle and she’s a retired English teacher. I lucked out, some people were placed with families who barely speak English! This way, she can still teach me French if she’d like (though I’ve gotten very good at explaining my food allergy in French!) but otherwise she can also communicate with me in English. We had a lovely dinner, and I passed out when it was still daylight outside. In my defense, it was 9:30 pm.

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May 30

Our first class day was a full one! No easing into it at all. One of the homestay moms took me and two other girls to the school center via metro. I’m so thankful for it, because it was a 45 minute commute and involved a transfer. I’m great at riding metros... but in French? Not so much. I’m technically not in Paris at all, which explains the long journey. I’m in Issy-les-Moulineaux just outside.

The morning was uneventful, besides, you know, class and all. The focus of the class is on energy (which is not my field, but it’s what I get for taking a mechanical engineering course) and we’ve already begun a collaborative project. From 9am to 1pm we have class, and after we were free to forage for food and encourage to try new things. I went with two other students to wander, and we stumbled upon a cute little cafe where no one spoke English. I had a boring salad (and if you know me, you know I don’t eat salads) but also successfully avoided an allergy trigger so I think it was a win!

In the afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the Latin Quarter. For the uninformed (aka, me!), the name doesn’t come from the fact that its residents eat tapas and dance flamenco. Rather, this is a very academic area where universities taught in Latin. Featured below is a picture of Paris 3, one of the branches of the University of Paris. It’s alright. In my opinion, it could use a nice tower and football field but that’s just me.

One of the things I’ve had to get used to about Europe again is the interweaving of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. I thought I jaywalked a lot on campus! But Europeans, and maybe in particular Parisians, take it to a new level. If the car is ten feet away, it’s fine to walk. Seriously.

As part of our walking tour, we passed by the Pantheon. It used to be a church, but is now a secular mausoleum and houses distinguished dead French people, like Marie Curie.

We also walked through the Jardin du Luxembourg, a really big garden. Okay, it’s more than a really big garden. It was created in the early 1600s by Marie de’Medici. Apparently, she insisted on having lots of sculptures of women, which I thought was great. It was pointed out that UT campus, by contrast, only has one statue of a woman, and it was placed only three years ago. Vive les femmes!

If it seems like we saw a lot on our tour, it’s because we did. We walked for three hours. Then we had a light dinner and headed to a boat tour! Pictured below is a gate full of love locks. It’s not THE place, it’s just where you take your side piece. Kidding! Kidding. There were men frantically trying to get us to purchase things around this area. One man had love locks for the happy couples, and fidget spinners for all the single people.

An hour of cruising around the Seine of course had to include the Eiffel Tower! Look at her, so pointy and metallic. (If you’re wondering if I took other pictures on the boat tour, I did! But for brevity they’re not here. Rest assured I’ll visit everything separately and post pictures then.)

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May 31

After school, I headed to the Notre Dame de Paris. I’ve been working on getting my bearings in this city. It hasn’t been easy because I’m easily disoriented, but I’m slowly learning the metro system. At first, the map looks like a pile of colored spaghetti except it’s also terrifying. I’ve also learned that my gut feeling when it comes to direction is so-so. It’s all fine, I made it to the cathedral, if a little sweaty.

A look inside the church was marvelous. I’m a big fan of stained glass windows, and any places featured in Disney movies.

Outside, I just watched the tourists go by. We really are very funny, and very, very obvious. One thing I’ve liked about Paris is the abundance of flowers. They grow everywhere, they’re sold everywhere, and my nose tells me that they’re everywhere too.

After touring the Notre Dame, I walked across the Seine to look for ice cream. Can I just say how cool it is to say that? I walked across this beautiful and famous river in search of some gelato. I’ve noticed that people will sit on the edge and just talk or eat. It freaks me out, because I’m very worried someone will fall into the river (me, I’m worried that I in particular will fall in).

I’m working on improving my selfie game, too. We’ll see how good I am by the end.

The sought after ice cream did happen. I was originally in search of the oldest ice cream shop in Paris, but in true French fashion, it was closed (kidding!!!) Luckily, a shop just across the street was also selling ice cream. What are the odds? I am proud to say I ordered so convincingly in French that the man behind the counter tried to keep talking to me in French. Unfortunately, when that happened, my gig was up. I ordered a scoop of violet ice cream, but it definitely tasted like strawberry. Delicious all the same! I ate ice cream overlooking the Seine (ahhh!!!) and made my way home for dinner and, to my dismay, homework.

More to come soon!

Rainy and Cher

Get it? Like Sonny and Cher? This definitely made more sense when about two hours before these pictures were taken, it was actually raining. And I’m no Cher (I can only dream) but I have been channelling her iconic long haired, middle-part hairdo. I never thought I’d like having my hair parted down the middle, but with a little flat iron finagling, it’s not too bad. Today’s outfit was casual, as per the student life. I’ve been loving these high waisted jeans lately, although I do run into the age old problem of them fitting my legs + butt and being too big around the waist.  But that’s okay, because that’s what belts are for. To help accentuate my waist more, I tied my tee in a knot. Anybody who knows me is familiar with the fact that I tend to make all my clothes smaller, with tied knots and rolled up sleeves and cinched in waists and scissors to hemlines and needles to waistbands. It’s just part of my deal, ya know? Today was a really pretty day and I’m glad I got to capture part of it. 

Until next time, 

Winter, Don’t Leave

Hey y’all!

Today’s outfit is my pitiful attempt at reclaiming the winter months from the clutches of global warming. I figure, if I just keep the wintry color scheme going, maybe I can stop summer from happening too soon. It’s too late though, we’ve already hit the low 90s this week in February. In any case, I also just wanted to wear my new burnt orange button down. I’m not super into school spirit, but I do think this pumpkin hue is flattering on me, so hey. Sue me. It’s from American Apparel and I got it for dirt cheap, because they’re closing. So really, all of my day has been highlighting two separately sad events of different magnitudes, hahaha. Anyway, the rest of the outfit involves earthy tones to compliment the focal point that is my button down tee. I also tied it at my waist to help cinch in my middle and do away with the awkward boxy cut. And, of course, I thew on some gold accessories, because why not?

- Lucero