Non, mais vraiment....

So Friday morning was our group scavenger hunt. It wasn’t something I really wanted to do, seeing as it started at 9am on a Friday morning and all, but Steve had set it up and was super excited about it, I’m super competitive in all things in life, and I had a good group. It was Me, Rachel, Hannah and Lindsay. Lindsay was the only one I didn’t know before, but she was super presh and also made a map of all the directions and all the metros and such that we had to take to get to each place efficiently. We basically had to accost some french people and get them to take pictures of us and with, which was awesome. It was actually a lot of fun, despite being so early, and then not winning (I’m still a bit miffed about that). So pictures!

Parc de la tete d'or

Gare Part-Dieu...plus creeper in the background

the claw goes everywhere

sur Fourviere

amphitheatre greco-romaine

place de terreau plus un homme italien

Boulangerie Kayser

statue de Jacquard

So after that, Rudhdi, Emily, Karen, and I decided to go to the Park de la tete d’or. It was one of the places on our list for the scavenger hunt, but obviously we just kinda went, took a picture and then left, so it wasn’t all that fun. So we walk to the parc and and its vraiment beautiful. Everyone is outside and happy and laughing, so I’m thinking, wow this is just like Hyde Park in London. Then we see a reindeer….WHAT? yup, we look over to the side, and there is a herd of reindeer looking animals. We come to realize that this isn’t just a park but a zoo as well! It was pretty awesome. For as many times as I’ve been on safari (True Life: I’m a World Bank Brat) I cant think of a time that I’m actually been to a zoo. Its kind of bitter sweet you know, because I’m used to seeing animals that have free reign over the land they live in, but here they were all fenced in and in glass cases. Tellement different, but still pretty interesting to see.

Karen, Emily, and Rudhdi with the leopard

asian elephant!...i whip my trunk back and forth

we interrupted their "sexy temps" i think

Rudhdi et les giraffes. best day of her life

Karen, Emily, and I with our Barbe a Papa (cotton candy)

Afterwards we decided to have a nice quality sit-down meal on the top of Croix-Rousse. Because honestly, you can only eat a baguette and cheese for all your meals for so long you know? and this place was awesome! It was owned by this cute Algerian man, and you basically got a platter of all the food there and your entree (i got the orange chicken...class). Then we tried some mediteranean desserts that were to die for (i got some turkish delight, wassssup narnia???). He made a comment about the "mixite" in America, considering there were two white girls of different heritage, a black girl of african origin, and an indian girl all together eating dinner. I think he thought it was awesome that America was so good at embracing different cultures, and it honestly makes me wonder sometimes about France. As much as I love it, I always have to remember that its just so different here. You're not supposed to take your cultural baggage and impose it on others when you travel, so this trip is as much about me trying to understand french culture as much as it is about me taking it in. This makes thinking about my thesis a bit harder, because I'm definitely treading on sensitive ground when talking about race and ethnicity here, where people dont really regard it as something that should define you (just being French should). But either way, the food was great, I tried some vegetables that I never thought I would! A big step for me I think.

Friday night was somewhat of a bust. We tried to go out to the boats, but the Ayers Rock boat counterpart had trop du monde (too many people) so there was no point waiting in line. The boat we ended getting into was empty. Like literally empty. UVA just colonized it. And we have really cool people in our group so it was fine, but vraiment, the music they played was wack too. Here I am trying to get my "alors on danse" on, and the DJ is playing some techno version of the marseillaise (not really, but you can imagine).  So we rentrer-ed chez nous and called it a night. 

the "i'm just here for the party pics" face

on the pont avec Becca, Emily, et Mark

 

Saturday Morning was a “wake up early and do some homework” kinda morning, which is what I did. I’d say it was pretty effective and efficient but brought me back down to earth that I wasn’t just here vacation. I went to the Marché at the top of Croix-Rousse with Emily and Rudhdi, which is always such a joy. I wish we had more Fresh markets like this in the states. I got a bunch of stuff for pretty cheap (although I’ve basically eaten it all, eeeeek) and then we checked out the other market. It was kind of like a vintage market, which old books and toys and playthings, jewelry, etc. I got really excited when I saw all the Tintin books (tintin was my confiture back in the day) and the playmobil sets. We went back home and I decided it was a good time to go play ukulele in front of L’opera and L’hotel de ville before our boat right later that afternoon. It was pretty nerve-racking at first…I planted myself in a shaded area next to a footpath, so obviously I was seen and heard by everyone who walked by. I got a lot of weird looks, some smiles, and some “you’re messing up my walk right now” looks, but I soon just ignored all of it and played. Its probably why I love the ukulele. Even after what, 3-4 years of playing, it can still take me away make me feel calm and still even when the world is moving around me. One awesome moment was when I was playing a Sugababes song and this woman, her two daughters and her baby stopped by the steps next to me to sit and listen. They were there for about 5-10 minutes as I played through a couple of songs before they left, and she bought me a bottle of water and told me I had a nice voice! Right as I was about to leave, these young boys came by and started trying to sing with me. I just kinda laughed, but really, it wasn’t a sing-a-long. Haha I’m kidding (kinda). They did say afterwards that they hoped to see me on X-Factor one day, which was nice haha.

                So after that, I walked up that blasted hill again to meet the group for our “Boat Cruise” on the Soane. I got there and all the other girls were dressed really cute in dresses and such, and I felt like a bit of a bum in my capris and shirt. This was a boat cruise after all…Right? WRONG. Haha This was no cruise boat, which, but more of one of those boats that foreigners use with the person that tells who what you can see on your right and on your left. It was still pretty cool, but it was a bit like a lullaby if that makes sense. I just wanted to go to sleep halfway though. But much of the entertainment came from watching Steve and Kelly’s super presh kids Liam and Jordan. Literally the cutest little boys with the biggest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. Parfait.

                Afterwards we decided to treat ourselves to icecream, so we found a sweet place (pun intended) called Regal Glace. It was literally the best. I got a combination of “Cookies” (the server guy sounded so cute when he said it with his French accent) and Citron, which tasted like Italian ice. I was raving about it literally all the way home. It’s a little sad how much good food can instantly make me feel such ecstacy haha.

                Well après ca, we had l’envie to sortir (get your French-english dictionaries out for that one). So a group of us decided to hit up a place called Boston. Its pretty strange, this affinity that the French have for irish pubs. We walked in and saw a large open dance floor (check-plus) but no one there (it was early after all). It was nice though because we got to sit, eat some fries, and just talk in a group a little bit. After midnight, we basically started the danceparty. It was literally the group of us 8ish girls at first, and then it grew to the entire dance floor being full! It was the discotechque atmosphere I had been craving, although the music wasn’t all the way there. The dj, however “was not a jukebox” and explicitly said “NO SHAKIRA” which just ruins my groove. I’m trying waka waka and she-wolf all night naturally. We kept screaming for Nicki Minaj and Weezy but to no avail. But it was a fun night none the less.

I’ll get caught up with the days sooner or later!

Cheers,

Abena