The title of this post is one of my favorite French songs that’s super jazzy and just sounds like a cliche love story movie that takes place in Paris. Probably why I love it so much. I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon walking around the city by myself, a date with me and my favorite companion, Pair-ee. I mention this song because I brought my iPod with me, listening to some of my favorite French and jazz music. I pretty much had my own soundtrack to my afternoon. Where’s Woody Allen when you need him?

I started out at Sainte Chapelle on l’Ile de la Cite, which is right next to Notre Dame. I chose yesterday to go see this super famous church because it is known for its breathtaking stained-glass windows. The entire church’s walls are made out of them, and each specific window contains different images that can be “read” like a story. I didn’t bother to spend the time there to try and decipher each one with my neck careened back looking up at them, but I could easily look all of them up online and find out what they mean. I was so taken aback by this little hidden gem of a place that not very many people talk about. But it is pretty old (1200s, by Paris standards), and is one of the most-restored places of the 19th Century. I have uploaded my favorite picture I took from my outing onto my page.

From there, I walked past les marches aux fleurs on l’Ile de la Cite, which were swamped with people crowded around the cages on cages of birds. I continued along and went to Pont de l’Archeveque, which is one of the bridges in Paris completely taken over by “lover’s locks.” People have started to put locks on bridges all around the city now, due to the popularity of Pont des Arts, which is famous for that reason. Since I don’t have a “lover,” I’m putting the one lock I have, one that I have been using for my hostel trips, on the bridge with one my friends right before we leave. How romantic…

From there, I walked along the other side of the Seine, the right bank. I walked pretty far down, until I saw signs for la Bastille, where I turned and walked up to le Bassin de l’Arsenal, a port. I stayed there for awhile and took a ton of pictures, while listening to people playing guitar or sitting on their boat decks enjoying the afternoon.

I walked a bit further up, with my goal to reach Pere Lachaise, a cemetery, but I got tired and took the metro back home, since I had to cook dinner for Madame.

For “Diner a la Sasha” I made risotto with marscepone and porcini mushrooms, salmon, and a mache salad. She made the apple tart dessert, and both of us together had a fabulous meal. I wanted to cook for my host mom after going to Le Cordon Bleu, and she said she would be happy to buy all the ingredients as long as I cooked! I was more than happy to do it. But last night she came into the kitchen about 30 minutes in, and decided to instruct me on how to do it,  just like my dad enjoys doing in our kitchen… I felt like I was right at home!

Someone from my program who is spending the year here asked me about my host mom because she wants to change families next semester. Today, I found out she got placed with my host granny, and I have to say, it made me feel bittersweet knowing that I will soon be replaced by another student and that I am, in fact, leaving. I will miss my host mom a lot, I know. She is so kind and easy-going and I feel truly blessed that I got so lucky to stay with her.

After my first Thanksgiving away from home, I was feeling a little homesick, but I know that the next 3 weeks or so will fly by. I still have so much to do before then!

Happy monday, ya’ll!

Last night I had a long conversation with a school friend, telling me how homesick she has started to feel. It’s not even wanting to go back to Santa Clara, where we haven’t been for almost 6 months now, but more of America-sick. I have started to feel that vibe from a lot of people now, and I have mixed feelings about homesickness myself.

I normally don’t see my family or go home for months at a time. I normally squeeze every last opportunity I can to do something crazy or go somewhere or see old friends, and often times, I don’t see my home for more than 3 months. So being here hasn’t been all that out of the ordinary for me; I can’t fly home any chance I want anyways, so being halfway across the world isn’t that different, is it?

Only, I forgot how much time difference sucks. WiFi makes for communication a lot simpler and comforting, but that doesn’t always fix things. When I go to bed at night, it’s still afternoon at home. When I wake up in the morning, everyone I know is going to sleep. The 9-hour time difference is a lot harder over a 4-month period of time, and that, I have come to understand well, doesn’t stop being difficult.

I don’t want to leave Paris, but I also wish my family could come here. I want the best of both worlds, and I know it’s impossible. I know the honeymoon stage of my abroad experience is rapidly ending, but I still discover new things I love about this city every day. I feel like 3 months is only just enough time to dip your toe in the water and figure a place out, and now I feel like this is my home, and I’m not ready to part ways.

After the first time I went to New York with my sister, I always said I would end up living there. But once I got back home to Seattle, I could never imagine living in a big city. Paris is like a smaller version of New York, except this time, I KNOW I could live there.

Being in Paris for Thanksgiving this year is going to be bittersweet, but I have a friend from home coming in town to join our little IES dinner, and I have to say, I’m excited. We’ll have to see how the French live up to a proper Turkey Day meal. I have high expectations. As most families do, we normally go around the table and say one thing we’re thankful for, which is one of my favorite things about this glorious national obesity holiday. This year, I’m most thankful for my parents, who are not the most traditional of sorts, never being ones to make extravagant days out of birthdays or give lots of presents at holidays, but one of the best gifts they ever gave me was letting me follow my heart. They never (really) told me “no” and always told me that as long as I found a way, I could do whatever I wanted. Their support has carried me to places across the world, that only some people could ever dream of visiting. I’m here in Paris, my real-life dream come true, and I am so very very happy. So, mom and dad, I know you’re not with me, but I’m thankful for you this week, Thanksgiving day, and (mostly) all other days.

I hope everyone has a very (ful)filling Thanksgiving day, don’t forget your stretchy pants, and let your food babies shine. Love to all!

le grand roue de Paris, a photo by sashalsommer on Flickr.

Go to the flickr page to see all the rest!

Tonight I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine – to take a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu de Paris. On Tuesday night I was feeling a little defeated after having attempted, and failed miserably, to make a crepe on the professional machine they use while at a group outing for IES. Needless to say I will not be going into the crepe-making industry.

When I was growing up, watching the food channel didn’t really count as “TV time” so you can guess what I watched most of the time. One of our favorite family sayings makes fun of Jacques Pepin’s slogan “Happy cooking” (ap-ee coo-keeng), but with his funny French accent we always made it sound like “Happy pooping!” Real mature, over there in the Sommer household. Anyways, with my family’s love of cooking, I too, found myself watching Julia Child and Jacques tear it up together in the kitchen and I introduced my family to our number one fave Italian hottie Giada de Laurentiis which I watched every day after school.

I get really sad thinking a lot of my peers don’t know how to cook, because for me, it just seems pretty simple. In fact, I feel like cooking is a lot easier than baking in a lot of ways. It just takes having an understanding for the basics. What you don’t need a lot of the time, is an actual recipe. It’s a creative adventure all the time, and as my French chef said, requires not only your nose and mouth to sense the food, but your ears as well.

One of my all time favorite Disney Pixar movies was Ratatouille, not only because it was based in Paris, but also because the entire movie revolved around food. Jacques Gusteau’s phrase “Anyone can cook” really rings true for me – I think that if you have the capacity to learn (and taste), you CAN cook. I don’t think I can cook as well as say, my dad, but I know what tastes good, and I’m always willing to try something new.

Tonight’s class was actually a food demonstration, since a lot of the cooking classes for these few months were either all-day courses or 200 euro (and/or full already), so I took what I could get and signed myself up for the “Chef’s Secrets.” The class was taught in French but with an English translator. That was weird. There are still a lot of names of foods I don’t know, but when I see them I can easily figure out what they were, so for me, having the French translator was pointless and bizarre to hear the same thing being said twice. My friend and I also noticed that her French accent was sub-par when she was translating questions back to the Chef for him to answer. I could probably do that job… with free meals as a bonus!

What the chef demonstrated for us was a chicken leg stuffed with a white-meat chicken filet pureed with cream and egg whites and mixed with chanterelle mushrooms, cooked over a bed of fresh vegetables, and with a reduction of the juices as a sauce. On the side we had a simple risotto made with marscapone and more mushrooms. It was divine.

This is one time where I can say that I have learned a lot from TV. Parents – listen up! It’s true. My years of watching the Food Network have taught me a lot. Jacques and Julia, two of the greatest TV food personalities, along with Giada, taught me a lot about being myself while cooking. I don’t think I’ll ever have the patience to go to cooking school, but for now, taking clases here and there is enough for me. I did go to cooking camp once in 8th grade… I had a really cool outfit too.

Well, that’s one thing I can cross off the bucket list. I hope to go back again soon, considering I live about a five minute walk from LCB I guess I have no excuse not to!

In honor of all those food lovers, I wish you happy cooking, bon appetit, and best dishes from my kitchen to yours!