La meuf à la bibliothèque!

Roughly translated as 'That library chick'. Yes, that is what I am often reffered to as by drunken HEC students at parties and events.  The HEC annual Gala being no exception to this, literally every other guy that past me would suddenly stop (and stumble slightly in the process), squint, and wave their finger at me while they tried as hard as they could to figure out where they know me from... I wait patiently for the realisation to kick in. And then it hits them like a snowball:  'LA BIBLIOTHEQUE!'. Still could be a worse nickname, at least they are not shouting out 'RUT' every time they see me!

The 2012 edition of the Gala HEC took place in Hotel Intercontinenta, a very swish hotel next to the Opéra in Paris. An evening divided into two parts, the first being for those rich enough to afford the'exquisite'three course meal ( which I am told consisted of a tomato, piece of lamb and chocolate mousse) and unlimited wine and the second part for those who want to pay to dress up and join the party just for laughs. The latter of which we attended! (A very last miute decision for me in fact, I only reserved my ticket at midnight the night before!) It would have been nice to have been able to participate in the round tabled, chandeeller-lit (how do you spell that?) dinner but we really don't have 90€ to do that! So instead us girls opted for the 'soirée' at less than half the price and spent a (very) long time getting ready here, taking the train into Paris wearing leggings and boots under our dresses, splashing out near the Opéra on a two course meal + martini for 20€, and then transforming into belles of the ball in the toilets and running into the hotel to avoid freezing our bare legs off in the cold! Such a fun start to the night. We arrived at 11pm and already the Gala was well under way. A night with lots of champage consumption ( not so much on my part, I must say!), suits, dresses, and of course, drunken HEC students! 

Sunday felt like a dream. It was one thing hitting the pillow about 5am, but another waking up to a winter wonderland a few hours later! The whole day was a write off, we all slobbed about not really knowing what to do with oursleves, not being able to go out, and just generally being tired and recovering from the gala! The snow hasn't put the world on hold like usual thankfully. Apparently last year at Christmas it was so bad that staff actually slept in their offices over night! So at least it's not that bad. We had one lot of snow fall and most of it is pretty much cleared now, apart from on the little countryside paths around campus. It has made campus quite pretty, especially when the sun shines and bounces off the white snow, it's dazzlling. 

Work has been pretty slow recently. I wish my days were more eventful! The only exciting thing which happened the other day was making a phone call to the USA, which bought me back to my A level interpreting oral exam where I had one person speaking French to me in one ear, and one person speaking English to me in another ear, and me being the interpreter between the two! But otherwise, I'm not gonna lie, I have managed to catch up on Glee and Desperate Housewives whilst manning the front desk! ( My colleagues randomly disappear for about 20 minutes at a time, and leave me. I have no idea where they go!). And I sometimes add a paragraph or two to my Year Abroad Research Project when I run out of people to facebook stalk..

I disciplined myself not to go to POW last night. Despite it being the  event of the week. Named ' La Luxure' and tied in with HEC Fashion Week, it was a big POW open to all students from whereever. I think the facebook even description explains it all really : Because debauchery is our motto, concupiscence is our way of life... and itemperance is our deep nature. For this party, you will find to rooms and to atmospheres, but only one goal : the LUXURE!

The program of these Bacchanalia: strip-teasers, chipendales, erotic show, massage room, open condoms, open bar, and goodies... And that is just the begining of a long list of even crazier surprises... all night long!

I'll say no more. Other than, would you ever find this in England?? Scandelous.

On a less controversial note, I have my first visitors from Souhampton coming this weekend which will be nice. I stress the word FIRST. Friends, are you coming?!

The Half Marathon is three weeks away and I am already fed up of running. I got to a peak in my training and I just wish the race had been like last week so that it was done and over with, because now my legs are aching and getting tired and the thought of this 13 mile run in 3 weeks is not exciting for me at the moment. I just want the event to come so I can stop running in this icy weather!!

Another slow day at work today I imagine. Post POW Friday's are always dead! But made day just got ten times better as my colleague has just walked in wearing.. Leather pants!! ( Any 'Friends' fans out there want to share a giggle with me?!)

Bisous mes amis :) 

Lukewarm potatoes, 5.30am metros and... sliced bread?!

Yes. Sitting on my balcony ( who needs a fridge when its -5° OUTSIDE!!!)  is the most delicious wholegrain, organic, SLICED, loaf of bread. Something us Brits take for granted, but which seems to have only just made an appearance in French supermarkets. I had a JAM SANDWICH the other day. Simple pleasures. Now for peanut butter to find it's way onto the shelves...

Paris life has been very good recently. I was blessed with the presence of Southampton's past and present Frensoc members for a brilliant reunion in Paris last weekend! It was great seeing some friendly and familiar faces and being able to share 'Year Abroad' stories. The best part of the weekend was ACTUALLY completing a nuit blanche in Paris, without getting stressed or angry at the world. Yes, we stayed out partying until 5am, and since taxi's were just not available,  we got the first metro at 5.32 am. I am officially hard core! What's funny, I have been here almost 5 months now and I haven't yet done a night out in Paris. Although I was on form with which métro lines to take to where, whenever the girls asked me where was good to go out, I simply had no idea because I had never done it before! Shameful. I could have made my way back to Jouy en Josas at that hour of the morning, but since I was hanging out with the girls on Saturday too I decided to stay in the hostel with them, which just made all the difference. We got in about 6am, Ella's famous last words before hitting the pillow being "I'll see you in 2 hours and 46 minutes!" . Such a fun night, hat's off to the DJ who kept playing tune after tune, not even funky wordless french techno stuff, ACTUAL normal club songs! It's definitley not something I could hack every weekend though. And with regards to the lukewarm potatoes, it was a bad translation which we found on a menu in a pizzeria, which at the time we found hilarious, but now i'm thinking it was one of those ' you had to be there moments'.

Campus has been taken over with new International Exchange Students. Ther are lots of fun evens going on to welcome them, not many of which I have taken part in unfortunately (it would just be English speaking anyway) , but I did go Bowling on Monday. I forget how much fun bowling is, and how competitive it can get haha. I'm thinking an old school kids bowling party for my 21st? It was good to have a free coach ride to a place off campus for one night. At the start of the year I was really eager to be getting involved with all the events like this, but now I am not so fussed just simply because it doesn't help my French in any way. I know it's fun and sociable, but it's getting to the point now where I just think to myself, if it's not practising my French, is it worth it? ...Wow, listen to me!! 

So this means two weeks of new arrivals turning up at the library looking completely lost, asking where they can 'rent' a book, if I can fix the scanner, and then there's the dreaded "oh, you're not an exchange student here then? So what do you do?" conversation. ("You mean, you don't study here? But you live on campus? And you can speak French?!").

As I hear in England and in most parts of Europe, the temperature here has significantly dropped. I hate to admit it, but even for a Brit, il fait froid!!!! I am currently sat hugging my little hot water bottle at the desk!! (Ok, its no't actually that cold IN the library itself, it's more for my sore legs- all this half marathon training is exhausting my limbs!) Snow has been forecast for this weekend, and it wouldn't suprise me because it is bitterly cold outside! Which is going to make access on and off campus impossible, considering it's on top of a hill in a forest. Should have stocked up on canned food!

It's french pancake day today! Kown as Chandeleur. (Which I found hilarious, it sounds like Chandler!!) so pêrhaps the canteen will have some yummy crèpes, or perhaps we'll go out for crèpes sometime this weekend. If only we could make them ourselves without blowing the fuses. It's not actual pancake day though in England, right? I don't have to give up chocolate for lent just yet, right?

I can't think of any interesting things left to say so instead of rambling on i'll just say au revoir.

Quoi. (That was for you, Ella).