Christmas Is Upon Us-Parisian Style

I believe again. I believe Santa Clause exists. I believe little elves work in Santa's factory and help put together all of our presents. I believe in Christmas again.

I'm not necessarily a fan of Christmas. My favorite holiday is hands down Thanksgiving. I think this is because I'm an adult. I know what I'm getting for Christmas, and most of the time, I don't even want nor need anything.  At home, we eat  dinner together on Christmas eve and then watch movies. Nothing special. I think the next time I'll probably enjoy Christmas will be when I have a family of my own. NYE is not much better either.

Nonetheless, up to this point, NYC had set the bar for what Christmas should be like. NYC is, without a doubt, a magical place around Christmas. The tree located at the Rockefeller Center, the ice skating rink or the window displays on Fifth Avenue can easily brighten your day. That's a pretty high bar, if you ask me.

However, Christmas in Paris is the real deal. There is a Christmas market or Les Villages De Noel located in Champ Elysse. It is a magical place. There are dozens of booths along the main road leading to the Arc de Triomphe. Did I mention it is a magical place? A Santa Clause here, a reindeer there, an elf over here. It makes you feel like a kid again. Most importantly, everyone is in a happy mood there. I vouch for that. Kids running around, enjoying the small mechanical zoo. Adults eating churros with Nutella, and other adults sipping on hot wine. Magical.

It goes without saying that Paris also cares about their environmental footprint. There is a wind turbine installed in the center of Champ Elysse and many solar panels that one could only assume help create all the electricity needed to power up all the  Christmas lights. Very thoughtful of them. Good job, Paris!

The City of Lights Remains Dimmed

The last time I lived through a major tragedy was in 2001, when El Salvador was struck by three big earthquakes that killed almost 1000 people. That was a natural disaster. Today in Paris, we mourn all the victims who died at the hands of ISIS. This is a terrorist attack.

It is very difficult to comprehend what happened here last night. It has been reported that 127 people have been confirmed dead with almost 200 more people injured. To think that 127 families will receive news that their loved ones were murdered while they innocently attended a concert at Bataclan or shared drinks with their friends at Le Petit Cambodge is heartbreaking. But to me, the hardest thing to understand is that the shooting that took place at the local restaurant in the 10th district is just around the corner from my regular bar. My friends and I go there every weekend and throughout the week, religiously. I was supposed to meet a few friends there last night, but I was asked to babysit at the last minute. After I heard the news last night, I couldn't sleep. The calls and messages started to pour in (which I appreciate it) and then it was very hard to close my eyes. It was also very hard to stay at home when I could have been out there helping people in any way.

Now, I sit here, and I try to imagine my family's reaction if they had received some horrible news like the families of those 127 victims-- it is impossible. It is impossible to understand the pain and suffering all those affected by this tragedy are going through. Moreover, It is also impossible to put into perspective the hate someone must have in their hearts to want to kill so many innocent people. I woke up this morning knowing that Paris was not a safe place anymore. This is an opinion shared by many Parisians at this time.

I decided to go into the city today to see what it was like after last night's tragedy. Paris was unrecognizable. There was so much pain and sadness in everyone's face. You could also feel it in the air. Many restaurants and businesses were closed as per the  declared "state of emergency"by Francois Hollande, President of France. The borders have been closed also. This is to prevent anyone from leaving the country. The city that once shined bright is now a dark place. The Eiffel Tower is closed. Its lights are off in honor of those who died. The booths at the Christmas market in Champs-Elysees are all closed. There is far less people wondering the streets, but there is heavy presence from the French military and the police department. Paris has dimmed its lights today.

#PrayForParis

Memorial outside of  Bataclan Theatre. 

A Day in Paris

Blogging from: Vaucresson, France.

I woke up this morning around 9am. I slept at Lisa's place last night. Finally some grown up time! This place is more calm and not so hectic as the rest of the city. That part of the city is called Alfortville. I believe this is just outside of Paris. Left Lisa's place around 10 and there was something in the air that just made me want to walk around. When you look past the amount of people, the cars and restaurants, you can really appreciate how beautiful this place really is. I think my favorite part about the city is how those buildings from the 1800's are still standing. It is such an innovative city yet, there is still that vibe that makes you want to imagine how it was like to live in Paris during Louis XIV's reign.

Anyway, after walking a good 50 minutes, I ended up in a town called Mairie d'Ivry. This is the first stop of the Metro line 7.  I hopped on the metro to head over to the center of Paris, which is somewhere around Louvre. Once in the city centre, I decided it was time to get some breakfast. As you might imagine, coffee was on the menu. On a unrelated note, Salvadorans tend to drink lots of coffee throughout the day, but the amount of coffee French people drink is unprecedented. I grabbed an espresso and a croissant from a local shop. This is heaven! I wonder around Louvre for a few hours. I have walked around these streets what seems to be hundreds of time already. I was staying at a hostel just around the corner from the museum. However, I am still amazed at how magnificent everything is.

A quick history lesson here, the Louvre museum is located in the Louvre Palace, which was the residence of Philip II in the 12th century. The structure has been demolished a couple of times and also, for a short time, Napoleon Bonaparte renamed the museum after himself. It was called Musée Napoleon. Nonetheless, the museum itself has been opened since 1793. Although, the glass pyramid is a relatively modern structure, the buildings that house the art work are hundreds of years old.

As I was saying, I was craving some more history so I thought about going to the museum. Louvre is the most visited museum in the world so you can imagine the long lines in the morning. Today was no exception. After seen the long lines, which I believe were a couple hundred people waiting for the place to open, I got discouraged and decided to just keep walking. I walked down to McDonald's found under the museum. There is small mall under Louvre where you can find a small structure of the original Louvre Palace from the medieval times. Though it was a beautiful day out, I could not pass up the opportunity of getting free wifi. The struggle is real here!

After catching up on my email and the news, I continued my journey. This time I headed to Champ Elysees. For lack of a better term, this is where the rich people live in Paris. This is also where you find the Arc de Triomphe. I like and don't like this place. It is a very modern area. You can easily find stories for every social class here. What I like most about this area is that it is one long road with many stores, hotels, apartments, and at the end of the road you find the Arc de Triomphe, which connects many other small roads. It feels like a great price after walking for so long. Nonetheless, this area is very busy. There are so many people and cars around this part of the city. It is still beautiful.
I check my phone and I realize that it is almost 4 pm. I decided that I would end my day with some Mexican food and then head home. I have tried several mexican restaurants around the city, but I am yet to find a really good one. Mexican food in the U.S. is so much better!. I take the metro line 8 to go to this small Mexican place called El Nopal. It is a to-go place. There is no place to sit unless you would like to sit on the curve, which is what i do all the time. Not only is Mexican food not good in Paris, but it is also expensive. This place, however, is relatively cheap. I have three tacos and some guacamole. Ehh it's good enough, I guess.

 I finally decide to go home, so I take metro line 14 to St. Lazare metro station. This is one the biggest metro stations in the city. It connects to the suburbs of Paris and other parts of France. The train I must take to go back home is line L. It runs every 30 minutes. I am in luck because the train will be departing in 7 minutes. I grab a bottle of water from a vending machine while I wait. After a few minutes of waiting, we depart the station to go home. On the way out of the city, you can see the Eiffel Tower from a distance. I always make sure to sit on the side of the train closest to the window so I can see it from the train. As the train keeps moving, the tower becomes harder and harder to see...and then it disappears....

Free Museum Sunday

Today is a happy day for a lot of people. On the first Sunday of the month, the city offers free entry to many museums around Paris. I think being able to go to a museum for free is probably one of the coolest things the city offers. Can you imagine being able to enter the world's most visited museum Louvre for free and other great museums, such as Musée d'Orsay or Picasso Museum. Although, the museums are not so expensive, I would rather visit them when I don't have to pay anything. Now, museums in Paris already attract thousands of people a day on any given day, so expect even longer lines lines to enter on the days museums are free.

There are a few tricks  I've learned in order to survive free museum Sunday in Paris. First, I arrived at the museum hours after it opened. Most of the people decide to get in line minutes before the museum opens, which to be honest, I don't agree with. Clearly, everyone else has the same thought, so although, you're expecting to be the first ones there, you really encounter a bunch of people waiting in line already. I suggest you arrive hours later. I personally get to any museum around noon, The lines have been relatively small at that time. Furthermore, because of the amount of people visiting the museums on this day, I recommend you visit the exhibitions you are most interested in before you walk around the entire museum. For example, at Louvre, it took me around 30 to 40 minutes to be able to walk through the different rooms to see the Mona Lisa. There were so many people waiting in line, but since it was one of most important paintings I really didn't mind waiting that long. Afterwards, I visited other rooms, such as the Napoleon Apartments ( relatively empty rooms), the sarcophagus and Egyptian exhibitions, and French paintings from 18th century. Once I had visited the exhibitions I was interested in, I continued to visit the rest of the museum. I was not in a rush because I had already covered the important parts, in my opinion. Though, a little exhausting after dealing with some many people in one day, I say it was a successful day. In the end, I can say I survived Free Museum Sunday.  

Click here for a list of all the free museums available on the first Sunday of every month.

Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch

The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David

            

 

Great Sphinx of Tanis

Observing the Cultural Differences

Blogging From: Vaucresson, France.

When I started this blog I told myself that I was going to write about those things people don't tell you about when you travel. For example, no one ever told me, not even the internet, that being robbed is so common in Paris. Moreover, no one ever mentioned the fact that Parisians are not very nice. For that reason, this post is dedicated to comparing some of the things that have attracted my attention in the American and European( French) culture. I would like to say that this post is not intended to offend anyone, but I am merely translating what I observe on the day-to-day.

I have been fascinated with the way races interact in France. I was born in a country where race doesn't mean much. I mean, we are Salvadorans, Ticos, Hondurans, etc., but most importantly, we are Central Americans or Hispanic. There has never been a big debate about who is what. Then, I arrived in United States at a very younger age, 14, and witnessed a different world. Race is such a taboo topic in America that people refuse to discuss it because they don't want to hurt others. Furthermore, being Hispanic, Black, Asian, etc., means that you're a minority, which to be honest, I still don't even understand what that means. I don't understand why you would label another person a minority or to be less than someone else. No one is ever less than the next person. Personally, I have never felt offended or considered myself a "minority". This is because I have done a fair share of things that people my own age, gender or even race have yet to accomplish. I work hard for what I want. Yes, I have failed at many, many, MANY things. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't label myself. I have never used the excuse that I'm Hispanic or that I am girl to justify some of the things I haven't done or received. I believe that if you work hard, you will reach your goal. So far, it has worked.

It's very interesting to see that in France race is not a taboo. Everyone hangs out with everyone. You don't get the question "Are you Mexican?", which still amazes me. I never really took offense to the Mexican jokes. Whoever knows me knows this is actually true. In France, I get the "what country are you from?", or if someone hears my accent, they immediately ask if I am from the United States. What's even better is the fact that you don't really see the cliques. Here, you see a group of people from different races. This is something I have yet to witnessed in the USA (with frequency). In the U.S., I mostly see people from the same race sticking together, whether it is in a neighborhood, school, or even in meetings. For example, I have seen that in a room full of people, African Americans or Hispanics, or even whites, feel an immediate attraction to their own people, even if they don't know each other. And then there is me, who has been hanging out with everyone as long as they meet my criteria for a friend. I can't say I like everyone. As some of you have seen, I am very selective of who I become friends with.

Moreover, something that also attracts my attention is the communication. We all know Americans are known for using the phrase "This is America, speak American"...Sarah Palin. No, the real phrase is "This is America, speak English". Having been on both ends of this phrase, I completely understand. I once arrived in the United States without knowing a word of English, so clearly, I would stick with what I knew, which was Spanish. I spoke to my family in Spanish in front of others that couldn't understand me. I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I couldn't speak English. Now I understand where people are coming from when they ask you to speak English. It is kind of rude to speak another language around those who cannot understand you. In France, however, it's a different story. You hear so many different languages every day that it is almost like you assume the person you just met speaks another language besides French or English. Pretty cool stuff. You hear many languages on the street or on the metro and no one seems to take offense to it. Now, I'm not French, so I'm not sure if this is how it actually works, but this is how I see it as an outsider.

Everything is Lost....Stolen

So......to make the long story short, someone open my backpack on the Metro on Friday and stole my wallet. My credit cards, green card, passport, money, and everything else you could think of is gone. I have been leaving off some cash my mom sent me (Love Her) while fighting an uphill battle to recover all my important documents.

The day of,  I suffered a few panic attacks, cried like a little bitch and decided that I really don't like France. It was more like hate, but now, it's back to just not liking it. Fast forward to today, I am a little better. The American Embassy decided not to help me because I am only an American resident and the Salvadoran Embassy....well, they are useless. I am hoping to start the process to get a new passport in the next few days and then apply for a Transportation Letter ( A letter from the U.S. government to allow you back into the country without a green card).

There's nothing much to say about this. I am trying to replace my documents, get new credit cards, but that's it. The first day, I freaked out; but as the days pass I have learned that there's nothing I can possibly do now, and crying is not the solution.

We'll see what happens in the new few days...

The Ugly Truth

Blogging From: Paris, France

Alright, this blog entry has been long overdue. I have been postponing to write this because I wanted to give it time, but I can't wait any longer....Parisians are not very nice people!

I don't even know where to begin with this. Parisians are the rudest kind of people I have encountered in life. Holy shit! Now, I would like to clarify that I said "Parisians". I will not generalize because I have been told by other French people who live outside of Paris that not all French people are like that. But man, if you've never imagine what it would be like to see a bunch of people walking around with a stick up their ass 24/7, please come to Paris, and you will quickly realize there's a whole city full of them. I have witnessed several incidents in which people bump into each other and they start screaming AT EACH OTHER in the middle of the street. They are rude. They somehow think they own the street and when they bump into you, it's still your fault. Moreover, the Parisians who work in the tourist areas are the worst people. They are so nasty to anyone and everyone for no reason at all. Okay, I understand some tourists are rude, but honestly, if it weren't for all the tourists in this city that waiter who was rude to me at lunch wouldn't have a job. I mean it only make sense to be a little bit nicer to the people that are paying his salary.

It's shocking to see how smart these people are and yet, there's an annoying obsession with brands...you would think I was back in New Jersey. Everything is about having most expensive car, house, shirt, jeans, shoes. I don't get it. It's funny, the most common reason why French people hate Americans is because they're obsessed with unnecessary things such as brands and Hollywood....I see no difference between France and America.

I am honestly thinking of going somewhere else. I cannot stand this attitude everywhere I go...

Reality Check

For 23 years and a couple of weeks, I have lived a very comfortable life. My mom worked really hard to give us everything we wanted and needed because she never had that privilege growing up. I'm not saying I'm spoiled( maybe a little) but I've had all the things I wanted in life. They ones that I didn't have; well, I didn't get those because God had a better plan. Even the last two years, I worked really hard to never have to check how much money I had in my account. Even when I "didn't" have money, I still had a large sum of money ( for a college student).

This week, I learned I'm not immune to being financially broke. Not only do I not have a job here, but everything is so fucking expensive. One baguette with a piece of ham and cheese is 12 euros or $13. Ridiculous! Moreover, hostels and hotels are super expensive and you don't even get a good night's sleep. Ridiculous 2x!

Sometimes, I wish I had my mom's mentality. She's backpacked before and starved for a few days during her adventures, so to her $50 in her wallet is gold. To me, only having that much causes me to get sick. It creates a pain in my stomach and I start thinking the worst. I try really hard to be positive, but I have never found myself in this situation before.

Furthermore, I have learned that all those articles I once read advising me to travel the world regardless of how much money you have are WRONG. yes, you will never have enough money to travel, but going with no money is plain stupid. If i wasn't the one in this situation, I would call myself an idiot. So yeah, you are allowed to call me stupid for this one...

This too shall pass. But until then, I will live with the agony...

Cannot Breathe...

Blogging from: Paris, France

Today was probably one of the most starling days I have ever had. Let me begin with revealing a little more about myself. I am a history junkie. If i didn't love politics as much as I do, I would probably be doing something with history. I enjoy learning about how human similar to us where making an impact in the world 300 or 400 years ago...making history.

Furthermore, I have come to really love, and therefore study French history, with an emphasis in the French Revolution. I could sit here and tell you why this specific part of history, but I really don't one to list each one. There are a lot of reasons, which is why, today was very special. I had the opportunity to go to Château de Versailles for the first time. It is impossible to describe each and every feeling I had. I was perplexed at the fact that I was standing in the mecca, more or less, of one of the most significant times in history. I think reading about it in books does not even come close to how you really feel when you are standing there.

Hold on, I have to get this out of my system....I WAS JUST WALKING THE SAME STEPS KING LOUIS XIV, MARIE ANTOINETTE AND NAPOLEON ONCE WALKED!!!

It is very overwhelming to know that I have read and study about these characters for six/seven years, and now, I am standing a little bit closer to them. Sorry, I am tearing up a bit, but this is just my obsession with such a subject kicking in.

Move to Spain?

Blogging from: Paris, France.

Thinking about going to Spain with this Brazilian girl I met a couple of days ago. I'm still not sure if that's what I want to do.

It'll be a lot cheaper to live in Madrid, though...

It's Politics, Like Always

Last night, I experienced a real drinking night--European style. Lisa(German friend) and I went to out to celebrate that she finally found a flat and also that I might have a job on Monday. If you ask me, the real reason why we went out...well, It was a Saturday night. First we asked the receptionist at the hostel if he could point out a cheap bar in Paris. His response: The cheap bar in Paris doesn't exist. Okay, then. We began our quest for a bar not too far from the hostel just in case one of us got too drunk to walk. We settled on a bar around the corner that offered 5 euro drinks. We decided that paying that much for a drink was the cheapest we would even find, so we made ourselves comfortable at a table across the street from Le Louvre. Only in Paris!

We began our night with some light topics. We discussed her time in Australia and the way of living in America. She was suprisingly amazed at the fact that Americans drive everywhere. She spent 3 week in Alaska. She was shocked to find out that her host family would drive to the supermarket 5 minutes down the street. She was also surprised to see that everything in America has a drive-thru, "even banks".

As the night progressed, we touched on different subjects such as family, work, Uni ( Yes, I am a European now, so the word "college" is non-existent) and then, my Christmas day...POLITICS!! The person who is aware of current issues around the world will always have my respect. I have to admit, Lisa might end up being my maid of honor.**This chick is cool. She is more aware of Obamacare, the immigration crisis and the political parties in United States than about 80% of the people I know in the U.S. Now, Lisa is not really majoring in anything political related at Uni, but she's simply aware because that's how she was raised. It's more of a cultural thing in Europe.

I think it's funny how in America, people who don't know shit about politics or simply chose to be ignorant to what's happening around the world give you the excuse that politics is not something they are learning at Uni, therefore, it's okay not to know about such an important topic at any given day. Yet, most of these people live their lives complaining about how government is screwing them. Okay...

Life is different in Europe, I can tell. And I've only been here four days...

Tater.

*Not really my maid of honor. Klaire will be my maid of honor...need to clarify before she kills me.

Sitting Around the Corner

Blogging from: Paris, France.

Sitting around the corner from a restaurant I went to yesterday. Being a tourist means that I don't have Internet access on my phone. The way it's done around here is that you go to a restaurant and  you ask for the wifi password. Now, they don't tell you what the password is, but they actually take your phone and type it themselves. I think this is how they prevent people from sharing the password with others.

Right now, I'm on the lookout for a cheap restaurant. Wallet is tight. I am also waiting for one of my roommates at the hostel to come back from her school event so we can party it up tonight. She's a very sweet girl from Germany. She speaks fluent English, but not one word in French. You can now imagine my relief when I met another person on the same boat. She invited me to go get a beer with her last nigh and the rest is history. Looking forward to tonight's adventures for tomorrow's entry blog...

Tater.

Learning the Parisian Way

Blogging From: Paris, France.

Today was a very interesting day to say the least. After an overnight flight, I finally I arrived in Paris. I immediately started freaking out because I don't speak the language. Second detail about me: I very much rely on my mouth. I can have a conversation with pretty much anyone...I like to talk to say the least. Not knowing the language in this country puts me at a great disadvantage. It sucks being limited to the amount of people you can talk to around here. But that wasn't even the best part of day.

I was speechless by the overwhelming history this city carries in its veins. The buildings and overall structures are just breathtaking. Anyway, the best part of today happened when I started noticing that Parisians were looking at me strange. I can promise you that I couldn't care less what people thought of me; but this was different. Some Parisians, mostly women, were literally staring at me. I started wondering if It was my skin color or my body type. Okay, I was really wondering if they were judging me because I'm fat. I quickly ruled out the first option. France is one, if not, the most diverse country in Europe. I figured my ethnicity didn't have anything to do with it. The second option? Well to be honest, I don't think I would get the amount of looks I got based solely on my body type; so no. Then, I started noticing that no one in Paris wears shorts. Weird, right! I'm so serious, though. I walked around for 5 hours and I did not see one woman wearing shorts. I was wearing ripped jean shorts...of course. Everything makes sense now! I love wearing shorts, though. I guess living in a new city requires you to get accustomed to certain unspoken rules. I'm guessing pants tomorrow...

Tater.

3 Days Out...

Blogging from: Pennsylvania, USA


Not much has happened since I last blogged. I've been mostly enjoying the time I have left with my mom. I hadn't seen her this much in a long time. Moreover, I'm not necessarily excited about the trip, yet. Whenever I go anywhere, I tend to get excited five minutes before I land. I think the reason why this happens is because I don't like to plan too much. I do some research about some of the things I need to know about the places I will be visiting. For example, how safe it is where I'm going, tips on how to get around  and some of the "must visit" places. Other than that, I like to learn as I go. There has been some exceptions to the rule, however. Because of my fascination with museums, I have been doing some research of some of the museum passes available in Paris. I have found one pass that includes entrance to over 60 museums ( I wish you could understand how happy this makes me).

Although I will be backpacking, I also need to figure out a way to make money. One small detail about me, I am very expensive even when I try to be cheap. I thought that in order to have at least some money in my pocket I could be teaching English or Spanish, which is why I am trying to complete a TEFL certification. Hopefully, I can do something with this so I can have some money on the road. That way I can buy a bunch of things that I don't need and then complain about my backpack being too heavy.Women, I know!

On a final note, I need to start doing laundry and pack. Soon, my whole life will be reduced to one backpack. I love it!!

Tater.

10 Days Out..

Blogging From: Pennsylvania, United States. 

*Show some sort of excitement and explain how I don't know exactly what I'm doing*

Now that we got that out of the way, let's begin!

It is exactly 2:37 am on August 22nd and it appears to me that this morning I bought a one-way ticket to France. Now, I know what everyone is asking "why France, Taty? To be honest, I don't fucking know. Okay, okay that's a lie. There are several reasons why I chose France. The first and most important one, Napoleon Bonaparte was from France, he was buried in France AND there is a museum about his life in FRANCE! Second reason, living in France for a few months will allow me to learn another language, which if you did not know, French is the language required by the United Nations if you ever wish to work with them— for them. ( Yes, on top of becoming first female president of El Salvador, I will also become Secretary General of the UN) What can I say, I like to dream big! 

But let me tell you how I got here. I am a person with one plan. I don't have plan B. I don't need plan B because, I only have plan A and one hundred percent of the time I get that done. The plan was for me to go to law school right after college. I messed up. Fast forward to 3 weeks ago, I am back at my parents home with no job, no school to look forward to, and pretty depressed. Now, I am not sure how people in a similar situation would react, but for me, the best decision was to explore Europe since I am not doing anything else. I know this sounds like I am running away from my problems, which honestly, I might just be doing that. However, I also think that I need to do this. I need to explore and get it out of my system before I return to school to complete my master's degree in international relations, and consequently, attend law school. 

Am I scared? of course. I am moving to a different country, after all. Not only that, but I'm moving to a place where I don't speak the language, I am not sure of how the currency works, and I'm also not sure where I'm going to live or what I'll be doing with my life. But it will be fun.

 I guess that's it for today. I will not be blogging every day before the trip, but I will be making some updates. My idea with this blog is to share with the internet every day I am on the road. Share the good things and share the bad things about this trip. Hopefully, I can do a good job here. 

Tater.