What would your dog think of Paris??

Sunday I rode the metro to the Latin Quarter, near CUPA. I bought a Subway sandwich. Yes, a Subway sandwich in Paris. I was a teeny bit homesick and totally craving the tastes of home. Unfortunately, Subway in Paris is not nearly as good as the one in Richmond. (The only upside...no creepy guy. You know what I'm talking about Emmy Kay ;] bahaha) I walked to Luxembourg Park and enjoyed my sandwich. I found a bench underneath a big shade tree that was right in front of a set of tennis courts. It was relaxing to just sit there and enjoy the day. I watched a group of little Parisians having a tennis lesson. Funny how tennis lessons are exactly the same here, oui n'est pas!? I worked on homework and journaled for about 2 hours. It was relaxing to spend the afternoon alone and completely consumed in my own thoughts. It really allowed me to clear my mind and realize how lucky I am to be here. When I returned from my trip to the park, I felt refreshed and ready to start the week.

The Cheese Saga Continues....
Okay, so I haven't been eating cheese at dinner my entire time here. It has become a joke to offer me cheese, though. The Egnells take turns asking me if I would care for cheese. After the question is asked, the other one says "No, no Darian doesn't eat cheese. Darian doesn't like dairy." Then, they both laugh hysterically. Lovely, right?! haha I don't mind, though. I love them. Anyways, this whole no cheese course thing really has its perks. Since I essentially skip an entire course, I always get to finish the dessert if there is extra at the end of the meal. Not one to turn away dessert, I always accept! It wasn't until Sunday night that skipping the meal backfired. I guess over the weekend they decided they need to find a way to entertain me during the cheese course, so they came up with a little game, if you will. Basically, they point to things at the table and I have to name them in French. Once I've named everything on the table, they start pointing to body parts. We stopped after body parts, because the cheese course was over. The next night I did the same. By tonight, though, I'd gotten really good, so they had to expand the range of my vocab. What did they do? They started making animal sounds and I had to name the animal. So funny! This game probably sounds familiar to my family, because we've most recently been playing it with Hayden. By now, though, I think even Hayden has outgrown it!! I feel so silly, especially when I return to my room and take 2 Gummy Vites! haha I feel like Sarah is the older sister and I am the little baby that entertains everyone with my childish antics. But then again, the babies of the family always get more attention and we all know I love attention! ;]

Yesterday (Monday) we visited the Senate. The rooms were so pretty. Because I'm not French and no nothing about the French government, I didn't really appreciate the tour that much. I wish I cared more, but I think maybe I'm too young!? Also, I suspect that history (especially French history) just isn't my "thing". Still, I'm so grateful to get to visit all of these places.

I spent Monday night studying for a test in Uber's class. His tests are rough, but I think I did okay. We just cover so much so fast! In case anyone was wondering, I'm making all A's over here. See, Mom and Dad, I'm making time for studying! :]

Today (Tuesday) we were all exhausted from staying up and studying last night, but we didn't wanna waste such a pretty day sleeping in our beds. We didn't, however, want to go to a museum today since we're going to the Louvre tomorrow. Our solution to this conundrum? Walk to the Eiffel Tower and have a picnic, of course! I mean, duh! We're in Paris, after all. Everyone got food from different shops. Shae and Pam got sandwiches from a Boulangerie. Carolyn and Ian got pizza from the same place. Evan and I decided to be different and grab some Chinese food. Yes, Chinese food in Paris. Yes, it is actually tasty! We all grabbed our food and set off to find an open spot in one of the gardens around the Eiffel Tower. We found a nice, little spot close to the tower and sat down and enjoyed our food. One of the best lunches we've had here, I'd say. You just can't beat the view of the Eiffel Tower. The tourist in us all kicked in and we ended up posing for countless pictures in front of the tower. We just couldn't resist!! Can you blame us!? We headed across the bridge and bought crepes from a little stand, after lunch. Mmm I could eat crepes everyday for the rest of my life! Definitely one of my faves, though chocolate eclairs are a very, very close second!

We planned on going home after lunch, but ended up sitting on a bench in Trocadero and watching a World Cup. They have a huge screen set up for everyone to come and watch the games. It was really neat. We all know I'm not a huge soccer fan, but it is sorta fun to watch the games. I was on the Kappa F team soccer team, after all!! hehe

I spent the rest of the day reading, studying, and napping. Perfect end to yet another fabulous day in Paris! :]

Tomorrow we have class then we're all going to the Louvre. I really hope I'm able to appreciate it more than I did the last time we visited. I just remember rushing through the whole thing. I'm sure it was way over our heads. I'm optimistic about tomorrow's visit, though. That Art Appreciation class had to have taught me something, right!? Let's all keep our fingers crossed!! I will also be packing tomorrow for our trip to Brussels, yay! We are all so pumped about the trip. To be honest, I have no idea what we are going to do. I think we are all just so excited to not have class for a few days! One of the girls in the program with us, Kaitlin, is dating a guy from Baylor that is from Brussels. His family has invited all 7 of us to a cook out at their house on Saturday night! Isn't that so sweet!? The boys are psyched for some "real" meat. The girls just can't wait to meet Thomas (the boyfriend). :] Typical, oui n'est pas!?

Funny anecdote time...
As we were eating lunch, pigeons were surrounding us. Gross! One of the guys made the comment, "My dog would love Paris. He'd have so much fun chasing these stupid birds". This comment started a convo about what our dogs would think of Paris. Random much?? Of course, I had to throw in my two cents worth, since I do have the greatest dog. (Emily I can practically hear you laughing and see you rolling your eyes) I said that Molly would love Paris. She would totes fit right in in Paris!
Okay so that was silly, but I thought it would make you guys giggle :] And you know you're totally thinking about what your pets would think of Paris. Admit it!

I'd love to write more (and we all know I could ramble on for hours), but I have to study for yet another quiz! Ew gross!! I'll try to update tomorrow since I probably won't have my trusty MacBook with me in Brussels!
XOXO
darepatt (just for you @erincjo and @MaryBlaire :] )