Back in the States

It seems funny to be back already. I was just getting settled in and now it's over. Something about life being gone in a flash seems like an appropriate post but I think that it would be better if I just told you about how the end of my trip was.

I guess that I'll start from Thursday since I left off with Wednesday. My jet-lagged brain needs the order anyway.

So, Thursday, we had sessions in the morning with Waddick Doyle and Cathy Nolan.

Waddick Doyle was a very interesting guy. I really appreciated what he had to say about visual media communications. I wish he would have had less interruptions about Tunisia because I'm sure that what he had to say about France was going to be awesome too but I did learn a lot about restrictions on the media and how things are done in different places.

Cathy Nolan is/was a celebrity journalist for People magazine. She didn't seem to enjoy what she does and called it stalking people which surprised me. She had some interesting words on this side of journalism though and she was certainly interesting as a person so overall it was an enjoyable presentation.

We were supposed to meet with Pietri Publicis Consultants that afternoon but we had to cancel because it would have made us late to dinner at the Huebner's home that night and the presentation by Walter Wells who was formerly the Executive Editor of the International Herald Tribune.

Mr. Wells was a very interesting character and he went back and forth with Lee Huebner who had flown in from Washington D.C. (despite the snowstorm) to be there with us. I liked the idea of a focused newspaper for when you're on vacation. This way you get the most important and relevant news not the crap about everything under the sun that is happening on topics that are more gossip than news

I had planned to go wandering and taking pictures that afternoon but found myself watching the news instead thus finding out about what was going on in the world. For example, the fact that Hugo Chavez died Tuesday while I was having a great time in Paris... Interestingly, the people of Venezuela were coming out in droves to morn their former leader. Could it be that America had it wrong about this guy? I'd like to see both sides of his story.

Dinner was pretty awesome. The bread and cheese alone were to die for. Yes, I had blue cheese and yes, I liked it. But besides that, there was an array of wonderful food and wine to go with it. I was reminded of dinners with my aunt and uncle in Hicksville. We're so classy and yet we're just family hanging out. That was how this dinner felt to me and here I was speaking with people who are inspiring me to try my hand at different things.

After dinner, some of us students decided to walk to the Arc de Triumphe from the house. I unfortunately don't have pictures because it was a little sporadic that we went in the first place, but I won't forget the way it looked all lit up and beautiful. That wasn't the only stop of the night though. My roommate and I decided to split from the group who were headed to a bar again and sat in the park that surrounds the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle when it hit the hour. It was spectacular to say the least.

Friday came and we got to sleep in because the Pope's stepping down had forced Jim Bittermann to cancel on us lowly students. It was a disappointment having seen him report for CNN just the day before and getting really interested in what he could possibly have to say to us about the media.

We therefore started our day with Daniel Dozier, founder of Cinq and Co. (a Public Relations firm). I loved his enthusiasm for what he does and I think that his company has a lot of potential. He basically takes firms as clients and gives them a social media platform to work off in French and in English. After his presentation, I got up the courage to go up to him and say something along the lines of "When you're interested in going multilingual, let me know. I'd love to help you get there." It sounded really corny but he smiled and seemed really excited about the prospect of entering new markets.

Maybe I'll get a job offer! I know my fingers are crossed.

Heidi Ellison was next to present to us about her work in the media. Right now her biggest project is a blog called Paris Update. It will tell you everything you need to know about what's trending in Paris right now in English. So if you're planning your next trip or if you just want to keep up one the best bits of the ever evolving Paris Culture, refer to this website and find out everything you need to know.

To round everything off Lee Huebner spoke with us. He told us a little more about writing for Parisian papers and how he decided to stay in Paris after his first visit. Now he teaches there and he seems very happy to be there. He even showed us a couple videos from Jim Bittermann's reporting.

After all the official stuff was done, my roommate and I ventured up to Montmartre to explore. We started on the street where Moulin Rouge is because it was funny to us that the whole street was composed of kebab restaurants and sex shops....  We even made it into the museum of eroticism....

I only took pictures of the Moulin Rouge because I felt that it was the only thing worth the pictures. Though, even that was a slight let down because all the hype around it isn't the truth... It's just a place holder between the buildings really.

On the other end of the spectrum of morality and about four blocks from this red-light district is the Basilica de Sacre Coeur where I met once again with the African men "selling" me gula-gula via a bracelet that they forced upon me. I have a few pictures from here as well...

We all met on the steps of the church here before heading out to dinner.

 This is where we ate.

 This is the plate of snails that I ate. They tasted like garlic with the constancy of octopus.

Beef Burgundy because I wasn't feeling like tilapia.

Saturday I got up and planned a trip with my professor who decided to buy me breakfast before we headed out to the Institut du Monde Arabe. I couldn't argue with that.

 My new camera is so awesome that I took this from the top of the Institute and it turned out awesome!

 The sun is in my eyes in case you can't tell... but Notre Dame is in the background!

This is what the institute looks like from the ground level...

After the institute, we headed off to the nearby mosque, which was super cool to experience.

When I got back I found my roommate and we went to dinner at the Tunisian place down the street because we liked it so much the first time. The owner was thrilled that we came back and got all emotional when we told him that we made a point to come back before we left and that we want to come back because the food was so good. He hugged us both and wished us good travels as we left to get our stuff packed for our 6 am wake-up call.

Our flight left Paris at 10:40 am or somewhere around that time. We seemed to be taxiing for a really long time but everything went fine. We landed about 2:40 pm Detroit time and had to wait for the van that took us back to BG getting us back around 7 pm.

So with my jetlag and a small cold, I made it back and I'm getting back in the groove of school and everything. I'll live once I sleep enough to get rid of this cold. 

I hope I get another opportunity to go abroad and explore the world because it's something I absolutely love discovering. 

Thanks to everyone for following my adventures! I appreciate having readers.

and as always,

Blessed Be!