Changes

The last few weeks have been quite intense for me here which has come as quite a shock after such a relaxed Christmas. The main change in my routine has come about because I've now 'achieved' my goal to live and work in France. I am a customer assistant at one of the M&S France branches. Currently this means I spend a lot of time hanging up bras and advising people on outfits. The whole experience is helping my French so much and is also a lot of fun.

Cheers, Inception.

Now that I both live and work in France I've realised that I need a new target. Whilst I'm happy to enjoy the moment, I'm a strong believer in having a dream to get you to where you want to be. However currently I'm happy in the knowledge that I've achieved something I've wanted for years. The start of my contract means I am now working or studying for 28 hours a week. This is significantly more than I've been doing since I moved here so I think it will take time to adjust to the early starts and late finishes. But as always I'm doing my best to see it in a positive light. Now I value my free time more.

SU represent.

An example of valuing my spare time could be last night (13th February). A group of people from the Students Union at my university were invited to the British Embassy for a talk on London and Paris. We all dressed up the best we could and had a really interesting evening. Firstly we were greeted the ambassador (!), then we listened and participated in the discussion of Paris and London. Afterwards there was a champagne reception with unlimited drinks and canopés in which we certainly showed our true student colours.

Unfortunately I don't spend every evening at the Embassy (yet). Next week is reading week and I'm looking forward to one of my friends coming down to Paris and also my mum and sister. It's difficult to feel homesick when you have Skype and the Eurostar. I could technically go back to England whenever I wanted (if I had a spare £100+...) What's surprised me is the fact I don't feel like I need to.

Nelson's Valentine's card to our flat

To conclude, I'm feeling pretty happy. I'm surrounded by wonderful people, have easy access to others via the internet and am suddenly getting somewhere! Things are changing but change is one of the only things we can be sure of in life. So, whether you're alone or in a couple this Valentine's, I hope you have had an excellent day.

Alice

Que faire à Paris ?

This week I have decided to make a proper Parisian post. I present to you "Que faire à Paris ?", a list of some of the places that I really like visiting. Paris is small enough to make it easy to walk to all of these locations which is something I try to do quite often.

Clockwise from top left: Sacré-Coeur, Moulin Rouge, pont de Bir-Hakeim, sushi at Rue Mouffetard

Sacré-Coeur 

The Sacré-Coeur (literally sacred heart) is a Roman Catholic church situated in the 18th arrondissement. It is located at the highest point of the city and, whilst being a beautiful landmark, has slightly sinister beginnings. It was built in order to instil fear over the Parisians and to force them to follow the Church... 

Liv (left) and me outside the Sacré-Coeur in October

ANYWAY, this is the place where Liv (my flatmate) and I walked to on our first day here. As a result, it's got really happy memories. As we looked across Paris it suddenly dawned on us that we live here. Whenever I feel sad or simply need to leave the house, this is always on the top of my list. The cobbled streets of Montmartre are full of restaurants and artists and it always has such a good atmosphere. It's even alive on Sundays!!! (Nothing else in France is).

View from the Sacré-Coeur

Pigalle

It may be because it's within ten minutes walk of my flat, but a trip to Pigalle is always a favourite. If you're unaware, Pigalle was is the red light district and contains the infamous 'Moulin Rouge'. However if you ignore the slightly dodgy men loitering on the paths, there are some really nice bars and restaurants nearby. And if you get too scared there's always the Sacré-Coeur up the hill. My favourite bar is in Pigalle and on Wednesday nights you get a free slice of pizza with every drink. What's not to like?

Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard is in the quartier latin (Latin quarter...) of Paris, in the 5th arrondissement. As a result of it's proximity to many universities and prepa's there is a huge number of cheap places for lunch. My friend Eve first showed me this area in September and now we go most weeks for some of the best sushi I've ever had. In our favourite restaurant you can have a soup, two salads and eight sushi for 8,20€. Bargain.

Sushi!!

Pont de Bir-Hakeim

For anyone that knows me at all, this choice will not come as a surprise. The 'Bir-Hakeim' bridge in the 15th arrondissement is where certain scenes from Inception were filmed. When I came to Paris with my family in April 2010 I made it my goal to find the bridge and ever since I've always returned and taken the same pictures. I still go out of my way in order to cross the bridge even if it's miles from anywhere useful (apart from the Eiffel Tower and cool people who live in the 15th's flats).

You're waiting for a train...

Also I am not alone in this obsession. Ben from Parks and Recreation (one of the best series' ever) also appreciates this bridge. Click here for proof.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about these places and that they'll help you if you come to Paris in the future/live here currently and want to stalk me. Where have I missed?

Alice

Bonne Année !

2014: new year, new beginnings, new blog.

After extensive pondering over what to name our joint venture into the world of blogging, we have settled for the rather telling but also extremely truthful name"Young and Indecisive". Anyone who knows us to any extent will know of our lack of decision making skills, so to be at a point where we're able to write an actual post for an actual blog is a pretty proud moment for us. 

2014 is going to be a year of new experiences for both of us, as we are both on the verge of starting our second terms of our first years at our respective universities. Between us, we may have considered a good fifty possible alternatives for what to do after school, but, after many extended discussions and a pros-and-cons lists, we (rather astonishingly) both came to our own decisions of what to do with our future. These decisions have sent us off in opposite directions, to two rather different but equally amazing cities: Paris and London. 

This blog is a chance for us to write about  and compare our experiences, opinions and general ponderings about life in the city and in our respective countries, and to keep each other up to date with what is going on in our lives. The idea is that we will try to write individual posts about once a week, and possibly joint posts when we're back together. It may be a little rough around the edges to start with, but hopefully you will find it interesting and entertaining to read. 

Let us know what you think, and enjoy!

Alice and Helena x