It's been awhile since I've done a detailed post. I'm sorry about that. It's alot different now that Katy and Hannah are here. It's like a totally different city- still really great, but different. Katie (not my sister, Katy) has emailed me again and all it said was, "come home!" Haha, she's hilarious! I'm kind of ready to come home just to see everybody but I really love it here. Sometimes, I feel like I could stay here forever. That's how much I love it here. I LOVE the fact that I can find someone on the side of the street that will conversate in French with me. The people here have been really nice to me for the most part. I haven't gotten harrassed or anything.... until last night. Katy, as most of you know, doesn't take any shit from anybody. She'll talk back to anyone who will let her. There was a drunk man on the metro who started saying he hated Americans. It was really horrible because he was screaming at all 3 of us and EVERYONE on the crowded metro was watching. Katy kept yelling back at him, which only caused him to get more angry. It was quite an experience. Thank goodness he got off about 5 stops before ours. On a lighter note, we went to Le Louvre yesterday. I paid the 9 euro to get in again because I really wanted to show Hannah and Katy my favorite paintings. I bought a reproduction of my favorite one because I honestly really wanted it. The painting is called "La Jeune Martyre" (the young martyr). It's beautiful- it really caught my eye the first time I saw it. I'm going to frame it and hang it in my house. Katy and Hannah loved the Louvre. They got to see the Mona Lisa & the Venus de Milo, among many other things. After the Louvre, we went to St. Sulpice (the church where The Da Vinci Code was filmed). It's a scary church because it's so gothic- it's so beautiful, though. After that, we grabbed something to eat and came home. Today, we're going to Versailles. I'm really excited about that. I wanted to see it so bad but we had no time when we had class. We have to take a 30 minute train ride there so we're leaving in a few minutes. Until next time....

*Kristin, Katy, Hannah*

Les films des filles americaine en paris

Well, I think these videos speak for themselves so I'll let you just watch them. We're having such a good time. I knew Katy would love this place so much and she has said she really does. Hannah really loves it too. That makes me happy :). I wish I could show my whole family this place. Everyone should come here.

Je peux parler le Francais!

Hi guys! Don't be mad, ok? I'm so sorry I haven't posted. I promise (for real this time) that this will be a good one.

Katy and Hannah being here has been so great. We absolutely LOVE our apartment... it's so nice (small but nice). It's decorated so nicely. It's just great all-around. I kind of miss my other Katie. She wrote me and e-mail and all it said was, "I'm home and miserable. I miss you." It's so funny because her and Orie were both wanting to be home really bad. They both miss it now, though. Orie talked to me when he was in the Philly airport- he already misses it, too. I know I'm going to miss it so much. I'm going to miss all the tourist stuff and the beautiful buildings. The things I'm really going to miss, however, are the small things. Things like laughing my ass off in a bar and looking really American, having a bottle of wine at 3:00 in the afternoon with Katie, my little sister falling off of a chair in a crowded place (haha), talking to Dr. R, seeing all these people everyday, whispering so Madame couldn't hear us, just all those little things. I'm going to miss it so much. I'm so thankful for it, though. I wrote in my journal (the one for class) about this trip changing my life. He said that those are the things he lives for. He was just so happy that I was so happy. I just love him.


Saturday morning, the shuttle came to get us at 7:45. It took about an hour to get to the airport. Orie and I sat and waited for about 30 minutes. Then, I decided to walk down to Terminal 2A to see if their plane had landed. It had and all of sudden, I saw Katy through the crowd. I ran up and literally jumped on her. It was funny. We rode the train back to Paris. It is so miserable to haul luggage through the trains and metro but we did it. We got to the apartment and put their luggage up. We were so hungry so we went to this little cafe right next to our apartment. It was so fun getting to watch Katy and Hannah experience all of that for the first time. Katy and I had French Onion Soup (SO good) and Crepes Nutella.


Afterwards, Katy and Hannah went to sleep. Orie and I went to the flea markets and the absinthe store. We came home and we all got up and went to this little market right beside our apartment. We got a bunch of stuff (for the whole week) and dinner for that night. Orie really loves to cook so he made potatoes and onions. It was so good. Jamie was staying in a hostel so we invited her over. She brought Hannah and Orie chocolate cake and whipped cream for their birthdays. We bought champagne at the store as well and drank that for the birthdays. We hung out in the apartment for awhile and then went out to the Latin Quarter. There was a music festival happening in Paris so it was SOO crowded. It was nothing like that the entire time I was here. It was fun, though. Katy and Hannah got to see Notre Dame at night.


Sunday morning, Orie and Paul were flying out so they let us have their metro passes. Katy and Hannah don't have to buy them at all, it was so nice. Yesterday, during the day, Katy, Hannah, and I went to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower at night. We were standing directly in front of it when it started sparkling ( I have video of it). When we were under the Eiffel Tower, this quite hideous guy started talking to us. He spoke NO english. I was so proud of myself because we talked to him for a solid 20 minutes and I translated every word from him into English and from Katy and Hannah to French. It's so fun- I love being able to do that.


This morning, we're getting ready and going to the Pantheon, Jardin du Luxembourg, and Katy and Hannah are going to go in the Musee D'Orsay. It's gonna be a great day, it's beautiful outside. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I'll post again soon. I love and miss all of you.


BTW, I should be a professional photographer for postcards. These pictures are quite amazing if I do say so myself :).

J'adore ma soeur!

DR. ROMEISER GAVE ME AN A IN FRENCH 491!

Sorry it's been so long since the last post. I've been really busy with packing, airport, stuff like that. And I'm really sorry that this post is going to be short. I just really want Katy and Hannah to see EVERYTHING so I've gotta go show them :). I promise I'll post alot more later tonight since we're not going out.

The important things are that Katy and Hannah arrived safely and we had a BLAST yesterday. Orie and I took them to a cafe and we went to our apartment. It's SO NICE. Honestly, they are the prettiest apartments I've seen in Paris. I'm so relieved. When we were walking around, we realized we could buy food and cook it. So, that's what we did. Well, the girls went to buy it. Orie cooked it all, though. We went out last night for Hannah & Orie's birthday. There's this huge music festival in Paris this month, so it was really crowded. We had fun, though.

We're about to head to do some churches and flea markets today. I can't wait for Hannah and Katy to see everything.

I'll write tonight, pinky promise. Love.

Je t'aime!

Bon soir! Comment ca va? Everything is going very well here. I can't wait for Katy to get here... she's gonna just LOVE it! Starting with where I left off...

On Monday, we as always had class in the morning. We had a free afternoon, though, with no planned excursion. Everyone in the lower level French class had a test on Tuesday so none of them really wanted to go out. They needed to study. Katie, Jamie, and I went to out little Irish Pub in St. Michel. It's so ironic that just as we're totally getting the hang of this place, we have to say goodbye. Well, I have one more week :). We have our usual spots, our well-known meeting spots for everyone in our group to meet before we go out. I didn't think that I would feel this way when I got on that plane, but I know it's going to be kinda weird adjusting back into my normal life. I've gotten really used to the way things are here. I really like being an American in Paris. It's pretty fun- no, it's alot of fun. Ok, moving on..

Tuesday, class AGAIN, then we had an excursion to Les Invalides. It's where Napoleon Bonaparte is buried. It was really big and beautiful. It's crazy that so much huss and fuss was made over such a small little man. He did such great things for France, though, so it was appropriate to honor him in that way.

After Les Invalides, we went home and did our homework. Tuesday nights are college night at The Frog & Princess and the French soccer game was on. We knew we wanted to go out for that so we ate dinner and headed out. We had so much fun at the Frog. We went to Tennessee Jazz Bar afterwards. This girl, Lindsey, turned 25 at midnight so we (very Americanly) sang her Happy Birthday.

This morning we got up and went to class and went for Chinese food after. We had an excursion at the Centre Pompidou this afternoon. It's the museum for modern art in Paris. Ok, some of this stuff was retarded. Literally, there were things like canvases painted completely solid navy blue. They hung it on a wall and called it art. WTF? I wish I could do that, put in a museum, and get paid for it... jeez. There were some pieces that I appreciated, though, like Matisse & Picasso. The building was really neat, though.

After the museum, we came back to the apartment to do our homework for tomorrow. That's what we're doing now. We actually have to present a 10 minute expose on Friday about something that we've discovered in Paris. IN FRENCH! Yeah, can't wait for that. No, I'm kidding, I think it'll be fine. I've actually gotten ALOT better at speaking while I've been here. Sorry this one was a little short but I gotta work on this presentation. I'll post again soon! I love you all! Bon Journee!

C'est vais etre une poste longue!

Well, this is going to be a loooong one. This is really hard because it's nearly impossible to put what I feel into words. It's almost undescribable. I'll try my best, though.... I absolutely love this place. They (the directors, Dr. R, etc.) say there's a crossing over point in everyone's trip in which he/she completely adjusts and starts to integrate into a new culture. It usually doesn't take very long (a couple weeks, maybe) and I think I hit that point this weekend. I have loved every minute of this experience but it wasn't until this weekend in Normandy that it occured to me that I don't want to leave. That's why I say it's hard to describe... I miss my family and my home so much but I feel like I could stay here forever. Ok- that's my little shpill :).

Ok, before I explain what this weekend meant for me, I have to explain two friendships that I've had the privilege of making while here. Orie Perkins is a guy from Clinton who is graduating next year. He spent four years in the army and is now back in school. Once he graduates, however, he will be on active duty for another 4 years with a guaranteed 18 months in Iraq if we're still there. He is an awesome person and I am completely honored to even know him. The other friend is a girl named Rachel from Franklin, TN. She is a sophomore at UT and her fiance, Josh, is in Afghanistan right now. Her grandfather was in WWII and died in Normandy. He was a key member in the 82nd Airborne (Band of Brothers is a story about her grandfather's group). She found an amazing picture of him taken with Eisenhower.

Saturday morning, we left at 8 AM for Normandy. Normandy is a region in the northwest of France. We were staying in a city called Caen but we stopped first, at a WWII Museum on the way. It was really interesting because it concerned WWII but the museum was organized to portray everything involved in any world-wide conflict from the end of WWI in 1918 up until 9/11/2001. I cried when we walked through the 9/11 exhibit. It was really beautiful. Even though I've been to a dozen exhibits about 9/11, this one was different because it was from a French perspective. What really got me was a clipping from a Paris newspaper on September 12, 2001 that stated that all countries are American that day, some countries declared a day of mourning while others celebrated. It was also chilling to see every single mugshot of each terrorist involved in the attacks. It was hard but so special.

Next, we made a stop in St. Mere Eglise which was the first liberated city in France after the Americans landed on D-Day. We went into all the museums and that's where Rachel found the picture of her grandfather. It was really neat. We went into the church which the city is named after. Their stained glass window is a picture of the 82nd Airborne soldiers parachuting down past an angel into St. Mere Eglise. It is beautiful.

Next, we went to the Apple Farm that Dr. R has been raving about since February. We got a tour of the farm where they make all things apple. Then we

went into a room to "tasting" all the products. Has anyone ever heard of Calvados? Well, it's a 40% alcohol apple brandy. It wasn't a personal favorite of mine but Gabriel (our director) & Dr. R REALLY love this stuff. We all had a couple of glasses and Dr. R took SHOTS OF IT with Orie. It was hilarious. We also got to actually see a moonshine still. They make a 70% alcohol apple moonshine which we had the opportunity to taste. OMG! I thought I was going to choke to death. Gabriel, however, being the absolutely hilariously fun person that he is, drank a couple shots of it. God love him :).

We checked into the hotel around 7:00 and went out to this little Italian place that was sooo good. We went back to the hotel and I watched Coach Carter with Orie and then just PASSED OUT. Katie and I fell asleep with our clothes on with the lights on. We were so tired.

Saturday was a very emotional day. First, we went to the American cemetery at Omaha Beach. There are over 9,000 American soldiers barried right along the beach who died in WWII. It was such a humbling experience. This is going to be a long story but I have to tell it because it really moved me. There is this song by Brian McKnight & Rascall Flatts called "Red, White & Blue" that Katie wanted us to listen to since it was so appropriate. Orie just looked at us and asked us to help him find his grandfather. No one even knew he had a grandfather buried there. We went to the office and they look up the soldier's

name on a database and can tell you exactly where he's buried. They drive you out the grave in a golf cart and Orie asked Katie & I to come with him. They take sand from Omaha Beach and rub it into the name on the white marble cross so that it shows up in pictures. I looked over at Orie and he had a tear rolling down his face. That's when I couldn't hold it in any longer. I started just balling... I couldn't help but just thank God for people like Orie, his grandfather, Rachel's fiance, my dad, my pap-paw, my uncle... everyone that has been in the service or fought and/or died for this country. I don't even feel like my tears were worthy. We left Orie at the grave and I just went out and sat on the beach and just watched the ocean for about 30 minutes. I've never experienced anything like that before. Maybe it's really cheesy or corny but I just had to write about that experience. They gave Orie a packet full of papers about his grandfather which was so nice. He was the first person in his family to see the grave. If any of you have a chance, you really should down load the song.

After the cemetery, we got to go play on the beaches. SO FUN! After the beach, we had lunch at this little restaurant. Then we went to Point-Du-Hoc which is where the Rangers scaled the cliffs on the beach on D-Day. The bomb shell holes were HUGE and it was really hard to imagine the explosions that occured when they hit the ground.

We went back to the hotel and had dinner at the same Italain place since it was sooo good the night before. We went back to an Irish Pub which was really fun. We saw Gabriel out and about- needless to say, he was just as fun as always!

We left Normandy this morning at 9:30. We went to Mont St. Michel. This was absolutely the most beautiful place I had ever seen. It is a monasterie built literally on a rock in a bay of the coast of France. The pictures I got were amazing. Once you got to the top, it was a breathtaking view. The little medieval streets leading up to the church at the top were so little and cute. It was like going back in time. We had a guided tour of the church/monasterie then we left for Paris.

I just got back to Paris and I'm just sitting in the apartment. I can't believe I only have one more week of the program. I'm really excited for Katy & Hannah to get here, though. I'm so excited that I get to show them what I've learned and everything. I'm going to go to bed now. I hope this blog wasn't too long and I hope you didn't think the sappy stuff was too sappy :). I'll be seeing you! A plus tard!

Qu'est-ce c'est?

Bonjour! This post will have to be a little short. I know, I know you're probably very upset about that :) but I HAVE to go to bed because we're leaving for Normandy at 7:00 tomorrow. Let's see... where did I leave off? Oh yes...

On Wednesday morning, we had (yet again) another a quiz that was hard as hell. But, since everyone in Paris goes on strike, like, everyday... we told him we were going to go on strike if he didn't let us start taking these tests open-book. So, he agreed :). He's the funniest person ever.

Later that day, we had an excursion to.... THE EIFFEL TOWER! Le Tour Eiffel to be exact... It was awesome and we got so many great pictures. It's so tall that your ears pop when you are riding up the elevator to the top. The view from up there is so amazing. It was probably the best afternoon excursion we've had so far.

After that, Katie went to what has become our favorite cafe, Le Nemrod. Weird name, great place. The waiters know us by our names and they are so nice and they actually speak to us in French, it's great.

We ate dinner at Madame's which is getting better and better. She hasn't had a psycho moment for a couple of days now so that's good. Seriously, Katie and I have these busting out laughing attacks constantly about how crazy Madame is. We can't help but laugh about it all because we'd go crazy if we didn't. Haha! It's just the funniest/craziest/coolest trip I've ever been on. Anyways, we had these veal meatballs with peas & carrots. I almost start breaking out in uncontrollable laughter when I see the look on Katie's face after she sees the food. It's hilarious! They were pretty good but just strange. Every bit of food here is really good just very different than the food in the U.S.

We went out after dinner to "The Tennessee Jazz Bar". It's literally called that. THEY PLAYED JOHNNY CASH! It's the cutest little place with couches to sit on and a very calming atmosphere.

This morning we went to class then headed for Montmartre. It's where my sister and I will stay when she gets here next week. Suprisingly, it was very nice. It's not the center of Paris but it's a really neat place. We saw where Renoir & Picasso lived which was so neat. We went in the Sacre Coeur (the church in Montmartre). It was, literally, the most beautiful church I had ever been in. I had chills when I walked in. It was incredible. The big stone building in the pictures are of Sacre Coeur. It's on the HUGE hill where you can see the entire city from the top. We took LOTS of pictures.

Tonight we ate dinner and went out with friends to "The Frog & Princess". It was such a great place. It was very crowded with college students and it was really American-ized. Still, it was a really great time. We came home a little early tonight since we have to be up so early tomorrow.

I can't wait to just sleep. It feels like my days are just jampacked... I don't even hardly have time to write this blog. I love to do this, though, so I promise I'll post as soon as I get back from Normandy on Sunday evening. Until then, I love you all and hope everything is OK with you back home. I want everyone to know that I'm having the time of my life and I can't wait to tell you all about this place when I get back in the states. A plus tard!